MHGA Chapter 261 – The Horn of the Kirin
Doc, the cyberware ripper David had known for a long time, wasn't exactly a top-tier ripperdoc—but he had his fair share of side hustles.
David and Doc got to know each other mostly because David helped sell Braindance recordings for him. One thing led to another, and the two became acquainted.
Doc had always thought his relationship with David was nothing special. But today, he suddenly received a message from that guy's girlfriend.
A video clip—David was in trouble.
At first, Doc didn't want to get involved. But after lying back down to watch more Braindance, he couldn't shake off the discomfort. Eventually, he put on his prosthetic hand, got in his car, and went out to look for David.
The result? Not only did he fail to find David—when he came back, he found his clinic blown to hell, smoke rising from the ruins…
And then, Doc saw the door of his clinic slowly fall inward in response to his outburst, revealing David and Lucy, wrapped in each other's arms, drawing closer in an embrace…
A vein twitched violently on Doc's forehead. "You two… sent me away just so you could get busy in my clinic?"
"! No!! You've got it all wrong!" David, feeling like his reputation was being shredded, quickly let go of Lucy and raised both hands—but just as he did, a literal fountain of blood spurted from his nose and he collapsed backward.
"David!!!!!!!!!"
A few minutes later, David came to. He realized he was in the backseat of a car, and when he opened his eyes, Lucy's face was right there—his head resting against something soft and heavenly…
"Heaven?" David blurted out.
"Hell, kid!" Doc yelled from the driver's seat. "What kind of deal did you make, huh?! You even managed to take down Adam Smasher! Stick around that place any longer and Arasaka's gonna catch up to you!"
"And… how long were you running Sandevistan? Your brain didn't get fried? Don't tell me you kept that thing running the entire time you were fighting Smasher?!"
"N-No… I didn't…" David felt his body full of power, but mentally he was utterly drained. He felt like a rag doll.
"Sandevistan's long gone…" David said. "But even without the cyberware, I could still use its functions, so I just…"
As soon as David said that, the car jerked violently—Doc apparently made a driving error from the sheer shock of it.
"You dumbass…" Doc cursed. "Do you even know what Sandevistan is used for?!"
"A cyberware that slows down time…?" David replied weakly.
"It's a neural acceleration plugin, you little moron!" Doc snapped. "The real component is just a tiny chip! That whole damn frame is there to protect your brain from frying itself when you boost!"
"You're telling me you ran neuro-acceleration without any of the protective framework?! How many damn times did you use that thing?! Your nervous system's adapted to that state now!!! If you had the protective unit, sure, maybe…"
"But no—you, you absolute jackass, used neuro-acceleration barebones—and still killed Adam Smasher?! Shit! You really are some kind of freak!!!"
"Doc, will David be okay…?" Lucy asked, stroking David's hair gently as he lay on her lap, clearly distressed.
"Normal person'd be toast or half-crippled by now," Doc grunted. "But this brat… I don't even know what kinda messed up organization you got recruited into. No cyberware left, yet you turned a half-brain Adam Smasher into human mincemeat. Even if all that's left of you is a brain in a jar, I bet they could bring you back!"
"Goddamn it, don't bring that psycho to my clinic again! My whole damn life savings—gone!!"
"Heh…" David let out a faint laugh. "I'll pay you back, Doc."
David's spirit was starting to recover.
He realized that what knocked him out wasn't physical damage—but nerve overstrain. That's why even his regeneration couldn't keep up, and he finally collapsed.
Doc was probably taking him and Lucy far away from the site of Smasher's death, to avoid Arasaka's retaliation… But his mission was already complete.
David opened the Guild Channel and sent out a message.
[Adam Smasher… has been dealt with! I won!
I did it—with Lucy! We've changed this messed-up future!]
David clenched his fists.
His message was instantly relayed to every Hunter connected to the Gathering Hub.
In the camp, Kazuma saw the message and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew… good thing David and Lucy are okay…"
Naofumi Iwatani, already closing in on the Arasaka Tower, nodded and shut off the comms, preparing for his climb.
And atop the Arasaka Tower…
"Puh—Koff! Koff Koff!"
Kairo Retsu had just taken a direct kick to the chest from a Kirin. His ribs were instantly shattered, and his heart suffered a severe shock—he was flung into the railing of the tower's roof and embedded into it.
A spurt of blood burst out as Kairo, chugging a healing potion, glanced at David's broadcasted message.
"Hell yeah—koff koff—that's what I wanted to see—ugh…"
He cheered while coughing up blood, then drank another potion, his HP bar recovering as he got back to his feet and charged straight toward the Kirin.
"David already finished his life's big mission! No way we're falling behind!"
"Let's go, Sparkle Horse!!! Time to taste some rainbow sunshine!!!"
Wielding his Insect Glaive, Kairo vaulted high into the air and fired a marker shot at the Kirin mid-jump, allowing his Kinsect to lock onto the beast and attack.
"Listen up! Our mission… is to stall until Himmel gets here!"
"Until he arrives, we've gotta weaken this thing as much as we can!" Kairo shouted. "First priority…"
"BREAK THAT HORN!!!!"
On the Kirin's glimmering translucent unicorn horn, several gashes had already appeared—marks left by the Hunters who had been pounding away at it.
And now, the Kirin…
Was angrier than ever.
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