Ronin in His Element

The vicious 1.67-meter-long jet engine saw—Ferdinand—truly showed its power in the hands of its original Host.

I thought I had handled that Super-Vibrating Chainsaw pretty well, enough to earn the Chainsaw Man's Praise, but when I look at it now, my movements that day were nothing.

At this moment, the Chainsaw Man Ronin was literally a fish in water. No one could stop him.

"Don't kill them! Under the Bar Regulations, Murder is prohibited!"

"Kuhahaha, understood! It's a shame, but I'll just cut off their limbs and be done with it!"

A voice was responding to my urgent shout.

For a moment, I tilted my head.

Do you not die if your limbs are just cut off...?

The Man Hunter didn't die when his arm was cut off back then, so maybe the Luddite gang will be Fine too.

While I was having such thoughts, a terrible scream rang out.

Kuaaaaaaagh—!

Is this what the scene of victims suffering at the hands of the Texas Chainsaw Killer looks like?

The engine saw dashed in all directions, slicing up the surrounding gang members In a Flash, regardless of whether they had cyberarms and legs or natural limbs.

He carved out their limbs with such smooth and elegant movements, like slaughtering Pork, that it made me think if I was the hand Butcher, this Master Butcher was just a Butcher.

Of course, that didn't mean he was invincible.

Even if he fought as if the soul of a Medieval Knight had descended upon him, the inherent limitations of melee weapons couldn't be helped.

Wasn't that also the reason why the Knight Class fell behind the times and disappeared?

Guns make everyone equal. No matter how well you fight, getting hit by a bullet will kill you all the same.

So when I saw a Luddite gang member stepping back and Aiming a gun at the Chainsaw Man, I tried to shout loudly to warn him.

Tidididing—!

I was speechless as he held the massive chainsaw vertically to cover his front like a Tower Shield, deflecting the bullets, and then charged straight in to slice off the arm holding the handgun.

...Maybe he is invincible.

He fought so much better than I expected that I was completely dumbfounded.

I knew he would be a boost to our combat power. But to think he would completely overturn the tide of battle like this!

He's a total monster.

Thanks to him, I had nothing left to do.

Dumbfounded, I shouted at the Chainsaw Man, who was enthusiastically performing his Saw Dance.

"No, if you fight this well, why were you crouching in the corner until just now?"

This Chainsaw Man had just sat still, doing nothing, when I grasped the internal situation through the Closed-Circuit Camera, when the other Ronin were showing signs of resisting the Luddite gang.

Because of that passive appearance, I hadn't harbored high expectations even while bringing the engine saw. To think it would hit the jackpot like this.

He shouted heartily, engaging in a wild rampage completely opposite to when he was quietly crouching.

"That's because I didn't have my Ferdinand back then! I can't exert my strength without my beloved weapon! Only when I'm holding my saw, only when I can cut down my enemies with my saw, do I feel alive!"

...It seems his excuse about being too anxious to eat without his chainsaw was actually true. Is it really half of his soul or something?

"I have no Special cyberware, nor high-output implants! I fight trusting only in minimal Body Modification, an outstanding physique, and an excellent weapon! This is called the Trinity of Three Elements."

So that was why he seemed perfectly Fine despite taking a Direct hit from the EMP, unlike the other Ronin.

It wasn't that he had received Electromagnetic Pulse Resistance Modification, but rather that he had only received minimal cyberware and Body Modification in the first place.

He was the type who was just naturally strong as a human, without borrowing the power of machines. He was a truly amazing human in many ways.

"As long as the three are united, I can slice anything. Conversely, if even one of the three goes wrong, I cannot fight.

That is why I am trying to repay you for protecting my beloved weapon from that cursed electromagnetic wave. I almost had a big problem. I might not have been able to feel the thrill of this battle!"

He babbled on without getting tired while single-handedly facing the weapons swung by three Luddite gang members.

"I will deal with these grunts, so don't worry about them and go crush the boss, hand Butcher! I will make sure not to touch your prey. Hahahaha!"

Shouting that, he swung the Chain blade of his engine saw with a *vroooom* all by himself against the Luddite gang members.

He looked very reliable. I didn't think I needed to worry about my back.

Anyway, the two were the boss and my prey.

There could only be one.

As I stood up and caught my breath, my eyes met the figure across from me.

Ned Ludd.

The Luddite Leader was looking this way with a vicious smile in his eyes.

The pools of blood covering his entire body and the burned scars on his face made his originally fierce impression look even more ferocious.

The bastard cracked his neck with a *crack* and gradually walked toward me.

Holding a red-hot electric katana in his left hand, he threw away Alexandra's head that he had been gripping with his right hand, and sparked electric currents with his three remaining fingers.

...No matter how much I've lost my sense of fear, going one-on-one with a Crazy terrorist Boss like that is a bit too terrifying.

I had seen that lunatic bastard fighting on the hologram Display.

He was really fucking good at killing people.

He definitely didn't win the name Ned Ludd in a game of Ddakji.

I didn't get the impression that he was overwhelmingly Powerful, as I did when I saw the City police Patrol Officer's use of Force, or when I briefly saw Dragon President or Sey fighting.

However, it was a concise yet efficient Movement optimized solely for killing people, radiating cruelty beyond that.

Watching him made my spine tingle with the feeling that I had become his target.

Those sturdy Ladam bodyguards, the Ronin who pushed forward with his Mantis blade, and the duo who boasted excellent teamwork—all of them were Taken out by those ghost-like attacks that pierced their openings at once.

The appearance of a born Killing Machine.

While he was talking or fighting, his eyes were always directed at the opponent's vitals, and every Surprise Attack he actually executed was aimed solely at those pre-identified weak points.

Just observing from the distant Warehouse gave me goosebumps, but thinking that I would directly become his target made my hands and feet already drenched in Cold sweat.

Honestly, I didn't want to face him.

Who was I to fight against a terrorist Boss?

I was nothing but a bar Manager. I wasn't the City police, or a Ronin or a Bounty Hunter.

I wasn't hired for combat, but simply to manage the bar.

Unlike the absurd nickname attached to me, I didn't like fighting, nor was I good at it.

During the Man Hunter Incident, the opponent was off Guard, and thanks to the added Performance of the Microchip in My Head and the engine saw, I was able to overwhelm the enemy... but the situation isn't like that now.

Ned Ludd was a completely different type of criminal from Man Hunter Alexgey, and he wasn't letting his Guard down against me at all.

Far from giving me an opening, he was fully prepared to Approach and stab me the moment I let my Guard down even a little.

Rather than the Man Hunter, this guy felt like a real hunter.

Those demon-like eyes were piercing through with murderous intent and malice.

There was a pressure beyond what I saw on the Display.

I have to stop that. I already feel like I can't. I can't even dare to try.

"..."

Overwhelmed by his momentum, I unconsciously averted my eyes slightly, only to meet the eyes of the Young Lady panting as she lay collapsed on the floor/Ground.

Alexandra Amadeus Schneider had half-closed Blue Eyes.

As if feeling my gaze, her eyebrows twitched momentarily and she put strength into her pupils. She looked as if she wanted to say something.

She opened her mouth and let out a sound that was hard to understand.

Whether it was the aftermath of the Electric Shock she suffered from Ned Ludd, or a concussion from hitting her head on the floor/Ground.

It was difficult to distinguish what she was trying to convey.

Even so, somehow I felt like I could understand.

Well, that was how it was.

Even a kid who just turned twenty stepped up after belatedly realizing what she had to do.

If I, who am two years older, cowered and stepped back, I wouldn't be able to show my face out of shame.

Did they say With Great Power Comes great responsibility?

But sometimes, even if your power is small, there are times when you somehow have to take responsibility. There are also types of humans who only become stronger when they have to take responsibility.

Falling into this damned city and going through all sorts of hardships, I gritted my teeth and repeated only one thing to myself.

I will somehow live like a human being.

And if you are human, you should be Destroyed, but Not Defeated.

No matter what trials and tribulations come my way, I will not back down. That was what I resolved.

That was how I made it this far.

Since my escape from Militia's Research Institute, I have never run away once.

Not in front of Isiho's Iron Blood Chairman, not in front of all the magnates who came to the restaurant, and not in front of the Man Hunter and various other troublemakers.

It wouldn't be any different this time.

I am a bar Manager, and I am simply in a situation where I have To Kick out a Customer acting like a Troublemaker in the shop.

That was all it was.

Thud.

I put down the torn and bent umbrella.

Instead, I took out the other weapon I had brought as a spare, which was strapped to my back.

Shhhk—

The pitch-black blade, grabbed by the handle and pulled out of the scabbard, flashed its teeth in the air.

It was a Super High-Grade electric katana.

A Japanese sword perfect in every way, capable of slicing through steel and Polymer Alloy like paper without damaging the blade, and naturally equipped with EMP Resistance.

It was obvious who the Owner of this weapon, which would cost tens of millions of City Dollars Alone, was.

It was the katana that Young Lady Alexandra over there had entrusted to the bar. I felt like I was indebted to quite a few people today.

What could I do? If I lacked the skill, I had to borrow the power of items.

I walked forward with the Katana blade drawn