The Kurotsukidoo Purge
The municipal middle school of Senboku City stood empty, its summer vacation in full swing. That made it the perfect place for Kurotsukidoo to set up their nest without interference. Tang Xiaohua, the Northeast Asia regional director currently in charge of the major offensive against Taira Foods, sat inside the school library listening to a subordinate’s report.
“The East Weapon bastards from the western front are advancing toward Kakunodate!”
“Hmph…! Their numbers are small, yet they’re not sending everything—just the forces from the western front? What are they thinking?”
Tang Xiaohua tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. Although the quality of Kurotsukidoo’s low-ranking soldiers left much to be desired, they held the numerical advantage. On top of that, they had ability users on their side. And though she hadn’t revealed it yet, if she stepped forward herself she could wipe out every last Taira Foods soldier single-handedly. Of course, the enemy had no idea that a monstrous superhuman like her was currently lounging in the school library.
The messenger delivering the report stared at Tang Xiaohua with a hint of fear in his eyes. She was a battle maniac who wore her cyber suit even on ordinary days, and her personality was far from pleasant, so tension was only natural.
But what truly terrified people wasn’t her personality—it was her ability.
Tang Xiaohua wielded the secret poison arts of the Tang clan, a family that had fallen during the Third World War. Her toxins could melt a person without leaving a trace. That was why the messenger feared he might dissolve into nothing if he displeased her.
Many legends surrounded Tang Xiaohua. She had started as a lowly Kurotsukidoo foot soldier, then distinguished herself in the Yangcheon Battle by killing a hundred enemies in the blink of an eye, and in the Tianjin Battle where a single dose of poison claimed two hundred lives. Her continued string of victories had propelled her all the way to regional director—one of the highest positions in the organization. It was unprecedented for someone from the Yang or Xia bloodlines, the true highborn of Kurotsukidoo, to be passed over in favor of an outsider for control of Northeast Asia.
Because her poison had also been used several times in the organization’s internal political struggles, even her own subordinates feared her exactly as the current messenger did. They were terrified that one day her toxins might be aimed at them.
“Fine. Kakunodate has plenty of troops, but tell the men to stay ready to depart at any moment so we can send reinforcements immediately!”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
The messenger bowed deeply and hurried out of the library. At that moment, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating Tang Xiaohua’s figure.
Alias: Poison Flower of Kurotsukidoo
Ability: Secret Tang Clan Poison Arts — can dissolve organic matter without trace
Equipment: Custom cyber suit with glowing green circuits, skull-patterned tech mask (trademark)
Threat Level: Extreme
Her hair was a vivid lime green, likely the result of her poison arts, and her eyes glowed with an emerald light. A sleek, slender body wrapped in a cyber suit. The most striking feature was the tech mask shaped like a screaming skull. It was her signature item—anyone who recognized Tang Xiaohua would turn and run the moment they saw that mask. Green lights flickered across the exposed circuits of her suit. She was the very picture of danger.
“Aaaah~! I’m so bored…! I wish the situation would get a little more intense…”
Tang Xiaohua stretched lazily and muttered to herself. She didn’t even consider the possibility of losing. After all, this wasn’t a fight against Taira’s main forces—just a skirmish with Taira Foods. She was absolutely certain this battle would end in her victory.
Bang!
Sawayanagi Mikiyo stood atop an armored transport vehicle, picking off enemy scouts on the surrounding rooftops one by one as the unit advanced. Right after departure, they had received word that the Daisen forces would also push north, applying pressure so that Kurotsukidoo would be forced to split their troops.
We advanced along Route 46 while the main Daisen force moved north on Route 105. The point where the two roads converged was Kakunodate.
“We’ll reach the planned point in about five minutes. Everyone, stay sharp,” Sawayanagi Azuma called out, and the team responded with a unified “Yes, ma’am!” In real combat, they showed proper respect for their captain—unlike their usual casual demeanor.
“Stop the vehicle for a moment.”
Rianna Holden spoke to Kiyona Hori, who was driving, then opened the hatch above and launched a surveillance drone. At the same time, Sawayanagi Mikiyo, who had been sniping from the roof, dropped back inside.
“I’ve cleared out the nearby scouts for now. Still, they probably noticed us coming from the gunfire.”
“This was always going to be a head-on clash anyway. Even if they know we’re here, it can’t be helped,” Sawayanagi Azuma replied in a firm voice. Everyone fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of Sawayanagi Shigeru—the speedster who burned through massive calories—continuously stuffing food into his mouth.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Rianna?”
“From the drone feed, it looks safe to disembark now.”
I stood up along with Sawayanagi Tobey. The simple plan was for the two of us to charge in first, sow chaos among the Kurotsukidoo forces, and then let the rest of the team sweep up the remnants. Of course, that required us to be capable of causing enough chaos on our own.
Sawayanagi Tobey lacked long-range attack abilities, so he carried submachine guns strapped to both thighs, rifles crossed in an X on his back, and a grenade launcher in his hands.
I went lighter—pistols on both thighs and a single grenade launcher rifle. Compared to him, my loadout was practically casual.
“Investor-nim! Please be careful! I’ll send instructions through Rianna later. You must follow them exactly!”
“Understood. I’ll obey the operator’s orders.”
What future had she foreseen that made her warn me in advance? I simply nodded and stepped out of the vehicle with Sawayanagi Tobey.
We walked slowly, scanning our surroundings. There were several paths, but to draw maximum aggro we deliberately took the widest main road. Since we were still at the outskirts of Kakunodate, there weren’t many enemies in sight. After walking for about three minutes, the first bullets finally flew our way.
“Engaging!”
I shouted into the radio and charged straight at the group firing on me. While my helmet and cyber suit deflected most of the rounds, I closed the distance. Sawayanagi Tobey provided covering fire the entire time. We had agreed beforehand that whoever initiated the rush would be supported by the other.
Against these low-ranking Kurotsukidoo thugs who had simply been handed guns, I didn’t even need to use Shinkai Yatsude. I lifted their gun barrels with telekinesis, then swung my hand—filled with the power of the abyss—wide. Ten men were sliced clean in half in an instant.
The enemies were so startled by their own weapons suddenly pointing upward that they couldn’t even attempt to defend themselves before being cut down.
“Graaaah!”
With screams echoing, the entire squad was annihilated. We moved on to the next location. This time bullets poured in from both sides of an alley. We stood back-to-back and returned fire in both directions.
One hit from us meant death for them, while their shots barely damaged us. Once again, we wiped them out without difficulty.
But the enemy had finally realized that ordinary bullets were useless against us. They started using RPG-7s and grenade launchers. Fortunately, Rianna Holden warned us in advance through the drone feed, and Sawayanagi Mikiyo, who had climbed onto a nearby rooftop, delivered precise headshots with her sniper rifle to neutralize the threats.
Even when she missed one, I used telekinesis to redirect the muzzle, dodged the incoming fire, then closed in and finished them with my own gun. The distance was so great that using telekinesis strained me; my head throbbed painfully. Still, I told myself this was all part of raising my proficiency, and somehow endured it.
By now the main East Weapon forces behind us had also begun fighting. The faint sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance. Since we had taken the lead, drawn heavy aggro, and slaughtered nearly three hundred enemies, I was confident we had created a very favorable situation.
Tatatatatatatatata!!!
Just as we reached the final stretch of Kakunodate’s downtown area, heavy machine-gun fire erupted from buildings on both sides with a deafening roar. The large-caliber rounds actually punched through our cyber armor and bit into flesh. The armor reduced the damage, but the bullets still sank deep.
I glanced at Sawayanagi Tobey beside me. Thanks to his steel transformation, sparks flew as the bullets bounced off. Still, if he kept taking hits, even his steel form would eventually break.
We sprinted into a nearby alley for cover.
“Are you alright?”
Sawayanagi Tobey asked in his characteristic archaic, formal speech, clearly worried about the blood pouring from me. When he saw my flesh regenerating and the bullets clattering to the ground, he gave a relieved nod.
“Thank goodness…”
“Let’s rush out together and hit the machine-gun positions with grenade launchers.”
“Then I shall take the building on the right.”
Which naturally left the left building for me. We counted to three in unison, burst out of the alley, and fired our grenade launchers at our respective targets.
With a heavy thump, the grenades flew through the windows where the machine guns were positioned. One second later—BOOM!—the explosions rang out.
Minor Achievement!
You have massacred over 50 enemies in a single coordinated attack.
Bonus: +15% additional experience
Oh. The achievement window that only appeared when something involved the Daughter of the Abyss had popped up again.
-Hey! Handsome guy! Hold on a second. The captain has something to say!
Rianna Holden’s voice suddenly echoed inside my head. What now?
Looks like using the “skull mask” tag brought out a ton of skull-themed images lol.
Bare face without the mask.