Chapter 46. The Punisher, No. 5 (2)
“My nanomachines definitely can’t keep up with your speed.”
No. 5 muttered expressionlessly.
As if answering her, a red mist of blood spread around her.
“But this is an enclosed space. The area around me is already filled with nanomachines. You have no chance of winning.”
“I know. That’s why I brought someone else.”
Yukgap grinned.
A moment later, Robert came charging in from the distance at terrifying speed.
[Eliminate! Eliminate! Eliminate!]
“...What the hell is that?”
Shock flashed across No. 5’s face at Robert’s sudden appearance.
Robert spread his mechanical arms and immediately wrapped them around her.
[Foolish lump of flesh. I shall roast you thoroughly!]
With those words, he unleashed an enormous electrical current directly into No. 5.
Caught in Robert’s grip, No. 5 screamed as the violent shock tore through her entire body.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
Yukgap immediately shouted,
“Don’t wound her! No. 5 is the Punisher! Her bloodstream contains disassembly nanomachines, an overtechnology weapon! Injuring her only releases her weapon outside her body!”
The nanomachines flowing through No. 5’s blood activated once they came into contact with the outside through a wound.
That meant if they fought a war of attrition against her in an enclosed space, they would almost certainly lose first.
[That is why I am applying electrical stimulation directly to her spine! There will be no wounds!]
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
No. 5 twisted in agony.
Robert continued shocking her without pause, using all his strength to keep her restrained.
“So that’s why she never tried to avoid our attacks.”
Sister Olga finally understood as she breathed heavily.
No matter how extraordinary the regenerative ability of the Twelve Archons was, they were still living creatures.
They could feel pain.
Normally, anyone would try to avoid attacks.
Yet No. 5 had strangely allowed every strike to hit her.
Only now did Sister Olga realize that she had been deliberately using those wounds to release the weapon inside her body.
“Are you all right?”
Yukgap hurriedly checked on Olga.
“Fortunately, I’m still alive.”
Sister Olga answered jokingly.
Yukgap hesitated before speaking.
“Sorry for barging into a place where men aren’t allowed.”
“Ohohoho. Given the emergency, I’m sure the Lord will forgive you.”
Sister Olga smiled warmly.
Even with severe injuries and parts of her skin melted away, she was still capable of joking.
It was almost impressive.
“Yukgap!”
Victoria called to him from behind the reinforced glass of the panic room.
The moment Yukgap spotted her, he immediately scolded her.
“See?! I told you going alone would be dangerous!”
“Come on. In the end, Yukgap came and rescued me anyway.”
Victoria answered playfully.
Yukgap stared at her in disbelief.
“Do you realize you almost got dismantled alive? Do you have any idea how terrifying No. 5’s nanomachines are?!”
Clunk. Clatter.
While the two argued, something suddenly rolled across the floor.
[Unit damaged... unable to operate... unable to operate... unit damaged... repairs required...]
It was Robert’s head.
The connection at his neck had been violently torn apart.
Yukgap’s voice rose.
“Scrap heap!”
A low, rumbling voice echoed through the area.
“You seem to have lost your edge while you were away.”
Robert’s headless body collapsed to the side.
Then an enormous lizard covered in black scales slowly raised its head.
Its blue tongue flicked through the air.
“Did you really think one of the Twelve Archons would fall to an attack like that?”
Tap. Tap.
The enormous lizard covered in dark blue-black scales struck the floor twice with its heavy tail.
Its bright blue tongue flicked between its jaws.
It was neither human nor truly beast.
A grotesque existence caught somewhere between the two.
Sister Olga stared at it and asked in a trembling voice,
“Is that... the true form of one of the Twelve Archons?”
Her eyes were locked on No. 5, who had completely transformed into a beast.
Yukgap immediately nodded.
“Yeah. The Twelve Archons are hybrids of humans and animals. No. 5 was created using a Komodo dragon as the base, with genetic material from various other reptiles mixed in.”
No. 5 straightened her body as though stretching.
In human form, she had looked somewhat small and thin.
But once she revealed her beast form, she stood nearly three meters tall.
Jagged fangs gleamed inside her mouth.
Her inward-curving black claws looked like carefully sharpened weapons.
Most disturbing of all were her cold eyes.
There was not even the slightest trace of human warmth in them.
“I hate this form a little. It makes my body sluggish.”
No. 5 walked forward while saliva dripped from her mouth.
Her scaled tail tapped rhythmically against the floor.
There was even a strange sense of leisure in the way she moved.
As though she were completely certain she could not lose in this state.
“Fine. Then I’ll fight you as a beast too.”
Yukgap immediately crossed his daggers.
His skeleton began changing with a series of sharp cracks.
Spotted patterns spread across his skin.
Flexible, dense muscles rose across his body.
Before long, he had transformed into a massive cheetah-like beastman.
His yellow eyes locked onto No. 5.
“I’ll melt you alive!”
No. 5 attacked first.
She opened her mouth and suddenly sprayed out a torrent of red blood.
The blood spread into a huge cloud of mist and poured over Yukgap.
The nanomachines inside it immediately began tearing into his body.
“Yeah. I figured you’d do that.”
Yukgap did not remain still.
