Damn! Damn! Chapter 43

However, rushing in just because it was quiet would have been suicidal, so Achim held his breath and waited for the right moment.

A few moments later, the faintest sign of a presence reached his ears. Achim slithered his head out from behind the wall he was leaning against.

The area within his line of sight was deserted. The sound didn’t seem to originate from the first floor. Concluding it was a noise from at least the second floor or higher, Achim gave a resolute nod and loaded his handgun with a smooth, practiced motion.

Clack. The sound of the mechanical parts interlocking cut through the thick tension.

Keeping his body pressed tight against the wall, he held his breath and moved up to the second floor. That was when Achim spotted guards sprawled all over the stairs leading to the third floor, causing him to scowl.

Is it not just one guy? How did he take down five people so cleanly like this?

Looking around, puddles of blood pooled heavily around the fallen men. It was impossible to tell immediately whether they were unconscious or dead. But he knew there wasn’t enough time to haul them all down to the first floor. Since backup was supposedly deployed, he had no choice but to leave them to whoever arrived later.

Judging by the direction the guards had fallen, the intruder seemed to have headed toward the third floor. The third floor also happened to be where Michael’s bedroom and private office were located.

Damn it. An involuntary surge of urgency washed over him. Holding his loaded gun, Achim pressed his back to the wall again and stepped onto the stairs leading to the third floor.

The situation on the third floor was much the same. However, there were fewer fallen bodies than on the second floor, and far fewer drops of blood.

Even so, it brought no peace of mind. Achim quickly scanned the surroundings, dropped to his knees, and began flipping over the large figures collapsed like corpses one by one.

Phew. An involuntary sigh of relief escaped Achim’s lips. The face of the person he was looking for wasn’t among them. Of course, he felt bad for everyone who had fallen, but ever since the moment he saw Nils, he hadn’t had a single spare second to worry about anyone else.

Why on earth does he have to wear the exact same black suit as the guards and give me a near heart attack?

It was right at the moment Achim let out another sigh, feeling tension and relief crash into him at the same time.

A fairly loud noise echoed from somewhere, making Achim snap his head around.

“…!”

The rooftop? Achim immediately bolted to his feet.

By now, his palms were completely smeared with blood, but that didn’t matter. Regripping the handgun with his clammy hands, Achim quickly rushed up the stairs leading to the rooftop.

It seemed highly likely that there wasn’t just a single intruder. If the damage was this severe on just the left staircase, the odds were very high that the guards from the center and the right wings had already been taken out as well without being able to reinforce them.

At least two or three. Surely more than that.

Achim was estimating the enemy numbers, pressing his back tight against the rooftop door and preparing to carefully push it open, when—

Bang—!

The sound of gunfire rang out, and Achim flung the door wide open in a single, sharp motion.

Hoping against hope that a familiar face wouldn’t be here, Achim swept his gaze wildly across the darkened rooftop. Catching sight of two figures locked in a physical struggle within his line of vision, Achim took a step toward them without a moment’s hesitation.

Bang—!

But another gunshot echoed, and one of the two silhouettes staggered before collapsing heavily to the ground. Watching this, Achim quickened his pace even more.

Right then, as if noticing Achim approaching nearby, the uninjured silhouette whirled around. Simultaneously, a fist the size of Achim’s face flew straight toward his eyes. Ducking low, Achim cleanly evaded the swung fist, then used his body’s recoil to drive a powerful punch back.

Thud—!

The attack connected beautifully, sending the intruder reeling. Though staggering, the man immediately thrust a fist forward in defense, but there was no way Achim would let himself be hit so easily.

To think he breached all the way to the rooftop with only this level of skill. They’re going to have to replace every single guard at this rate.

Shaking his head inwardly, Achim lightly dodged the incoming fists of the intruder, generously returning the favor with twice the force whenever he struck back.

Because the surroundings were pitch black and the man wore a mask, his face wasn’t visible at all. Keeping up a steady barrage of punches while analyzing his opponent’s movements, Achim decided it was time to end it and drove a fist packed with even greater power squarely into the intruder’s abdomen.

“Oof…!”

Clutching his stomach with both arms, the intruder sank to his knees before rolling flat onto his back. Ascending over the collapsed intruder with an ease that felt almost anticlimactic, Achim raised his fist high once more.

Crack—!

Annoyed by the squirming beneath him and intending to completely immobilize the man, Achim delivered one more heavy blow to the face while avoiding any vital spots. After that, Achim grabbed the mask that had been bothering him the whole time and ripped it clean off over the man’s head.

“…!”

Achim’s hand froze instantly. The face staring up from beneath him was somehow familiar.

Staring intently at the intruder’s features, Achim muttered to himself a moment later.

“…Bastian?”

Though eight years had passed, Achim could recognize him. After all, they had spent four years together living the mercenary life, so his dark-adapted eyes were eventually able to pick him out.

Furthermore, from what he remembered, Bastian was left-handed.

Why is Bastian here?

Not only was the motive unknown, but if Bastian recognized him, that would pose a massive problem too. It was a saving grace that the surroundings were dark; if Bastian had recognized him from the start, there was no telling how things might have gone sideways.

What do I do? What on earth should I do with this guy?

It was right while he was sitting astride Bastian, locked in deep thought. Sensing something groping at his backside, Achim’s eyes widened in sheer shock. At the same instant, the words Linus had spoken flashed rapidly through his mind.

— Do you have any idea how much Bastian salivated just looking at your ass? I’ve seen him completely lose his mind staring at your backside more than just once or twice.

You absolute son of a bitch!

Just as a surge of fury washed over Achim and he pulled his fist back to his shoulder to drive it down once more—

Click. Along with the clear sound of a gun being cocked, the unmistakable sensation of something sliding firmly against his flank felt incredibly vivid.

“…”

Freezing mid-air with his fist still raised, Achim merely lowered his eyes and quietly stared down at Bastian pinned beneath him.

It was in that exact split second where all thoughts ground to a halt.

Bang—!

An ear-splitting gunshot rang out, and the moment even the tiniest noise vanished into total silence, Achim opened his tightly shut eyes.

The muzzle had definitely been pressed against his flank. His side should have been blown wide open, yet for some reason, he didn’t feel a single ounce of pain.

Why?

Filled with bewilderment, Achim looked down at Bastian, who should have pulled the trigger.

“…”

Shockingly, the bullet hadn’t lodged into his own side, but straight into Bastian’s head.

Staring at the unbelievable sight, Achim could only gaze blankly at Bastian’s heavily bleeding head.

Hearing a groaning sound from nearby, he turned his head and caught sight of the guard who had been fighting Bastian earlier dropping his handgun. As if having fulfilled his final mission, the guard finally buried his forehead deep into the ground and stopped moving entirely.

Achim turned his head back to look down at Bastian.

Suddenly, a warm, wet liquid trickled down near his eyes. He instinctively wiped it away with the back of his hand, but for some reason, it felt like it wasn’t wiping off cleanly at all.

“…”

Mid-wipe, Achim’s movements came to a sudden halt. He realized that the liquid soaking not just his face but his entire body was none other than Bastian’s blood.

It wasn’t like he had been particularly attached to the guy, but it certainly left a bizarre taste in his mouth.

Moreover, it really had been a matter of a hair’s breadth. If it hadn’t been for that guard, it was blindingly obvious that he would have been killed by Bastian instead without even a chance to resist. Thinking about it that way made the feeling even more bizarre.

Thanks to his vision adapting better to the darkness than before, the dark red blood flowing out of Bastian was starkly visible.

Achim blankly wiped at the blood that must have splattered onto his own face and neck as well.

It was right then. The sound of footsteps echoed from somewhere. Achim naturally pictured a certain someone, but immediately shook his head.

If it were the person he knew, the footsteps would have carried that characteristic, leisurely and arrogant weight. What he was hearing right now was miles apart from that.

Just as Achim was about to dismiss the footsteps, which felt rushed and bordered on outright anxious—

Before Achim could even lift his head, a hand suddenly shot out across the short distance, mercilessly twisting into the collar of his shirt and lifting him clean into the air.

…Michael?