episode_0027

Inside the modified penthouse, which was dark because no lights were on.

Only the irregular luminescence of diodes emitted by the enormous machinery consuming most of the penthouse faintly illuminated the dim interior.

Metal hoses were connected to tank-like cylinders extending out like octopus arms from the central pod.

It looked like equipment used to supply something to a culture pod in a biological research lab.

A device far beyond the scale for a single individual to own and operate, something only corporations could manage.

But the man, its owner, walked with an unsteady gait as if it didn’t matter at all, and wiped the pod’s transparent window with his hand.

The man was dressed shabbily, despite using the entire top floor of the Rivorina Building – the most secure building in Tony Boni A Sector – as his lab.

If he had so much money, anti-aging procedures would be simple, yet he bore the full marks of time, past middle age, looking withered and lifeless.

“Mina… my Mina…”

The man carefully wiped the pod with his hand, a pod filled not with the usual slightly orange-tinted transparent culture fluid, but with a thick, blood-red liquid that allowed no glimpse of its interior.

“If I just wait a little longer, we can meet again… Even if it’s stifling, trust this father and wait for me.”

Even though his words wouldn’t be heard inside, the man didn’t stop mumbling to the pod.

As if something was inside.

As if something was there to listen to him.

What dwelled on his face was madness.

They say one cannot survive the oppression of megacorps without harboring some madness, but this was madness that had long crossed the line.

**Bang!**

“…How noisy! How dare you interrupt my time with Mina.”

His bloodshot eyes, wide open, darted towards the terrace, which was covered by thick blackout curtains.

Stomp, stomp – the man walked with a slightly uncomfortable gait, then *swish* – he pulled the curtain open just slightly and looked outside.

The dense smog that had obscured everything was gone, but now there was only pitch-black darkness, as if a power outage had occurred.

“Some lunatic must have touched the district generator. Tsk, it’s a good thing we have backup power, or Mina would have been in danger.”

The man soon lost interest, closed the curtain again, and resumed his work.

“The Porphyrias returning are slowly decreasing… They’re probably joyfully killing them without knowing how much effort goes into creating just one!”

Porphyria, the genetically modified humans he created.

He had programmed their behavior patterns to exploit them as he pleased, but their numbers were steadily decreasing every day, likely due to being hunted by mercenaries.

“The encirclement has also narrowed, so I should go into hiding… But Mina is about to awaken! Still, still, I can’t let Mina be discovered. Isn’t it enough if she just comes back to life? Is it? Is it? Is it? Is it? Is it?”

The man mumbled to himself alone in the dark room, as if he had lost his mind.

But soon, he took out a heavy keg and replaced one of the metal hoses connected to the culture pod.

A strong smell of blood emanated.

***

“Huff, huff…! Fuck…!”

The concrete taste in my mouth was disgusting, but I had no time to worry about it.

*Whir!* If I stopped for even a moment, that gigantic mechanical fist swinging around would crush me along with my subdermal armor plating!

**Crumble!** The fist smashed through the wall like it was a cracker, flying at me as if I offered no resistance. I ducked to avoid it, then slammed a Smash Grenade into the guy’s abdomen.

The fist plunged straight in, but it was as if his entire body had been replaced with metal muscle fibers. *Thud!* The sound of hitting metal echoed, and my shoulder throbbed painfully.

“Goddammit…! What kind of bastard is this?!”

The guy in front of me, flaunting teeth as white as white spray paint, as if wearing a mouth gag, was strong.

And I mean, ridiculously strong.

Even the man visible through the gaping hole in the ceiling.

A deep gasp came from Raleigh’s gas mask. In the slowed time, he alone moved at his usual speed, no, at double his usual speed, thrusting a dagger into the man’s vital point. But the man also moved at the same speed as Raleigh in the slowed time.

A composite axe spun, transforming again, deflecting the dagger, then changed into a sickle and pulled its blade back, making Raleigh snap his head back to avoid getting his neck cut.

Having evaded the attack, Raleigh fired his pistol in various directions, creating distance. The man spun his sickle again, accurately striking the sides of the bullets and deflecting them.

And once the acceleration ended, without a moment’s rest, both entered accelerated time again.

Twice, three times, four times, five times.

*Thwack!* Blood spewed from both their faces.

“Do you have time to look away?”

“–!”

**Crack!** I raised both arms to guard, but the immense brute force I felt on my arms caused a pain like my arm bones and ribs were shattering simultaneously.

[Six fractures confirmed. A large amount of calories will be used for recovery.]

“Groooan… cough…”

A single forceful punch struck me, and I truly felt like I was going to die.

I couldn’t even breathe properly, and my mind was flashing with light, preventing clear thought.

“To look away while facing me. Those who live by their own arrogance all die like this.”

“Fuck… I’m still alive, alright? Don’t even think about sending me to the crematorium yet.”

“You survived that hit? You’re tough. Guys who rely on Scarabs or subdermal armor plates usually die from a single punch to the heart.”

Despite his grotesque appearance – a muscular build with a black rubber mask covering his face, leaving only a slit for his mouth, making it hard to tell if he could see – the guy was incredibly fast.

He wasn’t quite as fast as the two above, but it was unbelievable that his whole body was filled with metal muscle fibers.

He might even be stronger than the leader of those insane Neo Samurai who could take a person’s weight while riding a car at 300 km/h and remain unharmed.

Indeed, this guy seems like he’d deflect a sniper rifle shot to the head.

[“I sent a combat drone! Just hold on a little longer!”]

Along with Jay Q’s voice, a familiar black form descended from the broken ceiling.

A fluttering maid skirt with frills, mismatched jet-black sunglasses, and a cute cat-embroidered headband.

“Hey, Motherfucker! Your opponent is right here!”

“An interesting fellow has arrived.”

Blake, having jumped from the rooftop, brought his katana down towards the guy’s crown.

The battle between the SM Pervert Ghoul and the Black Maid Guy began.

“HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH!”

“HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH!”

“…”

The fight between the two muscular perverts was utterly simple-minded.

They just took hits and threw punches.

Blake’s katana sliced the mouth-gagged guy’s muscle fibers, inflicting wounds, while the guy’s mechanical fist struck Blake.

Despite this, the vibrations spreading around shattered the already ruined household appliances, and the floor, unable to withstand their battle, crumbled, sending them down to the lower floor. Yet, their fight showed no sign of stopping.

“Crazy bastards…”

I thought I fought aggressively too, relying on the lodgers within my body and mind, but watching those two, I’m at a cute level.

Still, I should help.

Blake was holding on, but it was clear he was being pushed back.

*Click!* I loaded a grenade round into my Smash Grenade.

Not the “fucking magnum version” from Hellstream, which was stuffed with powder far exceeding safety standards, but the one precisely calculated and designed to be safe for use.

‘He won’t notice me now.’

Though the mouth-gagged guy had the upper hand, he couldn’t deal with Blake casually, so his attention was focused on Blake.

Besides, he probably thought he could subdue me even if I intervened.

‘Ayakashi. Hack him and stop his movements the moment the Smash Grenade fires.’

[Confirmed. However, judging by the target’s hacking firewall level, five seconds will be required.]

‘Then you give the signal.’

[Confirmed.]

I immediately jumped down.

The residents, who had suddenly woken up from their sleep due to the commotion that had already destroyed three floors, shouted in confusion before fleeing in terror.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone capable of this.”

“Shut up and die, Asshole!”

Each time Blake’s katana scraped the guy’s skin, sparks flew, briefly illuminating the dark room before disappearing.

The exchange continued several more times.

Hidden amidst the noise created by the two, I twisted my body behind the guy, drew back my fist, and waited for Ayakashi’s signal, ready to strike.

In my mind, five seconds.

Four seconds.

Three seconds.

Two seconds.

One second.

[Complete.]

“Hmm?”

The guy **stopped short** in his movements, and I shouted.

“Blake! Get out!”

“OK!”

As Blake rapidly put distance between us, his torn maid uniform fluttering, I charged forward and powerfully unleashed my clenched fist.

And with it, six grenade rounds fired…

“To think you could do such a cute trick. I’m surprised.”

“What…!”

**Grip!** The guy’s mechanical arm caught my wrist, stopping me.

‘Fuck! You said it was done!’

[It appears to be a hacking countermeasure where the main operating system is replaced by a backup operating system if an anomaly occurs. I have learned from this.]

‘You motherfucker!’

The mouth-gagged guy seemed to find my surprise attack quite amusing, grinning as if laughing with his gums.

“Are you a Decker? Hacking in real-time while moving during combat, that’s honestly a desirable ability.”

“So you’ll let me go?”

“My name is Nebel Garcia Xenom.”

“This isn’t the time for friendly introductions, I just got slapped first.”

The mouth-gagged guy, who introduced himself as Nebel, offered an unexpected proposition.

“Why don’t you join us? You’re still weak, but if you’re refined, I think you can definitely rise to this level.”

“How would I know what you guys are?”

Oh, sure. What if I went along, and they turned out to be a suicide terrorist group? Who knows?

If he had proper home training, he would have learned not to follow strangers who offered candy.

Of course, this city is overflowing with orphans.

“We are…”

“Ah, never mind. I’m ready.”

“Hmm?”

“Manual detonation.”

*Click!* The Smash Grenade’s firing port opened, and a trigger popped out from my forearm. I clenched it tight.

Simultaneously, the hammer struck the primers of the six grenade rounds, followed by a massive explosion with directional force the next moment – **BOOM!!!**

Black gunpowder smoke and concrete dust, turned to powder, formed a swirling vortex that raged like a storm. My body, due to the recoil, burst through the wall and slammed into the hallway wall.

“Gasp!”

[Severe damage to arm joint confirmed.]

The entire building was filled with a acrid smell. Stuck to the wall, I looked at the Smash Grenade, its paint stripped away to reveal a metallic sheen, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

“Fucking hell. This is damn hard.”