episode_0028

A moment ago, Spade’s hand had definitively broken 13’s neck.

She had felt the distinct sensation of it, and what lay beneath wasn’t a doll disguised as 13.

She had clearly taken his life; he should have died terribly, yet 13 was alive.

The reason was too simple to be called a trick.

It was simply that his ability was like that.

In other words, ‘Immortality’.

Even if cut by a sword, stabbed by a spear, if his heart exploded, or his brains were scattered,

he wouldn’t die even if his limbs were torn to shreds, and he would return to normal; an ability akin to cheating.

…Currently, since the constellations don’t supply magic, he can only use the magic he extorted from Spade, so strictly speaking, it can only be called limited immortality.

Anyway, thanks to this ability, he was able to survive Spade’s violence.

And on top of that, he could even induce her complacency.

***

Crash! Shatter!

“Gah…!”

Kicked by the rushing Spade, Club’s body flew through the air, shattering a display window in the shopping mall and slamming into it.

Glass shards scattered everywhere, causing cuts on her skin, but she didn’t suffer any fatal injuries.

However, there was no time to feel relieved by that fact.

Squish… Crack…

“Ugh, Senior-nim… Snap out of it!”

Spade swayed as she entered the store. She was clearly not normal.

Mind control type? Is that what kind of ability it is?

At least, there was nothing like that in the information obtained when they dealt with the low-ranking members of 【Abyss】.

‘Fuck! They were useless bastards after all!’

It was different from the ability he used when they encountered him last time.

By the way, he died from a broken neck but came back to life, and on top of that, he’s controlling a hero like Senior Spade. Isn’t this overly imbalanced cheating?

‘No… that can’t be all. It feels like cheating, but there must be a limit.’

As proof, Club is not being controlled right now. Perhaps he can only control one person at a time, or there’s some other restriction.

Even in the worst situation, Club maintained her composure as much as possible and thought.

If she gave up this easily, she wouldn’t deserve to be called an excellent hero.

Whoosh! Thud!

Spade leaped towards Club, who was rolling on the floor, and brought her foot down as if to stomp on her.

“Hup…!”

As the foot came flying, Club grabbed the edge of a table right behind her and leaped up agilely, as if performing acrobatics, dodging the attack.

She floated her body as if doing a handstand, climbing over the table.

Her movements were light as a cat’s. It wasn’t a move that could be done without even a running start.

In addition to her flexible body, she forcibly moved by generating temporary propulsion with 500-won coins attached to the soles of her shoes.

Missing Club, who performed a divinely inspired evasive maneuver, Spade’s foot instead slammed into the floor. The marble floor shattered loudly and cracked from the magic-infused stomp.

It was a genuine strike that would have surely pulverized several bones if she hadn’t dodged it.

‘The fortunate thing is.’

‘Senior Spade’s movements aren’t like usual…!’

Having always seen her by her side, she knew. Senior Spade’s original speed wasn’t this slow.

She noticed a very subtle lag between her movements.

A very subtle gap that occurred before moving to the next action.

Even the previous blow, she was able to dodge thanks to that.

Was it because he couldn’t fully control Spade? Anyway, it was fortunate for Club.

Tap, clack!

Club put distance between herself and Spade with light footwork, gauging 13’s position beyond the broken window.

‘If this is due to 13’s ability.’

‘If only I can deal with that man somehow…!!’

Club aimed the muzzles of the pistols in both her hands at Spade.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Firing the two guns alternately, a total of six shots.

The bullets, which should have been fired at Spade, inexplicably twisted their direction in mid-air, drawing an impossible trajectory and bypassing her.

“Huh……ugh?!”

13, who had left everything to Spade and was watching from a distance, was hit all over his body by the bullets that subtly changed trajectory at an unexpected moment, and collapsed with a death rattle.

However, his blood-soaked body, which had fallen to the floor, simply rustled and rose like a zombie, staggering to his feet.

‘He won’t die?! Fucking shit!’

“Club…”

“Senior-nim…? Ouch!”

Crash! Shatter!

She barely dodged Spade’s flying punch.

An innocent mannequin was hit by the punch instead of Club and flew, breaking the remaining display window and tumbling around.

She almost died because her attention was distracted by 13.

If Spade hadn’t called her name, she surely wouldn’t have dodged.

‘No time to think about this and that.’

‘Anyway, guns don’t work. To kill that human for sure….’

Club immediately threw the pistols in both her hands at Spade and reached into her pouch. Coins jingled, filling her hand.

She scattered the coins into the air while Spade was batting away the pistols thrown at her.

“【Load! Simultaneous Spray!】”

“【Fire! May you become a spirit bow and shoot down the enemy!】”

Whizz!

Whizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizzwhizz!!!

Coins flew crisscrossing the narrow shop.

Each one drew a different trajectory, disrupting Spade’s vision and flying towards her from her blind spots.

All at different timings.

A coin barrage, each drawing a different trajectory.

Since each coin was fired with cannonball-like force, even Spade wouldn’t be able to ignore them.

“Haa…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

In the meantime, leaving the flying coins and Spade behind, Club dashed along the floor as if crawling, and launched herself through the completely shattered display window.

Her thigh was deeply cut by the sharp glass that hadn’t completely shattered, leaving a deep laceration, but she endured that level of pain by gritting her teeth.

Since she decided to become a hero, she had abandoned her life long ago, and pain held no fear for her.

Would she ever back down from her resolve because of a mere injury!

Thump!

Releasing the magic from the coins attached to the soles of her boots, she leaped once again with the resulting propulsion.

A miraculous long jump performed without a running start.

Club’s body, flying through the air, charged straight towards 13, who was ragged from the impact of the bullets earlier.

“?!”

She saw 13 panic, but at this distance, he surely wouldn’t be able to dodge.

‘It seems he doesn’t die from being pierced or broken.’

‘Then… I’ll sever his neck!’

She pulled out a heavy special knife from the sheath fixed to her thigh.

A solid weight could be felt in her hand, beyond her arm.

If she plunged it in with this speed and her full weight, she could surely cut off that neck.

“This time… I’ll kill…!!”

Club’s body flew in. The knife gripped in her hand glinted.

Just as the knife Club swung was about to sever 13’s neck.

CRASH!

“Wh-…!?”

For a moment, she thought a storm had flown in.

What had caught up with Club, who had approached within close proximity of 13, was none other than Spade.

She, who should have been trapped by the coin barrage and unable to move, had ignored the barrage and immediately rushed over to protect 13.

“Uh, ah?!”

Spade, who reached 13 before Club, snatched Club by the collar in mid-air.

And then changed direction and slammed her into a nearby pillar.

***

CRASHING THUD!!

“Cough…! Ugh……!!!”

Club was slammed into the pillar with a terrifying force unimaginable from Spade’s slender arm.

Her two legs were off the ground, so no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t get free.

“Senior-nim… Ugh… Cough…!”

Spade’s eyes were still vacant. Her gaze was unfocused, looking up at her with hazy, fogged-over eyes.

13’s control wasn’t perfect. The current Spade was nowhere near her full strength.

But even so, it was impossible for Club to face her.

She was a C-rank, and Spade in front of her was an A-rank hero.

This was an A-rank.

No matter how excellent a hero Club was, the difference between A-rank and C-rank was so despairing that it couldn’t be bridged by any means.

Haa… Haa… Haa…

“Senior-nim… Snap… out of it… Please…!”

She cried out one last time, clinging to a straw, but there was no sign of the grip loosening on her collar.

What exactly had he done?

What had he done to Spade, to her respected Senior-nim…!

“Good, well done, Spade. Keep holding her like that.”

“You… 13… What have you done?!”

“Am I a fool to tell you all that?”

13 limped towards Club. It was because he had been hit by Club’s bullets earlier.

13 snatched the pistol that Spade was holding in her other hand, the one Club had thrown earlier.

Then he aimed it at his own neck and, bang! fired it.

“…?!”

Club’s eyes widened at the flesh and blood fountain scattering before her.

But a moment later, his shattered head could be seen reforming, and his entire body recovered with a creaking sound.

Even the limping injury from being shot disappeared.

“Ah, ah~ that hurts like hell. Originally, any injury should heal immediately, but since I’ve been in this state, injuries don’t heal unless I die first. It’s really damn inconvenient.”

13 said with a sigh. Was he explaining his ability so readily because he was now certain Club couldn’t do anything?

13 showed a wry smile as he looked at Club, who was helplessly held by Spade.

“Anyway, good job. It was quite a desperate battle. Thanks to you, we were able to film footage good enough to show the ‘Alliance’. Though we’ll have to touch it up a bit.”

It was a satisfied smile.

Club couldn’t fully understand the meaning of what 13 was saying, but she vaguely understood that she had been used in the villain’s plan.

That fact was annoying, infuriating, and resentful. However, there was nothing she could do now.

“You rampaged quite well, but this is the end, Club.”

13 took out a brainwashing drug and a handkerchief from his pocket. He dampened the handkerchief with the drug and brought it close to Club.

“Fuck… Don’t, don’t do it…! Don’t come near me!”

“Be still. …It’ll be over soon.”

There was nothing she could make sense of in the current situation.

She only vaguely felt that 13, who was now approaching, was about to do the same thing to her as he had done to Spade.

Any attempt to resist would be futile. Spade had subdued Club with just one arm, but that arm didn’t budge as if it were a rock.

“Fuck… I won’t forgive you… I’ll kill you… You… 13… I’ll slaughter you… Definitely…!”

“Alright, alright. Try if you can. …Though you won’t be able to think such thoughts soon.”

13, with an utterly relaxed demeanor, covered her mouth and nose with the drug-soaked handkerchief.

Club resisted, but it was a futile resistance.

The handkerchief pressed down, and with it, the scent of the drug slowly seeped in.

Club’s consciousness blurred, and strength rapidly drained from her limbs.

‘No… don’t… I… can’t anymore….’