kscans

Chapter 251 - The Battle in the Isolation Ward

A standoff at the entrance of the isolation ward.

The attackers were wary of the armed Bardos. It wasn’t just his physique; he exuded an aura that could be called a battle spirit.

One of them whispered, "Is that the guy from the other world? Can we even win?"

Another replied, "It’s fine. The plan is to rendezvous after sabotaging the power distribution room. This area is dimly lit with only faint light and no windows. When the lights go out, it’ll be pitch black. With our night-vision goggles, we won’t fall behind."

They were reaffirming the plan. They were supposed to have reached the hospital room and prepared by now, but the man was waiting for them. What’s more, he had somehow sensed their presence.

"Why don’t you stop hiding and come out? You’re not fooling anyone."

They emerged, surprised. The attackers were trained professionals, masters at concealing their presence. Yet he had seen through them so easily. They couldn’t fathom his true strength. Bardos stood like a guardian king, machete in hand. The attackers fired their guns at him.

They aimed for his legs. No matter how strong he was, if they could immobilize him, it would be fine. Bardos didn’t even move as the bullet struck him.

But the bullet didn’t penetrate his leg; it didn’t even leave a scratch.

Bardos mused, "Hoh… so this is that ‘gun’ thing Shinsuke was talking about. It’s definitely too fast to dodge, but… well, it’s not that powerful. It stung a little, though." He rubbed the spot on his leg as he spoke.

They were utterly astonished. It was common knowledge that a bullet wouldn’t get through a bulletproof vest, but they had aimed for his thigh, an area unprotected by armor or chainmail, visible below his shorts.

It was absurd that it didn’t even break the skin. Was this the body of an otherworlder?!

They couldn’t have known, but when Bardos entered a combat stance, his body became infused with mana, increasing his defense beyond its normal level. Even so, it should have at least drawn blood if not penetrated, but Bardos’s trained body could withstand being hit by a rock without flinching.

Stunned, one of the attackers ordered, "Even one of us is enough! Get to the hospital room immediately and carry out the plan!"

They all nodded and began to move.

Even if shooting him at close range didn’t work, it was better than nothing. The attackers split to the left and right, trying to confuse Bardos. Even he couldn’t react instantly to their swift, precise movements.

As he focused on one side, the other tried to slip past him. But they had forgotten.

There was someone else.

"Water Shot!"

A bullet of water flew through the air.

It struck one of the attackers, sending him flying several meters. She fired two more shots, and the other two were sent flying in the same manner.

An attacker who had been watching exclaimed, "So that’s magic… I didn’t believe it when I heard, but to think it’s this powerful." His voice held a mix of awe and delight.

There were weapons that used water, but this was a staff—no, water was appearing from thin air and being fired. There wasn’t a person on Earth who wouldn’t be moved by this.

The attacker was excited. "I want it. That power. No matter what it takes."

But his rational side quickly took over. Acting on emotion was a mark of an amateur.

Bardos took advantage of the attacker’s distraction and closed the distance in an instant. "You’re wide open." He brought his machete down with all his might.

With the back of the blade, of course. The attacker was struck squarely on the head and knocked unconscious. The remaining two immediately distanced themselves.

The guns were ineffective, and all they had left were flashbangs and smoke bombs. But wearing night-vision goggles meant a flashbang would be devastating. Smoke bombs were for escaping, and since they hadn’t completed their mission, they couldn’t use them now.

As they were thinking, the three who had been sent flying got back to their feet and regrouped.

One of them said, "We have to do it. Let’s use the flashbangs. We’ll act as decoys. While we do, you take off your goggles and get the job done. Don’t worry about us."

The other two agreed.

Two of them drew the attention of Bardos and Matilda with their guns, while the other two prepared in the back. Of course, Bardos and Matilda sensed they were up to something.

They positioned themselves to be ready to move at any moment. However, what happened next exceeded their expectations.

They heard something roll across the floor. It looked like a ball. As the two looked down, the ball emitted an intense flash of light. Having stared at it too long, Bardos and Matilda were blinded and unable to move. The two attackers facing them were writhing in even greater agony.

Using a flashbang with night-vision goggles on would bombard the eyes with more than double the normal amount of light, even if they were closed.

The two remaining attackers ignored Bardos and Matilda and slipped into the isolation ward.

They had been beaten down, but completing the mission was more important than any personal grudge. As they headed toward their target location, a single girl stood in their way.

As if their halt was a signal, Milfy raised her staff. "Wind Wall Shot!"

An invisible wall pushed the two men back.

She had created a wall of wind and charged forward like a wild boar. The wall covered the entire width of the corridor, leaving no room to escape. Not that they could have dodged something they couldn’t see anyway.

The two who were blown away tried to get up, but from behind them…

"Wind Hammer!!"

An invisible force struck them on the head from above.

She had condensed the wind to create a pocket of air pressure. The impact was as heavy as a massive boulder. Taking a direct hit like that would make it impossible to remain conscious.

The two men lay motionless on the floor.

Matilda called out, "Bardos-san, what about your side?"

Bardos turned back. "It’s taken care of. Now we just need to gather them up and tie them."

The two who had acted as decoys were also unconscious.

Their eyes would take longer to recover than Bardos’s and Matilda’s, so the outcome was inevitable.

Matilda cried out, "Milfy?! Are you okay?!"

Milfy replied with a smile, "You’re overreacting. I’m fine."

Matilda, relieved, went to help Bardos. Milfy returned to the hospital room to reassure Rumily.

By the time I arrived, it was already over.

The attackers were tightly bound in a corner of the hallway, unconscious.

"Where’s Matilda?" I asked, concerned.

Bardos replied, "She’s fine. She went to Rumily’s room. I saw her a moment ago, and she looked okay."

Relieved to hear his report, I changed the subject. "So? How were they?"

"They were pretty skilled," Bardos said. "Their movements and coordination showed they’ve had a lot of training. It’s a shame. If they had magic or skills, it would have been more fun." He looked disappointed.

"Well, I’m not going to comment on your personality at this point, but our top priority this time is to protect everyone. Don’t forget that," I reminded him.

"I know, I know," Bardos said. "This has nothing to do with my fun. So? What do we do with them?"

I looked at the men he was pointing at. "Good question. Normally, we should report this to the police or the soldiers. But we don’t know who’s backing them, so the same thing could happen again. What should we do?"

As I was pondering, I sensed a presence approaching.

Bardos must have sensed it too, as he gripped his machete. I placed my hand on my sword.

Just then, a voice said, "Please, don’t be so alarmed. We’re on your side." It was the men in black suits.

Still, I couldn’t relax. Right now, anyone who wasn’t an ally was a potential threat. But as long as they didn’t approach the isolation ward, it was fine.

"There are more of them in the power distribution room," I said. "Tina is watching them now."

Upon hearing this, one of the men took out his phone and made a call.

He seemed to be contacting a colleague.

His action prompted a question from me. "Aren’t cell phones prohibited in hospitals?"

I was pretty sure that due to the sensitive equipment, devices that emitted radio waves were generally banned.

The man in black explained, "The one I have is a special model that can be used even in a hospital. It’s been lent to me for the duration of this incident."

Through Kuroda-san, I presumed. To think he could arrange even something like this, how much does the director here favor him?

As I was thinking, the man in black added, "And I have a message from the Manager. He says, ‘Please leave this matter to me.’"

In other words, stay out of it.

Honestly, I wanted to beat the person who hired them to a pulp. They had tried to harm my friends.

Bardos came closer. "Also, Shinsuke… they had this. What kind of tool is it?" He held out an iron cylinder.

I took it and looked at it up close. It contained a liquid, and there was something like a needle at the bottom. Could it be…

The man in black looked at it as well. "We will take this into our custody. Is that acceptable?" His face made it clear that refusal was not an option.

"I will never forgive the person who tried to inject this," I said, my voice filled with rage as I handed it over.

The man in black replied without emotion, "Understood. I believe the Manager feels the same way. They have done something that could sever his relationship with you."

Well, that made sense. In this world, connections were more important than emotions. Acting on emotion alone would lead to ruin. It was through good connections that one could succeed and profit.

Is this what they call ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’? Oh well.

"By the way," I said, "was Kuroda-san at the auction?"

The man in black seemed to relax a little. "Yes. The two wolves you provided… they were sold for a considerable price. The Manager wishes to give you the proceeds from the auction as compensation for the trouble this incident has caused."

Hearing that, I said, "Please do so at your convenience." I bowed slightly.

The man in black went to follow the others who had already left.

Bardos clapped me on the shoulder. "You’ve got a lot on your plate, huh?"

"I really do," I sighed. "Here… and over there."

This whole mess started because I tried to borrow the power of the underworld to help my friends. We’d be safe for a while, but thinking about the future gave me a headache.

…Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to do before all this happened.

I guess I’ll go tomorrow.