novelraw Chapter 15 : You're a Bug, and I'm an Operator (5)
Chapter 15 : You're a Bug, and I'm an Operator (5)
Chapter 15 - You're a Bug, and I'm an Operator (5)
Blood slowly seeped into the ground. Rock stood a good distance away from the gruesome pools of blood.
Rock threw the smoke bombs from a relatively safe location. It was because Lee Taebaek had requested rear support.
Meanwhile, she was also diligently recording footage of Lee Taebaek's dazzling performance with the micro-camera implanted in her eye.
“...Hah.”
As she watched, mesmerized, a low groan escaped her. In that brief moment, the heat-sensitive lines on her mask flickered.
— Before the real battle begins, there's a prerequisite task.
The words Lee Taebaek had spoken with serious eyes before rushing out suddenly crossed her mind.
— While the smoke spreads, I'm going to sweep the area around the center of the clearing.
When Rock's expression showed a question, he had mumbled a vague excuse.
— ...It's just one of my abilities. That's not what's important. The two of you stay put here until I give the signal. Fumito, if you can't hold back and rush in, it'll ruin everything, so Rock, you keep him in check.
Leaving only those words behind, he had shot out like the wind and charged into the enemy ranks without hesitation.
By the time she reached out her hand, it was too late. The smoke bomb was already spewing fog, and Lee Taebaek had thrown himself into it. His receding figure looked just like a moth throwing itself into a fire.
So there's another idiot just as beholden to his instincts as Fumito.
Rock's plan was to retreat immediately if things went south, leaving him behind. If she reported that he had rushed out on his own, even Kang Hyunseong would have no choice but to nod in agreement.
In case of an emergency, the remaining personnel were free to flee to save their own skins. It wasn't just an idea; it was written in the Resistance's internal regulations. She had believed without a doubt that it was a judgment based on reason and logic. And yet...
“Uwaaaaaah—”
...A scream erupted from where Rock was casting a dumbfounded gaze. Along with it, a disgusting sound that reached a crescendo.
“@#%$! Fuc-.”
Slice—
The enemies, their legs swallowed by the ground, looked frantic. Fumito weaved between their ranks freely like a butterfly, then struck with his sword like a bee.
With his long-bladed ōdachi, he chopped at thick parts like arms, legs, and waists as if splitting firewood. The wakizashi reliably stabbed, slashed, and sliced the arteries in their necks.
Flesh tore and blood splattered.
“Mmph!”
Drenched in blood, Fumito wiped only his eyes and forehead. He blinked, shaking off the remaining blood that had gathered on his eyebrows.
The wolf-like glint in his eyes scanned from side to side, then locked onto the next prey. And so, the slashing continued.
Shwiiiiiik!
The smell of death hung low in the air. In the path Fumito had passed, blood, bits of flesh, and bone fragments crunched underfoot like gravel.
While the enemies couldn't even react, he alone strode through the area. It was thanks to the hint Lee Taebaek had given him beforehand.
— If you can, try to move by avoiding the footprints I make. I'll make sure to leave them deep for you.
Just as he had said, a strange thing happened. Wherever a footprint was marked, the ground began to sink.
The majority of the enemies just looked around with dumbfounded eyes. It seemed like it would take them at least a few minutes to realize the solution was right under their feet.
And no wonder. With their vision already blurry, a madman with two swords was hacking off their limbs as if slicing tofu, so it was natural for them to be flustered. Still, those who managed to pull their feet out attempted to flee.
“Where do you think you're going!”
But in the end, they became dew on his blade.
Fumito slid the blade into the crook of his arm and pulled it through. Wiping off the blood and grime, he glanced around.
Rattle, rattle.
Just as the smoke was about to thin, perfectly timed smoke bombs rolled in, once again blurring the surroundings. Even in her dazed state, Rock was faithful to her duty.
“@#%$! @##!”
“Fuck, what are you saying!”
“Gun! Draw your guns!”
“Fuck. You want us all to die?!”
“We're all gonna die any—!”
The enemies were cornered. Their numerical superiority was meaningless. Everything was going smoothly, according to Lee Taebaek's plan.
“I don't know what kind of magic it is...”
Whatever it was, it was clear that Lee Taebaek had set the stage. A wicked smile spread across his lips. He was a psychopath who enjoyed and reveled in situations like this.
“Thanks, Taebaek! I'm so exci—!”
At that moment.
BA– ANG!
A gunshot was heard from within the smoke. As if on cue, Fumito and Rock shifted their gazes to the source of the sound.
In the direction where Lee Taebaek and Haiyen were fighting.
......
The fingertip that had pulled the trigger froze. Lee Taebaek's violently shaking pupils and Haiyen's crookedly bent ones. Smoke flowed slowly between their two gazes.
“Kh… kh, khkhkh.”
Haiyen smiled crudely. Only the left corner of his mouth went up, because the other cheek was empty.
The muzzle, having pierced his stubbled cheek, protruded like a silver thorn. Beyond the hole, purple-stained gums and fragmented bits of teeth rolled around.
The moment the Python had spat fire, the bastard had bitten down on the muzzle. Immediately after, he had rolled his tongue, redirecting the bullet's path from his throat to the outside of his mouth. Even though half his face was blown off in the aftermath, Haiyen was still alive.
“...Tenacious bastard.”
His mind, which had gone blank, regained its composure.
'I never let my guard down.’
In fact, he had been overly calculating in his movements. It was just that the bastard had far exceeded his expectations.
'Haiyen's real-world combat experience, honed and weathered in the back alleys.'
The bastard mumbled something.
“Can I puhl i' ou'?”
“......”
“Th' inside o' my mouf's too wahm.”
If one were to interpret that, it probably meant, 'Can I pull it out? The inside of my mouth's too warm.' Having bitten down on it himself, he didn't even wait for Lee Taebaek's answer.
With the muzzle still in his mouth, Haiyen's face advanced. As the distance closed, the protruding silver thorn grew longer. In the process, the gun got covered in slobber.
“Farewell for now. I'll be back for you soon.”
He let go of the Python without any lingering attachment. As if replacing a lost first love, he drew the blade of the Para-Blade while simultaneously kicking off the man's broad chest to escape.
Sh-chk!
The greatsword sliced horizontally across his chest. The thinly cut outer garment was soaked with blood. He had avoided the crisis of being cut in half by a hair's breadth.
Krr-unch.
This time it was a vertical, cleaving strike. As he bent his upper body, the serrated blade fell toward his side. The bastard swung the greatsword with a wide grip from where he stood.
“Yoo're guud a' dodgin', ya shneaky bashtard–!”
Haiyen said, unleashing a barrage of attacks. With the pistol dangling from his face like a piercing, his pronunciation was severely slurred.
“Why don' yoo try shoo'in me like befoah!!”
His speech had become slurred. The drug's influence had regressed his mind to a childlike state and taken over his body.
“...Fucking chattering.”
“Shuch a bluhff–!”
Dammit. He'd tried to create distance, but because the greatsword was so massive, its range was terrifyingly wide.
It was to the point where he wished the guy would just shoot him instead. The stress of constantly dodging the brutish sword swings was immense. It felt like his brain was melting.
KA-ANG!
He'd tried parrying a few times, but gave up. The brutish strikes had almost knocked the sword from his grasp. A counterattack is only possible when you can actually transition between offense and defense.
However.
'Even this will end soon.'
The time was near.
'The enhancement's duration is about to run out.'
Moreover, the smell of rain in the air meant a downpour was imminent.
At that point, the smokescreen operation would be over.
After that, a hail of bullets was sure to follow. Just imagining it made him feel like his whole body was full of holes.
Lee Taebaek, the caster, found his range of movement similarly restricted.
'Just running away will only get me pinned down.'
So, before the next attack swept in, he steeled his resolve. He would risk the short-term danger and settle this.
Tadadadat!
Lee Taebaek dashed forward in a low stance. Using his momentum to the fullest, he plunged into Haiyen's guard.
There was only one chance. If he couldn't kill Haiyen in a single blow, he would just have to offer up his own neck.
The Siesta assassination arts that Lee Taebaek had learned on the fly were for ambushes. Night techniques designed solely for killing.
And yet, his subconscious, unbeknownst to its owner, had engraved the secrets of murder into his arms, his legs, and his blade.
Having closed the distance in an instant, he swung his sword up diagonally and aimed for the eyes with the tip of the umbrella in his left hand.
“Hmph!!”
Haiyen, as if he had been waiting for this very moment, swung his sword down and tried to bring his empty hand to his eyes.
Just before the greatsword and the sword clashed, just as the sharp tip of the umbrella was about to pierce the soft eyeball.
For some reason, that brief instant was captured by his naked eye as a series of still frames.
Whoo– oooh– ooong–.
The fierce wind raised by the greatsword. As he felt the sword-wind whip past his bangs, his head felt refreshed.
Should he say it was like a blocked channel had been cleared? He figured this must be what an adrenaline rush feels like.
Come to think of it, Lee Taebaek, who didn't know the first thing about fighting, was now solely focused on finding a way to kill Haiyen.
In addition, his senses had opened wide, greedily absorbing information from his surroundings like a sponge.
Was it the influence of this body? Or because his head had been damaged in the electric chair...?
Whatever the case.
Stop this meaningless self-questioning.
He would erase the 'him' from Earth and live in the present. As he accepted things as they were, a laugh finally escaped him.
His dichotomized ego had finally joined hands and become one. At that, time, which had seemed eternal, began to move.
Lee Taebaek spun his right wrist, switching to a reverse grip on the umbrella. Just as the tip of the umbrella was about to reach its target, the eyeball, it changed direction toward his back.
Bewilderment flashed across Haiyen's face as his prediction went splendidly wrong. His center of gravity and the trajectory of his blade went slightly, but clearly, off-course.
Push inside.
Lee Taebaek pressed his own blade tightly against the jagged serrations. As they ground against each other, a soul-scraping metallic sound and sparks flew.
His feet gouged furrows in the ground. The more he was pushed back, the more dirt piled up next to his feet. He was the one pushing forward with his entire body weight. Haiyen was on the defensive, in an awkward stance. Nevertheless, he was the one losing the contest of strength. Furthermore, with the duration of his [Strength] buff having ended, he was holding on with pure physical strength and grit.
'Just a little... a little more...!'
It was then that the handguards of the greatsword and his sword clashed. He barely managed to extend his pinky finger and lightly touch the flat of the greatsword.
[Greatly nerfing the strength of 'Hurricane Chopper'.]
With a snap–, the greatsword broke in two, and its top half plunged into the ground. The bastard's face went blank, as if his soul had left him. In that opening, Lee Taebaek brought his raised foot down on the greatsword's handle, blocking any chance of a counterattack.
“You son of a biiiitch!”
Haiyen, coming to his senses, raised his massive hand. The twitching of his bicep was ominous.
BA-ANG!
A sudden gunshot roared. Red fluid trickled down Haiyen's forearm. A new hole, which hadn't been there before, now offered a clear view of the scenery behind his palm.
“Shoot! Shoot! I said shoot!”
“Th-Th-That butcher bastard!”
“Fuuuuck! How dare y—.”
The subordinates' desperate struggles to live instead punched holes in their boss's body. Starting with that, shouts and stray bullets flew and slammed into Haiyen.
In contrast, Lee Taebaek was unscathed. Because the open umbrella was protecting him from behind. Occasionally, bullets would ricochet off the fabric like popcorn.
The first gimmick of the Para-Blade, 'Bulletproof Fabric'.
Haiyen, who had been staring with eyes full of horror, staggered. Lee Taebaek had punched him in the solar plexus with the same hand that held his sword.
[Nerfing all of the opponent's stats.]
Letting out a suppressed groan, Haiyen's arms went limp. Not missing the chance, Lee Taebaek's blade pierced his temple.
Haiyen struggled to the very, very end. He shook his head violently, foam frothing at his mouth.
“Grrrr......!”
Lee Taebaek mustered his remaining strength, twisting and pushing the blade. He did everything he could with one hand.
Again, bullets hammered against the fabric, stimulating the fingertips of the hand holding the umbrella. Stabbing and blocking. His hands had no time to rest.
“Gurrrrrrg!”
“Juuuuust......!”
“Gyaaargh– Rock!”
“Diiiiieeeee!”
After a long struggle within the sparse net of gunfire, one of the two finally dropped his head limply.
[※The Bug has been hotfixed.※]
[※Acquiring base EXP.※]
[※Acquiring additional EXP.※]
[※For details... (See More)※]
The desperate struggle was over.