Bad Born Blood
Chapter 177

Chapter 177

We live in an era where standards no longer exist.

Humans—no, all species—have an average value. If the differences between individuals were abnormally large and their physical structures were too varied, they wouldn’t be able to form a species.

Every species is born with inherent dispositions and tendencies, and regardless of effort, there are always clear physical limits.

’Bullet dodging.’

For someone like me, it’s nothing special.

But humans were never meant to dodge bullets. No amount of training can make it possible. A stroke of incredible luck might allow it to happen once, but to deliberately reproduce it? Impossible.

In this era, we replace our bodies with machines, manipulate hormones and receptors, and chemically alter our nervous systems.

We live in an age where artificial modifications have become so common that the concept of an average value for a species has lost all meaning. This isn’t just about reaching the natural limits of one’s body—it’s about altering individuals so drastically that they could be considered an entirely different species.

That’s why battles like this, which should be impossible, can happen.

’Firelight weapons should never clash.’

Dodge and attack. Blocking should not even be an option.

Since waking up in Border City, I had never been this focused. I had to sharpen my senses to predict my opponent’s movements and position my body with absolute precision.

Mistakes had always meant death for me, but rarely had I been in a fight this close. Even the slightest misstep in footwork or balance would mean an instant and unavoidable death.

Ziiing!

One edge of my Firelight Saber crackled with a fierce plasma glow. The heated air shimmered visibly.

Every time I swung my blade, it left long afterimages and chaotic trails in its wake. The same was true for the twin Firelight Twinblades that Valek wielded.

Swish!

Valek sometimes gripped his blades in a reverse hold, executing unpredictable attacks. Just when I started getting used to his patterns, he would switch his grip and launch a new sequence of strikes.

’Valek is experienced.’

We fought in eerie silence. Three blades sliced through the air, leaving only the glow of plasma and their fading afterimages. Both Valek and I twisted and contorted our bodies in impossible acrobatics, using every joint to evade each strike by the narrowest margin.

Sssst!

A piece of my clothing was sliced, the fabric instantly burning from the heat. The sharp scent of scorched fibers filled the air.

Swish!

Valek dropped low, aiming for my legs. I leaped lightly to avoid his blade.

Kit!

Immediately after, he thrust for my chest. A seamless follow-up attack that fully utilized the advantage of dual blades.

But I didn’t just jump up aimlessly. By shifting my balance at the tip of my toes before leaping, I made it easier to rotate midair. I had, of course, anticipated this kind of attack.

Shraaak!

I swung my Firelight Saber, aiming for Valek’s neck. He flinched, hesitating over whether to block or not.

‘This really is a difficult fight.’

If he blocked, we would both die. But if he had to die alone, it was better to take the enemy with him. In the worst-case scenario, he would choose to block.

That meant I had to be cautious with my attacks as well. Especially the finishing blow—it had to be so unexpected that the enemy wouldn’t even have the chance to react.

In a way, it was almost a ridiculous battle. We dodged as if we had choreographed our movements beforehand, and our attacks sometimes seemed half-hearted.

But as the fight dragged on, my concentration became sharper and more condensed, as if it were gathering into a single point. The once-blurred world came into crystal-clear focus. The dull, lifeless colors of reality suddenly turned vivid, as if someone had painted them in primary hues.

This was excellent rehabilitation.

“Hah.”

A brief chuckle escaped my lips.

Alright, Valek. I don’t know where you came from, and I don’t know what you learned from Kinuan, but you’re not bad. At least, as a sacrifice for my rehabilitation.

I squeezed out the skills I had been suppressing. I tested exactly what I was capable of right now and how far ahead I could predict. The well I thought had run dry was still overflowing—with focus, with clarity.

Krit!

I deliberately thrust my Firelight Saber into the path of Valek’s incoming blade.

Swish!

Valek frowned and altered the trajectory of his sword. Watching his reactions was immensely satisfying.

The raw stimuli jolted my brain awake, making it fire at a pace unlike ever before. My thoughts were smooth, effortless. My mind, split into two, analyzed Valek from multiple angles while simultaneously directing my body.

“Gabriel! Take Ernest Borel and get out of here. There’s still more to extract from him, so don’t kill him yet!”

I shouted without looking back. I didn’t need to see Gabriel to know he had arrived.

For a brief moment, I heard Gabriel and Ernest arguing. But I had no time to focus on them. Valek’s sharp eyes gleamed as he increased his speed.

“Hoo.”

I let out a short breath. My brain and body had reached the perfect level of heat. Now was the time. I could push myself without losing reason or control.

...Just like I used to.

The once-light and fluid train of thought suddenly caught, like a gear shifting into a heavier setting. My weighted thoughts pressed down on time itself, dragging it into my grasp.

It was as if I had been injected with Jin Gaw’s drug—everything slowed to a crawl and then came to a complete stop. A moment ago, I could only register parts of Valek—his sword, arms, and legs—but now, I could see him entirely. Not just him, but the surrounding space as well.

Chzzzt.

I should stop here before my brain takes damage. This hyper-focus lasted only for a fleeting moment, but it was enough to gain the upper hand. Even if just for an instant, all I needed was to think at a speed that completely outpaced my opponent.

Swish!

I swung my sword lightly. To an outsider, it might have looked as if I were cutting through empty air. But Valek’s right arm moved directly into the path of my blade.

To anyone watching, it would seem as if Valek had willingly offered his arm to me. It was a feat made possible by my ability to perceive the gap in his awareness and move precisely within it.

Szzzt!

My Firelight Saber sliced through Valek’s right arm cleanly. The exposed mechanical components on the severed limb sizzled red-hot.

A fine blade. This was the first time I had cut something with it, and I was already captivated. Generally, weapons designed for enhanced cutting efficiency lack the satisfying feel of slicing through flesh. But this one? The moment it cut, there was just the right amount of resistance in my grip. It felt perfect.

Valek hurriedly retreated. From his perspective, the situation had suddenly gone far beyond his expectations. My skills must have skyrocketed in an instant—moving in a realm even an experienced Akies Victima practitioner couldn’t fully calculate.

This was the pure superiority of Akies Victima.

Swish!

I extended my Firelight Saber forward, holding it upright.

Szzzt!

Valek’s gaze flickered between the carbonized stump of his arm and me.

Kit!

With impressive dexterity, he kicked up the Firelight Twinblade he had dropped with his right hand and secured it at his waist. Hmm, even in a moment of chaos, he still managed to retrieve it. He had talent, no doubt. Perhaps this was how others felt when they watched me.

“...How?”

Valek’s voice carried both disbelief and admiration.

Drip.

I felt warm blood trickling from my nose and wiped it away with my sleeve.

A sharp, electric pain started creeping from deep within my skull—a precursor to the oncoming headache. Even though I had only entered the hyper-focus state for a brief moment, this was the result. It made sense that my brain had been damaged in the past.

“Dying and coming back to life seems to have given me a few new tricks.”

I had once replaced my cerebrospinal fluid with a coolant, allowing me to maintain hyper-focus for an extended period. The remnants of that unique neural connection had left a scar on my brain, like a lingering imprint.

I could dress it up with fancy terms like hyper-focus state, but in reality, it was nothing more than the extreme optimization of Akies Victima and the abilities of the Imperial Guards.

For example, if an unmodified human runs 100 meters in 10 seconds, they’re just a good runner. But if they cover 100 meters in 1 second, that would be considered a superhuman ability.

Similarly, thought acceleration is something any Imperial Guard with neural chemical enhancements can achieve, and multi-angle reasoning is a basic skill for an Akies Victima practitioner.

However, going beyond the sensation of slowed time—stopping it entirely, and branching countless lines of thought within that frozen moment—was something that could truly be called a special ability.

Thanks to the dangerous and unfamiliar stimulus that was Valek, I had been able to push my latent abilities to their absolute limits. This was why real combat was so important.

"I heard you’re at the Mysta level, but you’re beyond that."

Mysta. A term referring to an Akies Victima practitioner who has reached a level where they can teach others. I had once heard about it from Kinuan in passing.

"You’re not bad yourself. As a rehabilitation partner, that is."

"As much as it wounds my pride, I can’t deny that you have the upper hand. Just now... that was truly astonishing."

"You’ll have plenty more to be astonished by. You’ll get to learn just how creative torture can be."

I started to step toward Valek, then stopped abruptly. He gave a faint smile and gestured behind me.

"But you have impurities and burdens weighing you down. If you want to capture me alive, you’ll have to use that ability multiple times, and the battle will drag on."

The burden he was referring to was Gabriel.

"I’m not concerned about what’s going on back there. They’re both adults; they can handle themselves. My only interest is in Kinuan’s trail."

"That contradiction is the very source of the chaos you create. You push others away while still holding onto them."

That must have been something he heard from Kinuan. So he really was Kinuan’s disciple.

"Well, enough talking..."

I had no patience for people trying to analyze me.

"I’m sure right now, you’re filled with the thought of abandoning that lump of dead weight back there and capturing me instead. But when it actually happens, you’ll run back to them. That inconsistency is what deepens the chaos within you."

No more talking. Time to fight.

Ta-ang!

But my senses were already fixed on where Gabriel and Ernest had disappeared, sharply catching the gunshot. Something must have gone wrong between them.

Akies Victima user, Valek. Every time I encountered one, I felt the same way—Akies Victima users were nothing but irritating.

Myself included.

I wanted to act differently from Valek’s arrogant assumptions and crush his confidence. If this had been a matter directly tied to my survival, I would have done it without hesitation. Even if it meant a higher chance of dying, I couldn’t stand moving exactly as someone else predicted.

‘This is troublesome.’

When two Akies Victima users fight, the one who has their behavioral patterns analyzed first is at a disadvantage. The reason Kinuan always had the upper hand against me was that I never understood his patterns.

I didn’t know Valek’s behavioral patterns. That made it difficult to gain the upper hand in this psychological battle.

Still, even with all these thoughts running through my mind, I knew myself well enough this time. I knew exactly how I would act. As pathetic as it sounded, Gabriel’s survival was in my best interest. Right now, he was the only one who could help fill in the missing gaps of my past.

Srrrk.

Valek was backing away. He was walking backward slowly while keeping his eyes on me.

"I’m not letting you go just because of Gabriel’s safety. If you ever make the mistake of underestimating me like this again, you’ll face something truly horrifying."

"Of course. I understand that your decision was influenced by multiple factors. And I’m not saying this just to get away. If you were truly confident you could subdue me, you would have continued the fight even at the risk of your ally’s safety."

And with that, Valek was feeding my pride. If he provoked me carelessly, I might get angry enough to chase after him.

He was sharp. Maybe, in terms of personality, he was even more suited for Akies Victima than I was. After all, those who could completely discard their pride had access to far more options.

Valek disappeared around a corner. I waited until I could no longer sense his presence before following after Gabriel and Ernest.

Step, step.

Gabriel and Ernest hadn’t gotten far. They hadn’t reached the road or the vehicle we had prepared. Instead, they had ended up in a dark alley where even sunlight couldn’t reach. The stench of fresh blood filled the air.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out. I leaned against the wall, staring into the alley.

I heard Gabriel cursing. His face was smeared with blood, and his eyes were wild. He kept pulling the trigger, firing shot after shot into Ernest’s corpse.

"Lu... Lu... Luka... I-I’m sorry."

Gabriel stammered when he noticed me. He tried to smile, but his lips twitched unnaturally. It was an expression caught somewhere between laughter and tears.

"I... I couldn’t hold back. I just... couldn’t. I couldn’t stand it, not for a second longer. The thought of this bastard breathing for even one more second... it was unbearable. I kept seeing Shiren and Lunia’s faces... I felt like I was going to break... like I was going to die."

I had expected this. This was exactly why I didn’t want to leave Gabriel and Ernest alone. But with Valek’s sudden appearance, I had no choice.

I sighed, pushing myself off the wall and walking toward Gabriel.

"I’ll take care of the body. Wipe off the blood and wait at Gaya’s clinic."

Gabriel nodded, then drove his boot into Ernest’s already mangled face. The remains of his skull were scattered like ground meat.

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