Bad Born Blood

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Greedy
========================
< Chapter 24 >

Chijik.

From a certain point, static noise crackled through the communicator attached to my helmet.

Whether it was due to interference from the arcane ruins or simply because we were underground, all external communication had been completely cut off.

Step, step.

I moved forward, checking the underground map visible on my retinal display. From far off, the sound of gunfire echoed faintly, resonating like a distant murmur before scattering in all directions. Because of this, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact direction of the gunfire.

One thing was certain: somewhere in this labyrinth, combat had begun. Soon, we would also face the enemy.

Buzzing.

The reconnaissance drone moved first, responding to my hand signal.

It had been about five minutes since we entered the underground. The passage that had initially felt stiflingly narrow had gradually widened enough for vehicles to pass through.

Rustle.

Standing at the corner, I signaled to halt. The platoon members fell silent, stopping in their tracks. They were probably looking at me with puzzled expressions.

Even with the reconnaissance drone equipped with high-precision sensors, there was nothing visible.

‘But something’s off.’

I couldn’t explain it exactly.

It was simply an unsettling feeling that stemmed from intuition. It felt as if my toes had halted at the edge of a cliff. Like taking even one step further would lead to a fatal fall.

The silence lingered as we waited. There was no reaction. Unable to bear the wait any longer, Kodrak moved closer, about to offer some advice.

Ting!

At that moment, there was the sound of a metal wire snapping.

Boom!

A deafening noise erupted from the ceiling, and at the same time, metal spheres came tumbling down. The reconnaissance drone, exposed to the attack, was shattered by dozens of falling spheres. Those that missed embedded themselves deeply into the floor with lethal force.

Had we proceeded without any suspicion, several of us, including myself, might have been killed instantly or seriously injured.

‘A classic trap.’

The simpler the trap, lacking any electronic systems, the easier it was for the reconnaissance drone to overlook it.

“How did you know?”

An astonished Kodrak muttered, though he didn’t expect an answer, and I had no intention of giving one.

‘This is going to be a headache.’

If every passage was going to be like this, our entry would be delayed. I felt a growing impatience.

‘I…’

I was having thoughts unbecoming of a soldier. The self-disgust made me frown involuntarily.

‘…I want to encounter Lilian Ramoness before Ilay does. If that woman is still alive, that is.’

I didn’t want Ilay and Lilian to meet. Ilay would surely try to save her.

Ilay was also an outstanding soldier. If he decided to “expend” his platoon members, he could quickly push through these types of traps.

‘The same goes for me.’

If I placed my platoon members in the lead, expanding them one by one, I could descend to the underground faster than anyone else. If it were truly necessary for the mission, I would have done so. But the reason I was in such a hurry now was purely personal.

I didn’t want to waste loyal soldiers for my own personal emotions and goals.

‘Then I have no choice but to take on the risks myself.’

I closed my eyes and raised each of my senses one by one. When you focus on one sense, the others naturally become dull.

However, I expanded my awareness through the Arkies Combat Method. Thanks to this, I could heighten all my senses to their peak, balancing them evenly. Like flipping a switch, I activated my hearing, touch, smell, and even taste.

I slightly parted my lips and extended my tongue. By allowing the particles in the air to touch my taste buds, I could gather substantial information.

Rustle.

I opened my eyes, half-lidded. Vision holds the most information of all senses. With vision this heightened, it was sharp enough to bring on a headache.

My brain processed the overwhelming flood of data from my enhanced senses. My awakened mind craved energy voraciously.

Thump, thump, thump.

As my heart pounded harder, my blood vessels expanded. The surging blood constantly supplied glucose to my brain.

‘I’m going in.’

I gestured silently and moved forward.

Suddenly, I found the sluggish movements of the platoon member following me bothersome. Though, in truth, he wasn’t even that slow.

Damn it, it irritated me. Everything around me suddenly grated on my nerves. My anger surged to the point where I wanted to smash Kodrak’s face with my elbow. Emotionally, I wanted to kill him.

…All of this was because my brain was under severe pressure. Knowing this, I forcibly suppressed my emotions. The irrational and unreasonable anxiety and rage I felt now were simply the cost of this power.

My brain, overwhelmed by pain, seemed ready to scream.

Certainly, there was a reason that prolonged training in Arkies Combat Method drove one’s mind to the brink. Everything breaks when pushed beyond its limits. I had vaguely understood this, but now I felt it firsthand.

‘On the battlefield, the information one must process increases drastically.’

It seemed my men had sensed my fierce presence. I, too, sensed their unease.

Bang!

I swiftly reached out and fired my handgun. The automatic turret mounted on the ceiling shattered. The moment I detected a threat, I eliminated it like a machine.

After passing through the corridor guarded by the automated turret, a door appeared. Kodrak didn’t even bother to warn me about the danger anymore.

With my left hand, I drew my blade and sliced through the hinges, then kicked the metal door straight ahead.

“Graaah…!”

A scream echoed briefly before it faded. The rebel hit by the flying metal door was flung back against the wall, crumpling on impact.

“This…!”

The enemies’ voices came out in short gasps. My actions had been so fast that they couldn’t keep up.

I leapt in without hesitation, shooting and slashing as if I knew their positions in advance.

Swoosh!

My blade grazed a rebel’s neck. The severed head dropped lightly, and I kicked it, sending it flying into the face of another enemy standing dumbfounded. The guy seemed weak-hearted; as soon as he caught the head, he slipped and fell backward.

In the midst of this, one rebel soldier, who at least looked like a veteran, moved his gun toward me, attempting to take aim. But getting a bead on me was impossible for him.

I used my high energy output prosthetic limbs to dart between the walls and ceiling. My position never aligned directly with his line of fire.

Suspended in midair, I calmly pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet pierced the forehead of the rebel who’d been aiming at me. As I landed, I stepped on the head of the nervous one who had collapsed earlier.

Crunch!

Under my foot, the enemy’s skull shattered, and his flesh squashed like tenderized meat.

All the rebels beyond the door were dead. I swung my blade in the air, flicking off the blood.

“…Stop standing around like idiots and keep up.”

I spoke as if I were angry. In truth, I was indeed angry, though the exact target of my anger was unclear.

This level of emotional outburst was inevitable. Right now, my nerves were so sharp that I felt like screaming for no reason.

A platoon member who’d been watching like an onlooker crossed through the door belatedly, wearing a reluctant expression. Without understanding why, they followed behind me in silence.

The same situation repeated twice more. Leading at the front, I dealt with enemy ambushes and surprise attacks on my own. Even Kodrak eventually dropped any trace of concern, looking at me with a mix of disbelief.

The subtle hostility the platoon members had harbored toward me had vanished entirely.

This was my way. Or rather, the Empire’s way—to press down and gain compliance through sheer force.

* * *

As we descended further, the underground of the fortress expanded even more. There were places where corridors branched off into rooms on either side. From here on, it wasn’t just a corridor; it was an inhabited area, where people moved and conducted their activities.

And with that, the resistance intensified. Rebels, taking cover in the spacious areas, unleashed fierce firepower.

‘They’re establishing a defensive line here. A good tactical decision.’

Our advance, which had been cutting through with unstoppable force, was halted at the entrance to a large open chamber. Using a mirror, I checked the enemy’s defensive line.

Bang!

The mirror shattered from a bullet, but that brief glance was enough.

I reviewed the image I’d committed to memory, like a photograph. There were about a hundred soldiers in the defensive line. Behind them were retreating non-combatants, including some who looked like nobility.

‘We’ve caught up to them. Lilian might even be among them.’

I considered how best to break through.

“Sir, reinforcements should be here soon. The other platoons entering from different routes will probably converge on this position. Or we might have a platoon approaching from the rear, given the layout of the passages on both sides.”

Kodrak, undeterred, offered his advice once more. His persistence deserved some credit, and he had a point.

But our platoon’s advance had been faster than the others. It would take quite some time for another platoon to catch up with us.

‘Waiting might be fine, too.’

I closed my eyes to cool my head. I had pushed myself hard. It had been a long time since I’d driven my brain to this extent. My nervous system was under strain, close to the level of pain tolerance training.

Yes. Right now, I was essentially torturing myself.

Bang!

Gunfire rang out from the rebels’ defensive line, though it wasn’t directed at us.

There was commotion behind the rebel line. Just as Kodrak had said, there was another platoon approaching from the rear.

It seemed that there was another platoon that had managed to push through the underground labyrinth at a similar pace to ours. And I knew exactly who that would be.

‘Ilay Carthica!’

I bit my lower lip, sure of it. Aside from me, the only other platoon leader who would rush this much was him. Even if the others had the capability, they would have matched their pace to the average of the other platoons.

In any case, the enemy’s firepower was now divided between the front and the rear.

“Now’s our chance. We’re going in.”

I quickly gave the signal. The moment I ordered the entry sequence and the directions for engagement, we surged forward.

Two soldiers carrying shields the size of their bodies took the lead. Each platoon had one shield-bearer, though it was a position often avoided due to the high mortality rate.

We pressed tightly behind the shield-bearers as we advanced through the narrow passage. The moment the narrow corridor opened up, we would split off and begin our counterattack.

Bang! Boom!

The enemy firepower pounded relentlessly against the shields.

It’s hard for a single type of metal to withstand explosions, gunfire, and even energy weapons. That’s why the Empire uses layered shields made by stacking metals with different protective properties.

But they’re not invincible. The multi-layered outer surface was breaking down under cumulative damage. It wouldn’t hold for much longer than a few seconds.

“Wait, not yet… just a little more.”

From behind the shield-bearers, I assessed the enemy. I categorized them by threat level and identified the lines of fire from high-power weapons. There were about eight weapons that could take me down in a single shot.

“I’ll advance to the center. Once they focus their fire on me, spread out to the sides and find cover.”

Kodrak’s eyes widened at my command. But I was already preparing to leap, my hand gripping the shield-bearer’s shoulder.

Kodrak was a capable lieutenant. He’d follow my lead without missing a beat.

Whish!

I vaulted over the shield-bearer’s head, curling my body to shield my head and torso.

Ting!

Light gunfire couldn’t penetrate my limbs. The real threat was the high-power weapons, so I timed my move for when about half of them were in the middle of reloading.

Thud!

The moment I landed, I pushed off the ground, charging forward. I had about two seconds to go straight ahead without issue. The startled enemies unleashed a torrent of fire toward me.

I ignored handgun and rifle shots. With my helmet and chest armor, as long as I protected my face, I’d be fine. I covered my neck and head with my left hand while raising my handgun with my right to aim.

Bang! Bang!

I targeted the soldiers aiming high-power weapons first. With each shot, they collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.

Screams and panic rippled beyond their defensive line.

I fired methodically, following the order I’d pre-determined. Not a single high-power weapon from the enemy had a chance to fire.

‘Neutralize immediate threats first. That way, no matter how many enemies there are, it’s like facing only a few.’

In theory, anyone with a prosthetic as advanced as mine could do this. But in reality, nine out of ten would fail. Real combat has countless variables, making it impossible to achieve perfect precision like a choreographed routine.

But if you could account for all those variables, the story changes.

Arkies Combat Method.

That’s what made the impossible possible.

…This was as far as my role went. Taking advantage of the focus of fire on me, my platoon had moved into position.

They advanced, spreading out to the left and right. They were breaking through the defensive line smoothly. Compared to the rebels, our Suppression Force was elite, and we had far superior equipment.

That didn’t mean we were without casualties. One soldier had died, and three or four others were injured badly enough that moving was difficult. Still, considering the scale of the victory, the damage was minimal.

“S-Surrender! We surrender!”

As I reached the very front of the defensive line, a man who looked like a nobleman shouted out. He and the remaining soldiers surrendered.

“Kodrak! Restrain them!”

I accepted their surrender, restraining my intense urge to decapitate the nobleman. He would die after enduring unspeakable torture anyway. If he had any sense, he’d have taken his own life instead.

I left the handling of the prisoners to Kodrak and advanced further. The defensive line on the opposite side was nearly cleared.

A moment later, I could see the platoon that had broken through from the rear of the enemy’s defenses. As expected, it was him.

“Ilay.”

At my voice, the figure standing among the corpses lifted his head. He looked at me with a bloodied face. His welcoming smile was gentle, but it was a mask.

“I figured it was you fighting on the opposite side, Luka. Looks like you kept a good number of your platoon alive. I’ve thought about this before… you’re surprisingly soft-hearted.”

I looked past Ilay’s shoulder. Only about a single unit from Ilay’s entire platoon remained. He had “expended” nearly half of them to get this far.

“Join up with us here and regroup, Ilay Carthica.”

I said, and at my words, relief spread across the faces of Ilay’s platoon members. It seemed they’d really pushed themselves to the limit to get here.

“Luka, remember I said I’d ask a favor soon? It won’t be a difficult one. Take care of things here. I’ll keep pursuing.”

I sensed the urgency in Ilay.

“…Did you see something?”

He had likely found a trace of Lilian Ramoness or seen her in person.

Ilay gave an awkward smile, rubbing his blood-stained neck.

“Haha, I think I’ve been around you too long. You know me better than my own family. Well then, I’ll be off.”

Before I could even try to stop him, Ilay rallied his platoon and headed further down. If I were alone, it’d be one thing, but as a platoon leader with subordinates, I couldn’t just follow him immediately.

“Hah…”

I exhaled and sat down briefly, reaching for my canteen to take a drink.

‘Damn you, Ilay Carthica. And damn you, Lilian Ramoness.’

I didn’t want to care. But it lingered in my mind, gnawing at me.

Crack!

I didn’t even get a sip of water. Unintentionally, I’d gripped the canteen so hard that it burst in my hand.

Swipe.

I wiped the water from my face with my palm.

There was no time for hesitation. In battle, decisions must be made quickly. If I’d thought about it, I needed to act on it.

“Kodrak!”

At my call, Kodrak came running.