97 – Episode 97. Annihilation for Real (4)
“Pl-Please, spare-“
“I have a wife and daughter at home!”
“Today is our wedding anniversary…”
“Our son starts school tomorrow for the first time…”
“Even though my grandfather was a national hero…”
“I support political correctness!”
There were those who resisted, but the ninjas didn’t stop.
“Don’t lie down to survive. Stand and die!”
The sword of Lucas, which swiftly cut the throats of two leaders, moved again.
“Waaah! Save me!”
Realizing that the sympathy operation was not working, Yakuzas began rolling on the ground and crying like babies.
“This brat regressed to being an infant?”
“Send him to his mother’s arms.”
Naturally, there were no ninjas who sympathized with their actions. One ninja, with eyes full of disgust, stepped on the head of the baby Yakuza.
“Crack!”
It was around the time when the second floor Yakuza were dealt with.
“We’re going to the third floor.”
Maximus shook off the blood on his axe.
Unlike the second floor, which had been cleared with a commotion, there was no response on the third floor. Since all the leaders were on the second floor, there was no expectation of horned fish organization members on the third floor.
“Lucas and I will take the lead.”
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. They arrived on the third floor without letting go of their tension, but there was no enemy there.
“Ugh…”
Only the people in their underwear were lying tied up with ropes. The ones holding leather-made muzzles were definitely not yakuza.
“I guess they must be the ones who got dragged here.”
Maximus quickly came to a conclusion. Since the horned eel faction was involved in human trafficking, it made perfect sense.
“Let’s untie them.”
“Sure.”
The frontman, with his bloody pointed sleeve, cut the ropes and muzzles.
“W-who are you?”
A woman, now free to speak, trembled like a newborn baby and asked.
“We are the ninjas of Yongjugal.”
It was Lunox who answered.
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“Yongjugal? Ninjas?”
“Think of us as the disciples of Master, no, the runaway ninja.”
“Ah…”
“No need to think too hard. Just think of us as the ones who came to save you.”
The woman nodded awkwardly, not sure if she understood or not.
“Oh! There’s a hidden place here!”
Joker, who had been searching the building with Oculius, shouted. He threw away the tatami mat on the floor, revealing a small door.
“This… is a gold ingot!”
Joker opened the door and took out a metal barrel.
“This should be used for the Ninja Development Fund. Make sure to take care of it.”
Maximus, who had entrusted the safe to the ninjas around Joker, approached Heidi, who was standing there absentmindedly. The young girl looked at the people who had been caught in the chaos with a mixture of confusion and sadness.
“These kinds of things happen all the time in the world. Even if the Red Whale Matapju dies, or Byeon Geomgyeong dies, these people who carry out such acts won’t disappear.”
“…”
Heidi looked up at Maximus.
“The world needs powerful people who can stop foolishness.”
“Like the deserter ninjas?”
“You could say that. But not everyone can be like that.”
Heidi knew that too. Not everyone could become as strong as the deserter ninjas.
“Still, you can become a ninja if you have the will to do so. Well, we fill in each other’s gaps and fight as comrades.”
“Ninja…”
Warriors who fought to protect the people in the shadows. That’s what Heidi had heard directly from the deserter ninjas.
– Actually, strictly speaking, this is the duty of the deserter ninjas, but because this is a different world, I thought it should have a different arrangement. Like when you go to the Holy Roman Empire, they say to follow the laws of the Holy Roman Empire, right? For that reason, today I’ll have you write down the Ten Commandments of the Ninja that I wrote on the blackboard fifty times each in your notebook.
– Do you really need to write so many?!
– Hurry up and clean up your mess and come.
He made some strange explanations along the way, but anyway.
“I heard about the observer inside you. They say it’s very powerful.”
Maximus heard from Robin about Heidi’s situation, asking her to take care of her. He hadn’t seen Heidi as an observer or transformed into an observer, but he had a rough idea of how strong they were.
“I… I can’t control it, you know?”
Heidi said cautiously, and Maximus nodded.
“It must be so now.”
“Right now, you mean?”
“Will there come a day when we can control things like they do?”
The runaway ninja from Yongjugol had mentioned at least five times that he had taken care of the surveillance guards.
“I-I don’t know.”
But Heidi couldn’t imagine herself becoming like that person. Every time Guardian Jang-Da-Lucan spoke to her, he messed with her head, eventually going on a rampage and devouring the others in the Andes.
These days, she had been preoccupied with the “memorization training” of the runaway ninja, but now that he was gone, she didn’t know when he might strike.
“It will happen. Because he’s watching over us.”
Maximus spoke with great conviction.
“You will become a hero who can save many people. You might even be able to prevent a war.”
Noble ideals. They were important, but without the power to back them up, they would only bring suffering. Having experienced a sense of powerlessness while traversing countless battlefields, Maximus knew that feeling all too well.
Heidi silently watched as people untied themselves and stood up. The words still didn’t quite resonate with her.
“Something feels off.”
Hooks, wiping off the blood on his sleeve, scratched his head with his right hand.
“Bringing these people all the way to our hideout… Doesn’t that mean it’s time to sell them to someone? Where is the buyer?”
“Hold on.”
Lunox raised her hand, silencing the chattering ninjas.
“I hear footsteps.”
She cautiously pressed her ear against the wall.
“I’m sure. There are two people in armor.”
I couldn’t hear any footsteps, but I could feel them. How could I sense that?
“…Everyone move slowly.”
Maximus acted while feeling uncertain. Since Lunox’s talent had already been proven, following him wouldn’t result in any losses.
And so, they descended to the first floor.
“Stick to the ceiling and move.”
Lunox hopped up and stuck to the wall.
“A, a wall?”
“It’s tough…”
Many ninjas showed their confusion.
“It’s for precaution. There’s no better surprise attack than attacking from the ceiling. The Master taught us that.”
Lunox only lowered his head with a determined attitude. Maximus nodded silently and stuck to the ceiling.
“Well, if that’s the case…”
Ninjas who had wiped away the blood from their shoes, one by one, stuck to the ceiling. Some, including Heidi, hid near the stairs on the second floor, unable to stick to the ceiling.
“Wait.”
It was a whisper, a small sound coming from outside the house, but Maximus could hear it.
“I don’t sense any presence.”
“What?”
“Exactly as I said. It’s as quiet as if there’s no one here.”
The voice was sharp. Maybe both of them were middle-aged men. One of them seemed to be more perceptive.
“Weren’t we supposed to see them today? They’re like blades…and the goods are prepared, right?”
A moment of silence passed, and a quick-witted man approached the door.
“I’ll open it.”
With a creak, the door opened, revealing two men wearing cloaks.
“Lantern.”
“Here it is.”
The man quickly searched for the lantern, sensing someone’s presence.
Maximus, scanning them quickly, could see the emblem of the Moon Rabbit Knights hidden beneath their cloaks.
“It’s the Moon Rabbit Knights.”
With a whispered comment from Maximus, Lunox’s hand moved.
“Oh no!”
“Nin-nin.”
She shouted a command and threw her repair sword, which struck the forehead of the knight holding the lantern.
“What the-“
While the startled Moon Rabbit Knight pulled out his sword.
“Nin-nin.”
Countless repair swords flew towards his head.
“Oh sh*t, Senpai!”
But he wasn’t as easygoing as the Yakuzas. The Moon Rabbit Knight, no, the samurai, swung his sword, deflecting the repair swords and charging towards the hanging figures like a bat.
“You bastards!”
Just before the clash with the ninjas descending from the ceiling, the door closed.
“Oh, huh?”
The samurai, unable to adapt to the sudden darkness, stumbled.
“Ah!”
A large axe suddenly appeared and pierced through his armor, lodging itself in his shoulder.
“Did that tingle?”
The masked Musashi appeared behind the samurai and chuckled, driving a small axe into his neck.
“Crunch!”
The samurai collapsed, emitting a sound similar to a broken chicken’s cry.
“If you’re from the Moon Rabbit Knights, aren’t they your backup?”
Hook removed their cloaks and stared at the Moon Rabbit symbol engraved on their armor.
“I see. Looks like today was the day of the deal.”
Musashi opened the door slightly and surveyed the surroundings. There didn’t seem to be any other knights.
“What should we do with these people?”
The magician brought down the people who had been captured by the Horned Eel Organization. Fear still filled their naked eyes.
“Send them home.”
“What if they have no home?”
It was a young boy who answered.
“I don’t have a dad or a mom. Those bastards killed them all.”
The boy’s pupils glowed quietly as he stared at the corpses of the Horned Eel Organization members.
“If you have nowhere to go, you can come to Yongjugal.”
This was also agreed upon by Robin and, more precisely, his partner, Orphe Yang.
– It’s difficult to run the village with the current personnel. If we’re going to create a village that will last for decades, not just a temporary combat organization, we’ll need to continue accepting residents.
“He was very clever.”
Maximus nodded unconsciously.
“What is Yongjugol?”
“I’ll explain that to you!”
“I see.”
Choker, who had been watching silently, stepped forward. Maximus approached Lunox, who had been sending signals that he had something to say.
“I’m curious about the scale of the Moon Rabbit Knights.”
“There are thirteen members. Two have died, so now there are eleven.”
“What do you mean?”
Lunox toyed with the hilt of his sword. Maximus narrowed his eyes at the sudden action.
“…Are you suggesting we attack the Moon Rabbit Knights?”
Lunox slowly nodded his head.
“Just say it outright…”
Maximus wiped away the sweat that was trickling down his face, feeling slightly annoyed.