I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 461

???Koo-ung!

"...Huh, what kind of sound was that?"

"Wow, he flies off with just one hit?"

A loud, resounding noise that seemed to beat on the eardrums.

A large humanoid robot, standing 190 cm tall, and Eugene, who was roughly 20 cm shorter. But when they collided for the first time, the sound that rang out was a heavy, unexpected thud no one could have imagined.

For the average person, the entire sequence of events was something they could never see. What the 8,000 spectators sitting in their chairs saw was a single crossing, and a 150kg hunk of metal being flung to the other side.

The speed of the event was so fast that when the humanoid collided with the wall, a huge crack appeared in the polycarbonate wall. Fortunately, the cameras inside transmitted the footage through the glasses placed on the table, so there was no major issue.

"What did he just do... was that some kind of Jeet Kune Do or something?"

"Wow, that's impressive."

An unknown fact to all the spectators there.

Eugene had experienced something similar during his time in SSM, and he knew that today's match would unfold in a similar way. However, just that alone wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the audience gathered here.

What was needed was something grand, something jaw-dropping. Eugene had no intention of disappointing the spectators and viewers, so he saw the hammer in his hand as just an accessory, and thus, his attack style changed.

A close-range comprehensive combat system combining martial arts from many countries.

The fragments exploded out through Eugene’s limbs.

"Ugh…!"

Kwahng!

The sound made when a human fist met a machine body was anything but mundane. It was the kind of thunderous noise one might hear when cars collided. The scene reverted to its starting point—the humanoid robot controlled by the user let out a shriek from its voice synthesizer.

The robot's durability was extraordinary, enough to withstand being hit by a truck at full speed without losing functionality. If not for the advanced durability of the later model, the impact would have caused a malfunction in an instant. Fortunately, the machine continued to function properly, and the hologram sword it held remained activated.

But the issue was the destruction power displayed on the robot's UI.

"Destruction power... 6.4 tons?"

The user recalled the recent skirmish.

The brief engagement just now... was not an attack made from a distance where Eugene could fully extend a proper punch. It was nothing more than a glancing blow, really. Yet it was still 6.4 tons. If Eugene had planted his left foot and rotated his body, throwing a fully-powered right punch…

Was this even human? No, it wasn’t. The user realized that Eugene had long since surpassed human limits. With that in mind, the user steeled himself and carefully rose from his seat.

The holographic blade gleamed brightly, cutting through the air.

The real battle had begun.

???Bwoo-ung!

A humanoid wielding a similar-sized sword, standing 190 cm tall.

Of course, once the hologram made contact with Eugene’s body, a cut notification would appear, so she deftly evaded the attack, hopping nimbly. With the speed of the sword, the length of the arms, and the reach combined, the lethal radius reached 3 meters.

Everyone held their breath, watching. In the meantime, the humanoid robot quickly closed the distance and delivered a mid-level side kick, one of its standard attacks. Eugene crossed her arms in an X shape, blocking it head-on. Even so, the impact pushed her back by about 0.7 meters.

But Eugene didn’t falter. Instead, a smile crept up her face.

Weaving through the storm of sword strikes, Eugene grabbed the robot’s wrist as it attempted to bring the sword down. Spinning around, she threw the humanoid robot into the air—about 1 meter up—and waiting for it was Eugene’s spinning kick.

A loud crash sounded.

"Kgh…"

Kwaaang!

The sight burned into the eyes of thousands of viewers. With a single kick, the robot’s body, folded from a ‘L’ shape into a ‘U,’ was sent flying roughly 7 meters backward. The impact force calculated and surged—10 tons. Of course, Eugene hadn’t even delivered a fully-powered blow.

Fortunately, unlike humans who have no shock absorption in the body, the humanoid was built with a steel frame, shock-absorbing platform, suspension, anti-shock alloys, and a multitude of safety mechanisms, so it didn’t suffer severe damage.

Still, it was hard to say what would happen if Eugene decided to truly go all out.

And it didn’t take long before the outcome was clear.

???Ka-ga-gak!

It struggled to get up.

But as soon as it regained its senses, Eugene’s flying kick struck again.

A massive 250kg robot charging at 50 km/h, with all the destructive power focused on its foot. The humanoid barely managed to take it, but with a terrible noise, it was pushed backward. Damage quickly accumulated. Its body was already reddening, and countless warning messages filled the UI.

Outside, the sounds of the ecstatic audience erupted. As Eugene took hits, dodged, and counterattacked, as the humanoid body took hits, and in all sorts of situations, cheers from around 8,000 people echoed loudly.

The atmosphere was electric, and the user, who had taken first place in the event match, wasn’t about to just let things go quietly.

The real fight had begun.

"Hah…!"

"Whoa."

Durability capable of withstanding a truck collision, with corresponding output.

The user threw everything he had at Eugene—his training, psychological warfare, fakes, and unarmed strikes. Although almost nothing landed, the areas where Eugene was hit turned red, signaling some degree of success.

This was the only chance to withstand Eugene’s full power and counterattack. The thought flickered in the user’s mind, and with it came an indescribable thrill.

And Eugene, too, wore a chilling smile that she never usually showed.

This couldn’t be ignored.

???Tung!

With all his strength, the user threw a punch.

However, Eugene leaned backward to evade, knocking the punch away with the hammer, then performing a limbo-like motion before propping herself up with both hands and adopting an arching position. In that moment, it was as if she sprang up like a spring, using her arms to support herself and then striking the humanoid with both feet.

Crack!

The shock, reaching 20 tons, crashed into the machine.

"Wow-aaah—!"

A scream-like cheer erupted from outside, and the humanoid struggled to get up.

After a short laugh, Eugene spoke.

"If you get a chance later, please hit it with full force. This robot’s pretty tough."

Eugene gave a small chuckle and added.

"Of course, if you wish."

Thus, the final battle began.

Having already endured several powerful attacks that would have been fatal for any ordinary person, the durability of the humanoid robot was rapidly diminishing. Its joints loosened, parts began to fall off, and gaps appeared. Despite this, the fact that it could still move was close to a miracle.

The robot fought desperately, but the moment it exposed a huge opening and floated into the air, the user instinctively realized that this was the end.

A dangerous aura that had never been seen before. Using centrifugal force, Eugene began her rotation at just the right moment, and at that instant, the user felt time slow down. Then came the remarkably clean trajectory of the spinning kick.

It was less of a kick and more like the blade of a guillotine falling.

???Ujik!

The kick tore through the air at an unseen speed.

At that moment, the user's vision was violently disoriented. When the speed slowed down, the user realized his lower body and both arms were gone.

Only then did the defeat message appear before his eyes.

Looking at it, he chuckled in disbelief.

"I don't know why I even bothered putting sensors on this body in the first place."

Wiiiing.

As the shattered device connected to the network logged the user out safely, Eugene muttered, watching the polycarbonate walls with massive cracks retracting back into the stage below.

"Is this right?"

Of course, she decided not to care anymore.

If the viewers liked it, that was enough.

Probably.

"...The impact of the last kick was 30 tons, did I see that wrong?"

"30 tons? That's like crashing into a fuel tank full of a fighter jet, right...?"

"Unbelievable."

Meanwhile, the onlookers, witnessing the scene, finally realized why Eugene hadn’t measured the power of her kicks during her physical examination.

"To think there's still a chance one person might not win is truly terrifying."

As the time moved from morning to afternoon, the sun began to set, gradually lowering toward the horizon.

Yet, under the sun's continued warmth, not in Yongsan but somewhere in virtual reality, about 300 carefully selected users were hard at work on some kind of group training.

Among them, more than half were from a specific instant messenger group created to catch Eugene—specifically, the group called ‘Two Daggers User Wanted to Be a Master’—a group that had been active for weeks, gathering numerous people at one point.

Cavalry, archers, spear soldiers, infantry, artillery.

The 300 users, each capable of dropping their current weapon and switching to whatever class they were best at in the heat of the moment, were selected based on a minimum Grandmaster rank. However, what appeared on the screen was slowly draining their will to fight.

One person, watching the scene unfold, spoke up.

"I’ve said it a hundred times, the best method is to surround them simultaneously. With weapons like daggers, axes, or hammers, there’s a limit to how many you can kill at once."

"...What if someone brings out a claymore?"

"The youngest would meet me sooner, I guess."

Christopher Loren Tina.

The last hidden card of the 1:300 challenge, the Reaper who was to appear once all 300 others had been wiped out. Even though she spoke in a voice that wasn’t particularly loud, it carried a strangely immense weight.

The spear in her hand spun, causing some to flinch. After all, none of the 300 people present had escaped death by that spear. The reason was simple.

Every one of them had engaged in actual combat against Loren Tina instead of Eugene.

"The important thing is how you handle the open ground. Beyond that, don't think you’ll have the upper hand."

Everyone present nodded.

No one wanted to face those kicks and punches head-on. Even though they had all reduced their fear of dealing with other Awakened Ones through many practice battles with Loren Tina, there was still no stopping the primal instinct. In fact, it was a near-impossible instinct to resist, even in a virtual world where the concept of death was absent.

"Do you all remember what you've learned so far?"

"Of course."

"Even if you manage to focus and face the spectacle before you, most of you will crumble and break like dry twigs. Not to put it lightly, but the youngest... is a born warrior."

No one answered.

The only thing that filled their minds was curiosity.

The three most famous Awakened Ones in the world had all spoken briefly but impactfully whenever they mentioned someone other than themselves.

Loren Tina and Logan both praised Eugene as a genius warrior, while Eugene had stated she would definitely lose to Loren Tina in CQC. During the past Final Championship, Eugene had even told her national teammates to avoid Logan at all costs.

The assessment of Logan was far more difficult to find, but considering that Eugene had lost to Logan multiple times and finished second in the Final Championship, no further explanation was needed.

"Your deaths will become the foundation for someone else’s success. Let’s hope that, before all of you here lie cold on the ground, the youngest is the first to kneel."

"...Feels like we're soldiers in old history books facing the Awakened Ones."

"Then, everyone here will face the strongest Awakened One in history. Your names will be remembered in history."

Loren Tina added with a small smile, and a faint chuckle spread across the 300-strong crowd.

They were about to write a new page in history today.

As the writer named Time opened a new page of history, it was only 30 minutes before Eugene’s battle would be inscribed with a pen.