You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!!

Everyone who saw his face sharpened their eyes.

Then, Jack, with a look of anger on his face, spoke out.

“John Mayer!”

The man called John Mayer looked down on the fighters with a sleazy smile.

“Oh, you know my name. I’m flattered.”

“The information of WDC executives is on the blacklist of Combat Studies. You’ve toyed with the lives of many fighters.”

“It sounds bad, doesn’t it? It’s just business. Fighters are valuable commodities for high-stakes trade. And now, you will become our commodity, too.”

Muttering, “First off,” John operated the device in his right hand.

“!?”

Suddenly, Jack’s body shook as if drained of strength, and he fell to one knee.

It wasn’t just Jack. Everyone, including Shiori, struggled with painful expressions and placed their hands on the floor.

“Ah, I’m glad you fell for it so easily.”

“What did you…?”

“Just exploited the weakness of fighters. Simply put, it’s a special bacterial weapon developed by WDC. I scattered it in the passage you all came through.”

“With that…?”

“You must have felt discomfort in your body and abilities during the earlier battle. That’s when it infiltrates your body. And now, I’ve activated the bacteria.”

They were assaulted by a burning pain at their core.

Everyone understood what they had to do in this situation.

They needed to enhance their immune system and natural healing abilities to combat the bacteria.

“Right. You have no choice but to activate immune and natural healing enhancements. Now, you all…”

“Can’t use your abilities!”

At those words, a large number of spiders appeared at the entrance of the room.

“!? Everyone, form up!”

“Ha ha ha ha! I know! Fighters can’t use their abilities while using body enhancements!”

John continued to look down at the battle, laughing joyously.

“Furthermore, you are using immune and natural healing enhancements to their limits, so you can’t focus on enhancing your physical abilities or strength!”

“Keep firing! Don’t let the enemy get close!”

Jack continued to shout.

Following his voice, they continued to lay a barrage of fire on the approaching soldiers, but…

(“We’re running out of ammo…”)

A worry formed in Shiori’s mind.

Considering the combined use of abilities, She intended to reserve a minimum amount of ammunition.

Therefore, they couldn’t sustain this gunfight for long.

(“It’s all or nothing!”)

Shiori decided to take a gamble.

She planned to deactivate the body enhancements and use her abilities to create blackthorns in the room where John was. However,

“Ah, so you know, the bacteria inside you have already reached a lethal activation level. Who knows what will happen if you deactivate the body enhancements now.”

John’s words completely shattered her plan.

“The body will fall apart, but let’s keep the brain intact! You will be traded for billions of dollars as soldiers! I’m looking forward to making that happen!”

Being toyed with by the soldiers and finally beheaded from the neck.

The fighters, including Shiori, turned pale as that future steadily approached.

But still, some thought to struggle.

“Mary! Use your ability!”

“Yes!”

The girl called Mary entered the center of the formation with a determined expression and knelt.

“! Ah! Ahh!”

Suddenly, Mary started suffering. Her expression broke into tears, she scratched her body with her nails, and blood flowed from her ears and nose.

But enduring the pain, Mary’s bleeding gradually stopped.

“I’ve done it!”

“Next, enable the attack-oriented fighters to use their abilities!”

Following Jack’s instructions, Mary started working.

Seeing this, John concluded.

“Ah, a fighter with healing abilities among you. To neutralize that bacteria in such a short time is impressive! I’ll make you a healing-type soldier!”

While praising her, he made his next move.

“Let’s make you suffer once more.”

The sound of the room’s air conditioning system starting up could be heard.

Anyone could understand the situation: John had begun to disperse the bacterial weapon again to torment them.

But then, someone who could defy his words appeared, swirling a wide cloth of light around the area.

“Don’t think everything will go as you plan so easily!”

The first person Mary healed was Meryl. With her original strength regained, she generated massive vibratory particles, enveloping the formation like a huge curtain.

These microscopic particles continued to block and obliterate the swarming bacteria, preventing them from getting close.

“This puts us in danger. Let’s add bees and snakes. Oh, I’m worried they might accidentally damage the brain.”

As soon as he muttered those words, a swarm of fist-sized bee-shaped soldiers appeared from the opened ventilation ducts, and a snake-shaped soldier as thick as a human torso emerged from a part of the white floor.

The newly appeared soldiers relentlessly attacked Meryl’s vibratory particles, gradually eroding the curtain of light.

“This room is quite spacious. It’s a testing ground for soldier performance. Meaning, there are multiple paths for soldiers to enter.”

The reason for the room’s size became clear at that moment. It meant the enemy could keep sending in soldiers endlessly.

“Now! Spiders, bees, snakes, bacterial weapons… I’ve prepared various things! What will you do?”

John spread his arms wide, lifting the corners of his mouth in anticipation of the end.

“Mary, focus on healing! Those who are healed attack with your abilities! Do not let Mary be killed!”

While Mary was healing the fourth fighter, Meryl and other attack-oriented ability users engaged with the incoming soldiers and bacterial weapons.

The fatigue was visible on everyone’s face in the relentless fight, leaving no room to take their eyes off the enemy.

(“If we could just defeat them…”)

Shiori was one of them. Healed by Mary, she resumed her attack with abilities but was overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.

There were too many enemies even to attack the room where John was.

As they unflinchingly continued to attack, John thought of a new strategy.

“You’re quite stubborn, so I’ve thought of something. Let’s remove the limiters from the soldiers. And let her deliver the final blow.”

The black bodies of the attacking soldiers turned red and began emitting steam. The power of their abilities had increased manifold.

A snake’s ability penetrated Meryl’s vibratory particles, grazing her cheek. But that wasn’t the end.

“!? Dodge it!”

Reacting to someone’s shout, they all leaped away. In an instant, the formation’s location was hit by numerous attacks.

“!? Ah! Ah!?” “!? Ah!?”

Groans of pain rose. Torn and charred battle clothes and spreading blood on the ground were visible through the smoke. Those who couldn’t dodge had taken the brunt of the enemy’s attack.

“This is bad…”

“Yes, this is…”

Despair began to envelop the surroundings. The emergence of multiple serious injuries, the collapse of the formation, the loss of defense against the bacterial weapon – all these realities began to weaken their will to fight.

Seeing their expressions, John said,

“Good, good. But don’t give up yet. I’m bringing her here now. Stay conscious until you see that girl.”

“Her…!? Could it be!?”

Noticing Shiori’s reaction, John replied with a sleazy smile, affirming her guess.

“Yes, that’s right! I’ve created it! The strongest soldier! Yes, her! A soldier using the brain of Airi Edelman!”

Then, a beeping sound came from his holding device, and he breathed heavily.

“She’s arrived! Now, for the unveiling!”

As a buzzer indicating the opening of a door sounded, a huge door began to open. What appeared from the gap was a gigantic shadow.

Even more despair was about to emerge in a space dominated by despair.

Everyone showed a look of hopelessness.

They all imagined the upcoming one-sided slaughter.

And then…