[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
I, having briefly finished my business in the bunker and come up to the surface, saw another guy, looking similar to the super-large Enemy Species I'd just crushed, running wild.
It's a bit smaller than the last one, but it looks way more agile. It was stomping around on all fours, crushing things with its overwhelming body mass, but as the Force fusion time was ending and it started getting counterattacked, it eventually wrapped itself around a nearby building and climbed up.
"What the?! This bastard's form, I've seen it somewhere? Did Director Sim send you, you bastard!!!"
If the building collapsed, it would be a massive disaster, and the shock could potentially affect the bunker, so I ran quickly to chase the bastard down.
The guy, twisting itself up the skyscraper like a pretzel, reached the top of the building before long. There, it opened its maw and inhaled, preparing to spew something out.
"Your breath stinks, you bastard!!!"
Kwaang!!!
I kicked off the ground and gave its jaw a powerful kick. Then, the hot light that was about to come out exploded right inside its mouth.
The flash, exploding in all directions through its slightly open mouth, scattered everywhere, burning and smashing nearby buildings. Seeing the upper parts of buildings melting along the diagonal lines where the light grazed them, it was certain that a massive disaster would have occurred if it had properly unleashed its breath.
I landed on the ground while the bastard was dazed from the hit, and I saw the Lieutenant Colonel I'd seen earlier greeting me with a face covered in dust.
"Raccoon Man! What happened to the super-large Enemy Species that ran away earlier?"
"I fed it something that starts with F and ends with UCK!"
"Excellent! If possible, I would like you to do the same to that one!"
In that case, I've got something in mind!!!
Before the guy could come to its senses, I spotted a red vehicle I'd glimpsed nearby.
Kuung!
My body, coated in a Force Field, can lift even a star if my will supports it. A mere car is easy.
It was bigger than other cars, but it didn't make much of a difference. I jumped up while holding the vehicle and threw it right at the face of the super-large Enemy Species wrapped around the building.
"It's a Fire truck!!!"
[Kuwooooo!!!]
It starts with F and ends with UCK, right! It's the same thing!!
I smashed the fire truck right into the bastard's face. It screamed in pain, but its body, wrapped around the building, only tightened its grip and didn't fall to the ground.
"Fire! Support Raccoon Man!"
On the ground, they were pouring concentrated fire onto the bastard's body, perhaps trying to help me. It didn't help much, but it was effective enough if the goal was just to distract it.
"It's a bit tougher than the last one, isn't it?"
I hit it a few times, but I didn't feel any impact. It didn't seem like I was doing much damage, and if I wanted to kill it just by punching it, I'd have to hit it way more than the one I killed near the bunker earlier.
I was thinking about using a skill, when I heard the sound of a helicopter from afar.
Unusually, it wasn't the typical military camouflage pattern but a solid color, and on the fuselage, there was a zigzag pattern symbolizing lightning.
"Lieutenant Colonel! Thunderbolt is coming!"
"Did he finish his work in Central Park!? Thank goodness!!"
Dudududu!!
The helicopter, approaching nearby with the sound of its propellers, threw its door open, and the man inside aimed his muzzle toward this side.
I couldn't tell well from a glance, but the firearm itself wasn't ordinary either. Just as the Original Species Disposal Team uses special firearms, it wouldn't be strange for a Force User to use even more custom-made special firearms.
Taang! A gunshot rang out. And at the same time, one of the super-large Enemy Species' eyes burst, and violent lightning radiated in all directions.
The power of the bullet itself wasn't that great, but the power of the lightning was no joke. Just from the aftermath of that one small bullet, about five floors of the building the bastard was wrapped around were scorched by lightning, and you could see glass and metal melting.
It wasn't even a direct hit, and it was like that... I had felt a bit dismissive because he was using a gun, but with that level of power, the story changes.
[Kuaaaaa! Kuak!!!]
The super-large Enemy Species, with one eye blown away, let out a shriek. When it struggled in pain and its grip on the building weakened even slightly, I flew at its feet and body, punching and striking it.
"Now you're a one-eyed monster, huh? Hey, you bastard, want me to use mind reading? Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
Kwaaaang!
"Thinking about crushing you!!!"
Kugugugugu!!!
After I struck it a few times, the body it had wrapped around the building fell to the ground. As the massive, heavy body fell, a shockwave occurred that left not a trace of the road on the ground.
Because they had kept their distance beforehand, there was no separate damage to the military. Rather, the tanks lowered their barrels, and the remaining Force Users launched long-range attacks, pouring down concentrated fire once again.
The helicopter with the lightning pattern above was the same. Aiming his muzzle at the bastard again, he poured bullets at it indiscriminately, perhaps in full auto this time. The rapid fire, which made me wonder if it was a Gatling gun, poured out a barrage of bullets that couldn't be compared to the level of an automatic rifle.
Lightning discharged in all directions. It was less powerful than before, but all the bullets poured out had a level of firepower that even I had to acknowledge, enough to leave not a trace of a skyscraper.
The Master Users I've met so far, including that Thunderbolt, are three: Hibiki from Japan, Lee Gyeong-jin from Korea.
Considering their positions, Hibiki is a tanker, Lee Gyeong-jin is a dealer, and Thunderbolt is also a dealer. But if you compare Lee Gyeong-jin and Thunderbolt... Thunderbolt has higher firepower.
Of course, considering Lee Gyeong-jin's Gray Resonance Sword, the difference in their level is different, but each has its own merits.
True to his nickname, Thousand Swords, Lee Gyeong-jin is effective in one-versus-many battles by manipulating multiple swords, but Thunderbolt is effective when dealing with these large Enemy Species by using ignorant firepower.
If he can produce the power of a decent missile with just a finger-sized bullet, he'd be one of the best in terms of firepower alone.
Eventually, the firepower that had been pouring out for nearly a minute without thinking about remaining ammo stopped. As the dust settled, the super-large Enemy Species was revealed, dead with its tongue lolling out, exposing cooked flesh.
Once they confirmed the bastard was dead, the soldiers and Force Users cheered and celebrated their victory.
"This is real American firepower! Who's the real man!"
"Thunderbolt! Thunderbolt!"
"Raccoon Man! Over here!"
I went down to the ground. Likewise, someone jumped off the helicopter and landed on the ground.
A tall white man carrying a gun that looked like it came straight out of a game—maybe he was holding a Big Fucking Gun, as its shape and caliber looked quite large—approached me.
"Hmm, you, Raccoon Man?"
"Speak English. I can speak English."
"Darn, there was no point in running the Korean translator."
He gave a good-natured smile and lightly tapped my shoulder.
"Name's Jacob Baldwin. Nice to meet you, Raccoon Man."
"Where have you been? Did you come after handling something else?"
"Yeah, I handled the one in Central Park on my way here."
"What about the ones that appeared in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx?"
"Ah, you figured that out too? Only small fry appeared in the others. I decided to handle only the Dimensional Rifts where large to super-large ones appeared."
It seems the rest are all small or medium Enemy Species. At that level, they can be sufficiently repelled with the cooperation of other Force Users and the US military.
"I didn't know a Korean Force User would come all the way here. What about Korea?"
"Lee Gyeong-jin will handle things there somehow. I was just worried about this place."
"What do you mean by that?"
I felt a bit of doubt along with an ominous feeling.
There was still one medium and a few small Enemy Species left, but the situation was entering a lull.
Once I threw a few punches and killed the medium one instantly, the situation was almost over.
Even though two super-large Enemy Species appeared, that level wasn't enough to turn New York into a mess. If this were 20 years ago, before Force Users appeared, it would have been a force capable of turning not just New York, but the entire United States upside down.
My punches weren't even working properly, so to kill it with firearms, you'd have to drop a nuke. Then, in the end, the US would be ruined anyway.
"How was the Central Park side?"
"Three large ones appeared. There were many, but it was nothing special."
"What was the level?"
".....It was rare for large ones, though."
The level has risen overall. But that's not enough.
Suddenly, I looked at the Dimensional Rift that was still open.
"Why isn't that closed yet?"
"Huh?"
Translucent hexagonal fragments were scattering from the still-open Dimensional Rift.
Those fragments you see there are the smallest units that form a dimension. If you collect them, piece them together, and apply a special stimulus, you can use Dimensional Blocking, a top-tier defensive barrier that even Transcendents avoid.
But the reason it's not done easily is that the fragments have a natural restorative ability. Therefore, you have to forcibly tear them off and treat them separately.
Yes, they have a natural restorative ability. In short, the Dimensional Rift occurring and the Enemy Species invading is an artificial event, but the Dimensional Rift restoring itself is a natural event.
If that's still open, it means there's a force being applied to it as well.
For a Transcendent, tearing a dimension is possible if they put in some effort, but if it's an application of technology, the consumption of energy or resources is no joke.
If that's still open, it means...
"There's still more to come!"
I glared at the Dimensional Rift. And from within, something slowly poked its face out.
The monster, shining with dull green eyes, resembled a human.
Of course, that doesn't mean it was a human. If I had to find commonalities, it was just that it had two legs, two arms, and a head. But considering the types of Enemy Species that generally resembled animals more than humans, this guy was a new form.
There was only one of them. Even the super-large Enemy Species came in pairs, but this guy was just one, and it appeared only after the situation was wrapped up and our allies had been wiped out.
"Hey, Jacob."
"What?"
"You evacuate with the other troops. It'd be better to slowly fall back."
The guy didn't rush in blindly. In its dull green eyes, though faint, intelligence could be seen.
Most Enemy Species felt like they moved on instinct. That's why they were easy to deal with, but I had a strong feeling that things were going to get difficult from now on.
Thunderbolt, Jacob Baldwin, frowned as he looked at me and the Enemy Species that had emerged from the Dimensional Rift.
"Wouldn't it be better if I helped?"
"When I tell you to fall back, just fall back."
As I stepped forward, the guy rushed at me. I don't know where it got it from, but it was holding a spear, and at the end of it was a menacing spearhead made of red ore.
Kwaaaaa!!
I reinforced my Force Field one layer further and blocked the guy's spear. With a single collision, I felt a heavy impact, enough to gouge a crater into the nearby ground.
No, it's a bit different. Until now, even though the Enemy Species had at least possessed supernatural abilities, they had fallen within the category of living creatures.
This guy is one that can interfere with and manipulate 'concepts' even a little bit. And on this side, such beings are called by one word.
Transcendent.
Whether big or small, if you can reach out and manipulate the concept of something itself, from that point on, you are called a Transcendent. That's the minimum standard.
The guy pushed me with sudden acceleration that ignored the laws of physics. Usually, zero-to-hundred refers to the time required to accelerate to 100 kilometers, but the guy didn't have any of that.
From a standstill, it broke the sound barrier in an instant, causing a sonic boom, flipped over a couple of nearby tanks, cut them in half, raided me, and swung its spear to strike my head down.
Even though the Enemy Species had attacked through bizarre forms until now, they were ultimately bound by the limits of living creatures.
At the very least, they didn't defy gravity or move at Mach speeds from a standstill. If they had, the Enemy Species would have already driven Earth to destruction.
I, who had thought of the Enemy Species as nothing more than monsters at best, decided to abandon the thought that this was a game for the first time.
"Run away quickly! If you don't want to die in 5 seconds!"
The culprit that Yejin saw, the one that turns New York into a mess, is this guy right here.