Chapter 28: Super Violence
Splat... CRASH...
Rubble, dust, twisted metal, pipes, blood, and gore... all of it rained down, leaving a scene of pure destruction.
Amidst the chaos, a heavy, panting breath could be heard.
"HUUH—!"
The masked man called Rodem stood in a crouch, his feet planted in a pool of blood, hot air blasting from his mask.
Facing him were Shiraki Kei, Akagi Shigeru, Madarame Baku, and Kaji Takaomi.
They had just finished clearing the wire traps and were heading for the third floor.
A moment ago, the slick-backed mercenary had been with them. Now, he was a red smear on the wall, "swatted" there by Rodem.
Faintly, Q-Taro's savage laughter could be heard from Rodem's earpiece.
{Good! Rodem! A perfect landing! Show them what you can do!}
"..."
In that instant, everyone—except for the panting Rodem—stopped breathing. It was as if all sound had vanished, leaving only a suffocating, bloody pressure in the air.
"Ha... huh..."
A second later, Kaji Takaomi could finally hear his own breathing, feel that he was still "alive."
With a powerful sense of unreality, his eyes darted left and right, looking at the others, searching for a lifeline.
First, Baku-san. Madarame Baku's eyes were also wide, staring blankly at Rodem, his thoughts unreadable.
But he was definitely thinking. Thinking so hard that blood was trickling from his nose, though he didn't seem to notice.
Then, Akagi Shigeru. The older man... he seemed as calm as he had been from the start.
Even now, the only change was a few beads of cold sweat on his forehead. His eyes were the same as before—so clean, it was unsettling.
"..."
Kaji Takaomi froze. He couldn't understand those two. He couldn't even read their emotions.
And just then, he heard them both mutter something to themselves—
"This is so much fun!!!"
"Interesting..."
The words were different, but the meaning was the same.
Kaji Takaomi remembered what Baku had said about Q-Taro—"He's seeking pleasure, which means he'll have plenty of openings!"
And these two... no, three of them...
Kaji's gaze shifted. Shiraki Kei had already clenched his fists, settling into a side-on stance, like a modified version of karate.
And this man of superhuman strength... his expression was just like Baku's and Akagi's. His eyes were shining with excitement.
Is he going to... fight? Fight that... 'super-violent monster'?!
Does that mean... all three of them have 'openings' right now?!
This is life or death. The outcome of this gamble is still unknown...
The terror of the unknown, of life and death, festered in Kaji Takaomi's mind, making everything blur.
What shattered the tension was a horrific scream.
"AAGH—!"
The sound came from behind Rodem—from behind the crumpled metal door.
The slick-backed mercenary wasn't dead.
Or rather, he was dying. The door had crushed his lower body, like he'd been run over by a truck. It was almost as bad as being cut in half.
He was only conscious thanks to a final surge of adrenaline.
"You... bastard monster... You'd attack your own men..."
A final, dying rage gave the mercenary an astonishing burst of strength.
He reached for the SMG that Kaji Takaomi had fumbled. It had landed just within his reach.
The mercenary grabbed the gun and, in a desperate, final act, aimed it at Rodem.
"Look out!" The four men reacted, diving for the corners to find cover.
The next second—
"DIE, YOU MONSTER!"
The mercenary pulled the trigger.
DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA!
A stream of bullets tore through the air, spraying toward Rodem.
In a confined hallway, at such close range, even a novice couldn't miss. Rodem should have been dead.
But what happened next was impossible—
Rodem dropped low, his feet pushing off the floor, and he moved. He sprinted through the hallway at an incredible speed, leaping, flipping, occasionally kicking off the walls, even "dashing" along their surface with pure speed and momentum!
SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!
He wasn't faster than a bullet, but he was faster than a dying man's ability to track. The mercenary couldn't hit him.
Bullet after bullet missed. The mercenary's expression turned to one of pure despair.
Finally, the gun clicked empty. The mercenary slumped against the wall, his eyelids fluttering. Rodem was standing right in front of him.
"Please... let me go..."
Hearing his plea, Q-Taro's gleeful laugh echoed from Rodem's earpiece.
{Hahaha... And that's why you're trash.}
{Just begging to live. You give up so easily. You can't forge a new life that way...}
{Only by experiencing suffering... by burning in the fires of hell, by bearing the scars... can you truly be 'alive'! That is 'life'!}
"..."
The mercenary gritted his teeth and fired two more shots.
DAK-DAK!
But Rodem had anticipated it, dodging the last two bullets with ease.
"This... This guy..." Rodem's voice was a low rasp. "He... shot... thirty-two... rounds. It's... empty..."
Q-Taro was ecstatic. {Ooh, amazing, Rodem! You even counted the bullets!}
{Compared to you, Rodem, this trash is just pathetic...}
{Well, that's enough of the opening act.}
Q-Taro gave the order.
Before the mercenary could say another word, Rodem kicked out, his boot connecting with the man's head.
With a dull CRUNCH, Rodem's entire combat boot sank into the concrete wall. The mercenary's head was gone.
Rodem's kick hadn't just pulped the man's head; it had shattered the concrete wall itself.
Unlike [Nioh] Komada's "steel-plated boot," this was no trick. This was pure, inhuman violence.
"Hoo..."
Another hot breath.
Rodem slowly turned, his gaze locking onto the four men's hiding place.
{Run, you idiots,} Q-Taro's voice echoed from the comms.
{[Usogui]? [The Man of the Divine Realm]? Whatever you're called, now is the time to regret you were ever 'alive' at all! Now, fight with all your might... to be reborn!}
{Hahahaha! Run! Run for me!}
"..."
But, contrary to Q-Taro's expectations, after hearing his "sermon," the four—or at least, three—of them didn't run. They stepped out from the shadows.
"Heh. I thought he was going to say something profound. Turns out it was just more boring noise."
Akagi Shigeru chuckled. "When it comes to 'running' or 'dodging'... our guy here has already learned his lesson. He won't make the same mistake twice."
"Right, Kei-kun?"
"..."
From the shadows, Shiraki Kei stepped forward, into the dim hallway light.
He could see many things—
The phantom of Ryu, watching from the sidelines.
The burly phantom behind him, giving him an encouraging shove.
And, right in front of him, Rodem.
"Come..."
Shiraki Kei exhaled, the hot breath scattering the darkness. He beckoned to Rodem.
"Come on. I'll be your opponent."