Chapter 74
The Masafusa-gumi member's face was twisted with effort as he strained against Lucy's monowire.
Suddenly, his thigh exploded in a burst of blood. Off balance, he tumbled down the stairs. Lucy retracted the monowire, then flicked it out again, the golden filament coiling around his neck like a serpent.
He looked horrified and fought frantically to free himself. But even if it had only been a simple cable, he still wouldn't have been able to break loose—let alone something far sharper than any standard wire.
Lucy gave her wrist the slightest tug. The man's desperate struggle froze on his face, his arms dropping weakly to his sides. His head rolled away, bouncing down the stairs, while a geyser of blood sprayed across everything nearby.
"Target eliminated."
V's voice came through over the team channel. "I don't see any more enemies on my side. Hurry upstairs and check on Ryoko's mom!"
Lucy wasted no time. She dashed over the blood-slick floor to the room above.
When she saw the scene inside—especially Chihiro kneeling on the ground, so still she seemed lifeless—Lucy's expression darkened. She rushed to Chihiro's side and gently shook her.
"Chihiro! Chihiro, can you hear me? Ryoko asked me to save you!"
Chihiro's eyelids fluttered, but she didn't wake.
Lucy glanced around briefly. She decided to drag Chihiro away from the heap of bodies first. Once outside, she found a table and carefully laid Chihiro on it.
Then she pulled out a pneumatic injector. It was a "Recover-All III," the best model on the market—actually impossible to buy from regular vendors. Leo had provided them, and its healing effects were far superior to types I and II.
Given how bad Chihiro's condition looked, Lucy used two doses just to be safe, tossing the empty injectors aside. She then extended a personal link from her wrist and plugged it into the neural port at the back of Chihiro's neck.
She wanted to check Chihiro's physical state. This was the fastest and most accurate way to diagnose her. But the moment Lucy connected, the virus rampaging through Chihiro's system lashed out at her as well.
Anyone else would have been caught off guard, quite possibly in deep trouble. But Lucy was an exceptionally skilled netrunner who had survived the Blackwall and evaded lethal AIs more times than she could count. She also had a "Kang Tao" custom net interface—albeit a bootleg overclocked version—performing at about third-generation specs.
The neural virus slammed into her defenses like a wave hitting solid rock, shattering on impact. Even so, Lucy's brow furrowed in concern.
"V, do you read me?"
"I read you," V said. "I see you've found Chihiro. What's wrong?"
"She's in really bad shape. I managed to stop her bleeding, but the virus inside her nearly destroyed her self-ICE. Her neural network is almost completely compromised."
V instantly realized how dire that was. "Then bring her down here right now—we'll get her to Vic's!"
Lucy shook her head. "I'm afraid there's no time. V, cover me. I'm going to try purging the virus from her system."
"Wait—Lucy, hold—"
Lucy cut off the comm channel before V could finish. She closed her eyes and focused on clearing Chihiro's neural network.
…
Listening to V's worried tone, Leo gripped the sheathed sword at his waist and broke into a run. The Masafusa-gumi guard stationed outside the apartment barely had time to shout "Who goes—" before Leo drove a kick into his chest, sending him crashing backward through the large glass window.
"I heard you, V," he said into comms. "You protect Lucy. Leave the rest of the Tiger Claws to me."
He ended the call and stepped through the crackling shards of broken glass into the apartment's first-floor lobby. There, Nantō Masayuki stood with his remaining men.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Bastard!"
The men around Nantō Masayuki were startled and furious.
"You must be that woman's backup?"
Nantō spared not even a glance at the guard who had just been kicked in. He focused entirely on Leo, then waved his hand.
His gang members lunged with bats and katanas. They didn't bother with guns because they assumed numbers alone would overwhelm a single swordsman.
Leo merely let a hint of a grin show. He planted his right foot firmly on the ground and launched himself upward like a bird. With his left thumb, he nudged the tsuba of his blade loose, then gripped the handle tight in his right hand.
A cold flash of steel lit up the face of the nearest attacker, causing him to squint reflexively. By the time his eyes opened, he saw the world tilting; it felt like he was spinning in the air.
Leo's blade had already taken his head. Turning quickly, Leo twisted aside from the next katana strike and raised his sword—an Iai stance reminiscent of the Shihan style.
The Masayuki foot soldier facing him had a horrible premonition and hurried to raise his own sword overhead.
Slash!
Leo's blade cut effortlessly through the katana meant to block him, cleaving deep into the man's left shoulder and straight across to the right flank. Blood erupted in a crimson torrent, more like a grotesque fountain than any normal wound.
Without pausing, Leo slid sideways to dodge a bat swinging for his back, then flicked his sword arm. , the Masafusa-gumi thug's—throat split open in a fatal arc. Gurgling, he collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from between his fingers as he made a final, futile attempt to stop the flow.
The rest of the Masafusa-gumi froze in horror. In less than five seconds since Nantō had given the order, Leo had killed three of their men, without so much as a scratch on himself.
Fear stripped them of their bravado.
"Ah…aaaah—!"
Terrified, one soldier wearing a demon-mask threw down his katana and snatched a kinetic pistol from his belt. He tried to aim, but Leo was already closing in, moving like a skater gliding past.
A flash of steel, and the demon-mask split in two. The man's skullcap flew upward, painting the ceiling with blood. He stumbled drunkenly for a moment before collapsing.
"Everyone, back off!" Nantō barked. "I'll handle this!"
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