Headhunting (12)

One way or another, I had grown accustomed to situations where something exploded.

That long history began when a truck missile sent by the Bogus gang mindlessly crashed into the entrance of the grocery store, and it continued with multiple rocket launchers, high-explosive grenades, my terminal, the megacorp's bomb drones, flames created by a black mage, and so on….

I had practically come to associate life in this damn city with explosions.

And so, when the unknown heir of 【Radiance】 spoke in a low voice—

“Bang.”

I instinctively grabbed him by his blond hair and slammed him into the stone floor of the arena.

Even shielding the social-gathering official who had come closer behind me happened as naturally as part of a practiced sequence.

Then.

Eeeeeeeee─.

A strange sound, like the noise made by laser weapons in various science-fiction movies set in the distant future, rang out...