Chapter 29 29: Guns Are Freedom After All

Words : 1222 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

I had seen a few Awakened with bizarre physical deformities on television before, but this was something completely different. Red flesh, black horns, an inhuman mix of both those colours in his eyes, and two sets of arms. 'Is he a demon or something? It mentioned that in the Tags...' Of course, it wasn't anything that would change my goal, but I did find it interesting. "It's fightin' time! Get yer ass out there right now!" Not waiting for a response, the crimson-skinned "man" yanked me out of the cell and slapped my back, pushing me forward. For the briefest of moments, the thought to shoot him where he stood crossed my mind, but I held it in. It's not that I would feel bad―after all, just look where he worked―but that it might complicate things unnecessarily. There was only one person here that I had to kill. No matter if there were slaves and innocent people here, I must not act out of turn. Call me a coward if you want. Frankly, I'm aware of my own lane, and I'm sticking firmly to it. Above all, I couldn't allow myself to forget. 'These Illusory Worlds are only fictional, anyway. There's no need to get so heated up for any reason when they're not real. Just kill the Protagonist and move on.' "Well?! Got a problem with yer head or what?! Get on with it!" And so, tolerating being continuously pushed forward and mocked by that quirky-looking guy, we arrived at the arena. With a final shove, I stumbled into the open-air, upon which the gate behind me slammed firmly shut. Wordlessly glancing behind, I picked up the Roman-style gladius that had been chucked in alongside me. Only then, I turned to see the arena in all its glory. 'Oh, wow. It's bigger than I thought...' Gazing up at all the spectators that probably numbered in the tens of thousands at least, I gradually felt a sense of anxiety begin to flare up. Before I had any time to bear those thoughts sincerely, however, a booming voice resounded throughout the coliseum. [Ladieeeeees aaaaand gentlemeeeen...! Here we have a brand new entry to the Arena! Please welcome our nameless, newbie challenger...!] "―――!!!" Subsequently, an earth-rumbling roar of the crowd shook the world. Something inside my stomach fluttered, and I gulped. "Librarian..." [Fret not! You'll be okay, Enki! Fret not, fret not I say! I believe in you! Hang in there...! I'll be cheering too...!] "Hh..." I quickly found myself snorting a breath out of my nose, though whether or not that was due to nervousness or amusement, I wasn't sure. 'Saying that doesn't help, you know...' [―And now, his opponent! You all know her! You all despiiiiise her! The dreaded! The rrrrotten! It's the mad! It's the ferrrrocious!――The feral! The savage! Scarlet Hound of Zauuuuuud...!] Following that ardent announcement, someone emerged through the gate on the other side of the field. "..." Distinct from my own tattered rags, fabric worn like a paper-thin cloak that could barely even be considered clothes; unkempt, evidently neglected hair that cascaded down to the obfuscated, yet doubtlessly dirtied knees; a rusted, chipped gladius clenched tightly in the right hand. And an expression―blank as if having seen the whole world taken away from her. 'Is that...?' The girl's malnourished flesh, 'decorated' with blemishes all over stuck out clear to see, but despite that, she bore a fire of great resilience in her eyes which themselves screamed of exhaustion. If you were to ignore the rest of her 'unmentioned' face and body, surely you must find that she was akin to a lion. It can't have been only my perception, that is. Fitting to her aforementioned title, the dull and messy hair that made her look more like a beast than a human held a faint tinge of red, but it was so filthy it looked more maroon, only narrowly being able to tell the difference thanks to the overhead, gleaming rays of sunlight in the sky of high noon. 'It's gotta be her, right...?' The girl's appearance was stark. Unfortunately, there was no stated character description I could use as a guideline to check if she was actually the Protagonist; all I knew was that it was a woman thanks to the Tags. ...Well. Such details were irrelevant. Protagonist or not, I was here to get a job done; if there happened to be some collateral damage on the way, then well, it's a shame, but it is what it is. I can't just let myself die because I feel bad for you. Taking a breath, I stepped forward into the centre of the arena; my opponent followed like a mirror. Focusing only on the 'her' in front of me, I completely obstructed the sight and sound of all those countless spectators. And I opened my mouth. "Hey. I'm fighting here because my family was captured. I won't ask you to let me win, but could you at least let me have the first move? I've never fought before, and as the announcer said, this is my first time..." We stood roughly ten metres apart in the middle. At my request, the fierce glare of her ignited ruby eyes seemed to falter slightly. "...Sorry." However, they failed to waver any more than that. "..." "There will be no mercy. For Sati's sake." With that, it seemed there was no intention to speak more. She wordlessly grasped the hilt of her old blade even tighter. 'Well.' But, thanks to her words, I realised something. 'I thought as much.' [Are you ready, laaadies...?! Gentlemennn...?!] "...Is that so." At the same time, the announcer started, and I muttered. [Then, without further ado!] Meanwhile, I deposited my own gladius into the Storage, replacing it with the Black Wisp. 'Then, we're even.' [Let the match...!] Casually, I raised my arm, pointing the end of the barrel towards her― [Commence!] ―And pulled the trigger. In the subsequent moments, the girl fell backwards, wide-eyed, and collapsed helplessly to the floor. [Woooaaaaaah!!? What just happened, everyone?! Immediately after the fight began, our newcomer did something strange, and now the Scarlet Hound is downed! I have to rub my eyes! Is this even real!?] I did feel bad for her, but this was also necessary. [The Protagonist, 'Skar Nessa, the Avenger', has been dispatched!] [Contract complete!] "..." I gazed down at the Protagonist's corpse for a few seconds, watching the blood flow from the hole in the centre of her head, dyeing the ground beneath her the same tone as her eyes and hair―just that much more vivid. The expression adorning her face was still one of utter astonishment, perhaps from the single instant she was allowed to experience the pain of being shot in the head. At least, like this, she wasn't a slave anymore. Although... I'm sure this wasn't the freedom she was fighting for. Gazing down, I muttered. "...Bring me back. There's nothing to gain from this place." [Certainly! A swift job, Enki! I commend you sincerely!] Wasting no time, I returned to the Library, that cold, cheery voice echoing in my mind.

Chapter 29 29: Guns Are Freedom After All

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