Time, filled with indescribable expectations and tension, led everyone to the day the confrontation would begin again.
It was the first confrontation since the terror incident, and although they thought something must have changed, with no information at all, the HunterKiller members entered the headquarters carrying their suits, unaware of what might have changed.
As soon as they arrived at the headquarters, Red tried to meet with the head, but the head had not come to work.
For over a month, all confrontations at the Seoul branch of the Earth Defense Union had been canceled, and even on the day the confrontation was set to resume, the head was nowhere to be seen.
Since there was no expectation that the head would do anything in the first place, Red left the head’s office without even feeling disappointed and entered the changing room.
One by one, the members entered the changing room, changed into their suits, and prepared to face the confrontation, but the overall atmosphere was quite different from usual.
It wasn’t because they were nervous after a long break from confrontations.
Everyone knew the reason for the tension, so no one spoke to each other. Rather, the silence that continued in this state made the atmosphere even more awkward.
“Shall we go?”
After putting on her suit, Red checked the time while sitting on the changing room chair, repeating the action several times. When the time for the confrontation approached, everyone nodded at Red’s words and left the changing room.
They approached a bike parked in the underground parking lot, covered with a tarp, and removed it. Thanks to the cover, the bike, free of dust, shone brightly.
While everyone was getting on their bikes, starting the engines, and preparing to depart, Red sat on her bike and lost herself in thought.
It was their first confrontation in a month, and all the members knew that A was in Spacystro Team 3, which put them on edge.
Red trusted the members. She trusted their combat abilities, as well as their human qualities.
She knew the cause of the tension, and because of the strong bond of trust, they didn’t discuss the confrontation extensively.
Everyone knew how to fight and how to coordinate, so there would be no issues during the confrontation.
Even though it was their first confrontation in a month, the combat instincts deeply ingrained in their genes reminded them of their past experiences.
There was no problem with the act of engaging in confrontation itself. If any issues arose, they could address them afterward.
However, entering a confrontation knowing that A was on the opposing side was a first for everyone.
“Red?”
As Red turned off her bike engine after being lost in thought, the gazes of the members preparing to depart turned to her.
“I have something to say.”
The members, who had been glancing at each other, immediately turned off their engines and removed their helmets.
“What’s wrong?”
Knowing that everyone was feeling the same way, Blue cautiously asked, fearing that Red might say she couldn’t go through with the confrontation because of A.
Upon hearing Blue’s question, Red opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. It didn’t take long for her to open her mouth again after closing it and remaining silent.
“I like you all.”
Though she was the youngest, the members sincerely regarded Red as their leader, as she always gave her best for the team. So, they paid close attention whenever she spoke about the confrontation or the team.
This time, with the confrontation approaching, everyone focused when Red spoke, and when something resembling a confession came out, they were left speechless.
“And I like Oppa too.”
No one interrupted Red, and everyone listened to her words with a serious attitude.
“I know what everyone is thinking. There might be small differences, but the big picture isn’t much different.”
It was clear that the members were thinking about A, and those thoughts could turn into worries that might hinder the confrontation.
Because they liked him. Because they liked A, Red, who didn’t want to cause any problems in the confrontation, spoke her mind candidly.
“So, everyone, give it your best. Oppa has always said it.”
A had told his girlfriends to give their best in the confrontation.
The reason was to not provide any clues that could reveal the relationship between Team HunterKiller and A.
The members all understood. That’s why they decided to give their best as he had asked.
But when the time for the confrontation came, the thought of fighting him complicated their minds.
Even after promising themselves they would give their best and fight, they couldn’t stop the lingering thoughts.
Since the terror incident, Spacystro had not made any direct announcements. Beyond directness, they had not announced any specific response to the terror situation.
With nothing clear, entering a confrontation knowing that A was on the opposing side brought too many uncertainties.
“I’ll go first. Just follow me.”
With that, Red started her bike.
It was inevitable to feel nervous, and everyone knew that the members were thinking about A. However, even knowing this, the lingering tension and worry didn’t disappear, and that unease vanished with Red’s words to give their best in this confrontation.
Though it wasn’t much, hearing directly what they already knew brought a small change in the members’ thoughts.
And the moment the confrontation began.
Red watched the Spacystro soldiers charging from the front.
‘The timing and order are different. Did their strategy change?’
She felt a momentary confusion at the difference from before. Knowing that A was at the forefront, she thought that A might be among those charging toward them.
And the moment she thought that. Her grip on the sword tightened, and with a swing at full strength, a powerful shockwave erupted.
The soldiers charging forward were blown away by the intense impact and sound, as if an air gun had been fired right in front.
Seeing Red attack with all her might, the members started their assault on the Spacystro soldiers.
Yellow’s fierce punches and kicks took down the approaching soldiers, while Green’s long spear moved swiftly, attacking and defending simultaneously.
Beams poured from Pink’s long rifle and Blue’s dual pistols, quickly supporting the three fighting ahead.
“These thieves!”
Red, who was clashing with Spacystro, striking with her sword, punching, and kicking, turned her head at the aggressive momentum that pierced her ears.
Luche’s scythe, descending from above, had shifted into a form like an axe. The heavy axe blade flew toward Red.
Seeing the powerful attack coming at her, Red had no intention of taking the hit. She swung her sword, deflecting Luche’s attack from above.
“Red!”
As Luche was pushed back after her attack was blocked, Green swung her spear toward Luche. After landing, Luche took a step back, avoiding Green’s attack, and returned her scythe to its original form.
“Your greeting seems fierce for being friendly.”
Right before the confrontation began, Luche and Red had exchanged brief greetings, but their atmosphere wasn’t one for casual greetings.
Though hostility between factions was natural, until now, the two had not shown emotional animosity toward each other as team leaders.
There wasn’t complete absence of emotional hostility, but there wasn’t enough malice to raise tensions to the point of extreme hatred. But now, things were different.
To Luche, HunterKiller was the group that took A away, and to Red, Luche was one of the people who knew about A and their situation.
As far as Red knew, only Team Leader Siera and Luche were aware of their current relationship with A.
The difference was that Siera found out by chance due to circumstances aligning, while Luche learned directly from A.
Though it could be seen as simply reporting enemy-related matters to a superior, Red suspected there was something more between A and Luche. While they weren’t lovers, Red thought there was something beyond a normal relationship.
“You dare… you dare to speak of my senior!”
Luche’s intensity confirmed Red’s suspicions.
“This isn’t my style…”
Red had already seen firsthand that the past between Siera and A wasn’t ordinary. Since there was no confrontation when she could gauge Luche, this confrontation was a good opportunity to understand the relationship between A and Luche, so she decided to provoke her a bit.
Given that the other side called them “thieves,” Red decided to respond in kind.
“What senior? I can’t hear the team leader who lost her subordinate.”
Provocation wasn’t Red’s specialty, but she chose a sentence that would provoke Luche the most, and Green, who was beside her, turned her head in surprise upon hearing Red’s words.
“Red?”
It was an obvious provocation, and it was the first time seeing Red provoke someone like this.
Though it was obviously a provocation, perhaps because it was so obvious, Luche’s brows furrowed, clearly understanding the intent.
“What did you say?”
Luche controlled her emotions outwardly, suppressing her explosive anger.
Seeing Luche control herself, Red thought her provocation was too weak.
And she thought. If the relationship between A and Luche was more than ordinary, a stronger provocation would be possible.
Using her boyfriend as bait didn’t sit well with Red, but she was very curious about the relationship between A and Luche, and since they were enemies, she decided to provoke her without restraint.
“Sitting quietly, the words of someone who lost her man aren’t heard.”
“Red?!”
Green was even more startled, thinking of the provocation Red had directed at Siera just moments ago. She wondered if it was necessary to go that far.
But Red’s provocation was effective.
“You… you… you! This thieving cat!”
Luche raised her large scythe and swung it down, but Red was not one to fail blocking such a predictable attack trajectory.
Though she blocked the powerful attack, the impact still shook the ground.
Turning her head at the sound from afar, she saw Yu-bin blocking Luche’s attack.
She wasn’t sure how things were unfolding, but she had a feeling that she would face various troubles once the confrontation ended.
“Senior. Are you okay?”
Roy, who had blocked SuA’s attack, proudly stood before her, but his words to her, when she couldn’t speak, made her look incredulous inside her helmet.
She immediately signaled him to shut his mouth, and Roy, finally remembering he shouldn’t speak, covered the mouth part of his helmet with his hand.
SuA, who had no intention of waiting patiently, swung her heavy, metallic gauntlet fist toward Roy.
“!”
After blocking the attack, Roy bared his sharp claws and counterattacked, but SuA quickly dodged.
The battle unfolded before their eyes, attacking and defending simultaneously, but she didn’t dare to step between them.
It’s true that I somewhat consider Roy a fool.
This dynamic hasn’t changed over time; it’s been like this since Roy was a Biroid.
Our unique atmosphere has persisted for a long time.
Despite this, I’ve never doubted Roy’s abilities.
As a non-human creature, it’s natural for him to have superior physical abilities, but even without that, Roy’s combat sense was exceptional.
Luche, also a Biroid, was originally a pilot, not a combatant, yet she had close-combat abilities comparable to HunterKiller.
So, there was no reason to doubt Roy, who was designed for close combat. In terms of pure skill, Roy’s abilities were on par with Luche’s, meaning he’s at the level of a team leader in combat.
As if repaying my small trust, Roy engaged in a rapid exchange with SuA, attacking and defending.
The sound of his sharp claws scraping against her gauntlets or SuA’s fists hitting Roy with dull thuds echoed.
‘Perhaps only a monster can match them.’
It seemed that their current suits were insufficient to face HunterKiller. Team coordination would have helped, but without it, the only thing to rely on now was Roy, a Biroid.
But I couldn’t just rely on Roy entirely, so I got up to assist him in his battle with SuA.
“Ugh!”
The moment I got up, Roy screamed and flew past me, crashing into the ground behind.
SuA, who had extended her leg to send Roy flying, lowered her leg and turned her gaze toward me. Though I couldn’t see her face through her helmet, knowing SuA’s face well, her golden eyes pierced through the helmet, staring at me.
Then, SuA extended her hand, gesturing provocatively.
Letting out a sigh, I wondered if I’d make it home safely today, and leapt toward my girlfriend, who was ready to face me with full force.
