chsdbacks Page 19
Page 19
His index, middle, and ring fingers seemed to tremble as he stroked the crimson relief on the blade of the unsheathed sword.
If it were just that Miss Yae, it wouldn't have come to this. Although it was regrettable when she died, she wasn't that angry.
The girl subconsciously ignored the fact that the boy had long since turned into a pile of mangled flesh that day.
……
PS: From an ordinary otaku to a killer who can slay a thousand people, all you need is to be transported to another world without any cheat codes.
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Chapter 27 Bronya, the Capture Begins
"Ballistic coefficient confirmed, temperature and humidity... relative humidity change of 20, temperature change of 10 degrees, altitude correction of one point, wind drift confirmed."
At the very top of ME Corporation, in the highest point of Changkong City, a silver-haired girl gazed in the direction of Qianyu Academy. On the virtual screen beside her was the scene inside the academy: rivers of blood and corpses strewn everywhere, a scene as terrifying as hell.
Floating in the air, a creation that belongs to no modern society, a mecha that could only exist in science fiction novels, gradually emerged from the empty air behind it. Under the morning light, its silver paint was as cold as the snowfields of Siberia, reflecting a biting light.
"—The sniper module has been calibrated."
A chilling, inhuman voice escaped from his lips.
The mecha's right hand suddenly rose, and at the tip of its wrist, instead of the palm, was a slender gun barrel.
“Kill the person who took the Conquest Gem.”
"Mother, that person seems to possess a holy mark." The silver-haired girl did not immediately follow the instructions.
"Then break one of his legs and bring him back with Raiden Mei."
"Yes."
His silver-gray eyes were even more silent and lifeless than the paint job on the mecha behind him, as if he had taken a wrong step and fallen into the far north, where all around him were endless falling snowflakes and a vast expanse of pure white.
Even though the other voice kept talking about murder, disability, and broken legs, it didn't seem to cause the color in her pupils to change in the slightest.
"Heavy-armored bunny, preparing for level seven disability."
Bronya gave the order, and energy flowed from the slender gun barrel. The mech, a creation of a previous era and equipped with quantum technology, was accumulating energy.
"boom--!!"
……
……
……
"In short, that's about it. I've told you everything about Cocolia's entanglement with your father and with this city."
"So...is that so?"
The girl's voice was low and suppressed, as if it were always drizzling, as if her heart was also drizzling, and her eyes, which were always cold and damp, seemed even darker.
The lightning flashes once more no longer possess the awe-inspiring power of a sudden dawn illuminating the world. The dark, heavy clouds, the clouds that obscure the sky, and the water that has covered the entire world are still being struck relentlessly... Everything is so gloomy that even the lightning seems to be obscured.
The boy kept his promise and finally told her everything, and finally knew everything.
Raiden Mei, however, was somewhat hoping that she didn't know.
Ignorance and stupidity allow one to live comfortably in the world.
Then you can ignore the despair hidden in the shadows.
Wanting to pursue the truth, one discovers that true despair is something one is powerless to stop or resist. No matter how much one struggles, it's merely creating a ripple, and one's entire life is nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game. Experiences, encounters, everyone around is under someone else's control... What's the use of discovering or not discovering such a truth?
The girl unconsciously recalled a movie she had once watched, in which the protagonist discovered one day that his entire life had been controlled by someone else.
The protagonist finally mustered up her courage, tried every means to fight against this world, and successfully walked out. Her parting words of "good morning, good afternoon, good evening" left a deep impression on her.
But she is not Truman, nor does she have Truman's courage, and she will not be treated as a mere spectacle like Truman; her life is happy and normal.
The obstacles in Truman's world are nothing more than ocean waves and turbulent seas; the obstacles are the deceptions of everyone around him.
She, however, is a knife.
It's a gun.
It is any cruel weapon that can attack the body or the mind.
"Stop thinking about it. Just get to the outskirts of the city quickly. If you trigger a major collapse, Cocolia will be nothing more than a piece of trash."
“This guy has never been a significant enemy, at most a minor elite monster. You are never ordinary... the protagonist of a story is never ordinary.”
Jiang Cheng let out a heavy sigh.
My chest pressed down to its lowest point and then rose to its highest, rising and falling continuously.
In the corner of his eye, which the girl still couldn't help but steal glances at, his samurai-like solemnity gradually faded with time, revealing his impatience. He would occasionally look up uneasily out the window, observing the surrounding scenery, silently calculating when the endless stalls would disappear.
The city seemed boundless; even after driving at top speed for several minutes and running countless red lights, there was no end in sight to the buildings, nor a single low-rise house.
Raiden Ryoma built this place exceptionally well, so much so that it's even more prosperous than Tokyo, which is often mistaken for the capital of the Far East.
Looking out the window, you can see a dense, dark mass of cars converging and rushing into the city, already filling up street after street and highway after highway.
Everyone is chasing after this luxurious Changkong City, pursuing luxury, prosperity, and the dream of getting rich overnight.
Housing prices in the city are very high, but those who cannot live in the city are working here in other ways.
But they were about to die.
They will all die, they will all be destroyed.
There was no reason; it was simply because they happened to be noticed by someone else.
He was originally one of them, someone who wasn't originally in the game but ended up in it because of time travel, and now he's trying to find a way to break free from being in the center.
The only saving grace was that Cocolia didn't seem to have a very deep grasp of the city; at least a day had passed, and she still hadn't been able to catch up in time...
In the fleeting moment when his thoughts were still lingering, a red light suddenly appeared in his cherry-colored pupils—in the morning light that shrouded the sky like a hazy glass, and was occasionally pierced by sunlight like long swords into the earth, a light that could not possibly be produced naturally approached at an unimaginable speed.
That was an attack.
Without conscious thought, the body reacts instinctively.
The hand that was stroking the Jizo shrine spontaneously rose up in an instant, gripping the sword and holding it horizontally in front of him.
Having not learned any swordsmanship, and lacking the talent of an ordinary person to master any advanced techniques, Jiang Cheng's instinctive behavior was merely to use the simplest offensive and defensive methods he had learned from that manual—the most foolish and ordinary way: to hold his weapon in front of him.
He tried to block the oncoming light, using the sharp blade to shield the area that instinctively felt vulnerable to attack.
Useless...
?
Do not!
The veins on his left arm were bulging, and the pain, as if his five fingers were about to be snapped off by a seesaw, revealed the clear pressure.
—It's blocked!
……
Chapter 28 The Escape in Progress
Despite not daring to move recklessly, and worried about another attack that might come at any moment—the bullets, which had neither the ability nor the possibility of harming or penetrating the Divine Key made of Soul Steel, fell down on their own after losing power. The heat emanating from their bodies was unobstructed in their cherry-colored pupils, clearly reflecting their arc-shaped form.
—It's a bullet.
Cocolia's attack has arrived.
……
"You're not hurt... Can I help you?"
A gentle voice emerged from beside her ear—the girl, who was gripping the steering wheel with one hand, could hardly resist turning her head.
"Keep driving." Jiang Cheng didn't even turn his head. "We need to get to the suburbs as soon as possible to trigger the Great Collapse. Otherwise, the two of us alone can't possibly handle so many soldiers and mechs."
In the corner of his eye, those deep purple eyes saw that face, which had barely managed to show a trace of human emotion, tighten once more, becoming as hard as red-hot iron quenched by ice water. Since waking up today, it had been constantly being precisely observed by those eyes that were tinged with more and more cherry blossom color. The back of his hand, which was gripping the Jizo shrine, was covered with blue marks and bruises, like restless serpents.
There was no sound, no coordinates, and no idea where the attack would come from, but instinct had already provided the answer.
Jiang Cheng raised his hand again, this time the blade was tinged with a crimson glow.
"Clang—!" Ling*MengVII[鸸?ChalingLingCIV9QiShanX飼
The deafening collision sounded like two solid iron balls hitting each other; the layers of sound waves seemed to pierce the eardrums, and even the brain trembled.
This is not the end.
This is not the end.
Even the bullet pressed against the blade didn't fall due to loss of power, and the next attack came immediately. Jiang Cheng could only guide the force of the blade, using the material of Soul Steel to meet the next attack head-on.
“Ding ding ding ding ding ding——!!!”
A thrilling scene will unfold before your eyes.
It's like a scene that could only be achieved in a movie with the most expensive special effects.
The boy, constantly wielding his knife, blocked the incoming bullets, performing impossible feats with his frail human body. With unimaginable reaction speed and agility, he forcefully stopped the deadly weapon created by humankind. One can only imagine the movements of the muscles on his body, which were covered by clothes; the mere heat from the falling bullets was enough to make one's blood boil.
Jiang Cheng, who had been hoping in the morning to possess extraordinary abilities and wield various wondrous powers like a real time traveler or someone in a novel, was now instinctively drawing upon and activating Honkai energy.
—Forget about being happy and joyful, I can't even manage the slightest ripple of a smile or maintain a calm mind to celebrate having a stigmata.
Too much.
There are too many bullets.
There are too many attacks.
The Soul Steel was strong enough to withstand these things, but the force transmitted would still damage his body. His muscles were trembling, and his only hand was almost completely numb, losing all sense of touch.
Newly awakened Stigmata holders, without absorbing enough Honkai energy, knowing how to use it, or having learned how to use it, are at most only a few dozen times stronger than ordinary people.
It's simply impossible to go toe-to-toe with an Emperor-level weapon and slice a building in half or blow up a city in one strike; such things can only be achieved through deep training.
Now that Jiang Cheng possesses the Divine Key and the Holy Mark, he believes that given enough time, he can at least protect his own life, if not become a top-tier powerhouse.
Unfortunately, there is never enough time; there is simply no sufficient time available. Time is the most scarce resource in Changkong City.
He could only try his best to resist, stalling for time by squeezing out his talent and pushing himself to his limits, just like in a novel.
He felt his life depended on Raiden Mei.
It depends on the speed of the vehicle.
Only if Raiden Mei allows it, and it's certain that it's safe to trigger the Great Collapse, will there be room to breathe, and only then will there be a chance to survive the attacks from Cocolia's subordinates. As for urging, that's something I absolutely dare not do. The result of a dog barking at its owner after being put in a collar is that it will only be kicked to death, or tasted a dragon fruit, or something like that.
"clang--!"
Another attack was blocked, and Jiang Cheng didn't have the extra energy to think about why Cocolia only used this method to attack.
He simply took a deep breath, inhaling oxygen into his body, and swung the blade at an impossible angle. His reaction speed and body speed, beyond human imagination, allowed him to not merely block, but to slice through two bullets.
Without giving him any breathing room, a new round of attacks came. It seemed that his opponent was playing a cat-and-mouse game, slowly wearing down his strength.
Do not……
The other side is already annoyed.
Jiang Cheng could sense that this attack was not as simple as before, because one of the bullets was aimed at the pilot...
what……
—Raiden Mei!
There was no longer any room for thought, no longer any room for hesitation.
The long sword was thrust out once more. With only one hand, it could only block Raiden Mei's attack, but the consequences needed to be mitigated before that could happen.
Jiang Cheng's wrist veins throbbed. He gripped the knife in a reverse grip and thrust it straight at the left car door. The long blade pierced through the cast aluminum door and embedded itself inside, with half of the blade exposed. He then swung it again, using the entire car door as a deflector shield to cut through the bullet in the center. Using this force, he deflected it again, cutting off the bullet that would have hit the driver.
This is already the best that someone who has only had the Holy Mark for less than a day can do.
There's no technique involved, and I won't let up. My bones are practically limp now; this is my limit...
As for the last one, the one that couldn't be stopped...
There's nothing more that can be done.
Anyway, I won't die, so let it be.
After all, I already guessed it—I guessed that if I wasted more time, I would probably be attacked.