WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 210

──────

A Rigged Game

"Nyaaaak! Kyaaaaaaak!"

"Ghk...! Cat!"

"Good, good! Our Nabi!"

Sharp claws flashed. Historia met Nabi's fierce assault head-on with her own weapon, the bladegun.

Kikikikik, claws and blade crashed together. Naturally, the claws had the advantage. The blade edge chipped, and scratches ran across the barrel. It was level-four alchemic steel the Military State was proud of, but the opponent was too much.

Nabi was a Beast King, and among them, a famously powerful King of Cats.

You couldn't beat a Beast King with raw strength. Even for the Daughter of the Military State, that was no different. She looked like she might hold for a moment, then Historia's arm trembled and she was shoved back.

'What are you plotting, Hui? If you drive a Beast King berserk, you're putting yourself in danger too. Are you trusting that armor?'

But Nabi paid astonishingly little attention to me. With that sharp, threatening bladegun right in front of her, she had no reason to look my way.

Whenever Nabi had a little room and turned her head toward me, I froze stiff and pretended to be a doll. She eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then turned back and threw herself at Historia again with full force.

'Beasts are sensitive to provocation. If I make a loud noise or hurt her, she should back off.'

The bladegun slid along her claws and left a scratch on Nabi's paw. Her fur-covered forepaws were both weapon and shield. The wound was shallow.

Historia took the disadvantage and drove in harder. At the same time, she focused her qi, burrowed inward, and fired.

Explosive Killing Art, Air Burst.

She compressed the air in the muzzle and used that itself as a bullet. The short-range impact blast tore through Nabi's fur and ripped her skin. Startled by the explosion, Nabi's fur stood on end across her whole body.

But she didn't retreat. If anything, her hostility only burned hotter as she pounced on Historia.

A violent force smacked Historia away. Her whole body creaked like a puppet.

She went flying, then landed on her feet with astonishing balance.

'She won't back off... Weird. Not a single part of my plan is working. Hui, is this your doing too?'

No. The lords of all creation made her that way. That's why I should've uprooted them sooner.

'Haa. This is bad. That wound from earlier, and firing all day since morning... I'm out of strength.'

Her swaying body looked unstable. Historia barely forced her disobedient body back under control and fixed her eyes on the charging Nabi. Nabi had no hesitation about using her forepaws, and kept pressing Historia with claws and paw strikes.

Inside that storm of fur and claws, Historia's slim frame shook. She aimed for openings with kicks, fired sudden shots, tried to confuse her with chain and blades.

Nabi either dodged on beast instinct, or endured and counterattacked.

Historia was a technician. A combat expert who could pull off every kind of trick with innate sense. But this matchup was bad.

The King of Cats fought with overwhelming power, and evaded murderous intent and threats on beast instinct alone. Maybe things would change with more time, but for now, she couldn't beat a Beast King. And unlike dogs... cats had no hesitation in attacking.

'I'm going to die.'

For a split second, the word death flashed through Historia's mind. Right after that, her thoughts turned to me first, with resentment.

'So you really intend to kill me, Hui.'

With that bitter feeling, her muzzle swung toward me this time.

Huh. Why me all of a sudden? Don't tell me you're planning to take me down with you.

'Just endure this much... This is my last complaint.'

She had no room to attack me while fighting Nabi. This was, literally, a strike that threw away her life. Close to mutual destruction.

I twisted away in a hurry, but Historia's muzzle tracked me clearly. I saw my thigh through her sight.

Bang.

The bullet flew straight at me. But right before the shot, a shadow stepped in front of me. It was Azzy, cloth still clenched in her mouth.

"Bark!"

Azzy, who had declared she'd protect me, whipped her head and knocked the bullet away.

This was a fight between humans, and the shot wasn't lethal anyway, so she didn't have to block it. But Azzy protected me of her own will.

And in that final moment, when the King of Dogs stopped her from achieving her aim, Historia let out a short sigh.

"...Ah."

Then Nabi lunged at her.

Now Historia was almost rolling on the ground. She couldn't even reset her stance anymore. Her hair and clothes were a mess, and even her consciousness was growing hazy.

To finish her off, Nabi strode forward with the dignified steps of a victor. She looked oddly refreshed, maybe drunk on victory. Her fully extended claws gleamed coldly.

'Is it... over?'

At the moment both Nabi and Historia sensed the end.

Azzy moved.

"Bark bark."

"Nyahaak! Nya, nya?"

In an instant, Azzy stepped in front of Historia and stopped Nabi. Nabi hissed irritably, but when Azzy bared her teeth and growled, she flinched and backed off.

Nabi cried out in protest.

"Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa!"

"Bark, bark. Grrrr."

"Nya...! Nya!"

I couldn't understand what they were saying, but not understanding was probably normal, right? I took the stance of a pure bystander and quietly watched the dog-and-cat conversation.

"Nyaaaaaa! Every little thing is stressful, nya! This mutt...!"

In the end, Nabi gave up on finishing Historia. Her vertical pupils narrowed further, and she snapped her head toward me. That indiscriminate aggression was aimed at me now.

I couldn't read a beast's mind, but I definitely knew how to be afraid of one.

Nabi was about to attack me!

Nabi crouched like she was about to spring at me. Then, just as she uncoiled like a spring to leap.

Azzy, who had already moved in, clamped her jaws around Nabi's ankle and hung on. Still in her leaping posture, Nabi got yanked down and slammed her head into the ground. In a disheveled heap, she shrieked irritably.

"Nyahk! Again! You're in the way again, nya!"

"Bark. Munch munch."

"Nyaaaa! Nyaaaaaa! Don't bite me, nya!"

That bite force was stronger than most bear traps. Caught in it, Nabi acted irritated and wronged, but all she could do was cry pitifully, nya nya, because she was scared and in pain.

Good. Nabi, you were useful. Time to pay you.

I pulled out one mana herb I'd brought as backup and lit it. The moment the familiar scent spread, Nabi's face visibly brightened.

"Tired, right? Here, be good again."

"Nya? Nya!"

Even with her ankle in Azzy's jaws, Nabi stretched her body long and tried to snatch the mana herb. I gave Azzy a glance, and Azzy quietly let go of her ankle. Either way, Nabi came trotting after the herb. I lured her by swaying it in my hand all the way to the box. I flicked the smoking mana herb into the box, and Nabi slipped right inside too.

Smoke rose from inside the box. Nabi slapped the wall of the box with her paw like something bothered her. I nodded and quickly closed the lid.

Then silence returned. The smoking cat went back into the box, and peace returned to the world.

Completely drained, Historia stared blankly at the box.

"...Huh. Right. I forgot. No way a Beast King would fully take anyone's side..."

True enough. Beast Kings were conceptual beings.

I'm not beastkin, so there was no way a frenzied Nabi would ignore only me. I'd just stood there like a steel mannequin and temporarily dropped out of her target list.

Same with Azzy. For whatever reason, she showed unusual cooperation toward me, but she was still the King of Dogs. She wouldn't tolerate some mere cat trying to kill a human. If Historia had given up all resistance, Azzy would've protected Historia too.

The Military State knew that too. That's why they didn't strike the Beast Kings with full force. Unless beasts became hostile to the Progenitor reeking of blood scent, they wouldn't side with us and fight the Military State.

Still, like me, there was always a better way to use them.

So this happened because you're pointlessly strong. Try being frail like me. If you'd given up resisting from the start and left it to Azzy, you wouldn't be this exhausted.

Anyway, after repeated clashes with Nabi, Historia was in tatters. I was still fresh, so I rattled my steel armor and said confidently,

"Give up. It looks like your side is pushing itself pretty hard too, all because of you."

While the regressor and Prelvior clashed, and Tyr and Peerless Spear faced each other, the Gunslinger Corps and the generals were trying to cross the battlefield and reach us.

Right now Tyr and the regressor, who had the matchup advantage, were holding them back. But if even one of them broke through, I'd have to fight one-on-one against a general enraged by the danger to the Daughter of the Military State. Sadly, without preparation, I couldn't even stall for time.

Better to make her give up now.

"...Huh. After killing everyone. You're telling me to give up here?"

"Honestly, if you want to run, you can run anytime, right? You just have to jump off the belt."

That was definitely in the Military State's operation plan. Block the front of the Meta-Conveyor Belt, and if it becomes impossible to hold, throw yourself off. Then our small group would have trouble pursuing.

And if we did pursue, the distance to the main force would close much faster while we'd waste time giving chase. That would favor them far more.

"If you jump off in that wrecked condition, the Gunslinger Corps and the generals will pull back with you. You stay safe, we stay safe. Isn't that win-win?"

"...No, not at all."

But Historia rejected my proposal and dragged her exhausted body to stand in front of me. With a trembling arm, she pointed at me.

"Do you know how hard this clue was to find... and you want me to let you go? If we lose you here, military command might give up pursuit entirely. That can't happen."

Stubborn as expected.

Still, this was about what I expected. Of course I had another proposal prepared for this moment.

And for me, it was much better if she accepted this one.

"Then there's another way, Ria. Want to hear it?"

"...None of your proposals have ever been decent."

"You're not going to listen?"

"Stop testing me and just say it."

'You knew and still got tricked, then noticed and still tricked me back, so why act surprised now.'

As expected. Like a salesperson recommending a premium product, I made her a very gentle offer.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried