novelraw Chapter 268: After Story #4 — Hijacking (5)
Chapter 268: After Story #4 — Hijacking (5)
Oh man, this is bad.
A man and a woman were pushing and pulling in a narrow enclosed room, then the floor shook, and the woman with trash-tier athletic ability fell right into the man’s arms—right?
That didn’t happen, and I felt Rebecca’s nose slam into my ribcage.
It was a ‘thunk’.
“......!”
Rebecca, whose head snapped back from the impact, covered her face with both hands. At the same time, the area outside the restroom got noisy.
My sharp hearing could hear the commotion happening out there even through [Noise Disruption].
The source of the killing intent....
They’re terrorists.
|)
|]
That was when it happened. Something started slowly peeking out from beyond the crack in the door.
|ㅇ)
|♥]
They were voyeur-pervert freaks.
|ㅅㅇ)
|ㅅ♥]
I’d been wondering why I hadn’t seen them for a while—did they come running the moment Rebecca and I were ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) in the same place?
“.......”
I looked down at Rebecca, crouched and writhing in pain.
I was about to ignore her and go outside, but I remembered the last scraps of human dignity and checked on her.
It wasn’t like I could bring myself to ask if she was okay, so I just lowered my head.
“...I’m fine.”
Rebecca lifted her head, and her nose was bleeding.
“You’re bleeding.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“No, no. I said I’m fine. I am! Why do you contradict everything I say? I’m fine!”
As she spoke, Rebecca roughly wiped the nosebleed away.
Then a double nosebleed started running.
And this half-baked archmage who only knew how to use attack magic didn’t know how to heal herself.
Rebecca’s double nosebleed.
It was funny.
“......Ah, damn it. Seriously.”
In a hurry, she stuffed two wads of tissue into her nostrils and came out.
“What’s going on.”
“Looks like something like a terror incident. The killing intent’s been vibrating since we boarded.”
“What are you going to do.”
“Well. First, I have to go see what’s happening.”
Before going in, I looked back at Rebecca and said,
“If you get in my way, I’ll kick you out.”
“I’ll handle myself!”
Rebecca passed me and opened the cabin door first.
When we came out into the first-class cabin, the passengers and flight attendants were shouting loudly.
“What the hell was that noise just now?! I heard something like a huge explosion up front!”
“We’re sorry, we’re checking right now!”
“It wasn’t wing or engine noise, it was cabin noise! Isn’t this some kind of terror attack?”
Gasp—
At the word “terror,” the passengers in the cabin tensed up all at once.
When you get on a plane, the thing you fear most is an incident inside the cabin, isn’t it.
“It’s not! This direct Hiaka-to-Empire flight has soldiers stationed in every seat, and there are various devices to protect against terrorism! Please don’t worry too much!”
One person approached us and said,
“Ah, we’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience! It seems there may be a small issue near economy and the cockpit area, but could you please wait in your seats in preparation for any contingency?”
“A small issue?”
When Rebecca frowned, the flight attendant—realizing she was a princess—looked shocked and bowed her head at a right angle.
“We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience, P-Princess! We’re checking right now, so please wait in your seat!”
There was nothing to check.
My sense expanded.
Kwang!
Someone kicked the business-class door open and shouted.
“An announcement to you civilians aboard! This ultra-high-speed passenger plane is now under our control!”
Outfit. Gestures. Masks.
‘......Are they all assassins.’
This kind of thing is always an assassin’s doing. This is why, wherever you go, you get treated like livestock.
“Our goal is only to be handed over one aircraft body! If you comply and the handover is completed without meaningless resistance, we’ll open the way so everyone can survive! But if you interfere—”
Guns and blades came out.
This isn’t a military aircraft. It’s a passenger plane, so some of the soldiers aboard were empty-handed.
They were announcing the gap in force.
At the same time, the plane’s body began to tilt. “Eek!” “Kyaaa!!” The surrounding noise stabbed my ears. A sudden turn. The passenger plane changed direction and started heading somewhere far away.
That was when it happened.
Huh.
‘That booklet......?’
I narrowed my eyes. A book held in the assassin’s left hand, like a Quran.
Abraxas’s memories flickered through my head, and I realized what it was: an [Imperial National Treasure].
Empire Hattengraj Designated National Treasure No. 59 “Book of the Typhoon”
The “Book of the Typhoon” gathers wind power in one place over a long period of time and writes it into that book.
It truly possesses power that can sweep away an entire city.
‘......This is.’
I narrowed my eyes.
At first I thought they were simple terrorists, but things were turning bigger than I expected.
Because the holder of the “Book of the Typhoon” is—
None other than the Rank 5 Forest Constellation Wood ‘Oban.’
A 120-year-old old man, the leader of the Elemental Banquet, the owner of the World Tree, the current world Rank 5. And also the head of the “Top Ten Constellations” that protect the imperial family.
‘......That rich old bastard wouldn’t steal this passenger plane, so it must’ve been stolen from someone.......’
A question arose.
‘Why this passenger plane, of all things?’
After thinking, what I realized was—
This passenger plane was the “fastest” passenger plane across both Hiaka and Hattengraj.
Hundreds—thousands of kilometers of extreme long distance can’t be traveled even with ordinary teleportation, and
Even if you’re [Constellation]-class, if you aren’t a Constellation with fast movement like me (Light), you can’t break through.
And even if you do break through, you get exhausted like you’re running a long-distance marathon.
‘......I need to find out.’
I cut off my sense.
“Ah, e-excuse me! Sir! Please wait in your seat!”
When I took a big step forward, a flight attendant tried to stop me.
I ignored it and walked.
On this plane, first class is located at the very rear. And where the incident broke out was the front.
“What are you going to do? It’s like terrorism.”
Rebecca spoke as we moved. She felt it too, as the “master of mana.”
“I’m going to fuck them up.”
The method was simple.
In the meantime, the flight attendant must have heard something over
Because I’m a Constellation whose face isn’t sold. In the media and such, I always used illusion to show a slightly different face.
“Sir! Wait, please! I-If you go that way right now...!”
“Move.”
But when our eyes met, she seemed to sense something. I passed the frozen flight attendant and opened the door.
Sure enough, terrorists who had already taken over business class were running this way and ran straight into me.
“You there! Hands on your head and get against the wall. Now!!”
“No need.”
“What!?”
I advanced.
The bastard raised the muzzle and aimed at me.
Even so, I advanced.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll shoot! Do you want to be the first death on this passenger plane?!”
With that shout, his hand went to the safety.
Sure enough. He’s not some half-assed assassin. Who would engage in terrorism and still put the safety on.
Even so, I advanced.
Tatatatatang!!
The bullets were fired, but now there was no need to dodge, and no need to use any ability.
Because the bullets, while flying forward, fell over and slammed into the floor.
“......!?”
My [Magic Power] stat of 1,400, just by being released, gave the entire space insane friction.
Everywhere I walked was turning into underwater.
Underwater with insane water pressure.
In other words, I was turning this passenger plane into the deep sea.
“Xfuck, hey! Everyone get the hell out here! He’s a civilian!”
Behind the bastard who hurriedly relayed the comms, about fifteen terrorists approached down the wide business-class corridor.
I advanced.
“D-Do you not hear me telling you to stop!!”
Even so, as I kept advancing, someone charged in with magic power wrapped around a dagger.
Swaeik!
A [Footwork-type], and at the same time, the principle of 『Wave Pulse Quick Sword』 that shook space and disrupted the gaze on the blade tip.
His dagger was probably a cherished dagger. Not a speck of rust, and the end was neatly sharpened.
What its tip aimed for was my eye. It was a moment within a moment, and Rebecca flinched, but to me, it was slow as eternity.
The blade tip stopped on my finger.
“Ugh!!”
Where the wave had vanished, with the edge stopped on my index finger, I pushed and pressed it down. The dagger began to bend backward, then snapped.
Clang-!
At that, the bastard’s eyes widened.
“......You, what the hell are you!?”
I raised my finger.
“Close your eyes.”
He reflexively twisted his body with his ugly face screwed up, but like a trained assassin, he still kept watching me.
Over those eyes that didn’t listen to advice, I fired light.
『 Light Bullet 』
Flash—!!
“Kyaaaagh!!”
A hit with the output adjusted just right.
If I killed him, it was an enclosed space with too many witnesses. If I broke him, since he’s an assassin, there was room for resistance. So starting from part of the eyeball, I struck up the optic nerve and into the brain.
The bastard who lost the motor ability of his frontal lobe—no matter how much training he had in resisting countless tortures and status ailments—could only curl up and collapse.
I lifted my head and looked at the other bastards.
“F-Fuck him up!!”
They rushed in without knowing front from back.
The one holding a sword, the one using magic. The one moving shuriken. Like they’d matched timing, they poured out lightning-fast combined attacks.
I didn’t need big movements.
Flash! Flash!!
After dropping three or four of them with 『Light Bullet』, the eyes of everyone in business class focused on me. So I darkened the light with 『World Forgery』.
Then, I headed for economy.
“Everyone, stay here!”
Behind me, Rebecca kicked the fallen ones aside as she followed me. Unexpectedly, once I started moving, she didn’t interfere and instead cleaned up the situation—she told the flight attendants about the terrorists and my identity (that I was a Challenger-class civilian), and calmed the citizens down.
So she really is a princess, huh.
In the meantime, as I stopped in front of the door between business and economy, I thought for a moment.
There wasn’t any “danger,” but what I had to be wary of was the “Book of the Typhoon.” If that thing went off wrong, it was obvious that everyone here except me and Rebecca would die. Doing something like making a net of light and rescuing people was impossible.
Also, at thirty minutes into the flight, we were crossing the sea, so that was another problem.
If I flew, it would be a huge loss of time.
I was pressed for time. After confirming the Reaper Constellation Omega witch incident, even more so.
If I got held up here, I had no idea what could happen in those “few hours.”
Even now, while the plane was deviating from its route and heading somewhere far away,
I put down my urgency and thought.
‘......The “Book of the Typhoon” already has magic power on it.’
A state prepared for a big fight at any moment.
‘Can I go and snatch it first.’
The realm of the one holding it was [Grandmaster]-class. A monster assassin in the 700s of the rankings.
As expected, the level is high.
‘I can, but....’
In other words, it was a probability fight. If I went wrapped in light and snatched it, there was a chance it would explode.
But I had an even simpler solution.
If you’re the “master of mana,” there was a way to shut down the “Book of the Typhoon” remotely without activating it.
I really, truly, didn’t want to ask even if I died......
“Rebecca. Come here for a moment.”
“Why? You were acting like you’d handle everything yourself.”
“Hurry. I need your help.”
“Is that a request? Then shouldn’t you say it politely?”
Not knowing anything about the “Book of the Typhoon” or the situation, she seemed to think this was something that could be resolved without tension.
“.......”
I put down the urge to curse and said,
“I ask you. Please come quickly.”
“......?”
This time, Rebecca’s eyes widened.
Without replying much, she came closer. |so)
Once again, it was the two of us in a cramped place. |s♥]
“...Why?”
Rebecca whispered and asked.
I laid [Cognition Disruption] beyond the window and pointed.
“That is the “Book of the Typhoon,” an imperial national treasure. It’s a very dangerous object.”
“Huh? Why is the Empire’s national treasure here? Weren’t they just assassin terrorists?”
“I have guesses, but that isn’t important right now, so we’ll set it aside. That “Book of the Typhoon” is very dangerous, but there is no perfect way for me to shut it down.”
Around then, the comms devices of the terrorists we’d downed back in business rang. ‘—!?’ It was obviously comms sent from first class.
If they recognized this side, the chance of things going even more to hell went up.
“...Do I have to do it? What do I do.”
“You just have to [Amplify] magic power, add a [Linear] formula, [Project] it so it passes beyond the door, and then shut down the “Book of the Typhoon” remotely.”
“I don’t know how.”
“It’s fine. It isn’t difficult. Raise both hands and make this shape.”
“Hands? Like this...?”
I brought both hands together and made a somewhat complicated shape. I was forming a seal in the manner of a magic-assassin. Rebecca was a famous dumbass and couldn’t possibly copy it easily.
“No, like this. Like this.”
“That’s what I did.”
“No, like this. This. Fingers. The index finger has to go in here.”
“It’s in.”
“No, not the left hand—the right hand!”
“...No, why are you getting mad...!! .......”
Rebecca, about to flare up, bit her lower lip, and I was getting heated too, but when I saw the two tissue wads stuck in my nostrils, my motivation to get angry fell away.
“Give me your hands.”
There wasn’t time. I hurriedly grabbed Rebecca’s hands and started forming the shape.
“W-Wait—”
Rebecca, like she really hated me, panicked and tried to pull away, but she was forced to stay and the shape of the seal formed.
At last, fingers twisted together in a complicated knot.
Then when I lifted my head, Rebecca had her head lowered, her bangs hanging down and covering her face.
“See. Done, right?”
A voice came back, quiet as a dead mouse.
“...I don’t know.”
|ㅂㅇ)
|ㅂ♥]