Chapter 304
“Are you crazy? You want us all to die and be annihilated together - “
[That won’t happen.]
A static-filled afterimage. The Reaper of section 5 disappeared from their spot in the blink of an eye, as if causing an error in the physical laws of the world.
[Only you need to die.]
The distance of several meters converged to zero. The pitch-black blade extending from the Reaper’s arm scratched the face of Lieutenant Colonel Hares as he hastily twisted his body.
Actions spoke louder than words.
To eliminate any group, taking care of its head first was the best method.
Slash.
The sunglasses split in half, and the prosthetic eye embedded inside the scarred orbit shattered and burst, spewing vitreous fluid.
A gruesome blood-red light flashed from the single remaining lens of Lieutenant Colonel Hares as he stepped back.
If it had been a little deeper, or if he had been a little slower, his brain would have been pierced, killing him instantly.
Lieutenant Colonel Hares was not good-natured enough to let such a fatal blow slide without counterattacking. Wiping the bloody water from his eye, he spat out his words as if chewing them.
“If you want to die, I’ll grant your wish. Let’s see if the rumored Reaper bleeds too.”
As if those words were a flare, the Mili-Tech Unit members rushed in all at once. They clashed with the section 5 Agents led by the Reaper.
Every single one of them was a top-tier enhanced soldier capable of killing the current me like a bug.
Every time a gun was fired, holes were punched into the walls and the ceiling collapsed. The floor shook from punches and kicks, and weapons and body parts flew overhead in the aftermath of the fight.
All I could do was crouch down as much as possible and lie low to avoid getting hit by stray lasers or bullets.
I once again felt the terrifying sensation from when I was swept up in the fight between the Chrome Monster and the Communist Ninja.
If I got unlucky like this, I really might…
CLAAAANG!
It was truly a matter of luck.
In a moment of hair-raising crisis, I instinctively raised the Kokuyō Otto I was gripping tightly in my hand, and something rushed in at an invisible speed and struck the blade.
One hit. With just a single hit, my body was violently flung far away as if I had been struck by a cannonball. Tinnitus rang in my ears, and my grip was torn and bleeding.
After rolling several times, I barely managed to pick myself up. Right in front of my eyes, a lethal disk emitting a sharp laser was embedded.
Death was right before my eyes. It wasn’t a blind attack, but an attack clearly aimed at me.
No, that’s not it. More accurately, it should be seen as an attempt to kill both me and Prezen at the same time.
A dwarfish Mili-Tech Special Tactical Unit member, whose arms hung down long, like a bipedal monkey’s, reached out a hand from afar.
Then, the Monodisk embedded next to me flew with a whoosh and returned to its master’s hand.
It was a weapon I had seen before, and I had also seen a Special forces member before.
He greedily stared at the obsidian blade that had fallen from my hand.
Licking his lips beneath his helmet, he spoke.
“It didn’t get cut by a monomolecular disk? Hey friend, you’re holding an excessively good sword. Things that don’t fit your station tend to invite disaster, so I should help you out a little - “
The Special forces member, who was smiling despicably and preparing to throw the disk again, stiffened exactly in that state.
From behind him, the Reaper’s blade surged up, vibrating along with bloody water.
The collapsing Mili-Tech operative, and beyond him, a dry gaze was staring blankly in this direction. The Reaper was looking at me and Prezen.
My heart felt like it would stop, but I had to stay calm. The Reaper was helping us then.
Its intention was likely not to truly help us, but rather to safely secure Prezen Meredith, who had become Dusk’s greatest artificial intelligence, as Valentine’s asset, but either way, I survived thanks to it.
As they looked around, the composition of the fight was gradually changing.
While it had initially started as an all-out war between section 5 and Mili-Tech, the Mili-Tech side, which had gradually begun to be pushed back, cunningly changed the composition.
Rather than stubbornly trying to push section 5 away from the front, they prioritized their original goal of eliminating Prezen Meredith, gradually shifting the direction of their offensive toward us, just like with the lethal disk from earlier.
From the perspective of section 5, which couldn’t let Prezen Meredith die, even while clearly knowing the enemy’s intentions, they had no choice but to be tied down to protect him.
“The situation is not looking good.”
From my standpoint, I couldn’t help but root for section 5, who was currently protecting my life.
But even at a glance, the situation was not turning out well.
The wide-open layout of the secret vault itself was more advantageous for breaching than defending. It was a structure where the Agents of section 5 had no choice but to take losses in order to protect Prezen and me.
The only reason they were able to hold out without being pushed back was thanks to the Reaper’s insane performance. It wasn’t called the god of death for nothing.
Every time they performed a blink, executing a phase shift that looked close to teleportation, the Mili-Tech Special Tactical Unit Members - who must have been trained with an immense amount of time and money - died gruesomely without even being able to let out a scream.
It reached the point where an entire elite squad had to step up just to barely succeed in holding them down.
The cold-blooded Lieutenant Colonel Hares, perhaps lacking confidence in a head-on confrontation with the Reaper, was only looking from behind for an opportunity while using his subordinates as chess pieces.
It was cowardly, but at the same time, a wise judgment.
The Reaper of section 5 was terrifying, but this level was not enough. They couldn’t just stop at pushing Mili-Tech back; they had to crush and murder them all.
Only then could they end the situation before the Watch Annihilation Squad arrived.
It was a disadvantageous situation from the start.
The fundamental composition had to be changed. There was no way the elite agents of section 5 wouldn’t know that.
Three section 5 Agents, each wearing a different mask, surrounded Prezen and me and made a single remark lightly.
[Let’s move to a safe place. We will guide you.]
And then they tried to drag us somewhere.
Since having to protect me and Prezen acted as a burden, they intended early on to move us somewhere else and fight.
Should I feel displeased about being dragged away by force, or should I feel grateful for the kindness of protecting not only Prezen but also me - who had surpassed their goal - and even explaining it with words like that?
Either way, I had no choice. I was in a position where I had to move if the section 5 Agents told me to move.
It couldn’t be helped since I was powerless. I obediently followed without the slightest thought of resisting.
To be exact, only I did.
Prezen did not move.
His insensibly raised lens eyes seemed to say so.
“Why should I do as you say?”
Considering the feelings he had toward Valentine, there was no way he would move according to section 5's intentions. even if it helped his own safety.
As he had said, if he valued his own safety, he wouldn’t have come this far in the first place.
[Hey, didn’t you hear? Let’s go.]
A section 5 Agent spoke roughly and tried to pull Prezen’s arm. At that moment, a pale white light source seemed to amplify from behind, its sound ringing out as if tearing apart.
Vwoooom -
“Guaaaagh!”
The three section 5 Agents who were forcibly escorting us screamed all at once, collapsing and rolling on the floor.
As if a problem had occurred in their neural interfaces, a red light flashed from their rolled-back eyes, and their cyberware convulsed and malfunctioned on its own.
These people, who had replaced most of their bodies with machines, could not withstand the intervention of the prototype AI in the slightest.
“Was there a need to go this far?”
I wondered if there was a need to use such extreme measures against Agents who weren’t trying to harm us but rather protect us, but I could also fully understand Prezen’s feelings.
To him, Militia and Valentine were the same anyway.
Whether he lived to become Valentine’s weapon or died and returned to nothingness, neither outcome would achieve the self-portrait he desired.
And also…
“Isn’t it detestable?”
Prezen Meredith spat out of nowhere.
Unable to understand that suddenly surfacing emotional line, I asked back.
“What is?”
“That fight of theirs. They’re having a very flashy brawl as if they’ve become the protagonists, shamelessly ruining the stage someone else prepared.”
Words spoken while the speaker blankly stared at the fierce battle between section 5 and Mili-Tech.
I felt like I knew what he meant by saying they acted as if they had become the protagonists.
It was a scene of action and thrill that naturally drew the eye.
The narrative contained within it was also formidable. Militia’s Mili-Tech, or Valentine’s section 5? It was a question anyone would be curious about.
Given the intertwined history between the two Megacorps and their armed groups, this fight - where the answer might be decided - couldn’t help but become even more important.
However, Prezen did not look favorably upon that.
The stage, which he had painstakingly prepared, was not a place for them here in the innermost part of Mirror Castle.
Prezen did not want to be robbed of the protagonist role. It was the nature of an artist who couldn’t let go of the spotlight.
“I suppose I should slowly begin.”
Prezen Meredith said so and raised his two arms high, spreading them wide.
The prototype AI connected to him vibrated, scattering its powerful influence in all directions.
Ugyagagagagak -
Regardless of whether they were section 5 or Mili-Tech, the Enhanced Soldiers collapsed in droves, their limbs trembling violently. The higher their modification ratio, the more fatal it was.
Watching elite Special forces members hovering between life and death from just a single glance of the artificial intelligence, I could almost understand why Militia and Valentine were so heated about securing Prezen.
“…Are you okay?”
However, his abilities weren’t purely overpowered either.
There are no miracles without a price in this world.
The pale white sphere distorted and twisted as if it were going to break.
Prezen, too, seemed heavily burdened as he frowned and staggered, unable to maintain his balance. I barely caught him from the side as he almost fell.
Even the greatest Artificial Intelligence has weaknesses.
The standard that distinguishes restriction and autonomy is the AI Regulations represented by the Three Laws.
Prezen had not yet completely overcome them.