Arc 3: Unknown Discovery - Chapter 24

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Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

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"Speech"

Arc 3: Unknown Discovery - Chapter 24

I stand next to Ruby and Weiss as I protect their back while they deal with those in front of them.

Seven male contractors stand before me, their eyes cold and calculating as they size me up, searching for an opening to strike. Each one is armed with a different weapon—sharp knives, heavy batons, and even rattling chains. The air is tense. I narrow my eyes, ready for whatever comes next, knowing that any hesitation could be my downfall if I lower my guard. The men shift slightly, their stances aggressive and prepared to attack.

One of the seven contractors, wielding a knife, lunged forward at me.

I sidestep the attack, just barely avoiding the knife, and deliver a precise strike to his wrist. The knife clatters to the ground as I twist the attacker's arm, sending him sprawling with a bone-crunching kick to the ribs. I finish him with a palm strike enhanced with Ren, making a hole where his heart should be.

Two others rushed in simultaneously, one swinging a baton at my head while the other aimed a punch at my midsection. I duck under the baton while catching the punch aimed at my stomach, using his momentum to flip him hard to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. I follow up by breaking his wrist with a strong twist and stomping on his head with the help of Ren, crushing it like an egg.

I faced the man with the baton. Closing the distance in a heartbeat, I stepped into the attacker's guard. A series of rapid strikes occurred: A palm strike shattered his nose, an elbow broke open a large gap to the temple, and a knee to the solar plexus sent him flying away.

The remaining four contractors hesitated; their confidence faded in the face of my effortless killing of their comrades.

I noticed this, and then I dashed towards the nearest one, deflecting a chain strike with a slap to the side and striking with a devastating punch to the throat, piercing through and out the back. I drag the dead guy to the side to block a knife aimed at my back.

I kick the dead guy in the chest as I pull out my arm, using enough force to launch the corpse into the other knife-wielding contractor. I spin on my heel and attack another contractor with an elbow to the jaw, shattering it in the process, then drive two fingers through his eyes and into his brain, ending his life as he falls to the ground before my feet.

The last two contractors exchanged glances, uncertainty and fear engraved on their faces. They attacked together in a desperate bid to overwhelm me. However, I was done using the Old Ways and just killed the two by Warping, twisting their bodies like wet rags, and squeezing their blood out.

I look back to see the girls doing well. Shiki and Alma are handling things more easily than Ruby and Weiss. Shiki and Alma can take on multiple opponents alone, while Ruby and Weiss need to team up again to fight off their classmates. This time, however, contractors are blocking Ruby and Weiss's hits with barely any effort, making it harder for them to reach and eliminate the students. Luckily for Ruby and Weiss, I always have my En activated and can help them at critical moments. Using the Delayed Effect to make the attacks stop in midair as if they were frozen in time gives Ruby and Weiss a chance to strike back.

I spin swiftly and slap a roundhouse kick away that nearly hits the back of my neck, where it cuts through the air. The force behind the kick creates a strong gust of wind that slams into nearby students and contractors. The impact is so intense that some of them are thrown back violently, unable to withstand the force, and tragically, a few of them don't survive the blow.

Damn. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to face her—Park Taejin from The God of High School. And to make things worse, she's in her late teen form, not the small kid version. She looks serious and ready for a fight.

"Come on, I want to see how I fare against someone like you." Taejin grins, her eyes glowing with excitement. She rushes at me with incredible speed, almost teleporting as she closes the distance. In a blink, she's in front of me, her knee zooming toward my stomach with enough force for the wind to pick up.

I moved to kill Taejin, ready to extract a vein from her neck with precise skill from the Old Ways' influence. Just as I was about to do it, I felt an unknown force stopping me, like an invisible barrier. Frustration surged through me as I realized that I couldn't complete my move. Only the Delayed Effect I had used on her earlier took effect, causing her to stumble momentarily, causing the force behind her knee attack to disappear as she barely caused a tickle as her knee landed on my stomach.

So, I quickly changed my approach. Using the Ratio Technique, I targeted Taejin's temporary weak point. With barely any force behind the push, she was sent flying, crashing into others like a rag doll. The impact caused a chaotic ripple, knocking people down.

Yeah, I'm not going to face Taejin any longer than a few seconds, not when I know so little about her. All I have is a vague idea that she could pull a miracle out of her ass. It's too risky to keep fighting her and find out what she's really capable of, especially when she is very unpredictable in her current form.

In what felt like no time, though it was really nearly half an hour, almost everyone had been killed. Some managed to grab food before they were taken out, so at least the students who bought their lunch were safe. Their contractors, however, weren't so lucky. They were all dead, leaving the students alone and shaken, clutching their meals throughout the rest of the fight.

"Jin is better." Ruby stated, finishing off her lunch special, which turned out to be a glazed donut. She licked the remaining glaze from her fingers, savoring the sweetness. "Huh, I feel my head clearing up, like I've slept for hours." Her eyes widened in surprise. "Still doesn't taste any better than what Jin could make."

"Oh, you got a lucky one that improves your mental state." Alma explained, eyeing the empty donut wrapper in Ruby's hand. "Most likely, it's the kind that makes your mind feel more refreshed and awake compared to the others." Alma looks over at Weiss. "I'm more surprised that Weiss got very lucky in getting a weapon."

"It's a swordfish." Weiss said dully, staring at the unexpected dish on her plate. The sleek, silvery fish lay there, its long, pointed snout making it unmistakable. "Why did they give me a swordfish, and Ruby got a glazed donut? Also, I thought there would be more lunch specials, not just two random mystery lunch specials to bid on." She poked at the swordfish with her fork, feeling confused and annoyed. "This whole setup is so bizarre. Who even thought of combining these two as lunch options? Also, how could you tell it's a weapon and not something for me to eat? Not that I would eat this raw..."

"Oh, that's easy. You'll immediately know if you got a weapon for the lunch special by the sudden revulsion at the thought of eating it." Alma explained, watching Weiss's reaction with a knowing smile. "I've seen it in the past where someone was so hungry, they ate the swordfish raw, bones included." She grabbed one of the chicken drumsticks from her plate and took a hearty bite. "Trust me, you're better off with the weapon. At least you won't regret it later if you decide to sell it off to someone. Compare to Ruby, who ate her lunch special glazed donut. She could have sold it to another student, but since she ate it. She won't be able to, unlike you, Weiss."

Shiki slowly nodded as she drank a cup of coffee.

"Does it come with instructions? Weiss' new swordfish, I mean." I asked, looking between Shiki and Alma, though focusing more on Alma since she was the one doing most of the talking.

Alma paused, wiping her mouth with a napkin before answering.

"No official instructions, just a lot of trial and error." Alma replied. "But it's pretty intuitive once you get the hang of it. As for its value compared to the Protagonist Badge, it's tough to say. The swordfish weapon is unique and can be extremely powerful in the right hands. The Protagonist Badge, though, is a different benefit. It gives the bearer significant plot armor and advantages that are hard to quantify."

Alma took another bite of her drumstick, thinking it over. "I'd say the swordfish is a high-risk, high-reward kind of deal. If Weiss masters it, she could make use of it for a while before trading it off for something else. But if you're talking like currency value, with using the Protagonist Badge as the currency. Then, I would say roughly 1-10 depending on selling the swordfish back to the high school or to a fellow classmate."

"Hey, Weiss, can you see what it can do by using your Semblance on it?" I asked quickly before she considered selling the swordfish.

Weiss glanced at me, then back at the swordfish with a mix of skepticism and interest. "Alright, let's see what this thing can do." She activates her Semblance. A soft, blue glow enveloped her hand as she reached out to the swordfish.

As her Semblance connected with the fish, a shimmering aura surrounded it. Weiss' eyes begin to glow.

"It's called the Sky Seeking Swordfish." Weiss begins. "Once it locks onto a target, it swims through the air and homes in until it stabs the target with its pointy sharp nose. From what I can guess, its main purpose is for tracking more than anything else. It's like a guided missile but in swordfish form. It will relentlessly pursue its target until it makes contact."

"Huh..." I raise an eyebrow at the Sky Seeking Swordfish.

"This could be incredibly useful." Weiss mused. "Imagine never losing sight of an enemy, no matter how far they run. It's a game-changer."

"I'll teach you the basics of Renewal Taekwondo for that Sky Seeking Swordfish." Taejin offered, sitting beside Weiss with a plate holding a large, juicy steak. Her eyes twinkled with determination as she sliced into the meat.

Weiss turned to Taejin, a mix of surprise and intrigue on her face. "Renewal Taekwondo?"

"You should take the deal, Weiss." Shiki finally spoke up. "The Renewal Taekwondo is among the most powerful martial arts in the multiverse. Of course, there are many versions of it, but each one is incredibly effective in its own right. However, you might get lucky and learn a version that is close to the original."

"My dad is the one who taught me it and his grandfather is the creator of the Renewal Taekwondo. I think you should know his name: Jin Taejin. And yeah, my dad gave me great granddad's name in his honor." Taejin grins. "That's the closest original version you could learn."

"Do you think I should learn it?" Weiss asks everyone.

"I mean, it could improve your combat style." Ruby points out.

"Actually, why would you want the Sky Seeking Swordfish?" I ask Taejin.

"Easier to help me track you guys down." Taejin replied without hiding what purpose she had in store for the Sky Seeking Swordfish.

Fuck me sideways. I somehow draw a battle manic to the group, or mostly me...