Chapter 420: Episode 77

Currently, there are three factions within NGL that possess powerful combat capabilities. One is the invading Chimera Ants, another is the Hunter who subdued them, and the third is the NGL army led by Gyro.

However, in this country that prioritizes a philosophy of green living in harmony with nature and forbids modern military weapons, there is no formal military force. The NGL army is a hidden organization on the dark side of the country.

Yet, although called an army, it is merely an organization of armed civilians, almost powerless against the fierce invasion of the Chimera Ant race. This country, which continues to adopt a policy of total national isolation, will not receive support from other countries.

Now, only one base under Gyro's control remains in the country. This location is deep inland, avoiding the eyes of other countries, which delayed the discovery of the Chimera Ants, but it also resulted in an isolated state where escape routes and supply lines have been cut off.

The remaining soldiers are few. Supplies are also limited. However, Gyro had long foreseen this situation from all sides. This "desperate situation" is a common occurrence for him as he leads the founding of NGL, and he challenges death as he always has.

Only one person dropped the power to fight against the Chimera Ants. The subjects who survived under the influence of "ShinkanArkanum". I did not force them to fight, but the unavoidable situation where they would be killed if they did not fight pushed them onto the battlefield.

Not all subjects possess abilities suitable for combat. You need spirit power and a belligerent personality to master it. Only four people meet these conditions, but their combat power is remarkable.

And these four met in a forest far from the base. They are all children who look to be only about 10 years old. Although the enemy could launch an attack at any time, three of the four showed no signs of hesitation.

"Everyone, as usual! Shake the universe~, Fist of Justice~..."

The boy who suddenly started shouting mysterious words is named Vulcan. This quartet is arbitrarily called Galanger. The official name is "Galaxy Rangers," and there is a TV show of the same name. He is its fanatic fan.

"The big boss is here!"

Vulcan, who likes to pose as a squadron hero, tried to impose it on the other members, but was ignored by everyone. Even so, he was not discouraged. This is because under the influence of the mystery, he believes in his own world.

"Please don't raise your voice. It distracts me."

This girl's name is Kineti, she speaks like a subordinate, but has the demeanor of a big shot. I scraped the stone at hand with a knife and adjusted the shape. The edges of the blade were reinforced, and in the blink of an eye, the stone transformed into a lifelike animal sculpture.

Kineti is a young artist who won awards in international sculpture competitions at his age. The invasion of the enemy army before his eyes did not make him feel the slightest wavering in the hands of the statues.

"... Colossus... Colossus..."

The boy swinging a metal baseball bat is Buccia. Wearing the printed uniform of his favorite local professional baseball team and a cap, he looks like an ordinary baseball boy, but the bloodlust he radiates is clearly abnormal.

"Alright, let's go home... Teacher will be angry..."

The last one is a girl named Jasmine. Carrying a rifle with a bayonet on his back, although fully armed, he is an ordinary child with a gentle and timid personality.

"What are you talking about, Galin (abbreviation for Galaxy Green)! Our mission is to defeat these despicable alien monsters!"

"Anything is fine, Bucoros."

In fact, this group of four escaped from the base without authorization. Instead, he knocked out the guards and even borrowed weapons without permission. If you ask me why I did this, it is because I sensed enemies approaching my base.

"Beep!? The galaxy radar reacted! It's a group of alien monsters!"

The test children are able to perceive the radio transmissions of the Chimera Ants. Although we do not know the content of the communication, we have accurately captured the location information of the signal source. There are individual differences in the detection range, and Vulcan can search the widest range.

With this ability, they quickly sensed the enemy's approach and escaped the facility by stealing the eyes of adults who were distracted by other subjects. The goal is to fight the enemy.

"I didn't like the last time at all, but this time I seem to be able to have a blast."

This is not their first time fighting Chimera Ants. A few days ago, we were fighting an expeditionary force approaching our base. However, at that time, Cher and Toke restricted the children's movements and did not allow them to attack them recklessly.

Although the children's safety is the top priority, it feels like they are interrupting their fun. They instinctively want to fight because the mystery can increase their aggressiveness.

Only Jasmine did not show that kind of personality, but while being timid and a crybaby, she also has a strong heart and a sense of responsibility. I cannot leave the other three who want to sneak away, but I cannot tell the adults either, so I followed them.

The Chimera Ant army is heading straight for the quartet. Just as we were searching for the enemy over there, the enemy also read the radio waves and captured the location of the quartet. The subjects possess the ability to communicate using radio waves, just like the Chimera Ants.

The radio waves emitted by this subject seem to be extremely disadvantageous to the Chimera Ants and can confuse low-level enemies. When we fought before, some enemy troops fled because of this, and this time I knew that everyone came towards us without fleeing.

The children felt the enemy's power and showed fierce smiles. This is a plan to notify the enemy of this location by boldly emitting radio waves. The place where the four waited was far from the base. Even if you lure him, there is no problem.

"Come on...!"

It didn't even need to detect radio waves. The crumbling army, countless footsteps approaching. The children threw themselves into the surging waves.

"Transform! 'Galanger Battle Form'!"

Striking a pose, Vulcan raised his hand to the sky, wrapping himself in a suddenly appearing red helmet and armor. That is the Servant's ability to manipulate the red metal aura, the "Philosopher's Stone."

The Philosopher's Stone is the raw material for the arcane, and those compatible with this potion have the ability to convert their own aura into a Philosopher's Stone, although it is not perfect. Due to the effect of the drug, all subjects were forced to open their Shoko and turn into Nen.

"I'm going to hack you to death!"

A large sword two meters long appeared in Vulcan's hand. Its shape is twisted and distorted, as if made of hardened lava, closer to a giant club than a sword. Other equipment such as armor and helmets are also crudely made, but the fanatical spirit exhaled makes me feel more eerie than ridiculous.

Vulcan is a person with Enhancement-type abilities, and there are almost no Materialization-type techniques that can give aura a physical form. The reason I was able to create a tentative shape in a distorted way is because the image in my mind was forcibly solidified by the power of the Philosopher's Stone.

The equipment made of that unknown metal has terrifying power. In addition, the Philosopher's Stone can not only increase the durability of weapons and armor, but also amplify the aura. The power of the stone allows the subject to generate a large amount of aura within their body.

"Galanger Slash!"

The large sword swung down forcibly has enough power to sink into the ground. The Chimera Ant soldiers hit directly turned into fragments, and the shockwave alone blew away nearby enemies. If used carelessly, a blow similar to a rocket launcher might involve allies. And that person doesn't care about the surrounding environment at all, nor does he have any intention of suppressing his power.

This kind of aura amplification is a basic ability for those compatible with the Philosopher's Stone, but the amount of energy that can be extracted is proportional to the size of the metallized Philosopher's Stone. This stone cannot be created indefinitely because the mental load increases with its creation.

Vulcan, who can create a full set of weapons and armor at the same time, has an abnormally high adaptability among the test subjects. Any other subject who attempts to do so will immediately go mad, be swallowed by the stone, and lose consciousness forever.

"Really, let's play a little smarter."

"Shut up! Anyway, Coros!"

Following Vulcan who jumped out first, the other two also started to act. The sculptor Kineti metallized the aura to create weapons. This is a weapon called a war hammer, with a hammer-like protrusion at the end of a slender handle. Unlike Vulcan's greatsword, its shape is straight.

On the other hand, the baseball boy Buccia reinforced the bat with aura. The bat itself is commercially available, but the aura on its surface is metallized to increase its strength. Moreover, its aura, sharp as a thorn, finished with a specially made thorn bat.

"Zekolo!"

The thorn bat smashed the head of the Chimera Ant soldier. Just then, other soldier ants attacked, but Buccia avoided them with his quick movements.

He was originally a fanatical baseball player, practicing every day, and his athletic ability is higher than the average level of his peers. His raw physical fitness is the highest among the children in the subject. With the physical enhancement of Nen Ability and the aura amplification of the Philosopher's Stone, he shows movements that surpass ordinary Nen Users.

It was Buccia who destroyed the hard armor of the Chimera Ant soldiers one by one, killing them, and at this moment, his eyes caught a bullet flying towards him at high speed. One of the Chimera Ants with flight ability launched a long-range attack with a Nen Bullet.

"Don't throw lukewarm balls!"

The Nen Bullet is a technique that hits the final stage of the Four Major Principles, and being able to use it means that the user is accustomed to handling Aura. Its power and the lethality of a fastball are already enough, but for Buccia, who usually chases balls in baseball games, this is not something that cannot be captured by enhanced dynamic vision.

Buccia held a red sphere in his hand and dodged it easily. This is a baseball made of metal aura. Throw it into the air and hit it at the enemy who fired the bullet.

The explosion exploded with a sharp metallic clanging sound. With a specially made thorn bat, the surface is uneven, and it is usually difficult to hit the ball in the direction it is flying, but this problem was solved by Nen Ability.

Buccia is a person with strong Manipulation ability, and from his experience as a batter, he has excellent sensitivity in handling bats and controlling the ball. Can manipulate the ball wrapped in his own aura and change its trajectory after it is launched.

The power contained in the batted ball is incomparable to a direct hit with a thorn bat. The enemy couldn't even see through the speed, a hole opened in the middle of the body, and it fell.

MurderKnock exerts cruel power not only on flying enemies but also on Chimera Ant soldiers attacking from the ground. The enemy army could not stop Buccia's advance, and he used perfect attacks from a distance.

"Hey... let's go home..."

Jasmine hid behind the bushes, unmoving, while Vulcan and Buccia had both wiped out their enemies. He held a rifle, his finger on the trigger, but he had never fired a shot. I didn't even realize the safety was off.

Kineti waited for the enemy to protect Jasmine like this. There were countless Chimera Ants. Even Vulcan could not suppress all the enemies, and there was no shortage of opponents who dared to step forward.

"Yeah, but I don't even want to cooperate with this kind of opponent."

The war hammer, swung in all directions, kept the incoming enemies at bay. This polearm is easy to operate even for amateurs because it can fight at a distance. This difference in range is very effective; it is said that a Sword user needs three times the level to compete with a spear.

However, this is a story assuming individual combat. In chaotic situations or places with many shields like a forest, poor handling is obvious, and if brought into melee, the advantage of the polearm is reversed. If you are a master, Kineti does not have that kind of skill.

Nevertheless, the reason she can overwhelm the enemy without leaving her spot is thanks to a weapon that can freely undergo Transmutation. Kineti can change the melting point of the metallized Aura, allowing it to take any desired shape.

The enemy cannot react in time to the weapon as its length and shape change. Slamming the pommel of the war hammer, it splits the enemy's armor with concentrated impact. This alone is not a fatal wound for a Chimera Ant with strong Life Force, but it changes the tip of the weapon biting into the armor's crack, pushing the wound open and piercing into the body.

Even a Hard exoskeleton cannot protect its internal organs from a direct attack. Besides that, Kineti's own physical ability is also high. Although he is immature in combat techniques, due to the explosive Aura amplification effect, if it is just physical enhancement, he has already acquired Professional Hunter-level ability. A low-level soldier is completely useless.

However, there is also the burden of continuing to fight while protecting Jasmine. Even if it's fine now, I don't know what will happen next; it depends on the strength of the enemies waiting behind.

"Jasmine, if you don't protect yourself, I can't protect you forever."

"I, I'm sorry..."

"If we don't stop these monsters here, our friends remaining at the base will be in danger."

If so many enemies know the location of the base, there is a danger of being attacked immediately. Defensive facilities are already in place, but they are not enough to stop the Chimera Ant army. Setting aside casualties, it is necessary to avoid destroying the facilities that create mysteries and sedatives.

Considering this, it can be said that this situation—in which the children who sensed the enemy's attack first left a place where the base location was not specified and used it as bait to attract the enemy's attention—is reasonable in its own way.

"... I understand. I will try my best!"

"That is what I mean."

However, the Vulcan people did not think about the strategy that deeply; they were just driven by the desire to fight. Even for Kineti, the main reason was selfish, but considering Jasmine's personality, he felt that if he said it was for friends, he would be more motivated.

The enemy's attack has weakened to the point where the two can talk easily. Seeing the tragic state of the numerous soldier ants being killed, even the low-level soldiers felt the gap in ability. They no longer recklessly jump in front of Kineti.

"You guys, come down."

A Chimera Ant appeared there. He spoke fluent human language, and it could be seen that he was of a higher rank because he made the surrounding combat soldiers retreat. Most importantly, the presence of the Aura wrapped around her further explained her personality.

"I am Squadron Leader Mantis. Although you are a human child, I am strong... no, I should not judge you by your race or appearance. As a warrior, I want to hear your name."

To the Mantis-type Chimera Ant Mantis, Kineti's response was an attack rather than words. This is an expression of the intention that there is no need to introduce oneself to the dying.

However, a wave of the Mantis scythes on the Mantis's arms split the softened war hammer in two.

"Not elegant. There is nothing my Mantis Fist cannot open. I hoped for a pure match as a warrior, but it seems I was wrong."

The Aura condensed on the scythes greatly enhanced its sharpness. The separated part of the war hammer was beyond Kineti's control. You can create new weapons, but even if you launch the same attack, it is meaningless against Mantis.

Facing that enemy's power, Kineti's smile deepened. To her, who is unwilling to give up, he is a formidable enemy. Collecting the Aura in that hand, she turned it into metal.

The weapon he created was an object shaped like a stake. It was only as big as a knife. He held the hammer in his left hand and the stake in his right, running toward the enemy.

"Challenge me to close-quarters combat, go die quickly."

Mantis shook his upper body and raised his arms. When a mantis aims at prey, it assumes a swaying posture. Born as a demi-human Chimera Ant, Mantis sublimated his habits into the realm of martial arts.

Kineti observed the movement of Mantis's arms. It didn't feel particularly dangerous; except for the scythes, its Aura was collected by frost. She thought that as long as she was careful with the scythes, it would be fine. Gauze's observation is the foundation of Nen-user combat, so Mantis aimed at this gap in thinking.

A black, thread-like object jumped out from Mantis's abdomen and headed toward the running Kineti. The attack passed through the stomach from within Mantis, catching Kineti off guard, and landed in a straight line on her left eye.

"Pah!"

Kineti immediately flew back, taking an evasive action, but perhaps her reaction speed was amplified by the power of the Philosopher's Stone, and she could not dodge the sudden attack, covering a bloody eye with her hand. He glared at Mantis impatiently, but due to excessive blood loss, he had already lost his previous strength.

"Kishashasha! A pity, a pity. It should have pierced the back of the eyeball and stirred the brain. Do you know? A Parasite called a nematode lurks in the stomach of a mantis."

A fully grown nematode is long enough to fill the host Mantis's gut. The human intestine is 7-9 meters long in total, and the abdomen of the half-human Chimera Ant Mantis has a 15-meter-long nematode, which exceeds this range.

As the name suggests, this monster-class wireworm, Hard as iron wire and enhanced by Aura, is kept as a pet in Mantis's stomach. It can pierce with its sharp tip like a spear, and it can Wrap around the prey and grab it.

"Cowardly hand...!"

"Victory is everything. No matter what you do, you should win. To fight proudly with a low-class race like you is the height of stupidity."

Mantis did not have the warrior-like attitude he had before. This was a performance to deceive Kineti's eyes. His nature was far from fair and just; he had no intention of fighting directly from the beginning.

"Ahhhh!!"

A scream came from the bushes behind Kineti. That was where Jasmine was hiding. The Mantis man had ordered his subordinate captains in advance to take a lap around the forest while his attention was diverted.

"Jasmine!?"

"Oh my, it seems your comrade has been caught? What do you intend to do? Looking at your attitude, you could give them some kindness... although they are enemies, they are children, and I cannot bear to kill you."

"Damn it...!"

Everything Mantis said was a lie. This was nothing more than stroking and playing with Kineti's emotions. She realized this. Even if the enemy did as he said, the situation would not improve.

Covering his injured left eye with one hand and holding a softened war hammer in the other, he ran toward Mantis. A desperate special attack driven by passion. Wanting to see him beg more pitifully, Mantis intercepted with a wireworm that emerged from his stomach, looking somewhat bored.

Kineti stabbed her softened war hammer at the nematode flying at high speed in the air. They expanded against each other, coiling Together like a Snake. The huge Parasite was entangled and stopped moving.

"You want to use it to capture it!? Useless! Become the prey of my Mantis Fist!"

The nematode attack was just a help to Mantis. Its greatest weapon was a pair of scythes with higher sharpness. Instantly pulling the entangled metal wireworm back into his stomach, he pulled Kineti with force. The death scythes were waiting for her.

Kineti quickly raised her war hammer, but her weapon could not block Mantis's scythes. This weapon has its weaknesses. Compared to the Philosopher's Stone created by other disciplines, its freedom of form is very high, but its strength is greatly reduced. When she entered the range of the scythes, her body would be mercilessly torn apart.

"I think?"

The weapons of the two who collided were opposed to each other, competing with each other. Kineti succeeded in catching Mantis's scythes. The reason was the strength of the war hammer. She created this weapon from the beginning with the goal of not letting it soften, but Fixing it into one form. In this case, you cannot change the shape later, but you gain default strength and endurance.

With the feeling of this weapon being cut by the scythes for the first time, Kineti estimated that a Fixed war hammer with enhanced power could withstand it.

"Idiot!"

Mantis was excited all over; he never thought he would be caught. My gaze met Kineti's, who was close in front of me. Its eyes were wide open. The scar on the left eye could not be seen; it should have been injured.

Kineti was not hit by the wireworm from the beginning. I barely managed to avoid it. It looked like the bleeding was a disguise, where the red metal produced in the hand when covering the eye was melted to make it look like blood.

He pretended to be injured to hit a low position. Mantis realized this was a trick to deceive the enemy, but it was too late. His mental confusion caused by being drawn into the plan slowed down the movement of his Aura. Kineti used this gap to leap over the enemy's head.

Inserting the weaponized stake into Mantis's head. However, the attack launched in an unstable posture failed to penetrate the armor of the Squadron Leader-level Nen-user Mantis.

Mantis swung his scythes as soon as he closed in. Kineti, who had taken to the air, revealed a large gap. And that distance was also within the range of his proud Mantis Fist. Mantis believed that this time he had killed him, but despite the excellent counterattack opportunity, his body was unmoving.

"Why...?"

This is the effect of Kineti's Nen Ability, "ImagetoStone (ToKinetonAkinun)." The stake-like weapon is actually a sculpting tool called a chisel. Originally, it was not a weapon, but a tool used to drive a mallet into wood or stone to shape it.

Attacking a target with this usage activates the ability, and the chiseled enemy cannot move. Just like a piece of stone offered before a sculptor, we have no choice but to silently accept how it is carved into the form it is meant to be.

"Hmm, about 5 seconds, I suppose?"

However, the Constraint of this ability has a duration. It shortens as the target's resistance increases. Or, it shortens when external force is applied due to third-party intervention. In other words, the more powerful the person, the shorter the effective time. Five seconds is the limit for the Mantis.

"Enough."

Kineti strikes a second and third time with the chisel. The Mantis's body is formed bit by bit. Five seconds pass, and the Mantis man does not seem to be released from his bonds. This is because each hit refreshes the effect of the skill.

If the next Bullet hits before 5 seconds, the Constraint time will reset and the next 5 seconds will be recalculated. The only way to get rid of this infinite chain is to increase the amount of Aura manifestation and forcibly raise resistance, such as by strengthening a finishing move, or by asking an ally for help.

"Jajanken, Jajanken, ah...!"

Unable to speak normally, the Mantis, with a face full of sorrow, can only stammer. Unable to control his Aura, and unable to defend with Aura, his body is scraped away like a delayed punishment, filled with pain and fear.

Kineti is touted as a genius sculptor, but she has never created a work that satisfies her. Her parents seem to think this is the agony of a talented person, but she feels that before her artistry, she did not fundamentally understand herself.

Now that I know my nature, I understand. It is the simplest thing. Kineti likes to build things, but she likes to destroy them even more.

"Well, have you finished the other side?"

Kineti, having finished creating the "work," has no interest in the finished product. Leaving it to fall apart into pieces, I look at the bushes behind Moli.

Moli shudders, and strange cacti grow on several Chimera Ant soldiers. The soldiers are already dead.

Moli was ambushed by a hidden enemy force, but Kineti is not particularly worried. Because I know that the Nen Ability manifested in her is a Specialist type, the most dangerous among the test subjects.

"If you try, you can do it. Come on, let's keep moving."

It seems the people at the research institute have determined that Moli is a timid girl who is easily disturbed and whose power is out of control, but Kineti does not think so.

I think the reason she cried in front of Cher immediately was because Moli saw Cher as an object to be spoiled, relying on her excessively and unable to control her own emotions. Perhaps, he carries the Shadow of losing his mother.

In fact, although Moli has killed many monsters, she has not lost control to the point of needing sedatives. Unexpectedly, if people are thrown into an environment where they cannot rely on anyone, they become independent.

Moli is also well-suited for the Philosopher's Stone, and like Kineti, she has also gained the power to fight. Her talent will surely bloom in battle. As if inviting a friend to play, Kineti takes Moli's hand and enters the depths of the forest, which is dense with demonic beasts.