Chapter 135 : Dawn
Chapter 135: Dawn
“For the Dawn!”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The passenger ship they had arrived on exploded, violently shaking the enormous interior of the platform.
Cracks spread across the massive glass walls, and the platform's LED lights flickered for an instant before dying out, unable to withstand the shockwave.
“W-What is this?”
“A terrorist attack?”
The tourists and civilians who had been peacefully leaving the platform looked around in confusion.
Masked figures had passed by here and there, but the platform was simply too vast for everyone to notice them.
Meanwhile, Jin Crow watched the backs of those rushing toward some destination.
Then his gaze shifted to another group of masked individuals who had begun openly attacking soldiers.
No... Those aren't Hahoe masks.
The resemblance had made him identify them instinctively, but strictly speaking, they were different.
Although the inspiration was unmistakable.
If he remembered correctly, they were masks originally worn by the native Juin during ritual ceremonies on Planet Ju.
They're a terrorist organization wearing masks that resemble Hahoe masks.
He didn't even need to search his memory.
The words they had shouted were enough for him to identify the organization responsible.
「Church of Dawn」
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the city beyond the cracked glass walls.
The culture of this planet naturally resembled that of the East.
There was a simple reason he couldn't compare it to any single nation.
Because this planet was, quite literally, a collection of everything considered Eastern.
As if proving that fact, tiled-roof houses stood among the skyscrapers he had noticed earlier.
Beastfolk dressed in hanbok, kimono, qipao, and other traditional clothing wandered the streets in every direction.
The Church of Dawn was no different.
It was the native religion of the Juin, blending Buddhism, Taoism, and numerous other faiths.
Although heavily persecuted and greatly diminished today, it had been the indigenous religion worshipped by the natives of this planet for thousands of years before the Human Composite State arrived.
“Grrrrrr!”
The enormous masked men appeared to be wearing ordinary civilian clothing.
But it was nothing more than a disguise.
The bulging muscles beneath their thick fur tore through the fragile fabric, and their razor-sharp claws and fangs instantly ripped open the throats and necks of the soldiers and Public Security Bureau officers blocking their path.
“Aaaagh!”
The foundation of the Human Composite State's Humanitarian Colonialism was simple.
Divide and Rule.
History existed to be learned from.
The methods once employed by Britain—the nation upon which the sun never set—proved just as effective throughout the galaxy.
Every civilization inevitably had its ruling class and ruled class.
Its dominant race and its minorities.
And while those who directly exploited them were hated...
Those who served the oppressors while belonging to the same race became objects of even greater hatred.
“Ghk!”
As though venting centuries of resentment, their attacks were even more brutal toward the Juin wearing military uniforms.
The claws of one attacker pierced the eyes of an avian beastfolk soldier dressed in a brown uniform who had hastily drawn his firearm.
His head slammed against the floor.
Then it burst open, killing him instantly.
It was overwhelming violence.
Of course, the Public Security Bureau officers defending the platform weren't simply standing there helplessly.
“Call for reinforcements immediately!”
“Hold them back!”
The moment officers wearing white-and-black uniforms distinct from those of the Human Composite State military entered the fight, the advancing followers of the Church of Dawn hesitated for a split second.
But only for a moment.
One of the cultists charging toward the commanding Public Security Bureau officer shouted in a voice overflowing with madness and resentment.
Without the slightest hesitation, he detonated the bomb in his hand.
“Night shall pass, and the light shall come! Grrraaagh!”
The instant Jin Crow saw that, he instinctively slammed his gloved hand down onto the top of Obia's crimson head beside him.
“Eek?”
Ignoring her startled squeak, he turned toward the Military Police and shouted.
“Get down!”
Jin Crow might have had a difficult personality.
But on the battlefield, he was unquestionably a commander people trusted.
Knowing that, the Military Police all dropped to the ground without hesitation.
At that exact moment, a brilliant flash erupted within the crowd, swallowing both the Public Security Bureau officer trying to restore order and the cultist who had charged him.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A brief but thunderous explosion echoed through the platform.
Blood and chunks of flesh scattered in every direction, splattering across the marble floor.
“AAAAAAAH!”
Naturally, the civilians caught in the blast couldn't escape injury.
Even those who survived unscathed found the sight of people being torn apart before their eyes terrifying beyond words.
To make matters worse, the field commander directing the Public Security Bureau forces had been killed instantly.
It took less than thirty seconds for the fragile order that had barely been maintained to collapse completely.
“M-Move!”
“Run!”
“T-Terrorists!”
Whether human, Juin, or another race altogether...
Everyone had only one life.
The crowds surged toward the exits all at once, trampling and injuring countless people along the way.
But that wasn't Jin Crow's immediate concern.
“Ghk...”
Looking around, Jin Crow quickly approached the injured Juin Special-duty Officer who was somehow still alive.
Barely.
Half of his neck had been torn away, blood pouring endlessly from the wound.
The fluffy white fur covering his body—apparently he belonged to a canine beastfolk race—had already been stained crimson and was growing cold.
Grabbing the man's neck to stem the bleeding, Jin Crow questioned him.
“Why did they attack the platform?”
“Cough... Se... Security... Mu... Mukcheol... Church of Dawn... ...Specimen...”
As one of the Special-duty Officers who had responded immediately when the attack began, he apparently knew something.
But because his pronunciation of Standard Composite State language was awkward, Jin Crow couldn't fully understand him.
He was about to ask again.
But the man's breathing stopped.
Looking down at the corpse, Jin Crow slowly raised his head, his brows tightly furrowed.
Something isn't right.
The Church of Dawn, as he remembered it, was certainly not a righteous organization.
Nor was it a group that would become useful during the war against the Creatures.
But neither was it a mindless organization driven solely by revenge like the Red Hand.
The question was simple.
What possible objective justified an attack this bold...
And this foolish?
His thoughts didn't last long.
Because an overwhelming killing intent prickled across his skin.
“......!”
He raised his head.
Standing before him was an old man with mouse ears atop his head, forming intricate hand seals with gray-furred hands.
“Heh heh heh.”
Wearing white robes amidst the chaotic crowd, the old man casually tossed aside the cane he had been holding before weaving one hand seal after another with unbelievable speed.
“O demon that descended from the heavens, begone.”
Having spoken those words, the old man stopped his hands.
His eyes burst with light.
「Screaming Hell」
The old man's gaze met Jin Crow's.
At the same instant, every scream and shout around them vanished.
Even the sense of distance became distorted.
Sensing instinctive danger, Jin Crow immediately took a sip from the hip flask he pulled from his pocket before throwing himself sideways.
The marble floor where he had been standing split in two.
A crimson figure resembling a Yaksha emerged from the earth and swung an enormous iron mace straight at him.
“Tch!”
Twisting his waist backward, Jin Crow immediately infused his jet-black sword with Psionic Energy and swung.
KAGAGAGAGANG!
The mace was undeniably heavy.
But not so heavy that a Quad Gear–class Superhuman couldn't withstand it.
“Obia!”
“Yes~.”
At his shout, Obia's crimson eyes glowed brilliantly as the corners of her lips curled upward.
Looking toward the elderly mouse beastfolk, she cheerfully hummed.
“Let's catch the mouse, let's catch the mouse, squeak squeak.”
The Gear within her roared to life.
Then, looking at the Yaksha whose bulging muscles seemed capable of crushing Jin Crow at any moment, she smiled playfully and extended a hand.
「Greek Fire」
Behind her, space split open.
From within emerged an enormous ship made entirely of fire.
The raging flames looked capable of consuming even Obia Timist herself.
Yet she calmly addressed the burning vessel as though relaxing in a warm bath.
“Burn.”
At that moment, a colossal torrent of fire swept past Jin Crow and instantly engulfed the Yaksha.
—ROOOOOOOOAR!!
An agonized howl echoed across the platform.
Even as the metal embedded throughout its body melted away, the Yaksha desperately swung its mace and clawed at itself, trying to extinguish the flames.
But Greek Fire could never be extinguished.
Jin Crow did not waste the opportunity.
There's no need to use a technique.
He tightened his grip on the jet-black Special Armament sword.
After a short breath, he planted his foot firmly.
Using his forward leg as the pivot, he twisted his waist and cut in a single motion.
—ROOOOOOOOAAARGH!!
The blade carved deeply along the grain of the Yaksha's muscles.
The old man who had summoned it bit down on his lip, attempting to chant something else.
But it was already far too late.
Slash.
Thud.
A brief flash appeared.
The Yaksha's massive body slowly tilted before collapsing.
Jin Crow immediately launched himself toward the old man.
If his memory was correct, the old man held a fairly high position within the Church of Dawn.
To ensure the Frontline Inspection proceeded smoothly, obtaining information about the Church of Dawn would be valuable.
If necessary, he could even hand the old man over to the Governor-General's Office in exchange for cooperation.
His objective was clear.
Capture him alive.
“Heh heh.”
The old man's rat-like face suddenly filled Jin Crow's vision.
He reached out to seize the man's throat in one motion.
But at that very instant—
“We shall meet again, heh heh.”
The old man's unpleasant metallic voice brushed past his ears.
A massive bear beastfolk dropped from directly above.
He had no choice but to evade.
The moment he realized that, Jin Crow twisted his body midair without hesitation.
The bear beastfolk's gigantic claws only shredded the hem of his coat before gouging hideous scars into the marble floor.
“Grrraaaagh!”
The bear beastfolk relentlessly attacked, determined not to let Jin Crow escape.
Because of that, even as he watched the old man leisurely retreat into the distance, he couldn't immediately pursue him.
Killing him isn't difficult. But...
While calmly parrying the bear beastfolk's ferocious attacks, Jin Crow sensed numerous powerful Psionic signatures beginning to surround the platform.
...Should I really involve myself any further?
His hesitation didn't last long.
BOOM!!
Black-uniformed soldiers stormed into the platform from every direction.
“We're the Security Division under the Governor-General's Office.”
Leading them was a man with wolf ears and a tail, wearing a bright, easygoing smile.
Running his tongue across his unusually prominent canine teeth, he surveyed the blood-soaked platform before flashing a refreshing grin toward the followers of the Church of Dawn.
“Everybody on the ground, you festering pieces of trash.”