Two Variables

There were a few things I had overlooked.

First, just because there were two of us didn't mean the situation would unconditionally flow in our favor.

Of course, an increase in numbers was definitely an advantage.

Going from one person to two meant the opponent had twice as much, or even more, to worry about.

It was good for taking up space and pressuring the enemy, and it was good for Aiming for openings through a Coordinated Attack.

The problem was that neither the Chainsaw Man nor I were in a good enough condition to properly Utilize that advantage.

Needless to say, I was a Natural without a single Body Modification, and after getting beaten up so much by the drugged-up Ned Ludd, I was completely exhausted, my limbs drooping like waterlogged cotton.

The Chainsaw Man had been swinging his saw so vigorously that I thought he was Fine, but he wasn't.

Looking closely at his muscular body, covered in blood and holding a saw like a demon, a significant portion of it was his own blood mixed in with the blood of others.

Bullets were lodged all over his clothes. In his shoulder, and his leg.

He had also sustained injuries in the Process of dealing with the Luddite gang Members.

Then again, considering he had fought a One-on-Five Fight, you could say he paid a cheap price.

It was amazing how he fought so roughly as if he wasn't hurt at all despite having bullets lodged in his body, but unfortunately, the human body couldn't lie.

Every time he swung the saw, one shoulder faltered, and because of that, his balance crumbled and less Force went into it.

His Sawing wasn't as threatening as before, and his movements had become much slower due to his injured leg.

Furthermore, cooperation in battle wasn't as easy as one might think.

When a Colleague fighting alongside you attacks, you launch a Coordinated Attack together, and when they are in danger, you act as an Assistant to save them...

It was easier said than done; in reality, unless you were Long-term Partners, it was practically impossible.

Especially when the opponent was a vicious and experienced Killer like Ned Ludd.

There were quite a few times when I struggled to Step forward to help the Chainsaw Man, only to get hit by an Attack aimed at me and sent flying, nearly putting us in even more danger.

It only consumed more of my already lacking Physical Strength, and right now, I felt like I was dying.

My breath tasted like blood, my limbs were trembling, and my dry throat felt like it would stop breathing at any moment.

Thanks to that, I learned the lesson that Awkward Cooperation was worse than doing nothing at all.

Second, the difference in disposition between the Chainsaw Man and me was also a problem.

If I had a defensive and protective style due to my Physical Limitations—waiting for the enemy to come first and then countering—the Chainsaw Man was the exact opposite.

I had noticed it since he was excitedly performing his Saw Dance against the Luddite gangs, but the Chainsaw Man Ronin had a very Aggressive Style where he couldn't stand not charging in first.

The problem was that the opponent was the same.

A terrorist Boss overflowing with bloodlust and the type of aggressiveness to immediately stab at any slight opening.

Furthermore, Ned Ludd's current Physical Condition was in many ways a Superior Version of the Chainsaw Man Ronin.

He had many injuries, but after taking drugs once, he moved energetically as if nothing was wrong.

He was ahead in all aspects, including strength and speed, and he didn't even budge from moderate impacts, as if he couldn't get hurt or feel pain.

The sight of him running wild without getting tired like a Stim-packed Marine, pushing back a man several heads taller than him.

The drug's effect was much better than I imagined. Just what kind of drug was it to be that effective?

I didn't think I had seen anything like that even in the game.

If I hadn't dragged my heavy body and swung my katana to Intervene, the Chainsaw Man might have had a part of his body cut off by now.

For these various reasons, even though it was two against one, far from seizing the momentum, we were gradually being pushed back.

And finally, third.

Ferdinand's condition was not good.

The Chainsaw Man's beloved weapon, that Super-Vibrating jet engine saw.

Slash—!

The Chainsaw Man, who Charged forward with his chainsaw again despite being continuously pushed back, as if he never got tired.

But had he figured out the pattern?

The katana, thrust toward a momentary opening, drew a Heat Ray across his arm.

It wasn't a deep wound, but even that Shallow cut was fatal in the current situation. A burning smell spread through the air as the large Brute faltered.

I barely managed to grab his waist and pull him back.

A red straight line that would have sliced the Chainsaw Man's head vertically had I been even a little late passed through the empty air, and panting, I stepped back with him.

Supporting the Chainsaw Man, who was letting out a faint groan, I asked.

“Why didn't you block it?”

That was right.

It wasn't that he couldn't block it; he didn't block it.

Even though he was tired and injured, the Chainsaw Man still had that much leeway.

It was an Attack he could have easily deflected if he had just twisted his engine saw.

But he clearly saw it, and even though there was a window to react, he didn't block it.

At my point, the Chainsaw Man remained silent before speaking.

“...Ferdinand is in pain, hand Butcher.”

I thought I had misheard because I was exhausted. Or maybe there was a problem with my ears.

But I hadn't. That Chainsaw Man Ronin was sincerely, in a very serious and heavy tone, saying that his engine saw was in pain.

I had no idea how an inanimate engine saw could possibly be in pain, but...

Still, in the midst of this busy situation, I turned my eyes to check the saw's condition.

The Chainsaw Man, Activating his saw again to face Ned Ludd.

At first, it looked Fine. It was still spinning well at super-high speed.

However, the sound was somewhat strange.

Instead of the clean Vrrrrr- tearing sound from before, it made a weak, catching noise as if something foreign was stuck in it.

As I narrowed my eyes and focused my Concentration, I saw the vibrating and Rotating Saw blade Chain with that unique sensation of the World slowing down.

“...!”

It was true.

I could see the rattling chain strangely twisted off its track. And the saw blade looking precarious, as if it would snap at any moment.

There was room for Disagreement on the expression "in pain," but it was a fact that the engine saw Ferdinand's condition was unusual.

Was the problem when it clashed head-on with the Plasma-Emitting Katana blade to save me earlier?

Having Taken an impact from the Polymer Alloy that clearly contained Drug-Fueled Super Strength, it made sense for the chain to slip.

Certainly, I had heard that contrary to the perception that a chainsaw was a vicious-looking, Powerful Combat Weapon, it was surprisingly a weapon with Poor Sustained Capability.

Just emitting too strong an output or receiving an external impact could cause the chain to come off, and just having something stuck between the chains could cause it to stop Activating.

Therefore, while it was true that it was Powerful, the story went that it was unsuitable as a main weapon that could be continuously utilized anytime, anywhere.

In the Chainsaw Man's case, since it was his beloved weapon, it couldn't be compared to an Ordinary Chainsaw, and he had naturally put it through various Durability Modifications to secure the chain.

Nevertheless, it seemed the fundamental problem of Chainsaw-Type Weapons having unstable endurance couldn't be helped.

Then again, considering he had sliced through the cyberarm-legs of five people and continuously used the engine saw for a Defensive Purpose To deflect bullets and blades, it was perhaps natural for such an abnormality to occur.

At any other time, replacing the chain and blade and applying some lubricating oil would have been enough, but unfortunately, this was a Combat Situation.

There was no time for that.

This wasn't a sports match, and there was no way that psychopath terrorist would listen if we asked for Reorganization Time.

I now understood the reason why the Chainsaw Man took the Attack head-on instead of blocking it with his saw.

Since the chain had started to slip once, he had no choice but to be careful in using the engine saw.

If things went wrong, the chain could snap or the blade could bounce off, injuring him, the user of the chainsaw, or hitting me standing next to him.

Thinking about that suddenly gave me the chills.

“I cannot let Ferdinand get hurt any further. It is better for me to take the hit instead!”

...Of course, judging by what he said, he hadn't thought that deeply about it, and it seemed to be the result of thinking he would rather act as a Meat Shield than Watch his beloved weapon get ruined.

Anyway, this Chainsaw Man was quite the Crazy person too.

No matter how important and precious a weapon was, did it make any sense to offer up his own body to protect it?

It was a significant crisis.

I was one thing, but it seemed the Chainsaw Man wasn't in a situation to continue fighting here at all.

It was already visible that his movements were hindered by his injuries, and now his arm had been cut on top of that.

I could see his two large hands gripping the engine saw trembling and drenched in sweat. The tip of the saw blade kept dropping downward.

Because he was such a Real Man, he wasn't showing it on the Outside, but the pain was probably severe as well. He was likely forcing himself to endure it.

On top of that, Ferdinand's critical condition.

Considering the behavior patterns of the human known as the Chainsaw Man that I had seen so far, it was obvious he wouldn't last much longer.

He would either Collapse while continuously taking the enemy's attacks with his bare body, claiming he couldn't let Ferdinand get hurt, or the chainsaw would break from an impact, causing him to fall into despair and become unable to fight anymore.

It would be one of the two.

And if the Chainsaw Man was Eliminated, I wouldn't be able to hold out either.

We were somehow dragging out and enduring this disadvantageous situation by utilizing the two-on-one setup and its advantages, but if one person dropped out, the balance would completely Collapse.

If that happened, I would die. I would really die.

After the Chainsaw Man joined, Ned Ludd must have considered him a bigger threat, keeping an eye on him and applying more attacks and pressure.

If the Chainsaw Man showed such a weakened state, if he faced Neutralization, Ned Ludd would immediately turn his target to me.

I had to come up with a method. A plan to overcome the current situation...

My brain spun rapidly. However, no Clever Solution came to mind, and only the Impending Catastrophe drew nearer.

"Keugh──!"

Eventually, when the Chainsaw Man ended up kneeling and vomiting blood in a miserable state with his chest slashed.

For some reason, his Super-Vibrating jet engine saw, Ferdinand, kept catching my eye.

The sharp-bladed Chain Link of the saw, which had now completely stopped Activating and was just rattling.

As I stared at it blankly, a thought occurred to me.

No matter how low the durability of Chainsaw-Type Weapons was, it had still undergone many modifications—and it possessed a Super-Vibrating Saw blade with such excellent cutting power that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there was nothing in the World it couldn't cut.

If such a saw had ended up in that state, what would be the condition of Ned Ludd's katana, which had clashed head-on with the engine saw and made a grinding Roar?

I glanced over and looked at the Advanced Tech Japanese Sword held in the hand of Ned Ludd, who had knocked down the Chainsaw Man.

The blade, glowing red and emitting Heat Plasma, looked perfectly Fine on the Outside without any abnormalities.

However, with all my nerves focused on my eyes, in a state where my eyes were bloodshot and my head was ringing.

Looking through that fully accelerated vision that could see far away...

Crack.

I could see cracks inside the hard alloy.

And the unstable state of the Plasma Heat Ray laid in the center.

The sight of the crystal structure, which should have been densely packed, gradually scattering and collapsing.

It was the result of roughly swinging a weapon like a sword, which should be handled delicately, like a Blunt instrument, and even clashing it against a Super-Vibrating jet engine saw blade.

It was precarious, as if it would explode.

Its durability had weakened to the point where it looked like it would shatter if subjected to just a little more impact beyond a certain degree.

And given the circumstances, Ned Ludd didn't seem to have noticed the unstable state of his katana at all.

“...”

I turned my gaze and looked at the katana I held in my hand.

It was Fine. It didn't look like there was anything wrong with it at all.

As expected of a katana used by a Rich Young Lady, huh.

It was perfectly Fine even after clashing several times with a blade with Plasma lines backed by immense power.

I didn't know about anything else, but in the Durability Aspect, this sword had an Overwhelming Superiority.

As soon as I realized that fact, a plan came to mind.

...It was a truly Crazy Idea.

It was an absurdly reckless operation that I wouldn't have even tried under normal circumstances. A ridiculous thought that only the biggest Lunatic in the World would come up with.

But right now, there was no other way.

If I didn't want to die, I had to try something.

My mind was made up. It was time to put it into action immediately.

Standing up straight, I tightly gripped the hilt of the Jet-Black Katana with my two incredibly heavy arms.

I shouted in a cracked voice toward Ned Ludd, who was about to swing his sword at the head of the Chainsaw Man, whose Stance had collapsed.

“Hey, Junkie! You Rat-faced Troublemaker over there! Did you forget who your opponent is? Is your intelligence at the level of a rodent too?”

Honestly, it wasn't a high-level provocation.

Maybe because my body was so exhausted, my brain wasn't working well either. Normally, I could run my mouth much better than this.

Still, it seemed to have worked somewhat.

Ned Ludd stayed still without much reaction when I yelled Junkie, but at the mention of looking like a Rat, he let out a scoff and turned his head.

“...Right. bar Manager. Killing you first would put my mind at ease in many ways. Since you're kicking away the chance to extend your lifespan even a little bit with your own two feet, there's no need for me to refuse.”

Baring his teeth chillingly, he kicked the Chainsaw Man far away and walked over.

“Let's rip that mouth of yours open first and then think.”

Closing the distance in an instant, Ned Ludd made a gesture of slicing both sides of his mouth with his fingers like the Joker.

Every time the katana in his hand sliced through the air, a tearing sound rang out like a cannon firing.

At that air-ripping noise, the immense power and speed, I instinctively gulped.

Looking at it like this, why did that sword look so perfectly Fine?

It was hard to believe it was on the verge of breaking.

Then again, that was probably why its user, Ned Ludd, hadn't realized that fact at all and was swinging it around to his heart's content like that.

A rough breath leaked out amidst extreme tension.

Please, I just hoped my Judgment wasn't wrong.