I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 22

“Cough!”

The pain was transmitted slowly, yet surely, awakening Liberto’s flesh.

In that fleeting moment, a scream of despair escaped between his halted breaths.

He realized, belatedly, that it was a miracle he hadn’t lost the tonfa.

He steadied his blurred vision.

At last, he gazed at Jin Crow, who was rising with a creak.

“……Corporal. Jin Crow. Serial number SMUO55-1113027. Assigned objective. Annihilation of the enemy. ……Corporal. Jin Crow. Serial number SMUO55-1113027.”

His broken bones seemed to regenerate, and his limbs twitched from time to time, murmuring in a low voice, words that held no meaning.

It was quite an unpleasant sight.

Not much different from a broken radio or a marionette precariously held together by strings.

‘One thing is clear.’

The distance between them in the lobby was considerable.

Yet, the moment Liberto caught sight of the two gleaming eyes flashing through the disheveled black hair of Jin Crow, he could not help but realize.

…Right now, the b*stard was not in his right mind.

Where once emotions had lingered in those dark pupils—weariness, fatigue, confusion—now, something had snapped, and it was different.

“…Hmph!”

After a brief intake of breath, he kicked off the lobby floor and surged toward Jin Crow.

The marble floor shattered beneath him, scattering debris in all directions, but he paid it no mind.

Instinct screamed within him.

Before the b*stard fully recovered, this was his last chance.

‘No unnecessary tricks!’

He spun the tonfa attached to his forearm, adding centrifugal force,

and then, aiming straight ahead, he pressed down with all his might.

KWA-aaaNG!

The overwhelming force, concentrated on a single point, tore the lobby floor in half after a fleeting moment of silence.

Debris flew in all directions, and perhaps due to the shock, only the red emergency lights flickered in the chaos.

“…Didn’t reach him?”

Just moments ago, Jin Crow had struggled not only to evade but even to properly defend himself.

Indeed, something had become perilous.

He could not let the b*stard reach the bridge.

Liberto’s golden eyes glinted as he quickly pursued the vanished trajectory of Jin Crow, but soon realized it was unnecessary.

“Ugh!”

Beneath the wreckage he had stirred, Jin Crow’s blade was poised, targeting his Achilles’ heel with deadly precision.

In that split second, he instinctively threw himself backward to evade, but what followed was Jin Crow’s blade, bursting forth from the debris, closing in on him.

KADADADADAD!

The pitch-black longsword clashed with the silver tonfa.

As the two distinct weapons intertwined, their fierce struggle became a flash of light, and Liberto gritted his teeth, extending a decisive strike toward him.

“Damn it!”

The tonfa he wielded was not limited to his right hand; Liberto swung the tonfa in his left hand toward Jin Crow’s midsection.

‘For now, lure him toward the hangar!’

I do not entertain the naive thought that this will grant me dominance.

Rather, I intended to inflict some damage, to lure him, to draw his gaze.

But in that moment.

“Wh-what?”

I release the sword that had been entangled with the tonfa.

Then, following the curve of the tonfa, the cross guard slips, and I grasp the hilt of the sword in reverse.

KaaaNG!

As a result, the tip of the tonfa, aimed at my abdomen, is halted by the sword’s point.

……The sensation of time stretches to about one second.

In that fleeting moment, I had completed my calculations.

No matter how superhuman one might be, without countless experiences and skills, such a feat is not easily attempted.

Liberto swallowed his breath, but upon meeting the gaze of Jin Crow, he could do nothing but freeze.

‘……What on earth.’

The gaze that lingered at the edge was undoubtedly that of an enemy.

Yet, it bore no emotion.

Simply, it was the look of one prepared to kill, devoid of any guilt or regret.

Yes, one might say it was like…….

The eyes of a beast, worn down by fatigue.

“Absurd.”

The moment Liberto muttered this, he found himself face to face with the fingertips of Jin Crow, clad in leather gloves.

What followed was a heavy impact, and the world flipped upside down.

PAANG!

With the sound of flesh being struck, my body soared into the air.

Before I could even register the subsequent strike, my form flew through the lobby’s wall, only to come to a halt in a storage room of unknown purpose.

“Cough! Hack!”

Naturally, Liberto, who had taken the full brunt of the impact, rose from the debris, blood staining his red uniform.

Yet, as soon as he stood, the distortion of balance coursing through his body compelled him to slowly turn his head, and he could not help but let out a chuckle.

“Ugh, heh.”

The wreckage scattered across the floor was quite varied.

Alloy reinforced in myriad ways, wires that had once conducted electricity, pipes, and plastic……

Amidst the countless refuse, an arm, half-clutching a tonfa, writhed.

“Private, Jin Crow. Serial number SMUO55-111…”

Liberto sank to the ground, his eyes wide with horror as he watched Jin Crow approach, still murmuring the incomprehensible rank and serial number.

‘What in the world have they done? Those madmen.’

It seemed he had awakened a monster.

Even in agony, one thought filled his mind.

…That monster must not be let out.

He bit down on his lips until they nearly bled.

Then, he shoved his remaining left hand into his pants pocket and spoke softly.

“I acknowledge it. The situation has changed.”

At first glance, it appeared to be the last desperate plea of a defeated man, but the reality was different.

It was a declaration of war, a vow.

Finally, he pulled out a small syringe and plunged it into the nape of his neck.

“Guh!”

The experience of inserting something into one’s throat is never a pleasant one.

Yet, even amidst the discomfort, he did not stop, slowly pressing the syringe’s plunger, injecting the blue liquid into his body.

“Ghk. Guhhh…”

Veins burst, and the severed end of his right arm twitched grotesquely, blood flowing forth.

A surge of intense pleasure struck Liberto’s mind for a fleeting moment, but he bit down harder on his lips, swallowing the drool that threatened to spill.

And at last, the moment Jin Crow drew near.

“Grrr!”

With his signature golden eyes now veiled in crimson pupils, Liberto swung the tonfa with his remaining left arm.

Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!

The ground trembled with a single strike, and a momentary explosion rocked the entire vessel.

Yet, in the haze of awakening and pleasure, Liberto felt no sense of victory; only impatience lingered.

It was only natural.

Even as the earth tore and the pressure of the wind pressed against the walls, Jin Crow stood there, merely extending his pitch-black blade forward.

‘No.’

However, under the influence of the drug cocktail, ‘Pentacle,’ which granted overwhelming awakening effects to the superhuman, Liberto’s senses were heightened to their limits.

‘Indeed, there are still openings.’

The state of the creature was akin to a beast moving instinctively, as if its flesh remembered the way.

This meant that the gap could be exploited.

BANG!

As the calculations concluded, his body surged into the air faster than thought, and the tonfa in his left hand descended heavily yet gracefully upon the head of Jin Crow, who stood resolutely.

Simultaneously, the gears within him spun rapidly.

Psyonic energy was harnessed efficiently, and soon it erupted.

KAGAGANG!

As the circular tonfa met Jin Crow’s blade, the moment hung in the air, threatening to repeat the previous encounter. Liberato twisted his waist, spinning his body, and struck his opponent’s jaw with his knee.

CRACK!

With the sound of shattering bone, Jin Crow was pushed back.

“aaaH!”

Seizing the opportunity, Liberato leaped once more toward him.

Perhaps it was the tremor that shook the area.

The lobby and corridor were thick with dust, and with each flicker of the red light, they scattered death toward one another.

“Cough!”

“Ugh!”

Liberato’s cheek was sliced, and Jin Crow’s ribs cracked.

The skirmish that began in the lobby broke through walls, shattered railings, and sank the floor, until they found themselves near the hangar.

“Cough! Hack!”

With a pale face, Liberato tore at the sleeve of his soggy uniform with his lips.

Then, with a look of disgust, he murmured softly while gazing at Jin Crow.

“…You monstrous b*stard.”

He could not even maintain the pretense of respect.

His body had already reached its limits.

Whether it was a side effect of the drugs or not, his vision blurred, and the focus slipped further away, precarious.

‘But he too is nearing his limit.’

Jin Crow’s black uniform, though relatively intact compared to Liberato’s red one, was in reality torn and frayed in many places.

The reason was simple.

With each direct hit from the tonfa, broken and dislocated bones had pierced through the uniform, only to regenerate anew.

Had he been an ordinary human, he would have been dead long ago.

In other words, no matter how much power he exerts that the fool cannot comprehend, it signifies that the end of this game is already in sight.

‘The same goes for me. I will see the end here.’

A severed arm, such triviality—just reattach it artificially, and it’s done.

What matters now is to break him and complete the mission.

“Shhh, huff….”

In the fleeting void, I swallow a deep breath and exhale.

Then, gripping the tonfa, I draw forth the energy flowing along my spine, choosing the moment of utmost timing.

‘Now!’

With a swift leap, I begin.

What follows is a crashing storm, and in an instant, Liberto, moving at a speed near the sound barrier, arrives before Jin Crow, ready to shatter his skull with a clenched jaw, summoning every last ounce of strength to bring it down.

「Crusher.」

In that fleeting moment, influenced by the tentacle, his attack—close to certainty—transcended mere perception, harvesting Jin Crow’s life into death.

Thus, Liberto swung his arm with a satisfied smile until the very end.

“…Huh?”

That was the last scene he beheld.

Rustle—thud.

The head, caught between disbelief and a satisfied grin, rolled to the ground, eventually resting against the military boot of Jin Crow, who stood there, dazed.

“…Hah!”

As if he had completed his task, his body crumbled like a sandcastle, and Jin Crow clutched his trembling form, recalling the fleeting vision that had passed like a dream.

‘Jin Crow.’

An irresistible, heavy aura pressed down on his eyelids.

Yet in that moment, driven by instinct, Jin Crow reached out to the fallen Liberto’s trousers right before him.

‘…Awakening, I.’

Just as his fingertips grasped a few syringes, the last of his strength, he collapsed onto the pool of blood.

〔Ah, this is Lieutenant Obia Timist!〕

And right after, as if waiting for this moment, power surged back, and a voice flowed from the speaker.

〔As of this moment, all terrorists of the Red Hand have been eliminated, so evacuated crew members should swiftly return to the scene and prepare for hyperspace jump! Instructor! I did well, right?!〕

It was a voice both familiar and lively.