episode_0078

As the vehicle stopped in front of a commercial building, Bronson, sitting in the back seat, gave orders to his subordinates through his earpiece. Calamity Gang members rushed out and surrounded the building.

“Move it, quickly! Don’t let a single rat escape. Send a few men to the back of the building too!”

“Those guys walking from the left? Shoot what? They’re kids with blue armbands, Aramis Crew punks. Explain the situation and get their cooperation!”

Calamity’s boss grumbled, watching his subordinates pull out their rifles and aim them at the building.

‘How did it come to this?’

The broker bastards had tried to leave, claiming the contract was impossible. He’d just planned to rob them and take a few things. But then, several unidentified awakened individuals attacked his subordinates. From the silence, it seemed they were all dead.

Of course, he could always recruit more subordinates. But it was humiliating for Calamity’s reputation for this to happen before negotiations with other gangs. In this rough world, reputation was life itself.

‘That Leslie bastard, he messed with me? I’ll feed him to the demonic beasts!’

Bronson took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Just as he was about to light it, the person next to him cleared their throat.

“I understand your preference, but I don’t like the smell of cigarettes.”

“…My apologies.”

As Ricky crossed his arms and slightly tilted his head, Bronson flusteredly put the cigarette back. Compared to this detective agency boss, the gang boss was on the level of a leopard to a cat.

“So, you want to make an additional contract? It seems knocking down one of them earlier wasn’t enough.”

“Yes! That’s right. I don’t know the exact number, but there are almost ten awakened individuals who look like Fixers in that building. We’ll pay you extra for the previous case. Was it a 50% increase?”

“It’s triple, customer-nim.”

“Huh?”

“You said there are ten enemies, right? Danger pay is separate. It’s triple. Well, if not, I’m clocking out today—”

This was extortion not in the contract. But as Ricky made a show of getting out of the car, Bronson, in a hurry, smiled obsequiously and had no choice but to agree to the demands.

‘A washed-up reject expelled from his clan, he’s eating well.’

“Oh, come on! What are you saying? I’ll deposit it right away!”

He picked up the phone, and a text message immediately arrived, confirming the money had been deposited into his account. Bronson, observing the Fixer, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um, but. Will you be alright alone…?”

“Alone? What are you talking about, customer-nim? I even brought more staff.”

Outside the car, two motorcycles stopped, and two young men and women dismounted.

“And, remember to pay each person individually! Don’t forget that, customer-nim.”

“…Of course! Please handle it well.”

Bronson couldn’t protest and just had to laugh it off, watching them cautiously.

‘Those damn Fixer bastards…’

The two got out of the car. Under the dazzling car lights, gang members were on alert behind the vehicle, holding automatic rifles.

Most of the members’ weapons were old automatic rifles, but there were also large-caliber shotguns used for hunting demonic beasts, and several sleek firearms mixed in.

“These are Federal Army standard combat rifles! They’re the latest model, and it took us some effort to get them. We also brought armor-piercing rounds and anti-demonic beast bullets. You just need to clean up the rest. Haha!”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

Bronson puffed out his chest, trying to salvage his bruised pride. He held a large hunting rifle in his hand. Ricky nodded and then whispered with his staff, glancing around a few times.

“They’re a gang, but they brought high-firepower weapons.”

“They must have seen it somewhere. They’ve just slapped on useless attachments to the rifles. Still, they had the sense to bring proper ammunition.”

Ricky upgraded this gang’s rating in his mind by one level. They weren’t completely senseless, as they paid attention to Ether defense. It was a shame they didn’t consider high-speed movement prevention fields or combustion interference barriers, but they were quite well-prepared.

A group of young gang boys with blue armbands bickered with the Calamity Gang and then quickly walked into the building. Their identity was the Aramis Crew, a self-proclaimed group of Fixers mainly composed of young awakened individuals expelled from academies.

“Hey! Where are you going! We said we’d go in slowly earlier!”

When the Calamity members tried to stop them, the boys responded by flipping them off.

“Screw you! We’re going our own way! Let’s go, guys! We’ll grab anything valuable first!”

“Yeah~! Let’s gooooo!”

A flamboyantly dressed pink-haired boy drew his sword and rushed towards the building entrance, his young subordinates following him.

Bronson let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, and Ricky shrugged.

“Those little brats, really…”

“Calm down. What’s there to lose if they scout for us? Let’s just see the level of the guys we’re dealing with.”

Scampering footsteps were heard, and then shouts erupted from the third floor. Ricky looked up at the window. In the dark corridor on the third floor, red and white magical lights flashed around. The clanging of metal, screams, and small explosions followed one after another.

-Die!

-Get lost, you bastard! Aaah!

-Kyaaaah!

Malicious shouts turned into screams in less than 30 seconds. As a result of the fighting, the windows on the third floor shattered one after another with a crash.

-No way! I’m from Aegis! Uwaaagh!

A louder scream than before pierced through the window, and something fell from the third-floor window onto a car hood. A head with distinctive pink hair rolled onto the ground. While everyone was surprised, Bronson calmly sneered.

“That Macau bastard, a drug-addicted dropout, finally died after acting tough. Tsk tsk.”

The white magical lights in the darkness faded, and even the screams subsided. Everyone was focused on the third floor, but a blood-soaked boy rushed out from the first-floor door, panting.

“I hate this now! Save me—”

A red beam of light flew from the third-floor window and blew off the boy’s head.

“Indeed, even at a student level, seeing them easily subdue that many means they’re not just random nobodies. Shall we begin? We’ll go around. I’m on the phone, so stop firing when I give the signal. We’ll enter then.”

“…Understood. Fire!”

-Click!

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

As Ricky gave the order, Bronson, frowning, let out a short sigh and ordered his subordinates. Muzzles were aimed at the third floor, and intense gunfire poured out.

“Earlier, I saw windows on the right and rear of the building. Mitchell, Lake, you two go to the rear office. I’ll enter through the side stairs.”

“Yes!”

The three Fixers from Tusk Detective Agency circled the building, using the dazzling flashes of gunfire as cover.

***

Meanwhile, in the dark corridor on the third floor, the Violets squirmed on the floor to avoid the bullets. After shooting the one who tried to escape to the first floor with a crossbow and sending him to heaven, an intense barrage of bullets poured in from outside the window.

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

“Get down! The firepower is different!”

Violet 110, lying in a pool of blood, felt sick. Her clothes were soaked with the blood of the gang members she had just slaughtered and the students from earlier.

The Violets quickly pulled out their riot shields, inverted them, and crawled back to a room opposite the window. The building walls must have been thinner than they thought, or the enemy’s guns were stronger. They quickly lay down, but several bullets penetrated the walls.

“Kyaaah!”

One Violet was fatally hit in the head by a ricocheting bullet. There were now nineteen Violets left.

“But, did you hear earlier? That pink-haired guy, he said something about Aegis.”

“Huh! Don’t tell me, Aegis was a bad academy too?”

“He must be bluffing!”

Even under fire, the Violets casually joked among themselves. There was no way the academy of righteous people who fought villains alongside the inspectors in the main story would accept such delinquents.

“They’re firing like crazy. The power is no joke!”

“Crossbows have a slow rate of fire, so they’re not enough to counterattack. We really need guns too.”

As bullets rained down, Violets quietly waiting in the alley and the building opposite urgently reported.

“Stop messing around and pay attention, we just spotted more personnel moving around, bypassing the thugs. Three in total. Judging by their movements, speed, and weapons like swords or axes, they’re awakened individuals.”

“What?!”

All the Violets briefly put their heads together to ponder their intentions.

Blocking their approach with a barrage of bullets from unarmed non-awakened individuals, and deploying awakened individuals to the rear and flank?

Suddenly, Violet recalled historical documents she had often encountered before her transmigration, and games and novels about medieval warfare. The form was different, but this was clearly…

“It’s a hammer and anvil tactic.”

The Violets objectively assessed their combat strength.

They didn’t know the exact level, but people who did rough work in the underworld would easily slaughter one or two Violets. And this office building was too narrow to utilize their numerical superiority. They had to get out of the building.

Violet 1, who was in the temporary command center at the lodging, gave new instructions.

“Office personnel, remember those submachine guns you picked up from the thugs earlier? The firepower was decent. Grab one each. Rooftop team, get your Molotov cocktails ready. Will fifteen be enough? Should we increase it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll add a few more. And I found a strange weapon among the ones they’re carrying. Want to see?”

In the Violets’ vision, a tattooed and bearded man was seen firing a cold, long rifle. Compared to the accessory level attached to it and the cheap-looking rifle held by the gang member next to him, it looked expensive and powerful.

“Isn’t this a weapon the Federal Army uses? There are also guys holding large shotguns. Target these guys first! The alley squad, wait at the expected escape route.”

“They’ve moved. Oh, the awakened individuals are waiting outside now? It looks like they’re coming in.”

Six of the Violets, who had been lying down or hiding to avoid bullets, cautiously turned around.

“No choice then. Violet 75, stall them inside until we clear out all the thugs. You have magic, so generate more.”

Just then, their firing stopped. The Violets in the alley saw the awakened individuals retreating slightly to leap.

No time to hesitate!

“Now! Attack!”

From behind the Calamity Gang, Violets who had been quietly hidden on the building’s roof suddenly rose. Most of them pulled out crossbows and aimed at their backs, while some held Molotov cocktails. The Molotov cocktails had a simple device that ignited upon impact, so no fuse was needed.

Leaving the sound of bowstrings snapping behind, glowing red lines flew through the air. The Molotov cocktails quietly flew in parabolas.

“Ugh…ack…”

“Cough!”

“What? Johnny? Are you okay—”

Boom!

As members holding combat rifles and shotguns collapsed from the concentrated fire, flames erupted on the cars surrounding the building.

“Aaah! Hot! Hot!”

“Aaaargh!”

Burning gang members fell to the ground. Some rolled on the ground to put out the fire, but the ground itself caught fire. The Molotov cocktails contained a special incendiary agent from the workshop. It was a sticky substance that would burn persistently for several minutes. Bronson gasped in horror. He, fortunately, avoided being targeted by the Violets by observing from behind.

“Damn it! Retreat! Just retreat! There are more behind! Shoot! Shoot, I said…!”

At that moment, dozens of black figures leaped down simultaneously from the roof and the third-floor windows. A light thudding sound of them landing on the ground was heard at the same time. Small-statured people surrounded the Calamity Gang.

“W-what…?”

A gang member trembled at the sight of the strange figures. Their appearance, with black masks and goggles doubled over their faces, was truly inorganic. The group of strange figures uniformly held one-handed swords. Red magic enveloped their blades. Without a single gap, the figures charged all at once, leaping over the burning cars.

-Rat-a-tat!

Immediately after clearing the cars, submachine guns in their left hands spat fire. Gang members spurted blood and collapsed. The blades, flowing with sword energy, cut down enemies repeatedly, like factory machinery operating in order.

“Retreat! Shoot! Shoot!”

“Boss! There are too many! Too many! Kraagh!”

The gang members retreated, firing their guns wildly. Shields reappeared, and the Violets charged forward as if performing a synchronized dance.

The distance between them was too close, and the gang members barely managed to fire a few shots before their necks were sliced off. Ordered sword strikes drew red semicircles, and the remaining personnel on the roof continuously sniped those attempting to escape with crossbows. Some of the forces in the alley also joined to block the escape routes.

-Bang!

Violet 54, who was mechanically stabbing a gang member’s chest with a knife, had her head blown off. This was a result achieved by Bronson, who had survived and resisted.

Unfortunately, the slight success Bronson achieved was thanks to the Violets’ choice. The Violets controlling the situation had set him as a target for capture.

“Rooftop team, stop! Don’t snipe the guy with the hunting rifle! Based on his attire and giving orders, he’s an executive. Capture him! Absolutely!”

“…These… these monsters!”

The Violets simultaneously turned their heads and looked at him. At their gaze, Bronson’s blood ran cold.

Once again, an explosion echoed, and Bronson’s large-caliber demonic beast hunting shotgun blew a large hole in Violet 32’s chest. Hastily racking the loading handle to open the chamber, he fumbled to insert a bullet with trembling hands and dropped the gun. A bolt was stuck in his arm, protruding outwards.

“Ugh!”

He began to doubt if the opponents he was fighting were even human. Under their black masks and goggles, no emotion could be seen. They were too inhuman.

‘Are they some kind of killing robots from a movie…!’

He groaned in pain and tried to run but was caught and fell to the ground. Bronson looked around and saw that no one was standing except for these black monstrous figures.

A loud roar echoed. The source of the sound was the third floor. All the remaining windows shattered with a crash.

“This is Violet 75, myself included, all six dead! They’re coming down.”

Immediately after the warning, three awakened individuals jumped outside. There was a thud as they landed.

“…Oh dear, customer-nim! There aren’t ten of them. There are more, aren’t there?”

As Ricky recovered from his slight surprise and joked casually, the Violets turned their gazes to him with robot-like movements. At their perfect, flawless synchronization, the Fixers flinched and took a step back.

Ricky, who was holding an axe and observing the Violets, met the gaze of Calamity’s boss, who was captured by the strange figures. Bronson closed his eyes in despair.

‘Damn it, it’s over. That guy will run away too…’

The Violets approached Ricky and his staff members who stepped forward with their weapons.

“Mitchell, what do you think? Should we retreat?”

“No? Their movements were precise and their attacks threatening, but they seem manageable.”

“Lake, your thoughts?”

“I don’t know where they came from, but they were quite fun to slice up, weren’t they?”

Ricky spun his shimmering glaive and walked towards the Violets. Bronson weakly asked.

“Why…? After taking so much in payment…”

“Why, customer-nim? My principle is to always uphold contracts with clients. I have to earn my keep for what I’ve received. Kids! What was our additional request?”

The two young men and women behind Ricky answered.

“Annihilation of the target.”

“And our company motto?”

“Uphold the contract even if it means death.”

Ricky grinned confidently.

“You understand well, let’s go!”

Late at night in the alley, three Fixers charged amidst the burning cars. Fueled by pride, they plunged into the black mire.

***

Although we died, we successfully held them back for a short time. Currently, Violet 75 and five other Violets were back on the network, diligently explaining their weapons, characteristics, and points to watch out for.

“Mitchell! Break through!”

“That woman! She’s holding a hammer, right? It’s not a hammer, it’s a magic staff. Her specialty is electricity, and she seems unaffected by her own magic. Watch the floor!”

A short brown-haired woman swung a unique, long-handled hammer in the air. As we quickly scattered backward, a small circular magic circle formed on the spot we had been, and electricity swept across the floor.

“Tch! They dodged!”

The woman charged through the electrified floor.

“If you get hit by the hammerhead, you’ll get shocked, so block the handle side! She kicks often too!”

Immediately after blocking the attack, Violet 65 quickly ducked. The woman’s leg swept past her head, creating a gust of wind. Immediately after, Violet 65 was torn into four pieces and rolled on the floor. It was because of the green-haired man who had flown in from the sky.

“Lake! You’re late!”

“What’s the big deal?”

“That guy with twin swords. The power itself is blockable with a shield, but he moves incredibly fast! That thing attached to his right arm is a crossbow.”

The man wielding twin swords suddenly extended his right arm. Violet 56 ducked to avoid it. Just then, a bolt tore her right ear. Violet 56 swung her left arm shield to counterattack. The man leaped back.

Immediately, the Violets switched to riot shields and pressed the green-haired man. His twin swords, imbued with sword energy, scraped furiously against our magic-imbued shields. At that moment, the Fixers’ leader leaned forward, holding a glaive imbued with orange sword energy.

“Most importantly, that guy with the glaive, the leader? His attack range is insane! The impact force is also tremendous. We died from that earlier!”

He was seen charging, swinging his glaive. We tried to stop his charge as a test.

“Gah!”

“Guh!”

Five Violets were cut down, shields and all. The perceived speed and impact force were, figuratively speaking, about 0.5 Irene, slower than Martina, but with a wider attack range. Our enhanced vision captured the sword energy on the glaive instantly extending and retracting.

Meeting a formidable enemy, the Violets’ minds rapidly began calculations. Sword strikes were exchanged, and three or four more Violets fell onto the cold floor.

“When the woman charges and unleashes lightning! The green guy hits and retreats, then the leader tears through everything.”

“Rooftop team, should we snipe?”

“No! Not now. They haven’t noticed the rooftop team. Field team! Use the captured submachine guns. Get ready to throw Molotov cocktails. It’s a shame we used almost all the explosives last time, so we only have a little left.”

While fiercely engaging the enemies, the Violets quickly finished their calculations. Orders were given from the temporary command center to execute everyone’s will.

“…And, permission to use the Blazing Blade.”

As the declaration was made, the Polaris one-handed swords of the Violets on the front line were replaced with degraded Blazing Blades.

In their degraded state, they were not much different from other 3-star weapons in terms of performance, and rapiers were unfamiliar, so they were rarely used. Most of all, it was a 5-star, and it felt wasteful. But now was different. It was time to use them.

The ‘true’ Blazing Blade was currently held by Violet 90 in the rear of the formation. A secret weapon hidden among fakes. We would let them drop their guard and deliver a decisive blow with it.

Our bodies dissipated into magic. The Fixers, surprised by this sight, looked around.

“They weren’t real. It’s a doppelganger technique! This is my first time fighting it directly…”

“Their weapons suddenly changed. Were they all illusions?”

“Don’t worry, we don’t know where the main body is yet, but at this level, we can win.”

While the Fixers were talking, it was our turn to go on the offensive. Melee members armed with swords and shields, spears and axes, charged forward.

“Here they come!”

“Open fire!”

Captured submachine guns appeared in our left hands as we charged. The magazines were emptied in 2 seconds. They flinched. The Violets moved like a splitting formation, surrounding them. This time, the leader charged at the front.

While the green-haired twin-sword man waited, dancing around us, the slightly slower woman once again swung her hammer in the air. A magic circle rapidly formed under her feet.

The Violets ignored it and recklessly charged at them. The leading Violets were electrocuted and cut in half by swords and spears. But they succeeded in getting close.

“What is this agaaain… Aaaargh!”

They fell into a trap. Molotov cocktails simultaneously appeared in the hands of the dying Violets.

The Molotov cocktails exploded, and their contents spilled onto the floor. Burning incendiary gel clung to the Fixers’ feet and legs.

The heat, even through their Ether defense, was no joke, as the woman frantically stumbled backward as if tap-dancing. The green-haired man and the leader also had fire on their pants, and their faces contorted.

And right behind the self-destructing Violets, a line of riot shields followed closely.

“This is driving me crazy, just die! Why are there so many of them!”

The woman swung her hammer in a frenzy, and the green-haired man scraped his twin swords wildly against the shields. Suddenly, gaps opened in the tightly packed shields, and more than ten spearheads thrust out.

The leader deflected them, but three or four spearheads pierced the hammer woman’s stomach. The green-haired man also took a hit on his arm. He tried to retreat but was slowed by his injury.

Perhaps we should try the tactic we learned from Kalya, getting beaten up.

We dodged his arrows and blocked his sword. The man, looking for a chance to break away, extended his right arm once again. Simultaneously, a loaded crossbow appeared in Violet 34’s hand. The man’s eyes widened.

-Thwip!

“Guh…!”

Violet 34 and the man mutually annihilated each other. The bolt, ignoring Ether defense, cleanly pierced his heart.

“Damn, should’ve just run.”

The last remaining leader laughed hollowly, then hardened his face as if resolved. He once again violently swung his glaive. Violets holding rapiers rushed at him like moths to a flame.

“Let’s see who wins!”

Violet 90 leaped through the falling Violets and unleashed an attack. The leader, deflecting the showering swords by spinning his staff, changed his expression.

“What is this…?”

The sharpness and power itself were on a different dimension. Violet 90 didn’t stop there and immediately channeled magic into her sword. Flames intensely erupted from the tip of the blade.

“What’s this now!”

Hit by a fiery storm from point-blank range, the leader was sent flying. He seemed to have narrowly twisted his body to avoid a fatal blow just before being engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, Violet 90 was cut in half as a bonus.

He leaned on his staff and panted, trying to get up.

“…He’s tenacious. Fire.”

“Aaaargh!”

The snipers waiting on the roof mercilessly pulled their crossbow triggers. Only after several bolts pierced his body did the Fixer leader collapse.

“…It’s done. All of them are eliminated. Though it seems there are still survivors.”

“Let’s quickly clean up and go back.”

Even amidst this battle, the gang executive seemed to be still alive.

“Ugh… This is a nightmare…”

While one group of Violets dragged away the executive and other prisoners, the other Violets quickly collected trophies and reverted their forms. Dawn was breaking.

***

On the morning after everything was cleared up, the streets were a mess, and we had a lot to do.

While the Violets interrogated the prisoners and went to the gang’s hideout and office for cleanup, we moved the unconscious brokers to the hospital.

“It’s done. They’ll wake up soon.”

This hospital, fitting for the environment of Stygian Lane, accepted anyone without question. Even the doctor himself seemed nonchalant. Unidentified personnel in black masks carried in several people, and he just glanced at them and made diagnoses, which showed that. There was even an awakened individual who used healing magic!

As we waited, the bartender woman, among those lying in hospital beds, was the first to open her eyes. She opened her eyes and looked around.

“Where am I…?”

Violet 110 smiled broadly and answered the woman’s question.

“A glass of gin with butter, on the rocks. Black Label, please!”