MHGA Chapter 245: The Hanged Man and the Fool
"Maine… David, he—"
"David?" Rebecca turned her head, a bit concerned. "What happened to him?"
"David can wait. Kiwi, how's the breach going?" Maine waved a hand and turned to Kiwi.
"Almost done," Kiwi replied. "Arasaka's internal net is all scrambled for some reason. Looks like something big's happening."
"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it after the job's done." Maine chambered a round in his gun. "Finish this gig, then we think about the rest!"
"..."
Lucy bit her lip but still downloaded the information about David's severe injuries and quietly forwarded it to the ripperdoc David knew.
In a small clinic, Doc had been watching a new braindance when he suddenly received Lucy's message.
"Hm?"
Doc took off his braindance gear and glanced at the message—his face immediately filled with question marks.
"What the hell is this?! What the hell did that kid David get himself into?!"
——————————————
"Kh… cough… ptooey…"
Lying amidst the rubble, David's right arm had been completely severed, the broken bone jutting from the charred, electrocuted muscle. His right shoulder was also twisted from the impact.
He and Tanjiro had taken turns holding back the Kirin's assault—but… an Elder Dragon was still an Elder Dragon.
With seemingly infinite stamina, Kirin's attacks came like unending waves, crashing down on them like a storm on tiny boats.
Each block, each dodge, was a brutal strain on both mind and body.
Eventually, David was the first to falter.
After one failed recovery, the Kirin's second charge smashed his shield aside, and a hoof slammed into David's arm—shattering it with sheer monstrous force.
Then Rakuro was caught—his chest crushed under the Kirin's hooves.
Finally, the Kirin unleashed a wide-range lightning surge, enveloping the entire battlefield.
That was when Tanjiro stepped in front of David—and was killed instantly by the thunderstorm. Shirou, at a distance, was also badly injured by the shockwave.
After downing them all, the Kirin immediately pounced on their bodies, ripping open their pouches and gulping down their herbs and Potions like a ravenous beast, before sniffing the air and continuing its path toward Arasaka Tower.
"!"
Lying in the ruins, David angrily pounded the ground with his remaining left hand.
The Rainbow Palico had already carted off Tanjiro and Rakuro. But he and Shirou were in a more… awkward position.
The Kirin had crippled them and then stolen all their healing items.
What made David even angrier was that their defeat… had started with him.
If he hadn't failed to block that double charge, maybe they could have held on longer.
The sting of failing a hunt—it sucked.
Just as David managed to force his battered body upright to check on Shirou, the roar of an AV overhead made him raise his head.
"Joseph! Slow down!!! We're already here!!! Woc, don't crash it!!!" Kairo Retsu's shouting voice echoed from the sky.
Looking up, David saw Kairo and the others barely clinging to the roof of an AV, narrowly skimming past rooftops—dangerously close to crashing.
Joseph's wild piloting looped around once before the AV finally hovered above David. Kairo urgently jumped down.
"Daaaviiiiid—! Damn, David, you look so dead—"
"Guildmaster… I haven't even carted yet…" David muttered, voice low. "Tanjiro and Rakuro already got taken by the Rainbow Cat…"
"It's for dramatic effect, alright? Here, drink up." Kairo quickly handed him a Potion.
Meanwhile, Naofumi was checking on Shirou.
"Guildmaster… we couldn't hold the Kirin off for long," David said quietly, head down.
"You did great—for a debut hunt." Kairo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Starting your career with an Elder Dragon is already insane. Don't sell yourself short."
"There's no artillery unit chasing your ass anymore… You've got all the time in the world now to grow and reach your goals."
"Now then…"
Kairo glanced at David's battered Gunlance and said, "Time to switch to a new loadout. Next up…"
"You've got one final opponent left. If Adam Smasher shows up, are you planning to lose to him again?"
David grew anxious. "But what about the Kirin? And Arasaka? What about Saburo Arasaka?!"
"Aren't we right here?" Kairo replied. "Grab your new Gunlance. Put on your new armor. And go blast Adam Smasher."
"It's time for you… to walk away from the fate you once accepted!"
Kairo clapped a bit harder on his shoulder. "You're not some damn messiah. You weren't born to suffer."
"You want the people you care about to live a good life in your world, right? Then go confront the origin of your nightmares."
"Guildmaster… how'd you know I had nightmares before?" David blinked in confusion.
"Duh, the Palicoes told me. Granny Felyne specifically reminded me to check on your mental health!" Kairo grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "No matter when you come back to the Gathering Hub… Granny'll always have a hot bowl of Felyne Meal ready for you."
"I'm Kairo Retsu—your Guildmaster!" He clapped David's newly regenerated arm after he downed the Potion. "Remember that tarot reading you did? You pulled the Hanged Man—the card of sacrifice…"
"But I'm still here!" Kairo said with a big grin. "I'm The Fool."
"Let's bring this exhausted Night City… back to life!"
"Come make your dream a reality, David!"
Just as Kairo spoke—
Adam Smasher stepped out of Arasaka Tower, his cybernetic body fully restored and loaded with new weapons.
He had received direct orders:
Eliminate or capture any member of the group known as the "Hunters." No exceptions.
A command issued personally… by Saburo Arasaka.
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