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The Blue Shark let out a sigh.

“I never thought I’d get caught this early. There’s no helping it. Get out.”

“Get out of the car?”

“The road is in shambles, and it’s tough to fend off attacks while driving.”

Having just witnessed an explosion up close, I was certainly scared, but I decided to comply and get out of the car.

Upon stepping outside, I realized the road was indeed wrecked and impassable for vehicles.

“Won’t it take a long time to walk?”

“It’s fine. We just have to go a little further.”

At that moment, a sharp sound tore through the air from a distance.

It gradually grew closer. Something massive was visible beyond the sky.

“Wow. They came out strong from the start.”

Even after seeing a missile flying towards us, she remained calm.

She merely waved her hand once, and a surge of blue water ascended from the ground.

The roiling waves surged up, standing before us like a shield.

The wave collided with the missile.

A tremendous explosion shook the surrounding area.

I tightly shut my eyes, waiting for the aftermath to pass.

“Seeing them firing such mindless things, it seems the old men aren’t really keen on keeping you alive.”

“···That might be the case.”

“Well, consider yourself lucky that I’m your guide. I assure you, I have confidence in my defense skills.”

This was not mere boasting.

As a member of the strongest faction in this world, the Apostle Mine, the Blue Shark’s defensive abilities were unmatched.

“Now that our position has been revealed, this bombardment is just a warm-up. Let’s move quickly before the hunting dogs catch up.”

“Okay.”

My uneasy feelings did not easily settle.

Of course, I trusted her capabilities, but if the Academy genuinely decided to move, no matter how powerful an Apostle she was, she wouldn’t be an easy target.

“Hmm… I think it’s better to go that way.”

The Blue Shark pointed towards a direction instead of the road we were heading.

Beyond there was a faint outline of city buildings.

“To the city center? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“On the contrary, it’s safer. Would you logically expect them to fire missiles like earlier from there? If they were sane, they wouldn’t do that.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Just trust me! It’s obvious; I’m the top brain in the Apostles!”

As a reader of the original work, I could confidently say that was utter nonsense.

*

“Are they out of their minds? Crazy bastards.”

The Blue Shark spoke leisurely even as her eyebrows furrowed beneath her mask.

It seemed they were quite determined.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets rained down like a torrential downpour.

This wasn’t just a skill level thing; if it weren’t for her wave barrier, the Savior would surely be dead.

Among the Apostles specialized in protecting others, only the Lizard could match her.

They were truly unleashing overwhelming firepower.

The problem was that they were showcasing that firepower right in the middle of the city.

“Who the hell is the villain here?”

There were no civilians around, perhaps due to an evacuation warning. But regardless, with this much gunfire, casualties were inevitable.

This surpassed normal scale.

In other words, this was no ordinary military or police attack.

If it were, not a single speck of the opponent would be unseen.

“It seems they’re too scared to confront us directly, or maybe they’re just stalling.”

The enemy didn’t fall for the provocation.

At this rate, getting out of the city center wouldn’t be easy.

Yet, turning back wasn’t an option either.

It appeared there was but one solution.

As the Blue Shark reached out her hand, the waves barring the bullets surged forward.

A colossal tsunami rampaged through the city, tearing through buildings and rushing toward the origin of the bullets.

“That way?”

A shark formed from the risen water hunted for prey.

The sniper, who had been hiding until now, left their hiding place to escape the fierce predator.

Spotting that hazy figure, the Blue Shark grinned.

“You’re done for, idiot.”

The ground where the sniper stood transformed into a watery pit.

They were in danger of falling into the depths.

Sharks flocked, opening their mouths to snatch the bait.

However, the sniper remained calm, flipping on their back to face the pit.

And they wildly fired their weapon.

With the recoil, the sniper was propelled into the sky.

As the Blue Shark watched that scene, she let out a hollow laugh.

“Hey. Damn. That’s absurd. How is that possible?”

“······.”

She didn’t feel the need to respond, but even the girl watching the battle found it surreal.

Yet, if you think about it, summoning tsunamis and sharks from dry concrete is fantasy just the same.

Through the exchange of blows, the sniper couldn’t help but reveal their identity.

With shabby clothing and an unkempt beard.

Wearing a tattered wide-brimmed hat and a leather cloak, he resembled a cowboy.

He held a sniper rifle that dwarfed him.

“Of all people, why did it have to be a pathetic loser like you?”

“You still have a filthy mouth, Sharkhead.”

“Shut up. Bastard without a mother.”

He unwittingly encountered the worst possible opponent.

John Ford, one of the S-class heroes.

While being one of the few S-class heroes certainly made him a formidable force, he paled in comparison to others in the same rank.

But that was only because it was difficult to fully demonstrate his abilities in dungeon raids.

Humanity primarily focused on eradicating monsters, which mostly emerge from gates.

The battlefield where he could exhibit his full potential consisted of planetary defenses and long-range confrontations.

If he could hide in a location and snipe from afar, there would hardly be anyone who could breach the lines he established.

Of course, if we strictly measured ability matchups, the Blue Shark could smirk.

No matter how excellent a sniper, she was confident she could block it with waves.

Yet, this was no ordinary circumstance.

Now, she had to lead the Savior towards the shrine.

And the shrine lay beyond the defensive lines occupied by that sniper.

Surely, it’d be better to just knock them out with a fight.

But the girl beside her was no tougher than a feeble hamster. Even grazing her with a bullet would be dangerous.

Was this all a trap to ensnare them?

If so, did that old man completely see through their plans?

Hot blood boiled in her head.

Meanwhile, the gunman casually puffed on a cigarette and asked.

“I’m not one for fighting. So, could you just hand over that cute little one beside you? No clue why those high-ups from the association are causing a ruckus.”

“What the hell. You come here without knowing what she’s capable of?”

“The life of a hero is a tragic one. On the surface, they appear as righteous aides protecting humanity, but in reality, they’re just puppets doing as the association commands.”

“Honestly, I can’t understand why human beings choose to live that way. Dumbasses.”

“I can agree with that.”

Anyway, I learned some useful information.

Even S-class heroes might not know the true identity of the Messiah.

Would the association know?

Who knows. Ultimately, they may just be puppets of the Academy’s board as well.

It would be great to definitively know the schemes of those sinister old men.

“So, how about it? Would you hand her over peacefully?”

“Go to hell.”

“That’s unfortunate. Then this conversation ends here. I have no interest in chit-chat with a filthy demon.”

Suddenly shifting his stance, the gunman aimed at the sniper.

The moment he pulled the trigger, a multitude of bullets filled the air.

Upon seeing it again, it was truly absurd.

Even each of those bullets was an enhanced magic bullet.

Any abilities granted by physical enhancement would surely leave even bones in shambles if hit.

In a hurry, I summoned the waves to block the bullets while thinking.

That guy wasn’t genuinely intending to fight.

Clearly, his goal was to stall for time.

Reinforcements must be on their way.

If so, it would ultimately become unfavorable for them.

The situation needed to be twisted, even if by force.

“Phew…”

The Blue Shark let out a deep sigh and blew out a breath.

From her mouth emerged a bubble that flew towards one of the bullets.

“Oops.”

The enlarged bubble engulfed one of the bullets.

Its surface became coated in water, forming a massive droplet that shielded the girl.

This would absorb a decent amount of gunfire.

In other words, she could dive into battle wholeheartedly without having to worry about protection for a moment.

“I’ll keep that jerk busy, so escape.”

“…What? You want me to run? To the back?”

“No, not the back. The hunting dogs are already on your tail.”

“Then where…?”

I addressed the hesitating girl.

“If you go left from here, you’ll find a gate. Go in there.”

“What? But I… I can’t catch monsters.”

“You’ll probably be fine there. And anyway, staying here is just as good as dying.”

After a long hesitation, Hana finally nodded.

“…Alright. I understand.”

“Good. I’ll give you a signal, so hide behind the building next door. After that, just run for your life. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Now, …go! Run!!”

As soon as the signal was given, the girl sprinted towards the neighboring building.

Immediately, the sniper caught her movement and fired, but the bubble absorbed the bullets.

The target vanished behind the building.

The sniper clicked his tongue, trying to switch targets.

But the Blue Shark wouldn’t just sit back and watch.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re supposed to play with me.”

“Oh no. I hate clingy women.”

“I’m sorry, but I absolutely despise cigarette smokers!”

The woman charged fiercely towards him.

His attack pattern changed.

He wasn’t merely raining his distance attacks anymore.

The sniper calmly stepped back and switched to his pistol for shooting.

Bang!

“…What the?”

He squinted.

The opponent was allowing him to attack without resistance.

A clear bloodstain began to spread on his belly beneath the cloak.

It was undoubtedly a solid hit, but something felt off.

Why hadn’t she used those bothersome defensive abilities?

Regardless, with a wound like that, she shouldn’t be able to move easily.

His victory was certain.

Clutching her abdomen, the opponent bent her head low.

She was smiling.

“Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Ah, thank you.”

“What did you do?”

“Not much. Just a tiny scratch.”

A scratch?

Only then did he realize the light gash across his knuckles.

It was almost embarrassing to call it a wound. A single bead of blood melded with the ground.

At that moment.

The woman exhaled heavily and writhed.

When she finally lifted her head.

Her blood-red eyes locked onto her prey.

“The sweet smell of blood. It’s been a while.”