The Broken System Chose the Antagonist
Chapter 28: Combined Effort

Chapter 28: Combined Effort

Despite obviously getting better at handling Predicaments, Nadia knew she couldn’t handle more than one at once. Especially, not with her current fatigue.

Nadia sighed and reluctantly looked towards Hilda for help.

’This is definitely something we can’t handle, she must know that—’

Instead of seeing Hilda stepping up to deal with the Predicaments, she instead found the woman walking the opposite way before stopping. The same woman then turned around and began cheering for them.

"Go, go, go! You can do it, you three! I believe in you~!"

Nadia’s face immediately turned deadpan; unable to believe what she was seeing...

How heartless was Hilda that she wanted them to face two Predicaments at the same time? Just one took a lot of effort to kill, much less two at the same time!

She then glanced at Callum and Seraphine, who were watching as Hilda cheered them on, looking as concerned and unconfident as she was.

The Heroine sighed loudly before looking forward; the two Predicaments had now detected their presence.

She then thought with a resolute Heart:

’I’ll get us through this.’

Even though she knew this battle wasn’t going to go well, she was going to give it her best regardless.

With a tight grip on her sword, which had begun to glow, she dashed forward with a stomp.

Empowered with Vitality, she quickly closed the gap between her and the Scoundrel, who ambushed her. Then, she swung her longsword in a wide arc, aiming for the monster’s neck.

"{Resolution}!"

SWISH—SWOOSH!

The Scoundrel leapt back, dodging Nadia’s attack with ease. Although it was stunned for a split second, it managed to gather that Nadia was still prey with its keen senses — she was just more capable than the prey it had hunted last night!

Before it could decide to make a counterattack, it failed to see a thin arc of light flying at it. This inability ultimately led to its immediate death as the glowing blue crescent managed to slice through its neck cleanly.

Nadia huffed with slight fatigue, then moved to dodge a strike from the other Scoundrel.

Hilda watched from afar as the fight started, smirking with an impressed look on her face.

"Hoh~?"

’She managed to kill it early...’

Predicaments were creatures of adaptability in battle, to the point where fighting one for too long would eventually spell the Vitalist’s doom. And because of their healing factor, Predicaments could survive through the harshest of injuries — injuries that should most definitely be fatal.

Although these monsters had hearts and bled blood, it didn’t matter if their hearts were destroyed. As long as their brains were mostly intact and connected to the rest of their body, they would still survive.

Thus, the GOHG recommended two options to deal with them.

It was either ending a Predicament instantly before it could have a chance to grow or overwhelm the monster beyond how much it could regenerate before it collapses.

Thus, Nadia choosing to quickly end one of the Predicaments was a bold, but rather wise decision.

Hilda chuckled inside.

’Although, I always tend to stick with the latter option.’

Something about torturing Predicaments brought her unparalleled satisfaction. But it was because of this strange trait of hers that she was always scolded.

After a little reminiscing, Hilda returned her focus back to the fight.

THUD!

Nadia dodged to the side with a dark expression before immediately putting distance between her and the Predicament. She then glanced at the spot the Scoundrel struck and found it to be stained with a puddle of blood.

She then refocused her gaze on the remaining Predicament, which had begun to use the corpse of its friend as a weapon — dragging it by the leg and using it as a mace.

When she had planned to take out the first Predicament, she did it in the hopes it wouldn’t cause her an issue later on in the fight.

But who would have guessed it would continue to cause issues even after death like this!?

Nadia’s face contorted in not only disgust, but also astonishment.

The Scoundrel dashed at her again, leaping with its powerful legs. Then, with the corpse over its head, it swung down on Nadia.

"Tch!" She clicked her tongue and quickly dodged to the side.

THUD!

A wet thud resounded from the slam, followed by a metallic scent from the blood splatter.

Nadia stepped forward with her sword raised, prepared to make a counterattack. But unfortunately, the Predicament had already adapted to the situation.

With a sudden spin, it slammed the bloody corpse into Nadia’s left side, causing the woman’s body to arc a little before flying off.

Crash!

The Heroine crashed into a wall and bounced off it. She then clutched her left arm, which throbbed painfully — just flexing her muscles felt unbearable.

It wasn’t broken, but she was sure she wouldn’t be able to use it for at least a few hours.

’Damn it...’

Nadia gritted her teeth and forced herself up to her feet, using her sword as a crutch.

With now only one arm still functional, Nadia’s confidence in this fight dropped considerably. But that didn’t mean she was going to give up.

’I can still swing my sword with one arm...’

Grabbing her sword, she brandished it bravely at the approaching monster, unfazed by the Predicament that stood before her.

She was still standing!

’Too give up now would mean resigning to weakness.’ Nadia thought, glancing towards Hilda, ’And I refuse to show such weakness in front of a murderer—wait, where did she go?’

When she had looked over to where Hilda was originally, she found the German woman to have completely vanished, along with Callum and Seraphine!

Nadia’s face paled.

’Was I... abandoned...?’ She thought in utter shock, her mind blanking for a split second.

"S-seriously...?" Nadia subconsciously muttered out loud.

She had absolutely expected Hilda to leave at the slightest display of weakness from her, but she didn’t think Callum and Seraphine would as well... especially after protecting them by herself.

Nadia gritted as her Heart fell into turmoil. Then she sighed with a resolute gaze inside her heart. So what if she was abandoned? As long as those two managed to survive under Hilda’s protection, that would be fine with her.

Although...

"Come on!"

That didn’t mean she didn’t have any regrets...

Watching as the Predicament before her raised its morbid weapon, she prepared herself.

She charged her longsword, which shook in her hand. Though she had a resolute look in her eyes, something about the dimness in her blade made her determination falter a little.

But that weakness was instantly extinguished after she tightened her grip.

Even if she was low on Vitality, even if she was down one limb...

She was still standing.

’I may die today, but I will die trying...’

Without any fear left in her heart, Nadia stepped forward, prepared to face the monster head-on.

But...

Before either she or the Scoundrel could enact their attack—

STAB!

—A third party intervened.

Piercing through the Scoundrel’s neck was a makeshift spear that slowly began to materialise from thin air, along with its wielder — Callum Ashby.

Nadia’s eyes immediately widened into shock.

’What’s he doing here?’

Callum, who had pierced through the Scoundrel’s neck with his spear, found himself in a troubling situation. When he had rushed in to help, he had initially planned to take off the monster’s head after stabbing through its neck.

But...

’It won’t budge!’

It wasn’t looking like something he would be capable of achieving.

Despite imbuing the makeshift spear with his Vitality, he struggled to saw through the monster’s thick neck muscle! And given how it was looking, it was going to be unlikely he would saw through its spine.

Callum cracked a worried smile as he watched the Scoundrel turn to him.

He gulped.

"Uh, oh—"

WHAM!

The Predicament struck him in the chest, the blow instantly knocking all the air out of his lungs. He then crashed into the same wall Nadia stood at.

After he collapsed to the ground, he began coughing and wheezing haphazardly.

Nadia continued to remain stunned over what had just occurred, but quickly broke out of her daze when she realised the Scoundrel was now distracted with the spear inside its neck.

’Now’s the time!’

With her sword now having become scorchingly bright, Nadia readied herself and stepped forward. But by the time she arrived in front of the Predicament, it had already pulled the spear out from its neck.

Time then turned slow as she watched the Scoundrel swiftly aim the spear towards her, with full intentions of skewering through her entire body.

’I won’t be able to dodge in time!’ Nadia thought in horror.

If the Predicament went through with this attack, she would surely die without a doubt!

Seeing the spear now in motion towards her, she pushed her forward with all her might—

’Come on!’

—Praying her attack would move faster than the spear.

And.

As if graced by the heavens...

BANG!

Someone answered her prayers.

A gunshot rang aloud, deafeningly, echoing throughout the street.

The spear that had been on course to skewer Nadia was halted still as a stream of blood leaked from the Scoundrel’s ear.

Within the split second of shock the Scoundrel was going through, Nadia glanced to the side, finding Seraphine positioned metres away from them — with Hilda standing behind her, smirking.

Seraphine, who had fired the gun under Hilda’s guidance, immediately beamed:

’I didn’t miss!’

Nadia’s eyes widened at the events that had just occurred.

’They...!’

They hadn’t abandoned her!

Although she wanted to know how they had gone invisible, that wasn’t important right now.

Right now...

With the Scoundrel, who was now deaf in one ear...

’One shot.’

She had one shot at killing this Predicament!

With all the might left she had in her body, and all of her Vitality, she pushed herself and crossed the remaining gap between them.

Then, with a wild and savage roar, she surged forward and—

"HAAAA!"

SWISH!

—Beheaded the Predicament, ending it before she collapsed to the ground.

Nadia breathed heavily with a dizzy look in her eyes. Her head throbbed with a headache as she began to feel ill with fatigue, her condition worsening with the glare of the sun.

Fortunately, someone came over and stepped in front of the sun, causing a large shadow to fall on her tired body.

The Heroine looked up weakly before frowning.

"What... do you want... Hilda?"

The German looked down with a smirk.

"Want me to carry you?"