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A New Otherworlder Bursts Onto the Scene – Part 05

The giant man, breathing heavily, emitted white steam. His body temperature was rising, causing the rain on his skin to evaporate.

“Not even you can handle him, huh?”

“S-Sorry, boss. That kid’s too quick.”

“Don’t worry. We should have done this from the beginning.”

The mafia leader aimed a gun and fired. But again, it missed.

“Everyone, pull out your guns and shoot!”

Hey, you’re gonna hit your friends, Hikaru thought as bullets streaked right behind him.

Bang, bang, bang.

Muzzles flashed. They took care not to hit their comrades but fired their guns relentlessly, unafraid of the possibility of accidentally hitting them.

But Hikaru was also using Stealth. Hitting him wasn’t easy.

“Guh?!”

“Ouch!”

Swiftly grabbing shards of broken glass, Hikaru hurled them, cutting at the assailants’ ski mask and the hands gripping the guns. One man dropped theirs, and Hikaru swiftly seized it.

“An amateur can’t possibly—agh!”

Hikaru casually fired the gun, shooting the left shoulder of a man in the distance. His bulletproof suit did not cover that part of his body.

“Hmm. So Projectile applies to guns too.”

It was his first time firing a gun, but he likely hit his target because of his skill.

“Shoot! Don’t let your guard down!”

Bullets raced through the spot Hikaru had been, but he had already vanished. Using Stealth, he ran and fired the gun. Though the aim wasn’t precise, he managed to graze their legs or arms, inflicting wounds.

“From an action movie to C*ty H*nter.”

“Only boomers would get that reference.”

“I think only middle-aged men are interested in the other world.”

“There are teenagers here!”

“Not Kung Fu? You can’t use a gun.”

Hikaru tossed the gun after it ran out of bullets. “All right. We should have plenty of viewers now.”

He didn’t end it quickly to extend the live stream and increase viewership.

“It’s about time we wrap this up.”

Hikaru approached a nearby man and delivered a powerful dropkick.

“Augh.”

“We’re not done yet.”

The man staggered, and as Hikaru landed, he unleashed a swift barrage of punches. Bullets came at him, but he was already gone. Gradually and systematically, he inflicted damage on them, reducing their numbers one by one.

“Guah!”

“Gngh…”

As three men dropped to the ground, the assailant clenched his teeth.

“Who the hell are you?!” he shouted, unable to hide his frustration. “You move very differently from moments ago!”

“That’s correct. I was merely buying some time.”

“What?! That can’t be—”

Finally, the leader seemed to grasp his mistake. They weren’t dealing with a mere bodyguard of the eccentric Doyama, but a formidable opponent who regarded them not as assailants, but mere small-time thugs.

The leader signaled the giant man with his eyes.

“Oh, now you’re running away?” Hikaru said in a subdued voice.

At that instant, the leader experienced an emotion he hadn’t felt in a while. Fear.

“You think I’d let you escape?”

Hikaru took a step forward, and the leader shrank back. But then, there was a clunk, and the lights went out.

“What…?”

Hikaru looked up at the roof and saw smoke billowing from where the floodlight was. Some kind of malfunction. The remaining lights also went out.

“It’s off!” Ayano exclaimed.

“Tch… bad timing.”

It would be impossible to rely on Ayano, who wasn’t adept with machines, to fix it.

These floodlights were acquired from an electronics store in Fujinota. As usual, they obtained it through the introduction of the talkative taxi driver. The balding and beer-bellied owner assured them they would be okay even if they got wet.

Hikaru wouldn’t be able to see the enemy in the darkness, and some might escape. Losing the underlings was acceptable, but he definitely didn’t want the leader to get away.

While he could use Life Detection to go after them, he had to worry about not being able to see the ground beneath. Moreover…

“Retreat!”

They had night vision goggles.

“Disperse!”

As Hikaru attempted to pursue the scattering enemies, the huge man appeared in front of him.

“I won’t let you chase my bro.”

“Tsk.”

He could dodge the swinging hammer, but not being able to see the ground was unnerving. Worst of all, night vision goggles were electronic devices, rendering his Stealth ineffective.

In other words, the giant man, who observed Hikaru through the device rather than his own eyes, could discern his location.

I didn’t imagine Stealth would have this kind of weakness! A Skill unexplainable by science losing to science?

Hikaru could take down the huge man here and now. Even though Stealth was no longer effective, since the opponent was looking through night vision goggles, there would be a slight time delay. In a combat where every moment mattered, that delay could be fatal.

Hikaru might not be able to rely on his vision, but thanks to Life Detection, he knew exactly where the opponent was.

The problem was—while he took care of this guy, the leader would probably escape.

In such organizations, only the leader held information, while the underlings were often left in the dark. The leader’s escape would be a devastating loss.

Subsequent investigation will be difficult, Hikaru thought.

“Turn off the floodlights, and turn half of them back on! The power supply couldn’t take the load!”

A voice came from the roof. After a brief pause, half of the floodlights emitted light. Though Hikaru couldn’t see them due to the backlight, he recognized the voice.

“It’s him.”

It was Kijima from the Fujinota Future Society, the same Kijima who stormed this residence with thugs. No, it wasn’t just him; his juniors were also on the roof, next to the floodlights.

Since there were fewer sources of light now, they moved the floodlights around, shining them on the enemy to provide visibility.

“It’s too bright! Can’t see anything!”

“Take off the goggles, idiots!”

The enemies hastily removed their night vision goggles.

“I really don’t wanna help the guy who clobbered me, but motherfuckers messing up Fujinota pisses me off more!”

Hikaru remembered that this was their hometown. Despite working for land sharks, Kijima still loved their home. Or perhaps Ayano’s words urging him to report the mafia to the police and the warning about his hometown being in danger might have inspired him to take action.

Either way doesn’t matter.

There was only one thing Hikaru cared about.

“Great job! Keep shining them!”

And that was making sure the leader didn’t escape.

Instantly activating Stealth, Hikaru slipped past the huge man and closed in rapidly from behind the leader, who was attempting to set up a ladder against the wall of the Doyama residence.

“Tch.”

The man fired a gun as he turned around, but Hikaru swerved, evading the bullets.

“Hyaaah!”

Hikaru’s kick struck the leader’s side.

“Ugh!”

Their considerably sturdy combat suit nullified about half of Hikaru’s power. Still, it was enough to knock the leader over and send him rolling to the ground.

“Bro!”

“What should we do, retreat?!”

“Protect him!”

“Above! Shoot his friends!”

The enemies simultaneously aimed their guns at the roof, startling Hikaru. The bullets grazed the floodlights.

“Eek!”

“A-A-Are those real guns?!”

“Keep your head down, or you’re dead!”

“Dead?! I thought we were supposed to help someone move out today!”

Unlike the chaotic Fujinota Future Society members, Ayano remained completely still, keeping the camera in position.

“Is that all you got? No matter how many you land, it do nothing.”

The leader dusted himself off as he rose to his feet. His comrades rushed over to him.

“You certainly strong. But with your poor gear, you can’t incapacitate us.”

“…”

What the enemy leader said was true. If Hikaru went all out with the intent to kill, he could probably incapacitate them. However, doing so would increase the risk of actually killing them. He had to neutralize them without going all out.

Two unexpected factors for Hikaru were the muddy ground due to the rain, which took away the sharpness from his attacks, and the superior equipment of the enemy. He initially thought they were just some random mafia, but they arrived dressed like a special forces unit, ruining his calculations.

“Everyone, stay calm. Fall back.”

The mafia members prepared to retreat.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Hikaru declared.

“Hmph. We not giving up either. We track down your family, torture them, paint your face with agony, and then kill you. We will never forget this humiliation.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“What?”

“I said you’re not going anywhere.”

Hikaru raised his hand.