WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

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◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 191

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Say You Want to Live - 7

On a street where the light had faded, only shadows remained. In the surging dark, Ulfen lowered the hand that had covered his eyes. His eyes were stained with darkness, spread like ink.

"...I realized it a little late, Magician. I won't be fooled anymore."

At first, he had been wary.
Then he had moved the way he always did.
After that, he had stayed alert and made sure.
Finally, he had tried not to fall for tricks.

That whole sequence still dragged him into the Magician's mind games because he had been too cautious. That was why he'd taken a hit.

"From the start, I should've put everything into it and killed you."

But he would not be fooled now. Tricks were not endless, and once a man burned through all the cards he had prepared, he was little more than a helpless body.

Next time they met, no, if he spread his senses and found him right now, the man would fall beneath a shadow blade.

'He erased his presence and hid his body, but all I have to do is find him.'

Just then, a thin voice reached Ulfen's ear. From far down the street came signs of people and a mix of many voices.

At that strange sensation, Ulfen focused his hearing. Soon, he frowned.

It felt as if Amitenggrad itself were speaking.

Countless voices blended together and seeped in like fog. They struck buildings, spread into the distance, and echoed. Dry, precise voices carried like a song.

『Military state communications officer Yuel. Warning all residents who can hear this message. As of this moment, Level 5 Emergency, Pentagram, is in effect.』

『Military state communications officer Dike. A Level 5 emergency has been activated. All citizens, stop what you are doing and focus on this transmission.』

『Military state communications officer Sien. No one will be responsible for any consequences caused by disobeying orders.』

That dry chorus came from rooftops, from inside oddly shaped streetlights, from the clocktower and statues, and from the middle of clotheslines stretched across the street.

The voices were likely dry even before passing through golems, but after bouncing off concrete buildings, they became even more mechanical and spread throughout the military state.

『Warning all citizens who can hear this message. If you are currently inside your residence, do not come outside until this situation ends.』

『Citizens who are outside, lie face down immediately and place both hands above your head. Do not show intent to resist. There is a risk of accidental discharge.』

『This is an emergency. Until the end of this situation is declared, some citizen rights will be restricted. If you disobey instructions, your life and safety cannot be guaranteed.』

The military state did not joke. Which meant the voice delivering this message now spoke only the truth.

The communications officers, the voice of the military state, were warning everyone their voices could reach.

『Tonight is officially a time that does not exist. Forget everything that happened.』

『Stop resisting and lie down where you are. If you show intent to resist, you will be dealt with as an enemy of the military state.』

『To the enemies of the military state. End your futile resistance and submit quietly to execution.』

As if that alone were enough, the warning voices stopped.

Then one clear, crisp voice was added.

『Military state communications officer Captain AB reporting to Major Historia. Five blocks ahead. The target has been sighted at the location where abnormal light output was just observed. I will guide you.』

"Confirmed."

Then came footsteps.

Step. Step.

Studded military boots struck concrete. Iron hit dry ground in a steady, forceful rhythm.

Long, jet-black braided hair swayed behind her. A tall woman with a drowsy, exhausted expression moved alone through streets where everyone else held their breath, her long limbs stretching as she walked.

Silence had settled over the night, yet only her time seemed to flow normally, as if this entire stage had been prepared for her.

She wore military boots up to her calves, her uniform thrown on in the roughest way possible. No cap in sight, two or three buttons undone. Without the uniform, she would've looked like some delinquent.

Yet the single shining star on her chest showed her power.

As she kept walking, she suddenly pressed the muzzle to her own temple without warning. Then, without a hint of hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

Bang. A sharp crack tore through the dark. A flash burst at her temple. The bullet hit her head.

Bullet-deflecting energy could stop projectiles fired from range, but it wasn't very effective against shots fired point-blank. Even after doing something no different from suicide, her attitude was calm to the point of drowsy.

"Ugh... had to run over here without even sleeping... I'm in terrible shape."

In a voice soaked with fatigue, she brushed back her hair. A broad forehead and clean, sharp features were revealed. Dark circles stained her eyes, her lips were dry and cracked, but even under heavy exhaustion she looked nothing like someone fragile.

When she lowered the gun, thud. A powerless bullet dropped to the ground.

The bullet was perfectly intact, like new.

The woman who had fired into her own temple was also perfectly fine, aside from looking tired.

"My head is killing me. Shouldn't have chugged beer just because there wasn't any hard liquor. Tss. They told me to just stay on standby. Knew this would happen. But..."

Was it a sigh, or a complaint? The woman muttered lazily and narrowed her eyes.

The military state's youngest of the Six Generals.

With no career history, she had risen to general by strength alone, the Constellation of the Gun.

Born under the star of the Tyrant King, incarnation of violence, daughter of the military state, supernova.

Gunslinger, Major Historia.

"The Beast King is a beast, so fine. But even the Progenitor is staying quiet."

She raked her hair back roughly and stared straight at Ulfen with cool ash-gray eyes.

"Why is some punk-ass trash so desperate to act up? Is it because you're still alive?"

Right after that, the Gunslinger aimed her gun at Ulfen.

Ulfen felt something strange. He couldn't understand the very fact that a woman who was a major in the military state was aiming a gun to attack him.

As long as bullet-deflecting energy existed, guns were meaningless. Even powerful arrows could be blocked without issue by layering energy over armor, so short, light bullets could never break through full-body bullet-deflecting energy radiating from head to toe.

Maybe that was why. The instant Ulfen relaxed at the sight of the gun,

a gunshot rang out, and almost at the same moment his shoulder twisted hard. Even Ulfen, wrapped in full-body energy, couldn't withstand the impact and staggered back two steps.

Feeling the throbbing pain in his right shoulder, Ulfen spoke with inward admiration.

"...Strong. Worth showing off."

He had not let his guard down. Unlike with the Magician, he was driving his bullet-deflecting energy to the limit, yet the shock was enormous. He had almost dropped the short blade in his hand.

But.

"Still, it's just a gun."

At this level of power, it would be dangerous if she kept her distance and fired one-sidedly.

But what fool, knowing that danger, would keep the distance.

He immediately released Black Shadow Energy and sprinted, skidding along the edge of the road. Straight toward the soldier holding the gun.

With cold, sunken eyes, the soldier fired again and again.

Bang.

Maybe because his body was covered by darkness, the next bullet missed above Ulfen's head. Not only was it weak, it couldn't even guarantee a hit. Could that really be called a weapon?

Bang.

This time it deflected at an angle off his bullet-deflecting energy. Bullet-deflecting energy pushed things away, so unless a bullet hit dead-on, most shots were thrown off line.

Bang.

This one hit the ground in front of Ulfen. Broken chunks of concrete sprayed over him like buckshot, but even that wasn't enough to stop his charge.

And one more shot...

Click, click. A hollow sound rang out. The Gunslinger frowned, raised the muzzle to her eye, and peered down it. After checking inside, she muttered.

"Ah. I'm out of bullets."

How idiotic.

Was the military state really trying to stop him with a general like that?

'Finish this fast and hide. Taking down one or two generals is easy, but making an enemy of a nation is annoying. I should show them attacking me is a losing move.'

As darkness rolled in like a wave, sweeping away the street's light,

a calm voice came from a golem, as if having no bullets was no problem at all.

『Do you require resupply?』

"Forget it. It'll be over before resupply."

After muttering that, the Gunslinger grabbed the streetlight beside her and tore it off.

The streetlight bent sharply. Its dim glow died at once, and it slammed headfirst into the ground as if twisted by a giant. The glass that held the light shattered with a sound that ripped through the dark, scattering everywhere.

She had destroyed a streetlight with one grip, then clenched her fist as if she had no interest at all in its miserable end.

"Combat Alchemy."

Krrrk.

Low-grade alchemic steel crumpled like paper. The streetlight body that had served the military state for nearly twenty years, hanging light, twisted in the Gunslinger's grip. Metal rasped and collapsed, and the soft alchemic steel mashed like clay.

Low quality, yes, and soft, but it was still iron. Where else would it ever be treated this pathetically?

Only because the one handling it was something that mocked common sense.

Crack. She kneaded the alchemic steel lightly in her palm, then opened her hand again. An unevenly compressed metal sphere sat there.

The captain pointed it out.

『Query. The technique you used cannot be called alchemy.』

"Tch, you're strict. Who cares as long as I make a bullet."

Grumbling, the Gunslinger forced the bullet she had made into the barrel.

It didn't go in. Of course not. Kneading metal like clay in your palm wouldn't produce a perfectly uniform sphere, so there was no way it matched standard size.

At least, not yet.

The Gunslinger muttered.

"If it goes into a gun, it's a bullet."

If you had enough force, standards were meaningless.

She put strength into her hand. The parts that didn't fit screamed as they were ground away. Crushed sections glowed red, got cut into the exact shape of the barrel, and rolled obediently inside.

Cut off what doesn't fit. If it won't go in, jam it in. If it resists, push.

Having made a bullet in an extremely military-state way, the Gunslinger spun the gun once and aimed forward again.

"Done."

Making a bullet from alchemic steel had taken barely five seconds.

In that time, Ulfen had closed the distance in an instant. Hidden by darkness, he slid behind the Gunslinger. Cold, refined black killing intent reached for her neck...

Or so he thought, when studded military boots appeared in his vision. The last thing he had seen was an undefended nape, yet a boot from nowhere was growing larger and larger before his eyes.

Ulfen hastily thrust his short blade. Since she had already committed to that kick, he meant to split the leg apart.

It didn't reach. The boot that shot out in an instant smashed his short blade, snapped his arm, then crashed into Ulfen's head and blew him away in one strike.

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