The World Is Mine For The Taking

Bullets tore through the air around me, streaking past in a symphony of death, each one screaming toward me with lethal intent. Ayuru flashed, cutting through the storm with razor-sharp precision, slicing the incoming rounds before they could reach me. My body moved in sync with my blade, an unbroken rhythm of slashes and sidesteps, narrowly avoiding those I couldn't cut in time. Every bullet I intercepted shattered into useless fragments, raining down like metallic dust, but the onslaught was relentless.

They didn't need to advance. Why should they? Their firepower surrounded me, pressing in from every direction, a steel tempest determined to rip me apart. Their bullets fell like torrential rain, an unending barrage that left no room for escape. Every second was a battle to survive, every movement a split-second decision between cutting or dodging.

I estimated nearly a thousand rounds per second were being fired at me. My only chance of survival was to move faster than the bullets themselves, my reflexes surpassing the speed of death. The air around me trembled with the force of the gunfire, muzzle flashes flaring like bursts of lightning in the darkness. Each pull of the trigger sent another deadly projectile my way, but I met them all with the swift, decisive strokes of my blade.

Escape was out of the question as long as the barrage continued. Their supply of bullets seemed limitless, and reinforcements were closing in. If this continued, I would be pinned down for hours, possibly days—assuming I could even maintain this pace that long. Worse still, the longer this dragged on, the greater the risk of more soldiers joining the fray, tightening the noose around me.

Waiting for them to reload was not an option. They weren't firing in unison. Some were already in the middle of reloading while others kept their weapons trained on me, filling the gaps with continuous fire. By the time one group exhausted their magazines, another was already locked and loaded. There was no opening. No break. No mercy.

My only hope was that Chloe finished whatever she was doing—and fast.

Then, out of nowhere, something slammed into one of the helicopters above. It was so fast, so sudden, that even I failed to track its trajectory. The impact sent the chopper spinning, flames bursting from its side as it spiraled downward in a fiery arc. Whatever had hit it hadn't just been thrown—it had been launched with incredible force.

But by who?

Then I saw her.

A figure leaped from the ground below, soaring through the air like a missile. My eyes widened as she propelled herself with inhuman strength, landing on the third-floor balcony with the grace of a predator. That level of physical prowess… It was absurd. Even I had to acknowledge the raw power in that leap.

It was Lieutenant Zes.

She wasted no time. Using the momentum from her jump, she drove her fist into the nearest soldier, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll. The force of the impact was so great that his body crashed into the others behind him, knocking them off their feet.

"W-What the—!?"

"Lieutenant!? What are you doing!?"

Their voices wavered with disbelief. One of their own—a commanding officer—had suddenly turned against them. Their hesitation was expected. But hesitation meant death.

Zes didn't answer. She simply kept moving.

Her next punch connected with another soldier's chest, caving in his armor with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed from his lips as he crumpled to the ground. Another tried to retaliate, raising his rifle, but she was faster. She grabbed the barrel with one hand, shoving it aside just as the trigger was pulled. The bullets meant for her shredded the wall instead.

Without missing a beat, she yanked the rifle forward, dragging the soldier toward her. Before he could react, she drove her knee into his stomach with brutal force. The sheer impact made him fold in half, his body going limp as he collapsed to the floor, unconscious or worse.

The remaining soldiers stumbled backward, fear creeping into their expressions. Their training told them to fire, but their instincts screamed otherwise. This wasn't an ordinary fight. Zes wasn't an ordinary opponent.

And she had just turned the tide of battle.

Meanwhile, the other helicopters remained locked onto me, their weapons primed, and in unison, they unleashed another relentless barrage. One of them shifted its sights onto Zes, intending to take her down as well. Without hesitation, I pulled Ayuru back, gripping her hilt tightly before hurling her toward the approaching helicopters. As she spun through the air, Ayuru let out a high-pitched whistle, her form slicing through the wind with precision.

One by one, she tore through them, changing her trajectory mid-flight to strike those that had been beyond her initial path. Metal groaned and shattered under her force, and in mere moments, the helicopters crumbled, their burning wreckage tumbling from the sky like fallen stars. Just as swiftly, I willed Ayuru to disappear before summoning her once more. She reappeared in my palm, materializing from thin air, but the moment my fingers curled around her hilt, I felt an unusual pull—a hunger beyond the ordinary, as though she were draining more mana than necessary.

"Are you upset, Ayuru?" I murmured, sensing a flicker of emotion from the weapon in my grasp. "I apologize for throwing you like that."

Though Ayuru was merely a Cursed One—a weapon that possess a consciousness—it truly felt as though she had emotions. And, to be honest, if someone had flung me through the air like that, I wouldn't be too pleased either.

"Hmph..."

A soft, almost petulant hum resonated in my mind.

Was that… a sulk?

A small smile tugged at my lips. I couldn't help but imagine Ayuru with a human form—perhaps a delicate yet feisty girl, her arms crossed as she pouted at me in irritation.

"I'm truly sorry, alright?" I coaxed. "As an apology, I'll let you absorb as much mana as you want."

A faint glow pulsed along Ayuru's blade, her aura flickering like a pleased sigh. It seemed my peace offering had been accepted.

With that settled, I turned my focus back to assisting Zes in eliminating the remaining soldiers.

Time passed, and eventually, the last of them fell. The battlefield fell silent, save for our ragged breaths.

Though the soldiers had been no match for us in direct combat, their sheer numbers had stretched the fight longer than expected, and exhaustion had begun to weigh upon us. I leaned against the wall, my gaze drifting toward Zes.

"I have to admit," I mused, exhaling sharply. "I didn't anticipate you turning against your own men, Lieutenant. What exactly brought this on?"

She remained silent at first, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she lifted her head, meeting my gaze with an intensity I couldn't quite place.

"Impregnate me."

A peculiar smile curved her lips as she uttered those words.

I blinked.

"Huh?"

Had I misheard? No, I hadn't. She had, without a doubt, just said—

"Our child will be strong. Exceptionally strong. I can feel it already," she declared, her tone brimming with conviction. "I desire offspring of unparalleled strength, ones I can mold and train into warriors beyond compare." Her gaze sharpened. "So, impregnate me. Right now."

Her words left me momentarily stunned, my mind struggling to process them.

"Wait… hold on," I stammered. "You want me to what? And right now?"

"It's simple. You insert your male organ into my female organ and impregnate me. Right here, right now."

I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I don't know what part of this situation makes you think that's even remotely a good idea."

She looked at me, completely serious. "We have at least two minutes before reinforcements arrive. That should be sufficient time to conceive."

I nearly choked. "Do you seriously think that's how sex works? That's not even enough time to—! Look, we don't have the luxury to entertain this right now."

I could already sense more soldiers approaching—an entire wave, closing in fast. The rhythmic march of boots against the pavement sent a warning through my veins.

"Is Chloe still not done?" I muttered under my breath.

Though I didn't consider myself powerless in this world, the sheer weight of this situation pressed against me, making me feel—just for a moment—overwhelmed. This world was different, unpredictable, and despite my experience, I found myself struggling to fully grasp it.

Then, the reinforcements arrived.

Less than two minutes had passed, and yet, they were here, moving like a storm toward the apartment complex.

"Looks like round two is about to begin," I muttered, steadying my stance.

Ayuru pulsed in my grasp, her blade gleaming as I raised her. Helicopters roared above us, their occupants leveling their weapons in our direction before unleashing a fresh torrent of bullets. I moved instantly, my blade intercepting them mid-air, slicing through the oncoming storm with inhuman speed. But this was worse than before—more overwhelming, more relentless. I had to move faster, block with even greater precision, all while dodging what I couldn't deflect in time.

Behind me, Zes had grabbed a fallen rifle, taking up a defensive position. While she lacked the ability to deflect bullets as I did, she made up for it by providing cover fire, taking out enemies with calculated shots.

The battle was far from over.