I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor - Chapter 79



Chapter 79

The members of the Murder Company hold no names.

This is a well-known fact, and some refer to them as John Doe when male, Jane Doe when female.

In truth, the very meaning of those names is ‘nameless.’

Only when they survive long enough to become team leaders do they receive names.

Volk, the Wolf.

Viper, the Viper.

The reason the two team leaders of the Murder Company recognized each other was simple.

Viper had slashed a throat, and Volk had blocked the blow.

A blade’s path passed down only to the leaders of the Murder Company. That alone made it clear they were both forged into existence as leaders.

‘Why are you pretending to be an old man here?’

‘Because it’s the mission, you b*stard.’

In that fleeting moment, they exchanged a warm conversation through their gazes.

To Jin Crow, it might seem absurd, but for them, the bewilderment was unavoidable.

The Murder Company, in order to prevent any potential exposure of power or betrayal, ensures that even the fiercely loyal team leaders remain ignorant of each other’s missions.

It’s only natural.

Their fear fundamentally lies in the symbolism of operating in the shadows, coupled with the secrecy that surrounds them.

“…I’m going to lose my mind.”

The old man, no, Viper, looked at the man who had followed him in, a smile of disbelief morphing into a hollow grin at the exposure of his identity.

The blood splattered on his pale cheeks was striking, whether from pallor or simply the nature of his skin.

Strange yet familiar.

Though it was the first time seeing his face, he could instantly recognize him as the man who had meticulously crafted and tested a drug cocktail.

How many minutes did that delicate silence stretch on?

At last, as if he had resolved to somehow manage the situation, Volk scratched his cheek awkwardly and opened his mouth.

“Ahaha, so this is…”

“I understand. Well, a drug bartender with skills this good wouldn’t open a shop with a name so ridiculous and call it a pharmacy. This twist is far more convincing.”

“…Not ridiculous?”

At his words, Viper questioned him with eyes sunken beneath the mask, but Jin Crow, unfazed, nodded in agreement.

To him, it was only natural.

The original work had never mentioned it, but surely the one crafting drug cocktails—while adhering to certain restrictions and minimizing side effects—could not possess such a wretched sense of naming.

“Pfft.”

“…You’re laughing?”

Perhaps it was because Jin Crow’s words were so grave.

Volk burst into laughter at his unexpected reaction, while Viper, hiding his true face beneath the mask, felt his cheeks flush with anger.

‘What’s wrong with Han-sarang!’

The sound of it was pleasant, and rather than dressing it up with some pretentious name, a classic name like that was a hundred times better.

Moreover, wasn’t it said that the sister-in-law who meddles is the one you dislike the most?

He glared more at Volk, who was snickering beside him, than at Jin Crow, who failed to appreciate his deeply considered naming, and finally spoke with a voice laced with irritation.

No, he was about to speak.

“Eh?”

At that very moment.

Kugugugugugugugugugugugugugung!

The ground they stood upon twisted, and before they could even think to react, a tremor strong enough to be called an earthquake swept over them, instinctively lowering their bodies.

“What, what is this?”

“…Something’s off.”

Volk, his eyes wide with surprise from the sudden shock, muttered, while Jin Crow, narrowing his brow, bit his lip, gripped by an inexplicable sense of dread.

Perhaps because of that.

Viper, too, seemed to realize there was no time to waste on trivial matters and silently surveyed the situation.

But then.

Ziiing-.

Without anyone taking the lead, their watches rang out sporadically, and both Volk and Viper stiffened at the news they received.

But Jin Crow was different.

He, upon seeing the two messages on his watch, pressed his eyelids together and whispered softly.

“……It seems I cannot escape.”

A level of discomfort unlike any he had known swirled in his mind.

He bit down hard on his lip, soon capturing the words he had just read in his gaze once more.

“Our vessel has been sunk by the bombardment of Black Mer, and due to the Void Rift, we have lost air superiority, leaving no means for the cadets to escape externally. …For now, we have relocated to a safe house, but we are in search of a solution. It would be wise to return swiftly. Regrettable.

Sender: Tita Genolua”

The first message had come from Tita Genolua.

“[Breaking News] Red alert issued in the capital of the Free Planet Alliance, Mercato……. The Synthetic State Embassy requests urgent evacuation measures for its citizens. Nearby Fourth Fleet dispatched……. No movements reported from the Empire……. (Read more)

Instructor, please confirm and report the situation.

Sender: Ideale Kukenhausen”

The second was an objective assessment of the current situation, accompanied by an article scraped by Ideale.

‘Red alert.’

The alert levels are divided into six categories.

Among them, red is the highest warning, indicating that the damage to the targeted planet will exceed at least 50%, a stage where the abandonment of the planet is seriously contemplated.

The problem is that it has been less than an hour since the invasion began, and if this continues, the outcome is all but certain.

‘Black alert. Planet abandonment procedure.’

To speak coldly, losing Mercato does not concern him.

The issue lies in the fact that the abandonment procedure means forsaking the planet itself, which in turn signifies cutting off any potential for survival.

Yes, even if it involves instructors or cadets.

Of course, nothing has been decided yet.

Even now, he could consider contacting the embassy to explore escape routes through the dispatched Fourth Fleet.

But his instincts warned him.

Even if the fleet were to arrive, as long as the Queen held air superiority, they would never set foot on the ground.

“……In the end, is it unavoidable?”

One might deem him pessimistic, yet he was judging the situation with remarkable clarity.

There had been several invasions by the Creatures thus far.

What had their strength been?

The only names that had surfaced were the Von and the Knight.

Yet humanity had abandoned the planet.

‘Let alone the Queen. To hold hope here is not just optimistic; it borders on delusion.’

Suddenly, the fear of Lucky Anubis, who had taken his own life, flashed through his mind.

He was not wrong about at least one thing.

He sensed the creature’s fear and, ultimately, was crushed under its weight, submitting to Stero Mer.

The problem, perhaps, was that even the object of that submission was not entirely sane.

“…Old man, or was it Viper?”

“Hmm?”

“It matters not which faction you belong to. Instead, I propose a deal.”

He shifted his gaze toward the figure beyond the plague doctor mask, whose expression was difficult to discern.

He took a drag from his cigarette.

The blood-stained cheek trembled slightly, and the dark pupils, a mix of fatigue and languor, pierced through the mask’s lenses, locking onto Viper.

Was it the unique aura of intimidation that had unwittingly overwhelmed him?

Viper, without realizing that the voice modulation device affixed to his mask had been turned off, responded in the voice of a youthful boy.

“What?”

Yet the words that spilled forth were somewhat different from what he had anticipated.

“I will buy all the drugs you possess. So, bring them all.”

“All of them?”

For a moment, he seemed taken aback, then widened his eyes in disbelief at the notion of ‘all.’

Of course, Jin Crow had not misspoken, and thus he silently nodded in agreement.

‘After all, the payment will be collected from your matron.’

He refrained from voicing that thought aloud.

*

If one were to name the tallest building in Mercato, anyone would point to the headquarters of Mer Corporation without a moment’s hesitation.

Thus, for those who had either caught their breath from the creature or were hiding, hoping the situation would resolve itself, the sight before them was sheer horror.

“Is it… collapsing?”

The prosperity and advancement of the Free Planet Alliance, the greed and exploitation. A ruthless survival of the fittest based on sheer capability.

The symbol of the planet they had once taken pride in, and at times felt anger toward, was crumbling.

It was the aspiration of all who felt discontent with reality, yet simultaneously a disaster that should never have come to pass.

Of course, the collapse of a single building was not such a grave issue.

Considering its symbolism, it was shocking, but after all, it was merely an edifice.

If it had been just that, while neighbors and friends were being reduced to chunks of meat all around, the shock would not have lingered long.

〔BM-4 Brigade. Respond. What is happening?〕

[The Battleship Totten Stranded.]

[Cough! This is Alton from the 4th Regiment. We, we are annihilated…! Cough!]

Through the communications of Black Mer, the news of devastation echoed, and soon the dark shape that had been majestically hovering above slowly opened its eyes.

Ah—.

The brief utterance, whispered so low it could not reach anyone, caused all creatures to lift their heads in unison.

“What, what is it?”

“They’ve stopped!”

Kiiiiiik—.

The monster, forcing its way through the passage to hunt the humans hidden below, felt its bones crack under the strain.

Kyaaak—.

From noble mtl dot com

With bloodshot eyes scattering in all directions, the Von, already breathless and crushed to the point where not even a trace of its existence could be found, feasted upon the mangled corpses.

Krrr—.

The knight, just rising its massive body from the erosion protrusions, aspired to become a colossal fortress itself.

Ah—.

At the queen’s brief utterance, all creatures fell into silence, gazing at the sky.

No, is it right to call that silence?

In the eyes once filled with slaughter, fear began to glisten, and the mouths that had devoured humans and howled in rage snapped shut in an instant.

“They…”

“Are afraid?”

The battle-worn mercenaries instantly recognized the emotions displayed by the creatures, staring at them with vacant eyes.

That is primal fear.

Awe in the face of overwhelming presence, and further, a reverence shown to those who could snuff out their lives with a mere flick of their fingers.

—Kuurul Kingdom. Kuroop.

Even the void turtles, which served as colossal ships in their own right, ceased to emit further erosion protrusions.

The distortion of the void fissure halted, and at the end of every breath of Mercato, stillness and hesitation lingered.

And finally, the true Crow emerged from the depths, gazing once more at the sky, as the queen of beasts, clad in a black exoskeleton like armor, whispered softly.

—Future. Victory. But. It changes.

A murmur mixed with anxiety and an unsettling sensation, as if witnessing something incomprehensible.

Then, the queen slowly fixed her gaze upon the half-collapsed structures of the Mer Corporation and added:

—False. Prophet. Deceived. Ugly.

Her flesh slowly descended into that place, vanishing at last in an instant.

– Kuuu!

With the roar of the Void Turtle, a hellscape unlike any before crashed down upon the earth once more.