Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2
Naturally, they had no time to worry about minor relics or Data Shards.
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.
Their only priority was to advance through the ruins as quickly as possible.
This expedition was different from the previous one in many respects.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Ratatat!
With that single thought in mind, everyone, including Ash, continued making their way through the ruins without allowing themselves a moment of rest.
Reach the Nexus Port before the other teams of Halloween Idols.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
It was an audible reminder that they were not the only ones inside those ruins.
In the distance, the sound of gunfire echoed through the gloomy corridors.
“A little faster!”
Perhaps those sounds fueled Ifrit’s impatience even further, because she eventually shouted.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Don’t worry, Mister!”
“Miss Akina, are you all right? accent If you are too tired……”
However, the faster they moved, the more labored Akina’s breathing became.
Everyone picked up the pace.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Among all the members of the group, she was the only one who possessed a fragile human body.
The girl was perfectly aware of something.
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. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com
“I’m fine!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
The entire team’s speed of advancement depended exclusively on her two legs.
Faced with such courageous determination despite her young age, Ash did not know what to say.
That was why she continued running with all her strength.
She struggled to appear cheerful while desperately fighting not to become a burden to the others.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
He had considered offering to carry her on his back if she was too tired.
‘This isn’t the time to act like a spoiled child. apron Run on your own strength, Akina!’
However, Akina had rejected that consideration with a sincere smile.
Climb onto an Assault’s back simply because she was tired of running?
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
What would she do if a battle suddenly broke out?
‘I’m not a burden!’
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 Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
That was what Akina was thinking.
Therefore, she was determined to endure until the very end on her own two legs.
She had voluntarily decided to enter that hell.
She did not want to become a hindrance.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
Ash gazed at her face for a few moments before turning his head away.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
Ash expanded his energy perception to its maximum and examined the dust-covered ruins once again.
Gunfire continued echoing without interruption.
That responsibility was far more important than any small gesture of consideration.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
It was then that Ash noticed something.
The current ruins resembled Gamma-7, the site of his first expedition.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
However, there was also a fundamental difference.
Gamma-7 had been filled with machinery and metallic structures, a complex built exclusively around functionality and practical utility.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
This place conveyed a completely different feeling.
If he had to compare it to something, he would say it resembled a kind of temple.
How could he describe it?
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
The excessively wide corridors and the ceilings stretching in straight lines.
The stone columns arranged at regular intervals.
Everything seemed to belong to a completely different culture.
The patterns engraved on the walls that, despite being destroyed and cracked, still retained an elegance difficult to explain.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
To them, that place was nothing more than ruins where valuable relics might be found.
Akina was no exception.
Nothing more.
The others did not seem to pay much attention to those details.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, his brief reflections were interrupted when they reached an intersection where the path split into three.
But Ash thought differently.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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Ifrit clicked her tongue as she looked at the three routes and gestured toward Dullahan with her chin.
“Run a scan.”
“Tch.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
Dullahan took a step forward.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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?”
At that moment, Jack O’Lantern, who was responsible for covering the rear, spoke.
“Akina.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
It was then that a strange, resonant sound erupted from inside Dullahan’s helmet.
Akina raised both hands and covered her ears without quite understanding why.
“Hmm? orbit You want me to cover my ears?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
It was such an unpleasant noise that it felt like a blade digging directly into her ears.
“Wah!”
Kiiiiiiii!
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Agh! beacon 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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
Shortly afterward, the sound disappeared completely.
Then she understood the reason.
However, nobody else seemed to be suffering.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
A three-dimensional wireframe model, generated in real time from the echoes of the sound waves.
“What did you find?”
At Ifrit’s question, an enormous amount of information began scrolling across Dullahan’s visor.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
ROA.
Structurally weak points flashed in yellow.
The small obstacles scattered along the routes appeared marked in red.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
After completing the complex calculations, Dullahan displayed a message on his visor.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
The darkness filling the passage eventually swallowed the silhouettes of all five.
“Perfect. legend Then shall we get moving?”
[The left route is faster. admire Yeah.]
The five Pathfinders advanced down the left corridor.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
When Dullahan had said that the left path was ‘faster’, he had not meant that it was safe.
***
It was simply the shortest route.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Several of his small bombs detonated simultaneously. Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.
Dragon Breath, Ifrit’s weapon, spat fire and melted the armor of a Sentinel that had emerged from a wall.
Jack O’Lantern did not waste that opportunity.
Kabooom!
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
It had been an excellent coordinated attack.
A succession of explosions and bursts of flame shook the ruins.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Apparently, Ifrit and the two ROA Idols had been fighting together for quite some time.
Jack O’Lantern, who had quickly turned his head, could not finish his sentence.
“Perfect! arctic One less! adjust Next……”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
“……Uh, have you already finished them all off?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Jack O’Lantern glanced back and forth between the wreckage left by his explosions and the perfectly cut surfaces Ash had left behind.
Then he turned toward Akina.
At Jack O’Lantern’s halting question, Ash merely nodded without saying anything.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“He was hiding behind a rock.”
Then he let out an incredulous laugh.
Ifrit, who was reloading Dragon Breath, answered casually.
“Noona, where the hell did you find a monster like that?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Eating a strawberry Energy Stick.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“……What?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
At her shout, everyone put aside their respective thoughts and resumed their march.
“Save the chatter for when we get back to Sanctum. portal We need to move now! meadow The Nexus Port is practically right in front of us!”
Ifrit ignored Jack O’Lantern, who had been left completely confused, and focused on the situation again.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
However, the atmosphere had changed slightly.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
[We’re short on fighters in ROA……]
Whenever that happened, Akina clung to one of Ash’s arms and glared fiercely at Dullahan.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Faced with that ferocious expression, Dullahan immediately turned his head forward again.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Hmm? atlas What’s wrong?”
At his deep electronic voice, Ifrit looked puzzled.
“Stop for a moment.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
After a brief pause, he finally spoke.
“Farther ahead…… I believe there is someone.”
Ash remained silent for a few moments, observing the far end of the wide corridor.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, nothing could be heard.
At those words, everyone strained their ears toward the depths of the ruins.
Even Akina, who had no Cyberware installed to amplify her senses, held her breath and tried to hear any sound coming from the darkness.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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?]
“No. echo Don’t.”
Shortly afterward, Dullahan, who was responsible for the team’s reconnaissance duties, displayed a message on his visor.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“If there really is someone up ahead, they might hear that sound. apron 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.
[???]
In truth, Ash’s words seemed completely absurd.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Are you sure?” This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.
And precisely because Ash had been the one to say it, there was a real possibility that someone was farther ahead.
Had he not been the first to detect REST-MAN’s ambush during their previous expedition?
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
He also activated the Neuro Heart Technique to extend its range and considerably increase its precision.
However, this time he did not stop there.
At Ifrit’s question, Ash concentrated again and expanded his energy perception.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Electric-Qi Sense.
It was a special sense that only Ash could use.
The microwaves propelled by Ash’s will began spreading in every direction.
In his previous life, he had learned to focus his mind to perceive the subtle energies present in all things.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
However, after adapting to his mechanical body, that ability had transformed into something completely new.
The faint resonances of the microwaves that struck every corner of the ruins and returned to him.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
And that Electric-Qi Sense was clearly detecting something.
After a brief silence, Ash withdrew his electromagnetic perception.
In a sense, it functioned like a high-resolution radar, possibly much more precise and discreet than Dullahan’s acoustic detection system.
That was no longer a simple, imprecise ‘sensation’.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“There is someone. abstract I am completely certain.”
Ifrit swallowed and asked in a low voice.
That single statement made the atmosphere turn icy.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Can you give me more details?”
“I can confirm the presence of three. academy I also perceive some faint movements around them, but I cannot identify their nature.”
He continued speaking with his usual calmness.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash nodded at Ifrit’s words.
“Idols. album Right?”
“They are not Sentinels. shadow Their movements are much more chaotic and dynamic. advance From what I can deduce……”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Ash. orbit Are you sure there are three?”
At her instruction, the team members abandoned the elongated formation in which they had been advancing and gathered in a circle.
“All right. voyage Gather around for a moment.”
“That is correct.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Dullahan. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors. album If we abandon this route now, how far would we have to detour?”
Shortly afterward, an answer appeared.
“Completely.”
At that question, dozens of system messages began appearing on his visor as he performed the calculations.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Fuck.”
After uttering that curse, Ifrit remained silent for a few moments.
[More than an hour.]
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Nobody raised any objections.
“We have no other choice. arctic We’ll go straight through. adjust If our routes overlap, we’ll have to force our way past. voyage Don’t you think?”
An expression of concern briefly crossed her face.
However, that emotion soon disappeared, replaced by firm determination.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
“Let’s see who our opponents are.”
The group resumed their march, advancing with incomparably greater caution than before.
And there they encountered a scene from hell.
Finally, they reached their destination.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
There were so many dismembered bodies that it was impossible to count them.
That wide, empty space was covered in blood and corpses.
It was an enormous underground chamber.
“……”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
Most wore rather crudely manufactured equipment and Cyberware.
Since all of them had been mutilated, it was difficult to determine the exact number, but there appeared to be more than ten victims.
Apparently, several unknown Idols had decided to join forces in the hope of making a fortune in a single stroke.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
But there was an obvious difference.
At first glance, it might have seemed like a relatively ‘common’ massacre scene within those ruins.
However, they had all been massacred without even having the opportunity to put up any significant resistance.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
The three women resting elegantly upon that field of corpses.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
One was sitting on a corpse, tending to her nails.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 24: TRICK OR TREAT? 2 by Indra Translations.
And as she held it, she hummed a song with an ecstatic expression.
Her voice was clear, crystalline, and extraordinarily beautiful.
She embraced a bloodstained sword against her chest as though it were her lover.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
It was precisely that beauty that made the terrible scene even more grotesque and terrifying.
Her name.
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