NOVEL NEXT Chapter 224
Episode 224. The Root of All Evil (4)
Dr. Chloe frowned.
These bastards. Both the Black Dragon and Cernunnos are engaged in a life-and-death battle, and they don’t even care that Dr. Chloe has appeared.
Is it because Dr. Chloe can’t enter the facility, and even if she gets close, she won’t be able to use her powers due to the magic nullification? So they’re ignoring her?
That’s just too much.
Dr. Chloe stood atop a Foundation tank, pointing her sword toward the facility, not caring about the scattered debris around her.
“Fight me!”
The visibility around her had shortened to the point where she couldn’t even see the tip of her own sword. Dr. Chloe scratched her head awkwardly.
They’re really not coming to fight.
Dr. Chloe swung her sword.
“The pinnacle of truth.”
The debris and darkness split apart instantly. The void left behind, where even the darkness disappeared, cut through the area like the trajectory of a laser.
But the attack, utilizing supernatural phenomena, couldn’t reach the walls of Facility No. 1 and simply scattered.
Facility No. 1 was a sanctuary where supernatural phenomena couldn’t reach. Even Dr. Chloe was no exception.
From the fortress walls of Facility No. 1, mortars, anti-tank chain guns, and heavy weapons were pouring fire in their direction, but the effect wasn’t significant.
The debris and the attackers’ electronic warfare equipment were neutralizing enemy drones and guided missiles. In a situation where visibility was only 2 meters, hitting a fast-moving armored vehicle was difficult.
On the other hand, the attackers also couldn’t do much. The concrete walls of Facility No. 1 couldn’t be easily breached by any means humanity could muster.
Even Dr. Kim couldn’t find a way other than attacking the main gate. Tunneling and flying were eventually abandoned.
Just then, the multiple rocket launcher fired into the sky for the second time. That meant one thing.
The gate had been breached.
The armored vehicles began moving busily, using the multiple rocket launcher as a signal flare. Now, they had to find a way to approach the walls.
They would get as close as possible, but even here, the magic-weakening effect of Facility No. 1 could be felt. Dr. Chloe couldn’t enter directly, but—
Bang!
A gunshot fired from very close range.
Dr. Chloe instinctively dodged something, and a blade appeared in mid-air, aiming for her neck.
She barely blocked it, but this was—
“Special Forces. Ghost.”
Clang!
Dr. Chloe blocked a few more invisible sword strikes, but the tank she was riding on was split in half.
The Special Forces, who had already lost twice to Dr. Kim’s group, had returned today for revenge. An enemy that couldn’t be seen. How had the others dealt with them until now?
Dr. Chloe was hit by something presumed to be an anti-tank recoilless rifle and was sent flying backward.
Dr. Chloe was bleeding. There was red blood, like a human’s, and blue blood, due to her unusual lineage.
The Ghost operatives weren’t completely invisible. The Foundation always prepares three solutions for every problem. That’s the Foundation’s way.
This Special Forces team likely used smoke screens, visible light shielding technology, and anti-memetic factors to disrupt perception.
The anti-tank recoilless rifle grazed her side. A normal person would have been torn apart by the fragments of the large recoilless rifle shell.
But Dr. Chloe managed to stay standing. Tentacles moved inside her side, working to repair the damage.
Dr. Chloe exchanged sword strikes with what seemed to be the leader of the Ghost team.
The enemies were numerous.
How they got this far was unclear.
The Ghost operatives seemed to have surrounded Dr. Chloe using some kind of cloaking device. It wasn’t a situation where she could react to what she saw.
As mentioned, the visibility on this battlefield was so poor that the tip of a sword might not even be visible.
She had been careless earlier, but how many eyes did Dr. Chloe have? Seeing the unseen was her specialty.
She focused.
Was the enemy holding a sword or a spear?
Bang!
Close. Dr. Chloe dodged a shotgun fired at point-blank range. Actually, it was just a guess that it was a shotgun; she couldn’t be sure.
Thud! Dr. Chloe swung her fist with her non-sword arm, striking where she presumed the enemy’s head to be.
It seemed like she hit.
Dr. Chloe used the successful hit to create some distance from her opponent and prepared to swing her greatsword, but—
Again.
A bullet whizzed past Dr. Chloe. It didn’t seem like she was fighting just one person. Similar to the other Special Forces.
At most, one or two would be wielding close-combat weapons, while the rest would be using firearms or providing support in other ways. She couldn’t be sure.
Pat.
Dr. Chloe spread her wings.
Wings made of a material similar to insect claws appeared behind her. Maybe they could block some of the attacks from behind.
As planned.
Dr. Chloe’s black wings bled under the barrage of bullets. They were a bigger target now, so the enemies were firing less carefully.
The effect wasn’t significant.
Dr. Chloe resumed her offensive against the presumed Ghost leader.
A purple sphere appeared and disappeared near Dr. Chloe. The wings surrounding her grew larger.
The insect-like claws transformed into a larger structure, including tentacles and feathers.
There was no cover around.
The attacking armored vehicles sprayed machine gun fire around Dr. Chloe to create a bullet curtain, not knowing where the Ghost operatives were.
Bang! An armored vehicle exploded from an anti-tank missile fired by a Ghost operative. Dr. Chloe flinched. She should have blocked that.
While her vision was momentarily blurred, a large part of the wings surrounding Dr. Chloe was cut off. She gritted her teeth.
Thud!
Dr. Chloe pushed her opponent away. This time, the tentacles on her wings seized the opportunity, cleanly piercing one of the enemies she had been exchanging sword strikes with.
But Dr. Chloe’s wing fell.
The Ghost operatives aimed their guns at Dr. Chloe. The window of opportunity had opened. The Special Forces Ghost’s Gauss Sniper Rifle fired.
Bang!
Dr. Chloe fell backward.
This battlefield is a mess.
If it weren’t for Facility No. 1. If it weren’t for the magic nullification, these bugs wouldn’t have been able to stall for time. It was harder than expected.
More than just being hurt and in pain.
Dr. Chloe regenerated her severed wings, spreading them out. There were limits to her regeneration, but she wasn’t going to die.
Dr. Chloe charged rapidly toward where she presumed the enemy to be.
Bang!
A rifle at point-blank range.
Dr. Chloe swung her sword, but it was blocked by a rifle used like a sword. The bayonet on the rifle turned back toward Dr. Chloe.
Dr. Chloe threw another Ghost operative. She had subdued the leader, but it was hard to tell how many enemies were left—
The anti-memetic factors were causing confusion. Her regeneration was being drained by the bullets raining on her wings.
Despite the machine gun fire from the armored vehicles, the Ghost operatives hadn’t stopped shooting. Many were still alive.
The remaining Ghost operatives began grappling with Dr. Chloe. The barrel of a Gauss Sniper Rifle touched the back of her head.
Bang!
The bullet hit true. The Gauss Sniper Rifle used by the Ghost Special Forces could travel several times the speed of sound at point-blank range.
Blood and strange fluids leaked from Dr. Chloe’s head. The Ghost operatives aimed their guns for a finishing shot, but—
It wasn’t over yet. Dr. Chloe spread her wings with her last strength, dragging her tattered body and disappearing in an instant.
“This is Gate-1. The gate has been breached. We’re gathering at the gate to prevent enemy intrusion.”
[This is Central Command. The enemy cannot use supernatural phenomena. Respond calmly.]
“Gate-1. The damage is severe.”
[Command. Respond calmly—]
“Gate-1. Something just sliced through a heavily armored mech. The fact that they can’t use supernatural phenomena—”
[This is Gate-3. Is it true that they can’t use supernatural phenomena? Something just sliced through a mech at a speed hard to see with the naked eye—]
In front of the soldier guarding the gate, something in dark urban camouflage passed by.
Another mech guarding the gate of Facility No. 1 was sliced and fell. Along with the sound of bullets passing by, or rather, how should I describe it?
Shockwaves erupted continuously along the trajectory of the sword. The soldier holding the radio was knocked unconscious by the pressure of the wind.
[This is Command. Confirmed destruction of multiple mech units guarding the facility entrance. Request status report. All available forces, gather at the gate.]
[Gate-1. Respond.]
The infiltration of Facility No. 1 was successful.
Nanami picked up the fallen radio with her left hand. She didn’t stop moving.
“Hey. Are you listening?”
[Gate-1. Requesting status confirmation.]
“I can cut through tanks with a sword, even without supernatural phenomena. Run or die, your choice.”