Chapter: 127. Shadows, Mud, and Ordinary People.
I cast a quick glance at the watch on my wrist.
It was 6:30 AM.
Then I turned my head to look out of the small window.
A black sky with no sun yet rising. The destination still wasn’t in sight.
How on earth did it come to this?
“Haa.
I tried to hold it in, but a sigh escaped.
Because of that, all the team members inside the helicopter turned their eyes toward me, but everyone kept silent, perhaps sharing the same feeling.
In fact, I wasn’t the only one showing this reaction. My comrade sitting across from me was shaking his legs desperately trying to hold in his tension, and my teammate sitting next to me kept unloading and reloading his magazine.
Even our squad leader, who should have pointed out the distraction, just glanced at us and said nothing.
It’s because he knows well that everyone is feeling anxious.
The worry of heading into a mission where returning alive might be impossible.
I was trained as part of the Special Suppression Unit of the Association and had been deployed on countless missions, but this was the first time I felt this tense.
Two B-Rank Monsters. One A-Rank Monster.
It was like heading out to die.
To call an A-Rank Monster a pun is just like calling it what it is; it’s none other than the Black Marauder. Effectively a 0-Rank, it’s designated A-Rank since it hasn’t attacked during Otherworld Erosion and has no public designation.
Three O-Rank Monsters.
Even looking through the combat records before the establishment of the Association, I’d never seen anything like this.
That’s why everyone is probably expressing their anxiety in their ways.
So, how long has it been since we waited in the silence filled only with the loud noise of the helicopter’s propeller?
“I will give the last briefing.”
The squad leader stood up and surveyed us.
“Our mission is to distract the eyes of our targets to buy time for the evacuation of employees, collaborators, and operatives of the Association located in Nanjido.”
“Is that even possible?”
Someone raised their hand and asked that floating question, representing the feelings of everyone in the squad. Is it really possible? A 0-Rank Monster could wipe us all out with a mere swing of its hand.
“…Honestly.”
In response to that question, the squad leader, changing the atmosphere, continued.
“What we’re doing is not combat but sabotage. Our role is to break things here and there to distract attention; think of it as no direct engagement with the 0-Rank Monster. We are deploying in squad units to create distractions.”
With the calm words of the squad leader, the tense atmosphere started to ease a bit.
“Then, it will be the heroes’ job to engage the monsters and not ours?”
“Yes.”
Though the squad leader said that, everyone’s eyes turned to their own weapons.
Special rounds that are typically not issued because they’re expensive had magazines stuffed full of hundreds of rounds.
Weapons clearly provided for combat.
…You said it’s to create distractions, but conversely, that means there’s a chance the monster might come this way instead of to the heroes.
…That’s the case.
Hearing that, everyone smiled wryly, as if we all knew.
It’s that kind of mission.
One where we pray that we don’t get the unlucky draw among countless squads.
Hundreds of special rounds. All the magical grenades hanging from our belts were just items prepared for a bit of reassurance.
“So, any questions?”
“The main purpose is sabotage, but what do we do if we encounter civilians inside?”
The atmosphere turned grim, but still, pros are pros, and they started asking operational questions.
“There are no civilians in the building.”
“Huh? As far as I know, there are civilians in Nanjido…”
“Legally, there are no living civilians in Nanjido.”
Are you out of your mind?
The squad leader’s declaration caused the already tense atmosphere inside the helicopter to freeze.
…Sounds like you don’t understand what I’m saying, huh? But remember this.
Maintaining the same expression, the squad leader continued.
“In Nanjido, even a child can stab a knife between your flak jackets and steal supplies.”
…Even so.
“Those who have been to Nanjido will understand what I mean. Those who haven’t will soon come to understand.”
At the squad leader’s words, a few others and I turned to look at our comrades.
Some nodded.
Some with wry smiles of agreement.
Though it was a minority, everyone had a wry smile that seemed to agree with the squad leader.
What kind of place is Nanjido that warrants this?
“We’re almost there. Prepare yourselves.”
At those words, I looked out the window and saw a horrific sight.
A building that looked as if a child grabbed random items and piled them up.
Glistening black piles of garbage that seemed to absorb the light of the brightening sun no longer resembled a normal building.
It swayed left and right as if it would collapse at any moment, a twisted sight like a glued photograph disconnected from its surroundings.
There’s no way such a building could exist. I must have seen it wrong.
Thinking that, I pressed my face closer to the glass, wanting to see the building from up close…
“Stop it.”
A hand covered the window, and I startled, pulling my head back.
What just happened?
As if the building was calling me…
“Huh? Captain? Already one person seems hypnotized, so everyone put on your gas masks.”
Hypnotized?
Surprised by that, I took off the gas mask that I had thrown on top of my head, feeling suffocated.
Though it’s called a gas mask, it’s actually an all-purpose protective equipment against basic mental and illusion magic.
Following the captain’s command, I adjusted the straps of the gas mask and equipped myself again before glancing down at Nanjido, which was now closer.
Through the glass of the mask, I saw a derelict building made of haphazard wood panels, metal scraps, and crumbling concrete.
The illusion of the black building from before faded, leaving only the precarious structure that seemed ready to fall at any moment.
Yet, my heart raced strangely.
Was that truly an illusion?
“40 seconds until we breach!”
There’s no point in pondering the question. It’s too late now.
“20 seconds!”
The door of the helicopter opened, and cold wind flowed into the cabin, cooling my heated body.
“10 seconds!”
I could see the door before me.
Not a rappel but a direct entrance through a door on a high-rise building…
Really, everything is a mess.
I steadied my mind.
Even if it’s a decoy, it doesn’t mean we won’t engage.
As soon as we open that door and enter, there’s a good chance we’ll run into enemies.
Tick.
I moved my right hand and took off the safety from my rifle.
If there were no enemies, I would just put the safety back on, but just in case.
Ready.
“Breach!”
We crashed through the door, and the ten of us charged into Nanjido.
A gray monster leaped toward us as we broke through the wall.
The only parts of the jump I could follow with my eyes were the takeoff and landing. I couldn’t grasp anything in between, but it was enough.
As ten people synchronized, gunfire poured out like rain.
The noise of the gunfire was deafening, but we formed a fire net without caring.
My area of responsibility was the middle part of the hallway.
Since I couldn’t aim, the ten of us filled the hallway with bullets as one.
Could the monster see that? The monster leaping toward us swerved back mid-air and leaped backward.
Telekinesis, perhaps?
The captain’s prediction was spot on.
If I had taken a normal aiming shot, someone would’ve been hit due to that bizarre assault.
And all of our predictions were right.
A single scatter grenade shot by the Expert Soldier.
Amid the rain of bullets, there was one shot that stood out.
That shot rolled across the hallway and landed right under the monster’s feet.
It exploded.
The magic-etched scatter grenade, exploding without producing a flash or smoke, allowed us to visibly track the damage the monster sustained.
The front legs were lost.
The lower body vanished.
Effectively neutralized.
Confirming that, we quietly aimed our barrels at the monster and slowly began to move forward.
One step, another step. Slowly. Ready to deal with any special circumstances.
We reached the weeping monster.
The teammate at the front aimed the gun at the monster’s head.
The dry sound of a gunshot echoed in the hallway.
Following the shot was a small explosion created by the special round.
Thus, the head and brain matter of the B-Rank Monster were splattered across the hallway.
It looked like it was definitely dead, but we kept our guns trained on the corpse.
Though we had neutralized it according to protocol, judging by the fact that it is an Otherworld entity, something strange could happen at any moment.
Had it been about a minute?
…Is everyone alright?
At the swat leader’s signal, everyone lowered their weapons and took a breath.
“Everyone is safe.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It was a bit tough, but it was just a lower B-Rank monster, right? Given the geographical advantage, we managed somehow…”
Boom.
Something black crossed our field of vision, and my squadmate’s voice was cut off.
Once again, something black crossed our field of vision, and he disappeared.
In an instant, two.
Without perceiving anything, people were gone.
Two teammates who had just been talking were slammed into the wall and fell.
Before I could even be astonished.
“Fire!”
At the squad leader’s command, I reflexively assumed position and pulled the trigger toward the black object.
At best, it barely reached my waist.
Small, black, strange something.
It seemed to meld with the darkness, with only its outlines remaining, its red eyes shining without being influenced by the light, moving as if it were shrouded in darkness.
As special rounds exploded all over the hallway illuminatively, the black something simply shook its head and looked this way.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
Amidst the deafening noise of firing, a bizarre sound echoed regularly.
A sound that resembled metal colliding with metal.
Click. Click. Click.
We could hear simultaneous clicks from the remaining squad members’ rifles. No one even checked the number of rounds they had left; terrified of the onslaught, they dumped an entire magazine only to realize a moment later that they were empty.
Just when we reached for new magazines, a black shadow flew in front of us.
I’m going to die.
Just as I thought that.
Ping.
A silver sphere flew in.
“Throw! Retreat!”
Under the command of an almost sane squad leader, we executed our actions accurately.
Six spheres soared into the air.
Blocked by the silver, the black shadow took no further steps.
We dashed through the gap.
We returned down the corridor—returned in an instant, after all the difficulties we had just traversed.
Ka-wham. Boom.
An explosion echoed behind us.
Then, a heat like being burned was felt, but no one turned back except for the squad leader.
“…Let’s get inside!”
The Expert Soldier, who was running ahead, crashed into a wooden door nearby with his body.
Five of us threw ourselves into the room immediately.
“Fire!”
We quickly aimed our guns at the door.
Hoping that the black shadow would vanish.
Concrete dust filled the air.
I couldn’t hear anything.
All I could hear was the ringing in my ears from the explosions and gunfire mixed together.
Click.
The sound might not have been heard, but the emptiness of the magazine was conveyed through my fingers.
With movements etched into my body from countless battles, I inserted a fresh magazine.
As nothing moved, I surveyed the surroundings enveloped in thick dust.
Five.
No, four shadows.
One particularly small shadow.
I pulled the trigger.
The recoil reverberated through me.
The small shadow vanished.
One large shadow remained.
Bang.
Through the ringing in my ears, I heard a crash.
And then, only gray dust remained.
Was it perhaps from the impact of the recent collision, or did the shock wave clear up the gray dust?
I saw it.
The black entity.
In the shape of a child,
Twisted.
“Hey there.”
Its eyes turned toward me.
The pupils narrowed.
It opened its mouth.
Its blood-red mouth stretched wide.
I fired my gun.
Not at where it was, but where it was expected to move next.
I don’t know why I made that choice.
Was it a reflex honed from countless battlefields, or a momentary miracle?
Countless bullets ricocheted, but just one bullet pierced through.
The bullet, which should have missed, discharged its propellant and accelerated, burying itself into the monster’s eye.
Perhaps it was all just coincidence.
Even if it was a mere coincidence, the bullet hit.
And along with the voice of the girl.
The bullet exploded.
Splatter. Splatter. Sploosh.
Something blood-red sprayed everywhere.
As if to symbolize that the child was not human, something mud-like.
Leaving only the underside of the chin, where the head had vanished, only bubbling remains from the lungs generated gas.
It was a gruesome sight, but a strange thought swirled in my head.
This was worth a lot.
Just one stroke landed, and yet, we blew off the head of a monster we could never capture even if we charged at it with a truck.
Then… shall I go?
With a wry smile of being the sole survivor, I took a step.
Beyond the door, into the hellish Nanjido.
I leaned against the wall to cross the broken threshold.
“That’s too much, really.”
Stuck above, a girl’s head was looking at me.
Blazing white flames erupted from her head.
Having understood nothing, I lost consciousness.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.