Chapter 126: Ranking Organization |
Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense
126 – Ranking Organization
During the fight with Myung-jun, dozens of mechanical chunks fell from the sky. Hee-cheol was no fool, he knew the ominous nature of the machines that symbolized Myung-jun, transcending human technology.
Hee-cheol urgently sent his will to the puppets he controlled. ‘Kill that woman immediately!’ However, Myung-jun’s response, having read Hee-cheol’s thoughts, was faster.
“Activate Protection Cage.”
<Protection Cage Activation.>
In an instant, one of the mechanical chunks that had fallen from the sky exploded into several pieces. They flew at tremendous speed and began to embed themselves around Deki like pillars.
– Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! –
In a flash, twelve pillars were fixed into the ground. They transformed like a shape-shifting robot, unfolding into a sturdy mechanical structure that protected Deki.
– Kwakwakwakwang!!! –
The puppets’ attack, which could penetrate a concrete bunker that could withstand missiles, hit the cage 50 times simultaneously. Yet, not a scratch appeared on the cage; instead, the weapons of the attacking puppets were shattered and bent out of shape.
Seeing this, Hee-cheol shouted urgently.
“Kill him! Kill Cha Myung-jun before he changes his equipment!”
It was natural for Hee-cheol to be anxious. The power suit Myung-jun wore when he fell into the gorge was not combat-specialized armor but rather equipment focused on utility. However, the new power suit that had fallen with the Protection Cage to protect Deki seemed to Hee-cheol to be clearly more powerful than the power suit Myung-jun was currently wearing. And now, the new suit, which had landed on the ground in a crouched position to absorb the impact of the fall, began to rise and slowly straighten up as if ready to welcome its master.
<Elimination Suit Boarding Mode Transition Complete.>
“Activate Floating Fortress. Execute user protection mode.”
Myung-jun issued additional instructions upon seeing Hee-cheol’s puppet attempting to attack during the moment he was changing his equipment.
Then, the largest piece of equipment that had arrived at the scene began to rise into the air and transform amidst complex mechanical noises.
<Anti-gravity airborne fortress ‘Nautilus’ activation. Mode transition from annihilation mode to user protection mode complete. Threat identification and range setting for defense complete. Entering user protection mode.>
Hee-cheol had planned to exploit the most vulnerable moment when Myung-jun was changing out of his current power suit, but Soo-jeong, who designed the Elimination mode, had already prepared for this vulnerability during equipment change. The solution was to use the 5-meter-tall floating fortress ‘Nautilus’ to prevent enemies from approaching until the user had finished changing equipment.
From railguns to smart missiles and a high-caliber Vulcan cannon that fired over 6,000 rounds per minute, to sonic weapons capable of demolishing buildings, the Nautilus, more a ‘weapon arsenal’ than a fortress, began its assault. Instantly, all puppets within the designated ‘defense range’ were destroyed or flung away.
Then, in front of Hee-cheol’s eyes, Myung-jun confidently stepped out of his suit and walked towards the waiting Elimination Suit.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
Hee-cheol, seeing a different Myung-jun, one who was now brimming with confidence, roared and deployed even more puppets. However, not a single one of Hee-cheol’s puppets could breach the defensive line created by the Nautilus, not even the giant gorilla-shaped puppet that was several times larger than the others.
And finally, Myung-jun entered the power suit, its interior fully visible to Hee-cheol.
<User boarding confirmed. Elimination Suit activation. Nautilus user protection mode termination. Would you like to switch to annihilation mode?>
“Stand by. I’ll handle the next part myself.”
<Command confirmed. Switching Nautilus to standby mode.>
Suddenly, as if the fierce attack was a lie, the Nautilus ceased its assault. And Myung-jun, now clad in the 4-meter-tall power suit, clenched his fists together and declared, “Ready. Now it’s your turn to take some hits.”
====
***
====
‘Damn it, the puppets are being destroyed faster than they can be repaired!’
The ominous feeling Hee-cheol had when he saw the Elimination Protocol falling from the sky was not an illusion. Myung-jun’s combat power in the new suit had become incomparably stronger than before.
– Crunch, crunch, crunch –
With every punch from the power suit’s fist, the sharp knuckle parts tore mercilessly into the solid parts of the puppets.
Simultaneously, a puppet that had been flying towards Myung-jun from behind exploded in mid-air under the concentrated fire from the mini Gatling guns that protruded from the power suit’s shoulders.
Hee-cheol tried to compensate for the lack of firepower with the increased number of puppets he controlled after capturing Silvares, but his efforts were quickly thwarted by the dozens of missiles launched from the power armor’s chest.
– Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! –
It was a mystery how such small missiles could pack such power, but the missiles fired from the chest of the power suit Myung-jun wore had an eerily strong force.
Moreover, each missile seemed to calculate the optimal destruction range and target, flying in strange trajectories, selectively obliterating clusters of puppets. After one round of missile bombardment, nearly half of Hee-cheol’s 1,000 puppets vanished.
“Aaaaaah!!! You monstrous bastard!!!”
Hee-cheol sent half of the remaining 500 puppets to charge at Myung-jun and fused the other half into one puppet. Since numbers were not enough, he intended to create a stronger puppet to confront Myung-jun.
Seeing this, Myung-jun smiled and muttered quietly.
“Load the MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) back weapon module. Switch Nautilus mode from standby to annihilation.”
<MLRS back weapon system call confirmed. Switching Nautilus to annihilation mode.>
In an instant, one side of the giant drop pod that had fallen with the Elimination Suit opened, and two missile launchers, each loaded with dozens of missiles, flew towards Myung-jun’s suit. They attached to the back of Myung-jun’s power suit like wings.
Simultaneously, as the Nautilus switched from standby to annihilation mode, its turrets began to project firepower all at once, and Myung-jun, to absorb the recoil of the launch, slightly bent his knees as he activated the missile pods mounted on his back.
“Fire all missiles.”
<Initiating full missile launch.>
From the missile pods mounted on the back of Myung-jun’s power suit, it wasn’t just one missile that was launched. Like several missiles stacked together, multiple missiles continued to launch from the same opening at short intervals. Like an angel spreading its wings, hundreds of missiles left white trails as they soared into the air and then halted tens of meters above before raining down like hellfire towards the ground.
‘That son of a…!?!’
Watching Myung-jun project the firepower of an aircraft carrier fleet from a mere 4m power armor, Hee-cheol cursed inwardly. He desperately transmitted his will to accelerate the fusion of the puppets. Stronger, tougher. Deciding that size alone was not enough, Hee-cheol compressed the fused puppets, increasing the material strength to the limit.
‘Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!’
Hee-cheol felt the sensation of his energy, which had never felt depleted since absorbing the crystal of Silvares, now draining away in chunks. But there was no time to worry about that now. Even as he exerted himself to complete the giant puppet, 250 of his puppets were being mercilessly obliterated by Myung-jun’s terrifying firepower.
‘It’s done!’
Was it the result of Hee-cheol’s desperate wish? Just as the last puppet charging at Myung-jun was about to be smashed, Hee-cheol managed to complete a giant puppet far larger than the power suit Myung-jun was wearing.
– Thump! –
So heavy that its footsteps alone made the ground tremble, the massive puppet, weighing at least several dozen tons, charged at Myung-jun wielding a house-sized greatsword.
‘Even you can’t block this!’
With a swing that seemed to tear the air itself, the puppet delivered a powerful attack. However, the sight that met Hee-cheol’s eyes shattered his expectation that this attack would succeed.
– Boom!!! –
With a casual motion, Myung-jun effortlessly caught Hee-cheol’s all-out strike. The sight of Myung-jun holding a 10-meter-long, 20-ton greatsword in one hand was as surreal as watching a kindergartener overpower an adult with strength.
– Creak, crunch! –
Hee-cheol tried to manipulate the puppet to somehow extract the greatsword, but the sword, gripped in the hand of the power suit, wouldn’t budge. Instead, the part that was held just cracked further. Considering the number of puppets compressed to create the greatsword, this was inconceivable. Even the regular puppets summoned by Hee-cheol had durability enough to easily withstand attacks from a Monster grade 6.
‘How can he be so strong!?’
Hee-cheol felt a sense of injustice when Myung-jun applied force to the hand holding the sword. Then, the greatsword that Hee-cheol believed could split a Level 9 Aberrant in one blow shattered like tempered glass.
– Boom! –
“Arghhhhhhh!!!”
As a massive number of connections were lost in an instant, Hee-cheol felt as if someone was ripping out his nerves, causing him excruciating pain. However, Myung-jun, unfazed by the screaming puppet, continued with his next attack.
“Getting stronger, huh?”
When the fist of Myung-jun’s power suit collided with the puppet’s, the puppet’s left arm crumpled like cardboard.
“How much stronger do you think you’ve gotten?”
As Myung-jun jumped and delivered a kick to the puppet’s chest, the puppet’s chest caved in and the giant figure was sent flying backward, crashing into the canyon wall.
“Say it again. Do you still think I haven’t killed you because I’m scared of you?”
Although they were far apart, Hee-cheol was connected to the puppet. When using smaller puppets, the connection was weak, so the destruction of a puppet only caused a slight sting. But the pain Hee-cheol felt now, as a puppet made from the fusion of hundreds was destroyed, was a different dimension of agony compared to when a smaller puppet was destroyed.
“Cough! Gah! Aaaargh!”
Hee-cheol rolled on the ground alone, writhing in pain on the plateau above the canyon where Song Yeon-bi had left him. And Myung-jun, in the same posture as Hee-cheol, slowly lifted his foot while looking at the puppet writhing in front of him.
“Wait… just a minute!!”
Hee-cheol’s puppet tried to stop Myung-jun, but Myung-jun’s movement did not halt. With an indifferent expression, he simply stepped down on the puppet’s head as if stepping on a bug.
– Crunch! –
“Arghhhhhhhhh!!!”
As the puppet’s head burst under Myung-jun’s foot, Hee-cheol passed out on the spot, overwhelmed by the unbearable pain.
====
***
====
“Grrrgh…”
How much time had passed?
Hee-cheol regained consciousness, feeling as though every nerve in his body had been lacerated by sharp spikes. He writhed in agony for a while before finally curling up and pressing his forehead to the ground.
“Keuk… keh… puhahaha…”
He had survived.
No, he had endured.
Despite the terrible pain throughout his body, Hee-cheol realized he was alive because of that very pain.
And that realization ignited a tremendous desire for revenge in his heart.
“Kuhuk… Cha Myung-jun… you bastard… I will have my revenge… definitely… If my own power is not enough, I’ll mobilize the entire South Korean military if I have to, but I will have my revenge!!!”
Hee-cheol concluded that Myung-jun had thought destroying the puppet would kill him, too, based on Myung-jun’s reaction to the puppet’s pain.
And through their conversation, he had also managed to discern Myung-jun’s weakness.
Even though he had been defeated, this was a significant achievement.
Now that he knew Myung-jun hesitated to kill ordinary soldiers, he could exploit that weakness to the fullest to restrict his actions.
As the pain gradually subsided, Hee-cheol’s mind began to fill with thoughts of how to inflict the greatest pain on Myung-jun.
However, all his thoughts and plans were wiped clean in an instant when he heard a man’s voice—a voice he did not want to hear, a voice he feared the most, the voice of Cha Myung-jun.
“Lift your head, you piece of trash.”
Feeling a terrible fear engulf him, Hee-cheol lifted his head in the direction of the voice.
There, sat Myung-jun, using the power suit as a chair, looking down at Hee-cheol with cold eyes.
