Chapter 292

Just as furry primates evolved into humanity, the Equessian species is also a product of evolution.  

In terms of Earth's animals, the Equessians originated from zebras.  

I had never actually seen a zebra before. My knowledge was purely academic, limited to pictures and illustrations that only gave me a vague idea of their appearance.  

But I did know one thing—zebras were herbivores.  

That was where the decisive difference between zebras and Equessians lay, aside from intelligence.  

Equessians were not 'prey'—they were 'hunters.' And not just any hunters, but among the most elite in the universe, a species of warriors.  

En’s stripes glowed orange. Normally, they appeared faint and darkened as if naturally shaded, but in combat mode, they shone brightly.  

Tzzzzzz.  

Equessians regulated and expelled their body heat through their stripes. Their ability to dissipate heat with minimal water consumption was an effective evolutionary adaptation, allowing them to maintain their stamina for extended periods.  

Humans also had decent endurance, but we were no match for Equessians.  

Moreover, Equessians combined explosive strength with relentless stamina. No amount of lifelong physical training could bring a human even close to the physical capabilities of an ordinary Equessian.  

Some might see this fundamental physical disparity as unfair and unreasonable.  

'A normal, unmodified human... would be completely helpless against an Equessian.'  

Fortunately... I was an enhanced human, with my brain’s neural functions pushed to their limits through bioengineering and my body reinforced and replaced through cybernetics.  

I swung my arm to deflect En’s spearhead. En briefly pulled back the spear, only to thrust it forward again in an instant. The movement was so precise, it was almost infuriating.  

'En’s close-combat techniques are exceptional.'  

It wasn’t my first time fighting an Equessian. I was familiar with their combat style.  

'But En has refined Equessian combat techniques to the extreme. Even within the same system, he operates on an entirely different level.'  

If I had to sum up En’s fighting style in one word, it would be 'relentless.'  

Thanks to his species’ natural endurance, En never tired. He never met my attacks head-on. Instead of engaging in a full-force clash, he anticipated my larger movements and intercepted them before they could even build momentum.  

...It was aggravating.  

But the fact that I was feeling irritated meant En’s strategy was working.  

'He’s waiting for my body to wear out.'  

En was methodical and composed. He refused to engage me head-on, maintaining the one strategy that ensured his victory.  

My body wasn’t fully cybernetic. I still had limitations in breathing and stamina.

I wanted to taunt him, but even finding the right moment to open my mouth wasn’t easy.  

Kiiiing!  

I tried to step back, but En immediately closed the distance, swinging his spear in a menacing arc.  

On the other hand, whenever I pressed forward, En would retreat, maintaining just the right distance.  

In terms of raw strength and agility, I had the upper hand.  

'If we fight head-on, there's no reason for me to lose. But En is avoiding a direct clash altogether.'  

En bounced lightly on his feet, moving in the same direction as before.  

I had to break his flow somehow. Pushing my prosthetic output to its maximum in an instant, I surged forward.  

Kiiiiit!  

Pressing my toes deep into the ground, I spun sharply.  

A harsh cracking sound rang out beneath me, and the concrete floor caved in.  

Whoosh!  

Like the eye of a storm, I twisted through the air, swinging Crucis in a wide arc.  

With its momentum amplified, Crucis shot toward En’s torso, moving faster than sound.  

For a brief moment, En's helmet gleamed as if his eyes widened in surprise.  

Kaaang! Bwoooong!  

In a desperate move, En lifted his feet off the ground and used the shaft of his spear to block Crucis. The sheer force sent him flying backward, crashing into the wall.  

But I frowned. This wasn’t what I had aimed for.  

'He intentionally let himself be blown away to absorb the impact.'  

If he were human, his entire body would have been shattered. But Equessians—especially En—were ridiculously durable.  

Crack. Snap.  

Brushing off the debris from the broken machinery he had crashed into, En got back on his feet.  

Even I hadn't expected to struggle against him this much. Reality was full of unpredictable variables, and battles always had matchups that determined the flow.  

The more experience one had, the better they could control and exploit these factors.  

An image of Ragnata crossed my mind. She was past her prime, but En’s body was still in peak condition.  

'…When it comes to one-on-one combat techniques and experience, En is ahead of me.'  

Yeah, I had to remind myself—this was the same guy who had wrecked an unfamiliar Legion the first time he encountered it. Even if my overall combat power was superior, there was no way this would be an easy fight.  

I had also fought and clawed my way through, taking down those stronger than me. En must have had similar experiences—his own methods for dealing with stronger opponents.  

'If I overexert my brain here, the rest of my schedule will be hell…'  

There were still countless dangers and obstacles ahead of me. I had wanted to conserve my mental energy, but I was out of options.  

Right from my first fight after returning to Border City, I had run into a powerhouse.  

This wasn’t an opponent I could get past with half-hearted effort.  

Thud. Thud. Thud.

En hopped lightly from side to side as if the impact from being blown away hadn't fazed him at all. A dreadful game of cat and mouse played out in my mind.  

Wiiiiing.  

I pulled Ruina, my shock pistol, from my coat and gripped it firmly. From now on, I would tackle this fight from multiple angles. Just like a predator surrounding its prey from all sides, forcing it into a trap… I would drive En toward a single inevitable outcome—defeat.  

The glow in En’s helmet narrowed into sharp slits. He must have sensed that I was preparing something.  

Chik!  

En activated the energy shield mounted on his forearm to counter shock rounds.  

Wiiing!  

A circular energy barrier flared to life from his left arm.  

As if entering a second phase of battle, we were moments away from colliding again.  

Biiiiiiiiiip!  

…At that moment, an ear-splitting noise erupted.  

All the standby sound devices in the control room simultaneously let out a deafening screech. Dust trembled on the floor, and both metal and glass vibrated violently.  

Craaaack!  

The thin glass even started to crack. I winced at the painful noise.  

No doubt, this was Lapis' doing. I tried to grasp her intent.  

Lapis wouldn’t create noise for no reason. She was doing this to help me.  

I steadied my wavering focus and locked my eyes on En.  

He staggered. His once-flawless movements stuttered as if something inside him had broken.  

'This sound is affecting him significantly.'  

With a pained motion, En raised his hand to his helmet, seemingly trying to remove it.  

Thoom!  

I pulled Ruina’s trigger. Despite his confusion, En instinctively raised his energy shield to absorb the shock explosion.  

Kwaaang!  

The brief explosion and the deafening noise created an opening. I didn’t let that fleeting moment slip away—I forced my way through time itself.  

'A long, straight slash.'  

No need for flashy techniques. Lowering Crucis, I swung it from below in an upward arc.  

If it connected, Crucis would slice En from his groin to his crown.  

En hastily tilted his helmet halfway up as he stumbled backward.  

I let go of Crucis' handle.  

Srrrrrk!  

Freed from my grip, Crucis elongated as it shot forward. Its blade scraped across En’s abdomen, slashing all the way up to his face.  

Kwaaadaak!  

His armor tore apart, along with flesh and skin, as if a massive beast’s claw had raked straight through him.  

Thud.  

En, now drenched in blood, collapsed to his knees. The glowing stripes on his body were dimming.  

"Puh… Pshuut… Krk."

En’s snout and nose had been torn open, leaving a gaping wound. He let out a bubbling breath, frothing with blood. The deep slash across his forehead exposed the wrinkled surface of his brain.  

Squelch.  

His vertically split abdomen spilled long, tangled intestines onto the floor, and his split chest revealed the lower part of his heart, still pounding. With every beat, more blood poured out of his body.  

"We were two, and you were alone. Going in solo was your mistake, En."  

I stood before him and spoke.  

Creak. Crack.  

Crucis, which had been embedded in the ceiling, groaned as it loosened.  

Thud! Whiik!  

I snatched Crucis mid-fall and adjusted my grip to balance its weight. Then, I pressed the blade directly against En’s nape.  

- Not bad… Lapis. I didn’t… expect to have my equipment… tested by you…  

En barely turned his head to look at Lapis as he spoke. His battle helmet, now loose, slipped off and hit the ground with a dull thud.  

Still.  

Lapis lowered the terminal she had been operating. The deafening noise that had filled the room ceased. Her hands were trembling.  

"Wait, Luka. Save En—"  

Lapis lifted her head to look at his condition but fell silent, averting her gaze.  

En’s state was beyond horrific. If Crucis had dug just a fingernail’s depth deeper, he would have died instantly. Though he had narrowly avoided immediate death, his body was now vertically split in half.  

"At this point, there’s no way to save him, no matter who tries. Ending it quickly will spare him the suffering."  

I spoke coldly.  

Lapis bit her lower lip, then slowly lifted her head, looking at both me and En. Her eyes were filled with tears.  

- If it weren’t… for Lapis’ interference… I would have… finished you… with my trump card… What a shame.  

Whether that was true or not, I would never know.  

"You’ve got some nerve to keep bluffing until the end. Since we’ve been through a lot, don’t you have any last words of advice for us? You’re dying anyway—maybe for Jafa’s sake?"  

En let out a rough, broken laugh from his torn snout.  

- Well… Good luck, Luka.  

With those final words, En reached up and tore the translator from his nape.  

He had chosen to die with his pride intact. The least I could do was honor that.  

"Ah…"  

Before Lapis could say anything, I spun in place, moving my blade fluidly.  

Thunk.  

I completed the motion and stopped. En’s head rolled to the floor.  

"Hhik… Kk… Ngh…"  

Lapis tried to hold back her sobs, but it was clear she was struggling.  

"Lapis. I’m sorry, but if we want to save Jafa, we don’t have time to mourn En. We have to move immediately."

I reached out toward En’s corpse, rummaging through his belongings for anything that could serve as a clue.  

Lapis, still sniffling, approached me. She picked up En’s battle helmet.  

"…I used to handle maintenance for the Equessians under Jafa’s command. Thanks to that, I know their equipment well. Equessian battle helmets are equipped with neural control devices. These devices optimize brainwave activity to enhance physical and mental stability, making it easier for them to maintain composure and extend their combat endurance."  

"So that noise earlier was an Equessian weakness?"  

"Not exactly. The brainwave optimization and response values differ from one Equessian to another. It’s just that… En frequently entrusted me with his maintenance. That’s how I knew his specific settings. I was able to generate a sound that matched the frequency of his control device and disrupt it."  

Lapis had been close to En. That was why she was able to exploit his weakness.  

‘She must be picturing En bringing his equipment to her for maintenance right now.’  

I held back the urge to praise Lapis.  

I wasn’t tactless enough to commend her tactical ingenuity when she was grieving.  

I withdrew my hand from En’s corpse.  

‘Cautious until the very end, huh, En.’  

He had left behind nothing useful as a clue. There wasn’t even enough time to hack into his terminal or personal gear.  

"Can you get in contact with Anguis Regina?"  

"Son Seok-jae blocked all personal communication between us. But since she has a concert coming up, she must be somewhere nearby."  

The situation was growing worse.  

‘I can’t just leave Lapis here. I need to assign her a bodyguard.’  

I was about to call Lars for that role.  

Chhk, chhk.  

A short-range transmission crackled in my ear.  

- We have located Anguis Regina and are currently tailing her.  

Lars had contacted me first, one step ahead.  

…My opinion of him just went up. He might actually be more capable than I gave him credit for.

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