59 Episode 9-Liberators of the Oppressed (5)

I ran across the rooftop garden. The children were safe, and I made peace with my decision. I wouldn't take the child's Fragment by killing them. I came close to the rooftop entrance door and crouched in front of it. When my firecrackers stopped exploding, I waited for the door to crack open. I threw a full sack of [Hypnos Dust] into the small gap using all of my accuracy.

-!Cough!-

I heard people choking on dust and collapsing down the stairs. I limped to the door and pulled it open, only to see a pile of unconscious men and women. I closed the door and slumped against a wall. I inspected my leg and produced a pair of tweezers from my pocket. Very carefully, I pulled the bullet out of the wound and poured a red healing potion on it.

[Fragment of the 4th Wall is suppressing the pain.]

I wasn't in excellent condition. My hands still felt raw, and the bullets from earlier were still hindering my movement. Still, I had to persevere. I drank a stamina potion to refuel my energy, and I sprinted to the door. I entered while gripping my unlit Crimson Mana Sword.

***

I was in the main building. It was a regular school. Classrooms were converted to living quarters, while the halls were kept clean. Although, the décor was tasteless. Instead of U.S. flags hanging, I only saw Confederate ones. I looked into one classroom and saw racks of guns and ammunition packs.

(Jesus... GAH!)

I gripped my head and kneeled to the ground. I heard screaming within my mind as if a telephone communication opened in my thoughts. I felt the sudden deaths of flare zombies. If I didn't cut the connection before their deaths, then I would feel the mental shock.

(Goddamnit...)

I gripped the radio in my hand and spoke into it.

"Red Warrior, this is Burning Charcoal. I'm in the building. I'll contact you if I need any assistance."

"Alright. Be careful."

As I tucked the radio back into my pocket, I could hear the bombastic thudding of boots against the floor and the slamming of a stairwell door.

(Shit.)

I tried to open a classroom door to hide, but every single one was locked. Damn, I had to break one open.

-!Kssshhhh!-

I ignited the mana sword into the lock mechanism, and the door popped open. I slipped inside the classroom and checked to see if anyone was inside. There was no one. I went to the far side of the classroom and ducked under a table. As I crumbled myself into a ball, I wondered if this was how students in a school shooting felt. A place that was supposed to be safe was thrown into disarray, housing peril within its halls.

I heard people running by the classroom. I prayed that they wouldn't notice the scorch marks from my mana sword and how I broke the lock.

"Where are they?!"

"Guah!!"

As I gripped my weapon, I heard the pained grunts of a man. I knew who it was. It was the man from earlier who told me to save the children.

(You should've escaped while you had the chance...)

***

"What about you? Why don't you go with them?"

"..."

"Answer me."

"I can't. I have to distract the soldiers from noticing."

"They are going to notice regardless; they have the scenario window."

"I have to stay. My wife is here."

"Tch, you should've said that first. Stay here and hide. Keep your head low. There's a sniper in the area."

"Alright."

***

Would the man regret his decision? If he had taken the chance, he could've been carried off just like all the rest. Due to the orders of the King, none of the slaves could leave of their free will, so they had to be forcibly taken by my flare zombies.

"Sir, eight slaves are gone."

"I already know!! They were taken to the blue zone!! You fucking maggot, tell us where the abolitionist is!!"

I heard a heavy hand slapping against flesh and the whimpers of pain.

"I d-don't know..."

"You're a fucking liar. The other slaves already told us that you helped the abolitionist. Tell us where he is!!"

-!Slap!-

"P-please... I don't know... he ran into the building..."

"Fuck, check the classrooms!! Take him to the slave quarters!"

I heard the soldiers scrambling to the rooms, and I got up and ran to the door. I only had one chance for a surprise attack. Someone was coming towards the door of my classroom. As they approached, I aimed my mana blade and pressed the end against the heavy wood. My next plan of attack was inspired by Reiner Braun from Season 3 of Attack of Titan. It was when-

"The handle? Si-!"

-!Kksshhhh!-

-he hid in the walls surrounding Shiganshina and stabbed a soldier coming towards his hiding place.

"Noo!!!"

"Ohmygod!!"

I heard screams and decided to take it all the way. Gripping my mana sword, I cut horizontally along the wall, hoping to slice any soldiers on the other side. I soon disengaged my mana sword and backed away. Preparing for the onslaught of bullets, I flipped a table and hid behind it. I did it in the nick of time.

"They're in there!!"

"SHOOT!!!"

-!!BAM!!-

Plaster was flying everywhere; bullets were shattering the windows, and debris was thrown throughout the room. The table was shuddering from the impact, and some lead projectiles managed to pierce through. I was lucky because none of the bullets hit me.

"GO!!GO!!GO!!"

I heard the door kicking open and the stomping of feet.

(Damnit!)

I stood up and aimed my rifle towards the door, sending a volley of stuns bolts after the other. Men ducked and backed out of the room, but some came in here with me. They shot at me, and I didn't have enough space to dodge.

"Kill the abolitionist!!!"

I had no other choice. I kicked my only cover towards one man; he fell face forward onto the ground, and I shot him with a stun bolt. I quickly swung my rifle to the others, firing in their directions. Even at this close range, panic caused their bullets to fly inches away from my body while my shots nailed them. Still, I wasn't lucky enough.

-!BANG!-

-!SHUCK!-

"Gah!!"

Someone stepped into the doorway and fired their rifle, nailing me in the right shoulder. I fell backward, and the room flooded with Confederate soldiers. Soon, the barrels of a dozen rifles were aiming at my head and chest. Sweat coated my back, and my shirt stuck to my skin. My feet burned from the friction of so much running, and my breathing was ragged. My weakening heart was palpitating and was only getting faster. Panic settled in, and I started to feel something I hadn't felt in a while: fear.

"Do we kill him, sir? Or take him as a prisoner?"

One soldier had a pondering expression.

"We take him prisoner. Shoot his legs. Take his weapons."

-!BANG!-

I was shot two times in my left thigh while one bullet penetrated my calf. I barely felt the impact; it felt like a rock tapping against my leg. Soon, a numb sensation spread throughout, but I soon saw the blood. I knew what this was: this was the adrenaline phase.

[Fragment of the 4th Wall is suppressing your mental shock.]

I heard people who recover from being shot suffer from PTSD. Certain events trigger them, and trauma plagues their mind. Why, though? Why didn't I feel the same? I was shot in the Toy Dungeon, but I shrugged off the bullets and healed within hours instead of months. I paid my injuries no mind, and I didn't have any terror from the event. Why was I different? Why was I not affected like every other human being? The answer to my question... I think I already knew it.

[Fragment of the 4th Wall is staring at you.]

It was due to this wall. For some reason, my emotions were dulled and the moments I've experienced were filtered. It felt like I was reading text instead of living in the physical world. Whenever I ate, whenever I dreamt - they were sifted into paragraphs without the depth of reality. This life... felt like a novel.

Within my sinister helmet, I closed my eyes. The conclusion to my hypotheses made sense. I felt rough hands digging under my shoulders and lifting me up. Like piss running down my legs, I felt the warm blood oozing from my wounds and sticking to my pants. My feet dragged listlessly, and my head slumped to the side.

[The effect of "100 Percent Americanism" has reduced all of your stats!]

100 Percent of shitty Americanism weakened my body. Still... it didn't weaken my mind. With all of my intent, I focused and clung onto the mental tethers I established. I called out desperately, hoping for them to answer my call.

[Constellation "Lord of Unlife" is smiling from the horde.]

[Your attribute "Anger Lord" is activating!]

"Huuraagghhh!!!"

With a guttural shout, I grabbed the arms of my oppressors' and used all of the combat techniques I learned to hurl them to the ground. I heard the shocked gasps of men and saw them run to the other side of the men. I stood on wobbly legs as they aimed their guns at me. Within my dense helmet, I heard glass crinkling and snapping under the feet of people. Right behind me - at this very moment - was a congregation of flare zombies climbing through the window like some Call of Duty game. How did I look right now? A massive horde of ; what did all of these mortal men and women think of me?

I grinned a sickly thing ear to ear and felt the top of my teeth grinding against the bottom. I felt cackles rising up from my esophagus as I looked at the mortals' fearful expressions. They shot at my chest, but every single one was blocked by a flare zombie stepping in front of me.

"Run!!"

I took my weapons from the collapsed men and gripped them in my hand. Tucking the blaster rifle to my side, I ignited my mana blade. If I could see myself right now, I could only imagine how the red light from my weapon cast deep shadows against my helm and the surrounding undead.

As demonic energy rose from my body, I spoke with a dry, deep voice and I said one command that sent my small army into a frenzy.

"Devour them all."

***

"GAH!!!"

"Where are they?! Where is the king!! TELL ME!!"

I gripped the hair of a young man within the grasp of my hand. Blood trickled down as his scalp bled from my tugging. I shot them with a barrage of questions, distorted by my helm's vocoder and the demonic energy seeping into my voice.

"I ain't gonna tell you anything!! Gwaahh!!!"

I clasped my other hand around their neck and began to choke them. His face turned beet red, his eyes bugled, and spittle dribbled from their mouth as they gurgled. Disregarding any sense of empathy, I clamped harder and harder until I could see veins in their head rising. Reluctantly, I let go.

"Tell me what I want to know. Or you will end up like her."

I shoved the man's face near the body of his dead comrade; it was a young woman being eaten. Her lifeless eyes were wide open, and her gaping mouth was frozen mid-scream. The flare zombies violated her body by ripping chunks of her flesh and devouring it. Lucky her, she died of shock before the worst of the pain could come. Still, her mutilation shall serve as an example for this man.

"Tell me. Or you will suffer like the rest of your men."

I looked throughout the hallway to see other soldiers being mauled. They were accompanying it with the sounds of bones cracking apart and the squelching of blood.

"N-no."

"I admire your tenacity."

"Urgghh!!"

I slammed his head against the wall until the skin of his forehead tore open. I kneed him the stomach, and I slammed his head into the ground.

"You are pathetic. Your king is powerless. If you truly believed in his agency, you would allow me to challenge him. But no, he hides like a worthless coward."

I hoped my taunts would bait the man into spilling the king's location, but he kept his lips sealed. I needed to rattle him. I shoved his head closer to mine until our faces were inches away from each other. The man's eyes twitched, his breathing shallowed, and fear was evident. I heard invading someone's personal space is an excellent way to rattle them.

"Tell me what I want to know."

He still kept silent.

(I need to use my skills. Activate Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.)

[Your skill "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Lv. 3" is activating!]

[U se the ot her s kil l.]

(What other skill?)

[Phy si cal ana ly za tion.]

I forgot about that skill. It just came to me when I was in the First Protagonist Viewpoint in South Korea.

(Why would I do that?)

[Pe ople's fa ce temp era ture aro und the no se cha nge wh en th ey lie. Yo ur ski ll can dete ct the phy si cal cha nge.]

(I see. Activate Physical Analyzation.)

[Your skill "Physical Analyzation Lv. 1" is activating.]

"How about this. I'll spare you if you do that, and I won't order my flare zombies to kill you. Do you agree? You only have one chance. I'm going to count down to ten."

The man stayed silent for three seconds.

"7."

He fully opened his eyes when I counted six seconds.

"4. 3. 2."

"Alright! I agree!"

"Swear upon the River Styx. You will answer three of my questions. You don't necessarily have to tell the truth. Just answer them."

"I swear upon the River Styx to answer three questions."

"Good. First, is your king in the building?"

"Y-yes."

"Second question. Is your king on this level?"

"N-no."

"Where can I find your king?"

"He is on the first floor. In the principal's office."

The man said one thing, but his mind said another.

(I can't tell him... that the king is hiding in the second-floor south wing...)

"Hmm. Let me take a guess. Your king is hiding on the second floor of the south wing?"

"No! He's not!"

As the man said that, I saw the heat rising around his nose and neck. I saw his thoughts betray him. At this moment, I felt like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren, who could read minds.

(How did he know!?! How?!?)

"Thank you for your candor."

I grabbed a fistful of [Hypnos Dust] and threw it into his face, causing him to fall into a slumber. I dragged him into the classroom with his surviving comrades and locked them inside.

"Time to find the king."

***

I ran to the second floor and saw I was coming from the north wing of the school. I headed to the south wing, hoping to find the king. I discovered that [Physical Analyzation] could be used as an X-ray, which would allow me to see through walls (to a certain extent).

Any attempt of an ambush was thwarted thanks to my skill. I even leveled it up. Now, dear Constellations, who might read this story, you may wonder why I didn't use my flame stigma and activate my thermal vision? One answer: heart problems. I did not even dare use my stigma throughout this entire ordeal. I relied solely on my skills. Now, you may be wondering, that would be a violation of my contract with Surt. I had to use the stigma five times a day. I did but in small amounts.

I remember watching a YouTube video about strategy. To fool one's enemies, they have a false goal to defend while aiming for a different objective. Thus is the art of subterfuge. I had the perfect deceptive purpose.

(The slaves.)

With mental commands, I sent squads of flare zombies to the slave quarters. Due to the prevailing scenario, the king would divert his defenses to protect his assets.

(Hopefully, leaving himself vulnerable.)

I marched through the school with some flare zombies, diligently searching for the ruler of this place. With my enhanced vision, I saw one classroom filled with ten people.

(There you are.)

Using my [Twilight] Attribute, I blended into the shadows and muffled my footsteps. I crept to the hallway with increased stealth and peaked my head, only to see something disturbing.

(What the hell man...)

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