The “Nightmare” lower-class monster trio began their operation ahead of schedule.
But this wasn’t their intention.
Originally, they just wanted to wrap chains and a pulley around the base of the stone dog statue, and then, when the operation began, use the winch on their van to drag it over, finish the job on the spot, and get off work.
But who could have predicted that the surface of the stone statue would actually crack open, revealing a gleaming metallic structure inside, which then unfolded a huge array of weapons, rotated atop its base, and unleashed a barrage of firepower on them?
“Damn it, that stone statue is actually a government security robot?”
Brother Rooster dodged behind the van, avoiding the dog statue’s six-barreled Gatling guns, while simultaneously pulling out an egg-shaped bomb from behind him and tossing it back—this was his special ability.
Though he’s a rooster, Brother Rooster really could lay eggs.
Beside him, the Dinosaur Man looked smug.
“Ha! I told you this was a secret weapon! How could the organization send us to steal something pointless… But it’s just a robot. Watch me smash it to pieces with one punch!”
“No, if you really break it, the mission will fail,” said Sloth.
The three of them seemed to be handling things with relative ease, and although the van looked ordinary, it was surprisingly sturdy. The firepower was fierce, and there was an ammunition belt feeding rounds under the base, but in the end, it was just a low-AI fixed gun turret.
To this, Sloth provided a plan.
“We can destroy the base. Its power and ammo are both supplied through the pedestal.”
The scene at the subway station entrance turned utterly chaotic, the air filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder. Some people, who hadn’t managed to flee and had stuck around to watch the spectacle, were wounded by the dog statue’s ricocheting rounds and the fragments from Brother Rooster’s eggshells.
Considering civilian safety, the dispatched fighters on site were currently trying to evacuate the bystanders.
“Dinosaur, shove this into the base. Let’s finish this.”
Brother Rooster solemnly handed Dinosaur Man a golden egg, about the same size as a regular chicken egg.
“This is a high-explosive egg, so don’t eat it.”
“Hmph, who’d want to eat it anyway?”
Dinosaur Man took the golden egg and, turning away, charged out from behind the van without hesitation, heading straight for the dog statue. All six Gatling guns swiveled in unison, opening fire at him. His suit and shirt were shredded to rags, but on his tough, reddish, scaly skin, the bullets only sparked harmlessly.
….
“Ha!”
With a roar, Dinosaur Man threw a punch.
His hardened, crimson-scaled skin had absorbed the bullets’ kinetic energy, all of which was transferred into that punch. The statue’s sturdy pedestal was smashed open, leaving a gaping hole.
“…Is that guy really just a lower-class monster?”
Such raw power left Brother Rooster stunned, but he quickly snapped out of it.
“Lightning, get the van over here, let’s wrap this up early!”
Sloth had already reappeared inside the van.
The hole in the base exposed its internal machinery, and Dinosaur Man immediately stuffed the golden egg inside, watching as it got caught up and crushed by the ammo belt’s drive mechanism.
Then, the base of the statue exploded with a golden burst.
The dog statue lost its power and ammunition supply, and soon fell silent.
“It’s done! How’s that for power—Brother Rooster’s eggs never fail!”
Although the statue’s true nature was unexpected, the matter was settled with little danger in the end.
But just as the trio prepared to move the statue, another explosion sounded from beneath the base. The ground heaved violently, centered on the dog statue, and the statue itself was blown to pieces.
….
“It’s over.”
Brother Rooster sat on the ground, his center-parted hair blown into a mess by the blast, his suspenders slipping off his elbows.
The dog statue, their mission objective, had become nothing but twisted scrap metal.
“Ha, I knew it—as lower-class monsters, we can’t even handle something this simple.”
“Your egg was too powerful—it set off the whole ammo cache,” said Dinosaur Man, while Sloth, still in the van, called out:
“Everyone in, it’s time to retreat!”
With the mission a failure, it was time for a hasty escape. Otherwise, if a hero arrived, in the worst case they’d have to die once more.
Since they couldn’t make any achievements this time, the next best thing was to keep their attendance record up—so they couldn’t afford to get hurt, and definitely couldn’t die lightly. Their own lives had to come before the mission.
That was the lesson handed down from the dropout senior who’d already left the group.
“Which way do we go!!”
Suddenly, a clear shout rang out through the lingering smoke. A magical girl wearing a gas mask, wielding a giant squid spear, attacked the Dinosaur Man in the lead.
“Magical Girl Clara! Reporting in!”
Bullets couldn’t hurt Dinosaur Man, but Clara’s spear-tip easily pierced his defense. He frowned, trying to dodge, but she only came up to his stomach and yet wielded the heavy spear with uncanny agility; in her hands, it seemed as light as a feather and impossible to evade.
Magical Girl Clara—wasn’t she that popular new hero lately?
“This hero got here way too fast! Even ‘Crow’ just arrived!”
Brother Rooster recognized Clara.
He knew he was no match, so he immediately… bolted.
“Dinosaur bro, the hero’s all yours!”
“Huh?”
When Dinosaur Man turned around, that center-parted, suspendered rooster head had already ducked into the van.
“Lightning, we’re leaving!”
The two abandoned their companion and fled without hesitation.
This too was in accordance with the advice of the dropout senior: on the battlefield, the best way to survive was to run faster than your companions.
But it was as if the magical girl had anticipated this. Several tendrils extended from her hair, locking onto the van. Ten beams of “zzzzap!” lasers blew out the tires on the spot, sending the van careening into a streetlamp and finally rolling onto its side in the road.
“Cough, cough, my leg… it’s stuck!”
From the driver’s seat, Sloth groaned in pain. Brother Rooster in the backseat managed to escape first, but he hesitated.
Unlike Dinosaur Man, who was a temporary teammate and not very familiar, Sloth “Lightning” was his own long-time partner, a fellow underachiever in “Nightmare.” They had always watched each other’s backs.
Should he just run away now? Brother Rooster wavered.
“I can’t make it—go on without me.”
Sloth groaned from inside the van, “If it were Squirrel Senior, once he was sure the mission had failed, you wouldn’t even see his shadow anymore! Go! You couldn’t beat that magical girl even if you stayed!”
If it were Squirrel Senior, by now…
“…Brother, take care!!”
Sloth’s words gave Brother Rooster resolve.
The fighter dispatch company that cooperated with Nightmare had a solid reputation in the industry.
Even though they were just outsourced personnel, these fighters were truly professional.
They were the lowest rung of the industry, but seeing Magical Girl Clara appear, they still drew their weapons and closed in, even though they couldn’t break her magical defense. They still rushed to fight her head-on, without a trace of fear—sometimes even showing more fighting spirit than Brother Rooster or Sloth.
Being a fighter was a legal way to get beaten up by a female hero; it was said that some did the job not for money, but for other… special interests.
But the gap in strength was far too great. With her watertight tentacle defenses, not a single fighter managed to land a hit on Clara.
At best, these grunts could only help Dinosaur Man drag things out against Clara—it seemed impossible to actually take her down.
“You guys risk your lives for just a few thousand bucks?”
Her giant spear swept the area, dispersing the smoke and flinging away several fighters who had tried to approach, clearing a space around her.
“Weapon switch: Broom!”
Seeing that Brother Rooster was about to escape, Clara couldn’t waste any more time with this thick-browed dinosaur. Her squid spear transformed into a broom, spun twice in her hands, and jabbed straight at Dinosaur Man’s abdomen.
“Hm?”
“Dark Ink Binding Burst!”
The broom fired a wide-caliber blast of magical energy at point-blank range, exploding right in front of her. The towering Dinosaur Man was blasted aside, now pitch black all over—who could tell if it was ink or scorch marks? He struggled but couldn’t get up…
Phew, finally got one.
Clara had no interest in wasting time with the remaining fighters. She mounted her squid broom and shot into the air, diving straight at the fleeing Brother Rooster in the distance.
The ones Nightmare sent for her to farm were her juniors.
She didn’t want to be ruthless, but letting a monster escape would hurt “Magical Girl Clara’s” reputation—and affect her application for the hero title. No matter what, she had to finish this here…
“Sorry, Ah-Ji…”
Clara muttered softly.
As Brother Rooster looked back in terror, the diving broom wailed like a reaper, firing another blast of pitch-black magic.
“Now, it’s time for me to do the right thing.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.