Chapter 81 - Spring in Neo-Hanyang (2)
While Team 1 with Ark was conducting their final battle check.
“Let’s go.”
Following Renatel’s instructions, Team 2 moved swiftly first.
Usually, as an incoming newbie (as Ark occasionally teased her), she showed a submissive attitude toward other heroes.
But having led the team without any incidents or accidents since becoming the Team 2 leader, Renatel was now guiding the team smoothly without any awkwardness.
“I’ll briefly brief you on the operation. We’ll head straight to the Eastern Palace to secure the VIP, then Rene and Saha will escort the VIP, while Ari, myself, and Yohena will join the main force.”
“Just in case, wouldn’t it be better if Yohena stays instead of me?”
“It’s better to prevent injuries than to treat them afterward. Let’s have Rene create a cage with spider webs to hold out, and in case of emergency, Saha can provide both protection and precision strikes simultaneously.”
“Understood.”
The fiery, charismatic Team Leader Darang ran while briefing the operation without showing any signs of fatigue, and Saha added interjections to refine the plan.
And so.
Five heroes sprinted through the night streets.
Though it wasn’t explicitly mentioned.
Their second goal, which they all sympathized with:
Was to draw as much aggro as possible to reduce the danger to Ark.
Due to the late hour, there weren’t many people on Six Ministries Street, but occasionally they spotted lizards who appeared to be armed mercenaries.
Konk!
“Keuruk…”
Their heads were concaved by Saha’s hammer as she charged ahead.
Skrrrk!
“—!”
Without even time to make a sound, they fell into a combat-disabled state from Renatel’s swinging sword.
In small-scale battles, nothing could stop the current hero party.
Ark?
If thrown into the excitement of battle, he would be merely a tasty prize wrapped in packaging.
However.
What they had to face weren’t just simple monsters, but lizards equipped with rather threatening equipment and intelligence.
“Get down!”
As soon as Renatel’s words burst out, red laser beams swept over the heroes who had clung to the ground.
A tactical weapon that had chilled their spines several times.
The Destroyer.
As its aggressive name suggested.
It hurts when hit!
Moreover, it causes skin troubles that can’t be healed even with Yohena’s holy power!
It was firepower worthy of being called an anti-hero decisive battle weapon.
“Ari!”
After a round of bombardment passed.
Renatel immediately gave instructions.
“Hoho, I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
With a smile like Mr. Krabs, Ari peeked out her head and gripped the new weapon she had been fiddling with recently.
If there’s anything Ari had realized upon being thrown into this cyberpunk dystopian world.
It was the self-evident scientific truth that water knows the answer.
And the historical fact that heat weapons are better than cold weapons.
A Winchester rifle that spun once in the air was shouldered, and mana began to surge gradually in the barrel, which had been modified according to Ryu-a’s precise design to respond to the hero’s magical power.
Eventually.
“Bang!”
With a shooting sound made by her mouth, her modest chest bounced with recoil.
Kukwaboom!
A magic bullet imbued with the power of wind instantly flew and embedded itself in the Destroyer’s barrel, neutralizing it.
“Saha, left!”
Renatel, who had been hiding behind cover and looking for an opportunity, jumped out and began to slaughter the lizard beastkin in an instant.
Swish.
Swish!
Simultaneously, spider webs spread from Rene’s body, soaring into the sky, then covering the entire space as if dominating it.
One of Ark’s combat ideas.
Though it was accompanied by a strange interjection of “Lehwang’s so damn cool,” it was an ability that maximized the advantage of Arachne, who had somewhat lacking killing power, by being able to bind the enemies’ feet.
What remained was.
“Kruk!”
“Keuuu!”
It took just a moment for a group of lizards to be threshed.
Of course, during this time, the spirited ones tried to draw revolvers and return fire.
Tang!
“Kyahah, where do you think you’re aiming!”
But they were smoothly blocked by the bullets Ari fired.
If there was a minor issue.
The lizards trapped in the cage desperately set fire to escape.
“Kyaeuuu, kyaheuuuut…!”
In response, Rene twisted her body and blushed as if feeling something.
But Yohena, who was standing beside her, had already become accustomed to those lascivious sounds through several battles.
Adaptation is a fearsome thing.
“Heal.”
With a very plain voice, the Saint’s power melted into the burning spider webs like a treatment.
After several battles while approaching the imperial palace, the heroes finally saw the walls of the Eastern Palace.
“There’s a battle going on.”
The sounds of a clearly chaotic gunfight and fighting continued distinctly.
“This is Renatel. We’re going in now.”
《Please do your best, Renatel. I’ll be counting on you.》
Since the communications inside the imperial palace area were jammed, preventing the walkie-talkie frequencies from working.
From here on, they had to continue the mission solely based on their judgment.
Renatel’s gaze quickly scanned the eyes of her hero companions.
Each one nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Like high school girls secretly going to eat hamburgers during lunch break.
They simultaneously exuded an air of solemnity as they scaled the wall.
I had already emptied all the low-grade experience elixirs, which recently I hadn’t found proper places to use, down Ryu-a’s throat.
All preparations were complete.
Even Ryu-a, who had been struggling with her left arm restrained by Tinya and her right arm by Neb, became docile after feeling the surge of vitality.
“…”
Although a burning gaze was fixed on the back of my head.
That wasn’t what was important in the current situation.
“Let’s depart as well.”
Clunk clunk—
While savoring the vibration of the wheels hitting the unpaved road, I checked the operation one last time.
《Confusion. All areas within the imperial palace are in chaos. Since not many troops are deployed near the Office of the Inspector General, this Duiju No. 38 guarantees the safety of the operation.》
“Thank you, 38.”
In a situation where contact with the Imperial Princess had been cut off.
Information delivered by internal collaborators was always valuable.
Minimize the number of Special Guard robots controlled by lizards in the Office of the Inspector General, and secure as many documents containing internal information as possible.
To avoid a bad ending.
Securing justification is also important.
Tomorrow morning when the sun rises.
It would look better if this night battle was seen as an operation to eradicate “lizards plotting to overthrow the nation” rather than a coup by “the power-mad Imperial Princess and her lewd attendants.”
As for the Emperor… honestly, I’m still not sure.
In the story, he appears as the 24th floor boss.
But I don’t remember what happens after that.
Did he repent? Or did he just die?
Well, that wasn’t important at this point.
The closer we got to the imperial palace.
The more anxiety kept bubbling up in my heart.
“But is this really safe?”
“Don’t underestimate Edo Corporation’s technology.”
What we were riding was a tank directly modified by Ryu-a.
And Ryu-a’s plan to subdue the Office of the Inspector General was simple.
Drive the tank.
Ram and break through the wall to enter the Office of the Inspector General.
Blow off all the lizards’ heads.
It was the kind of idea that a commander of the Capital Defense Command during the Fifth Republic might have.
“…And you’re scared looking like that?”
Ryu-a gave me a contemptuous look as if satisfying her grudge for the forced level up.
“Grrr…! Don’t say anything to Master, woof!”
“Ohoho. Perhaps you’re envious of his concubines?”
…It was a bit of a pathetic sight.
Under the pretext of protecting against possible shock.
I was sitting on Elise’s lap, and Lumi was clinging to me with her hands around my neck, covering me from above.
Soft nape, soft chest.
My Neo-Armstrong-Strong-Baby expressed intense anger.
Fortunately, our kind and innocent Lumi only knew how to drool on my face, and seemed unaware of what these physiological changes meant, just meowing away.
“We’ll arrive soon. Prepare yourselves mentally.”
As Ryu-a spoke.
The drill attached to the front of Ryu-a’s tank began to rotate with a ferocious sound.
Eventually.
Kwagagagagagak!
“Urgh!”
Despite wearing a hero-safety belt, quite a massive vibration and impact shook both my body and mind.
As Renatel, who had crossed the wall of the Eastern Palace and landed on the ground, finally regained her balance and raised her head.
“Wow…”
An irrepressible exclamation rose from deep within her chest.
Eventually, step, step, step.
Each of the other heroes who set foot had a similar reaction.
What captured their eyes was one person.
The Imperial Princess, Dan Minha, who had always been dressed in elegant traditional attire and gave Ark a strange look whenever they met.
She was now wrapped in something more intricate than any mechanical device they had seen before, floating in the air, looking down at the lizards with dignity.
Each time her hand, buried in the mechanical armor, waved, intricate drones flew around, spraying fire baptism on the lizards’ heads.
Clatter—
At the sound of something falling, Renatel turned her head.
“The rifle… I was just a commoner…”
Ari, who had witnessed a realm beyond realms, dropped her rifle with a blank expression.
Until recently, Ari had teased Renatel saying, “How long are you going to keep using a sword? Kyaruk, kyaruruk!” making Renatel vow to crush her spirit in a drinking battle someday.
“…I believe we can win sufficiently with a sword or a bow.”
Awakening the pride of a fantasy-hero living in the age of cold weapons.
“Let’s go in.”
She exercised her leadership.