Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Please, don’t die right away
***
A single strike that surged to maximum speed in an instant. Along its trajectory came the sound of air being torn apart, yet the fist failed to reach Baek Geum-do and was deflected away.
Ga-on, who had been glaring at empty air, took a step back almost at the same time as a transparent veil peeled off like shed skin.
The young man who appeared like a mirage had his tied-back hair swaying left and right. What emanated from his languid movements was sharpness.
Even without embellishment, a youth that could not be hidden, like a wildflower, and a striking beauty flowed from him. On top of that, as if he had sprayed deodorizer, the characteristic scent of an enhanced human lingered faintly and then faded.
It was a face he clearly did not remember.
However, the little finger, cut off by one or two joints, brought to mind an incident from a few sols ago.
A man he had once seen before. He was a former Sword Master who had abandoned his own sanctuary—
“Nasuno Kenji.”
Clutching his chest, Baek Geum-do swallowed dryly. It was fortunate that an ally had appeared at the right moment; otherwise, he would have died just like that. The fact that he had brushed past death soon turned into rage—
“Kenji! Kill that bastard!”
The shout burst out through his throat.
“But make sure to leave the device intact. I have a use for it.”
However, the scene he expected did not unfold. What was contained in Kenji’s gaze as he stared straight at him was refusal. It was such an openly provocative message that a hollow laugh slipped out.
“Now of all times… huh?”
Just as he was about to voice his doubt, Baek Geum-do tilted his head, realizing that his line of sight was lower than usual. He had something to say, yet breathing was gradually becoming difficult. Come to think of it, his arms hadn’t been moving since a moment ago.
In that instant, his upper body slid off along with his lower half.
He struggled to grab his body that had been split in two, but there was nothing to grasp.
Thud.
Leaving behind only a short exclamation, Baek Geum-do met his end, and Kenji looked down at him without emotion.
“With this, it’s settled.”
Such an abrupt turn of events. Though a formidable enemy had disappeared, Ga-on could only wonder if this was really how it should be.
“What is this? Wasn’t he your client?”
“I do not heed anyone’s orders. The only thing that directs the path I must walk is my own will.”
“Crazy bastard.”
Amal Kam was like that, and so was Kenji—those called swordsmen all seemed to have a screw loose. Then again, in an age where technology had advanced, they were underdogs who stubbornly clung to martial arts.
There was no way they were in their right minds.
“To a third party who does not know the circumstances, it may appear that way. I do not seek your understanding, fake.”
“If it’s because of what you heard earlier…”
“Do not dare try to sway me, and do not dare try to teach me. I knew it from the moment I first saw you—there was no need to hear it from anyone.”
A voice as clear as if cut with a ruler.
At its core lay an unshakable ego. It seemed persuasion would be impossible.
“Well, I suppose conversation isn’t necessary between us.”
“Right.”
In that instant, Kenji charged. Despite the distance between them, he paid it no mind and swung both arms. An ambush so subtle that not even the faintest sound was made, making it difficult to sense any prelude.
The moment Ga-on sensed the killing intent clinging to his skin, he twisted his upper body violently. At the same time, a deep, long line was drawn across his cheek.
The trajectory that had been fired in an instant did not stop there—it cut all the way up to the ceiling. With a heavy thud, the cleanly sliced cross-section revealed the building’s interior in a single moment.
This was the very technique that had slaughtered Baek Geum-do.
Though the entire sequence unfolded within milliseconds, Ga-on saw it clearly. Every time an invisible slash was unleashed, Kenji’s fingers changed shape and direction.
At times they bent like hooks, and at others they straightened like spears.
Excluding the incomplete little finger, nine fingers bore rings of different shapes. And from those, what was being emitted—
‘Spider webs?’
It had melted into the air and vanished, yet it was not an illusion but a real threat.
The proof was that the arm I had extended to gauge the distance had been torn to shreds.
Only after witnessing that transcendent technique, which did not permit even the slightest approach, did Ga-on realize it. That he was standing atop a tangled spiderweb of blades.
“I know your level well. I heard you wiped out Team 1 and Team 2? You might think this is unfair. But preparing for a crisis is also part of one’s skill.”
“I agree.”
Kenji had expected denial, yet the opponent accepted it so easily that he subtly frowned. It felt as though something ominous was about to happen.
As if to prove that premonition, the glass window shattered with a crash, spewing harsh noise.
Bang!
Soon after, some object slammed in with such force that it seemed it would pierce through the wall.
It was the integrated weapon management storage, Blacksmith.
With a hiss, the cover opened, revealing a transparent blade. Grasping the cherished weapon he had long awaited, Ga-on adjusted his stance.
“Come to think of it, I had a debt to repay you.”
The moment the tip of the blade rose high enough to touch the sky, steam leaked from his mouth, heightening his entire body to the extreme.
“So please, don’t die right away.”
***
Im Sol, who had been waiting outside, jolted in surprise and sprang to her feet. The roof of the parked vehicle opened, and a simple launcher rose up.
A product that swiftly and accurately delivered desired items based on the user’s location.
She had installed it at Ga-on’s request, though at the time it had seemed unnecessarily excessive. But now—unbelievably—
“It’s working.”
He had promised over and over that he would only use it when his life was in danger. There was no way it would malfunction now, which left only one possibility.
“Miss!”
A message indicating that communication had been cut off appeared a beat later. Rushing to the scene, Im Sol witnessed with her own eyes an ominous group forming.
Were there about thirty of them?
Perhaps they had practiced in advance; they moved across the garden with astonishing agility.
It was a pattern of behavior she had never seen before. They were not forces belonging to Baekdu. However, it was clear they were armed with materials from Baekdu Heavy Industries. Though painted over to change their color, it was like covering one’s eyes and pretending—there was no real attempt to hide it.
They were likely private soldiers secretly fostered by Baek Ryang.
Circling into a blind spot, Im Sol targeted the one at the outermost edge first. As if sensing her presence, the man raised his gun without even a warning.
Click.
Before he could pull the trigger, she extended her arm and activated auto-lock. There were dozens she had to eliminate through stealth. She could not afford to be discovered already.
That was also why she had not brought a submachine gun.
But it was fine. She always carried substitute equipment.
The moment the slot multi-base dormant in her mind activated, the hairpin lodged in her hair lifted and floated.
Because of its appearance, it was easy to mistake it for a mere accessory, but its true identity was a tungsten-alloy unmanned drone, Comet.
A cutting-edge device that defied gravity purely through electromagnetic force.
As it was remotely charged through the electromagnetic induction coil flowing beneath its surface, its operating time was nearly infinite.
Relying on kinetic energy from its acceleration, it might be somewhat lacking in firepower, but in situations where sound had to be minimized as much as possible, it was the best choice.
Just like now.
Whoosh—
The time it took for Comet, which had pierced through the man’s throat, to return was barely two seconds.
After hiding the fallen man among the garden trees, Im Sol turned her gaze to the next target.
Baek Ryang—he had crossed the final line.
It must have been the result of a mindset that winning was all that mattered.
Such thinking was akin to that of a gambling addict—believing one could win it back.
To achieve his goal, he would not hesitate to commit any act.
But what if he failed to win it back?
He would not be able to recover—and would fall to ruin.
Whoosh—
Using the direction in which Comet advanced as a compass, Im Sol moved her steps.
***
With a soft swish, an armed drone flew in, scanned the interior, and disappeared.
Baek Seol quickly hid behind the sofa and held her breath. Along with genetic modification, she had multiple slots implanted. It went without saying that she was prepared for electronic warfare.
She could not be detected by most sensors, and no matter how capable a Tuner might be, they could not recklessly interfere. Though partial, her body even had countermeasures against electromagnetic pulses built in.
However, she could not conceal her presence itself, so as Ga-on had warned, she ran to the panic room.
The nearest place was, of course, the study at the end of the hallway.
When she touched one of the books placed on the shelf, a blast-proof door hidden within the wall opened.
[A—02 subject Baek Seol, confirmed]
She had only run about 30 meters, yet her back was drenched as if she had gone on a march. It was fortunate she wore an off-shoulder dress; had she come in a tight suit, she would have collapsed halfway.
“Phew.”
Letting out a deep breath to shake off her tension, Baek Seol looked around. The interior was no different from an ordinary room—aside from the various facilities prepared for emergencies.
If it came to holding out, she could last for weeks. Of course, in reality, it would not take that long. Baek Seok-do would not simply stand by and watch Baek Ryang’s deviation.
Clank, clank.
It was then that a strange sound came from beyond the blast-proof door. It was also a sign that the location of the panic room had been discovered.
Hurriedly grabbing the fire axe hanging on the wall, Baek Seol tightened her grip.
It could be Ga-on—but she had to consider that it might not be.
Soon, the blast-proof door opened, and the one who entered was someone even Baek Seol had not expected.
“Brother…?”
“So you were here after all. Your instincts aren’t bad. Did you also sense that this is the end?”
Baek Ryang, who had entered with five android secretaries, snatched the fire axe from Baek Seol and tossed it far away. Caught completely off guard, Baek Seol could only let out a small cry.
Even if she tried to run, the androids blocked her path. No matter that she was an enhanced human, she could not break through five grown men.
Watching Baek Seol struggle helplessly, Baek Ryang looked at her with disdain and gestured with his chin.
“Stop the useless resistance and sit down.”
“If you’re going to silence me, do it now.”
“Silence you, huh. Well, I’d rather offer you another option.”
Ping— a clear metallic sound, unfitting for the setting, rang out briefly and vanished.
“Since I was young, I was a coward. If I didn’t prepare responses for every possible situation, I couldn’t fall asleep. To me, you were always a problem I had to solve.”
A blood relative he could neither kill as he pleased nor leave alone.
At times, she was the one who made him realize that things not going his way could be more painful than death.
“So I confined you.”
15th month, 21st sol. That day, that time.
“Are you confessing your crime only now? If you’re going to apologize, I’d say it’s too late.”
“Me? To you?”
As if such a thing would never happen, Baek Ryang sneered and added,
“You didn’t understand what had happened to you.”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t.”
Hadn’t she been locked in a dark room for an entire sol? It was a memory so intense it had become trauma. She likely would not forget it even in death.
“You think I did something like that just to scare a little child who hadn’t even lost her baby teeth yet? Foolish.”
Baek Ryang had put Baek Seol in the dark room so that she would not know.
The passage of time—and the change of location.
Everything was done to carry out a certain measure.
“There’s a bomb implanted in your body.”