Chapter 286

‘Damn…! It really hurts like hell!!’

Since it was no use to attract the attention of the audience again with my grumbling, I kept my complaints to myself.

Rubbing my numb arms and shoulders, I lifted my head to look straight ahead.

The reason for this was that, having shown a not-so-pleasant sight, I had expressed myself sharply enough that I felt like I would jump at the clueless Arcadia lackey beside me any moment.

However, far more important than that was to see with my own eyes how effective our main ambush had been—this would allow me to quickly establish the battle strategy for the chaos about to unfold.

This was the fundamental reason I had to go through such elaborate and cumbersome theatrics.

If I were an ordinary combatant relying on just one or two auxiliary implants, it would have been fine to just attack directly, but the target I was going after required bending the plan and throwing in fakes multiple times.

A Paladin, practically equivalent to a command structure, along with two Crusader-tier thugs.

Setting aside the unnecessarily complicated rankings and background explanations of the Arcadia order, I’ll briefly convey it in a way you can easily understand…

The Paladin is a boss-level entity, bestowed with the glorious treatment of having an HP bar displayed separately on the screen within their dedicated field, while the Crusader is treated like an elite mob with a preemptive “danger” tag even before entering the battle.

They are marked with a skull icon and have a thick, flashy UI border indicating that they might be the ones to crush you, leading you to think, ‘Maybe I should save before I engage…?’

Of course, there’s no guarantee that these two here match exactly with the spec of those appearing during the Arcadia eradication chapter of the Neo Haven main storyline, but still.

Thus, with the mindset that if we could seize the initiative by successfully skipping or disabling the opening pattern, I was ready to perform role reversal and distract their gaze whenever necessary.

…While Zero sent one of his drones elsewhere, I couldn’t help but feel restless despite the feeling that we had mobilized excessive firepower for a single point.

If you want to call me a coward, feel free.

There’s no separate level system in reality; it’s vague, and the data I could barely glean from the depth scanner in the hallway could only give me a hint of which enemy to be cautious of—hence the unavoidable distraction operation I initiated.

Having fought alongside Sir Léonard, I’d learned by experience that the supposed huge damage numbers and “hit-and-die” patterns do not always correspond perfectly with reality.

Additionally, I concluded, based on all I had experienced, that the overwhelmingly set specs were not something to be overlooked.

Thus, the focus naturally became how to exploit the Paladin’s momentary distraction for Masanari to deliver a decisive blow, preventing a protracted stalemate.

So… I focused as hard as I could. It was a fast-paced event that strained my eyes, but somehow I managed.

Splaaash—!!

Amid the cacophony of gunfire amplified by the sound system and various amplifiers tearing through eardrums, I saw the figure of Masanari descending through the air, physically cutting through the atmosphere.

The reason I called it a figure is quite obvious.

His body was mostly a black mass, and the dagger he gripped seemed to gleam with an almost blinding speed as he lunged toward the Paladin, who had been issuing orders until now.

And it seemed he was intent on delivering an inhuman end to his target.

With enough murderous intent to nearly cleave the opponent from the crown of their head vertically, he was exuding an aura that could make one believe they were draped in black mist, and one might even commend him for hiding such intense emotions, waiting for the signal to strike.

Of course, that celebration could wait for later; success was still a bit off.

“Y-you bastard!!”

“!!”

Creeeak!!

The glistening edge of the finely honed dagger slashed diagonally across the Hazard Suit.

…Yeah, it thrust straight down but in a diagonal manner.

I couldn’t tell just how many implants were embedded, but the spinal cord helped twist the upper body to evade what would have been a fatal blow before the user could even register it.

Of course, it was impossible to entirely counter the superhuman attack that had rushed in like a natural disaster.

An ear was severed along with hair and flew off into the distance, while the blade sank into the collarbone with a sound reminiscent of steel clashing against steel.

Was there some plywood under the skin? Or had the bones been replaced with bio-friendly metal?

It didn’t matter. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about the opponent; it was that Masanari moved without any hesitation after hearing my private opinion on the enemy’s ‘durability.’

Grasping the handle of the dagger, I twisted it, eliciting a chilling crack that contorted the Paladin’s face in pain. Though he instinctively strained against the foreigner’s grip, he could only delay it slightly.

One of his arms was restrained equally, so it might have seemed like the other hand, equipped with a high-caliber rifle, held the advantage. Yet his other arm, with a pistol, had the potential to deliver hellacious punishment, even in such close proximity.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bam!

“Ugh, ugh…! Hah!”

“Captain!?”

A bullet struck the wrist holding the rifle, then a second shot traveled up to the elbow and shoulder joints.

Finally, with an unknown anti-bullet modification thought to be vertical against the torso, it abruptly fired into his abdomen, shredding the insides.

From the distant audience seating area, the combination execution by Masanari rendered their commander into tatters, causing screams to erupt from the sidelines.

Fear fundamentally births an emotion from the unknown, spreading contagiously around.

The anxiety lies in not knowing precisely what the threat is, breeding a cycle of dread.

Amid the chaos of poor shooting, dust clouds rising and chaotic high-frequency noises, it was indeed good news that one soldier managed to gather his wits and cried out to recognize the source of the assault.

For Arcadia and the Paladin, it was fortunate they had someone to continue commanding and provide backup.

And for us, recognizing who the Crusader was—one who was supposed to raise their voice loudly in a crisis—was also convenient. It was a short but meaningful win-win relationship, wasn’t it?

“Stop panicking like idiots and move…!!”

Bang!!

The upper body of a man who was about to turn to aid the Paladin burst like fireworks.

Words urging the surrounding crowd were fragmented in the air, crumbling into nothingness.

The focused shot from Zero 1 directly hit the man’s body, sending it crashing to the ground, headless, swallowed by the shimmering blast of explosives.

An ephemeral end in a reckless plan.

Despite my detailed description, how many souls could fall in such a manner through the firefight erupting all over the network right now?

It all resulted from the leaders misreading the situation or intentionally sacrificing pieces on the board! The aftermath impacted the innocent people here as well!

– My apologies to those who died in the first assault, but the rest of you will be exempt from immediate disposal if you surrender your weapons… It’s truly regrettable no one seems inclined to do so. –

“Shoot… shoot! A Droid at the entrance! One black one at the back! First, save the Paladin!!”

“The enemy numbers are small! Quickly deal with them and secure the entrance again!”

Some of those irritated by the Droid’s mocking language began randomly pulling triggers.

Each time a shot struck the damaged armor, someone died in miraculous exchange rates—taking their breath away, or in the case of the machine, not breathing at all—Zero diminished the enemy numbers.

According to the information extracted from the captured gentleman, one of the two Crusaders was indeed missing… but I couldn’t tell. The remaining humans all looked quite similar, and none exhibited noticeably superior abilities.

Overall, the battle was leaning slightly in our favor.

Seizing the chance while engaging at close quarters to decisively snap the neck of the enemy commander, Masanari expertly maneuvered to keep the bullets at bay while slashing with his knife.

As for Zero… for some reason, he was obliviously taking every bullet like a machine, receiving every gunfire without seeking cover.

‘I’ll get close enough to distract them, and once the fighting starts, go all out. Never let them think too hard.’

This was the request I made before I entered the newsroom wearing a doctor’s coat.

Minimizing the damage and aiming for a resolution where those who make a living in combat could settle it among themselves.

However, I didn’t think my simple request would justify the latter two enduring such punishment and foolishly holding on… why then? Why adopt a stance of counterattack while allowing attacks?

…Damn it, isn’t it obvious? The hostages, including me, are still sitting there foolishly, so they are the ones taking the brunt!

“Bethany! Just watch out for stray bullets and gather Erin and the others and get out!! Don’t look back!!”

“Uh?! Yes, yes!!”

The human recklessly flailing about was too busy getting knifed to continue bothering our celebrity, but it was still critical to avoid getting caught up in the two superhumans grappling nearby.

I hurried her along, then bounced back up from my previously prone position.

Grabbing the dangling rifle sling from the man who was pressing me to the ground, I similarly pulled at his suit, elbowing him just beneath the chin!

“!? You little, just stay still… ugh!?”

A crisp impact echoed, but I felt my strike hit precisely.

Damn, this was definitely a shallow wound. For hitting an unsuspecting fool in an unprotected state, it was all too calculated.

I also needed to exert my strength, yet I underestimated the gap in the Hazard Suit, causing my strike to misjudge the impact point, fatigue kicking in at the last moment. Ah, so that’s why earlier this man was so persistently reaching for my clothes?

…Damn! Do you think I’ll just understand such things generously?

“You think I’d respect you just because you’re a doctor?!”

“You actually believed that?!”

Once I saw him probing for the trigger, I pretended to surrender by raising my hands… before forcefully wrenching the air.

There’s a heavy price—the recoil—to moving a heavy object.

In an instant, extreme pressure surged, causing my shoulder to ache, but the effect was undeniable.

Crack!!

“……”

While clutching my sore face, I couldn’t help but wonder what ridiculous ceremony he was performing as I watched him get struck in the back of the head by a fallen stand light.

He didn’t just fall; the force with which he was swung, as if pulled by a magnet, likely delivered an impact similar to a head-on collision with a utility pole. Seeing him down without a peep confirmed that.

Of course, most of this is speculation.

Moreover, it seemed more than just fainting—his neck might have snapped… not that I planned to spare him anyway. What terrible luck.

“Zero! Hand me my gun!! And what are you doing getting hit like that! …If you see me getting up, hide and fight!!”

– Internal organ operation rate 87%, no signs of output decrease. Although the external armor was significantly damaged by illegal modification of the bullet, there’s no problem continuing the fight. I’m glad you’re okay. –

With my head down, I rolled over to Zero’s side, picked up the offered pistol with both hands.

The Paladin was at least in critical condition; the Crusader was definitely dead. Now, it was just a matter of cleaning up the leftover riffraff, who had failed to implement the spoils of capturing hostages.

I couldn’t say thank you for your hard work, but I felt a sense of annoyance at the comrade who took the blows while drawing attention.

At this point, even if the Droid shattered into pieces, it would only mean a financial loss for us, and it wouldn’t bring Zero any pain, let alone disrupt us.

Having brought someone who could disintegrate wasn’t exactly a winning image, was it? Hmm, waiting for more reinforcements to arrive also felt off.

Thus, I was merely offering my comrade constructive advice, absolutely not out of embarrassment or anger.

“Hey! What are you still doing holding that damned camera in this situation!? Get out now! Everyone out!!”

“Ugh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!”

However, despite my desperate exclamations,

The tension of my heart racing accompanied those secretly still recording behind some nondescript metal box, who were pulling triggers one after another, forcing me to shout in desperation.

It was utterly absurd, really.

This place is filled with more insane people living spontaneously than I am!