Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Free falling and crashing weren’t anything special to me. It wasn’t exactly routine, but it happened from time to time.  

Kiiiiiiiiiik!  

The elevator I was on plummeted, scraping violently against the shaft. A deafening screech of friction and impact filled the air.  

‘It’s long…’  

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind. Even amidst them, I moved my pupils, checking to see if I had reached the floor where Gilda was.  

The numbers on the elevator’s electronic panel were dropping rapidly.  

‘50, 49, 48…’  

I was just about to reach Gilda’s floor.  

I forced my way out of the elevator, denting the ceiling in the process. Then, I clawed at the shaft wall with my fingers, sliding downward.  

Whoooooosh!  

The elevator, now detached from me, plunged endlessly below. Looking down, I slid down to the 42nd floor.  

‘42nd floor.’  

That was where Gilda was.  

Hanging onto the wall, I braced my legs. The power output of my prosthetic legs surged, sending a tremor through me.  

Crash! Bang!  

I kicked the metal door repeatedly as if I were shoving it open. The door started to crumple, and a gap slowly formed.  

Crrrrrack!  

Hooking my fingers into the opening, I wrenched it apart. The metal bent, revealing a space just large enough for a person to pass through.  

Boom!  

A heavy impact sounded from below, loud enough to rattle my skull. The elevator must have hit the bottom.  

‘I’d rather this be someone’s prank…’  

Of course, there was no way an android hack in a situation like this was just a prank. I already had a suspect in mind.  

‘Someone chasing Giselle’s whereabouts as much as I am.’  

If she were still alive, she would obviously be on the move somewhere. The fact that there had been no trace of her until now was what felt truly strange.  

I leaped inside, landing smoothly before bending my knees to accelerate forward.  

Vwooom!  

The air warped around me as I propelled myself inward.  

The scent of Gilda lingered in the air. No other traces registered in my senses.  

‘This is a sealed room.’  

The passage I had entered through was the only way in from the outside.  

‘Either something is hiding from my senses…’  

No, I could rule that out. I wasn’t incompetent enough to miss something like that.  

‘Someone broke through a wall, or there’s another passage…’  

And then, my thoughts reached their final conclusion.  

‘…I got here too fast.’  

I looked at Gilda.  

She had tensed up from the loud noise, aiming a self-defense pistol in my direction.  

“Lu… Luka? Why are you…?”  

Recognizing me, Gilda loosened her grip on the gun.  

“Don’t step out from behind me. No matter what.”

I spoke briefly, gripping the auto-tracking pistol in my right hand and the Firelight Saber in my left.  

Gilda didn’t ask any further questions. She had already picked up on my serious expression and realized something was happening. She was always quick-witted and perceptive.  

I, Luka, would protect Gilda here.  

No matter what happens, I will protect her. I was already prepared to throw my life away.  

“My attendant and bodyguard are on the floor below. They’ll be here soon.”  

I shrugged. I could feel a slight cold sweat forming.  

“The elevator… I destroyed it.”  

“What? Why… why would you do that?”  

“I have a short temper. Everything I do is like that.”  

I stared at the passage I had come from. No sound. But my heightened senses told me something was off. There was a strange dissonance, like a veil clouding my perception.  

‘The auto-tracking pistol’s sensors aren’t detecting anything.’  

Even as I pointed my gun forward, only a blank message appeared on my retinal display.  

“Click…”  

I clicked my tongue, closing my eyes.  

“…Clack.”  

The sound waves spread outward. A lattice-like auditory map formed in my mind.  

‘Impressive.’  

Technology was advancing fast. It seemed that even personal equipment could now disrupt echolocation.  

The enemy had swallowed the approaching sound with some kind of device, then regurgitated it to match the surrounding echoes. That’s why they didn’t register in my auditory map either.  

At this point, I almost doubted myself. Neither my eyes nor my ears could detect them.  

But I was sure there was an enemy, so I placed my finger on the trigger.  

Bang!  

I pulled the trigger over and over until the magazine was completely empty. Bullets ricocheted down the corridor.  

‘It’s just a personal jamming device.’  

It wouldn’t be able to handle irregular, complex noises coming at it from all directions.  

‘There.’  

The enemy’s concealment peeled away like a shedding shell, becoming faintly visible. I aimed my gun at that spot and fired.  

‘Whether they deflect it or dodge, they’ll have to move violently.’  

The figure became fully visible in my auditory sight. The enemy twisted their torso to the side in response to the bullets. Their movement caused the air around them to ripple vividly.  

Crash!  

I let the auto-tracking pistol drop and immediately bent my knees.  

Like a fired bullet, I launched myself forward, closing the distance in an instant.  

‘Whoever they are… No, I don’t even care. They’ll be dead soon anyway.’  

A murderous intent filled my mind completely. My pupils felt like they were dilating.

A superior warrior and soldier must not feel guilt when killing. Guilt leads to hesitation.  

Kiiiiik!  

The Firelight Saber, burning with murderous intent, slashed fiercely through the air. The enemy, who had bent their upper body sideways, flickered unstably as their adaptive camouflage malfunctioned.  

‘Break their jaw with my knee. They’re unarmed right now. End it before they can draw a weapon.’  

I raised my knee, aiming for the enemy’s lowered chin.  

No one applies adaptive camouflage or stealth devices to their weapons. That meant they hadn’t drawn theirs yet.  

‘Absolute advantage.’  

They had assumed I wouldn’t detect them. I had used that overconfidence to turn the situation in my favor.  

Don’t give them a chance to breathe. Keep pressing the attack. Don’t let their hands reach for a weapon.  

How clever, Luka.  

It was a brilliant decision and execution—so much so that I felt satisfied enough to praise myself. I had grown as a warrior.  

Crunch!  

The enemy blocked my knee strike with their interlocked hands.  

‘Full-body prosthetics.’  

The impact told me everything. Their entire body was cybernetic. And judging by how their hands didn’t shatter even after taking my knee directly, their prosthetics were high-grade.  

Tap!  

Regaining balance swiftly, the enemy pulled their elbow back.  

They feinted a punch toward my face but immediately shifted to a sweeping kick aimed at my ankle.  

‘They’re skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Properly trained.’  

And at a rather high level, too.  

Tick, tiiing, tick.  

Their adaptive camouflage suit flickered on and off. One moment they vanished, the next they reappeared.  

‘Don’t give them an opening. If they draw a ranged weapon, I’ll be at a massive disadvantage. I have to fight while protecting Gilda.’  

Keep pushing forward. Keep attacking. Take risks. Place my life on the edge of a blade and press on.  

Willpower translated into action. I drove them back toward the elevator shaft.  

This was not an opponent I could defeat while focusing on my own safety. To protect Gilda, I had to be willing to risk my life.  

Shhhk, shhk.  

The enemy backpedaled rapidly, nearly skidding as they retreated. I followed at the same relentless pace.  

Whoosh!  

Spinning the Firelight Saber in my grip, I switched to a reverse grip. The eerie flames trailing from the blade whirled in circles.  

A silent battle continued.  

‘They need time to transition from an ambush stance to full combat mode.’  

I hadn’t given them that time.  

Boom!  

The enemy leaped far back, accelerating as if retreating.  

‘That’s not a retreat.’

Even in a disadvantageous situation, they blocked and countered my attacks skillfully. They were already planning their next move.  

‘They’re going to jump down the elevator shaft to regroup.’  

Regrouping would only take a moment. They would discard any unnecessary stealth modules, draw their weapons, and come back up in an instant. With that level of skill and cybernetic enhancements, they could scale a vertical shaft as easily as running up a flight of stairs.  

‘A good plan. But…’  

Once Luka sinks his teeth in, he doesn’t let go. If it’s insanity they want, I can match them.  

I accelerated and leaped after them into the elevator shaft.  

Boom!  

We tangled in midair as we plummeted down the shaft.  

Even as we fell, I thrust the Firelight Saber into their side.  

The moment the blade pierced them, they twisted sharply, jerking their body away to escape.  

The acrid smell of scorched metal and synthetic flesh curled into the air, trailing behind us as we dropped.  

If I had a regular human body, that strike would’ve been fatal. But they had full-body prosthetics. At worst, only their cybernetic organs had taken some damage.  

Then they brought their foot up and kicked me upward.  

Thud!  

I curled my limbs inward, absorbing the impact as I was launched slightly into the air.  

The distance between us widened.  

‘Damn it.’  

They finally had time to regroup.  

Clank, clunk.  

They were shedding unnecessary modules. The extra equipment on their arms, legs, and back dropped away, leaving only a sleek, skin-tight combat suit devoid of camouflage.  

‘Their weapons—sword and pistol.’  

Now fully rearmed, they braced against the wall with their sword, slowing their descent. I flipped midair and pressed my feet against the shaft’s wall.  

Screeeech!  

The metal bar under my foot bent with a hideous shriek.  

Bang!  

They fired a shot at my forehead. A mere feint.  

I had already twisted my neck, dodging out of the bullet’s trajectory before they even pulled the trigger.  

‘We’re evenly matched. This is a battle of split-second decisions.’  

Neither of us had a decisive advantage or disadvantage. A strange sense of déjà vu crept over me. Not that it mattered.  

Vwoooom!  

My focus sharpened until my mind felt like it was contracting under the strain. My senses heightened to the point where even my objective of protecting Gilda faded into the background.  

Thud! Clang!  

Ignoring me, they kicked off the wall and grabbed onto the structure above.  

‘If they reach Gilda’s floor first, they win.’  

I opened my mouth and called out to stop them.

"Ilay, if you lay a finger on Gilda, I'll hunt you down all the way to Akbaran and kill you myself. I'll wipe out the entire Carthica family with my own hands."  

He stopped, gripping the wall. A brief moment of silence.  

…After fighting this much, he should have realized by now. The lingering sense of déjà vu wasn’t just in my head.  

The enemy was Ilay Carthica.  

Click.  

The lower section of his full-body combat suit unlatched. The glow from his helmet flickered unsteadily.  

"Luka, this is for your sake."  

A familiar voice.  

"You’re going to kill Gilda for me? What a fucking joke, you psychopath."  

We hung from the walls of the shaft, staring at each other.  

"Gilda’s death isn’t just for you. It’s for the Empire as well."  

"No, it’s for that sick, perverted Emperor, whoever the hell he is. Explain it in a way I can actually understand. I’ve had enough of cryptic bullshit from Kinuan alone."  

"The Emperor suspects that you and I are conspiring. He thinks I found you but didn’t report it. If I kill Gilda and frame you for it, I can clear myself of suspicion."  

Hearing Ilay say that so calmly made me grind my teeth.  

If I hadn’t come back immediately… I would have become the prime suspect in Gilda’s murder.  

"You’re telling me you’re killing Gilda for my sake, then pinning the blame on me? Are you fucking serious?"  

"It’s the only way to keep you safe from the Empire’s attention. To protect you, I have to put you in a difficult position. Even one where you might end up dead."  

Listening to him, a sense of despair crept in.  

The burning rage from before felt like it was freezing over.  

There was logic in Ilay’s words.  

But logic alone wasn’t enough.  

"Ilay… You really have lost your fucking mind."  

His lips twisted at my words. Then he let out a sigh.  

"…You and I just see the world differently now. Damn it, why don’t you understand that this is the best option? You idiot, don’t you want to find Giselle?"  

I only glared at him.  

Creak.  

Ilay’s mouthpiece locked back into place. The brief truce was over. The silence had ended.  

I had to drag him back down.

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