Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Angel
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Did you see? Did you see? Did you see?!?!
Before the Grim Reaper appeared to avenge her dessert, in a remote location.
Thirty Fixers were gathered there.
They were the Fixers who had assembled to take down a criminal organization. Fixers sometimes team up temporarily to handle a request.
The organization they were to subjugate was the 'Three-Headed Dragon.'
A rather notorious group.
“The Three-Headed Dragon. According to the files, it's an organization led by three lizardmen brothers who claim to be descendants of dragons. They were born as mutants with physical abilities far superior to their kin, and they're a bunch of troublemakers with violent tempers who cause a lot of incidents. Each brother is rated as an A-class threat. If the three of them are together, the threat level rises to be on par with S-class.”
Red silently listened to the explanation from her orc colleague, Stal.
She was smoking a cigarette, looking up at the night sky. But her mind was elsewhere.
A moment later, Red spoke softly.
“I can handle this alone.”
“I know. For you, taking them down would be more than easy.”
Stal chuckled lightly at Red's confident attitude.
He also took out a thick cigarette and started to smoke.
The Fixers gathered here were chosen considering the threat level of the Three-Headed Dragon.
Each of them was skilled in their own right, but not enough to face the Three-Headed Dragon.
Even with their numbers bolstered, their combined strength was just shy of what was needed.
But she was different.
For her alone, dealing with the likes of the Three-Headed Dragon would be a walk in the park.
She might even finish them all off before she finished her cigarette.
Stal took the cigarette from his lips and exhaled a long breath.
A plume of white smoke dissipated into the air.
“But if you make a move, the hostage could be in danger.”
In truth, Red wasn't supposed to be part of this subjugation.
The reason she was here was that a child from the orphanage she sponsored had been kidnapped by the Three-Headed Dragon's gang.
The reason was unknown.
A grudge? Money? Whatever it was, while he thought they were idiots for messing with an orphanage sponsored by Red…
Stal figured there must be some reason behind it.
“We're not going to act rashly either. If we stick to the plan, the child will be safe, so don't go running off on your own and causing a scene.”
“…I get it, so stop talking. That's the tenth time.”
“Knowing your personality, it wouldn't be strange if you suddenly charged in, so I have to keep reminding you.”
“What are you talking about? I'm not who I used to be.”
“Right, right. But let me say it again…”
“I said I get it!”
And so, time passed.
Just as they were about to move into their respective positions for the operation, they all felt an immense pressure.
The blowing wind felt ominous, and a deep chill ran down their spines, making their skin crawl.
At this unexpected turn of events, the Fixers broke out in a cold sweat, their faces tense.
They all knew this feeling well.
It was the sensation of death, something every Fixer experienced at least once in their career.
And as they realized the source of the disturbance, panicked voices erupted from all around.
“Wait a minute! This isn't what we signed up for. The Grim Reaper?! I wasn't told about this.”
“Fuck. We should call it off right now…”
“Who in their right mind would face that thing!”
Even Stal, the most experienced among them, looked flustered.
“Hey, hey, hey. Are you serious? Why of all places is *that thing* here…”
The one who brings death.
While everyone was in a panic over the Grim Reaper's appearance.
Only one person remained calm.
Red threw her cigarette to the ground and stomped out the remaining embers.
“Hey, Red! Where are you going?”
“I'll handle the Grim Reaper somehow. You rescue the child in the meantime.”
With those words, Red took off running.
She picked up speed.
As she neared her destination, ferocious roars erupted continuously.
The earth trembled violently as if in terror.
Red's chest tightened. Her heart was pounding.
She thought she had grown numb to it, but this was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time.
To willingly dive into a place where death ran rampant. But sometimes, in this world, you had to take on the unavoidable.
And this was one of those moments.
To buy time to save the child.
Red's legs didn't slow in the slightest.
***
Thud!
Red and I leaped back simultaneously, creating distance between us.
I knew there were Fixers gathered nearby.
I didn't know if they were also targeting the organization or here for another request. But I was sure they would come running if I caused a commotion.
I was planning to hurry back before they arrived.
I never thought they'd be this fast.
And of all people, for Red to be the one to block my path.
I never imagined Red would show up here.
It's a small world.
To think we'd run into each other in a place like this. And while I'm in my 'Grim Reaper form,' no less.
‘It's fine. No need to panic. She doesn't know who I am. I just need to subdue her and leave, and this will all be over.’
I just have to knock her out and disappear.
That's what I've always done with opponents I don't want to harm, and it's worked well even against reasonably skilled Fixers.
It should be fine this time, too.
However, I was a bit nervous because I didn't know the true extent of Red's abilities.
“…Grim Reaper. You've really gone on a rampage. What's your game? Why did you show up here?”
My purpose? Well, I came to avenge my dessert.
She wouldn't believe such a ridiculous answer to her serious question. Not that it matters, since I can't speak anyway.
At my prolonged silence, she tightened her gloves.
And she took a stance.
“It doesn't matter. I wasn't expecting an answer in the first place.”
She doesn't look like she's going to back down.
I've already achieved my goal, and I don't want to clash with someone uninvolved. The best-case scenario is to resolve this without a fight.
To show that I had no intention of fighting, I stabbed my sword into the ground.
Then I crossed my arms and looked up at the sky.
A clear sign that I wanted to leave this place. Did my intention get across to her?
“You're not going anywhere. You'll have to stay here with me.”
So it's come to this.
Well, I'm from the underworld, and she's a Fixer. Our positions make a clash inevitable.
Besides, there are rumors that she's merciless against people from the underworld.
I have no choice.
I'll have to stick to the original plan: knock her out and get out of here.
‘This is going to hurt a lot, but please bear with it.’
I ripped up a chunk of the ground and hurled it at her.
As expected, the large concrete fragment bearing down on her was easily shattered. But that was just a feint to draw her attention.
The moment I threw the fragment, I kicked off the ground and closed the distance between us in an instant.
Through the shower of shattered debris, I swung my sword with enough force to knock her out in a single blow.
‘Tsk.’
But she blocked it with her fist.
If one attack doesn't work, I just have to keep attacking until it does.
I twisted my wrist, sending a strike from a different angle, and she met it with her fist.
And so we began to exchange blows.
Each time the blue trajectory of my blade clashed with her fist, space itself seemed to scream and the air was torn asunder.
Cracks formed in the ground beneath us, and the air exploded, sending debris flying.
‘Does it make sense for a fist to block a sword? No, it's not impossible in this world. Still, this is *my* sword. It's no ordinary blade.’
What made it even more difficult was that Red wasn't just charging in recklessly.
Red used footwork, twisting her body to dodge what she could. She aimed for my openings and landed powerful punches.
Her hands never stopped. They were incredibly fast and precise.
I judged that I couldn't beat her with strength alone, so I mixed in the martial arts I'd learned with my sword swings.
But she matched my movements and countered.
It was a good thing my armor absorbed the impact of her attacks; if I were bare, I would have been in serious trouble.
‘She's really as strong as the rumors say. Honestly, I didn't think she'd be this powerful.’
I have the upper hand in strength, but she surpasses me in skill.
I'm not cornered. But I don't have the advantage, either.
‘I really hate this. She's the type of opponent I hate the most.’
Someone I don't want to kill, but who is too strong to subdue.
In this extremely difficult situation, my concentration wavered without me realizing it.
And Red was not one to miss such an opening. A wide smile spread across her lips.
Her eyes were those of a predator that had successfully cornered its prey. For a moment, a chill ran down my spine and I shuddered.
I tried to refocus on what was in front of me, but it was too late.
“Found an opening.”
Pivoting on one leg, Red spun her body and delivered a kick.
The impact forced me to drop my sword, and it went flying far away.
And Red, judging this to be the perfect opportunity now that I was without my sword,
closed in on me and unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
I could neither defend nor counter.
I had to admit it. There was no way I could escape using the fighting techniques I knew; I couldn't find a single opening.
My armor was barely holding up, absorbing the impacts.
But I couldn't just keep taking hits like this.
If my martial arts were weak, I had to use another method.
To escape the flurry of fists, I gathered my mana in one spot and then unleashed it in an explosion.
She must have sensed the danger. She stopped her attack and quickly leaped back.
In that opening, I summoned my sword and quickly retrieved it.
And sent a horizontal slash toward her as she landed lightly on her feet.
A fierce blue sword aura shot forward, and Red hastily bent backward, narrowly dodging it.
A long diagonal line was carved into the wall hit by the sword aura.
A moment later, the upper part of the building began to crumble and collapse.
‘This isn't going to end. Should I increase my output? But what if I accidentally kill her?’
No. That's not right.
She won't die that easily just from me powering up.
Terrifyingly enough, it seems she hasn't gone all out yet, either.
Just how much power do I need to use to subdue her? It's hard to gauge.
Fortunately, there is one silver lining.
‘It seems she's not fully focused on the fight either. Is there a reason?’
I could tell as we fought.
Just as my mind was focused on escaping and subduing her, her attention was also divided.
At the very least, her goal isn't to defeat me.
It feels more like she's trying to hold me here. In that case, this is perfect.
A good idea flashed in my mind, and I immediately put it into action.
I imbued my sword with mana. Then I plunged it into the ground.
At that, a tumultuous sound began to emanate from the sword.
Blue flames erupted from the sword, and the flames began to take shape.
It became a flame giant, the size of a five-story building.
“This is… Don't tell me!”
Red, realizing my intention, charged at me, but the flame giant blocked her path.
“Grim Reaper! Where do you think you're going! Stop!”
Sorry, but no thanks.
Play with him. I'm leaving.
Bye-bye.
I left the scene without hesitation.
***
I arrived at a place where there was no sign of anyone.
I took a moment to catch my breath.
‘The Crime Killer... that title was the real deal. Ugh. Terrifying. I never want to face her in my Grim Reaper form again.’
Crack.
‘Ha. A crack in my armor. Just how powerful was that punch?’
I released my Grim Reaper form. The armor dissipated into mist.
And as I was about to cover my face with my mask and hood…
Rustle. Sensing a sudden presence, I quickly turned my head.
My world seemed to shake.
“Wow~ It's an angel!”
There,
with wide, round eyes,
stood a little girl with blonde hair.