I Became a Mad Scientist for the Foundation

Episode 213. The Last Martial Artist (2)

The Thule Branch Command Center of the Foundation was in utter shock. Ah, Comrade Furani… What kind of battle have you been fighting?

Multiple cameras were monitoring the situation inside the island.

Dr. Kim was flying between buildings. The Boramae Special Forces, equipped with flight gear, were chasing him diligently, but they couldn’t fly as well as Dr. Kim.

This was a cat-and-mouse game.

Chasing each other in the air, claws out, trying to catch each other’s tails, diving and climbing to gain speed, dancing in the sky.

The Boramae members, equipped with jetpacks and wingsuits, did their best, but they couldn’t match Dr. Kim’s strength and speed.

Dr. Kim, wielding his sword, attacked a Boramae member mid-air. The member was sliced apart before he could even resist.

There was no way to counter that.

Dr. Kim’s Clockwork Wings deflected bullets, and magic or other means didn’t seem to work either.

If you got too close to Dr. Kim, you’d be sliced apart by that black sword, Niguras-5. Magic and bullets didn’t work, and he flew at incredible speeds. What were they supposed to do?

“Boramae-3, combat ineffective!”

“Boramae-2, combat ineffective!”

The officers in the command center shouted.

[This is Boramae-4. Currently combat ineffective. Right arm severed. Requesting medical support.]

Due to the speed, fog, and dust, Dr. Kim’s figure was hard to see.

But beyond the screen, a bronze feather flashed, and another Special Forces member was sliced apart. The body of the Boramae team leader was seen falling.

“Uh… Boramae-1, deceased.”

Thule Island was a strong fortress, but whether it was better defended than Acacia’s carrier fleet, Beijing, or Pixel’s Glass Palace…

Well.

The soldiers on Thule Island were painfully aware that it wasn’t. The Boramae Special Forces were annihilated.

If they attacked Dr. Kim in the open, the other Special Forces would meet a similar fate.

“Operator ‘Blade.’ Can you fight that?”

He was the last hope. It didn’t seem like a problem that could be solved by the Special Forces. The operator on the other end of the radio grabbed the mic.

[Blade. Boramae soldiers annihilated. Moving to capture Dr. Kim as of now.]

That was the strongest card Thule could play right now.

The situation was more favorable to me than I thought. From the terrain, I could hide or evade between the concrete towers and structures scattered around.

The Foundation Headquarters was collapsing.

At least the administrators who opposed me were.

They said there were about 200 Special Forces. I don’t know if it’s really 200, but how many have I killed or turned so far?

The Special Forces must be dissatisfied with the current situation. I thought Thule would have several Special Forces guarding it, but that’s not the case.

Flying Special Forces. They were unique, but too weak to face me.

Being in the air means you can be attacked from all directions, but their mobility and defense were inferior to mine. Why did they even take to the air?

Apart from the fact that one Special Forces unit was just annihilated, it was frustrating not having comrades to fight with. Where the hell are the enemies?

Do I have to enter the enemy facility to find the administrator? Fighting outside is advantageous for me, but indoors, I’m at a disadvantage.

I’ll wait and see what the enemy throws at me. Picking them off one by one would be more favorable.

Sigh. I thought Administrator Raven, being a mage, would come out to fight me directly. But he’s hiding like a turtle. It’s probably the best strategy for him.

I can instill fear in the enemy and occupy the city’s airspace like this, but I can’t take over this huge city alone. I lack the strength.

Concrete Tower.

I looked down at the city from the highest point inside Thule. Most of the anti-air facilities were destroyed, but armored vehicles were still moving to strategic positions.

The soldiers on Thule Island were still looking up at the sky. They can’t hold out much longer with the fallout and dust. An hour at most?

“Is that Dr. Kim?”

The Foundation’s high-level combat asset, Operator Blade, looked up at the sky. The flying figure looked more like an incomprehensible monster than a human.

He was waiting for deployment orders.

For now, the flying Special Forces were fighting that thing. Once that battle was over, he would have to go out and face that monster.

Operator Blade.

His name was Namgoong Seong.

He was the last martial artist.

Perhaps?

He didn’t remember the past well. He remembered, but could hundreds of years fit into one person’s brain? It wasn’t just the brain that was trained.

The past, there was a lot. The martial artist fell into deep thought as he watched the battle on the screen.

The rebellion of the Demon Cult targeting the Imperial Palace was the beginning of the end. It was called the White Lotus Rebellion.

After that. Westerners with advanced firearms crossed the sea and started a war.

After that. Christians who believed in Western religion started a great war that killed tens of millions.

After that. War with the Japanese.

There was also the war between the Westerners and the self-proclaimed Righteous and Harmonious Fists of the martial world.

After that. The Imperial family eventually fell to revolution, but the wars continued endlessly.

The Japanese army’s war with biochemical weapons, civil wars between government forces, and the Communist Party systematically hunting martial artists and harvesting their organs.

Is there any need to go on?

The age of myths was over. Only one lonely martial artist remained in what was once a forest of martial arts. The organization and lineage had long been severed.

Only one martial artist who remembered everything remained. He caught the Foundation’s eye when he used his power, and the Foundation made him an offer.

– Work for the Foundation, or die.

It was a welcome offer. Better than being dragged to the Communist Party’s labs, at least. Maybe I can even find a disciple if I’m lucky.

[Operator Blade. The Boramae Special Forces have been annihilated. Go out and face Dr. Kim now.]

Namgoong Seong gripped the hilt of his sword.

A worthy opponent. The martial artist, holding only a single sword, ran towards where Dr. Kim, who had just annihilated the Special Forces, was.

Dr. Kim was wreaking havoc across the city like a mad bird. It seemed more like he was evading anti-air fire than having a specific target.

“That’s it.”

Even though he was flying, he wasn’t moving at the insane speeds of a fighter jet. More like a fast bird.

Namgoong Seong chased the enemy at superhuman speed.

“Dr. Kim! Your opponent is me.”

His voice echoed loudly, but Dr. Kim didn’t even look back. Was he leading me into a trap? Or just running away?

Dr. Kim disappeared between buildings.

The martial artist charged after the monster again-

Boom!

I slung my Subspace Bag back on and tossed the Disposable Rocket Launcher aside.

The anti-tank rocket hit, but the explosion was small and didn’t seem very effective.

The rocket, and the enemy’s sword, were too fast for me to follow perfectly with my eyes. Did that monster just cut the anti-tank rocket with his sword?

Oh dear.

This isn’t going to be easy.

“Draw your sword!”

I had no intention of stopping. If I stopped now, I could get hit by anti-air fire. Or get sliced apart by that guy’s sword.

“Are you just going to run away?”

If Nanami were here, she would have killed that thing in one move. I’m not as strong in close combat as Nanami.

I need to think of another way.

The distance is closing.

“There you are!”

It’s getting harder to keep running. I spread my wings wide and changed direction. The enemy’s sword appeared in front of me, pointing at me.

This isn’t a problem that can be solved with a gun. I have a sword too, but it’s not going to be easy to fight with it.

“Sky-Shattering Strike.”

Before I could react, the tip of the enemy’s sword drew a circle. Dust mixed with the air, and debris spun in a large circle.

My wings blocked most of the fragments, but the bulletproof shield was shredded. It’s too early to let my guard down.

The opponent is really strong.

“Are you the one aiming for the title of the world’s strongest? Thanks for bringing back old memories.”

What kind of crazy talk is that?

The opponent already seemed confident of victory. I racked my brain. In my experience, the arrogant ones die easily.

“I am the last martial artist.”

Multiple swords appeared behind the figure, and I moved to find cover. It’s obvious, those swords are going to fly at me.

“Flying Sword Technique.”

Since the trajectory is freely controlled, cover doesn’t seem to mean much.

I spread my Clockwork Wings as far forward as possible, deflecting as many swords as I could, but-

This is a first.

One sword pierced through my wing. I shook it off and dropped the sword. I could still fly, but… this is the first time my wings have been damaged.

The opponent looked at me with interest.

Still that arrogant look.

“It’s been a while since I had a worthy opponent.”

I can’t stop moving. There’s no time to chat with that guy. I’ll head for higher ground. He doesn’t have wings, so I’ll take the high ground.

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