I Became a Sub Heroine in a Cyberpunk Game

While having to take full responsibility for logistics, detailed operations, and combat in a small war, I couldn’t take my eyes off the conflict between the two individuals who were the source of all this chaos.

“Fight…!! Draw your sword! Are you just going to keep retreating?!”

“You…”

This won’t solve anything.

Why are you choosing to end it all while closing off your own potential?

Initially, Helena had tried to initiate a dialogue in a desperate attempt to avoid getting hurt or hurting others, but now she was becoming increasingly silent.

Persuasion, nagging, turning away.

Nothing seemed to work against this relentless egoist, and yet she still seemed to believe that there was another way.

Swoosh—!

Bang!!

Surrounded by thick smoke, Anne leaps forward once more.

A fire hadn’t broken out here, where there was nothing to ignite, but the steam rising from the overheating suit, which was being tossed around the facility, stretched and swayed as it dissipated.

Helena’s body continuously shifts its direction as she resists, consciously aware of the rampaging onslaught that shatters walls and carves the ground like a scooping ice cream.

“Hah…! Hoo…!”

The gap between them feels almost like the width of a single piece of paper. Even if her suppression suit is torn, that cold composure of not shedding a single drop of blood and the audacity to achieve it is not something that exists in everyone.

With a bang, the scabbard slams against the inside of the suit’s arm, breaking her stance before her tremendous strength can be unleashed.

Already sufficiently battered, with cracks and shards around, she somehow withstood the shock once more.

As the katana’s blade gradually revealed itself, Helena’s face, tormented by Anne’s desperate advances, hardened.

I, the observer, didn’t have to point it out. She must know by now that she can’t just keep dodging.

“I… I can’t possibly understand why you’re rushing headlong into this. But… if what you want is a real fight…!”

Clang!!

With a graceful leap, her resilient legs get buried into the ground.

Eyes that still had kindness, reluctance, and regret transformed, locking onto her opponent.

Since the conclusion was near anyway, Helena’s fierce determination to confront her opponent head-on emerged from her whole body… and Anne did not refuse.

“Rena…! Rena! Rena Rena Rena—!!”

For the first time since the battle began, Helena took the initiative.

Finally seeing her beloved gaze upon her, the way she repeated the pet name like a broken radio sent chills down her spine.

Though she wasn’t bare… she was aware that she couldn’t compete with the reinforced exoskeleton gloves and durability in her tattered police uniform, so she approached cleverly.

Whoosh!!

Anne’s short hair rustled in the prickle of wind.

Desperately extending her claws to grab the approaching Helena, she slipped away, brushing past.

“Another escape…!”

Leaving Anne in high hopes only to be met with a grudge, the suit violently spun around to look back. But Helena’s shadow was already nowhere to be found… a sudden, strong pressure hit her.

“Kuh…?!”

Crash!!

Losing her balance, Anne fell to the ground.

Her arm flailed to stabilize her body, digging a groove, and her knee crashed into the floor, creating a small ditch.

Climbing onto the exposed back of the suit, which was as defenseless as a leopard, Helena wrapped around the exposed neck. Despite having a person fully on it, the performance provided no burden to the wearer, but in this case, it proved to be a poison.

“Ugh…!!”

Choking on her breath, Anne tried to free herself from the bindings… but upon realizing her own attack power, she hesitated.

If she fumbled around her neck and accidentally took her own life like that, it would be far from the ending she yearned for.

Even if the armor’s defense system could freely defend against incoming threats, Anne’s reactions had not improved. Only all her movements were made stronger and faster by engineering support.

“…If I just sleep for a moment, it will all be over.”

“Don’t… you dare!!”

Her arm swung back, slicing the air, scratching her shoulder, but it kept repeating futilely

As she struggled to turn the tables, Anne’s consciousness began to fade, becoming slower and slower.

Having assessed the response to my gunfire, the system exploited the gaps because it didn’t regard simple contact or collisions as threats.

Though I thought I had successfully subdued Anne, even if it was a bit frustrating….

– …Abnormal heart rate and breathing difficulties detected in the wearer, activating autonomous defense module. –

“What…!!”

Creak! Before Helena’s shock had completely faded, the suit rebounded off the ground, utilizing the recoil from her knee striking the floor to somersault through the air, shaking off the primary culprit.

Continuing the pursuit to exclude the hastily retreating, still unsteady Helena.

“Kuh?!”

Slam–!!

The claws of the now victorious steel beast swept dangerously across the spot where Helena’s head had just been.

As her elbow struck the responding baton-cum-scabbard that stabbed into her chest and shattered, the katana that had been held in reserve finally revealed its shape.

There was no more time for pity.

While it might be possible to damage the plywood with brute force, a mere maintained blade wouldn’t cut through a metal alloy, leaving no choice but to aim for the vital points, the head.

Above the neck, no suit remained, so if a thrust were to land, the defense system couldn’t optimize because it had to protect all of Anne’s upper body and brace her legs to evade.

Close quarters back and forth.

When Helena kicked out with her extended steel leg, responding swings severed her uniform long.

Thinking she had captured a chance, Helena’s iron fist slammed down vertically, leaving only an afterimage as she twisted her body to dodge, and the swayed blade ignited brilliant sparks near Anne’s collarbone.

Just like two boxers locked in an in-fighting contest, each desperately holding onto their pride.

It became hard to distinguish who held the advantage as the exchanges of attacks and defenses repeated multiple times in a flash.

“…Cough!! Hah…! With such tepid attacks, you don’t stand a chance…! Rena!!”

“…You brought this upon yourself.”

Though Anne appeared worn-out from being pushed and overworked constantly, she had regained her senses and hardened my resolve as I witnessed Helena biting her lips.

…This isn’t good. It’s evident that it’s unfair for someone who has reluctantly embraced their humanity to deal with a fanatic who has pursued a singular objective from the start… So I ought to covertly lend a hand.

Stepping back, I decided to neutralize that troublesome suit while ignoring some of the collection unit that had begun to retreat with only survivors from the chaos.

“Come out…!”

Like prickling skin, I unraveled the twisted signal tsunami that floated through the world, connecting sensorially.

A headache pounded in my skull like it was about to burst, but in contrast, I was becoming increasingly adept at manipulating the virtual space…

Given my current state, locating a single connection network or wave being transmitted would make it a breeze to infiltrate the defensive system.

“…What the hell?”

Let me correct that.

…If there were exceptions, machines or devices that established a perfect closed circuit, like a black box in the Command Structure, would be impossible to take down remotely, even if the hacking deity came.

After all, it wasn’t a droid or robot requiring control; Exatech wouldn’t leave carelessly exploitable vulnerabilities in a weapon the user personally piloted.

What to do about this… As I pondered, the situation on the other side unexpectedly reached a crucial turning point due to the invading forces.

“…!! Contact! Traitorous DS3-1 battle police detected! Be careful of crossfire with allies in close combat…!”

“!!”

In the midst of a commotion that was almost overwhelming to follow with the naked eye, Helena quickly disengaged, realizing the goons from Paradise had appeared from nowhere to break out of the crossfire.

Of course, she didn’t make a naive decision to abandon Anne right before her; she had intended to create a temporary lull while retreating, swinging her katana toward the head…

Clang!!

However, the suit’s defense system saw right through that blatant move.

With a metallic crunch, the blade grasped in her hand crumbled to dust.

Despite barely managing to endure the rushing momentum with her crossed arms, that ambiguous defense was deadly due to the brief pause in motion.

“…You little shits deserve to die.”

Bang!!

Explosive rounds…? Buckshot…? No, the data indicated that it was smart ammo, but what kind of insane special round is designed to explode in front of the target and scatter smaller shots?

And…

“Ah…?”

I thought it was quite an unreal sight.

The prologue to Neo Haven hadn’t even dropped yet, and the female lead was already caught up in cannon-like gunfire, bleeding and collapsing.

In just a split second, she covered her face with her arms and leaped back, executing a commendable response to minimize the impact.

Yet, if she had acted decisively sooner, she might not have sustained such injuries at all.

With countless obstacles looming ahead, her attitude of enduring pain alone was infuriating.

…Didn’t they say someone like me would be family? Then… I should be aware of not being alone and act accordingly.

Click.

“…? Suddenly, a blackout….”

One of the enforcement unit members, oblivious to what crime he had committed, muttered nonchalantly.

Before he could blink, the entire underground was enveloped in darkness. It was a momentary retrieval of electricity that was too precious to waste on lighting.

It certainly wasn’t a rational decision. It was just… acknowledging that someone overly concerned about the future cannot effectively handle the immediate threat.

Especially… even including the Anne who was about to pounce on the airborn Helena.

I primed a dazzling firework display with the intention of just killing them all.

“Everyone just die…!!”

Without regard for how many walls, glass, or obstacles lay in the path. Not even calculating whether the beams emanating from the farthest machines could actually reach the enemy.

I simply gave plain commands to all the weapons under my control. As a ruler.

Ordered them to annihilate our foes completely…!

Screeeee—!!

In the abyss where no light existed, a crimson wave surged forth and tore it apart.

Sounds of something exploding, unable to withstand the output, reached my ears from everywhere, but I had no time to spare for such distractions.

In an instant, I pulled my consciousness from the depths of the trench, returning from the virtual world into reality.

A sense of emptiness encased me like a deflating balloon, yet I forced myself up against the wall.

…Judging by the sensation on my lips, it seemed as I predicted, blood was freely flowing from my nose. Perhaps it was the impact of seeing Helena, truly embedded with bullets.

“…Cough!”

I activated the tactical light mounted on my visor.

Staggering toward the battlefield, I had no concern about getting lost since someone considerate had obliterated everything in my path.

As I bypassed the broken debris and melted structures, I finally encountered a different… object.

“…Ugh.”

Since arriving in this area, I had seen burnt corpses, exploded corpses, and crushed corpses, but I never thought I would witness something that had melted down into a concoction of ash and jelly.

Though the filter kept the stench at bay, my brain maliciously conjured distressing images from the visual information received.

And… at last. The coveted reinforced exoskeleton gloves lay blackened as they rested on the ground.

…There was no time for relief. Although it appeared inert, the reflection of Anne’s brown hair in the light strongly indicated that the suit’s system had responded to protect the exposed vital areas.

Bang! Clank!!

Despite everything being in ruins, an issued bullet ricocheted off, successfully deflected by the suit’s arm.

…Did she die? Was the wearer deceased while the defense module remained operational, causing a mess?

The questions swirled in my mind, but whatever the case, there was no time to hesitate. I needed to assess Helena’s injuries and get out of here…

“…Step away, Anastasia Valentine…!! Lena… Helena is mine…!”

“?! This crazy bitch really…?!”

For a fleeting second, my bewilderment turned to realization, whether her lower body was malfunctioning, or if the suit was half-broken, turning her into an iron tomb.

As Anne extended her hand to rest on Helena’s throat, she threatened me.

No, hell. If only she had limited herself to threats… her precarious position on the brink was starting to look like a means to satisfy her own selfish desires.

“Kugh——?!”

“Ah… this is Rena’s blood…!”

“Like hell….”

Helena, with remnants of consciousness, groaned in pain as Anne ferociously rubbed her forehead against her body.

In that pitch-black darkness, as her face turned redder and redder… that joyous expression grew increasingly pure, evoking a sense of helplessness inside me.

What am I supposed to do here? Despite utilizing all my cards, am I meant to helplessly watch this clumsy ending?

Creeeak….

…At that moment. Helena’s hand, the one clutching the broken blade, began to move slowly.

“……”

With her eyes firmly shut, and her katana moving as if in a trance, it lacked the strength it had exhibited earlier.

However, the emotions contained within burned brighter than anything comparable.

Pushed to her physical limits and tormented mentally, only when she had driven herself to the breaking point could she arrive at this resolution… it was foolish.

Suddenly… the most supported theory among the various hypotheses regarding Helena’s name occurred to me.

The etymology… from the language of a now-extinct country, helénē. And its meaning is “the burning torch” or “the shining one.”

“…Ah?”

Anne expressed her confusion at the soft sensation brushing her cheek.

Warmth and coldness. Friendship and hatred. The result of clashing opposing emotions was present there.

At that moment, she noticed the katana’s hilt hanging right beneath her chin and murmured with delight.

“With this… I will be forever… within Rena….”

“…Goodbye, Anne.”

Her hand was drawn tightly.

Whether the system hadn’t recognized it like before, or if the wearer had intentionally shut down the suit’s functions, the truth was unclear.

…I couldn’t understand the desire to leave a scar in someone’s memory.

However… perhaps a bug, drawn by a bright light, could be said to have become a part of that flame after recklessly leaping inside.

…Farewell, Anne Grisha.

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