Very Wrong Reincarnation: Isekai with Game Nation

Chapter 17

She immediately drew her enormous claymore, cleaving through the darkness as she braced for an inevitable confrontation before a whizzing sound reverberated, as if something cutting through the air at high speed, and landed at her feet a few centimeters away.

Thud!

It was without a doubt a warning, and seeing it sent shivers down her spine. Her cautious gaze landed on the assailants.

"Don't move." The leading person pointed a dark staff at her, no, then she realized what it was – a gun of unusual design. There was a muzzle pointing at her chest with green pillars of light focused on it. She didn't know what it was, but at the very least, if she made a wrong move, she would definitely be peppered with bullets, just like what happened to the escorts of the slave convoy – a horrible death in the darkness of night.

"Appears you guys aren't affiliated with Valurian thugs," he said to them calmly but with an alarmingly eerie tone that sent shivers through Nive. Then, soon her primal instincts made her feel as if something was staring at her from above or from very far as she carefully glanced on the surrounding without moving an inch. Yet, she couldn't see nor smell other people. For a demi-human like her, and her added attributes as a dog beastmen boosted her immense keen smell and sensitivity to the surroundings, but she couldn't discern where the other fellows of these people were. That thought alone sent shivers down her spine as she gulped, processing the words of the unknown assailants.

"Wh-who are you people?" She gritted her teeth in fear and anxiety, demanding an answer from the assailants.

"That's a matter that doesn't concern you, on the other hand," the leader responded dismissively. Her vigilance heightened as one of the guards, who appeared to have survived the accurate attacks, groaned. The eyes of the unknown assailants focused on the person, and in a heartbeat, the muzzle pointed at the head of the guard with a flash. Muffled sounds erupted, and the person didn't even utter a last death cry — it simply fell to the ground lifelessly — bloodied. While it was a merciful one-hit kill, the efficient brutality that claimed lives without mercy in seconds, without a second thought, left Nive looking at them with caution. One wrong move, and she could be next.

"Answer my question or else..." He spoke cryptically, making it clear that a wrong word could result in lethal consequences. "Understand? First question, what's your affiliation?" The bluntness of the question left Nive in a precarious position. The people before her seemed indifferent to whether she answered truthfully or not, ready to pass judgment swiftly.

Caught in a dilemma where honesty and lying both seemed perilous, Nive realized that any response could lead to dire consequences — she's out of options. Glancing back for a moment, she signaled urgently for a tactical withdrawal. It became evident that safeguarding crucial information and swiftly reporting this encounter to their superiors took precedence over the risks of answering the unknown assailants.

Her suspicious actions and tense silence heightened the vigilance of the unknown assailants. The muzzles of their weapons shifted from Nive's chest to her head, indicating a readiness for a lethal response. "You have 3 seconds to answer," the lead assailant declared, fingers poised on the triggers, his ultimatum carrying an air of finality. "Begins now." As the countdown commenced, he prepared to deliver a swift, deadly shot upon completion.

Gnashing her fangs and feeling the weight of impending doom, Nive made a desperate decision. In a bold move, she raised her enormous claymore, gathering momentum in her lower body to spring forward. Her intention was clear – an attempt to take down the leader of the unknown assailants, even if it meant sacrificing herself in a desperate bid to buy time for Leticia and the others to escape.

Her provocation unfolded into an imminent clash, with both sides ready to settle matters decisively. In response, Nive closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable confrontation.