Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

Run?

Who allowed you to run?

And who allowed you to struggle?!

"The mercy of a god is to obediently kneel and take your own life as an apology. You ignorant insects."

Desperate struggles, even a cornered rabbit will bite. What more a trapped beast fighting for its life.

The one who had taken the drugs was already moving at the peak of human speed. The eyes of mortals couldn't even catch a glimpse of the afterimage of this person flashing by. They didn't even need to inflict any damage; this was merely to distract and draw the target's attention.

All just to transmit information.

It sounds rather tragic and heroic, but what does that have to do with me, Chlorine Sodium?

This strike had already surpassed the limits of mortals. Even a god would be at least hindered for a second.

Or rather, how could true gods possibly exist in this world?

However, the knowledge of these people was ultimately too shallow.

The ignorant are fearless. This is both bravery and foolishness.

In the face of warships and cannons, a warrior's bravery is meaningless. Similarly, in the face of an existence akin to a god, all tactics and coordination become meaningless and incredibly fragile.

"Let me show you all what kind of existence you have offended."

A crisp snap of fingers, and the next moment, countless weapons rained down like a storm!

It was a golden downpour. Countless weapons streaked through the air, shining with golden light, smashing into the entire village with each impact, like explosions from the main cannons of battle tanks!

They were hurled in all directions, these incredibly valuable weapons treated as disposable projectiles, bombarding the area densely!

Dozens of trucks and the absolute secular violence represented by the disciplinary team members were instantly reduced from metallic vehicles and monsters in the eyes of civilians to burning scrap metal and human parts, releasing their final warmth and light in the winter.

"Ugh... uh."

The tall Emperor's Royal Guard was as powerless as a chicken being held by the girl. The weapon in his hand couldn't even penetrate the girl's energy shield. That inhuman texture also cast a mysterious and deadly veil over the girl descending from the sky.

Meaningless resistance. Anyone who raised their weapon was torn to shreds by the incoming explosions. The precise targeting akin to large-caliber main cannons and the ensuing scorching winds crushed everyone. Regardless of their status, who they were, or their strength, the remaining surviving Royal Guards couldn't comprehend what was happening before them.

In the blink of an eye, the Royal Guards who had been desperately resisting and the stunned disciplinary team members were all killed by incomprehensible attacks.

And there was no ripple in those golden eyes, only indifference towards life itself, as casual as... stepping on a bug by the roadside.

"Monster... Mo... Ahhhhhh!!!"

Before he could even finish speaking, the once arrogant Emperor's Royal Guard member could no longer make a normal sound. Unprecedented flames suddenly engulfed the man, as if he were being fed into a furnace, consuming him from the inside out. Boiling blood, dissolving muscle tissue, and bestial screams echoed through the snow-covered valley.

The girl indifferently watched the last survivor in her hand slowly burn into unrecoverable trash before discarding him aside, having lost interest.

Bugs should act like bugs. Prostrating on the ground is what they should be doing.

Bringing only slaughter, destruction, and ruin, crushing everything to dust like a natural disaster, and then dancing on a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood – this is what a [Villain] should do.

Striking down mortal heresies with the power of a god – this is the power of a [Herrscher].

In ancient times, priests would use fragments of their worshipped god's Authority to exercise the divine authority of an [Apostle] upon the earth.

And in this era, those who walk the earth wielding the divine might are the Apostles of God, the Herrschers.

They are the anchors connecting the real universe and suppression. Even possessing only a fragment of a god's Authority, they appear as gods to mortals!

To balance the various worlds, they, the God's Apostles, were born to attract the hatred of the Child of the World.

She glanced at the silver-haired Castet lying beside her. The girl named Yelena was still unconscious.

Good. No witnesses. All living mouths have been dealt with. And Yelena, a potential suspect for the protagonist, didn't see any of this happen. This means there's a lot of room to maneuver.

The mission is complete, so there's no need to stay here. The Herrscher, about to leave, suddenly stopped.

No need to aim, no need to turn her head to confirm with her eyes. Having lived this long, eyes are no longer the sole means of detection.

The void tears through the boundary between reality and illusion. The moment purple ripples spread, several strangely shaped and peculiar weapons shot out!

"Sneaky fellow, are you not planning to come out? Or do you think I can't crush your seven inches?"

Chapter 15: [Pet Competition]

"Riiip."

Flesh was torn, and the sticky sound of blood and entrails, still connected by threads of blood, echoed through the forest.

A total of four black-clad individuals who called themselves Royal Guards, and countless insignificant mortals that she couldn't be bothered to count, were now silent.

This place could no longer be stayed in. It wasn't just because too many people had died here, but mainly because...

The houses and everything else had been smashed into ruins, making it impossible to stay any longer.

However, it seemed there was more than one force present here. An arrow shot from afar tore through an observer in the forest.

It was someone who looked like an Infected, ragged all over, with a dazed expression, and no sense of danger. Even when shot and blown apart, he didn't show any signs of fear. The moment he was killed, a certain connection was severed. It was clearly a trick similar to a [Familiar].

Using people as familiars.

As for the method of control, it was unclear for now, but what could be confirmed was that this world possessed not only technology but also magic.

That was, of course, information confirmed only after blowing the other party to bits. Chlorine Sodium had only sensed something lurking nearby, suspiciously peeking at everything before that.

Chlorine Sodium, whose hands were stained with countless drops of blood, never cared about innocents. Seeing that her existence was still alive? Even oddities like the undead would have their brains smashed out and smeared on the wall before any conversation could take place.

However, it seemed things were far from over, as a pretentious voice sounded nearby.

"A perfect performance. To witness such a spectacle, I am truly fortunate."

The person clapped and appeared from nowhere, seemingly quite confident. Confident enough to brazenly appear near Chlorine Sodium.

The girl didn't turn around, but the person who spoke showed no intention of stopping. He even continued with an awkward self-introduction to break the ice.

"Forgive my intrusion, but may I know... Miss's esteemed surname?"

The person bowed slightly, like a young noble inviting a dance at a ball. No, this guy was probably, possibly, indeed a noble.

Very confident. This person might even be strong. At the very least, that slippery, cold, yet deeply hidden aura was not like the other fools who exposed their presence and killing intent. Yet, it wasn't completely concealed either. It was like a merchant holding a knife; the long blade was a tool for dealing with the poor, while the money on his person was a tool for dealing with peers.

And what greeted him was a rapidly flying sharp sword!

A precious weapon, mixed with silver-white javelins, struck the location where the voice originated. The energy released from the shattering weapons due to kinetic energy surged out. The resulting gust of wind kicked up the snow on the ground, sending it into the air. It slowly melted, leaving only falling snowflakes.

Feeling her life force depleted, Chlorine Sodium finally turned around to see what was making the sound.

What Chlorine Sodium loved to do most was say "no" to self-important people!

I am the villain, so villains never play fair.

The opponent had indeed been hit solidly. However, even a centipede dies hard. This guy was somehow still alive.

To be precise, after his waist was smashed, the sharp arrow had torn away half of his body tissue, leaving only half of his body still barely connected, forming an 'n' shape with the noble's upper and lower halves.

Grotesque and comical.

— Yeah, no mistake there.

Chlorine Sodium thought to herself.

"Such a straightforward young lady. But it matters not. I have come with sincerity, and you will feel it."

But the man seemed completely unfazed. Black liquid slowly welled up from the gap, acting like an adhesive to reattach him. Finally, it slowly transformed back into flesh, and the remaining dead skin was rewoven to fill the gaps in his clothing.

The girl, who had turned around, finally saw the person she had cut in half and who had then restored himself.

Another silver-haired person. The characters appearing in this book all seemed to have silver hair.

Unlike Yelena's snow-white, unlike Chlorine Sodium's pale white, this person's appearance was more like gray-white, chaotic, and old, yet capable of touching any pure white and turning it into a gray-white.

Unlike the Ursus people's bear forms, his pointed ears and the foreign object behind him fit his image perfectly.

A snake.

His hands were clasped, giving off the vibe of a refined scoundrel.

"My name is Koschei, a humble Fidia Noble. I believe that in Ursus, outsiders face many inconveniences, and I can provide a 'shortcut'."

"A transaction?"

The girl had plenty of time now, so she didn't immediately chase the guy away. Instead, she gestured for him to continue.

"No, no, no. Not a transaction. I prefer to call it... cooperation."

"Cooperation conducted through picking fights? Or is this your way of welcoming guests?"

The man exuded the same scent as those dead underlings. It was clear they had met not long ago. The underlings had followed the scent, and this one had been hiding nearby, watching everything. The underlings were likely used as cannon fodder by him.

Cannon fodder to test whether they would cooperate. What a calculation.

"Of course not. These foolish, ignorant mortals are incapable of comprehending the power of others, just as ants cannot understand the grandeur of mountains. I merely accelerated the process. After all, describing it with words will never make these people understand. Words are always pale and powerless. They will only shout meaninglessly, and then using violence would waste a lot of time. It's better to let them understand their insignificance a little earlier, to let them know what they truly are. Only then can we avoid meaningless disputes, can we not?"

Koschei's gaze fell upon Yelena, who was lying unconscious in the snow not far away.

The next moment, countless sharp swords, flying from an unknown direction, instantly filled the area where the man was!

"BOOM!!!"

Several shockwaves severed the surrounding trees at their roots, blowing away the snow and revealing the frozen earth several meters below.

This blow was enough to empty a mortal's health bar, and then some.

However, it was clear that the person in front of them had not died. Even if he were blown to smithereens, this thing could reform itself from a pool of black blood.

Of course, this wasn't annihilation either. It was merely a god's amusing experiment.

Like a child casually plucking the wings off a flying insect, just to see what would happen.

Seeing that he was unharmed, Chlorine Sodium took a step forward, blocking Koschei's line of sight. This was both a rejection and a threat.

Koschei was also tactful. After reforming, he withdrew his gaze and continued with a smile.

"Miss is truly straightforward. But I am no ordinary being, so don't waste your energy. It won't be good for either of us if we end up in a fight to the death. However... that Infected person, isn't she a tool you desperately need to forge?"

Cultivating someone into a useful existence requires time and money. Koschei longed for an heir, so he knew how difficult it was to find a suitable person, and how much more effort it took to train them.

Seeing that the outsider before her showed no signs of disgust, Koschei continued the conversation.

"You sensed what befell her and rushed back, yet you didn't immediately offer aid. Instead, you observed from the sidelines for a long time, confirmed certain matters, and only then chose to intervene. I greatly admire such actions. After all, I am not like those who are ignorant of their own limitations. I understand your strength and your value. But a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. The inhabitants of this old, ignorant, foolish, yet pitiable land have always been so short-sighted, unable to grasp the vast difference between the sky and the insignificance of man. Therefore, they always seek out trouble. And you lack sufficient information, otherwise, you wouldn't be unaware that the Emperor's Royal Guard and these ordinary beasts would come looking for trouble."

"Who are you threatening?"

"This isn't a threat, it's a practical necessity. You need a local expert to pave the way for you, don't you?"

Koschei offered a subtle smile. He completely understood the other person's motives. People only pitied pets, and that silver-haired Castet was clearly her pet.

However, taming a pet required time and effort, and this place was entirely unwelcoming to outsiders.

"And I, myself, am planning a grand endeavor that also requires a suitable pet to carry it out. Our interests align, so why not cooperate?

Furthermore, you can rest assured. After all, we are essentially the same kind of people, aren't we?"

The same kind of people. This wasn't a manipulative statement, but the result of his observations.

If it were genuine protection, there would be no reason to stand by and watch until the moment intervention was needed. Those weren't the eyes of concern; they were the eyes of someone cultivating a useful tool.

It was like the gaze of a scholar observing lab rats.

Immense power, a hidden identity, an incomprehensible way of existence, and... this shared mindset convinced Koschei.

They were the same kind of people.

A God who loved this land and its people.

Where is this...?

Another unfamiliar ceiling. However, the voice beside her was enough to bring her peace.

It was Chlorine Sodium.

"You're finally awake. How did you sleep?"

As always, the silver-haired girl's face remained expressionless.

Yet, as she watched Yelena slowly awaken, deep within her, unseen by anyone, a narrow, malice-filled smile spread.

An Infected organization, an interesting plan... what was this, a Pet Competition?