Bad Born Blood - Chapter 146
Only Noblemtl
146
Swish.
The Emperor’s shadow moves. He lifts his hood and takes off his coat. The heavy coat falls to the floor, revealing his figure.
Gee, ging.
The raw mechanical sound spread quietly. It felt like I was facing a full-body armor.
“you…….”
I was speechless.
The shadow’s body did not belong to any of the categories of armored or full-body prosthetics. However, it was close to a human form for a full-body prosthetic. However, it did not look like a human being for a full-body prosthetic.
“I think I know why you stutter. Are you even aware that you are human?”
The whole body mimics the human body down to its smallest detail, so that we can maintain our human selves.
However, the shadow looked like a scaled-down version of the armored body. The exoskeleton without artificial skin was eerily exposed. Even the exoskeleton looked more like an android than a human skeleton.
Crackle, crackle.
The shadow had no mouth. Until now, the only sound it could hear was the speaker on its face.
‘Like a body of armor, it has no digestive organs.’
The shadow body had no human functions such as emotional expression, eating, and excretion. The shadow brain would have gradually lost its humanity as it adapted to the inhuman body.
As humans, we gradually lose touch with the various emotions, pleasures, and even pains we experience, and eventually we forget them.
His brain has only one function left, the function of combat thinking. His ‘combat brain’ has only that function left.
‘That man’s language skills are poor… ‘
This is probably because most of the brain area is allocated to combat. Our brain structure is like that. If you abnormally increase other functions, other functions will decrease.
The name Shadow Guard was not wrong.
“You were originally a member of the guard, weren’t you?”
In the words of the guardsman who was eaten by the Legion. That was the Emperor’s shadow.
Kiririk!
The shadow pulled out his weapon without answering. It was a long, curved sword.
“Ha, haha. Since your ego is blurred, you won’t disobey orders. Your fighting ability will be outstanding! Very good! Damn it!”
A bitter smile came out of me.
The Legion was not the end of the guards. There were truly terrible monsters. Beings born as humans who became machines.
The shadow didn’t respond to my lament. It must have long since forgotten about emotional exchanges with others. Since its emotional function has been emasculated, it would be indifferent to anything I say.
It is also impossible for them to be active externally. If they communicate with others, their humanity will awaken. They are like tools that are taken out and used only when necessary.
‘If humanity is an obstacle, then humanity should be eliminated.’
This is a great solution. I’m impressed. I want to find the kid who came up with this idea and split his head open.
But there was no denying that it was effective.
Shadows are the most powerful unit of the Empire. They are the perfect soldiers that the Empire seeks. Even the fully armored Legion was only an intermediate level.
‘We adapt sequentially for full-body prosthetics. We start with the limbs and then imprint the prosthetic use on the brain.’
The same principle was used for the Legion of Armored Vehicles. The purpose was to load the brains of well-trained guardsmen into battle machines, slowly degrading their human functions.
The ultimate battle machine, thus completed, was before my eyes.
Thud, thud.
A shadow walked towards me.
Kick, squeak.
The shadow lowered his posture. Then, there was a shock that seemed to explode under his feet. It was a leap using the explosion.
‘ah.’
I couldn’t even scream. The shadow came closer.
‘What is this monster?’
Even my intuition, trained by Aquis Victory, was confused.
He is neither human nor machine. He is a hybrid that has the best of both worlds when it comes to combat. My mind felt empty for a moment. It was the first time I had experienced a blank space in my thoughts since I began training in Archie’s Victory.
It’s dangerous. An attack beyond my common sense and perception will come.
Whoosh!
The shadow’s first strike was monotonous. It swung the large sword horizontally, trying to split my torso.
I jumped back. Even though it was Daegokdo, the speed was so fast that I could feel the vibration of the air.
This can’t be the end. An unpredictable attack will come soon. I concentrated as if I was responding to all variables.
Kick, Kick!
The shadow’s wrists and elbows rotated. And the arms and shoulders grotesquely bent in the opposite direction that was impossible. It was a movement that was outside of the natural dynamics of human movement. The joints moved in all directions without any regard for the direction.
While human joints would be at their limit of motion, the circular joints smoothly transitioned the direction of force.
‘This is foul play!’
There are usually rules to fighting. If your attack fails, you have to defend yourself because your weakness is exposed.
But there was no gap in the bastard’s attacks. He continued to pursue me with consecutive slashes that did not lose acceleration or power due to the rotation of the circular joints.
If you keep avoiding things like this, there will be no end to it.
Ka-Ang!
I held Crux in my hands and blocked the great curved sword aimed at my lower body. I was pushed back in strength and flew towards the pillar.
Kick, bang!
The shadow twisted its body fiercely and chased me as I flew in a sudden leap. Before I knew it, its legs were bent like a cat. The speed at which it was catching up was terrifying.
I tried to strategize while I was flying. I didn’t have much time to think.
In terms of combat prowess alone, he was superior to me in every way. Even my boastful variable calculation ability would be superior to him if limited to a combat situation.
‘The power gained in exchange for giving up human functions.’
Yeah, I have to admit it.
‘It’s overwhelming.’
The normal brain cannot properly use a body that deviates from human mechanics. Even if it does use one, it is avoided as it is inefficient.
As the output and performance of the body increases, it must maintain a human form to improve responsiveness. Therefore, the higher the rank of the soldier, the closer the body is to a human form, while the lower class or lower rank soldiers tend to modify it into an unnatural form.
‘Shadows can remain responsive even when they wear unnatural, inhuman forms.’
They were able to make efficient modifications to their forms, including circular joints and beast-like legs.
Ku- Woong!
As I flew away, thinking, I hit a pillar. Stone chips fell on my head.
‘Well, okay. I didn’t know I’d be using it here.’
I leaned against the pillar and caught my breath. One of my strengths is that I am resilient in the face of adversity.
‘A plan is just a plan.’
There are only a few times in my life when things have gone according to plan. If I had despaired every time, I would have already perished.
I think about it many times, but I didn’t come here with the intention of giving up or dying.
Honestly, I also wondered why I fought so desperately. I made irrational decisions so many times. In the old days, I would have died long ago because of those easygoing decisions.
But I’ve become strong enough to survive even when I make irrational decisions. That’s something to be proud of.
‘… … And because of that judgment, there are people who are with me.’
If I were just a rigid fighting machine, a selfish human being who only cared about my own survival… … .
I would not have gotten Giselle. I would not have seen Grace’s smile. I would not have received Gilda’s help. I would not have known Gabriel’s past. My relationship with Ilay would have ended as a friendship of boyhood.
‘Obey the great current without going against it.’
‘Leaving Heilas to suffer and die.’
‘You can live as a member of the empire while harboring a dark secret.’
But I don’t want to live like that. Cross-dressing once is enough to make a fool of myself in life.
I took out the syringe and put it to my temple. To anyone who saw it, it would look like I was committing suicide. But it was actually a similar act.
Click.
I pulled the trigger.
Thud!
A thick needle shot out and dug into my skull, piercing through it.
Kwuk.
The drugs under pressure are entering my head.
Gulp.
A strange liquid was flowing out of my ears and nose. It wasn’t blood, it was clear liquid. The technical term for it was cerebrospinal fluid. Don’t worry about why it’s already flowing. It won’t make a difference if you know.
The liquid that entered my head is a synthetic drug created through Jin Ga-woo’s own research. As for the effect, it changes the cerebrospinal fluid chemically and turns it into a refrigerant. And it also has an awakening effect due to some additional ingredients.
The reason why human concentration and thinking are limited is simple. The brain, which acts as a biocomputer, cannot withstand heat. If it exceeds 42 degrees, the brain screams, and if it exceeds 43 degrees, physical destruction occurs. Compared to machines, this is a miserable level of heat tolerance.
So if we can control overheating by turning the cerebrospinal fluid into a chemical refrigerant, brain function can also improve.
Here is where the human brain differs from the computer. The body also has problems in low temperatures. If I stop concentrating and thinking from now on, I will have brain damage due to low temperatures. If I fall asleep or pass out while the drug is in effect, I will die immediately.
… … I am now going into a realm that others have not experienced. From here on out, even Kinuan will not know.
Dalgrak.
An empty syringe fell from the floor.
Odd… … .
From that point on, the world became infinitely quiet. It felt like it had stopped.
Woof woof woof.
The sound sounded strange.
I saw a shadow rushing towards me. The large sword he was swinging was slowly hurtling towards the back of my neck.
I had plenty of time to think about my next move. It felt like the world that used to flow in real time had turned into a Janggo board game where I could think carefully.
Just because my mind is fast doesn’t mean my body moves fast. That’s why I didn’t consider using a syringe when I fought Iskan. Even if I had used a syringe back then, my brain and body wouldn’t have been able to withstand it, so I would have died instantly.
Anyway, even after I threw in a lot of random thoughts, I still had some free time to think.
‘Your mind is so clear it’s scary.’
This is what it would feel like if you split open the skull, took out the brain, and washed it in ice water. Although you can’t actually do it.
‘How much will it cost me?’
The world is cruel. Especially to me. Some people are born with a lot of things. But I always had to lose something to gain something else.
That’s enough emotional thinking.
Now let’s get moving.
Kaaaaaaang!
I lightly deflected the curved blade with my Crucis. Thanks to my concentration that was almost like standing still, I was able to strike at the exact angle.
Kaang!
I held Crux firmly and faced the Great Curve of Shadows. A loud noise erupted as our swords clashed.
Because of my sensitive hearing, I felt like vomiting whenever I heard something metallic. Normally, I would have held it in, but now I just threw up.
Blood-stained vomit poured down toward the shadow, but the thing and my limbs continued to move without stopping.
Kiiiiiing!
I dragged the Crucis that had collided with the Great Valley to the side and let it flow away.
Kwa- Ang!
Then I lifted my left foot and aimed for the shadow’s head. The shadow blocked my kick with its right hand and then tried to grab my ankle in return.
Whoosh!
I quickly bent my knees to avoid his grab.
I wanted to laugh. I didn’t know this was possible! It was a crazy quick decision. I felt like I could do anything I wanted. I even felt omnipotent.
The output and performance of my body are far inferior to that of the Shadow. Originally, it was not an opponent that could be fought on equal terms in a head-on fight.
‘Even I think this is pretty cowardly.’
I was able to delay judgment and decision until the very end. It was like watching every move of the enemy and moving accordingly.
‘There is no need to fight with probability and inference. Just observe until the end and respond to the confirmed enemy’s actions.’
The situation was too favorable for me. Thinking that way, I lost interest again. It’s only fun when things are somewhat equal. Of course, this kind of thinking itself is absurd.
Stop.
I heard something snap in my head. And my vision went blank. There was no information or signal coming from the artificial eye either.
… … It looks like the optic nerve connected to the eyeball has just been damaged. I am now blind.
Now it’s starting to get a little fun, you idiot.