Chapter 36
‘To have to manifest that distinct appearance… is his bloodline thin? Or is it a characteristic of the Cheongrin Family that I don’t know about?’
He felt a chill upon realizing his identity as a member of the Cheongrin Family.
“I’m already dead tired. Let’s finish this quickly.”
The Swordsman, having sprouted Blue Scales, limply raised his water-wreathed sword.
Max reflexively deployed a Shield. Usagi also followed her intuition, leaping into the air and twisting her body.
CLANG!
The Shield split apart under the Slash Attack that poured in, ignoring the distance, and blood spurted over Max’s body.
Even the agile Usagi couldn’t evade it completely, as scratches appeared here and there on her.
‘…A Slash Attack using water? This isn’t good.’
That Swordsman’s attack was hard to even see, yet it cleaved through the Special Garment like tofu.
Even if the wounds weren’t deep, they wouldn’t last long being cut like this. If they coincidentally got hit through a gap where the garment was split, there was a high chance of being chopped to pieces.
Just as Max continued to ponder a response, Usagi stepped forward.
The Ninja volunteered to be the mage’s Shield.
She deflected one incoming Slash Attack with her katana and spoke up.
“I can hold out somehow. Secure some distance and use your magic.”
“It’s unexpected for you to even stand in the vanguard. With your leg strength, you could escape alone.”
“I need money.”
The reason Usagi set aside the Ninja’s specialty of a Surprise Attack and volunteered as a vanguard Escort wasn’t because of some strong bond between mercenaries.
Her voice carried a realistic desire to absolutely defend the credits that were about to be deposited.
“Right. We have to protect the money. It’s a Mercenary-like reason, so I can trust it.”
Max expressed his agreement with Usagi’s words and moved.
He retreated to a distance where he could track the Slash Attack with his eyes and evade it, filling his circuits with magic power.
‘Looking at what that Swordsman is saying, he doesn’t seem worried that Steiger will bleed to death. There must simply be strict conditions to maintain the Cheongrin Family’s distinct appearance.’
No matter how brazen the Bladesman paired with Steiger was, his appearance had such strong characteristics that he couldn’t deny the Family he belonged to.
To the point where anyone in the know could immediately deduce it from just a rough description.
Because of that, Max’s deduction became simple.
Starting with the fact that Steiger was hiding his face, one could interpret that the Cheongrin Family didn’t want it known that they were intervening in the Neptune Harbor.
‘He’s a 4th-tier eyeing the 5th-tier. He hasn’t crossed over to the 5th-tier yet.’
Power that transcends tiers always comes with a risk.
Beneath the conversation about not wanting to be scolded for violating orders, there had to be a reason why he hadn’t used it even when his back was split open and throwing stars dug into his flesh.
“This is separate from eliminating witnesses. It might be that after using it, it becomes obvious to anyone in the know who sees him.”
Max finished his Spell Construction.
There was no need to think only about destructive power in a Combined Attack. First was volume.
[Ripper]
The Magic Blade surged forward, tearing through the air.
The Swordsman glanced over and lightly deflected the blade with his sword. Usagi didn’t miss the opening.
[Fuma Shuriken]
Poof! White smoke erupted from her empty hand, and a Wheel Shuriken appeared.
Its size was large enough to cover Usagi’s face and body.
“Hup!”
Usagi’s full-power throw.
Vwoom! The shuriken flew in, drawing a mysterious trajectory.
“How scary.”
The Swordsman muttered languidly and thrust his sword.
The blade dug into the hole of the shuriken and swung it, changing its trajectory toward Max.
“Tch!”
Usagi quickly formed hand seals to cancel the shuriken’s summon.
Max completed his next magic.
Magic power spread out, securing the area.
Usagi, who had been swinging her katana, backed away at the sudden chill.
The area Max seized included the Swordsman holding his ground and the lower half of Steiger, who was squirming from blood loss and trying to back away.
[Atlas Fall]
RUMBLE!!!
The Virtual Mass plummeted.
The Swordsman’s feet were driven into the Harbor as the ground caved in.
“Ooh! This is quite…!”
The Swordsman’s back bent.
His center of gravity lowered like a titan holding up the celestial sphere.
“Crazy bastard.”
Max was astonished.
Even if he was holding out with magic power, it was simply baffling that his posture was the extent of it.
Especially since Steiger had his lower half completely crushed behind him.
“AAAAAGH!!!”
Ignoring the screams of Steiger, who had lost both legs, the Swordsman and Max continued their tug-of-war.
Usagi slightly lowered the mask covering her mouth and nose and formed hand seals.
The sequence of the seals was textbook.
“Boar (Hai), Horse (Wu), Ox (Chou), Snake (Si), Dragon (Chen), Tiger (Yin).”
Usagi’s lungs expanded.
[Fire Release, Kalpa Fire Dragon’s Lair]
As Usagi parted her lips, heat spewed out.
Like a dragon’s Breath, the Wave of Flame shot out in a straight line and engulfed the Swordsman caught in Max’s magic.
FWOOSH!
A Pillar of Fire surged from below.
From above, Max’s Atlas Fall crushed down.
However, it wasn’t the end.
Usagi had seen the Swordsman form a defense with water right before the flames hit.
Max also felt the sensation of resistance right up until the moment he ended the magic.
Usagi did a backward Somersault and landed beside Max.
She had something to say before the flames disappeared.
“Just once. I can create an opening.”
She subtly showed her last remaining EMP Kunai.
It was clear what she meant without a long explanation. The Swordsman had quite a bit of Cyberware on his body.
“Mage, smash him with full power. Be stronger than just now.”
“Okay. I’ll pour it on like I’m going to burst my brain.”
Max slightly lowered his mask, wiped the blood flowing from his nose, and raised the corners of his mouth.
“This level of overload is no problem.”
Max straightened his back.
Usagi nodded, turned back to the front, and gripped her katana properly.
Taking a brief Breath, Max suddenly had a thought.
If this request existed in the Before Regression world and led to failure, the cause must have been the Cheongrin Family’s Swordsman.
“Then is this another Future Twisting?”
What kind of future would these accumulated changes bring?
Even in a moment of crisis, he was enveloped in a sense of elation and anticipation.
The burning flames disappeared.
The Cheongrin Family’s Swordsman revealed himself.
There were no wounds. Even so, Max and Usagi’s Combined Attack wasn’t useless.
“The hand holding the sword is trembling.”
A very strong sense of fatigue could be felt around the Swordsman’s eyes.
Following that, the intervention of an impurity occurred.
An Employee wearing the Neptune mark burst out through the Container Forest.
His right prosthetic arm was torn off, leaving wires sticking out, and his skin was full of large and small wounds.
“Executive Director! Due to the mercenaries' invasion, the 3rd-tier mercenaries and employees have died in large num… Huh? Executive Director?”
It was clear who the Executive Director was he was talking about.
His gaze was nailed to the Swordsman.
“Ah~ you shouldn’t see me like this.”
The Swordsman shook his head as if annoyed and swung his sword.
The neck of the man presumed to be a Neptune Employee flew off cleanly. There was no need for Usagi to throw a throwing star.
Thanks to that, Max heard some good information.
“He was an Executive Director with the appearance of someone in his 30s. That bastard must have some serious gear backing him up too.”
If he had the bloodline, it wasn’t impossible.
Under the assumption that he was a Direct Line of the Cheongrin Family rather than a Collateral Branch, serving as an Executive Director of a Corporation located in District 40 should actually be seen as lowering his sights.
Usagi glanced this way.
Max gave a small nod, sending a signal.
“Let’s stop now. If we delay any longer, it looks like the Mister behind me will really die.”
The Swordsman gripped his sword with both hands and spread his magic power.
Seawater quietly spilled over into the Harbor.
The Sound of Waves crashing reached Max and Usagi’s ears.
The blade flew in.
“!”
Usagi read it in an instant and attempted to evade, but her left prosthetic arm was heavily sliced off.
The Slash Attack made of water also reached Max, who thought he had opened up enough distance.
His entire body was torn as blood burst out.
“Fuck…!”
A hole appeared in Max’s shoulder. If he hadn’t twisted his body, his heart would have been pierced.
Since it was an unexpected attack, it wouldn’t be easy for Usagi to create the situation she wanted either.
Max immediately changed the direction of his magic.
[Poltergeist]
The forklift carrying the dead Driver and the stopped vehicles moved again, rushing at the Swordsman.
They were being sliced and sent flying the moment they approached, but they were creating confusion.
Covering his eyes for even a moment was enough.
The EMP Kunai was already planted in the ground.
A blue light burst out.
“Hmm?”
The Swordsman felt a sense of an anomaly in the Cyberware on his body and flinched.
The Poltergeist vehicles crashed into the Swordsman without being sliced.
“An opening!”
Usagi forced her unresponsive left hand to move and formed hand seals.
“Rabbit (Mao), Goat (Wei), Rat (Zi), Dog (Xu), Tiger (Yin), Monkey (Shen), Rabbit (Mao).”
As she placed her palm on the Harbor’s stone floor, electric currents burst out around Usagi.
[Lightning Release, Ten Thousand Thunders, Rabbit’s Swiftness]
A Swarm of Rabbits formed of electricity poured out.
They went into a Full Sprint in the direction of the Swordsman, who had finished adapting to the anomaly and started pushing the cars away.
The rabbits swarmed and dug in.
RUMBLE!!!
Electric currents burst out in flashes, and the movement pushing the vehicles away stopped.
This means it was effective.
“I have to end it this time.”
Max poured his magic power into his circuits without holding back.
He cast two spells simultaneously.
“Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.”
A headache that felt like his head would explode washed over him.
A nosebleed soaked his mask.
He put his full power into it.
[Atlas Fall]
A heavier mass than before plummeted.
CRUNCH!
The vehicles were crushed flat, revealing the Swordsman’s figure.
“Keugh!”
Black smoke flowed from his mouth due to the electric current.
He was kneeling with his sword planted in the ground, trying to withstand Atlas Fall.
And a Red Triangle appeared on the Swordsman’s head.
[Lacerate Delta]
In a Triangular Shape that had undergone compression upon compression, a High-Output Severing was fired.
CRACK!
“Ah, this is why… I said I wanted to run away…”
The Swordsman, his head pierced, collapsed after his final mutter.
The battle was settled.