Indigo stood there, and as I approached step by step, Indigo also stepped forward with a vexed expression.
“Stay out of this. I’ll take care of this guy.”
Indigo warned his team members sharply, glaring at me. I could feel his eyes through the invisible helmet, and my eyes were glaring back at him.
It was somewhat comforting that someone else was voicing my thoughts, even though it was hard for me to speak.
Though anger kept rising, I tried to regain my composure as I saw him approaching. Since I had told my teammates to calm down, I made an effort to do the same, deciding to focus on testing the new feature.
“There’s a chance I might listen if you have something to say before everything breaks apart.”
Indigo showed arrogance, believing he could win in a one-on-one fight, while I prepared myself for the confrontation without answering.
“Are there only mute brats in Spacystro?”
He probably talked to himself like this during his battles against Team 4 too. And ordinary soldiers like me wouldn’t answer him, especially considering Siera’s personality… she would never respond.
“Let’s see you scream from that mouth!”
Indigo charged at me, throwing a punch. Though he was easily broken in combos, his approach in a one-on-one battle wasn’t entirely foolish.
To me, who had been trained in countless battles against HunterKillers, his movements seemed unnecessary and lacked the efficiency of minimal movement with powerful attacks, like the HunterKillers.
For example, Yubin wielded her sword as her primary weapon, deflecting most incoming attacks with her sword, all while preparing for the next move even as she deflected them.
Sometimes her movements resembled acrobatics, making it hard to predict her actions, and her attacks were so powerful that defending against them was difficult.
But Indigo’s attacks weren’t like that.
He swung his right fist at me and then swung his left the moment I blocked. While he usually alternated between his hands and feet, his overly simple pattern was easy to predict.
And then, a kick hit his side, pushing him back.
Smiling at the fact that his attack landed, Indigo looked triumphant. Ignoring him, I kicked him, and he caught my foot, lifting it high before slamming it down on the ground.
Just before hitting the ground, I directed my hand toward the floor to minimize the impact.
As I fell, I pushed off with my hands and got up, aiming my foot at his face. Indigo stepped back to avoid my kick and then kicked my abdomen, sending me flying.
Rolling on the ground, I quickly regained my balance.
“Look. In a one-on-one fight, you’re nothing.”
I clenched my fist, determined to crush that arrogant look, and ran toward Indigo again. Not completely foolish, Indigo defended himself by swinging his fist as I ran towards him.
I slightly tilted my head back to dodge his attack. Dodging his next kick and punch was equally easy.
The new equipment’s features were quite interesting. Even though they weren’t superpowers, I felt that my body was lighter overall when wearing the suit.
With more control over my body’s reactions, I clearly felt the lightness I hadn’t noticed just moments ago.
“Are you going to keep dodging forever?!”
Did he think I was struggling to dodge his attacks?
Indeed, not all attacks can be blocked. Most were predictable, but since he was a hyper-human, there were times when strong attacks came unexpectedly.
He relentlessly attacked, overwhelming me with countless blows, and his team members watched with amusement.
During the attack, I felt that the new gloves and shoes made my hits stronger. If he had been a HunterKiller, it would have been much harder to land a hit, leaving no room to feel the impact.
The sudden appearance of Team Guerrilla during the battle was startling, but it couldn’t have been better for testing the new equipment we received after ten years.
My emotions were rising. The humiliation my teammates endured, the efforts of the HunterKiller team that went unappreciated… all these memories flooded my mind, and seeing Indigo approach, I felt nothing but contempt.
Damn bastard.
The members of Team 3, watching from behind, relaxed their guard a bit when they saw A’s movements were steady.
“A, that guy looks good today, doesn’t he?”
Jack, fighting alongside A at the front, admired A’s excellent condition, while Klugger standing beside him shook his head.
“No, he seems really agitated.”
“What? A?”
Jack met A for the first time on Earth despite being in the same 6th Fleet, so he didn’t know much about A’s past and had never seen A angry.
“Do you remember what I said about A in the beginning?”
“What? Don’t make A angry?”
When A joined Team 3 with Klugger, Klugger often reminded his teammates not to upset A, knowing A’s past.
At first, his teammates thought there might be some problem with A’s personality, but seeing how rarely A got angry, they interpreted it as a warning to not provoke him.
Kluger didn’t elaborate further, not wanting to bring up A’s past unnecessarily, and since A hadn’t shown anger often, they stopped mentioning it.
Despite forgetting Klugger’s words, the situation reminded the team of his advice.
“Yeah, when A gets really mad, there’s no stopping him.”
Kluger felt worried seeing A’s old behavior again but also relieved knowing A wouldn’t lose to Indigo.
“What happened?”
“I first met A at the training camp a long time ago.”
Klugger and A’s bond was deep, and as he casually spoke, he laughed ironically, recalling the past.
“That guy was the craziest.”
So Klugger assumed A knew better than anyone else.
‘A crazy person can be tamed.’
While Indigo continued attacking, I blocked and dodged, testing the new features of the suit.
The change in my body was noticeable. The overall weight of my body was different, requiring time to adapt by moving. Gradually, I felt my body getting used to the new weight.
“This damn…”
Fed up with dodging, Indigo gritted his teeth and threw a punch at me. Dodging his attack, I struck his face with my fist.
Hit precisely, Indigo closed his eyes and took a step back. Without pause, I struck him with my left and right fists, followed by a roundhouse kick to his face.
“!”
A short groan escaped as he regained his balance and faced me. Grabbing his head, I pulled him down, and my knee hit his face.
“!”
Still dazed, Indigo lost his balance again and jumped sideways, kicking Indigo’s neck with a spinning kick. From close range, almost a side kick, the metal sole of my new shoe hit his neck.
“!!”
Not passing out despite being a hyper-human, Indigo staggered back, trying to regain balance. It seemed difficult even to maintain balance.
I waited for him to regain balance. Being greedy and continuing the attack could give him an opening to counterattack if I lost balance.
“Damn. Stop squirming!”
Spitting blood, Indigo charged with a kick, which I dodged and spun sideways mid-air, landing a heel kick to his face.
“!”
Indigo lost balance mid-air and fell, and I used the rotational force of my kick to spin and deliver another kick to his abdomen.
“!”
Struck deeply in the solar plexus, Indigo lay on the ground, unable to breathe properly, and I stepped back slightly.
…It’s not over yet.
Considering the suffering my friends and the HunterKiller team endured, this was just the beginning.
…Even if it’s just me doing this, it won’t make much difference, but it could relieve the stress built up inside me…
Regaining his breath, Indigo stood up, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes, and screamed.
“This guy—!!!”
Like a raging wolf, his bared teeth dripped with blood. He rushed at me, enraged by the unresolved conflict, thinking that landing one hit would change the tide.
Contrary to his loud cries, I silently observed him rushing at me…
…Yes. Let’s see what he does.
Anger is a strong impulse. Although I was overwhelming him, I couldn’t predict what he might do in a state of rage, and he might exert even more strength than usual.
Rushing at me, Indigo swung his fist fiercely. Though his attacks were sharper than before, I managed to avoid and block them, preventing any effective hits.
…And I started feeling even more annoyed with Indigo’s relentless charge.
His fist was filled with power, and I slipped inside when he paused to attack.
Biting down hard, I clenched my teeth and punched his solar plexus.
The sudden burst of energy sent Indigo flying, crashing into a pile of construction materials and disappearing into the dust.
“Ahahahaha-!!!”
With another scream, a pipe flew out of the dust. I grabbed the straight-flying pipe and threw it at another pipe flying out of the dust.
The pipes clashed in mid-air, creating a loud noise. Another pipe kept coming, and I kicked it, sending it flying back into the dust.
Finally, the dust settled, revealing Indigo. The pipe had grazed his face, causing a wound.
…Will screaming solve anything?
…Doesn’t he realize that he’s not thinking about the screams of many people?
…Even as an invader, you’re an endless nuisance.
…You’re such a worthless piece.
The growing frustration turned into stress.
Without any intention to play around, I ran toward him.
Seeing me running, Indigo started running too. As we got closer, Indigo jumped high. He revealed a hidden weapon and aimed it at me on the ground. Only then did he notice I wasn’t there.
Thinking he jumped, I jumped higher, landing slightly above him.
“Indigo! Above!”
His teammate shouted, but it was too late. I spun in mid-air, delivering a heel kick to his head.
I crashed hard onto the ground, and immediately after, I landed where he fell.
‘Thank goodness it’s dirt.’
The relatively soft ground minimized the pain when I landed. But now, it was irrelevant.
I grabbed his collar, lifted him up, and punched his face hard. The impact was so strong that I released his collar, letting it fall to the ground.
Then, I punched his face again with my other hand.
One punch, two punches, three punches. I continuously punched his face, and gradually, dust rose.
Gradually, the speed of my punches increased…
…All because of this guy, my comrades suffered humiliation.
The efforts of the HunterKiller team were wasted.
As an invader, there are limits to what I can tolerate,
‘You crossed that line. Damn scum.’
The rapid barrage of punches continued… Indigo didn’t move.
Whether he’s unconscious or not, it’s none of my concern…
…If I keep this up without rest, some of my pent-up anger might dissipate… some of the stress everyone around me experienced might ease… this way… this way… this way…
………….Die, damn bastard.
“Hey. Something’s wrong with him, isn’t it?”
Jack, who had been watching A quietly, told Klugger, who was keeping an eye on Team Guerrilla.
Klugger, who had momentarily diverted his attention from A, noticed A’s indiscriminate beating of Indigo.
“Hey. Stop him.”
“What?”
“Stop him!”
Klugger shouted urgently and ran towards A.
Even though he had known A for a long time, he overlooked one thing: A was even more unstable than he remembered.
A had several nicknames given by those who had known him for a long time, like a label.
With many experiences, A had gone through various changes, including some rough periods. Those who witnessed A during those rough times called him:
A crazy guy.
And Klugger, who had seen A during those rough times, could tell he wasn’t in his right mind just by observing his movements, even though his face was hidden under the helmet.
No matter how angry my teammates were at Indigo, they couldn’t kill him. Although it was satisfying to exact legal revenge, killing him would change the situation.
Hearing Klugger’s plea to stop, his teammates took it seriously and grabbed A’s arm and body, stopping him from striking Indigo’s face.
“Crazy bastard! Snap out of it!”
As Klugger’s shout brought back my sanity, I realized I had been mindlessly beating Indigo. Feeling the tension slowly leave my clenched fist, I looked down at the fallen Indigo.
His broken nose and front teeth, sunken cheekbones, and white eyes made it almost impossible to recognize him as the Indigo from moments ago.
Thanks to my teammates, I raised my head and looked around.
Indigo’s team members were too scared to approach, and my teammates desperately held me back.
It seemed things had become serious enough for Klugger to shout loudly during the fight.
The first thing I felt from the newly acquired equipment was Indigo’s blood, and I waved to my teammates, showing them I was fine after wiping the blood from my hands.
Seeing this, my teammates let go, and I stood up.
Gradually, I moved away from the battlefield. No, I intended to move away.
In that moment of regaining my sanity, I wanted to release all the remaining frustration by kicking Indigo’s face one last time.
After the one-on-one battle with Indigo, I moved away from the location.
Assuming A’s victory in the one-on-one battle, Klugger grabbed Indigo’s collar and threw him towards where Team Guerrilla was gathered.
