Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2
To begin with, their only objective was the Nexus Port, and they would have to compete against numerous groups of Pathfinders who also intended to obtain it.
Naturally, they had no time to worry about minor relics or Data Shards.
This expedition was different from the previous one in many respects.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Reach the Nexus Port before the other teams of Halloween Idols.
Ratatat!
Their only priority was to advance through the ruins as quickly as possible.
With that single thought in mind, everyone, including Ash, continued making their way through the ruins without allowing themselves a moment of rest.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Perhaps those sounds fueled Ifrit’s impatience even further, because she eventually shouted.
In the distance, the sound of gunfire echoed through the gloomy corridors.
It was an audible reminder that they were not the only ones inside those ruins.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, the faster they moved, the more labored Akina’s breathing became.
Everyone picked up the pace.
“A little faster!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Miss Akina, are you all right? timber If you are too tired……”
Although she was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Akina answered with a radiant smile, as though she wanted to demonstrate that she had no problem at all.
“Don’t worry, Mister!”
“I’m fine!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
The entire team’s speed of advancement depended exclusively on her two legs.
The girl was perfectly aware of something.
That was why she continued running with all her strength. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com
Among all the members of the group, she was the only one who possessed a fragile human body.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
He had considered offering to carry her on his back if she was too tired.
However, Akina had rejected that consideration with a sincere smile.
She struggled to appear cheerful while desperately fighting not to become a burden to the others.
Faced with such courageous determination despite her young age, Ash did not know what to say.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
What would she do if a battle suddenly broke out?
Climb onto an Assault’s back simply because she was tired of running?
‘This isn’t the time to act like a spoiled child. attic Run on your own strength, Akina!’
Even if she was a Technomancer with a fragile body, giving up even walking under her own power would mean failing as a Pathfinder.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
She had voluntarily decided to enter that hell.
‘I’m not a burden!’
She did not want to become a hindrance.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash gazed at her face for a few moments before turning his head away.
Therefore, she was determined to endure until the very end on her own two legs.
That was what Akina was thinking.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
An Assault’s role was to protect their Technomancer from the threats lurking in the ruins.
That responsibility was far more important than any small gesture of consideration.
Then he decided to concentrate on fulfilling his own responsibility as well as possible.
It was his way of showing that he respected her decision.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Gunfire continued echoing without interruption.
Ash expanded his energy perception to its maximum and examined the dust-covered ruins once again.
At any moment, a bullet could come flying out of one of those dark corridors.
Because of that, in the gloomy atmosphere of those ruins, greed and killing intent seemed to float like particles of dust.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, there was also a fundamental difference.
The current ruins resembled Gamma-7, the site of his first expedition.
It was then that Ash noticed something.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
This place conveyed a completely different feeling.
Gamma-7 had been filled with machinery and metallic structures, a complex built exclusively around functionality and practical utility.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
How could he describe it?
The stone columns arranged at regular intervals.
If he had to compare it to something, he would say it resembled a kind of temple.
The patterns engraved on the walls that, despite being destroyed and cracked, still retained an elegance difficult to explain.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina was no exception.
The others did not seem to pay much attention to those details.
Everything seemed to belong to a completely different culture.
The excessively wide corridors and the ceilings stretching in straight lines.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
But Ash thought differently.
Nothing more.
To them, that place was nothing more than ruins where valuable relics might be found.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Tch.”
However, his brief reflections were interrupted when they reached an intersection where the path split into three.
Thanks to the experiences of his previous life, he could immediately recognize that this space was not simply a collection of ruins.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
[OK]
Ifrit clicked her tongue as she looked at the three routes and gestured toward Dullahan with her chin.
“Run a scan.”
Dullahan took a step forward. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Akina.”
At that moment, Jack O’Lantern, who was responsible for covering the rear, spoke.
The panels unfolded into a honeycomb-like structure and began emitting a faint light.
Dozens of small panels that had previously remained hidden appeared on the front surface of his sleek helmet.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
When the girl turned toward him, Jack O’Lantern made an exaggerated gesture, pretending to cover his ears.
“Yes?”
“Hmm? abstract You want me to cover my ears?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Kiiiiiiii!
It was then that a strange, resonant sound erupted from inside Dullahan’s helmet.
“Wah!”
Akina raised both hands and covered her ears without quite understanding why.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Agh! august What the hell is this?!”
That high-pitched sound of unknown origin continued for quite some time.
Akina scrunched up her face and looked around as she shouted.
It was such an unpleasant noise that it felt like a blade digging directly into her ears.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
She was the only person present who possessed a natural human auditory system without noise-canceling functions.
Then she understood the reason.
However, nobody else seemed to be suffering.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
At Ifrit’s question, an enormous amount of information began scrolling across Dullahan’s visor.
“What did you find?”
Shortly afterward, the sound disappeared completely.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Structurally weak points flashed in yellow.
A three-dimensional wireframe model, generated in real time from the echoes of the sound waves.
The small obstacles scattered along the routes appeared marked in red.
ROA.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
That extraordinary acoustic resonance device must also have been Cyberware specialized for search operations.
Since it was a group created to fulfill specialized functions, its members used Cyberware designed primarily for transportation and rescue, rather than focusing exclusively on combat.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
[The left route is faster. alien Yeah.]
After completing the complex calculations, Dullahan displayed a message on his visor.
“Perfect. acid Then shall we get moving?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
***
The five Pathfinders advanced down the left corridor.
The darkness filling the passage eventually swallowed the silhouettes of all five.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Dragon Breath, Ifrit’s weapon, spat fire and melted the armor of a Sentinel that had emerged from a wall.
When Dullahan had said that the left path was ‘faster’, he had not meant that it was safe.
Kabooom!
It was simply the shortest route.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Several of his small bombs detonated simultaneously.
A succession of explosions and bursts of flame shook the ruins.
Jack O’Lantern did not waste that opportunity.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Apparently, Ifrit and the two ROA Idols had been fighting together for quite some time.
“Perfect! orbit One less! airport Next……”
It had been an excellent coordinated attack.
Amid those vibrations, the Sentinel that had been camouflaged as a decorative element was partially destroyed and reduced to a pile of scrap metal.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
There were no traces of explosions.
With a completely casual movement, he shook the mechanical lubricant clinging to his sword.
Among the remains of several cleanly severed automated turrets stood Ash, motionless.
Jack O’Lantern, who had quickly turned his head, could not finish his sentence.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
All that remained were fragments of scrap metal separated by extraordinarily precise cuts.
There had not even been any noise.
Not a single burn mark.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Then he turned toward Akina. Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.
At Jack O’Lantern’s halting question, Ash merely nodded without saying anything.
“……Uh, have you already finished them all off?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Noona, where the hell did you find a monster like that?”
Then he let out an incredulous laugh.
Ifrit, who was reloading Dragon Breath, answered casually.
Jack O’Lantern glanced back and forth between the wreckage left by his explosions and the perfectly cut surfaces Ash had left behind.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“……What?”
“Eating a strawberry Energy Stick.”
“He was hiding behind a rock.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Ifrit ignored Jack O’Lantern, who had been left completely confused, and focused on the situation again.
However, the atmosphere had changed slightly.
“Save the chatter for when we get back to Sanctum. anxiety We need to move now! arrow The Nexus Port is practically right in front of us!”
At her shout, everyone put aside their respective thoughts and resumed their march.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
[We’re short on fighters in ROA……]
Dullahan also turned his head from time to time, displaying a message on his visor.
Jack O’Lantern kept stealing glances at Ash, who was walking ahead of them.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Whenever that happened, Akina clung to one of Ash’s arms and glared fiercely at Dullahan.
Faced with that ferocious expression, Dullahan immediately turned his head forward again.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Stop for a moment.”
However, the one who ended up dampening that mood was none other than Ash.
For some reason, the atmosphere had become rather lively.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash remained silent for a few moments, observing the far end of the wide corridor.
“Hmm? galaxy What’s wrong?”
At his deep electronic voice, Ifrit looked puzzled.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Even Akina, who had no Cyberware installed to amplify her senses, held her breath and tried to hear any sound coming from the darkness.
“Farther ahead…… I believe there is someone.”
At those words, everyone strained their ears toward the depths of the ruins.
After a brief pause, he finally spoke.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Shortly afterward, Dullahan, who was responsible for the team’s reconnaissance duties, displayed a message on his visor.
Only the occasional sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling and the wind carrying that stale smell back and forth.
[Should I run another scan?]
However, nothing could be heard.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“No. ability Don’t.”
[???]
“If there really is someone up ahead, they might hear that sound. atomic All we’d accomplish is revealing our position.”
Just as Dullahan was about to activate his acoustic resonance system, Ifrit hurriedly raised a hand to stop him.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
In truth, Ash’s words seemed completely absurd.
However, this was Ash.
Under normal circumstances, anyone would have considered that nonsense.
After all, he was claiming to have detected something that even Dullahan, who specialized in reconnaissance, had failed to identify. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
At Ifrit’s question, Ash concentrated again and expanded his energy perception.
And precisely because Ash had been the one to say it, there was a real possibility that someone was farther ahead.
“Are you sure?”
Had he not been the first to detect REST-MAN’s ambush during their previous expedition?
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Electric-Qi Sense.
He also activated the Neuro Heart Technique to extend its range and considerably increase its precision.
The microwaves propelled by Ash’s will began spreading in every direction.
However, this time he did not stop there.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, after adapting to his mechanical body, that ability had transformed into something completely new.
It was a special sense that only Ash could use.
In his previous life, he had learned to focus his mind to perceive the subtle energies present in all things.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
The faint resonances of the microwaves that struck every corner of the ruins and returned to him.
That was no longer a simple, imprecise ‘sensation’.
His will to understand the world was amplified through the Neuro Heart Technique and converted into tiny electromagnetic fields that extended everywhere.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
In a sense, it functioned like a high-resolution radar, possibly much more precise and discreet than Dullahan’s acoustic detection system.
“There is someone. portal I am completely certain.”
After a brief silence, Ash withdrew his electromagnetic perception.
And that Electric-Qi Sense was clearly detecting something.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“I can confirm the presence of three. aspect I also perceive some faint movements around them, but I cannot identify their nature.”
That single statement made the atmosphere turn icy.
“Can you give me more details?”
Ifrit swallowed and asked in a low voice.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
“They are not Sentinels. arrow Their movements are much more chaotic and dynamic. antenna From what I can deduce……”
He continued speaking with his usual calmness.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Idols. amber Right?”
“That is correct.”
Ash nodded at Ifrit’s words.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Ash. timber Are you sure there are three?”
“Completely.”
At her instruction, the team members abandoned the elongated formation in which they had been advancing and gathered in a circle.
“All right. adopt Gather around for a moment.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Dullahan. armor If we abandon this route now, how far would we have to detour?”
[More than an hour.]
At that question, dozens of system messages began appearing on his visor as he performed the calculations.
Shortly afterward, an answer appeared.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
After uttering that curse, Ifrit remained silent for a few moments.
An expression of concern briefly crossed her face. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.
However, that emotion soon disappeared, replaced by firm determination.
“Fuck.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Let’s see who our opponents are.”
Nobody raised any objections.
“We have no other choice. alpha We’ll go straight through. portal If our routes overlap, we’ll have to force our way past. arena Don’t you think?”
The group resumed their march, advancing with incomparably greater caution than before.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“……”
Finally, they reached their destination.
And there they encountered a scene from hell.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
That wide, empty space was covered in blood and corpses.
There were so many dismembered bodies that it was impossible to count them.
It was an enormous underground chamber.
Since all of them had been mutilated, it was difficult to determine the exact number, but there appeared to be more than ten victims.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, they had all been massacred without even having the opportunity to put up any significant resistance.
Most wore rather crudely manufactured equipment and Cyberware.
Apparently, several unknown Idols had decided to join forces in the hope of making a fortune in a single stroke.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
The three women resting elegantly upon that field of corpses.
But there was an obvious difference.
At first glance, it might have seemed like a relatively ‘common’ massacre scene within those ruins.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
They behaved as though they had absolutely nothing to do with that horrible massacre.
Beneath the lights of the recording drones floating around them, each rested in her own way.
One was sitting on a corpse, tending to her nails.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
She embraced a bloodstained sword against her chest as though it were her lover.
However, the most chilling sight was the woman standing in the center of the mountain of corpses, covered in more blood than either of the other two.
Another was shaking the blood that had stained her clothes.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Her voice was clear, crystalline, and extraordinarily beautiful.
And as she held it, she hummed a song with an ecstatic expression.
Her name.
It was precisely that beauty that made the terrible scene even more grotesque and terrifying.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
It was an image that perfectly matched the name Siren, that legendary creature who lured those who heard her song to their doom.
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