Tech Hero in Another World

Bullets screamed through the air, tearing past drifting dust and shards of glass falling from the ruined buildings around them. Yet the woman—Kaori—moved within that rain of fire as if gravity and the laws of logic no longer applied to her. Her body glided weightlessly, each step quick, each strike precise. Her blade flashed, deflecting projectiles with a relentless clang! clang! clang!, sparks bursting in the air.

"No way… she's not human!" one rebel shouted, his fingers trembling on the trigger.

In an instant, a streak of silver cut across his vision. He didn't even have time to scream. His body froze, then his head separated cleanly from his shoulders, rolling across the dusty asphalt. The man beside him stood rigid, his mouth open but soundless, until blood sprayed across his face.

Kaori had already vanished from sight.

Then, suddenly, she appeared behind the ranks, driving her sword upward through a rebel's jaw, lifting him into the air. A hoarse scream escaped as his body convulsed, then went limp. Spinning with ruthless grace, Kaori slashed outward, severing two throats in a single stroke. Blood sprayed wildly, soaking the sand-red ground.

"Don't let her get close! Fire! FIIIRE!!" The captain on the left flank screamed hysterically, his voice cracking under the chaos.

Dozens of muzzles blazed again. But Kaori didn't stop. She danced across the battlefield—her footwork light, as if following some invisible rhythm. Her sword spun, redirecting bullets into walls, or straight back into enemy flesh. One rebel cried out in agony as a round, deflected by Kaori's blade, tore through his chest.

"What the hell is this!? That's impossible!!"

Terror peaked when one desperate rebel hefted an RPG onto his shoulder. His eyes burned red with panic as he locked onto her. "DIE, YOU BITCH!!"

FWOOSH! The rocket screamed forward, leaving a trail of fire.

But Kaori didn't flinch. With one smooth yet powerful twist, she angled her blade. The steel edge smacked the projectile's side, deflecting it away. In a blink, the rocket veered back into the rebels' own ranks—DUARRR! A building packed with fighters erupted in flames, black smoke surging skyward, screams of agony tearing through the blast.

"She… she even deflected an RPG!?"

"No way… no human could ever do that!!"

Panic exploded. Some rebels dropped their weapons and bolted, but Kaori was faster. With one leap, she was already in front of them, her blade carving open a belly, spilling entrails across the dirt. She kicked another into a wall, leaving behind a horrific smear of red.

Her eyes were cold, devoid of mercy. Each move wasn't simply combat—it was execution. The survivors weren't fighting anymore; they were scrambling to stay alive.

"Monster… she's a monster…" whispered one fallen rebel, blood soaking from his severed leg.

But Kaori didn't so much as glance his way. To her, this was just one brief dance among the hundreds she had already performed in her life.

---

On the tenth floor of the half-ruined building, Ares Sparta soldiers stood frozen. Dust still drifted, explosions echoed faintly from below, and the stench of gunpowder mixed with blood choked their lungs. But one thing was certain: enemy fire had ceased. The rebels were scattering in chaos after that woman descended onto the battlefield.

Captain Utor let out a long breath, wiping sweat and grime from his face. He turned to his men, his eyes still swirling with disbelief and frustration.

"Well…" His voice was heavy, cutting through the silence. "Do any of you actually know who the hell she is?"

The soldiers exchanged uneasy looks, as if that question weighed more than the bullets they had just survived.

"You mean… that woman, Captain?" one finally dared to ask.

"Who else would I be talking about right now?" Utor snapped, his tone edged with irritation. "You think I care about the names of those dead rebels? No. I'm talking about her."

Silence fell again. Each man searched for an answer none of them truly had. At last, a younger soldier cleared his throat and spoke cautiously.

"There's… there's a rumor, Captain. One that's been circulating for almost a year."

Utor's brow furrowed. "A rumor? Hah. Don't waste my time with campfire stories."

But the soldier pressed on, his voice unsteady. "After our old leader, David, stepped down… the organization nearly collapsed. Boss Victor struggled to hold contracts, morale crumbled, clients abandoned us. Everyone thought Ares Sparta was finished."

Utor narrowed his eyes, waiting in silence.

"But… they say one person appeared. A woman. Not just any mercenary—someone who brought the clients back, won impossible missions, and lifted Ares Sparta's name higher in almost no time. People started calling her a blessing. Some even compared her presence to a goddess of war from myth."

Another soldier quickly added, his voice firm with conviction: "Yeah, they call her the Goddess Artemis."

Utor's eyes bulged, his voice rising in half a shout. "Artemis, you said?"

"Yes, Captain. The rumor claims she's like an incarnation of Artemis herself… a huntress who never misses her mark, a guardian who brings calamity upon her enemies. But… no one knows her real name. She's only ever mentioned in whispers."

Utor's eyes widened further. He turned toward the shattered window, staring down at the fires still raging from the explosion below. The memory of that woman cleaving a helicopter in two with a sword, then butchering dozens of rebels as if she were plucking wildflowers, made his skin crawl.

"So you're telling me… she's the one from that rumor?" Utor asked, his voice tight.

"Maybe not just a rumor, Captain," the first soldier answered, swallowing hard. "After seeing it for myself, I'm convinced—she is the Artemis they spoke of."

Captain Utor fell silent. His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing sharply. Then, with a heavy voice laden with conviction, he declared:

"That's no damn rumor, idiot! That's reality!"

His words echoed through the dust-choked, powder-stained room. Every soldier lowered his gaze, none daring to argue against his harsh judgment. Yet in their hearts, the same question reverberated: what they had just witnessed—was it truly human… or something far beyond?

"Victor…" Utor finally growled under his breath, his tone steeped in confusion and frustration. "Just what the hell did you recruit—a human, or not!?"

Before anyone could respond, BRAKK!—the steel door slammed open, nearly ripped from its hinges. A rebel's mangled body flew inside, crashing onto the floor with broken bones, leaving a gruesome red trail. Instantly, every Ares Sparta soldier raised their weapons in reflexive alarm. But that alarm quickly shifted into shock—and relief.

Kaori stepped inside with calm, deliberate strides, brushing dust from her shoulder. Her expression remained cold, but her voice was steady, as if what had just happened below was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"I've taken care of them," she said simply.

The room fell silent. The soldiers stared at her with a mix of awe and unease. Barely moments ago, hundreds of rebels had been erased, and now the woman stood before them without a bead of sweat on her face. Only the enemy's blood staining her sword and black attire bore witness to the brutality just endured.

Captain Utor exhaled in relief, but before he could speak, Kaori continued, her tone sharpening, shifting the atmosphere back into deadly seriousness.

"Now… where's the man you managed to bring in?"

Everyone snapped back to focus. Yes—beyond the battle, there was a far more important mission: to capture alive the mastermind funding this rebellion.

In the corner, one soldier pulled aside a tarp, revealing a figure bound tightly in steel wire, gagged with cloth, and hooded with a filthy sack. The man squirmed weakly, but it was clear he wasn't a fighter—he was a middle-aged man in a torn, dust-stained suit.

"He's here," one soldier reported. "Desmond Hill. The corrupt businessman who sparked this whole chaos."

Kaori stepped closer, her eyes narrowing on the prisoner. The name Desmond Hill had already circulated through international intelligence circles. A profiteer who thrived on global crises, funding rebellions to seize control of strategic trade routes in the Middle East. Rumor had it that the nation's gas reserves had spiked dramatically. Hill had seen an opportunity—and chose the brutal path of igniting civil war to claim the concessions.

"Yes," another soldier added. "It took us a full week to secure him. We had to wait for a safe corridor. But—" he glanced at Kaori, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Reinforcements came too soon. You. You turned the whole tide. Without you, we'd be dead."

Kaori gave a slight nod, her voice firm. "I understand. But we can't linger here. If the enemy sends another wave, we won't get a second chance."

Captain Utor nodded. "Agreed. Victor said the extraction team will be here any moment."

As if on cue, the roar of engines rumbled through the night sky. The heavy thrum of helicopter rotors echoed between the ruined buildings.

"In that case…" Kaori drew her blade once more, her eyes lifting toward the fractured ceiling above. "We move to the rooftop. We can't waste this chance."

The soldiers readied themselves at once. They knew—the mission was far from over. And with this woman beside them, anything could happen.