SOS CH 42: END OF THE CHASE? (Patreon)

Noah, wounded, bleeding, and tired was standing amid debris, smoke, and fire of the Mecha he destroyed while observing his third victim far away with a spear embedded in the middle of the Mecha.

‘This should have done the job.’

After headbutting the second mecha, he had been able to locate the relative position of the pilot within the Mecha and as he could see from the stoppement movements, he got his target right.

Noah breathed slowly while watching the Spear he threw piercing the mecha.

—Noah…

‘Let’s remember, past a certain distance, I cannot control that substance.’

He had yet to give a name for it. He was slightly reluctant to name it his body part, but the name did not matter in the end. All that mattered was how efficient it was and it was very damn efficient.

Currently, though, his situation was quite complicated. He had been focusing to such a high level that he felt like his brain was about to melt, and while only a few seconds had passed, it felt like a small eternity.

His wounds were already healing but he felt slightly sluggish. Finally, he certainly did not think that those guys would be dumb enough to let him kill all of them so easily. Three down out of eighteen coming at him. This was quite good but it certainly wasn’t enough.

…Or perhaps it was.

‘The hell?’

He was already prepared to square up but he could see seven mecha pulling back and fleeing, leaving at full speed, leaving only 8 facing him. The other eight were confused and uncertain about how to proceed.

Noah looked down on his body and wondered if they were thinking he was at full power because he had healed or if they were simply that cowardly.

Expecting them to stick through thin and thick together was impossible but he would have never imagined that it would be this bad.

—What do we do now?

Run like the wind.

This was different from the situation on the ship. Noah had the advantage but he definitely could not keep it up for long if they fought together.

But he knew where he wanted to go and the hole in their formation was the perfect place for him to run toward his destination.

***

As Noah had expected, while #1 had been stunned by the unexpected panic and desertion of the soldiers, he recovered very fast and started moving as well.

[#3: What do we do?]

[#1: We stick to the plan. Let’s push him toward the Captain. You don’t have to risk your life.]

He had no time to berate those who fled. They should have known by now that fleeing was useless and would come back. He also kept a calm facade to avoid having more desertion on his back and did not force them to fight more.

[#1: Fire a few rounds regularly if he deviates, keep him at bay, and be wary of any sudden movements. #2, #3, and #4, go ahead and move before us to the clearing to prepare the trap. Once we reach the clearing we will stay clear and wait for the boss. Keep your distance and do not obstruct our vision once again.]

He was a little too windy but he wanted them to understand that everything was under control, even if it wasn’t really.

Inwardly though, #1 was as worried as all of them. After all, the streak of kills had been simply too impressive and none of them wished to be the next sacrificial lamb for this monster.

If he had to be honest, he wished to stop fighting here. At the end of the day, the one who would get the meat of the reward would be the Captain, not them.

He might have ignored them getting those special pills but that was because they were ultimately worthless. Something of a higher quality would have certainly caught his fancy.

Fighting and dying for the sake of the ambitions of someone else was not in his plan at all but unlike those who fled and would certainly be punished, he simply needed to go through the motions and his job would be done.

[#1: Just stick to the plan.]

Everything wouldn’t have spiraled out of control if not for that bastard #15. So he kept repeating his words, hoping that they would understand and thankfully, it seemed like they did.

***

— They eased on the fire rate as well speed of movement.

‘I know. Fucking stupid bastards.’

Noah was in a weird mood. If he had to be honest, the rush he felt when fighting earlier was something he had not felt in a long time. The wind flying, paysage changing at high speed, and having to make snap decisions instantaneously while knowing one mistake could kill you.

It was exhilarating and he craved such a feeling far more than he could have imagined. Sadly, all the rush died down when he realized what they were doing.

—You should be happy.

‘I am happy.’

—It seems like my understanding of Happiness may be flawed.

Noah scoffed while he jumped on a tree and started moving like a ninja, branch after branch. He was taunting them in a way, hoping perhaps that one would bite but it seemed like they were too prudent and would not put themselves in danger.

Was he happy? Of course, he was. His opponents were cowardly bastards and had fled a fight but could he blame them for that?

Noah was simply too used to fight unfeeling monsters who would fight to the death until the very end without the slightest hesitation even if all but one was eliminated.

This had always been the norm for him.

Parasites did not retreat and humans had no place to retreat to. All the fights that ensued between them were extremely bloody and tragic, with hundreds and thousands of deaths happening during every engagement

How funny.

Those pirates were undoubtedly stronger and far more technologically advanced than anything he had seen on Earth but in Noah’s opinion, he would rather fight those bastards than face a competent human army.

—Weren’t humans literally about to give up back then?

“They were and this is why it’s even more beautiful.”

Courage didn’t mean a lack of fear. True courage was feeling fear but still fighting and overcoming it.

Like this, Noah continued to jump, zoning out most of the information from the outside world. Subconsciously, he had already deemed the pirates as worthless, and no threat to him. He was already more or less rested and he was ready to destroy one or two more if they made the mistake of coming too close.

It was like this that, while being escorted by a group of Mecha, Noah finally arrived at the clearing and finally, he found what he had been searching for all along.

Two mecha, sitting in the wild and unoccupied.

He accelerated once again. He only needed one, only one more and this would be the end.

(AN: If you were in the place of #1, what would you have done in this situation? Press on or be cautious and retreat. Remember, this is not an army and this is certainly not a group of close friends.)