Chapter : 56 fallen soldiers

After Sheele had carefully placed her friend's lifeless body inside the spatial storage, she began to move toward the exit. 

She felt a grim gratitude toward Bane, not only for his assistance but also for providing the spatial storage to keep her friend's body away from this wretched place.

The sound of footsteps grew louder, signalling the approach of enemy soldiers. The building was surrounded, and the enemies were closing in.

'He was right,' she thought. 'I have no choice but to stall them so he can find a way to escape.' She pulled out her two handguns, checking them one last time in preparation for the imminent fight.

.

Sergeant Axton's face was grim as he led his company of 200 soldiers towards the building.

The higher-ups had given him explicit instructions to eliminate a fearsome assassin known as Sheele, notorious for killing high-ranking nobles and influential figures within the capital of the Great Empire.

Axton had studied her face on the wanted posters, her calm and almost innocent expression belying the deadly nature of her abilities. 

Even more concerning was her deadly teigu, a pair of oversized scissors called Extase.

Axton knew little about the 'Teigus' beyond their deadly potential, as detailed information about them was highly restricted and available only to the echelons of the imperial army. He had gathered some intel by currying favour with his superior.

'If we attack her with overwhelming numbers, we should prevail,' he reassured himself, mentally reviewing the information he had about Sheele as his company of soldiers approached the building.

Extase was exceptional for melee combat and durable enough to defend against bullets. However, in theory, it shouldn't protect its user against an assault from both melee and long-range firearms by a company of two hundred soldiers.

Yet, there was still a significant unknown, who was none other than Sheele's mysterious companion, who supposedly wielded a rifle type Teigu. 

After Najenda, the current user of this lethal sniper weapon remained a mystery to the imperial forces.

Despite his concerns, Axton was reassured by his superiors that the mysterious individual would be taken care of, with the deployment of highly skilled snipers from the imperial army.

Spread out across the district, they were already deployed to neutralise the sniper. Any movement out of the building by either target would result in an instant kill.

With that problem supposedly solved, Axton felt more confident about the operation.

'I will kill these Night Raid bastards, and their corpses will be my path to becoming an influential figure in the imperial forces,' he thought, unaware of the gravity of the impending danger. He tightened his grip on his rifle as he led his men forward.

.

Armed with the guns Bane had supplied, Sheele navigated the building with calculated precision, ready to use the fully loaded, poisoned bullets.

When she was sure the enemies were within range, she fired.

BANG!

The sharp sound of gunfire echoed through the corridors, followed by an ear-piercing scream.

Even though the bullet struck a non-fatal area, the soldier ultimately perished due to the corrosive toxin.

Sheele didn't stop, her shots finding their marks with deadly accuracy.

BANG! BANG!

"ARGHHHH!!!"

Soldiers fell to the floor, clutching their wounds as the poison took hold, their screams of agony filling the air.

Sheele moved swiftly, her movements fluid and economical, conserving her energy for the battles ahead.

BANG! BANG!

The soldiers fired back, bullets ricocheting off walls and shattering windows.

Behind hundreds of soldiers, Axton's heart pounded as he heard the sound of bullets from within the building.

'Is she a monster?!' he screamed internally.

He signalled for his men to spread out and search for the source of the firing.

"Move and shoot, you damn fools!" Axton barked, trying to coordinate his men amid the chaos.

Sheele ducked and weaved through the hail of gunfire, her agility and speed making her a tough target. Then, leaving the soldiers behind, she retreated towards the brothel's hall.

Pursued by the soldiers, she sought safety behind the bar where the bartender serves customers.

Because of the brothel's numerous halls, several soldiers had to split up as they couldn't keep up with her pace.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Paying no attention to the relentless attack, she started to take aim and shoot from behind the bar furniture.

Nevertheless, after some time, she had no choice but to leave the cover when the furniture began crumbling and bullets kept pouring through.

By shooting at the chandelier on the roof and making it fall, she caused a distraction and used the opportunity to eliminate a few targets before making her escape. She took a momentary break from her killing spree, hiding behind a pillar and reloading her guns.

Recognizing the opportunity, the soldiers split into two groups, ready to unleash their firepower from different angles.

They fired at the pillar, but as smoke started to rise, one of them shouted, "Don't stop firing. She's creating a distraction!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

As the smoke dissipated, a bloodied, limp hand peeked through the pillar, causing the soldiers to halt their fire.

Twenty soldiers approached the pillar to confirm the kill, but they fired at the limp hand for good measure. 

But the hand showed no response, even as bullets tore through the flesh.

As the soldiers approached the body, confusion spread among them. The disfigured dead woman looked different from their target.

However, as they examined the clothing of the deceased woman, they concluded that she was likely a prostitute from a brothel.

"Our target is not dead. Search the entire hall," one of them commanded, and the soldiers became more alert. They wasted no time and began to search the hall. 

As they were searching, a soldier unexpectedly raised his gaze upon hearing the consistent creaking sound emanating from the chandelier, only to be instantly petrified. 

Hanging upside down from the chandelier was a woman, her handguns aimed at him, her dress splattered with blood, the crimson stains contrasting starkly against the pale fabric.

The soldier knew he couldn't move in time, so he intended to shout to alert his comrades. But the instant he opened his mouth, a bullet pierced his throat, killing him instantly.

At the sudden sound of gunfire, all the soldiers in the vicinity became alert. They saw the dead soldier's lifeless eyes still staring at the ceiling.

They had no chance to react as Sheele unleashed a merciless barrage, killing half of them in an instant.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The remaining soldiers tried to shoot at Sheele, but she swiftly evaded their bullets, swinging on the chandelier and using her legs' momentum as she resumed her killing spree.

Eventually, only two soldiers remained alive, taking cover behind the tattered black bar and occasionally shooting at her.

Their magazines emptied after the continuous firing. They halted to reload, their fingers trembling. 

One soldier finished reloading and resumed shooting towards the chandelier.

BANG!

Just as the other soldier finished reloading, he inhaled deeply and peeked toward the chandelier. But there was no woman hanging there.

He turned toward his remaining companion to ask about the target, but he saw the man's dead body, a bloodied hole in the centre of his head.

As he was processing his situation, he felt a cold metallic object touch his temple. A sweat drop trickled down his forehead.

"Please, let me live. I have a family waiting for me at home," the man pleaded.

Observing the youth, who was not yet in his twenties, Sheele questioned whether his plea was deceitful, perhaps a last effort to elicit sympathy or beg for his survival.

Sheele glanced at the surrounding dead bodies of young soldiers who may or may not have committed any sins, dying for the sake of living.

The peculiar thing was that none of the soldiers she had killed had proper armour or equipment. 

Despite their coordination, these fallen soldiers were inexperienced and equipped with only guns, dirty military clothing, and helmets that offered a minimal defense against bullets.

They were worthless to the imperial army, just disposable pawns sent to exhaust the enemy.

Sheele looked again at the pleading young man, sensing the earnestness in his voice. 

She could see the fear in his eyes, a stark contrast to the icy determination she often faced.

But she was not someone who let her enemies escape out of sympathy. After stepping into the dark world of assassination, she had killed many bad people, but she also knew she had taken some innocent lives. It was a harsh reality she had come to accept.

In this world, survival meant dirtying one's hands. She knew that sparing an enemy today could mean facing that same enemy in a deadly confrontation tomorrow. Hesitation could lead to her own demise.

So she pulled the trigger.

BANG!

As the sound subsided, the young man's lifeless body fell to the floor with a thud, his eyes staring into Sheele's soul.

Sheele lowered her hand and then bowed toward the fallen soldier.

"I am sorry."