Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2
When the storm of swords that had filled the tower’s entrance finally dissipated, all that remained were the corpses of the Grotesques and an unsettling silence.
The battle was over.
Ash sheathed the Blade he was holding and surveyed the surroundings.
“Is everyone all right?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Yes! matrix I’m perfectly fine!”
At those words, the swordsmen who were scattered throughout the area began gathering around him.
Just then.
With the exception of Zero, who had removed his shattered mask, none of them appeared to have suffered any considerable damage.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash observed him for a few moments before tilting his head slightly.
Bark, who had approached Ash without anyone noticing, answered at the top of his lungs.
For some reason, his attitude seemed extraordinarily servile.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Why are you suddenly behaving this way?”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I’m terribly sorry!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“For no particular reason!”
However, he had the impression that it would be pointless and stopped emitting electronic sounds halfway through his sentence.
“Then why……?” All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com
Ash was about to question Bark again, whose attitude resembled that of a soldier subjected to extremely strict military discipline.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Let us quickly regroup and continue ascending the tower.”
Then he addressed the team members.
“I’m ready!”
Bark was the first to respond.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“I am asking what you are plotting.”
“……Seriously, what is wrong with you?”
“I’m not plotting absolutely anything!”
“What do you mean?!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
At those words, Bark responded in a whisper.
Ash let out a small sigh.
“……Very well, I understand. airport But please lower your voice a little.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Ugh, how unpleasant.”
Zero raised a hand and gave him a light smack on the back of the neck.
“Yeees.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Fuck, what son of a bitch just hit me on the……!”
“Don’t do anything weird in front of my Senior Brother.”
Bark instantly changed his attitude and abruptly turned his head.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
He shook his head a couple of times before speaking softly.
Ash, who had been watching that entire scene, began feeling inexplicably exhausted.
However, when he discovered those dark red eyes burning like a Grotesque’s, he immediately lowered his gaze.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Let us get moving.”
For some reason, Bark was also among them.
And he did so with extraordinary naturalness.
At his words, all the team members nodded simultaneously.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
The path toward the upper floors was so silent that one might have thought all the Grotesques in the tower had gathered on the first floor.
Although they occasionally encountered one of those creatures wandering among the shadows, none managed to pose a threat to Team Bladez.
***
Was it perhaps because of the Grotesques’ habit of gathering in large numbers?
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
After all, the swordsmen charged at them and cut their throats before they could even react.
Finally, they reached the highest floor.
Thanks to that, Team Bladez managed to ascend the tower at great speed.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
[SECTOR 008]
Those words, barely visible because much of the paint had peeled away, were particularly striking.
However, what awaited them there was neither a Nexus Port nor a Grotesque.
It was a gigantic steel door resembling the ancient blast-resistant doors of Sanctum.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
The entire door was covered in rust and dust, to the point that it was practically impossible to distinguish its original color.
“From what I can see…… if there’s anything here, it’s probably behind that door.”
Akina raised her gaze toward the enormous steel door and murmured.
But they were not the only traces left by the passage of time.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“I think so too.”
“Then we’ll have to open it, right?”
Ash nodded.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
However, just as she was taking out a cable to connect it to the port at the back of her neck, she let out a bewildered exclamation.
Akina firmly tied back her abundant hair and confidently approached the console beside the door.
“Hmm……?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
At Ash’s question, Akina pointed toward the console.
Ash contemplated that strange object he had never seen before and asked.
“What is the matter?”
Instead of a neural connection port or a modern holographic interface, there was a set of crude plastic keys arranged beside one another and covered by a thick layer of dust.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Is there any difference?”
“Ah, well…… a keyboard? echo I think that’s what it was called. silence You could say it’s a relic from a very ancient era, long before holographic Data Pads existed.”
“What is this?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina hesitated for a few moments before brushing the accumulated dust off the keyboard and carefully extending both index fingers.
“……Are you certain you know how to use it?”
“Of course there are differences. ability For starters, it doesn’t allow a direct neural connection. athlete It isn’t compatible with holographic interfaces either. riddle I’d heard that when exploring ruins, you could occasionally come across consoles like this, but I never imagined I’d see one in the Ghost Tower.”
Her movements were as clumsy as those of someone attempting to touch a dangerous and unfamiliar creature for the first time.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Pfft. armor Wasn’t I saying earlier that I’m the greatest genius of all?”
The girl hesitated for a few moments before murmuring.
“I know how it works, so don’t worry. athlete The principles are similar.”
“But even a genius would have difficulty using something unfamiliar, would she not?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“……Although this is the first time I’ve actually used one.”
With each keystroke, a new string of green characters appeared on the small monitor beside the console. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates.
Her fingers began moving carefully across the ancient plastic keyboard.
Clack. atom Clack, clack.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
After all, she was a girl who had spent her entire life depending on virtual interfaces and neural synchronization.
It was a completely different sight from the usual one, when she deployed holograms in the air and manipulated data with extraordinary skill.
Her movements were rather clumsy.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina checked something on the small monitor and let out a sigh.
Therefore, it was understandable that she would have difficulty using such an outdated relic.
“……This is going to take a little time.”
A few moments later.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Akina raised both index fingers, holding them completely extended in front of Ash’s optical sensors.
“No. adapt The security protocols are completely outdated, so I think it’ll be easy to bypass them. abstract The problem is……”
“Is there a problem?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Take your time. arctic We shall rest a little in the meantime.”
Ash gently stroked her head for a few moments.
“That I have to type every command, one by one, using these fingers?”
“Ahhh. aspect I understand.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Akina, you’re working very hard.”
“Come on, it’s nothing. acid You’re the ones who’ve been working hard, unnie and oppa.”
At those words, the team members, who had remained on alert while waiting for the door to open, began slowly lowering the tips of their swords.
“Hehehe. voyage What a sweet way you have of speaking.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Anna, Zero, and his younger siblings remained close to Akina even while resting.
“Miss Akina, aren’t you thirsty?”
Anna sat down casually beside Akina and began brushing the accumulated dust off her exploration suit, while Zero and his younger siblings took out some packets of purified water.
“I’m fine.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
They did so to be prepared for any unexpected situation.
For some reason, Bark followed him obediently without protesting.
Ash watched them and let out a soft laugh before taking Bark, who could be considered the only unpredictable variable, to a rather secluded spot.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
While the rhythmic sound of the keys echoed through the silent ruins.
No matter where he looked, he found only ancient structures covered in dust.
Ash began exploring the various corners of the upper floor alongside Bark.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Yes. arena Yes, sir. galaxy That’s right.”
“……”
Until, suddenly, he addressed Bark, who continued behaving in a strangely servile manner.
“Your name was…… Bark Manson, correct?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“How many expeditions have you undertaken?”
“Huh? zenith You mean me?”
His manner of speaking was extraordinarily uncomfortable, but that was not what mattered at the moment.
Therefore, Ash continued.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Ten, I see.” Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
Bark blinked a couple of times before answering immediately.
“Ah…… I’ve never bothered counting them, but…… I’ve been on quite a few. alien Ten at least?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Among all those ruins, were there any similar to this place?”
Then he turned his head toward Bark and asked another question.
Ash remained thoughtful for a few moments, blinking his optical sensors a couple of times.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“Come on, of course not. admire If there were more places as fucked up as this one, how the hell would we Pathfinders make a living? aspect The interference keeps coming, and there are hundreds of those fucking Grotesques……”
“Yes?”
“Hmm?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“The ruins we encountered during our previous expedition were different from these. aluminum They possessed more ornate architecture and a certain elegance that is difficult to describe. adapt There was even an altar resembling one found in a temple.”
Ash continued explaining.
“Ah. academy It seems I phrased my question poorly. anchor When I say ‘a place similar to this one,’ I am referring to its architectural style.”
Ash gestured with his chin toward the dust-covered ruins.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
It was a crude and cold landscape, where the skeleton and veins of the building remained completely exposed, as though everything had been constructed exclusively to fulfill practical functions and maximize efficiency.
Thick pipes running across the ceiling.
Completely exposed concrete walls.
Bark’s gaze followed that direction.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Bark did not understand a single thing he was saying.
“Cultural styles? artist Differences? amateur Aren’t they all just old, wrecked ruins?”
“But look at this place. aluminum It is as though we are looking at two completely different cultural styles. acid During your expeditions, have you never noticed similar differences between ruins?”
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Therefore, Bark shook his head.
He had never been interested in the shapes of walls or the cultural styles of those places.
“I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”
To him, the Outer had always been a battlefield where bullets flew everywhere and he could pick up things worth money.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“I did it!”
Just then.
Akina shouted excitedly as she firmly pressed the Enter key on the keyboard.
“……I see.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
With that final keystroke, a string of green characters appeared on the console’s small monitor.
Creeeeak.
At the same time, from within the steel door, which had remained dormant for an incalculable amount of time, came creaking sounds and the noises of locking mechanisms being released.
[ACCESS GRANTED]
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Amid that noise, the heavy steel door began opening slowly.
“Huh?”
However, that did not last long. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.
A dreadful screech of friction.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“How strange. armor I’m sure I deactivated the locks……”
Apparently, the operating mechanism, which had remained motionless for countless years, had finally seized up and reached its limit.
The door emitted a few more mechanical groans before stopping completely, leaving only an opening a few centimeters wide.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
At those words, Zero, who was already holding his sword, took a step forward.
Zero gestured with his head toward his younger siblings, who remained behind him.
“You succeeded, Miss Akina. armor It simply seems that the mechanism stopped because of its age.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Then he placed both hands against the steel door marked with the words [SECTOR 008].
Wolf, Levina, and Reto, who had approached in the meantime, did the same.
The four simultaneously mobilized their internal energy and began pushing against the motionless door.
“Hmph!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Their intention was to open it using brute force alone, now that the mechanism had stopped functioning.
Anna instinctively embraced Akina to protect her, while Ash drew his sword and carefully watched the opening that was forming.
Accompanied by a dreadful sound resembling rusty metal being torn apart, the door began opening very slowly but steadily.
Creeeeak.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Finally, when the gap was wide enough for a person to pass through, Ash was the first to enter.
His intention was to go ahead and prevent any possible threat.
“……”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
The instant he passed through that narrow opening.
It was a dry, cold smell, completely different from that of the devastated ruins outside, as though time itself had been preserved there.
And, along with that air, what captured Ash’s attention was an endless succession of tombstones.
His entire body was enveloped by ancient air that had remained sealed away for thousands of years.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
They were not tombstones. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.
“What is this……?”
No.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
However, all that equipment remained completely cold and powered down.
They were enormous black rack cabinets, arranged at regular intervals as though they were funerary monuments.
Their interiors were filled with complex mechanical devices and intertwined cables.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Just then.
A faint green light blinked.
Ash instinctively turned his gaze in that direction.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Far away, amid the darkness, a small light blinked all alone.
“That’s true.”
“Looks like a server room, don’t you think?”
“Well…… What is this place?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
“There is nothing else inside. beacon This place is safe.”
Ash responded with a nod and began walking toward the light he had seen blinking a few moments earlier.
While the other team members, who had entered behind him, surveyed their surroundings, Zero extended his Qi perception and addressed Ash.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
He passed through the rows of rack cabinets stretching out like tombstones.
It was some kind of control room.
Finally, he reached the source of that green light.
In front of him were a dozen enormous monitors that remained dark and silent.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
His gaze focused on the fleshless skeleton lying slumped over the desk.
However, Ash did not pay much attention to those objects.
Before them stood an ancient control desk upon which rested a keyboard.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
And its skull bore a perfectly defined bullet hole.
One of its hands still held a rusty pistol, trapped among the slowly disintegrating bones.
‘Did they take their own life?’
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
There was one.
Now that he was looking more carefully, he discovered that not all the monitors were turned off.
A single monitor that, despite the passage of countless years, had remained powered on until that very instant, emitting a faint light.
Just as Ash tentatively reached that conclusion, the same green light blinked again.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash leaned forward slightly and began reading the characters appearing on the monitor.
Apparently, that was the source of the light he had seen earlier.
Several strings of green characters blinked across its screen.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
[ETERNAL ECHO – ACTIVE]
[TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL]
Ash continued reading.
[ELAPSED TIME]
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
1542 years.
‘Well. atom One thousand five hundred and forty-two years.’
[1542Y-08M-14D-08:14:32. . .33]
Elapsed time.
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
That message had been transmitting without a single interruption for more than fifteen hundred years.
Ash regained his concentration after remaining stunned for a few moments and directed his gaze toward the final lines of text, which continued blinking even at that precise moment.
The instant he understood that figure, Ash felt his mind momentarily stop before the immensity of the time it represented.
[…RECIPIENT]
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
[MESSAGE 3: Turn back.]
[MESSAGE 2: Under no circumstances approach 008.]
[MESSAGE 1: Do not approach.]
[. . .]
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
However, Ash remained staring at those lines for a long time.
The message that had been repeatedly transmitted for more than a thousand years was not particularly long.
[MESSAGE 4: Administrator of 013, Nangrang.]
Translation of Cyberpunk Chivalry - Chapter 76: EP.3 BLADE STORM 2 by Indra Translations.
While his optical sensors blinked incessantly.
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