Chapter 782

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 782: A Ruckus (3)

A sheriff's retirement ceremony.

Through this, the information Yeongwoo could obtain would amount to at least two things.

The first was the level of a galactic sheriff's martial prowess.

Even if it was an outer galaxy, was he not a sheriff entrusted with the sheer authority of the galactic government?

Just how great was such a sheriff's martial prowess?

Once that rabbit sheriff began engaging in combat in earnest, he would soon be able to see it.

‘And while I’m at it, I’ll also be able to properly gauge the combat power of the Commandments.’

Of course, having fought them directly himself, Yeongwoo knew very well how monstrous the Commandments were, but the truth was he had never fought a Commandment unit that included Commandment Commander Achiga.

And above all, back when he fought the Commandments in the Legacy Chamber, he had the help of his maternal uncle and his friends.

On the other hand, in the sheriff's case, it was a staggering 1-on-10 battle.

Strictly speaking, since Commandment Commander Achiga’s martial prowess was vastly stronger than the other Commandments, at worst it could practically be considered a 1-on-20 fight.

‘Either way, whoever wins, it’ll be astonishing.’

Should the sheriff win, it would mean the martial prowess of a galactic sheriff was high enough to bring down the guardian of a Great One’s legacy; and if the Commandments emerged victorious…

‘It’ll mean the Commandment unit alone is enough to overpower a decent-ranking public official.’

Of course, anyone who knew the universe well would naturally bet on the galactic sheriff's victory.

Though Yeongwoo, who traveled aboard the Earth Vessel, hadn't had a proper chance to feel it firsthand, an actual galaxy was truly colossal in size.

The overwhelming majority of beings never stepped foot outside their galaxy in their entire lifetimes, and in a single galaxy alone, renowned houses numbered in the thousands at the very least.

Furthermore, among those numerous large houses, only a select few became prestigious clans that traversed the galactic armies.

So just how powerful a being must a sheriff be, tasked with resolving every conceivable matter occurring within the galaxy?

Not only did one need outstanding martial prowess, but a galactic sheriff was someone who had to possess the judgment and sense of responsibility to earn the government's complete trust.

That was precisely why Ganek Sezora was able to block the path of none other than a Planet Vessel Master.

Kwoong.

Soon enough, ten Commandments, including Achiga, besieged Ganek from all directions, whereupon Ganek Sezora twitched one ear and spoke.

—These guys, they lack any presence.

“That’s why they aren’t affected by your presence either. They don't even know fear. Even if one of their arms falls off, they’ll keep biting and clinging to you until the bitter end.”

—You keep gruesome subordinates.

“Do you still intend to die?”

—How about answering that yourself first, you bastard!

With a shout resembling a martial yell, Galactic Sheriff Ganek lunged at Yeongwoo, only for Commandment Commander Achiga to dart out at tremendous speed and seize Ganek by the scruff of his neck.

Fwhoooosh!

—Kuhk!

Flung backward in an instant, Ganek swung his hammer to shrug off Achiga's arm.

At that, Achiga took a large stride backward, and conversely, the black Commandments rushed forward all at once.

They had executed a sort of tag-team switch between offense and defense.

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

Nine Commandments charged like a pitch-black wall, yet without a trace of fear, Ganek glared at Achiga through the gaps between the Commandments.

He had realized that to reach the Planet Vessel Master, he had to dispose of that white Commandment first.

—Quite tricky.

Ganek briefly summarized the current situation.

Then, he thrust a kick at the Commandment that had closed in right under his nose.

Kwaaak!

Yet contrary to his expectations, the Commandment was not pushed back in the slightest; instead, the Commandment seized his leg and swung a blade toward him.

Sssshweeeek!

—…!

At this rate, one of his legs would be severed before he could even touch the target.

And so, in the end, before a single proper clash could conclude, Ganek ended up breaking his own word.

He drew the pistol at his waist and fired at the fingers of the Commandment holding his leg.

Taaang!

A massive explosion erupted, tearing the Commandment away from Ganek, but the problem was the presence of eight more Commandments nearby.

Puh-uh-uhk!

Before Ganek could even recover his balance, an iron flail flew in from the right and struck him in the flank, followed immediately by a fist shooting out from the left that slammed across his cheek.

—Kyak!

Crimson blood spouted from the sheriff's mouth.

And right after, a long spear blade flew in, aimed at his throat; this, at least, Ganek managed to block by raising his hammer.

Kwigik!

“Impressive.”

Watching this, Yeongwoo could not help but admire him.

It was not because he was amazed by Ganek's combat instincts in warding off a fatal blow amidst all that, but rather because he was astonished that Ganek's eyes were still brimming with confidence.

Even after conceding two solid hits just now, he had still judged this fight to be manageable.

‘Could it be he still has something more up his sleeve?’

The moment Yeongwoo had that thought, Ganek slipped and darted between the Commandments delivering the follow-up attacks.

Ta-aht!

The Commandments narrowly sliced through the space he had just vacated, and he subsequently dodged the consecutive attacks of the two Commandments guarding the rear.

From suffering that initial beating earlier, he had completely grasped the Commandments’ attack speed.

Of course, even so, seemingly lacking the confidence to face all nine Commandments at once, Ganek ran straight toward Achiga while leaving all the Commandments behind his back.

—Get out of the way! In this place, the law of the Hezara Government stands above all else!

As Ganek shouted lines befitting a sheriff and adjusted his grip on the hammer, Commandment Commander Achiga, who stood against him, let slip an entirely emotionless voice.

=If you wish for me to open the path, answer. Has the end of the universe arrived?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

In response, instead of answering, Ganek swung his hammer, and soon Achiga's left hand, clad in a pure white gauntlet, accurately caught the opponent's hammer.

Tuh-uh-ung!

He had literally caught the attack barehanded.

—Wh-what…!

As Ganek's eyes widened in disbelief at the unbelievable sight, Achiga hurled the spear held in his right hand high into the air.

Fwhoosh!

At the same time, with the left hand gripping Ganek’s hammer, he slammed it down onto the ground.

Kwaaak!

Ganek let go of the hammer to avoid being dragged down to the floor, and around that time, the long spear that had soared into the air earlier came plummeting back with its blade pointed downward.

Sssshweeeeee!

Aimed precisely at the crown of Ganek's head, no less.

—…!

Sensing a destructive power he wouldn't dare attempt to deflect with his bare body, Ganek hastily twisted his frame, narrowly evading the spear blade.

And then, right after.

Khwaek!

As if having anticipated it, Achiga swung his fist, completely shattering one of his shoulders.

As if a stuffed trash bag had burst open, the components that made up Ganek's shoulder scattered in all directions, and right after, Achiga's opposite fist cut through the air.

Khwa-a-a-a-ek!

With a terrifying sound, a white trajectory sliced past the very spot where Ganek's chin had just been.

Amidst this, Ganek had miraculously managed an evasive maneuver.

—Huff!

Unlike earlier, Ganek took rough, ragged breaths as he stumbled backward.

At this, Yeongwoo sighed inwardly upon seeing that the nine Commandments were already positioned right behind him.

Though paradoxical, deep down, he had secretly hoped Ganek might actually overcome the Commandments.

“Guess your cool streak ends here.”

No sooner had Yeongwoo muttered this than one of the black Commandments kicked the back of Ganek's thigh.

Puh-uhk!

Thanks to that, Ganek’s lower body tilted sideways, and immediately another Commandment moved to strike the sheriff across the jaw.

That was, right until Yeongwoo issued a halt command in a sharp voice.

“Stop!”

The instant Yeongwoo’s shout rang out, the black Commandment pulled its fist away from Ganek's cheek, and Achiga uttered an inquisitive voice from within his white helm.

=What is the matter?

“I thought the thug would be on the sheriff’s side, but looking at it now, we’re the ones playing the thugs. This is enough.”

=However, this one has not yet retired.

Achiga raised his spear, pointing it at Ganek’s neck, which was still intact for the moment.

At that, Yeongwoo gave his body a brief, exasperated shake.

“One of his shoulders is already wrecked. That should be more than enough reason to retire. Besides, he's even showing his respect already.”

Indeed, Ganek was in a state of half-kneeling.

“Hey, you seem like a fine sheriff, so take your life and go. And take the residents here with you, too.”

When Yeongwoo spoke like that, Ganek tried to fling himself at him, only to be restrained by the Commandments.

—I refuse.

“…What?”

—In the end, that would only announce that the sheriff was defeated by a criminal. Just kill me.

“No… whether you live or die, you were defeated all the same. You couldn’t even lay a single fingertip on me.”

—Only if I die will the Hezara Government take action directly. Therefore, if I have failed to kill you, I must never remain alive.

“Ah.”

It was a reasoning that left one's mouth agape.

This fellow really was an exceptional sheriff.

“So there was a reason Hezara could talk about peace and whatnot.”

Yeongwoo, after pondering deeply, soon commanded the Commandments.

“Hold him down. So he can’t twitch even a single finger.”

At that, the nine Commandments scattered in unison, firmly seizing down to Ganek's very fingers, just as instructed.

—Wh-what is the meaning of this?

“Guys like you always carry some sort of self-destruction mechanism.”

Next, as Yeongwoo signaled with a nod, Commandment Commander Achiga searched Ganek’s entire body.

And just as expected, a device presumed to be a self-destruct mechanism and several smoke grenades were retrieved.

“If you die, the Hezara Government will step up in full force, you say? Then there’s even less reason for me to kill you. The only thing allowed to die to its heart's content is Planet Pareshik.”

—Then what on earth are you planning to do?!

“What do you mean, 'what'? I'm kidnapping you. If Pareshik doesn't choose annihilation, I'll release you back here.”

Assault and kidnapping.

This, too, was Yeongwoo's routine daily business.

At this, Obstruction of Justice alternated pointing an index finger between Yeongwoo and Ganek, protesting loudly.

× Hey, you’re gonna leave that crazy public official alive? Let’s just kill him and fight the galactic government too!

“That’ll just blow things out of proportion. Who knows how many more loyal bastards they have on the government's side.”

Besides, hadn't they already taken all the practical gains?

There was no need to take further risks on Pareshik.

Quickly shattering whatever that planetary seal was and getting the hell out of here was the best course of action.

“Now then, where is the planetary seal? Let’s get it over with quickly.”

When Yeongwoo asked Parina this, she looked at the sheriff with a troubled expression.

『Are you really going to take this fellow along to undo the planetary seal?』

“Do we have any other choice? If we slit his throat, the galactic government will intervene directly, and if we just let him go, he’ll definitely commit suicide.”

At Yeongwoo's words, the Commandments lifted Ganek between them like a log.

They had instinctively realized that they would soon be moving before the planetary seal with their captive in tow.

At this, Parina turned her head in the direction where the seal was sensed, muttering under her breath.

『The ordinary universe truly is… a bizarre place.』

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]