Assault on the Villain Group 【LesserRat】 (1)
Pew! Peeew! Kwajik! Kaaang!!
He dodges the rubber bullets flying at him one after another. The terrifying force of the rubber bullets crumples the walls of the nearby container boxes. Even steel container boxes would shatter to pieces after just three hits from those rounds.
What's the enemy's goal?
Remnants of LesserRat? An Awakener?
Non-lethal rubber bullets are designed with a short effective range from the start. They're meant to be fired right in someone's face, so using them for sniping is inefficient and pointless. He's using the container box as cover for now, but he can't just stay hidden forever.
He'd almost instinctively leaned out to pursue the leader of 【LesserRat】—the woman he'd been cornering until moments ago—as she desperately tried to flee, but peeeeeew!
"Kuh…!"
Another bullet whistled right past his nose, as if to stop him from chasing her. By the time he could react, the villain was getting away.
His heart pounded like a bell in his anxious frustration.
What the hell is that woman doing here?!
On the rooftop of a building not far from the pier where the assault operation was underway, Villain No. 13 sighed as he watched the situation through binoculars.
He'd received orders from the 'Villain Alliance' and come here. A bit late, unfortunately.
The 'Villain Alliance' had commanded him to guard a certain villain organization tonight. To ensure they could escape their base safely. Though Villain No. 13 was nearly powerless now, he couldn't refuse orders from the Alliance, so he'd accepted. He'd spent the day training Club enough to be useful and headed here.
The training with Club had dragged on longer than expected, so he'd arrived late.
And the sight that greeted him upon arrival was this: the villain organization he was supposed to protect, and the 7th Squad heroes mercilessly slaughtering them.
"Fuck...! No. 13! Explain this! Why the hell is our 7th Squad here?! Why do I have to shoot at my comrades?!"
"...Shut up. I don't know either."
"No. 13!"
"Enough, Club! It's an order! Fire!"
Through the binoculars, he saw the fleeing leader of LesserRat and Spade chasing after her.
At No. 13's command, Club made a face like she couldn't accept it, but she still pulled the trigger on her air gun. With a sound different from a regular gunshot, another rubber bullet fired.
The bullet, enhanced by Club's mana, flew faster and more accurately than any ordinary round, intercepting Spade from afar. But it only made her skid to a halt—it couldn't wound or subdue her.
To block sniper fire from that distance without a single miss at that speed. A monster.
"Don't think about anything else, Club! You're a temporary Abyss member under my command right now! Rahe gave the order too, remember?! So just obey me! Got it?!"
"...Fuck...!"
Club looked unconvinced, but for No. 13's sake, she aimed her gun again and placed her finger on the trigger. She used her abilities—sharpened by No. 13's training—to stop her comrade...
Sniper angle, roughly like this...
Position...
Spade quickly calculated in her head and grabbed her radio to report the situation: there was a sniper, so stay cautious; she'd spotted the LesserRat leader fleeing and was pursuing.
Rahe's voice came through the radio. Solemn and fitting for the battlefield, but the content reflected her policy of valuing lives.
No problem. That's what she replied.
This was nothing. The incoming bullets were indeed fearsome in power and speed, but Spade's superhuman senses could handle them. Plus, for some reason, the enemy was using non-lethal rubber bullets. Even if they packed a punch, her mana-reinforced body could take a few hits no problem.
She was about to charge out with that in mind when her instincts—beast-like precognition—rang alarm bells again.
The chilling sensation crawling up her spine, just like before. Goosebumps rising sharply.
She reflexively jerked her head aside. Kwajik!
This time, the bullet grazed her temple. She'd barely avoided a direct headshot, but the radio in her hand shattered to pieces.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
"My god… how!"
Spade suppressed her racing heart—which hurt from the strain—and exhaled roughly. But more than that, something was off. She was behind cover from a container box, and by the angle of the previous shot, this spot should have been safe.
Multiple snipers…?
No, that wasn't it. Her instincts whispered otherwise.
Spade quickly scanned the surroundings. Looking for cats or some animal that might be involved. The sniper fire reminded her of her currently kidnapped comrade, Club. Club could adjust bullet trajectories with her ability.
But Club needed a living relay to use her 【Animal Vision】 power. No such creatures were visible nearby. Besides, a kidnapped Club wouldn't be here shooting at her own teammate.
Peeeeew! Peeeeew! Peeeeew! Peeeeew!
"……! Ugh…!"
The barrage of spine-freezing bullets continued relentlessly, ignoring her cover and coming from varying angles. Spade rolled on the ground in desperation to evade.
Occasionally, she drew the special baton from her waist and deftly deflected them.
The sniping wasn't impossible to counter. But...
At this rate… she'll get away…!
She circled behind another container, barely spotting the villain's back far in the distance. Grinding her teeth, Spade deflected another incoming bullet and ducked behind the adjacent box.
Hiding like this would just bring more fire, but she didn't care. She holstered her baton, then planted both hands and feet on the ground. A crouching start position.
"You think… I'll let her escape…?!"
Her instincts warned that the next bullet was coming soon. Fine. No problem.
Being an A-rank hero wasn't a title handed out lightly. It wasn't some participation trophy. It meant she had the skills and survived the battlefields to earn it.
Simple but powerful, beyond-common-sense 【Physical Enhancement】. And instincts honed across countless fields.
With those, Spade could break through threats like this easily.
—3. Hands and feet planted, body low, she looked like a ferocious carnivore stalking prey. Her surging mana manifested visibly as red lightning crackling around her.
Rumble! Crackle! Zap!
From Spade's body—that petite Awakener frame—explosive red mana flames erupted in an instant. Her red eyes gleamed sharper as the mana output intensified.
—2. She instinctively knew the bullet was imminent. But she didn't rush. She couldn't.
She commanded her body—itching to leap—to hold for just 1 second, or a fraction thereof.
Starting too early meant interception. Starting late meant getting sniped in place.
—1. She couldn't even pinpoint the sniper's location, let alone see or hear the shot timing.
So she trusted pure instinct. Gauging the sniper's fire rhythm solely on feel.
The sniper seemed to have trajectory manipulation. But Spade had teamed with similar ability users before and knew their weaknesses.
Target the moment after firing. Post-shot bullets were too fast; even trajectory manipulators relied on pre-set paths.
So if the target accelerated right after the shot...
They couldn't follow!
——0!!
"H… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Spade roared with a thunderous kiai, detonating the mana that had been crackling and burning around her. An explosive boom. The ground shattered, air tore.
She'd faintly heard the familiar sharp whistle just before, but the tiny bullet's sound was drowned out instantly.
Leaving the bullet meant for her behind, a red glow—a bursting crimson radiance—shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string.
Toward the fleeing villain.