In an instant, Oliver's gaze beheld a sight that left him awestruck. A towering figure, concealed by a shroud of bandages, had seized a gargantuan sword and hurled it through the air with incredible force.
The sword, composed of a network of metallic plates, collided with the vehicle and obliterated it, crushing the front like a flimsy pudding and launching it into the air with unnatural ease.
It was an act of superhuman strength, far beyond the realm of mortal capabilities. But what intrigued Oliver, even more, was the enigmatic aura emanating from the bandaged man.
‘But that's that, and this is this.'
Oliver quickly extracted the emotions and created a black suit to wear.
He then grabbed Forrest and Al, securing each one at his side.
"Excuse me for a moment."
"What?!"
Bam!!
Oliver kicked the car door off its hinges and came out with Forrest and Al.
As soon as they landed, Forrest's vehicle crashed to the ground and became a literal pile of scrap metal.
Oliver asked Forrest, "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not alright. My vintage car just got wrecked, and I can't save it anymore."
"That old car?"
"It's a vintage car. It's different from being old. Use the right word. Anyway, thanks for saving me."
Fortunately, judging by his speech, Forrest didn't seem to be severely injured. The same went for Al.
‘Anyway, who is that?'
Oliver carefully put Forrest and Al aside and looked at the man with the sword and bandages. He had never seen him before, but he didn't feel like a stranger.
"Um… Have we met somewhere before?"
The bandaged man pointed his thick sword at Oliver and spoke with a voice that cracked as if a knife had sliced through it.
"You… Dave…?"
"Yes, I'm Dave. I work as a Solver in Landa District, 27 Street. Who might you be, sir?"
Oliver politely greeted the attacker who had just blown up the car he was in and asked for his identity. Forrest answered on his behalf.
"Bandages covering his entire body, transcendent physical abilities, and a bizarre cracking voice… He's from the Anti-Development Committee."
The Anti-Development Committee. Oliver had heard of it only once before.
In the past, when the Kell Liberation Army's Willes attacked Landa Prison, the city manufactured numerous lies to hide the truth, and the Anti-Development Committee was one of the aggrieved victims of those lies.
Oliver recalled the memory and asked, "The organization that has a nest in District Z? The one that's been protesting since the Landa redevelopment?"
"Yes, those mysterious beings. It's strange. They usually don't come out of District Y…"
With a sincere tone of confusion, Forrest scrunched his face, as if sniffing a conspiracy.
Oliver decided to leave the details to Forrest and focus on the current situation.
‘What should I do…?’
He was prepared to fight if necessary, but he wanted to resolve the issue peacefully if possible.
"Could you please tell me why you attacked?"
Fortunately, he told him the reason.
"How dare you, filthy criminal… you invaded our land… caused damage… deserve to die."
Criminal. Invade. Damage… They were all unfamiliar words, but Oliver soon understood their meaning.
"Um… It was when I was working with Pinkman… I'm genuinely sorry. I didn't know how powerful the corpse cannon was since it was my first time using it. What if I sincerely apologize and compensate for the damage?"
Oliver asked seriously, but the man with the sword and bandages didn't seem interested.
"We want blood… We've already received enough money."
"You've received money…? Can't you at least let them go?"
Oliver pointed at Forrest and Al.
"They don't have anything to do with it."
"It doesn't matter……Brokers… All criminals… Criminals must suffer."
"Um… I guess there's nothing I can do," said Oliver, regretfully.
With a resolute expression, Oliver brandished his quarterstaff and deftly swung it to the side.
The air was sliced cleanly asunder, and a writhing, tentacle-like entity hurtling towards him was rent apart with ease.
"Uahhhhhhahhhh-!!!"
A piercing scream rent the air as Oliver's attack connected, sending a spray of viscous blood and slimy flesh cascading onto the ground.
To his surprise, the mangled mass of flesh was none other than a tongue – bulky, moist, and deep red.
Turning his attention to the source of the grotesque appendage, Oliver quickly located the owner. The man clung to the wall like a lizard, his body shrouded in bandages and a voluminous cape, and his mouth gushing torrents of blood as he writhed in agony.
Despite his attempts to conceal his whole body, the man's exposed extremities – teeth and nails – bore sharp, animalistic traits that marked him as distinctly inhuman.
"Uaaahhhhhahhhhh-!!!"
The tongue-bandaged man writhed in pain, screamed with a vengeful spirit, and fled up the building like a lizard.
Oliver looked at the man, who seemed more like a beast than a human, and asked,
"Are there many mutants in Districts Y and Z?"
"Quite a lot compared to other areas. Especially in District Z."
"But, it doesn't seem like an ordinary mutant… Huh?"
The enigmatic figure with the sword and bandages had been observing the scene from a distance, but in an instant, he closed the gap with a single bound.
With a resounding crash, he brought his massive sword down upon Oliver. However, in a display of lightning-fast reflexes, Oliver met the blow head-on, blocking it with his quarterstaff wrapped in a black suit.
The collision of titanic forces sent shockwaves rippling through the air, as the full might of the sword and the man's prodigious strength collided with Oliver's unwavering defense.
‘His strength is almost at Mr.Cook’s level.'
The man with the sword and bandages roared with anger, his face contorting.
"How dare you…! Don't compare us…! With those scum…!!"
His anger made him even stronger, and he intended to crush Oliver to death.
Oliver quickly apologized, "Um… I'm sorry if I upset you. All look the same to me."
Oliver meant that mutants, Anti-Development committee members, and ordinary people were all the same to him, but the man with the sword and bandages clenched his teeth even tighter and started swinging his sword with unbelievable force.
Kwaang…! Kwagwang!! Kkagang! Kwang! Kkang!! Kangkagang-!!!
The man's attacks didn't seem to have any technique, but the combination of the massive chunk of metal and the strength to swing it created a force that surpassed any skill.
It was like a hurricane made of metal. The surrounding walls were shattered by the enormous air pressure, and rough puncture wounds were left on the ground.
However, amazingly, Oliver and the area behind him remained unaffected.
His quarterstaff, wrapped in a black suit, not only skillfully but also beautifully blocked or deflected the attacks.
Kraaak-!!
The crazed man with the sword and bandages raised a hand and struck at Oliver with ferocity, before immediately following up with a swing of his great sword.
With a resounding clash, a small shockwave rippled through the air, and a deafening sound reverberated, as the man sought to overpower Oliver with his sheer strength.
But Oliver was quick to anticipate the attack, deftly tilting his quarterstaff to deflect the blow and avoid any serious harm. With skillful precision, he then pulled back his weapon to launch a counterattack.
However, it was not long before the man with the sword and bandages unleashed a blood-curdling scream, bringing the intense exchange to a sudden and chilling halt.
"Uyayayayayayayayayayayayayayayay-!!!"
An ear-splitting shockwave, akin to [Outcry], crashed directly into Oliver's face with incredible force.
It was remarkable that such a thunderous noise could be produced without resorting to magic or black magic.
Oliver's mind reeled, his vision blurred, and a colossal impact slammed into his body – the handiwork of the man with the sword and bandages.
With a dull thud, Oliver was sent hurtling through the air, tumbling once on the ground before regaining his footing and standing tall once more.
His continuous exercise had evidently paid dividends in this moment of dire need.
"Uh…"
Immediately after recovering his balance, Oliver was met with an attack from another concealed foe. This opponent was also concealed by bandages and had five razor-sharp claws poised to strike.
Despite the enemy's evident expertise in ambushing, Oliver's own combat experience enabled him to anticipate the attack. He ducked his head just half a beat sooner, easily evading the sharp claws.
Seizing the opportunity, Oliver retaliated with a precise shot of Hate Bullets from a distance, piercing the stomach of the clawed assailant wrapped in bandages.
Pubbubuk-…!!
"….Kuk!"
The bullets of hatred had torn through the clawed assailant's stomach, leaving behind several fist-sized holes and causing his intestines to tear as well. Blood and entrails spilled onto the ground in a gruesome display.
Despite the severity of the wounds, the claw-bandaged man remained standing, his body beginning to heal at a surprisingly rapid pace.
Observing this astonishing recovery, Oliver found himself wondering if all of his opponents, from the Puppet and the Human-meat Chef's disciples to the Anti-Development committee, possessed such extraordinary regenerative abilities by default.
"That level of attack…!!"
With his iron-plate sword held high, the bandaged man charged into the fray once more. Oliver responded by firing another round of Hate Bullets into the body of the clawed assailant and deftly evading the incoming sword.
Their clash produced a thunderous noise, and the ground shattered beneath them as dirt and dust filled the air, a testament to the incredible display of strength.
"Heh!"
The man with the sword and bandages opened his mouth again, intending to scream at Oliver.
But this time, Oliver was faster.
[Hate Bullet]
"…..!!"
Oliver launched the bullet of hatred toward the bandaged man's open mouth, aiming with deadly accuracy.
Caught off guard by Oliver's swift counterattack, the bandaged man halted his assault and instinctively shielded his face with his sword.
Tadadadadadang!!!
The bandaged man successfully deflected roughly ten Hate Bullets with his sword, but Oliver, channeling black magic through his quarterstaff, charged forward with a powerful thrust.
BANG—!!!
Their weapons clashed, creating a cacophony of metallic sounds as the bandaged man was pushed back by the sheer force of the impact.
Undeterred, the healed clawed assailant attempted to aid his comrade, but this proved to be a grave mistake.
"Eahahahaeaeaeahhahhahah————!!!!”
Suddenly, a mouth appeared on Oliver's black-suit covered face, emitting a furious roar that attacked the clawed man both physically and mentally, causing him to bleed from the ears and fall to the ground, incapacitated.
Taking advantage of this opening, Oliver fired five precise Hate Bullets into the clawed man's head, causing it to explode with a wet sound.
Unlike the disciples of the Human-meat Chef, this clawed assailant lacked the ability to regenerate multiple lives despite his tenacious Life-force and remarkable healing abilities.
"Uahhhhh! You, damn…!”
Enraged by his ally's death, the sword-bandaged man roared like a beast and Oliver apologized once again.
"I'm sorry… Can we make peace now?"
"Uahhhhhh一!!”
The bandaged man wielding the massive iron-plate sword charged at Oliver once again, unleashing powerful strikes with each swing. As the sword sliced through the air, it generated a forceful gust of wind aimed at crushing Oliver.
Yet Oliver remained focused, channeling his energy through his eyes to anticipate the direction of each attack and either blocking or deflecting it with precision. However, this time, he also launched counterattacks of his own, utilizing his quarterstaff to strike when he saw an opening and firing Hate Bullets at close range to gradually wear down the bandaged man's body.
He wanted to find out what the Anti-Development opposition committee was and who was funding them.
‘Also, I'm curious why it feels vaguely familiar.'
During the intense close combat, Oliver utilized his shadow tentacles and stakes to stab and bind the legs of the sword-bandaged man while simultaneously using his quarterstaff to smash his opponent's shoulders and knees. As the damage inflicted upon the sword-wielding attacker began to surpass his regenerative abilities, Oliver noticed something amiss.
The other members of the Anti-Development committee, who had been hiding and waiting for an opportunity to strike, began to move. However, their target was not Oliver but rather Forrest and Al.
Realizing the danger, Oliver turned his head to find the tongue-cut bandaged man from earlier, along with other bandaged assailants, charging toward Forrest. It appeared as though they were attempting to take hostages.
Al held up his handgun in an attempt to defend himself and Forrest, but it proved inadequate against the attackers.
Thinking quickly, Oliver retrieved a piece of paper from within his clothing, prepared to act. However, just as he did so, the beaten sword-bandaged man suddenly rushed towards him once more, determined to interfere.
"Where do you think…!!”
[Revive]
[Obedience]
Acting quickly, Oliver tapped into his black magic abilities a beat faster than before. His target was the claw-bandaged man whom he had previously killed, and despite half of his head having been blown away, the man came back to life and attacked the sword-bandaged assailant, scratching him in the process.
Caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events, the sword-bandaged man was momentarily thrown off balance.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Oliver used his Shadow Tentacles to surround and protect Forrest and Al with shadow blades, stakes, and tentacles. Then, he threw papers at the hesitant bandaged men, carefully targeting and sticking them to their bodies.
Although Merlin had advised against using spatial magic, given the dire circumstances, Oliver decided to make an exception this time. He gathered mana stored within himself, linked it to the magic formula on the paper, and activated it as soon as he confirmed that the papers were properly attached to the targets' bodies.
Wiiiiing…!!
As if the flapping of insect wings, a small but distinct sound rang out, and a purple magical portal materialized above the papers. Simultaneously, the bodies of the bandaged men were suddenly and gruesomely torn apart into multiple pieces.
"Kyahahahahat!!!"
"Click-clack-! Click-clack-! Click-clack-!”
"Khehehehehe…!"
"……."
In addition to the gruesome tearing apart of the bandaged men's bodies, Corpse dolls emerged from the purple portal, adding to the chaotic scene.
(To be Continued)
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