Arknights: It Can't Possibly Be My Fault... Right? — Chapter 64

Chapter 64: What Kind of Nonsense Is This!

“Faust! Kill him! Kill him for me! And all of you! Get him!” Mephisto’s frenzied voice echoed across the square, grating heavily on Kai’s nerves.

Kai was already running late thanks to a tedious delay in the Slums. The journey itself had chewed up far too much time, and the moment he finally arrived at the scene, he had to witness this twisted little brat up to his dirty tricks again.

Following Mephisto’s screeching command, the Reunion Movement surged forward. Countless crossbow bolts shot out from every conceivable blind spot in the ruined architecture. Some formed a deadly net to block Kai’s path to the white-haired commander, while others aimed directly for his vital points.

Faced with such a dense, suffocating barrage of fire, any normal person would dive for cover to avoid the brunt of it. But who was Kai? He was currently running on v4promax mode! He simply raised a hand, conjured a thin, glowing membrane of energy, and tanked the entire volley without blinking.

Under normal circumstances, even with ample mana reserves, he wouldn’t waste his energy like this. But this was clearly not a normal situation. He was practically plugged into a fast charger! The ambient Originium density here was off the charts. Kai clenched his fist, savoring that familiar, bloated sensation of overflowing power. Who said the air in Lungmen was bad? This air was absolutely fantastic!

Watching the explosive bolts kick up a massive cloud of dust, Mephisto screamed in unhinged rage. “Faust! Keep going! I want him torn to pieces!”

“The situation isn’t right. We need to leave.” Faust materialized silently beside the crazed boy, his voice low and urgent. “I can sense that person hasn’t taken any damage. Don’t forget, Talulah gave us other tasks.”

“…Tch, damn it. That guy got lucky…” Mephisto clicked his tongue in deep displeasure. He desperately wanted to see that arrogant insect writhe and scream in agony before dying, but he didn’t dare mess up Talulah’s grand plans.

“I’ll have the Phantom Crossbowmen try to hold him off.” Seeing Mephisto finally quiet down, Faust prepared to channel his Originium Arts to pull them both out of the combat zone.

“You two… leaving just like that would make us at Rhodes Island seem like incredibly poor hosts, wouldn’t it?” A voice that sounded inherently sunny and far too casual suddenly rang out directly behind them.

Hearing Kai’s voice at point-blank range, a violent chill shot down Faust’s spine. The sniper instantly drew an explosive bolt and thrust it backward in a desperate melee strike, but Kai simply reached out and caught the arrowhead. His grip clamped down like a vice, preventing the explosive payload from even triggering.

Seeing the situation turn instantly lethal, Faust let go of the bolt, grabbed Mephisto by the shoulder, and accelerated the activation of his Originium Arts. As light rapidly refracted and bent around their bodies, their figures vanished from Kai’s sight.

“Tch, stealth types are so annoying… But it’s fine, I brought a map-wide attack.” Kai happily snapped his fingers. “I say, Incinerate.”

Different from his previous, more controlled uses of the spell, this terrifying wave of flame erupted directly from Kai’s own body. It continuously expanded outward in a raging inferno. With an aura that promised to reduce everything to ash, the firestorm surged in all directions, directly blasting away the concealed Faust and Mephisto, along with the Reunion members who had foolishly turned back to rush him.

A sickening feeling of weightlessness filled Faust’s consciousness. Searing heat clung to his exposed skin. The sensation was agonizing, like having his very soul held over an open fire.

A metallic, sweet taste of blood rushed up his throat. His Originium Arts faltered momentarily, the camouflage shattering as his concentration broke. He and Mephisto collapsed heavily onto the cracked pavement like puppets with their strings abruptly cut.

Oh, poor Mephisto. He had already been sent tumbling through the dirt twice today. Looking at his pristine white outfit now, it was just as filthy as his heart.

Not far away, the smoke cleared. Seeing that the two commanders who had taken his massive explosion point-blank were still twitching, Kai nodded in deep satisfaction and strolled toward them. That was more like it. This was exactly how elite bosses should be.

Sensing the approaching footsteps, Faust bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to force himself to focus. He pushed through the agony and activated his Originium Arts once more, his form melting back into the optical distortion.

Mephisto, however, lay sprawled on the ground, seemingly knocked unconscious by the blast wave. In his current battered state, Faust couldn’t extend his Arts to cover the boy from a distance.

“Still able to hide, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Seeing the sniper vanish, Kai didn’t bother chasing shadows. Instead, he walked straight toward the unconscious Mephisto. As an experienced gamer, Kai fully understood the golden rule of team fights: always target the healer first.

A clearly weakened crossbow bolt flew from his blind spot, a desperate attempt to draw aggro. Kai simply tilted his head casually, letting the projectile whistle past his ear. Then, he reached down, grabbed Mephisto by the collar, and hoisted him into the air like a helpless baby chick.

A sharp, ringing slap echoed like a sudden clap of thunder across the deathly quiet square.

Mephisto was slapped violently awake. The moment his eyes fluttered open and he registered Kai’s face, the boy immediately began struggling like a wild animal, spitting venomous curses. “Let me go! You damned… I should have had Faust shoot you… I’ll hang you from the tallest…”

Another brutal slap landed, delivered with just the right amount of force—enough to stun, but not enough to cause permanent brain damage.

Mephisto’s frantic cursing abruptly stopped. Covering the swelling red mark on the side of his face, he stared at Kai in absolute shock. “You dare…”

“I’ll kill you!!” Kai interrupted, his voice dropping into a deadpan threat.

“I didn’t even say anything yet!”

“You said it just now.”

“Could you…!” Mephisto couldn’t take the sheer absurdity and humiliation anymore. His voice cracked, sounding entirely tearful.

“Hmm?” Kai raised his right hand high, poised to deliver a third strike.

“I was wrong! Don’t slap me anymore… Sniff… What I meant was… could you slap the other side of my face… Sniffle…” Mephisto let out a hoarse sob, looking as if his entire fragile psyche had completely shattered.

Ah, this… Did I slap his brains loose? Looking at Mephisto’s pathetic display of snot and tears, Kai suddenly felt a wave of deep disgust. He unceremoniously tossed the crying boy back onto the dirt.

And those Phantom Crossbowmen? While Kai was busy disciplining their commander, the snipers had all gone dead silent. Not a single one dared to make a move. They had likely received a tactical withdrawal order from Faust the moment things went south.

“Amiya… I’m starting to feel… like Kai is the bad guy here…” Meteorite watched the bizarre scene unfold from a distance. Her mouth had fallen open in pure astonishment the moment Kai appeared, and she hadn’t managed to close it since.

“…Mr. Kai is a good person.” Even though the brutal, bullying events unfolding right before her eyes clashed severely with that statement, Amiya still felt a strong obligation to defend her operator’s reputation.

“Hey! Faust, I know you’re still here. You definitely can’t bear to leave this guy behind.” Kai paid absolutely no attention to Mephisto, who was currently kneeling in the rubble and weeping.

“Now, let’s play a game you love. Starting now, for every extra minute you hide, I’ll break one of his fingers!” Kai declared loudly to the empty square. Of course, he wouldn’t actually do it. He wasn’t a sadistic beast like Mephisto who took genuine pleasure in torturing others.

But if Faust was truly determined to stay hidden, Kai would be out of options. He hadn’t used another area-of-effect attack to flush the sniper out the moment he concealed himself. Who knew where the guy might have repositioned by now?

But Kai firmly believed Faust wouldn’t abandon his friend.

Sure enough, before Kai had even counted to ten in his head, Faust emerged from the deep shadows cast by a collapsed building.

Under Kai’s expectant gaze, the sniper threw his beloved heavy crossbow to the ground and kicked it away. Then, he raised his hands high and slowly knelt down, mirroring Mephisto’s defeated posture.

Alright, Kai had to admit this was a completely unexpected development. He had only thought about forcing Faust out into the open for a negotiation or a hostage trade. Why did this guy just drop to his knees right there? Was he really dealing with a terrible villain?

“Faust, there’s no need for this. To be honest, this vile person is no longer the ‘him’ you used to know,” Kai said, his tone dropping its mocking edge.

“Let him go. I’ll trade my life for his,” Faust stated flatly, acting as if he hadn’t heard a single word Kai just said. “Or the Reunion Movement’s plans, Talulah’s strategic arrangements for Lungmen—you can ask me anything I know. Just let him live.”

“Faust! You idiot! No! Get lost! Who needs you to trade your life!” Hearing Faust’s desperate offer, Mephisto immediately broke down again, screaming and cursing at his closest friend.

“…” Kai stood in silence. He had to admit, this dramatic scene was incredibly touching. It was the classic tale of a tragic, lone hero facing down an evil, overwhelming force with unwavering resolve, all just to save a cherished comrade’s life.

The only glaring problem was that Kai was currently playing the part of the evil villain. What kind of nonsense was this!