Ch.6161. Icarus

“It’s coming.”

Right after Kathy’s warning, Owen threw his spear.

Clang!

Amon blocked the spear with his sword.

The air vibrated as the two metals collided.

While Amon stepped back slightly, Kathy reached Owen’s vicinity.

Kathy swung her spear without hesitation toward Owen, who was now empty-handed after throwing his spear.

But just before her spear tip could reach Owen’s chest,

“Ugh!”

Kathy abandoned her attack and twisted her body to roll sideways.

Immediately after, a spear passed through where her head had been.

The spear that had flown through the air returned to Owen’s hand, aimed at Amon’s party from mid-air.

And in Owen’s empty hand, a new spear appeared.

Seeing this, Amon asked Kathy.

“What’s with that spear?”

“The one he’s holding is originally his, the one flying is something we brought from our family storage.”

“Interesting spear.”

“It’s an expensive one.”

“Should I be careful fighting?”

“No need for that. Even if it breaks, it can be repaired, so fight freely.”

“Understood, Madam President.”

While the two were bantering, no attack came.

Amon smirked at the sight of Owen waiting for them.

“Not taking the bait, huh.”

With those words, Amon vanished.

In an instant, Amon reached Owen’s vicinity and swung his dagger.

They say a longer spear has the advantage in a spear versus sword fight, but that’s only when approaching on foot.

That logic didn’t apply to Amon, who could close the distance instantly using Skystep.

Having somehow slipped into Owen’s embrace, Amon swung his dagger freely without hesitation.

Owen was being overwhelmed one-sidedly, unable to utilize the advantages of his spear.

Not long after the fight began, he had no choice but to pull out his second card.

The magic sigil engraved on his arm that wasn’t holding the spear emitted a faint light.

Soon, an ominous green energy enveloped his arm.

Since it clearly wasn’t a beneficial effect, Amon quickly distanced himself.

Immediately after, Owen’s green arm passed through where Amon had been.

Green liquid dripped from the green arm.

Hissss-!

The floor melted with an ominous sound.

Amon swung his sword and confirmed with Kathy again through the telepathy device.

[Is that the poison you mentioned!?]

[Yes. Owen’s magic sigils are mainly composed of poison-type magic.]

Amon also double-checked with Sonia.

[Sonia. Antidotes?]

[I’ve prepared about 3 rapid antidotes. I can make more during battle, but it will take time.]

[That should be enough.]

Soon, Amon and Kathy leaped at Owen again.

Owen threw his spear at Sonia and faced Amon and Kathy.

And his computer calculated a way to directly control the spear attacking Sonia while simultaneously responding to both of them.

Eventually, Owen attacked with a pattern Amon had never seen from any humanoid boss.

When he swung his left hand, green mist obscured their vision.

As they hesitated to approach the poisonous mist, a spear blade pierced through the smoke, targeting Amon.

Since Amon had been preparing for this since his vision was obscured, he easily dodged with a backstep.

In contrast, Kathy easily avoided the spear by reading the future, then delved deeper inside.

Clang!

A battle between two people who could read the future began.

The spears of both individuals didn’t hit each other.

They sliced through the air, blocked by each other’s spears, maintaining a tense standoff.

But Kathy had Amon.

Owen was caught in a pincer attack as Amon moved behind him without him being able to prepare.

Faced with attacks from both sides, Owen activated his magic once more.

Thud!

As he stomped his foot, a snake made of poison rose from the ground.

The snake opened its mouth and lunged at Kathy.

Meanwhile, Owen responded to Amon.

Owen wasn’t backing down even against the two of them.

But-

Bang!

With a single gunshot, the snake’s head exploded.

[Thank you, Sonia!]

Even while deflecting the flying spear with her gun-sword technique, Sonia gave a thumbs up in response.

Kathy immediately turned toward Owen, and

“Take this!”

She succeeded in cutting Owen’s arm.

Owen let out a groan and distanced himself from Amon.

Amon, who had been tightrope walking against a spear that couldn’t be hit even once, also took a breather to regroup.

“Sonia. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Hanging in there.”

Sonia, who had been responding to the flying spear, also showed clear signs of fatigue.

Sonia gazed at Amon intently and handed him a serum.

“You got grazed. Use this just in case.”

“Thanks.”

Amon injected the serum near the grazed wound.

While injecting the serum, he grumbled toward Owen.

Blood flowed from Owen’s arm.

It wasn’t severed, but it was a deep cut.

No matter how well one can calculate the future, as a human, there’s a limit to how much one can respond to.

Owen was no exception.

At this rate, Amon’s party had the advantage.

But Amon’s party couldn’t be complacent either.

[His movements are getting sharper. I’m not the only one who feels it, right?]

[I feel the same.]

Kathy agreed with Amon’s opinion.

With each battle, Owen was growing in real-time.

More precisely, it would be correct to say he was figuring out Amon and Kathy.

[In this aspect, a computer is better than future sight.]

Kathy’s telepathy was heard as she caught her breath.

In battle, future sight only shows the futures to avoid and the futures one can choose.

But a computer goes beyond that, analyzing the opponent in real-time to suggest more efficient movements.

Already, the computer’s AI had downloaded about 30 percent of Amon and Kathy’s movements.

“We need to hurry.”

After a short rest, the two leaped at Owen again.

Afterwards, under Sonia’s covering fire, the two succeeded in wounding Owen once more.

But-

“Download complete.”

Owen said those words and grabbed the shaft of Kathy’s spear.

A look of dismay crossed the faces of the party members facing him.

Owen mocked Kathy, who was struggling to pull out her spear, and activated his magic.

He spewed poisonous mist from his mouth.

“Ugh..! Bad breath!”

Kathy let go of the spear and quickly retreated from Owen.

Just as she was about to take out a serum to inject into her forearm, Owen swung his spear at her.

Clang!

Amon blocked that spear.

While blocking Owen’s spear, Amon smiled fiercely.

“You’re not the only one who’s been downloading.”

Though not as much as a computer, Amon’s insight wasn’t to be underestimated.

Owen shifted his attention from Kathy to Amon.

“Oh? Then let’s see.”

With those words, a one-on-one battle between Amon and Owen began.

Kathy couldn’t even think of intervening in the dazzling sword dance of the two.

Sparks flew as spear and sword collided.

At first glance, the situation seemed favorable to Owen.

But looking closely, Owen’s face showed signs of defeat.

The reason was simple.

“You cheater.”

“Hmph. It’s called having teammates.”

Amon was continuously receiving healing from Sonia.

Eventually, Owen realized that he couldn’t defeat Amon with mediocre poison.

To take him down up close, he needed a powerful strike.

“I see… To defeat you, I need to make up my mind too.”

“?”

Despite questioning Owen’s muttering, Amon swung his sword.

And the sword cut off Owen’s left arm.

“Got it!”

Kathy cheered.

Amon, who had cut off the arm, also inwardly celebrated the achievement.

But immediately after, the severed arm gradually transformed into a giant snake and attacked Amon.

While facing the snake, Amon shouted.

[What kind of magic sigil is this!?]

[Sorry! I didn’t see that either! It seems he’s overcome the future!]

[What is he, a protagonist from a boy’s manga!?]

Clicking his tongue at Owen, who had suddenly awakened his resolve, Amon cut off the snake’s neck.

The giant venomous snake screamed and sprayed poisonous mist everywhere.

In the blurry vision, Amon held his breath and injected the serum.

As soon as his vision returned, he began searching for Owen.

Amon’s eyes spotted Owen on the ceiling.

Owen was chanting an incantation with his spear raised, pointing at the ground.

As green energy seeped into his spear, Amon’s instinct rang alarm bells.

“Get away!”

At Amon’s warning, everyone distanced themselves from Owen.

And after finishing his incantation, Owen struck his spear down at the floor and…

Boom!

Green thorns erupted through the ground.

Just before the thorns emerged, Sonia took out a blue ampule and injected it into her arm.

Her vision pulsed once, and time slowed down a bit.

It wasn’t a neural accelerator.

More precisely, it was closer to a slightly stronger stimulant.

It had the effect of boosting all physical abilities by about 10 percent, but for Sonia, whose basic physical abilities were powerful, the effect was excellent.

She picked up Kathy and moved away from the thorns.

With her innate agility, she successfully evacuated Kathy to a range where the thorns couldn’t reach.

Sonia put Kathy down and checked her condition.

[How are you?]

[I’m fine. Th…thanks.]

[You didn’t see this coming either?]

[No. But it’s strange. It feels like something is deliberately hiding the threads… Oh, what about Amon?]

[Huh? That’s right.]

The two belatedly looked for Amon.

Amon was nowhere to be seen in that space.

While they were looking around, Owen was also confused.

“Where…?”

At that moment,

There was a disappointing “tick” sound.

A warning window appeared in front of Owen’s eyes, and he instinctively brought his hand to the back of his head.

A sharp object penetrated his hand.

He immediately recognized it as an arrow.

Thanks to changing his skin to bulletproof material, the arrow didn’t penetrate his head.

The arrow penetrated his palm, and the arrowhead just slightly grazed the back of his head.

Owen smiled toward the invisible Amon.

“Nice try.”

From the ceiling behind Owen, a reply was heard.

“The result was good too.”

“?”

Beep.

Hearing a sound from his palm, Owen instinctively looked at the arrow.

The arrowhead was glowing blue.

Owen immediately recognized the effect of the arrowhead.

Data deletion.

A device that emits strong magnetism to permanently damage electronic device-related parts that the arrowhead touches.

Owen recalled where the arrowhead had touched and turned pale.

There was something more important than his brain at the back of his head.

“The chip…!”

His connection with the computer was severed.

Amon landed in front of Owen, who was shaking his hand.

In his hand was a mini crossbow that Owen didn’t recognize.

Amon smiled.

“You should save your joker card for the end, shouldn’t you?”

Originally, Amon wanted to make a joke about Owen’s mother, but he held back because Kathy was present, which would remain his eternal secret.

*

Owen, whose connection with the computer was severed, lost his will and knelt down.

Growl!

Just then, his secretary, who had transformed into a werewolf, was also defeated by other comrades.

The condition of Amon’s comrades who had captured the werewolf secretary was terrible.

But everyone’s limbs were intact.

In contrast, the werewolf’s ankles were mangled by traps.

“It’s over.”

After telling the buffalo tanker he did a good job, Amon nodded to Kathy.

Kathy also understood the meaning and approached Owen.

“Owen Requetio. Do you have anything to say?”

“… Anything to say?”

Owen looked up at Kathy pitifully.

“What do I look like to you?”

“A once-respected brother. Now a failed traitor.”

“Yes. I’ve failed.”

Owen covered his empty left shoulder with his remaining right arm.

“Sister.”

“Don’t call me that, you disgusting bastard.”

“Even in this situation… Yes. I only had mother. Forever.”

Owen laughed dejectedly and stroked the back of his head.

Momentary compassion flickered in Kathy’s eyes as she looked at Owen, but it quickly disappeared.

Kathy pointed her gun at Owen.

It was to tie up the knot of a tiresome bad relationship.

But before pulling the trigger, when she met Owen’s eyes, she felt something off.

His eyes weren’t dead.

“Tch-!”

She immediately pulled the trigger.

The bullet pierced Owen’s head.

But Owen’s body didn’t fall; instead, he stood up from that spot, and the wound gradually regenerated.

“Amon!”

Even before she called, Amon was already moving.

Amon aimed for Owen’s neck.

But the body, as if determined to protect the neck at all costs, gave up the right arm and began to flee.

Besides Amon, other comrades also targeted Owen, but…

“Go!”

Suddenly, the secretary, who had mustered his last strength, volunteered as a meat shield, preventing them from stopping Owen.

Owen took the elevator and went down.

Amon and his comrades looked at Kathy.

“It’s okay. He can’t escape with that elevator.”

According to Kathy.

That elevator connected the underground secret facility and the upper floors.

Since it couldn’t stop at the lobby or lower floors, it wasn’t suitable for escape.

“Why does an investment company have such a thing…”

“We’re a Megacorp too.”

While they might not need an underground research lab, they needed a space to store or handle confidential information.

The chitchat ended there.

They left the werewolf secretary, who had turned into a cold corpse, and headed underground.

When they arrived underground, they found Owen with his back to a massive machine.

A computer with numerous brains floating around.

Owen was looking at one of those many brains.

Kathy’s eyebrow twitched.

But having already steeled her resolve, she didn’t falter.

Kathy pointed her spear at Owen.

“I don’t know what trick you’ve pulled, but if you want to die here, I’ll grant that wish.”

But Owen’s response was completely out of context.

It was vague even as a response.

It was closer to a lament.

“Even when the world hated me, mother always loved me. So I thought I was nothing when I was disconnected from mother.”

“Has he gone mad?”

“But when I was disconnected from mother, I realized. Mother wasn’t connected to me through this machine. Kathy. Can you see? What connects me and mother?”

“What is this…. Oh my god.”

Kathy, who was responding to Owen’s lament, was horrified.

A brain was connected to Owen’s stomach, which was turned away.

Like a spinal cord, a stem extending from the brain pierced through the glass tank and connected to Owen’s navel like an umbilical cord.

“Holy shit.”

Even a white mage couldn’t help but curse.

But despite their reactions, Owen’s attitude didn’t change.

It was closer to ecstasy.

“Ah. Kathy. I finally realized. It’s mother’s love that changes the world after all.”

Amon nodded at Owen’s words, only to be hit on the back of the head by Sonia.

Meanwhile, Owen shouted in ecstasy.

“Love! It’s love! Everything is so lovely! How can it be so lovely! I finally realized that the world was this lovely!”

Kathy recoiled in horror.

In contrast, Amon tilted his head.

‘Why does this feel familiar?’

It seemed like he had seen this somewhere.

‘Ah.’

Come to think of it, cult leaders in Punk City 1 were in such a state.

Later, they would combine with something demon-like and enter a new phase.

Recalling this, Amon drew his sword, made a cross, and warned.

“While I’m still being nice, cut that umbilical cord. At least if you’re going to die, die as a human.”

But Amon’s voice didn’t reach him.

Owen just kept calling out to his mother.

“Ah! Mother! Look at me! I will show you this world!”

With his cry, the computer in that room exploded.

Brains spilled from the tanks, and the lost wires headed toward Owen’s back.

Squelch.

The wires formed wings.

Owen drooled, and his eyes sank into his flesh.

And the disappeared eyes appeared on the crown of the brain attached to Owen’s stomach.

“Ah! Finally, you’re by my side…!”

The room they were standing in shook.

The lights flickered, and even the screens that were off flickered.

And-

[Ugh! What is that!]

Everyone’s gaze turned to where the mute sniper was pointing.

There was an eyeball on the monitor she was pointing at.

It wasn’t just there.

Monitors, glass cups, even in stagnant water.

Eyeballs appeared in every place that could reflect.

Everyone froze at the sight that could induce scopophobia.

A natural reaction for humans.

But even as time passed, their bodies didn’t move.

It felt as if the air had solidified like stone.

It couldn’t be explained by fear alone.

In that space, only Amon could move.

“Tch.”

After clicking his tongue briefly, Amon prepared to rush at Owen(?).

All the eyeballs looked at Amon.

Owen spoke to Amon.

“If you were thinking of kicking that desk to block the line of sight, don’t. I can see.”

“If you were thinking of climbing the ceiling, don’t. I saw.”

“If you think I won’t react, don’t. I saw.”

He spread his arms and said.

“Ah. Amon. Poor child. Nothing you do in front of me has meaning. I saw! Your future! Your thoughts! Your past!”

Owen shouted at Amon.

What he would do, how he was strategizing, what he was thinking, what kind of life he had lived in the past.

And.

“How you were born.”

Owen raised the corners of his mouth.

Owen laughed loudly in his sense of omnipotence.

“This is love- “

But his words didn’t continue.

“Huh? Huh?”

At first, bewilderment.

“No, that’s not it. I’m sorry!”

A sudden apology.

And-

“Ahhh!!! I’m sorry!!!! Please have mercy!!!!”

He began to wail and apologize.

As he started apologizing, the eyeballs that were looking at Amon and his party members disappeared.

And the unidentified pressure that dominated the space also disappeared.

Amon’s party members, who suddenly became free to move, staggered.

“Why is it doing that?”

In response to the buffalo tanker’s movement, Amon shrugged.

Meanwhile, Owen gradually melted.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

He turned into a slug that only let out sighs.