Léon: The Cat Killer

Of course, Nian wasn't the only one who discovered this; Sora and Croissant, who were also not combat personnel, naturally saw it as well.

After trying to smash it with a hammer, Croissant could only admit that, not only magic or other forms of cutting, but even the impact of a power hammer, whether the Sea King was shattered or not had little to do with its regenerative ability; it treated all attacks equally.

"I feel like we need to find a few robot vacuum cleaners, modify them to have built-in meat grinders, and put them here to clean automatically."

As they said this, everyone belatedly turned their attention back to the front line... Nana, who had been paying attention to the whole scene, naturally noticed the problem as well. The place where the sea monster's corpse, which had died from the bullet, had come into contact with the Nether Mark was bubbling, and now it was visibly missing a section.

"It's been retrieved by Minghen... All, confirm the isolation level of defensive gear, shock-resistant stance! Miss Jingzhe, please attack with me!"

"Level of intensity?"

"Anti-armor vehicle class".

Taking advantage of the auspicious weather behind her, Nana slowly floated up, electricity crackling, as she charged up her spell. She put away her compound bow and took out her now-cooled Guardian Gun. The silver revolver ejected from its magazine, and as a magnetic chain-like rapid-load device was pulled from her pocket, accompanied by intense spellcasting and an impromptu Sarkazhan-style prayer enchantment, the previously faint silver aura of the black-haired girl now illuminated the entire area like an incandescent bulb.

Only Exusiai, the only one who understood the meaning of the light flowing into the six bullets like a physical entity, reacted and tried to stop it, but Nana's movements were too fast.

The bullet, radiating holy light, was instantly loaded into the magazine. As the girl ripped off the chain of the quick-loading device, the magazine spun while the gunner flicked his wrist to reset and aim. The lightning spreading behind was also poised to strike!

The two simultaneously aimed at the pile of corpses slowly 'melting' in the distance, and then, with the tacit understanding of seasoned spellcasters, activated their abilities at the same time:

"Light—!"

"Five True Thunders, rise!"

Thunder and the light of judgment illuminated the city, the heat rose, flesh was pulverized, and blood and steam exploded and expanded, shock waves carrying carbon fragments swept across... In short, this was an explosion triggered by two magical attacks.

To describe it more accurately—this was a large-scale explosion caused by two high-ranking warlocks casting spells in a confined space.

Thanks to the tactical noise-canceling headphones, thanks to the SHD Survivor Protocol defense spell, thanks to Texas for the timely prone warning in the center... Although several non-combatants, including Kong, were stunned by the explosion, after the smoke and dust cleared in the distance, a large hole was visibly visible in the black Netherworld Link on the ground.

That was the destructive effect caused by the shockwave of the spell explosion, and after losing the physical connection, the Nether Mark behind, which had been constantly repairing itself, suddenly surged violently.

"It's disconnected? Its physical thickness is decreasing rapidly! It's still trying to reconnect!?"

Hearing about the size of Exusiai, the sniper operator with the best eyesight, without even considering why this thing could survive being cut in half... Chen Huijie, who had been the first to lie down and was now the first to get up, gripped Chixiao and stepped forward to slash:

"Don't even think about it! Crimson Sky—!!"

With a dash and a drawn sword, the blue-haired police superintendent, facing away from the direction of the enemy's attack, thwarted Minghen's attempt to reconnect... Nana admitted that her dash and sword strike was cool, but her subsequent scramble back to the team amidst a hail of bullets from Jessica and herself was rather pathetic.

After all, the suspected nesting site for the sea creatures is right in front of you, how can you turn your back on them?

"Tsk... Their corpses have reconnected to the Nether Mark, and the recovery in the area beneath our feet is still increasing... Even if the link is severed, they won't 'die'?!"

"Well, the protagonist has discovered the location of the monster's lair, but is at a loss as to how to get in. Many movies have similar plots."

"At a time like this, let's not talk about anything else! Don't you have any serious advice for me?"

Seeing Jingzhe's gasping plea, the white-haired dragon girl scratched the positive pressure breathing mask on her face, then shrugged:

"My most serious advice is that you use the maximum power of that lightning magic to blow the monster and its nest into the sky, otherwise this will never end."

"Everyone can see this, but isn't this done without authorization for annihilation firepower?!"

As he spoke, he struck another bolt of lightning into the Nether Mark beneath his feet. They changed from churning to convulsing, and the half-formed tentacles bristled and turned into sharp spikes... Watching Sora disdainfully step on a newly grown tentacle with his boot and then have it smashed to pieces by Croissant, and seeing Takina at the forefront frown and retreat while speaking in as calm a tone as possible, everyone's tension involuntarily increased.

"Machine gun ammunition is exhausted."

Seeing the girl switch to a pistol and begin attacking, Franka and Liskarm stepped forward, while Nana frowned and looked at another main damage dealer, the gunner operative Jessica.

"Jessica, what about you?"

"I have two more magazines."

Glancing at the empty magazines hanging from the girl's chest, Nana also touched the equipment that already contained two empty quivers, and the black-haired girl frowned.

They should have dealt with the identified hideout immediately, but if they couldn't even get through the gate... it would be hard to say whether they could handle the aftermath.

Perhaps this is the tragedy of gunner operators: once you find that there are more enemies than you have ammunition, the situation will take a sharp turn for the worse... Fortunately, Nana is not the type who has no other options besides guns.

“We need to at least figure out the ‘incubation’ status of Haisi.”

Seemingly trying to persuade her entourage, or perhaps trying to persuade herself, the black-footed cat girl murmured to herself:

"Even just breaking through the flesh and blood barrier ahead to take a look would be enough..."

"Then let's go check it out. The Guard Bureau has promised to cooperate with all actions related to Hai Si."

Even though her body was covered in dried tissue fluid from the Hai Si Ming Hen, Chen Huijie's eyes remained righteous and awe-inspiring through her breathing mask:

"Just like when we first met, when we first broke through the blockade of that porcelain monster. This time it's just a different kind of monster, but what we need to do has never changed, not to mention that we have so many people with us this time."

As Hoshiguma, carrying her shield and smiling, arrived at the front of the formation, Nana really wanted to ask everyone if they understood what it meant to charge into the deepest part of a passage that could be filled with monsters at any moment... but everyone's attitude was too self-evident, so Nana could only sigh and directly enter planning mode.

"In short, we must not let things become a one-way street; having a backup plan is essential..."

"Then the heavy-armored operators will maintain the passage, everyone will strengthen their firepower to open up the passage, and then the most capable Medic will go in and take a look. Once it's done, we'll withdraw immediately... The ground Guard members will cover us under Swire's command. Chashao Cat isn't very good at head-on battles, but he can be trusted to command normal ground battles."

[...What do you mean by "normal command can be trusted"? You need to explain yourself clearly, Rice Noodle Dragon. You can trust me even more with Medic... Also, you might not have received the message underground, but Rhodes Island just relayed the news from me about the fierce fighting below. The Doctor said reinforcements have arrived and that you can go all out with Medic!]

"Did the doctor say that?"

I don't know why, even though she has always fought alone and has almost never participated in any battles commanded by the Doctor... when she hears that the Doctor has arranged the operation, a sense of trust from the bottom of her heart will unconsciously emerge.

In this way, even if she feels pressured about what she is going to do next, Nana will not feel like she is the unlucky guy in a disaster movie who foolishly rushes into a deadly situation.

"Then, the members of the Guards will clear the way with me, and I will advance as far as I can... At this point, this operation can only be a reconnaissance mission... Before we leave, don't be stingy with ammunition, and trust the backup and the ground defenses."

After transcribing Nana's calm narration, Nian licked his lips as he watched the crowd change formation. Then, seemingly unintentionally, he leaned against the massive mica sword on the outermost edge... or rather, the 'sword' at this moment had become a huge lava block formed by melting and constructing numerous pieces of debris from the mobile city. Nana used it to reinforce and seal the outermost internal gate of this place.

Although the sword had been in Nana's hands for several days, and as expected, the little Filin hadn't drawn it, but Nian was increasingly looking forward to what the sword would look like when it was finally finished.

With a mix of enthusiasm, seriousness, and delight, Nian watched as the group on the screen shifted their formation, assigning those wielding melee weapons to the vanguard. After a brief regrouping, they completed the formation change. Then, Chen Huijie took the lead, drawing her Chixiao sword and charging forward with great momentum.

When someone else takes the lead, Nana's presence becomes very weak.

As Old Chen, Franka, and Texas advanced, providing cover for each other, Black Cat began to surge forward along the smooth, unblemished surface of the wall, covered in the fluid of the Netherworld Mark. To minimize the noise, they had gone barefoot, replacing their boots. Nana, carrying her longbow, tiptoed like a 'rogue' from an old tale… The girl, wearing footed socks, silently crossed the center line of the court.

……

[Since Haisi may be able to understand human language, during the advance, everyone should focus solely on the retreat route... I'll handle the rest.]

……

Nana's reminder before the operation was still fresh in his mind. Old Chen, who replaced Nana as the commander, simply organized a few people who were good at using swords. In the narrow maintenance passage, the guards began their charge.

Even disregarding the consequences and entrusting the lives of the three to the shield guards to maintain the retreat route, whether it was the Crimson Sky Sword Qi, the thermite sword with its blazing flames, or even the 'high-tech' composed entirely of beams, the momentum of everyone was equally matched... Even Texas, who used non-traditional swords, was in no way inferior to the other two, who came from military and police backgrounds and mercenaries, in terms of killing efficiency with her Originium sword.

'Perhaps our feint attack can also break through this Sea King's lair?'

Orange and crimson light intertwined, and silver flashes emerged from the cold light... Just as Old Chen and his group were making steady progress and felt that things were going unexpectedly smoothly, they suddenly felt a bloody wind rushing towards them.

Chen Huijie could not yet reach the state of perfect stillness, but as a swordswoman who studied and practiced diligently every day, her concentration and adaptability allowed her to successfully parry the opponent's powerful thrust.

But seeing Old Chen being thrown back at thirteen times the speed of his charge after merely catching him, Hoshiguma, who was cleaning up the dog-like sea monster, couldn't help but shrink her pupils. She even ignored the sea monster that was biting her and directly pounced to catch her partner who was thrown back.

"what!?"

While others were still wondering, Franka, at the forefront, had already activated the thermite module to its maximum, brandishing her rapier that emitted a dazzling white light as she charged forward. Franka had abandoned her usual carefree style; her warrior eyes reflected the humanoid monster infused with numerous marine elements. Taking advantage of the opening created by Old Chen being knocked away, the Volper swordsman launched a thrust that was nothing short of a suicidal attack!

There is no doubt that this is a strike powerful enough to pierce through steel, but no matter how powerful it is, it is meaningless if it misses.

The monster with tentacles on its face wielded a chitinous weapon that had become one with its arms. It first parried with a backhand, then used the tentacle connected to its tailbone. The weapon at the end of its tail, which also contained a chitinous warhammer, spun around and sent Franka flying. If it weren't for the Originium lightsabers that flew in next, forcing the chitinous scimitar covered in gray-white burn marks to retreat and defend, it would be hard to say whether Franka would have survived.

"withdraw!"

Although Texas instantly assessed the situation and told her companions accordingly, and did the same after confirming Franka's footing... even retreating at top speed, the monster still charged forward and was right in front of them. The Lupo girl's pupils constricted to pinpoints as she desperately swung her lightsaber, trying to drive the monster away.

Logically, a lightsaber should be able to carbonize flesh upon contact and inflict fatal wounds with just a touch—this is the advantage of a lightsaber. However, the opponent showed no fear of the high temperature.

Even though Texas's sword dance repeatedly struck vital areas like the chest, and the carbonization marks on the monster's body visibly increased rapidly, its blue-purple body, resembling a sea monster, showed no sign of being pierced by the high-temperature Originium steam beams.

The opponent paid no heed to the lightsabers, but Texas couldn't ignore their attacks... Forced by the opponent's almost reckless fighting style, Texas began to fall into a disadvantageous position from the twelfth move onwards, and was officially defeated on the fifty-first move. A dozen lightsabers were either destroyed or knocked away, but fortunately, Texas received support from Liskarm, Croissant, and later Exusiai along the way, which allowed her to maintain her mobility and return to the position constructed by the gunner operators.

As for Hoshiguma... she carried Old Chen in one hand and used her shield in the other to smash through the monster's obstruction and return.

"What's going on all of a sudden... that thing..."

Although Jingzhe didn't explicitly say so, everyone knew what they were wavering about... This monster looks way too much like a human!

The monster waited patiently for everyone to change formation. It watched as the shield guards stepped forward to form a shield wall and the gunners pointed their guns at it. The monster, whose life should have been entirely at Jessica's and the others' mercy, let out a surprisingly human-like snort... At that moment, watching it disappear silently and reappear in the very center of the formation with a stench... Jessica, whose neck was being stung by a chitinous scimitar and whose gun was still pointed forward, seemed to have forgotten to breathe.

The girl, who had never considered herself brave, often had tears in her eyes, but she never imagined that she would look like this when she was dying... Jessica was already instinctively reaching for her pistol in her mind's eye, and she only hated herself for not being faster.

Even if it's just to injure the opponent, or even just to restrain their strange movement... is there anything I can do, even if it's just a little bit within my power?

The answer is no—reality is materialistic, and this materialistic reality is that, in the face of truly powerful individuals, the girl named Jessica can do nothing.

At this moment, she could only watch as the white scimitar slowly approached her neck, and in the seemingly slowed-down time, she called out the name that had become deeply connected with her.

"Nana-senpai—!"

"--I am here."

Her left eye glowed with a white-black light, like a black hole. The black-haired girl appeared between the enemy and Jessica in an even more bizarre and inexplicable way, almost face to face.

The angel who nearly lost the attention of those who had twice in one day... now shone with a halo like a cross. Even her hair seemed to turn incandescent, and Nana expressionlessly let the black hole's left eye erode half of her face... At this moment, those around her even found it hard to say who looked more like a monster.

Aura at 100% power, Tactical Armor [Power Mode], Raider Protocol fully activated—Uppercut!!

"Don't touch other people's things... you idiot."

A punch pierced the heart, then he swung his arm, tossing the corpse aside, and stomped the mutated head to pieces... The girl, whose left eye had turned into a black hole, then turned her head and stared blankly into the depths of the passage... A white-haired, red-eyed figure paused for a moment, then left along with the many fleeing footsteps.

Nana, who had just made eye contact with Grandia, closed her eyes to restore her heterochromatic eyes to normal.

When Jessica hugged her, crying, Nana didn't refuse. The black-haired girl patted the crying girl's back to comfort her while simultaneously answering Nian's machine-gun-like questions.

But anyway... the plan has finally started to move forward... probably.

PS: Waaaaaah, kitty

PSS: This chapter is 5k5 words. If it's not this number, please refresh the page... (bows)

PSSSS: This chapter has undergone a major revision for improved fluency. The new word count is around 6. Please refresh the page if you notice a difference. (Bows again)

9th Dragon Gate Seafood: 354 I will... kill the sea!

If a conspiracy is very conspicuous, it's either because it's really hard to thwart, or because the mastermind isn't very smart.

At the end of the passage filled with sea monsters, the hurried footsteps seemed to say that the humanoid monster they had just seen was the enemy's last resort.

Everyone, including Jessica, was an experienced mercenary and warrior. Although they were temporarily panicked when their defenses were suddenly breached, with Nana's equally swift return to reinforce them, the only remaining question seemed to be whether or not to pursue them.

As everyone in the group turned to look at her, Nana recalled her fleeting encounter with the figure that resembled Godia, and then looked at the others.

"Ahem...Medic? Aren't you going to pursue it?"

Seeing Chen Huijie being helped by Hoshiguma, clutching her shoulder and questioning her with blood at the corner of her mouth, Nana briefly assessed the team's current situation. She felt that with the Starlight Squad having lost its machine gunner, the Thunder Squad's main damage dealer still unsettled, and only having two magazines left, pursuing them was truly difficult to decide.

In order to give Chen Huijie, who seemed a bit anxious, a more convincing reason, Nai Nai, who was already rather conservative in her actions, chose to let everyone report the situation first... This was also the most effective way to let everyone understand their situation.

"The entire squad, conduct an assessment of their respective ammunition and weaponry, as well as their physical condition."

"Hey hey~ Team Starlight's Mika can continue..."

“Mika-senpai, wait a minute. What we’re talking about here isn’t who can, but who can’t continue… Sorry, although we can continue fighting with the team using a pistol, without a machine gun, the Starlight Team’s heavy firepower is reduced to Typhon’s anti-materiel rifle.”

Takina nodded in confirmation, and then Razer reported:

"Franka's thermite module was destroyed, and all my reserve batteries are used up... Jessica still has two magazines left, but given the situation just now, I don't think her mental state is suitable for continuing to fight."

As the cat-headed girl with a ponytail beside her made a crying face, Nana gently patted Jessica's head again, then looked at Texas, who had just been surrounded by Exusiai and Sora.

The latter only showed the empty Originium sword fittings; of the beam swords inside, only two appeared to still be lit.

Before Old Chen could speak, Hoshiguma stepped forward first:

"Old Chen took a direct hit from that monster, and it seems he suffered a fractured scapula, and probably other internal injuries as well..."

"But we can't just let them go like this. You heard those footsteps leaving, didn't you? The main reason we've been here is that the sea monsters themselves don't have a strong 'migrating' urge; they're just crawling around along the existing pipes... But humans are a different story!! They have so many ways to take those monsters anywhere in Lungmen! We may be out of ammunition, but aren't they just as exhausted?!"

Even her tied-up long hair was disheveled. Chen Huijie took two steps forward, her steps slightly unsteady, staring intently at Nana's heterochromatic eyes:

"If we don't chase now... when will we ever get another chance?!"

As they spoke, a sound like a water bag bursting and liquid splashing out came from the underground space where the argument was taking place. To everyone's surprise and disgust, on the Nether Mark that had already melted half of the monster's corpse, several monsters that should have died stood up again in their bloody and mangled state, but were quickly defeated again by Mika and Jessica who raised their guns... But this could not hide the fact that the monsters were still getting up one after another. Only the rapidly shrinking Nether Mark under everyone's feet proved the source of this flesh and blood.

"...The sea monsters' biomass reserves stored in the Nether Mark are rapidly decreasing; they are abandoning this place!"

Chen Huijie had no intention of explaining anything further, as everyone else could see it; all she cared about now was the increasingly distant sound.

"They're just expendable pawns to hinder our progress... Even if they're injured, we can still handle this level of damage. Medic, hurry up and catch up!"

As the Lungmen Police Superintendent, Chen Huijie's words basically represented the official attitude of Lungmen's combat units towards Hai Si and the Deep Sea Order that brought them here... Although from Rhodes Island's perspective, after confirming that Gladys had infiltrated the church as a 'spy,' the disintegration of this group had become inevitable.