Chapter 203

This operation will be conducted by detectives and combatants only.
The professor who would normally lead the agents as the field commander is excluded from the team. Her role is not appropriate. This is a simple operation and doesn’t require specialized command.
You need to reach your objective and escape quickly.
There’s always a risk that someone will drop out of the course. That’s why there’s a huge risk in taking on a “throwaway” like a professor.
“It’s not like she has the means to defend herself like Leila.
To put it bluntly, it’s more of a hindrance than a help.
Kushan is joining us, if not in place of the professor.
“I’m afraid I can’t send you the exact location of the Emperor, as I’m not familiar with the layout of the Xuran Imperial Palace. I can only give you approximate coordinates.”
“I don’t even want to get there, I just want to get inside the palace.”
“I’ll let you guide me from there.”
None other than the navigation role.
“I was taken to the Imperial Palace not long ago. The layout hasn’t changed much from the old days, and I know where everything is, even if I can’t find the secret passages.”
“Yes, if you say so.”
Altair graciously accepted Kim’s request.
This is, of course, meddling in their lives. It would backfire, just as it did when the godmother was running amok. But she didn’t hesitate.
Vidia are a race with an extremely shallow connection to the world. Therefore, they take each promise seriously. Most of all, Kim Yi Hyun was the savior of the entire Vidia.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
I cut my palm, and blood poured out.
Altayre’s words turned the blood into slime. The slime, which had previously only covered a single car, spread much wider, enveloping the area like a curtain.
Several of the agents swallowed hard. Memories of the grueling battle with the Godmother flooded their minds. Even Kushan held his tongue as he stared at the lingering darkness.
“What a mysteriously bizarre spell….”
“Is it peculiar to your eyes, too?”
“Isn’t it obvious, you’ve gone way beyond the usual categories of space.”
“Yeah.”
If so, that’s a good thing.
Kim smirked as he put on his gas mask.
“If you don’t know, the emperor doesn’t know.”
The tip of the sword is already under the emperor’s chin.
“Oh, right, come to think of it, you’re going to do it in reverse, right?”
“Here comes a woman who is flexible.”
“Okay, let’s get going.”
The ops team is all in the vehicle.
Every single person in the room is wearing a gas mask. It’s a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick nonetheless. As long as you don’t leave any evidence of the involvement of Celbrox Labs and Dustborn, you’re good to go.
“They just need to have a solid reason to blame us.
From then on, it’s a battle for influence.
The loudest voice is the truth.
“I want everyone to close their eyes.”
Following Altayre’s instructions, the armored vehicle began to drive through the swamp.
It was eerily quiet inside the car as we traveled. No idle chatter could be heard over the radios. A sign that the agents were tense. The right amount of tension is helpful.
Kim reminded us of one last thing.
“There is only one target, the Emperor. Ignore the noncombatants. It’s a humanitarian response, it’s a matter of priorities, and with limited time, we can’t afford to get bogged down.”
The time limit is until the imperial army arrives.
“Smash in a straight line and run through it.”
And then 1 hour, 2 hours.
The passage of time is blurring, and the tension is loosening.
“You’ve arrived.”
Altayre’s words signaled the start of the operation.
Chapter ahhhhh-!
The slime that enveloped the ranks ripped away, and the world returned to normal. Tires crunching on the ground, natural light pounding on snowballs. Kim opened his eyes and looked out the car window.
The worldview had shifted 180 degrees.
The time is the last rays of dawn. The place is a garden full of colorful flowers. It’s a familiar place, and later in the story, the Professor is invited to visit by the Empress.
In other words, the break-in is a success.
“The gardens of the Ruby Palace. It’s close enough to the Emperor’s Palace. Keep going straight!”
Boom!
At Kushan’s command, the armored vehicles raced across the stone floor. The loud rumble of the vehicles shattered the dawn’s silence. Those with keen ears would have recognized the change immediately.
As they left the gardens of the Ruby Palace, human shapes began to appear at first glance. Guards and servants on night duty, their panic easy to read even in the dim light.
‘It’s a surprise.
To them, an armored car had suddenly appeared in the middle of the imperial palace. They soon realized what was happening and were seen running off somewhere. Kim Yi Hyun immediately turned his attention away from them.
“Leave it alone. It’s a waste of time to chase him.”
You can’t afford to be distracted.
Stealth is a lost cause from the start. What’s the use of silencing witnesses, it’s better to advance a little further before the troops arrive.
“They’ll get there.
In the game, the Imperial Palace of Xuran is depicted as a kind of demonic den. The enforcers throughout Xuran are also enforcers, but there are worse monsters lurking in the palace. Clashes with them are inevitable.
Or not.
Thud, thud, thud!
A baptism of bullets rained down on the armored vehicle. The hull shook with each hit, but that was all. The padded steel plates took the bullets well. Kim held on to his seat and looked out the window at the enemy.
“Those things don’t sleep, they’re early.”
A black cloth that covers the lower part of the face. Plain uniforms without any cumbersome gold bands or insignia. One after another, men and women dressed exactly the same, as if they were replicas of each other.
The Emperor’s personal envoy.
They were eerily quiet. The commander didn’t shout or make any big gestures. They didn’t even seem to communicate with each other.
But the behavior was intense.
After a silent barrage of bullets, he began to run at full speed. The distance between him and the speeding armored vehicle decreased by the second. He didn’t hesitate in his steps, even though he knew that if he collided with it, he wouldn’t be able to pick up any bones.
Poof, boom!
The car slammed into his body.
More accurately, the enemies flung themselves at you like fire moths. A haphazardly thrown blade scrapes the bonnet on impact. The woman, splattered with blood, taps her side with a broken arm.
Some of them clung to the car like leeches, covering the front with their bodies and slashing at the window with knives. No yelling, no screaming. Their red, bloodshot eyes were grotesque.
– What the hell, you crazy people!
Rosetta’s panicked voice came over the radio. It was an understandable reaction. This was beyond bravery or recklessness, bordering on insanity. The agents knew these enemies well.
– Reinforcements. They’re doing the same thing as the Legion.
“Chelsea, get the stuck one off!”
“I know!”
Chelsea leaned out of the gunner’s seat and fired her rifle. The body clinging to the car jerked, then tossed like garbage. He rolled on the ground, bleeding profusely.
Despite being critically wounded, which shouldn’t kill you instantly, you stand up and chase after them. A human barrier has been erected in front of them, blocking their path. The commandos hold up their bare bodies to block the armored vehicles.
“Just sweep it away.”
“Gee, are you sure you’re okay!”
“You just saw that. Are you still saying that?”
“Ugh, I don’t know!”
The attached light machine gun spewed fire. There was no time for guilt. Not only is every second counted, but these are men who have been dehumanized by years of experimentation and special drugs.
I have become a tool, not a man, and have the honor of serving the Emperor.
You’ve been given the opportunity to be as faithful as you want to be.
If you can’t keep it, well, that’s a shame.
“Keep drilling.”
The Emperor’s Palace is just around the corner.
* * *
Tududududu!
The constant echo of gunfire. The calm that had descended on the imperial palace during the early morning hours was quickly dispelled. The Emperor rose from his bed and opened the door, only to be greeted by a rush of guards and guardsmen.
“Heinrich. What’s going on?”
“We don’t know yet, but it looks like terrorism.”
“Terrorism?”
The Emperor frowned.
“You’ve beefed up security on the borders and in the capital to the equivalent of a wartime state. They’ve even broken into the new imperial palace, which no one knows about, to create all this commotion.”
“That’s true.”
“I don’t understand. What kind of numbers did you use?”
“I’m not surprised either, but the investigation can wait. Special forces are on the way, and I’ll escort His Majesty. You need to make sure you’re safe first…….”
-Quang!
The imperial palace shook violently as he binged.
“Oops.
Heinrich smelled the growing odor of gunpowder. The intruder is approaching here. The distance is already too close. The objective must be the Emperor’s head.
The Emperor is the present and future of Xuran.
A hundred years, two hundred years. If the Emperor continues to reign as ruler, one day the empire will swallow the continent, and his hand will touch every corner of it.
A glorious spring awaits. The Cataclysm is just one step on the road to that day. The Emperor still has much to accomplish. This is not a fitting end.
“We should use the underground passageway, it’s safer there.”
“I’ll have to do that. Do we have a size of the intruder?”
“I think it’s between two and 30 people off the top of my head.”
“Where did that number come from?”
The emperor clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Tell them to take at least three of them alive.”
The emperor assumed that the current situation would blow over quickly. The sheer disparity in numbers was the main reason. The palace is full of experiments that not even the highest nobles know about.
Actually, the calculation itself wasn’t wrong.
It’s impossible to “raid the palace” with just the Celbrosmith Lab and Dustborne. Your ammo, grenades, and other supplies will be consumed quickly. When the time comes to fight with only spells, you’ve already failed.
That’s why it’s a one-point breakthrough, short-term battle.
I was walking down the stairs leading to an underground passageway.
“Damn it, dodge!”
Kwaaaaang-!
The ceiling caved in all at once.
Stone dust rains down, sending dust everywhere. Several of the escorts were unable to dodge and were crushed by the rubble. Flames flowed like lava, melting armor and flesh alike.
Protected by his guards, the emperor coughed and turned his attention back to the road ahead.
Jiying!
The sound of a wire was followed by a human silhouette falling.
“Your Majesty!”
Flames licked at his tongue in the dust. The dull thud of gunfire and the groan of a guard’s vomit. The Emperor was only spared from defecation by the hand of his guard, who held him upright.
Recognizing the inevitability of battle, Hokukyung drew his sword. A sudden gust of wind blew away the dust that had restricted his vision. With that, the emperor had the terrorist in his sights.
“Gas Masks in Legion?
A terrorist in the guise of a fallen legion.
Standing with one foot on the rubble is disrespectful.
You can’t see her hair, let alone her face, because it’s hidden by the hood.
Nevertheless, the emperor muttered a man’s name.
“Kim, you’re……!”
“Kim Yi Hyun?”
The terrorist tilted his head sharply.
“Who is that.”