MHGA Chapter 246: Demon Series! Muzan Gunlance!
"Head back to the camp and grab your gear," Kairo Retsu said as he walked past David. "There's one set that should be just right for your match with Adam Smasher…"
"Hell, that guy's just a walking chunk of metal with maybe a couple ounces of brain left." Kairo added, "So let that oversized tin can see what biology is really made of!"
"Got it."
David nodded firmly. "Understood."
"Excellent!"
Kairo looked up and shouted to Joseph above. "Joseph! Gimme a Spirit Photo!"
After scanning the surroundings, Kairo's gaze locked onto a large neon billboard nearby. "Take a Spirit Photo of the entire enemy/allied distribution in Night City—use that big-ass screen!"
"Oi! That kind of Spirit Photo takes a ton of effort, y'know?!" Joseph grumbled—but still flicked Hermit Purple toward the billboard about ten meters away.
The massive digital screen flickered violently for a few frames… then switched to a sprawling map of Night City, filled with fast-moving red dots.
"…?"
David blinked in confusion.
Sure, he knew Hunters had some crazy powers—but this?
He waved a hand at the giant screen—and bam, the enemy distribution for all of Night City just popped up?
Then what the hell did the netrunner class even exist for?
"Adam Smasher… where's Adam Smasher?!" David asked anxiously. "Which red dot is him?!"
"Adam Smasher?"
Joseph raised an eyebrow and focused Hermit Purple. One red dot on the screen lit up noticeably—and that red dot was moving directly, completely ignoring building obstacles, in a straight line.
"Wait." David looked at the map and hesitated. "That direction… it's not heading toward us? It's different from the others…"
"What?! Adam Smasher can change sectors?!" Kairo panicked, snapping his head to the screen and biting his thumb in thought. "No… logically, with all that's happened, Smasher should be heading for us or the Kirin. There shouldn't be anything important in that direction… no corp facilities either…"
As Kairo puzzled over it, Shirou—finally recovered—called out.
"Guildmaster! I think I've got it…"
"There aren't many people in Night City we're connected to. Have Joseph use his Spirit Photo to locate them—we'll figure it out!"
"!"
Before Kairo could respond, Joseph had already begun scanning.
"Old Vik?" he tested names one by one. "Jackie? Misty? Rogue?"
"…Maine's crew?"
Joseph's Spirit Photo quickly pinpointed each of them in the city.
The one whose coordinates matched Adam Smasher's trajectory most closely… was the team of six from Maine's crew.
Smasher, true to his mercenary nature, had chosen the most efficient method: go after the people connected to the Hunters and use them as leverage.
"Motherfucker! What the hell is he planning?!"
Kairo's fury exploded. "David, I'll go with you—"
He turned to speak, but David was already gone.
At some point, he'd grabbed the reins of a Hunter Wyvern and was charging into the sky without looking back.
"He might be in real danger like this," said Naofumi Iwatani. "He must really care about Maine's crew… Can he really do it alone?"
Kairo's expression twisted, like a stone was lodged in his gut. "I do believe David can take out Adam Smasher. I really think he's strong enough now—and beating Smasher would be a huge leap forward for him…"
"But…"
"How can we just let people he cares about risk their lives… just to help him grow?" Kairo scratched his head in frustration. "Maybe I should go after him—"
"I'll go."
Naofumi cut him off. "You're the Guildmaster. You need to stay and finish the job with the Kirin. Besides…"
Naofumi smiled. "When it comes to protection, who's more qualified than the Shield Hero?"
"…Alright. Got it."
Kairo didn't hesitate further. "Lucy and Maine's crew are in your hands."
"Shirou, let's go retrieve Tanjiro and Rakuro. Our next destination is Arasaka Tower."
Kairo fist-bumped Naofumi, then helped Shirou onto the AV.
But what Shirou found himself caring about was something else entirely.
Kairo's frustration over David… gave Shirou an unexpected sense of reassurance.
Maybe… when Illya faced whatever awaited her, as long as he reached out—Kairo would never turn a blind eye.
Meanwhile, David had already returned to the Night City base on wyvern-back.
The moment he landed, he sprinted toward the gear chest guarded by a Palico, searching for the equipment Kairo had left for him.
The Palico handed him what looked like a set of tight-fitting leather armor and a strange, almost fleshy-looking Gunlance.
"This is… a Gunlance?" David had expected most Hunter weapons to look fairly normal.
But this Gunlance looked like it was made of raw meat and blood vessels.
"This is gear crafted from the materials of a previous target the Hunters took down, nya!"
The Palico puffed with pride. "Demon Series equipment… Muzan Gunlance! A newly developed set by the Forge Department, nya! Full set of armor and weapon grants the Hunter—"
"Sorry… no time for the rundown!"
David hastily pulled on the skin-tight armor, grabbed the Gunlance, and bolted out of the base. He took a deep breath.
He had memorized the location Lucy and Maine's team were last at. Adam Smasher would likely reach that Arasaka factory very soon.
Time was running out. So…
David inhaled sharply, turned the Gunlance backward, and began charging the built-in Wyvern's Fire.
Time… began to slow.
Slower. Slower.
Driven by his frantic thoughts, David felt his heart pound violently—his blood being pumped into his brain until it felt ready to burst.
"Blast Dash… FLY ME THERE!!!!"
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