Bad Born Blood Chapter 271

271
Remember, Luca. The imperfection of memory.

We live by our memories. Memories are the foundation of our self and consciousness. And we believe that our memories are true and real.

The shaking of memory is the shaking of the self and consciousness.

But if you are wise, you must doubt your self-consciousness and memory.

Memory is neither reality nor a mirror that reflects reality. It is merely an imperfect remnant of reality. And even that is an imperfect picture filled with extremely subjective distortions. That is the reality of memory.

We form our self and create our existence based on such imperfect memories.

… … The more ambiguous it is, the more you should focus on the present.

Luca, what’s your situation right now? What’s your current situation?

Blink.

I opened my eyes. Dust and dirt touched my mouth. My eyes stung from the acrid smoke, and my throat was scratchy.

‘Heat and flame.’

The air is hot and the wound is stinging.

Just now, there was an accident or explosion. I was caught in the aftermath and fell unconscious.

‘Why am I here now?’

My memory is hazy. It seems like some of it has evaporated. It’s unclear what I did today. I desperately tried to piece together the fragments of my shattered memories.

My temple was hot. When I touched it, blood gushed out onto my palm. Yes, I must have been injured on the head.

‘Focus on the present. Look at things and infer the past from the phenomena that occur.’

If I couldn’t respond and fainted, it was a pretty critical situation.

Creak.

I instinctively felt for where my weapon was.

‘Crucifixion, Ruina, and Moth.’

I couldn’t retrieve the Hwagwangjageom. It’s a useful weapon against heavily armored monsters.

‘… … A heavily armored monster?’

Who are you talking about?

I barely managed to get up, holding my knees. My creaky prosthetic legs and arms move wonderfully. Whenever I have a crisis like this, I thank Lapis Lazuli.

I clearly remember Lapis Lazuli, the creator of my body. Evaporated memories are short-term.

‘A monster in heavy armor.’

Heavy armor, full armor, legion, ah, fu*king, Mushir al-Kashra.

Yes, I was being chased by Mushir Al-Kashra. How did I do it? I took a risk and lured Kinuan out of Border City, and at the crucial moment, I faced Kashra, who had been arranged by him.

Let’s catch the evaporating memories and bring them back. But if we recall them sequentially, it will be too late.

‘This is a crisis situation. Remember from the most recent time. There is no time to ruminate leisurely.’

I bit my tongue so hard that it became tattered. The pain surged coldly to my scalp. A sense of awakening rose up as if I had been splashed with cold water.

‘Ilay!’

Illei had come to my rescue, showing off his high-performance aerial motorcycle.

But where is Ilay now?

Only then did my vision broaden.

I looked around. The exterior and parts of the aerial motorcycle were scattered, crushed and broken, and Ilay’s proud anti-gravity engine was half destroyed and burning.

‘We’ve been dealt a blow.’

The escape failed.

‘Shooted down. Probably by Mushir al-Kashra.’

Even the Test Machine MAU and the Shadow Legion could not stop Kashura. He broke through the chaos I had created with his fighting prowess that defied common sense.

‘Shallow strategies are useless in the face of great power.’

I also realized the limitations of the Archie Bigtima.

Kashura is perhaps the pinnacle of what modern humans can achieve as warriors. Although it may have been painted with all sorts of tricks, its power is a fierce reality.

I pressed my palm to my bleeding forehead and found Ilay tangled with the debris.

“Ilay, can you move?”

Ilay reacted to my words.

Illei’s pupils came into focus again. He seemed to have just regained consciousness.

Illei’s pupils glowed. He was scanning his condition through the virtual interface of the prosthetic eye.

“Your spinal cord is severed. Sorry, but you have to run away alone.”

“You were acting all smart. What the hell is this, you idiot?”

I picked up the debris and cleared it away, then turned Ilay over.

‘What a mess.’

On Ilay’s back, the artificial spinal cord was broken and sticking out. The various cables of the nervous system and the drive unit were also cut off and tangled and stuck out.

“Hey, Luca. I told you not to do anything stupid and run away. His target is you anyway. I’m fine… … .”

“Grit your teeth before you bite your tongue. Let’s try an old-fashioned remedy.”

I pressed Ilay’s upper body and waist with my hands and feet and pushed the protruding spinal cord in. The exposed circuits sparkled eerily and currents jumped out.

“Ugh, ugh, hey, you, you crazy bastard, your nervous system is sore, you have to say something… … .”

Illai groaned, her whole body shaking.

It’s not something I should say in this situation, but it’s quite enjoyable and funny to see the guy in pain like that.

“If you just get the position right, there will be places where the connection returns, even if it’s bad. Concentrate, sharpen your senses, and try to move your body. I’ll tie together the parts where the signals are flowing.”

I took emergency measures with a sense of urgency. If there is any physical contact, there must be a drive system and nervous system that will recover by making contact. It may seem ignorant, but this is the best we can do for now. It is even a method that is in the textbook.

Wiggle.

Ilay’s feet and legs moved, albeit slightly.

I used the bottom of the handle of the Crucis as a hammer and hammered Ilay’s spinal cord here and there, shaping it. Ilay’s moans were horrible every time, but it was none of my business.

I roughly crushed the spinal cord and surrounding area, then forcibly fit it together.

Illei’s legs started to wiggle as a strong current surged through them, as if they were short-circuited.

“Damn, this is driving me crazy. Why is this thing moving?”

Ilay stood up, still staggering imperfectly.

“The great technology of the Empire and the power of faith. Were we shot by Kashura?”

I asked a question.

Illei looked at me with a puzzled expression and then noticed the injury on my forehead. It seemed like he was not in his right mind.

“Luka, you, on your head… … .”

Illei’s expression is serious, damn it.

“Don’t tell me the details. If it’s not something I can do about right now, I don’t want to know. First of all, I have short-term memory loss. I don’t remember anything after getting on your motorcycle.”

Illei also checked his own weapons. He dug into his waist bag, pulled out a magazine with a viewing window, and loaded it into his pistol.

Ilay’s pistol had a deformed barrel as long as his forearm. That was his special weapon. It used explosive bullets, but now it seemed to be loaded with other special bullets.

“Luka, we’re being chased by Mushir Al-Kashra. He sniped and took down our vehicle. If we hadn’t adjusted our fire to capture you, we’d be dead already.”

I felt the blood flowing from my forehead and running down my cheek and chin. I almost died.

‘That’s why Kashura sniped so hastily. He judged that he couldn’t miss it even if it meant risking his life.’

A loud noise was heard from afar. It seemed that Kashura was engaging in a firefight to shake off the Shadow Legion and MAUs.

“What about the subordinates you were bringing with you?”

“The other two-wheelers disappeared without a trace. They must have all died.”

“Your men are always dying. It’s always been that way.”

I joked half-seriously. It’s always been a common occurrence for Illei’s men to die.

“That’s why everyone hates being assigned to me.”

Ilay spoke calmly, without even getting angry.

“… … Is it true?”

“The survival rate is actually low. It’s because they don’t mind being consumed.”

“You really are a very stubborn person.”

“You would have been a popular captain. You wouldn’t have abandoned your subordinates easily.”

“Put that embarrassing talk aside. What’s the next plan?”

“No. I came running with the sole intention of taking you and escaping. That thing is more monstrous than I thought. It moved in an irregular trajectory, but I precisely targeted the engine.”

“Because you must have the brain of a very superior Archies Victima. You must have predicted that order.”

“This is so annoying. Is it Aki’s Big Timah or something?”

“so do i.”

It’s funny, but I’m quite enjoying the current situation. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had such a candid conversation with Ilay.

When faced with a common enemy on the battlefield, we could laugh and forget about complex schemes and conspiracies.

‘If only I had put everything aside and lived as a simple soldier… … .’

My life may have been quite enjoyable, but the trajectory of my life had already been greatly distorted. The future of ‘Luka, a loyal soldier of the Empire’ was gone.

“Luka, I’ll tell you one last time. I’ll buy you some time, so run away.”

“Would you like to earn even 10 seconds against Kashura?”

“Actually, I came here to drag you to the Empire. I couldn’t stand seeing you get caught right away, so I said something to tell you to trust me. I was going to take you to Ivan without any preparation.”

Ilay twisted her lips. It seemed as if she wanted to instill in me a sense of betrayal.

“I don’t feel particularly betrayed by you for saying such things. You have lied a lot since long ago. To me, Ilay Kartika is a liar.”

“Haha, you were seeing me as that kind of person?”

“I guess your nickname, Fox of Kartika, was meant for something good? Shut up and get ready to fight. The dust… … is rising.”

As flames and smoke billowed and rose, the view brightened.

Beyond the hill we had come from, a plume of dust was rising. We could also hear the sound of the Kashura’s engines.

“Illei, do you have any secret weapons? What about the bullets you just replaced?”

“These are special bullets exclusively for the Great Legion. They are special penetrating bullets that our family’s craftsmen meticulously layered one by one.”

I checked Ilay’s hands and legs. They were very sluggish and not very delicate. Their balance was completely lost.

‘It’s impossible after all.’

Even if he were forced to move, he wouldn’t be in a position to fight a strong enemy. It would be difficult to take advantage of Illei’s pride in mobility and shooting ability.

The firepower of the Great Legion bullets was not enough. Kashura was more than the Legion.

‘If I were alone… … .’

You may have decided to fight Kashura until the end, hoping for a miracle.

I closed my eyes. There isn’t much time.

Kashura will try to capture me, but Ilay will kill me mercilessly. It won’t be difficult with Kashura’s firepower.

Memories of my boyhood came flooding back to me.

One girl stands out in my mind. It was Lillian Ramones, who had lived a miserable life.

‘Luka, please… … .’

Lillian seems to be whispering to me, asking me to save Ilay. Of course, Lillian is dead. I don’t believe in ghosts or spirits.

Lillian’s voice asking for Illei to be saved is actually my wish.

Long ago, Ilay put a gun to Lillian’s head to save my life. The guy pulled the trigger, destroying himself.

The events of that day plunged Illei into complete darkness.

… … I don’t know if this is the right choice.

Kartika’s fox, Ilay, may have betrayed me, or may be a monster more twisted than I could ever imagine.

However, Ilay Kartika is still my friend. I have no qualms about choosing Ilay’s death.

Ter- Huh!

I quickly moved, grabbed Ilay’s head and hit her chin. Even if it was a full-body prosthesis, its brain would have shaken.

The focus in Ilay’s pupils is blurry.

“Ilay, if I do something wrong, I entrust Giselle to you. If you are alive, protect me in my stead, no matter what sins I have committed. You are the only person I would ask of you, then or now.”

“roo…….”

Ilay managed to hold on and grab my arm. I don’t know if it was due to mental strength or the performance of the prosthetic body.

Boom!

I hit Ilay’s temple and shook her sideways once more.

Ilay’s consciousness was definitely cut off.

Bam.

Ilay knelt down, holding my arm.

Ssuk.

I saw Kashura walking towards me, pushing away Ilay’s hand.

Easy.

Kashura, wrapped in steam and smoke, approached me. His eyes flickered around, scanning the surroundings, assessing the situation.

Squeak.

Kashura figured out my intentions without any explanation.

“Okay. Come with me, Luca.”

Kashura knelt down on one knee as if courting a lover and held out her hand to me.