Bad Born Blood - Chapter 176



Only Noblemtl

176

I drove Ernest to a deserted alley, where I could finish the work without anyone noticing.

Ernest also seemed to feel uneasy, as he occasionally stopped walking and spoke to me.

“Do you need money?”

“You studied hard, but you’re talking nonsense. Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t need money?”

“… … But, if you need money, targeting me wouldn’t be the right answer, right?”

Ernest tried to respond calmly and did not panic in this situation.

‘He must have a fairly sharp judgment, since he committed so many murders and didn’t get caught.’

I shrugged.

“I don’t know what’s right or wrong. Aren’t they all the same rich families anyway?”

“My family is a family of politicians. We have influence, but we don’t have a lot of cash right now. If we need money, there are many people who are easier and easier to target than me.”

“So, in simple terms, are you a worthless hostage?”

“Compared to the risk of kidnapping me. If you just back out of here, I’ll give you all the cash I have available. Isn’t that a nice bit of work for a little while?”

I held back a laugh. I was acting like I was really a kidnapper out for money and was taking my time.

“How can you guarantee that you won’t take revenge on me later?”

“If you don’t believe me, then there’s nothing I can do. But you haven’t done anything to me yet. There’s no reason for me to hold a grudge to the point of pursuing you so persistently. As you said, I was being complacent. The money I pay you today is a kind of tuition.”

Ernest’s response was quite reasonable. A bewildered kidnapper might have been taken in by these words.

“Hmm… … .”

I pretended to think and stroked my chin. Ernest, who was walking away, glanced back and looked at me.

Kwajik!

As if I had been waiting, I extended my fist and struck Ernest in the face. His nose was crushed.

“I told you to just look forward. Oh no, what should I do? I’ve hurt you. Tsk, if I do this, you’ll have a grudge and chase after me, right?”

Ernest groaned and covered his nose and mouth, from which blood was gushing. He was turning his head quickly rather than raging in pain.

“Ugh, ugh, no, this was my mistake. It’s, okay. Kyaak!”

I hit Ernest’s cheek and temple with the palm of my hand.

thud!

Ernest fell face first to the ground in shock. The bastard’s face swelled up instantly.

“Damn, my hand went out again. Man, at this rate, you can’t help but hold a grudge against me.”

I approached Ernest, who had collapsed and was crying.

Ernest covered his face with one hand. Red blood flowed down his hand. The eyes between them were ferocious.

“You, you punk, what are you doing?”

“hijacker.”

“I wasn’t after the money.”

“Keep your mouth shut and walk. If you make any noise, I’ll break your jaw.”

Ernest stood up with difficulty. We walked through the alley and under the gloomy overpass. The sun was setting, so there was no light on this side, and it was dark.

‘Gabriel will be waiting for you in his car on the other side.’

All you have to do is put Ernest in the car you prepared and go. Then this work is over. I’ve planned the route.

‘Due to the nature of Border City, once you lose track of something, it’s hard to find it.’

Today, Ernest disappears from this place like a ghost.

“Are you planning to kill me?”

Ernest said, This guy has a good sense and is smart.

I kept silent and pushed Ernest forward. He walked slowly, as if trying to buy time somehow.

puck!

I kicked Ernest in the back as if I was pushing him forward. Ernest staggered forward five steps.

“Move. You have nothing to feel bad about. You’ve killed countless people weaker than you. Today is just a day when you’re weaker than others.”

I can sense Ernest’s agitation. His emotions are being revealed so openly. You must be wondering how much of his secret I know.

‘It was a nice suit for a normal person, Ernest. But it was an armor that could be taken off in an instant.’

Ernest’s legs were shaking.

‘My violence has driven a wedge of fear into the ground.’

My violence is unhesitating. I warn my opponent with my whole body that I can kill him at any time. Even the vagrants who are used to aggressive bluffs are scared by my violence. Because I am not bluffing, I am always sincere.

‘Ernest is not a soldier or a warrior. He has never resisted the violence of others. He is a one-sided perpetrator who always stands in a safe place.’

Take comfort in that, Luca. At least you’re a guy who goes after the strong. You don’t enjoy killing people while wielding violence in a safe place.

‘I am different from Ernest.’

At least I’m a better person than this guy. I don’t cross the line to satisfy my desires. I have my own line.

Only by thinking like that can you find the center of your self-consciousness.

… … Several guards came to mind. The guards who had maintained their sanity for a long time had their own line. The line is like an anchor in a storm. If you lose it, you will be swept away by the current and lose even where you are.

Now I am looking for someone worth killing. When I was a cadet, the Empire and the Royal Guard would assign me someone to kill under the name of a ‘mission’. The enemies of the Empire were the ones I could mercilessly kill.

‘But now no one orders me to kill anyone.’

It was all my will. If I kill someone, it is solely my judgment and decision.

‘Be more careful. Even though Matangi is going crazy, I can still control myself.’

I thought of Gaya. I was glad that there was no conflict with Gaya. I had poured out unnecessary hostility and aggression on him.

Okay, I guess I’m recovering too. My rational thinking is becoming clearer.

“Ernest Borel, why do you kill people?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… … .”

Revenge is Gabriel’s, but I don’t mind taking a finger or two for myself.

Woohoo!

I snapped my fingers and struck Ernest’s index finger. It snapped and rattled.

“Ouch, turn it off.”

“Answer straight.”

I quickly pulled out my dagger and stabbed Ernest under his eye. The tip of the blade pierced the skin under his eye and gently touched his eyeball.

“… … Okay, that, that’s enough! How did you not know?”

I slowly put the dagger away.

“How would I know? It’s a bit tricky to track, but you were the one who posted the traces on the net.”

Ernest’s reaction to my words was strange. I also felt uncomfortable as I spoke and opened my eyes wide. My intuition sensed something was wrong.

OMG.

As time in reality stretches out, I seem to hear tinnitus.

‘There’s something I’m missing. Something’s wrong.’

Ernest looked at me with a broken face. I read complicated signals from his face.

‘Doubt.’

I squinted my eyes too. As soon as I grasped the situation, the scattered pieces quickly came back together.

“Damn, you’re not the one who put the murder pictures on the net. Who else knows you’re a murderer?”

“The photo is up? That can’t be… … .”

“You idiot. Isn’t there someone who can clean up your murder? He spread your traces all over the net. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found you.”

I opened my eyes slightly. Events that seemed unrelated were continuing.

“… … There is no such person! I have always been alone!”

Ernest also screamed in embarrassment.

‘Unknown horizon.’

As one piece of information comes in, unknown territory opens up.

Because of the lack of information, I am unable to accurately grasp the current situation. The unknown that is not recognized is extremely dangerous.

But it’s fun. All kinds of dangers are tangible and are about to attack me. It’s a thrilling feeling.

I’ve always felt this way in the past. The boredom was finally going away.

Whoosh!

I grabbed Ernest by the arm and threw him against the wall. I don’t know why I did it right away. It was an instinct, almost a premonition.

Phew!

A silent bullet passed over where Ernest’s head had been. If I hadn’t just thrown Ernest, he would have died.

Excellent, Archie’s intuition. You did it again today.

I looked in the direction the gunshot had come from. The muzzle of a gun was gleaming around the corner at the end of the tunnel.

‘You’re not showing your face.’

I pulled out my auto-tracking pistol. The pistol, with its electronic equipment mounted on the bottom of the barrel, was dragged heavily into my hand.

bang!

I pulled the trigger, aiming the gun in the wrong direction, to ensure the bullet had enough time to complete its wheel orbit.

The bullet that drew a parabolic curve landed in the blind spot inside the corner. But I don’t think the opponent will fall for this kind of attack.

“Stop showing off your tricks and come out.”

I blocked the line of fire as if I was protecting Ernest. The enemy was trying to kill Ernest.

“… … What great judgment. You’ve never used a tracking pistol as your primary weapon, yet you’ve already applied it to this. It feels like you’ve spent your whole life fighting and fighting.”

The enemy showed up, praising me profusely.

Ting.

The enemy dropped the bullet from the automatic tracking pistol he was holding in his hand. It seemed that he had blocked the bullet flying at him with his hand.

I observed the newly appeared man. He was wearing a suit and his eyes were narrowed. He wasn’t glaring at me in particular, but it seemed like his eyes were like that even in normal times.

‘A full-body prosthesis. A high-powered combat prosthesis.’

I was immediately convinced that he was a full-body prosthesis. It wasn’t just because the electronic circuitry glowed like a tattoo along the back of his hands and the nape of his neck.

‘feel.’

There is a subtle difference between a living body and a prosthesis. It is hard to describe, but the small differences add up to a big difference. In particular, the combat body has a high output, so it feels even more heterogeneous.

‘It’s not easy.’

The opponent in front of him didn’t seem like someone Ernest could afford to worry about. But he couldn’t just let Ernest run away.

“Gabriel, something has come up. Come and get Ernest Borel.”

I covered my mouth with my collar and spoke into the communicator. I soon heard Gabriel’s answer. He was coming this way, spitting out all sorts of curses.

“You, you? Foot, foot? Why you?”

Ernest, who had been hit by a wall, came to his senses and recited the man’s name.

The man’s name was Balek. The information came in. The man and Ernest knew each other. The pieces in my head filled in, and the story connected.

“Ernest was just bait to lure me out. You were the one who followed Ernest around and took pictures of his murders. Your public status is probably that of a bodyguard or attendant of the Borel family. It wouldn’t be awkward for someone like that to follow Ernest around. And… … You’re the one who led Ernest to kill Gabriel’s girlfriend, right?”

An expert in Aquis Victima, an acquaintance of Gabriel. These two things had to overlap to reach Ernest. There is no one like that in this world but me.

‘If I show up in Border City, I will inevitably have to come find Ernest.’

That was the design that was made.

“I want to clap my hands, but I’ll hold back. You’re really amazing. I didn’t know you could gather clues and information so quickly and come to a plausible conclusion.”

And I was convinced again.

‘Akses Victima user.’

It was evident from his speech that he had an understanding of the Archies Victory and was a user himself.

Conversations between users of Aikis Bigtima often involve logical leaps. This is because they omit information, assuming that others will know what they are talking about without having to say it.

‘He knows me well, and he was even waiting for me.’

There is only one conclusion left.

“Where is Kinuan?”

Of course, I don’t expect you to answer. It’s just a procedure to throw out the question and see what happens.

“There’s a story I’ve often heard from my master. He said that he had a genius disciple who was even more talented than he was. And he always praised him for using that ability to shake up the empire even more than he had expected. His name was Lucius Custoria.”

“Thank you for explaining it for me, Chatterbox.”

I grabbed the hilt. I’m going to have to use it today.

Chiik, chik!

Sparks flew as the Hwagwangyedo came out of the scabbard. The inside of the scabbard had a high coefficient of friction, so it was roughly pulled out. An ordinary person would not be able to properly draw the sword.

Kiiing.

And the heat rays that had been heated by friction were glowing softly along the blade. The heat amplification was beginning.

Balek raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm, Hwagwang? You’re crazy to use that.”

“Surprised?”

I was struggling.

“No. I think we have more in common than I thought. I was going crazy too.”

Balek pulled out his twin swords from his waistband. The blades were arm-length and sharp, and most of all… … .

Kaaaaang! Kiiing!

Balek clashed his twin swords together as if scraping them apart. The heat rays reacted and began to emit a red light.

“The ones I use are Hwagwangjageom No. 1 and No. 2.”

Hmm, this battle looks like it’ll be quite difficult. It’ll be almost acrobatic fighting.

… … What this means is that if our blades collide, we’ll both die. There’ll be a plasma explosion, and the super-heated blades will fly in all directions.