“Impossible!!”
Venom couldn’t believe it. He yelled and pulled the trigger again, while the black mist jumped in an unsettling manner.
Silver bullets appeared without regard for the direction of the gun barrel and shot out for the masked figure.
They have never failed to kill their targets before, yet in the face of the Mask, they were sent back.
“I don’t believe it!”
That bullet which exacted the judgment of its user was sent back.
Six’x jaws dropped in astonishment. The bullet was deflected to the pedestal, and while Venom was able to move just before impact to dodge, the rifle and some of the floor blew up, sending fragments flying into the air.
『Careful now. You’ll die if you get hit. 』
The Mask kicked the rifle still attached to the pedestal towards the men in formation. It was curious if it was the weight and speed that struck fear in them, or because they feared something else, but regardless, the men split to the sides to open a path, and they watched as it flew past them.
Every one of them imagined it crashing into the wall, so they’d turned most of their attention to the mask, but…
『Please don’t give women gifts like this. 』
When a pair of red arms suddenly appeared and took the gun, the men were visibly shaken.
Their position now was nothing short of fatal before the woman that had appeared. And as the flare of photons dyed the air, Crimson moved.
“T-That’s Crimson of Nameless!?”
By the time the commander recognized her, her targets have already been crushed.
The men had parted to the sides and naturally formed two groups. One was positioned to protect their commander, while the other was simply out of position, so she understandably went for that group instead.
The Red Spear, with a mass equivalent to that of a motorcycle, a burst of photons that propelled her, and a layer of barrier, delivered an impact no different from that of a crashing truck.
The simple exoskeleton the men wore could do little to mitigate the damage.
As a thunderous roar erupted, around ten soldiers fell unconscious in a collapsed corner of the living room.
“Fools! Don’t avert your eyes from the most dangerous enemy!”
Completely caught off guard by the sudden attack and half of them suddenly being taken out, the men blanked out for a moment, but the commander immediately reprimanded them to wake them up. However, for “the most dangerous one,” it was a reaction that came far too late.
『Boo!』
“Eek!”
Like a child scaring someone, the Mask suddenly appeared from up close, scaring the man who happened to be near the front of the group screamed.
No matter how well-trained they were, they knew how dangerous the Mask and was understandably on edge.
The man immediately swung the Apostle Armament he had in his hand. A boon of his training, perhaps, but regardless, that blade – adorned with silver light – was easily seized by the Mask’s black arm. It did not feel at all as though he’d been able to hurt it. Really, it felt the opposite.
“W-What is this!? The Law Ki is decreasing!?”
『Law Ki? 』
The energy contained in the tank on the man’s back was – for some reason – draining at at an abnormally fast pace. In the man’s fluster, no one noticed the Mask uttering that word. But then again, this was a weapon that had shown absolute superiority until now, yet it was failing to work. The shock that brought was not something that could be merely shrugged off.
“Keep attacking! Stop them!”
Despite that the commander continued to give out orders, and his subordinates moved reflexively to surround Crimson and the Mask.
『As I’ve told you earlier, make sure you don’t destroy those tanks. As you’ve seen, even these guys aren’t willing to have those things crash into them. 』
『Would you get off my case if I told you I’ll deal with appropriately? 』
『That’s not a pleasant way to put it, though. 』
『Yeah, because it’s how you talk. 』
『Okay. 』
Yet Crimson and the Mask remained unperturbed. They talked among themselves as though nothing was at all amiss.
It was curious if them acting apathetic to them was in itself an act of provocation or merely that they truly didn’t consider them as an enemy, but regardless, when Six felt the irritation and hesitation among his subordinates, he had no choice but to give the order to attack, while he himself put on his own weapon terminal.
“Tch, do it.”
Bullets, blades, spears, and hammers… All sorts of weapons crashed into the two interlopers, yet their reaction couldn’t be any more different. The Mask didn’t so much as budge while he caught a soldier, and the Red Spear swung around the rifle and its pedestal in her assault.
Swords and spears clad in silver light attacked the Mask, but the soldiers, that sent those attacks, didn’t even have time to realize how strange the sensation was of hitting him before they were sent flying to sink into a bloody pool of their own making.
They were still alive, but the same couldn’t be said for their weapons. It was as though their weapons were destroyed by a similar kind of weapon, and they became unable to maintain their form. At the same time, the men lost a limb.
Perhaps because they were of the same kind of weapon, the rifle, now reduced to a blunt instrument, was crushing both the silver bullets and the silver blades that came at her one after another. One by one, people came to experience her assault that has been likened in their industry to that of the spear.
Even the hammers that clashed with the rifle-blunt weapon in her hands were shattered due to a lack of power.
From time to time, attacks would come from a blind spot, but they would somehow be deflected by Crimson. And the culprits of those attacks would be blown away in the next moment under her assault.
“W-What is that!? We’re being deflected!?”
“Masquerade is one thing, but why is that exoskeleton able to defend against us too!?”
With everything happening nearly simultaneously, Venom and Six let out voices of surprise. Yet no matter how astonished or unbelieving they were, there was no denying the nearly 20 soldiers on the ground before them.
That weapon they were so proud of and believed in so much had been turned into a blunt weapon.
The commander still had 5 soldiers left. These were soldiers that knew how to fight well, but even they couldn’t help but be shaken by the sight of their weapons being so easily defeated.
『I understand that feeling all too well – the irrationality of fighting against someone absurd. 』
『I didn’t touch you with my right hand for no reason, you know. 』
Crimson and the Mask continued to act casually. Crimson was somewhat sympathetic as someone who’s experienced something similar. She even played along with the Mask’s policy and made sure not to kill anyone, yet it hardly seemed as though he was holding back.
Meanwhile, the Mask exuded an aura as though he’d expected this development. It was doubtful if anyone had noticed it, but on the waist of that red exoskeleton was a red that was slightly different from the rest.
It was that small red that protected her.
“Tch, are you telling me that the Silver Bullet is already obsolete for exorcising monsters!?”
『Something on the level of a mere talisman couldn’t possibly have any effect on an opponent that exceeds monsters. 』
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