Vol 3 Chapter 8 (2/2)
The leader was prepared for his death several seconds later. However, at the same time, he was antic.i.p.ating his enemies likely being annihilated along with him.
The bluish-white explosion torrent would also a.s.sail the room and blow up anyone inside. He did not know how st.u.r.dy the log house was, but its walls and ceiling would probably be blown away.
'In that case, why don't I watch the explosion from the front.'
Having made up his mind, the leader stopped running away. He stopped turning. And then he saw.
A lone woman coming out from the hole in the wall.
A woman wearing tight, dark-blue overalls and equipped with protectors and weapons seemingly throughout her body.
A woman who had gathered her long, black hair behind her into a ponytail.
A woman who had a brick-coloured, geometric tattoo on her brown face.
A woman who named herself after a bird so poisonous that one could die just by touching it.
Pitohui.
With her hands behind her back as she entered the corridor, Pitohui first brought her right arm forward.
From the tip of the dull-silver rod in her hands, it seemed as if a bluish-white line extended, and, along with an afterimage, it swung down at high speed. A motion from the bottom upwards, grazing the floor as it went up.
With just that, Lax, who had been covering the Giga-nade, had his head separated from his body, and the head rolled away.
The leader knew even without needing to look at his team's hit point gauges. Because even in the world of GGO, there was no one who could survive after having their head severed from their body.
Seeing the woman, standing beside the corpse that held the powerful explosive with a smile,
'So that's it!'
The leader realised. That the Giga-nade… would not be exploding for a while.
Just like when she lured out bosses in dungeons to bring them down, she had probably set the explosion timer to a long time of several minutes. It was a trap… meant to stop their shooting for a moment.
Naturally, he should have thought of that possibility, but based on past experience that he did not want to recall, 〝Knowing Pitohui, knowing that woman, she wouldn't hesitate. Actually, she'd definitely do it.〟, he arbitrarily decided.
'In that case, die.'
The moment the leader aimed his muzzle at Pitohui, Pitohui herself brought her left hand in front of her.
And then, a gunshot.
The STM-556 spouted fire, and a 5.56 mm bullet flew at Pitohui's chest, merely 4 metres away, faster than sound──
There, it created sparks as it sprung to the side, piercing a log in the wall.
The 50 cm x 30 cm metal plate that Pitohui was grasping in her left hand repelled the bullet diagonally. It was a piece of M's s.h.i.+eld. Having expected such a use for it, there was a small handle welded on its back.
”Taaaaaaaah!”
Along with a high-pitched roar, Pitohui kicked off the floor with all her might. The leader's second shot was once again repelled by the s.h.i.+eld due to the Bullet Line──
”f.u.c.k you!”
She avoided the third shot aimed at her feet with a minor side step──
Before the fourth shot could be fired, she sharply swung the 1 metre-long rod of light of her light sword, s.h.i.+ning a bluish-white.
The bluish-white blade made the short barrel of the STM-556 even shorter. Melting the metal, it sawed through the barrel, completely cutting off the front half, along with the large grenade launcher barrel.
If the leader had not promptly pulled back his left hand, letting go of his gun, it would probably have been cut off at the wrist.
”Uraah!”
The leader threw his beloved gun that was now in need of repair.
The metal ma.s.s flew towards Pitohui in front of him, but Pitohui did not dodge. She received it with the forehead part of her headgear and parried it by slightly shaking her head.
During that meager opening, the leader moved his right hand towards his side holster while backstepping. He pulled out the 9 mm caliber 《Steyr M9-AI》automatic pistol from it.
Still holding it at his side, he began firing consecutively. He did not aim. He just fired.
One of the recklessly fired 9 mm bullet sank into Pitohui's thigh and another cut through her side, but──
”Hyaai!”
With that cheerful sound, Pitohui swung her left hand and the tip of the s.h.i.+eld made a direct hit on the M9-A1, plucking it from the leader's hand with a dull metallic sound.
The machine gunner Jake had been looking for a chance to fire at Pitohui the entire time.
Standing furthest to the back in the corridor, he held his HK21 machine gun at his shoulder and had time to switch the selector to semi-auto.
However, having rushed out from the hole, Pitohui kept moving on the other side of the leader. It seemed like she could not see him at all, but in fact, she saw him well. Such a terrifying lack of any opening.
”s.h.i.+t!”
As a result of having heavy firepower, Jake could not fire.
Having knocked out the leader's pistol, Pitohui suddenly pulled the photon sword in her right hand behind her, pushed the s.h.i.+eld in her left hand forward,
”Shaaah!”
And, letting out a strange voice, she rammed the leader.
”Gah!”
Receiving a direct hit with the hard plate from his chest to his face, the leader was pushed back with terrifyingly superhuman strength, and his feet were moved backwards with no regard to his will.
”Uhi!”
There, he collided with Jake, holding his HK21 at the ready.
The superwoman's charge blew Jake and his machine gun backwards.
”Dooon't f.u.c.k with meee!”
Having gained a chance to stop because of this, the leader put all his might into his feet that had regained their grip, planting them firmly on the ground. Clinging to the s.h.i.+eld in front of him with his hands, he used all his strength to tear it out and throw it away.
What the leader saw the next moment was Pitohui holding her light sword in an overhand stance and smiling.
Holding a sword in an overhead stance during an indoor fight was the height of folly.
That was because the sword would hit the ceiling and it would be impossible to swing it. Long ago, there were probably a number of warriors who had subconsciously raised their katana into an overhead stance in a desperate fight but their blades got stuck in the lintel or beams.
But for a photon sword, this was of no concern.
”Well then, die for me, okay.”
Along with mutter-like voice, Pitohui, drawing her left hand closer to herself, instantly swung downward. The tip of the bluish-white light sword increased in speed while smoothly tearing through the ceiling boards, heading straight for the leader's forehead,
”Uraaaaaa!”
But was stopped.
The leader's hands extended skywards and seized Pitohui's hands, which were grasping the handle of the photon sword, from above, stopping the blow there.
The two instantly stopped moving. With practically identical physiques, the two became connected through their hands.
Forcefully adding strength from above, Pitohui,
”Oh dear. How persistent.”
Lifting her arms from below, the leader,
”What's the matter, is that all you've got?”
The two had put all their strength into their arms, continuing their battle of power.
And so, Pitohui's arms slowly went back. The blade rapidly went upwards, until its tip eventually touched the ceiling once again.
Having pa.s.sed right above her, the blade closed in on Pitohui's forehead. The leader put even more strength into his arms, slowly but a.s.suredly pus.h.i.+ng it back.
”Hah! Something as silly as a light sword is, after all, a toy!”
When the leader, glaring the woman in front of him, cried out, the woman gave a smile.
”Oh dear. You're one to talk for a guy who has no interest whatsoever in photon swords. You gun maniac-san.”
”So what!”
”So… you don't know, right? Right right? That this 《Muramasa F9》 has a nice function!”
Pitohui's right thumb speedily turned the dial at the top of the grip to the left. At that moment, the blade of light suddenly disappeared and the two ended up scrambling for a mere rod, less than 30 cm in length──
”Hah?”
Having no clue about Pitohui's intentions, the leader's pupils once again saw the ominous, bluish-white light. More vivid and dazzling than before.
Pitohui's finger began turning the dial even further to the left. This time, awfully slowly.
”Wha──”
The leader saw.
How the festival day toy-like rod that he and the woman had been pus.h.i.+ng with their hands──
Had its blade come out from the hole on the opposite side, giving off a bluish-white light.
And how it slowly but a.s.suredly spread towards his own face.
”Wha! ──Y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
'This light sword is able to bring out a blade of light from either the top or bottom.'
The leader understood that 〝function〟, giving him gooseb.u.mps all over his body.
”Look look…… I'll make it longer…… Long, longer, longest……”
In proportion to Pitohui's finger turning the dial, the blade slowly but a.s.suredly grew.
As the leader slightly lost strength in his arms, Pitohui also loosened her strength appropriately, maintaining the photon sword's angle.
”Wh…… why you madwoman!”
”Oh stop now, the one who knows me best is myself.”
”You find this fun? You s.h.i.+thead!”
”I feel like I was asked the same thing by someone just moments ago, but── yes, of course I'm having fun! This is awesome! You're enjoying life and death too, right? Hei hei!”
The blade continued to grow and grow even during their conversation──
”Pitohuuiiiiiii!”
”Yees, that… is… me!”
The tip of the bluish-white blade of light touched the leader's forehead.
”Gaah!”
*Juri*, with a strange sound, the light sank into his head,
”Gogaaagagagaagagagagagagaah!”
The leader's face became stiff with an expression of mental anguish to such an extent that even the shape of his eyes began to differ.
”Hmm, what language is that? I can only speak j.a.panese and English, ya know. Understand?”
”Biiidoobuuuuuugiiiiiiii!”
The hands of the man, giving a shout of agony as his brain was eroded by the light, suddenly lost their strength. Sluggishly, they dangled down.
”Oh no you don't donncha die on me yeeeeet!”
Keeping the photon sword inserted several cm into her opponent's brain, Pitohui,
”Houraaaaaaaaah!”
Grabbed the leader by his collar with her left hand and charged forward. The leader's back once again collided with Jake, who had somehow been able to get up,
”Fi! Nal! Blow!”
This time, she instantly turned the dial all the way to the end.
*Buon*, with a growl, the Muramasa F9's bluish-white blade instantly grew out to its maximum 100 cm length──
Completely piercing the leader's head,
”Gahah!”
And sinking into Jake's left eye behind him.
From the time MMTM was about to a.s.sault the last room till the final two died──
No other battles were taking place, thus, naturally, the whole thing was broadcast to the bar.
Beginning with the shooting from the hole in the wall at the approaching MMTM till the conclusion was finally reached, the time taken was not even 2 minutes.
Even the spectators, who had been cheering with excitement at the abrupt battle at first──
Growing quiet around the part where Pitohui decapitated the head of a man lying on his face, they went completely silent around the final struggle to the death.
The moment MMTM was wiped out,
”Aah.”
Seeing the two men being joined together by the sword of light, someone said.
”I… won't be able… to eat dried sardines for a while.”(3)
Another person, seeing Pitohui's devil king-like rampage,
”…………”
Was dumbfounded and held the most conflicted emotions about the ordeal.
A woman, who, unlike all others, partic.i.p.ated in SJ2 to save and to kill this Pitohui──
It was LLENN.
At a place about 500 metres away from the log house, hiding in a small hollow she had found in the flat meadow with a camouflage poncho obscuring her, she had been peeking through her monocle.
The entire time since MMTM broke in,
”Aah…… they're fighting……”
She reported the situation of the battle from what she could see through the window to the nearby f.u.kaziroh, and Boss on the other side of the log house.
”Aah, they came to the stairs. Though the masked men are on the second floor── aah, seems like one of them got shot!”
Such as this,
”Explosion in the middle of the stairway! A suicide attack? A suicide explosion? But, MMTM still has six guys……”
Or this,
”Wow, a masked man attacked with a bed! ──A second bed! Aah, there's a machine gun below; run run! ──Shot! ──He died……”
And other such live commentary continued.
Naturally, at the bed part, Boss,
”Is that some kind of name for a gun?”
Replied with such words.
And, upon seeing MMTM, still unscathed, beginning their attack on the room where Pitohui was probably hiding,
”Run run Pito-san run run for now!”
LLENN began muttering as if she were praying and was heard by the other two, but──
From that moment on, she saw something conversely terrifying.
How MMTM, who had been slaughtering them one by one without any decent counterattack.
And how, when Pitohui began to wield her sword of bluish-white light, the scene changed to a picture of h.e.l.l that left her unable to comment as she continued watching through the round view of her monocle.
”Ooi, LLENN. What happened? Did ya fall asleep?”
”LLENN, what's wrong? What's happening?”
Unable to respond to the two voices, she continued watching intently.
Seeing the two men skewered and falling down on the floor the moment the will-o'-the-wisp-like bluish-white light disappeared,
”Hii!”
LLENN returned to her senses.
”What's wrong? ”LLENN?”
”T-they've… been wiped out…… Pito-san… alone… all six of them……”
Just as LLENN finished her report to the two,
”Ah──I have to win against that……”
The cry of LLENN's heart sprung out from her mouth.
When her left wrist suddenly began to vibrate right afterwards,
”Hyaaaaaa!”
Mistakenly thinking that someone had caught her by the wrist, LLENN gave a shriek in surprise and saw an illusion for a moment. An illusion that Pitohui had come crawling through the ground and was smirking as she grasped her wrist. Her heart throbbed as if it had exploded, and she was nearly brought back to RL by the meddlesome AmuSphere.
As her heart continued its barrage, the wrist.w.a.tch on the inner part of her wrist told her that the scan was coming soon.
14:20.
The eighth satellite scan in SJ2 began.
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