41 – Turning Point (2)
A shock runs through the entire body. Even after being thrown, Deckerd Bane couldn’t regain his senses for a while.
Did he lose?
No matter how he was wearing armor that he was repairing…
Did he lose?
To someone not wearing armor with brute strength…?
“This can’t be…!”
Instinct warned him. Deckerd Bane immediately turned his head.
**Gwaaahhh!!!**
An ignorant arm pierces through the wall. It repeatedly strikes. The sewer sways as if about to collapse, and dust pours down.
Fast. And powerful.
…That.
It’s not a zone where lives can be saved!
“This damn monster!”
He confronts it. A reinforced fist bursts out from Deckerd Vain’s fingertips.
I was just careless for a moment.
Anyway, the technical limit is on my side! It’s not about losing the strength I’ve built up as an armor user throughout my life…?
Twaaang!!!
“Grrr?!”
It bounces off.
Deckerd Vain rolls on the sewer floor. He spits out the contaminated water that entered his mouth.
What just happened…?
Losing in a head-on fight?!
“This… bastard…”
Deckerd Vain stood up.
“…What the hell…!”
Deckerd Vain dramatically increased the danger level in his mind assessment.
The thing in front of him is a monster.
In other words…
It’s on par with a properly-equipped named armor.
. . .
Power surges through his entire body. The reason is unknown.
Something…
It feels like drawing in even the power for the future.
He crouches his body within an expanded field of vision. He dodges the incoming attacks.
Feet bursting out from squares. Fists that come close to his nose as soon as they are visible.
Advancing skillfully, gliding past them.
“You damn vermin!!!”
An enraged enemy. Time slows down.
What crosses between them is the time I have accumulated.
“Damn, it’s freaking cold! Damn it! Do I have to do it again today?”
“It’s better than not doing it.”
It seemed meaningless if someone saw it. The sensation from the long period of training twitched within the fists.
The way forward seemed clear.
My job is just to follow it there.
There is only one method.
Naga Kurta (長褂).
An indigenous martial art that every warrior of the dragon tribe must master.
The technique is divided into various forms and styles. However, among them, I had only mastered three.
I didn’t delve deeply into it, as most situations were resolved with firearms. But what stood before me was something that couldn’t be resolved with a gun.
Absurd, isn’t it?
In an era dominated by modern technology, to confront a formidable foe, one must return to the past.
I clung to memories of the past. I stared directly at the fist approaching in front of my eyes.
Three basic techniques.
Among them, the first thing I learned was…
The technique for survival through defense.
“What?!”
Ironclad (鐵塊).
Constricting all muscles throughout the body, making the body solid for a moment.
Kwaaah!!!!
The glove hitting my forehead twisted. The armored user screamed.
“This… this insane rockhead?!”
“You should have trained your fists from the beginning.”
Soaked my body. Grabbed the guy’s arm while he resisted.
Opposing force. I don’t resist it. Instead, I slightly manipulate the flow of power.
A technique to add my own strength upon it.
Bloody Flow (流血).
Kwaaah!
Explosive sound erupted.
The armored user was once more slammed. Sprinkling debris hit my flesh.
“This… What is this… It doesn’t make any sense?!”
Judging by the twitching, they are still alive. Moreover, they managed to stand up.
Quite tough, it seems.
“No matter… even if you’re wearing something broken like that… not to this extent…”
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“Shut up.”
“To dare interrupt… the topic of vermin…”
The armored user reached out their arm. I was taken aback.
A part of the collapsed wall. A gear sword revealed itself once again among the debris.
As if being drawn like a magnet, it sank into his hand. The man’s eyes glimmered ominously.
“It’s you.”
The blade of the gear sword rotates. But it is not simply rotating.
He grabbed the rotating blade. The glove tore apart, revealing a vivid wound.
Blood splattered. The blood was sucked into the gear sword.
“Fuel injection… 500ml… damn blood… a bastard like the culprit of chronic anemia…”
The armored user gasps. Just as his blood quickly, his entire clothing starts turning red.
That’s…
“I’ll kill you…”
Like a beast growling, his voice carries a hint of dissolution.
An anomaly (singularity).
Not the typical enhancement or high-speed movement seen in supply-type armor…
A true singularity, made by mixing parts
“Yikes?!”
Kwadddddeuk!
The solid wall was sliced through like cutting meat. In the midst of it, there started to flow a massive amount of blood.
It relentlessly gushed out, covering the floor. Within this unfathomable phenomenon, the man trembled.
“…This is the end. Vultures.”
He distanced himself. The man didn’t pursue him.
Instead, he grasped his teeth-like sword.
The blood flowing from the wall was sucked into the teeth of the sword. The massive amount of blood sharpened the edge of the blade even more.
A swinging blade. A blood-red wave rushing towards me like claws.
Three blades scratched through the air, resembling a crimson beast’s attack.
The raging wind. Menacing feeling flowing down my skin.
My senses expanded. The world seemed to slow down and become calm.
Instinctively, I realized.
As soon as that hits me…
I’ll die.
But if I evade…
Abacus will be hit!
“……!”
I immediately assumed a stance. In a brief moment, I recalled what I could do.
The solid sewer wall sliced through like cutting meat. The identity of those blades must definitely be something like that.
A lump of iron?
No, it won’t work. It will slice through. There’s no way to block attacks as if cutting through tofu.
Bloodshed?
No, it won’t work. I can’t let it flow. It’s not the kind of power I can handle in the first place.
…Then there’s only one thing left.
I put strength into aiming. But it’s different. Rather than having the certainty that I can’t win against what’s rushing towards me right now…
I focus beneath my feet.
I raise my shoulders. Move my feet.
Starting from the waist, throughout my whole body.
I tighten my fist strongly.
Pressure of the air and confront it head-on.
If the strength is lacking, even greater strength is needed.
If the energy is insufficient, even greater energy is needed.
Squeeze tightly.
Stretch strongly.
It’s the foundation of the Dragon Clan martial arts, and a symbol of overwhelming power.
Strike fiercely.
Naga Kruta.
Hwaryeon (火鍊).
Tukwa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!!!!!!!!!!
“…What?!”
The armor user was shocked.
The ground breaks. The entire sewer shakes as if it will collapse.
A crack occurs. But I don’t stop there.
I give strength to my inserted hand. I lift it up as it is.
The load on the whole body. It’s an impossible act for a living flesh, no matter how strong it has become.
But I’m different.
I am Drakan.
The warrior with the strongest potential among the Dragon Clan.
Become a shield.
To not lose anymore.
— Overcome your limits.
Contract your muscles. Forcefully sew together the torn muscle fibers.
Lift it up.
Lift it up.
Lift it up.
Lift it up…
Prove it.
That you are different from before.
Naga Kruta.
Fire Chain
Raising the Shield.
“What an ignorant bird…?! “
Kukukukukukukukukuk!
For a moment, the sewer shook. An unbelievably thick floor was being torn away from below.
A tremendous wall of thickness arose. Despite trembling as if my whole body would collapse, I held my ground.
Kuuung!!!
The shock spread from beyond the unseen place. A creepy cutting sound resonated from beyond the wall I erected.
It is digging into this side as if tearing it apart. Along with immense pressure.
My body is pushed back. However, I grit my teeth and withstand it with arms supporting the wall.
It does not yield. It swallows me like this.
I’ll protect. Even if I have to tear it apart.
Be a dragon, just like a dragon’s kin…
Somehow… let’s give it a shot…!
“Drakan!!!”
Someone leaps beside me. They hurl their body sideways.
Tetis Libra. Her red hair tickles my nose. She clings behind me and pushes with all her might.
“What the hell is this…!?”
Blonde hair shedding tears also joins. Blanca’s eye color flips one more time.
Reversal Eye.
She cushions my fall. My posture is corrected by the supporting power.
In an instant.
The lacking strength is filled slightly.
Kkkrrr…!
The retreating foot began to stop. The cutting sound that was digging gradually became faint.
The sound of thick terrain being pierced diminished. For a moment, a red light rushed towards us, but that was the end of it.
It was within reach, and yet distant.
The blood-red blade that had become sharp came to a halt in front of it. Melting away, it scattered into blood.
Kuwung!
With a loud noise, the huge wall of thickness fell aside. Beyond the clear field of view, the appearance of the user of the armor was revealed.
The color of blood was fading. His face, as if exerting all of his strength, was stained with despair.
“You… you…”
He stuttered, his hood fell off. A strangely hoarse voice came back.
As if in disbelief, his gaze trembled.
“W-what is this… is it really a monster…?”
“Shut up, you little bastard. Just go to sleep…”
He was thrown to the ground. But for a moment, suddenly, there was a weight on his body.
His body stopped moving. As if all of his strength exploded, he couldn’t move anymore.
But instead, there was a sound coming from behind.
“It’s light!”
“There’s someone over there!”
“Capture the rebels!”
A miraculous timing of the allied forces’ voices.
“…Kuk!”
The armor user staggered back. He turned around with a pale face.
He fled into the darkness.
“…Drakan…that monster…”
The voice of Abakusa, who was like a dead body, was heard. But I couldn’t turn my neck to look back.
“It’s…over…”
“…Is that so? Are you still alive?”
“…Yeah…”
Abakusa’s laugh was heard.
“That’s what we promised…the legend…”
The sound stopped.
I turned back, bleeding.
Abakusa was lying down.
With the polluted water in the sewer.
. . .
It was all over.
But nobody laughed or chatted. They didn’t even think about an after party or anything like that.
The squad room was quiet. Tettis Libra went to meet with the battalion commander to give a report.
Only myself and Blancamán remained, heading towards the ward where Abacusa was being held. After receiving only simple treatment, Blancamán and I checked on Abacusa’s condition.
“…It’s amazing that he’s not dead. But even that won’t last long.”
“What happened?”
“His entire body was broken to the point of being contorted. It’s like being hit by a car multiple times. He exceeded the shock limit that a human can endure.”
“Can he be treated?”
“Treated? His current state is already more amazing than anything. He won’t last over a week. The facilities here are not good enough. The only thing we can provide is painkillers.”
The doctor left, as if it were a natural course of action for him to be busy.
I quietly looked down at Abacusa. He was slipping away in real time while in a coma.
“Hey.”
“……”
“That…ha…”
Blancamán, who had followed me, nervously scratched her head.
“Thanks to you, I’m alive. Thank you.”
“This probably isn’t the situation to exchange thank-you’s.”
“Shut up and listen to me. My safe is around here. There’s some cash that I didn’t deposit in the bank in the Festival. It also has some medicine that a friend gave to me… It should be in my safe.”
“What?”
“There are more than just simple cash in there. Since it’s rumored to be a life-saving drug. It’s in there.”
“What kind of drug is it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never used it. But I heard it’s a drug that can save lives.”
“Don’t look at me strangely like that.”
“What exactly is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why did you…?”
“I only want to repay my debt.”
Blancamán turned her head away.
“Please.”
Blanca turned her back and left. I immediately went to find Tetis Libra.
She came out after finishing her report and weakly smiled at me.
“Drakan, well done. Thanks to you, I got my life saved twice now…”
“Sergeant, I have something to tell you.”
I conveyed the story. Tetis Libra’s face hardened.
“…Considering the current situation, soldiers from the Ascal Plateau cannot attend the Festival without permission. It is even more impossible for a member of the Resistance to enter the city.”
“What can we do then?”
“There is no way, Drakan.”
“Avakusa’s life won’t last another week.”
“… “
Tetis Libra leaned against a tree.
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“I will ask the Lieutenant General first. Wait a moment.”
Voices could be heard from inside the tent. When Tetis Libra returned, her face was sternly fixed.
“It’s impossible. The situation inside the festival is not good. It seems that the recent commotion worsened the already unfavorable perception, which could lead to international problems.”
“…”
“But…”
Tetis Libra glanced at her watch.
“Since we were planning to train outdoors for about three days starting tomorrow, I reported separately to the Lieutenant General. He approved it.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Three days, Drakan. Don’t misunderstand. If you don’t return within three days, it will be considered desertion. I don’t need to explain what happens with deserters. Use the cable car early in the morning. I will inform the stationed personnel that it is an order from the Lieutenant General. Was it called Blanka’s Vault?”
Tetis Libra grabbed my shoulder.
“The Lieutenant General still doesn’t trust her fully. So, I want you to accompany her.”
“…Yes.”
A way has opened up.
A possible way to save Avakusa.