The Perilous Path on This Side and the Other Side (2)
The acrid smell of gunpowder never failed to make one's sense of smell go numb, no matter how much one inhaled. At least, that was how it was for Igor.
But because it was a strong smell, the olfactory sense quickly dulled, and it was pushed out of consciousness.
And what came in its place was the pungent smell of blood. If it were the enemy's, it would be gratifying, but unfortunately, it was a comrade's blood.
"...Nikeshika?"
"Her breathing has already stopped."
"Fuck."
A curse naturally spilled out. What kind of human being is this?
The plan to fake a gas leak had perfectly succeeded. The fact that they had opened the door without resistance showed it was a perfect ambush.
"As soon as the door opened, we shot. What kind of bastards are those who dodge that... really...."
The target of theirs, the woman named Ryuumai Fuu, was a retired former mercenary.
Strictly speaking, the Triage Team denied being mercenaries, but the moment they jumped into the battlefield with military force, it was clear they were classified as at least a PMC organization.
The name itself was famous, but in the end, it was the same as theirs.
Moreover, since they avoided direct combat as much as possible, their combat effectiveness was undoubtedly negligible compared to their fame. It was because of this judgment that the 'Ferun Team' led by Igor took on requests even in this foreign land.
There was a condition that they had to be captured alive without killing, but in the end, she was called a useless old dog who retired due to injury and couldn't continue the operation. That was simple enough.
...It was a misunderstanding that even after attempting an ambush, they couldn't subdue her, and only after losing a comrade could they correct it.
The door opened, and to prevent it from closing again, they quickly grabbed it and forcefully opened it. In the meantime, the gun aimed at her fired.
It was undoubtedly a perfect ambush.
However, suddenly, paper dolls flew in from the side of the entrance and blocked all the bullets. While everyone was in a daze by that, Ryuumai charged at the comrade in front and kicked him in the face with a flying kick.
Even though it was the one with the prosthetic leg, and despite the helmet, she shattered it and crushed the face instantly.
The mercenaries' guns followed the movement belatedly, but just as they were about to shoot again, a tree suddenly sprouted from the ground in front of the entrance at an unbelievable speed and flung Ryuumai's body onto it.
The tree that seemed to grow endlessly suddenly crumbled and disappeared without leaving a speck of dust, and similarly, Ryuumai Fuu disappeared without a trace.
It was as if they had been bewitched by a goblin, and everyone was left dumbfounded.
However, the appearance of the comrade whose neck was broken and died told them it was not a dream or illusion.
It felt like something had been touched that shouldn't have been. But now, there was no way to back out.
From Igor's perspective, it was clear that the client had requested this woman, Ryuumai Fuu, to drive away the Demon Emperor.
They already knew it was a request tied to a fairly large scale.
Although the difficulty of the request itself was beyond imagination... anyway, since they had actually been deployed, failure was not acceptable.
Otherwise, they would have no choice but to be killed by the client or captured by the royal faction.
"No reports of escape? Then she probably ran back inside. Carefully enter."
Ryuumai Fuu's residence was in the suburbs, in a completely isolated place. She was probably thinking of leisurely living while tending a small vegetable garden after retirement.
But regardless of the reason, it was good for the attacking side.
After all, there were no eyes around, and the house itself was surrounded to prevent any escape through windows or the like.
If she had jumped from the tree just now and moved somewhere, she would definitely have been spotted. Even if not, someone would have seen her fleeing.
Then, she had likely hidden back into the building using some means. Although the evidence was insufficient, Igor's intuition was telling him that.
And in the hidden world, intuition was a sense that could never be ignored.
The guys who ignored this at the scene had their lordship rights in the human world taken away. Igor thought this while entering the building with his comrades.
"Clear."
"Keep going in. Don't let your guard down."
Protecting each other, they carefully checked each room one by one. They pulled the tension string as tight as possible and continued the cautious search.
Then, when they entered a certain room inside, a computer that was running came into view. It was probably because the doorbell rang suddenly and they came out to check, so that in itself was not strange.
Naturally, the priority was elsewhere. They quickly searched behind the furniture to check for places where the enemy might be hiding.
"This side is empty."
"This side too."
"Then this room...?"
After confirming that, they were about to leave the room.
"Eh?"
Someone said that voice. No matter what work they were doing, the most audible sigh from a colleague was this one, so everyone including Igor reflexively looked that way.
"What... is this live streaming...?"
"...What?"
A trembling voice. Igor, who reacted to that, was extremely bewildered.
Live streaming? He hurriedly approached the computer and looked at the screen, and as said, the monitor showed the YouTube live screen and the broadcast transmission program.
"What the fuck...!"
Igor hurriedly pressed the button on the main unit to forcibly shut down the computer. However, in contrast to the quick action, sweat dripped from his nape.
Their conversation was being transmitted to the world through the internet. Superficially, the sound of gunfire in Japan with gun regulations, and the voices of intruders speaking Russian.
International diplomatic issues were not something to worry about. That wasn't something they should consider in the first place.
Moreover, it was an act of betraying Russia's political system, so changes in the diplomatic order were inevitable. At least, the client side was undoubtedly thinking of it as 'collateral damage'.
Of course, they would get a scolding for spilling the seed of unnecessary conflict... but that was just part of the PMC job, especially when doing illegal work, and it happened often.
And right now, what they needed to worry about wasn't that.
'...Can I return alive?'
The hand holding the gun tightened more.
It didn't matter that other things were important. The real serious issue was that they had reached a precarious situation just before the Secrecy Protocol was broken.
And if a situation arose where the Secrecy Protocol was in danger of being shaken—
"Surrender."
"Ba, Bartholomew...?!"
A window in one of the rooms creaked open, and a Japanese woman with a nonchalant expression appeared.
Han Seoyeon Margarita. Apostle Bartholomew.
Moreover, wearing not only the hat but also the Apostle's attire, it was clear she had come on 'business'.
Yes. When the Secrecy Protocol crisis came, of course, a report would be filed to the Church, and then the Holy Knight would immediately deploy.
They had the authority to requisition various means of rapid transport, possessed excellent combat records in one-on-one situations, and had familiarity with the target Ryuumai Fuu, making the most suitable force for resolving the situation available.
"Even if it's to obtain information, I intend to capture you alive, but wouldn't it be best if we end it without hurting each other. Surrender."
The walking disaster who visited calmly issued the final ultimatum.
Of course, they wouldn't listen to that. Instead of answering, Igor raised his gun and aimed the muzzle at Han Seoyeon.
After all, if they failed, it was as good as being dead, so there was no reason to kneel without fighting.
"Is that so."
Then Seoyeon let out a light sigh.
"Negotiation failed. Shoot."
A question of 'what' flashed for a moment, but regardless of what, the order to shoot was clearly given. That alone was sufficient to judge.
The mercenaries including Igor quickly hid their bodies behind the furniture and took cover. Whether they knew or not, it wasn't just Seoyeon who had come alone, and her subordinates who heard her order would definitely pour bullets into them in unison—
KWAHAHA!
...Igor's biggest mistake was probably thinking that Seoye's order was 'shoot' and not 'artillery fire'.
Anti-tank missiles launched with a roar from the helicopter completely blew away the entire house, whether it was cover or not.
...By the way, let's talk about international law in the hidden world for a moment. According to precedent, post-mortem resurrection is basically classified as capture.