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Chapter 39

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Chapter 39
TEORA – Maroon Five – Chapter 39

Corrections: If you see me mentioning “Red” in the chapter, please note that this is “Blue” or Beni Koutaro from the previous chapter which fought Ikeno. I reckon this is just a mistake made by the author.

I won’t leave traitors alone

A ball of energy rapidly approached Neito.

Unlike Ikeno, he didn’t have the ability to react and dodge quickly. If he took it head on, he would surely die.

That’s why, now’s the time

His operation was a success, but it would be the first time he would transform.

“Due to the effects of the Beetle Crystal, your [Spiritual Silhouette]’s power will have significantly increased” were the words of Maki. “There’s a possibility that you will become a mindless beast, rampaging around the battlefield and die”.

That would be scary.

But, I’m sure that won’t happen. I’ve already sinned enough while going down this path. You may call it prejudice or self-gratification, but the path I chose is necessary for my goal.

I’m a villain. More evil than anybody.

There’s no way my spirit would break me.

[……Transform]

Neito spoke in a soft, yet low tone.

It wasn’t something he was proud to say in public. Unlike them, his words bear the great weight of all the sins he committed just to get to this point.

The darkness inside him was stirring. His back started to heat up.

‘Annihilate’

He fully understood what that word meant. To wield this much power, it was easy to grasp the definition of the word ‘Annihilate’.

His body started to change. Darker, stronger.

His transformation also had an effect on his mentality. He wanted to destroy everything in sight.

But he didn’t dare to. He held it in.

I’m the only one that can control my silhouette.

I can’t last long in this form, but that’s more than enough.

Red’s justice hammer rapidly approached.

That must pack some real punch… Isn’t it supposed to be done by five people all at once? That won’t be enough to defeat me.

He held up his right arm, which was turning into something with long nail-like claws, and caught the punch in his palms. A great explosion occurred. It hurt, but he was fine.

As the smoke cleared out, Red noticed his transformation and instantaneously deployed a barrier.

[……What the–…]

Neito confirmed that he was hooved and had wings.

I see… so this is how my spiritual silhouette looks like… It’s not bad. No, it is {bad}. I like it.

[I call it {Evil Silhouette}…… is it too simple?]

[I won’t lose to you.]

[Then, here I come!]

Neito took his stance and dashed towards Red. He was fast, even he was surprised at his speed. The control room seemed far away in an instant.

So this is how they live.

Neito proceeded to strike with his claws.

(TLN: I may say claws just to shorten the ‘nail-like claws’ on his arms.)

[Die!]

[That won’t happen.]

Clang!

The sound reverberated. Red managed to block Neito’s claws with his psychic barrier.

That’s some convenient power you got there… But you look like you’re suffering. You’re sweating a lot and I see that you’re

clenching your teeth so hard that your gums are bleeding.

[Take this!]

Heroes sure are amazing. He managed to break free and distance himself with his psychic powers.

Neito felt the air around him vibrate and held up his arm to stop the force from the psychic attack. He stopped it with his left arm.

There was a distance of few meters between them as a result of that attack.

[Here I come!]

Not wanting to shorten the distance, Red gathered concrete blocks that were lying around into a pile and threw them towards him.

[Hm-!]

Neito defended himself by constantly crushing the blocks that were coming towards him.

Defense wasn’t his sole quality. He gathered up spiritual energy towards his claws, and released a shockwave towards Red.

Red managed to shake it off with his psychic power.

Even if he manage to shake off the attack, there were some parts of his body which he couldn’t protect. Yet, he still kept on fighting.

In terms of attack power, the beast and the superhuman were equal.

d.a.m.n… so we’re about equal to each other huh? The Maroon Five are considered A-cla.s.s heroes after all… I couldn’t expect less. But as he stands alone, he should be around C-cla.s.s, he should be easier to deal with than Beetle and Dylan.

If I had a choice, I would finish him off as soon as possible, but I wouldn’t dare…

Well that’s just like me.

Finish him off with my strongest power? Don’t make me laugh. That may look cool, but it isn’t my style at all.

The windows along the floor where they were fighting were all shattered to pieces, and one section of the wall had a huge hole. Neito surveyed the situation outside.

I can clearly see the testing grounds from here.

Maroon Five’s Pink caught his eye. She was fighting a squad led by Ikeno. Although surrounded, she handled herself very well against them.

Among Maroon Five’s members, Pink was considered to have the lowest fighting capabilities. She specialized in healing which is useless in this situation.

The person which had the most fighting capabilities was Red. That Red stood equal to Neito.

In terms of control over the battlefield, the Maroon Five had the advantage. Neito and Red were matched in terms of power. Other members of Neito’s fighting force barely held on while suppressing the other Maroon Five members. But soon enough, they are bound to run out of firepower and stamina.

It was thanks to the control room that they managed to hold on with the guidance from Ikeno, but time was not on their side. Soon enough, the Maroon Five would breakthrough Neito and his comrades. Red would soon bring in his reinforcement. Neito couldn’t handle fighting two Maroon Five members at the same time. In the end they would lose.

That was the situation he saw.

Then, the most logical thing to do is…

[Hahaha… Hey Red, do you value your fellow comrades?]

Neito asked Red while they were fighting. Neito was laughing because he knew Red did.

[…What are you saying?]

[…Let us see if you can remain on the right path Mr. Hero.]

Neito greatly distanced himself by jumping back, broke the windows and jumped down from the top floor.

Using his wings, he flew towards the floor which he had his eyes on.

He was aiming for Maroon Five’s Pink. She was fighting Ikeno and his squad on the testing grounds.

Pink was rated below Red. Since they specialized in psychic powers, her reflexes were slow. If Neito descended with speed towards her from above, he would surely kill her.

In the end this was a gamble.

Neito’s objective was to guard the control room from Red. Neito left Red alone and headed out for Pink. Red could go inside the control room, kill Niina and then head out after him.

If that were to happen, Metallica communication lines would be disrupted and the research lab’s fighting force would fall into ruin and soon be annihilated. Although Maroon Five would only have 4 members left, they would ultimately win the battle.

To Neito, the worst action Red could take was [ignore Neito, and head to the control room]. At that end Neito would kill Pink.

Niina would die on the other hand, and the control room would be rendered inoperable. Their fighting power would plummet and in the end, they would get overrun by their enemies.

If I were Red, that’s what I would do.

Your life and your comrades’ lives are important, and you should protect what you can currently protect. But to me, there are far more things to be prioritized than that. That’s why I’ll abandon what I’m supposed to protect and attack Pink.

But hey Mr. Hero, do you think you have the resolve to do that?

While flying, Neito looked behind his shoulders for a moment.

[Sakura-chan! I won’t let you–!]

Red was following Neito, levitating with the help of his powers, leaping down from the top floor.

So he came after me… No I knew he would come after me.

After all you are warriors bound by love and friendship. In order to protect that little happiness people have you are willing to fight.

You said it yourself didn’t you? ‘I won’t let someone to be sacrificed in order to fulfill the greater cause’.

You should be proud of your belief. That type of justice is what truly makes you a real human.

I believed in you. I believed that you would come after me because of your sense of justice.

But, that would be the reason you will lose.

Those [people we want to protect] are just a form of prejudice. To me, they are no more than [people that need to be destroyed]. A sacrifice is a sacrifice.

[Tsurugi! Ikeno! You know what to do!]

Neito was about to land. He trusted them that they would know it was him after seeing his transformed form. They didn’t need any telepathy.

Red came in late behind him.

I’ve seen this scene so many time in Manga, Anime and RPGs.

“I’ll definitely save every person! I won’t let you change our world! You are always wrong…”

And the villain gets defeated.

That’s one c.r.a.ppy cliché.

I understand. You want to change the world by saving everyone without destroying anything, without hurting anybody.

But I’m not G.o.d. I can’t do that perfectly. But i will still tread this path.

‘Don’t give up on making everybody happy?’

Don’t make me laugh. What about you? What are you doing to make that true?

You and I are no different. You fight for what you think is right. You are wonderful human beings. Compared to me, you’re far more beautiful beings.

But because you are, there’s no way you can win against me.

[Stop! Hikari (Kou)-kun don’t come!]

Pink was screaming at the top of her lungs. She had higher detection capabilities than her comrades.

I see so you complement each other to cover your weaknesses. That’s very poetic of you.

But,

[You’re too late.]

Neito landed behind Pink while she was distracted protecting herself from oncoming bullets.

Neito gathered energy from his [Evil silhouette] onto his claws.

But it wasn’t to take down Pink.

[Haaaaaaaaaaaa-!!]

Neito kicked off the ground and flew once again.

[Wha–!!]

My target has always been you! Beni Koutarou!

His flight must be unstable. His speed is not much and he can’t perform any maneuvers while in the air. I’m no different. I just came off the ground and I have wings to worry about.

Will you be able to take my hit?

[Hyaaaaaaaa–!!]

Neito’s claws never reached Red. He missed him by a couple inches. Red managed to deploy a barrier in that brief moment.

They clashed mid-air on the testing grounds with the height which was equal to the second floor of the closest building. The shockwave traveled throughout the area.

You’re really something, heroes of justice… but I’m not done yet.

[Tsurugi! Ikeno!]

[Understood!]

[Don’t order me around!]

The two of the reacted to Neito’s voice. Ikeno must have already read the situation. He was already done loading his [Gun – Blade] and aimed for Red’s back.

Tsurugi also jumped down from the third floor swinging his Katana at Red.

They left their post for a moment. That was their gamble. If they can’t defeat Red there and now, then it would be over for them.

[Haaaaaaaaa–!]

Tsurugi firmed his grip and slashed his sword, Ikeno on the other hand shot his [Gun – Blade] while Neito put more force on his claws which was stopped by the barrier.

[……. I–…!!]

With Red suppressing Neito from the front, he wasn’t able to avoid the attacks coming from the top and behind.

A sword, gun and claw attack.

The three villains penetrated his strong defense.

You may say that it’s cowardly, but Ikeno would surely reply “It is in the fundamentals to create opportunities in order win battles”

Neito on the other hand, had different views.

It was simple. Ganging up on a person is cowardly. It wasn’t an elaborate strategy but a mere instinctive plan. It is definitely atrocious, but what’s wrong with doing something atrocious when you’re a villain?

[Hikari-chan!]

Pink’s cries echoed but Neito didn’t mind.

Losing his telekinetic power, Red plummeted unto the ground. Neito landed on top of Red.

[…Uuuhhh……]

Red was lying on his face. Neito stepped on his back.

Red had ran out of power, and his psychic suit soon powered down.

[I win, Maroon Five.]

Moments later, every member of Maroon Five gathered on the testing grounds. The remaining Metallica members didn’t dare chase after them.

Blue, Yellow, Green and Pink. They all glared at Neito.

[You b.a.s.t.a.r.d… I’ll crush you…]

[Koutaro-san! How did it come to this?!]

The four of them readied themselves for a battle.

[You should stop. I think I can crush him with my foot even before you could use your powers. Or am I wrong? Wont a superhuman die if I crushed all of his backbones?]

Guriguri.

[… Aah…!… Don’t mind me… Fight him…!]

Koutaro tried to convince his comrades.

[Hyahahaha, heroes of justice are sure amazing! Everybody before yourself?! For justice?! I will commend you on that! Hahaha!]

Neito might be mocking them, but in his heart, he was true to his words. They were really admirable.

There was no way it wouldn’t hurt. Despite that, Koutaro could bear the pain and didn’t scream. He’d never yield. Even if his backbones were to break, his heart wouldn’t yield. There was no way to extinguish the flames of justice in his heart.

[…Although if you wouldn’t mind seeing a corpse with shattered backbones, then come at me. I’ll be your opponent.]

In reality, if they do come at him, he’ll be in trouble. If he were to use his [Evil silhouette] once more, it would be dangerous. He could harm himself. His comrades were also out of stamina. They were almost out of ammunition and explosives. IF the remaining members of the Maroon Five were to fight at full strength, they would absolutely lose.

[You coward! You’re worse than s.h.i.t!]

Yellow screamed at him.

[Huh? You’re an idiot for not realizing it sooner.]

While answering, Neito thought to himself.

Do I hold Koutaro as a hostage and kill him? No, that would be a bad idea.

Neito knew them well enough because he once admired them.

They were in a pinch. Their comrade was held hostage and is unable to escape. They would find a way to save him, even if it defies all logic. After all, G.o.d might side with justice.

That’s why Neito couldn’t let his guard down. It was impossible to defeat all of them. At any point, if Koutaro were to die, they would come at him relentlessly. a.n.a.lyzing the situation, it’s clear that Neito was still in the disadvantage.

[What do we do now Boss?]

Tsurugi, who was silent the whole time, called out to him.

That’s right, we don’t have enough time.

[I won’t mind releasing your leader, Maroon Five. Hey Blue, or should I say Kogure Souichi, You’re the sub-leader right? Let us trade.]

[…… I see you k-know us very well….]

[It’s a basic to search and know about your opponent beforehand.]

Yeah, it’s because I adored you guys.

[What about this “trade”?]

[Let’s see, the reason why you know about this place, is because someone leaked information from Metallica right? Tell me who leaked it, and I’ll release Red. Of course that would mean that you and your troops would pull out from the island.]

[…… Our informant? I don’t know what you’re talking about…]

There was no way they wouldn’t know. They knew too well about the island. Even if they thought that it was a trap, it must have come from someone that a.s.sured them of its validity.

[Hey! My patience is wearing thin.]

Neito once again put pressure on his foot, crushing Koutaro’s back. Koutaro didn’t scream, but it was clear on his face that he was in pain.

[Stop!!]

[Even if there’s a possibility that you would lie to me, get Koutaro released, and come at us at full force with your troops. I still trust you heroes of justice… Or are you going to go against your words?]

[……. There is also the possibility that you won’t keep your word after we tell you what you needed to know.]

[You’re the sharpest inside the Maroon Five right? Think about it. If we were to fight, one of us has to come out a winner. If we win, we will torture until death to get at the needed information. If you win, there would be no point of asking who the traitor is since you would still kill us. It might mean Koutaro dying, but the end justifies the means.]

Honestly, it was sure that Metallica’s side would lose. If that’s the case, then he must definitely kill Koutaro at least.

[Even if I keep my promise or not, your situation won’t change. But if I do, you all get to leave this island alive, with Maroon Five still intact.]

Neito wanted to avoid fighting any longer. The one with the hostage has the advantage in the short run, but not in the long one.

[Sou-kun… We need to treat Hikari-kun as soon as possible…!]

Pink’s worried voice was a nice follow up, favoring Neito.

[Decide now.]

Everybody stood silent and was waiting for the decision.

[…… Okay. It’ll be over if I tell you right?]

[Yeah, you can trust me to keep my word. I may be a villain, but I still keep my promises.]

Blue told Neito of the information they received. It may be too vague to pinpoint the actual person, but it was enough to give them a clue on who it was. Of course, Neito made sure to have Blue’s words recorded.

[I see… I understand. As promised here’s your leader.]

Neito grabbed Red by the ankles and flung him over to the other Maroon Five.

[Koutaro!]

[Hikari-kun!]

[…… I’m so sorry… because of me…]

[‘ts ‘kay! ‘Don ‘mind it! What matter is that you’re safe!]

(TLN: I did my best in translating Kansai-ben and I did so horribly)

[Don’t worry, He’s not dead yet. I don’t know if he can still fight, but what you should be worrying about here is our situation. You’re going to keep your word and pull back right? If not, I’ll fight you no matter how tedious it is.]

This was a gamble. It was a gamble against someone who was sure to win. Now that they had Koutaro, their chances of winning was at its highest.

[…… I’ll… keep my end of the bargain.]

As soon as Blue said those words, Neito turned his back towards them. It wasn’t because he was ashamed of what he did, but rather it was to ease up the tension. If they saw him making any suspicious movements, it would undoubtedly become a battle.

[Thank you. As expected of the highly renowned Maroon Five. Home is that way, take care and have a safe trip.]

Neito tried to fake a laugh.

We can’t underestimate them. There’s no way to confirm that they know we don’t have any fighting capabilities left.

[…… Hey you, tell me your name.]

Kogure Souichi raised his voice at the last moment and ask Neito.

[My name is Nate. You should be honored to hear my name.]

[We’ll retreat and we won’t come back to this island either… in any case you would’ve put up countermeasures by then… but one day, I will defeat you. With Koutaro and the members by my side.]

[I’ll be looking forward to it. Do your best then.]

And thus, the defense of Purgatory Island came to a close. There were multiple casualties inside Metallica. Three were killed and many were injured or unconscious.

In the end they were able to hold out. What’s important is that they didn’t break.

After confirming that they were leaving the island, Neito released his transformation. His spirit couldn’t last much longer at this time.

[Yeah! You really did it this time Senpai!]

Niina came over to him.

Yeah, I’m glad you’re still alive. Although I knew you would somehow make it out alive.

[Neito-kun! I’m glad you won..!]

Maki also came. Her voice was shaking. As she came closer, she hugged Neito.

Eh? What’s with this situation? Somebody came back from the dead?

[Err… Umm… did you see my transformation? I’m glad it turned out better than expected. It was quite strong… Maki-san, thank you. I think it was a success because of you.]

[…… That’s not– … Thank you …! Neito-kun is such an amazing person. I’m really glad that you’re safe…]

She cried while hugging him. Though her face was wet all over, it wasn’t such a bad feeling. No, he was really happy, but he was in trouble. He wasn’t used it and his situation was very tricky to handle.

[Thanks… but you don’t have to cry…]

[I’m sorry… I’ll stop crying soon enough…]

He had other things to do but… Neito called out to Ikeno while Maki was still hugging him.

[Hey ikeno, we should treat the injured and…]

[We’re already on it.]

As expected of him, Ikeno already issued the orders to do so.

We won because of Ikeno.

Neito wanted to do a fist-b.u.mp like in an anime, but he resisted the idea. He hated him, so he’ll say what he needed to say.

[Didn’t I say it? We can win if it’s the two of us.]

[It was mostly because of my efforts.]

Ikeno tried to exaggerate, but it was true.

[No doubt about it.]

Neito laughed while patting Maki head.

[Your transformation as a modified human was amazing Boss.]

[Yeah, you also did well Tsurugi, I’m impressed.]

[Fmm, I knew you would eventually do something like that, so I couldn’t get myself beaten up before that.]

Tsurugi was covered in wounds. He most likely sustained more damage than anybody else.

Anice also came down from the rooftop. She merrily approached Neito. Even if it was a battlefield, her care-free atmosphere still didn’t change.

[You were amazing Nate! You were so cool! It’s still a mystery why you didn’t change after you transformed.]

Hey now, wait a moment. Do you mean to say that the normal me is just the same as the beast you saw when I transformed?

[About that traitor issue we have Boss…]

[We can’t be sure who it is with that information, although it may serve as a clue that will eventually lead us to him.]

Neito suppressed Tsurugi’s question and looked at him in the eye. It was enough to inform Tsurugi his intentions.

[…… If you say so, then we’ll leave it as is…]

Tsurugi also understood the information received. Somebody within the company must’ve betrayed them. Only Neito and Tsurugi knew of this information.

This was the sole advantage they had. If they used the information smartly, they can settle the affair all in one go. A method only a villain can think of. There were only few individuals they could trust.

Charisma always stands out.

[Hey Tsurugi, mind lending me your shoulder? I’m too tired.]

[Understood.]

Neito grabbed Tsurugi’s shoulder and whispered on to him,

[I won’t leave traitors alone.]

They’ll regret having ever used me.

I doubt that you would expect to see me alive. How unfortunate, I’ll never forgive you. This isn’t revenge, but retribution.

A betrayal that doesn’t succeed is the worst kind of betrayal. You’re no more than a second-rate villain. If you are going to betray someone, didn’t you know that you are supposed to do it right?

I’m sure you didn’t think this one through thoroughly enough. And now, you’re an enemy blocking my path. I’ll crush you and after that, I’ll use your downfall to make my way to the top, then throw you away like trash.

Looking at Neito’s expression, Tsurugi answered.

[Understood. He must be really stupid to make you into an enemy.]

He somehow was expressing a trembling face.

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