Chapter 55 - How The Fight Ended (2/2)
She thought that she should say something to Akira to convince him. Although she still had no idea what to say, she already took a step out from behind s.h.i.+ori. But since he stopped her from going any further, it also stopped her from saying anything. As such, she could only repeat what she wanted to say inside her head.
[s.h.i.+ori only tried to kill you because she wanted to keep me alive. So please forgive her. I know it’s my fault, I know that it’s because we didn’t believe your words that the table was turned and you almost got killed although you already won that fight. I’m really sorry, so please forgive us.]
Reina frowned as she realized what she had to say to Akira. She finally understood the graveness of her mistake.
Although it was hypothetically speaking, Reina thought that if it was Katsuya rather than Akira who was in front of her, he would have just smiled, or at least looked slightly annoyed, and forgave her and s.h.i.+ori.
s.h.i.+ori suddenly collapsed, the accelerator already ran out of its effect. The backlash caused all the acc.u.mulated tiredness to a.s.sault her body at the same time. Although she was able to somehow stay conscious, she could not stand up from the ground.
With this, Akira knew for sure that s.h.i.+ori’s accelerator had worn off. Her face was filled with hopelessness since he could easily finish her and Reina off now.
Reina panicked and quickly ran to s.h.i.+ori, she then tried helping her to stand.
“s.h.i.+ori!? Are you okay?!! Hang in there!!”
s.h.i.+ori was trembling meekly as she glanced at Akira, Reina was supporting her so that she could stand. She saw Akira lower his rifle while looking toward the hallway.
When s.h.i.+ori collapsed, Alpha said to Akira.
“Akira, it’s okay to lower your rifle now.”
“Is that so? She still has spare accelerators, right?”
“I won’t make that mistake of allowing her to take more accelerator in this situation. But of course, I also don’t mind if you want to shoot her instead. I don’t think she would fight back in this situation if you shoot her.”
“Nah, that would be a little bit too cruel.”
“In that case then, let’s get ready to face the next problem. I still can’t confirm the situation in this area since the effect from the jamming smoke has yet to completely disappear. So don’t drop your guard.”
“How long will it take before the jamming smoke is completely gone? Will it be gone if we just wait for a bit more? Or will it still stay here for a few hours?”
“I don’t know for sure. It depends on the type and the composition of the smoke as well as the topology of the area. But one thing for sure is that it’ll stay longer down here compared to when it’s on the surface. We’re in an enclosed s.p.a.ce after all. It’s faster if you try to confirm it yourself, let’s try if you can contact the HQ or not.”
“You’re right, let’s at least start from there.”
Akira who was watching the hallway suddenly turned to Reina and s.h.i.+ori. Reina flinched seeing that.
Reina thought that she should at least say something to calm Akira down. Thus she tried to squeeze out anything that she could think of in a panic.
“Uhh, uhmm…”
But Akira quickly interjected.
“Try calling the HQ.”
“Eh?! Uh…”
Reina was surprised when Akira suddenly said that. There was obviously a gap between his behaviour and what she was expecting, as such, she was so stunned that she froze.
Akira repeated what he said.
“Try to call the HQ now. The effect from the jamming smoke might have weakened, you might be able to contact the HQ. So, can you try calling the HQ? That guy shot and destroyed my terminal. So try contacting the HQ in my place. Do it, quickly.”
Akira strongly urged her, so Reina operated her terminal in a fl.u.s.ter.
“I still can’t get any connections. I think it’s because of the jamming smoke.”
s.h.i.+ori reported the result to Akira before Reina could. She was already trying to contact the HQ when she was back to her senses.
Akira immediately told them what to do next.
“Let’s head to the HQ for now. Keep trying to contact the HQ on our way there. Let’s go!! Move your legs!! Quickly!!”
s.h.i.+ori immediately understood that there was no need to be worried about Akira. At least, it did not seem like he was thinking of causing a scene here. Which means, it would be best for them to follow his instructions. It was also the best for Reina if they could contact the HQ or at least meet up with the other Hunters. s.h.i.+ori, who had already calmed down, came with such a thought.
“I understand. Milady, let’s go.”
s.h.i.+ori grabbed Reina, who was still confused, by her hand. But she suddenly collapsed again.
“S-s.h.i.+ori!?”
“I-I’m alright. Milady, we should hurry up and leave this place too.”
s.h.i.+ori’s whole body was screaming in pain from the backlash of the accelerator. She was barely able to move thanks to her augmented suit.
Her tired body felt like it was as heavy as lead, the stinging pain that ran through her body was telling her to stop moving and her tired brain was trying hard to shut down.
s.h.i.+ori used her sense of loyalty in order to maintain her consciousness. But she knew it was only a matter of time before she reached her limit.
She was obviously in pain as she was pus.h.i.+ng herself past her limit. The fact that even Reina could tell showed her current state. After all, she normally would be able to hide it from Reina, and Reina knew that too.
Reina was lending her shoulder to s.h.i.+ori. s.h.i.+ori looked apologetic as she said.
“…I’m really sorry, Milady.”
“Don’t worry about it, let’s go.”
Reina looked at Akira, she wanted to ask him if they could take a short rest. But she stopped when she saw his expression, she knew that he would just turn her suggestion down.
Akira, Reina and s.h.i.+ori quickly left that area.
When Yajima’s friends, Kain and Nelia, finally arrived there; Akira, Reina and s.h.i.+ori had already left the place and were on their way back to HQ.
Kain was using a large-sized heavy-armour-type augmented suit, better known as a powered suit. Although the underground hallway was rather wide, his powered suit almost blocked the whole hallway.
It was equipped with 2 extra arms in each side and all of those 4 arms were carrying heavy weapons. The lower part of his powered suit formed reverse joints. Although it was a type of augmented suit, it was closer to a battle-oriented mechanical suit for a cyborg.
Kain folded all his mechanical limbs and stored them into the powered suit’s torso. Unlike the augmented suit for cyborgs that made its user look like a normal human from the outside, it was obvious from the first glance that this was a mechanized augmented suit that only a cyborg could use.
Their original plan was to have Kain and Nelia guard the truck after the relics were carried to the surface. That was why they were heavily armed, but they could not wander around the underground city with such equipment. After all, the underground work was actually Yajima’s job.
Kain and Nelia came into the underground city through the hole that was originally created for carrying out relics. At first, they planned to open that hole after the relics were transported into its position. But there was a change of plan and they had to open that hole sooner than they scheduled, they already carried as many relics as they could to the surface.
Kain looked over the area and said.
“I found Yajima’s body… Or to be more precise, it’s a pile of destroyed cyborg body that I believe belong to Yajima. Since his head is blown to smithereens, well, he’s dead for good, no doubt about it. It’s not like we can just carry his brain either.”
Nelia replied back lightly.
“You’re right. He was a pretty useful guy, but it’s not like he can help us with anything now that he’s dead. Let’s just go back.”
“What are we going to do with the relics in this area?”
“Did you find any other corpse other than Yajima’s?”
“Nope, none at all.”
“That means the person who killed Yajima is still alive and has already left this place. Which means that the HQ at least knows that there was a fight here. I’m sure they’ll send some Hunters here to check this place. So, after knowing that, are you planning on carrying the relics from this area while fighting those Hunters?”
If Kain’s memories served him right, Nelia and Yajima should be lovers. But it seemed like she did not care that Yajima was dead.
“Are you not thinking of revenging him or something? You guys are lovers, right?”
“Me? I don’t let myself stuck in the past.”
Nelia answered back casually.
Suddenly, some Hunters also arrived in that location. The HQ found it suspicious that Akira did not contact them again after that, as such, they decided to send some Hunters to check that area.
Of course, it was suspicious to find someone equipped with a powered suit and not showing his location through the shared network. So one of the Hunters shouted at them.
“You there!! What are you doing there?!!”
Kain aimed his heavy weapons towards those Hunters and started shooting without saying anything or giving any warnings. Loud explosions echoed through the underground, the Hunters were showered in explosions and it wiped them out in an instant.
Nelia exasperatedly sighed.
“Good grief, can you do that more quietly?”
“It’s as you can see, I’m not good with details and minute things.”
Some of the Hunters who survived that bombing started shooting back. All of their shots were focused on Kain, but those bullets just ricocheted when they hit his formidable powered suit. Some of the rebounded bullets. .h.i.t Nelia too, but they also ricocheted just like when they had hit Kain.
“Whoah there, some of them ricocheted at me, you know?”
Nelia said those words as if she got splashed by mere rainwater.
“It’s not like I can do anything about it. You should say that to them instead of me.”
After that small and casual exchange, Kain started shooting back at those Hunters. The 4 heavy weapons Kain was carrying unleashed h.e.l.l on those Hunters with its overwhelming firepower. He launched countless warheads toward those Hunters and blew them off together with the wreckages and the rubbles in the area.
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