Bad Born Blood - Chapter 7



Only Noblemtl

007

Blood was flowing out of Claude’s face, his head impaled on a window. His brain was dead, but his body was trembling with residual signals that resembled thoughts.

There was no time to pray for the repose of his soul.

Woohoo.

The spear embedded in Claude’s head glowed again. That light was Force aura. A thread of aura connected to the knight’s hand. With his entire body in armor, it was hard to tell what the Force catalyst was.

The knight’s spear turned into light again and came out of Claude’s head.

Swish!

Light passed through the space. The spear, which had already taken physical form, returned to the knight’s hand.

Creak, creak.

I felt a headache. My right prosthetic eye went into combat mode, trying to predict the trajectory of the spear. All it could think of was countless errors.

It couldn’t be calculated. The Force’s ability to break free of the laws of physics was incalculable. The Holy Knight of Korra warped space and turned matter into light.

‘Let go of the meaningless calculations.’

I turned off the orbit prediction function of my right eye and ignored it. I had to rely on my gut feeling and intuition, not the computer’s calculations.

bang!

There was a gunshot. The cadets who were covering me and Claude started shooting. They were moving and trying to get closer to me.

We are capable soldiers. However, a fully armed paladin was no match for our fighting power. His fighting power was on par with that of a guardsman wearing the Legion.

Even if you run away, you can’t escape the paladin’s hands. You have to fight to buy time.

‘The guards will come to assist.’

The guards who were watching us would be running towards us now. The wait would only last about ten seconds. However, those ten seconds felt endlessly long.

Woohoo!

The knight’s spear was shining again. It was hard to tell when to dodge even though I could see it clearly. But I couldn’t hesitate.

I crouched down with my legs and body. Then I just jumped and rolled to the side.

WHEEK!

A window appeared where my head had been. The light of the Force followed, trailing behind me like a tail.

I wanted to check the paladin’s next move, but even dodging the spear aimed at my back was a hassle.

Kick!

The floating window rotated and changed direction. Its tip was pointed at me. It seemed impossible to avoid it. After Claude, I would die.

… … Yes. I was defeated before the fight. I thought I couldn’t handle it, so I just ran away and ended up in a dead end. There was no pig that was dragged to the slaughterhouse.

If the enemy swings his sword, I must swing my sword too. That’s how you survive on the battlefield. If you turn your back, you’ll just get a bullet in the back of your head.

I held the hilt of the sword with both hands. The circuitry of my prosthetic hand glowed red like blood vessels under the artificial skin. I turned up all the power.

Before the window disappears… …I hit it first.

Ka-Ang!

I advanced and slashed the spear floating in the air with my sword before the Force light could completely envelop the spear.

Kwaaang!

My interference caused a Force explosion. The spear, having lost control of the Force, spun around and around before crashing into the ground.

Dismissal, dismissal.

The artificial skin on my prosthetic arm peeled off in patches. My fingers were broken and twisted in the blast, and electricity was spurting out from the wires.

‘The window has stopped for now.’

The connection between the paladin and the spear seemed to be severed. I turned my head and looked at the paladin.

Srrrrung.

The knight drew his sword instead of his spear and dragged it down. Light enveloped the sword.

Whirl!

The knight repeatedly swung his sword in the air. Light gathered in the shape of a crescent moon along the trajectory of the blade. There were three crescent moon sword energies. As soon as the generated sword energies took their full form, they split the ground and raced.

I opened my eyes wide. It was easier to predict than the window. I thought I could avoid it.

But this time, it wasn’t aimed at me. The crescent moon’s sword energy struck the cadets who were protecting me. Behind me, moans and screams came out low. I don’t know how many were hit and killed.

All of this took less than ten seconds. Every second felt so long.

As things looked uncertain, the savior we had been waiting for arrived.

bang!

The explosion struck the paladin’s head, sending up a puff of acrid smoke.

Kiing, kiing.

I moved my pupils to follow the sound. The eyes that emerged from the bushes were red.

A guard from the Legion of Armored Legions appeared at the ruins. They were beings who had all their unnecessary and weak organs removed and had become weapons themselves. The armor seemed to move and live on its own.

My right prosthetic eye recognized the guard. Information flashed before my eyes.

The full armored body of the Royal Guard, Legion, detailed model name is Hector. The culmination of the Empire’s cutting-edge technology has made its appearance here.

Phew.

The cloak covering the Legion’s body fluttered. Its limbs were long and its waist was narrow. It had no digestive organs and, of course, no mouth.

The armor-type body has no human face and therefore cannot make facial expressions. Therefore, it cannot express even the most minimal emotions. It does not even have the parts and functions necessary for eating, sleeping, or reproduction.

The Legion was a fully armored body designed solely for combat, without any consideration for human behavior, but it was fierce as if it had retained its fighting instinct. It was a combat weapon that pursued only extreme practicality and efficiency.

Boom!

The legion, the guard, reached out and pulled the trigger. In his hand was a crude revolver. It was called a pistol, but its caliber and power were no different from that of a shell.

Kwa- Ang!

Bullets fired by the guardsmen struck the paladin repeatedly. However, the knight did not seem to suffer any significant damage. The force shield glowed translucently with each explosion. The blue-white armor was not even soot-free.

Crunch.

The guard threw his gun on the floor and put his hand on his back.

Kirik!

The weapon joint on his back opened, revealing the heavy halberd that had been hidden by his cloak. He lightly swung the halberd, which was as big as his body.

Kuung!

The guard dropped the blade of his axe to the ground and strode towards the knight.

Wow!

The paladin also stepped forward, sword in hand, as if to greet the guard. The paladin was a head shorter than the guard, but perhaps because of the intimidating force aura that could be seen as a visible light, they appeared to be of similar size.

The two monsters did not say a word. They acted as if they were enemies and that it was natural for them to take each other’s lives. Only the murderous intent and hostility toward their nemesis were exchanged.

Ka-Ang!

The guardsman’s halberd and the paladin’s sword clashed. Blue lights and red sparks flew toward each other. Their weapons and arms moved so fast that it was hard to follow with the eyes. There was a discrepancy between sound and movement.

Kwajik!

The paladin’s shoulder armor shattered when he was struck by the axe.

Kiik!

The blade cut into the guard’s chest, ripping the metal casing off like the hem of a garment.

Kkwadduk!

A test of strength began as the axe and the sword clashed head-on.

Kkeeeeek!

The guard held the axe in one hand and pushed the paladin forward. The paladin’s body, which had been staggering, was bent backward as if it were going to fall over. The mechanical body of the guard seemed to have the upper hand in terms of brute force.

Crunch!

The guard grabbed the paladin’s face with his free hand. There was a crunching sound of metal from the paladin’s helmet. It was as if he was going to shatter his skull and grab his brain.

On the surface, it seemed like the guards were winning. However, the paladin pulled one of his hands away from the hilt of his sword. Even with one hand removed, he was still holding on.

The knight who had been pushed with both hands was holding on with only one hand. Something was strange.

‘stratagem?’

I had that thought.

The knight was pretending to be pushed back. He was aiming for an attack that would catch him off guard, even if it meant giving up his own head. The two monsters were so evenly matched that he couldn’t win unless he gambled to that extent.

Whirl!

The paladin moved his hand. He moved his fingers to re-weave the flying spear with Force Aura. If the spear was woven into Force Aura, it would turn into light again.

The knight must be prevented from manipulating the window.

I tried to grab the knife, but my fingers were all broken and I couldn’t hold it.

Woohoo!

While I flinched, the spear that had been stuck in the ground began to shake and rise. The light grew stronger and enveloped the spear. The spear would soon be aimed at the guard’s head.

… … Today is a brutal day in many ways. An extreme method came to my mind.

All I had left were my two legs. I didn’t have time to breathe. I kicked the floor and jumped up, spinning around.

I was spinning in the air and struck the spear with my heel.

Kkeeeeek!

The spear shook and swayed as I struck down on it. And the light that had been covering the spear rose up to my feet like an infectious disease. Cracks of light spread down my legs.

It felt like an explosion was going to happen at my feet at any moment.

Choaaaah!

The window wrapped in light disappeared. An explosion occurred in the recoil, and I rolled on the ground. There was a sound of breaking all over my body.

I collapsed and moved my eyes hurriedly to check the situation.

‘What happened?’

The shot passed the guard’s head. It missed. My intervention seemed to have helped.

Woof woof! Woof woof!

The knight’s helmet, caught in the guard’s grip, was crushed and shrunk in half. Red blood was flowing out from the cracks in the helmet. The guard’s victory was just around the corner.

Wow!

The light on the paladin’s armor was fading. But in return, the Force glow from his left hand grew stronger.

The paladin extended his hand, engulfed in light, to the side of the guard’s head. The guard tried to duck his head away, but the explosion was faster.

Kwaaaaaang!

It was a close range force explosion. The power was so great that even the paladin himself was caught up in it. It was literally a move of the Donggwijin.

The ground shook, sending up thick clouds of dust and smoke.

Bang! Clang!

Even before the smoke cleared, the sound of metal clashing and creaking could be heard.

“ah…….”

As the afterglow of the explosion faded, everything came back into focus. I opened my mouth, blood-filled, and looked at a strange sight.

The knight’s left arm was caught in the explosion he had created and vaporized up to his shoulder.

And then my gaze stopped on the guard. At first, I didn’t immediately understand what I was looking at.

Crunch! Crunch!

The guardsman stood on top of the paladin and mercilessly struck the helmet with his fists. The knight’s dented helmet was now as flat as a plate. The broken skull and flesh were stuck to the guardsman’s fists, sticking like dough.

It wasn’t the brutal spectacle that shocked me. The reason I couldn’t take my eyes off it was something else.

‘The guard’s head is missing… …?’

The guard’s head had been blown away by the force blast. Only the neck and part of the lower body remained. The last living part, the brain, was gone. That means… …the guard was biologically dead.

And yet the legion was moving.

Ooooooooo… … .

The guard roared in triumph. The hollow cry spread through the tubes in his throat. Even without a brain, the guard did not stop fighting.

Kkeeeeek!

The guard stood up.

Cybernetic bodies can move by residual signals even after losing their brains. However, the current guardsmen were not moving by residual signals.

Creak, creak.

The fully armored Legion walks. Without a human brain to oversee its movements, its limbs move unnaturally, but they are clearly being driven by some will.

I felt a physiological aversion. The sight of it was unbearably repulsive.

Rather than humans handling the machine body as its masters… … it seemed as if even the human brain was a part and component of the machine body.

The guard stood by my head as I fell. He reached out as if to help me up. He didn’t seem to know that he was dead. If there were ghosts, this would be how they would be… .

I didn’t grab the guard’s hand. And I said things I shouldn’t have.

“… … Are you still alive like that?”

The guard flinched. He raised his hand and tried to touch his head.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A hand passed through the air.

The guard seemed to have only just realized that he had no head. He stirred the spot where his head had been several times and then screamed.

Woooooooooo… … .

From the throat tube that had lost its vocal organ, only hoarse sounds came out.

dump!

The guard fell to his knees at my head. He had lost the last bit of his natural body. The moment he realized it, he was dead. All signals from the computing devices that assisted his body’s movements stopped.

“Until now, I… … .”

I looked up at the headless guard lying there.

“… … Is this the kind of monster you wanted to become?”

To receive full body mechanization and furthermore to be awarded the Legion, the symbol of the Royal Guard. This was my only goal in life. However, for the first time, I had another thought.

The Legion may not be a liberation from the weak body, but a prison for the mind.

How disturbing, Luke.