MHGA Chapter 250 – Maine's Decision
In the brief time Maine drove the others away, the Arasaka-owned parts factory had already been reduced to rubble—caught in the crossfire of Adam Smasher and David's battle.
Adam Smasher had watched David's body regenerate again and again from fatal injuries. That inexplicable regeneration had transformed David's entire fighting style from their last encounter.
Back then, David had to fight cautiously to avoid damaging his cyberware.
But this time—his cyberware was gone. David no longer cared about taking hits from Adam Smasher.
"So now… you think you're special, huh?! ADAM SMASHER!"
David slammed his Gunlance behind his back and used two consecutive burst dashes to crash into Adam Smasher with his shield. Together, the two of them smashed through multiple walls of the factory, while Adam Smasher responded by aiming his grenade launcher directly at David's chest.
With explosions and collapsing structures, both of them were buried under a mountain of rubble.
When they crawled out from the debris, Adam Smasher showed signs of wear for the first time. Meanwhile, David's chest and abdomen had been torn open by the embedded grenade rounds—but he was rapidly healing.
"You goddamn brat…"
Adam Smasher glared furiously at David.
This punk had been provoking him since the start.
He was like some kind of parasitic leech—no matter how much damage he took, he just latched back on.
So—Adam Smasher made a decision.
Activating the thrusters on his feet, he launched his massive body into the air—flying straight toward the direction Maine had taken Lucy.
David realized what Adam was trying to do. Without hesitation, he launched himself after him using a burst dash, engaging Smasher midair to buy Maine and the others more time.
Meanwhile… across the streets of Night City, an intense chase was underway.
Kirin, wreathed in crackling lightning, tore down the roads at high speed, charging straight toward Arasaka Tower. Behind it, a group of Hunters pursued from floating vehicles.
And beyond just the Hunters and Kirin, even more factions had joined the battle.
The skies were swarming with machines and agents from major corporations.
All sorts of ammunition poured down like rain onto Kirin and the Hunters—as if cost were no concern.
But… neither Kirin nor the Hunters were fazed by any of it.
The high-tech munitions developed by these corporations—be they electromagnetic or simple kinetic rounds—could hardly even approach Kirin's body through its electric field.
Even the few that breached its defenses barely scratched its hardened hide.
The Hunters pursued Kirin relentlessly, all while battling corporate reinforcements along the way.
And elsewhere—Maine's group, while still on edge, had actually made it to a safe distance.
Because Naofumi Iwatani was with them.
Ever since becoming a Hunter, Naofumi's rate of growth had accelerated dramatically.
To avoid falling into his former fate—relying on the Shield of Wrath—Naofumi had spent his time as a Hunter exploring other paths to become stronger.
Each Hunter had their own strengths, and by combining them with Hunter techniques, they had developed into diverse fighting styles.
Naofumi also understood his own advantage—his unique strength:
His Four Cardinal Shield.
After speaking with Kairo Retsu and learning about his "setting," Naofumi realized that the Four Cardinal Shield was both his greatest constraint and his greatest power. Its inability to attack had caused him no end of suffering.
Originally, there had been debates among the Hunters on how best to grow stronger.
Some suggested focusing entirely on the Hunter combat style to accelerate their progress… but that idea was ultimately rejected.
A Hunter should never discard their own inherent abilities for the sake of imitating Monster Hunters. Hunters were meant to be diverse—just like biodiversity in the natural world.
The more complex the ecosystem, the greater its resilience. Biodiversity was one of the key factors in ecosystem resistance.
It was clear the Hunters would face increasingly complex threats in the future—but that wasn't Naofumi's burden to bear alone.
He didn't need to exhaust himself or rely on the wrath-fueled shield of his past. What he needed now… was to protect those worth protecting.
As David and Adam Smasher clashed in the skies, Naofumi had already found Maine's group—but chose not to interfere in David's battle.
"I wonder… what they'll choose to do," Naofumi thought as he followed behind Maine.
He had a feeling… Maine and the others wouldn't just abandon David—especially not Lucy.
Inside the vehicle Maine was driving, he switched on the radio.
The broadcast was reporting on the chase currently taking place on Central Avenue—between Kirin and the Hunters.
The station's host described it as a terrorist incident. No one could explain where Kirin had come from—only that it seemed to be headed straight for Arasaka Tower.
As distorted reports poured from the radio, Maine gripped the wheel with his only functional arm, a deeply irritated expression on his face.
In the spacious rear compartment, Pilar was busy treating the team's injuries.
"Maine, what do we do next?" Dorio asked worriedly. "Something huge is going down in Night City. Arasaka's capable of anything. We…"
"I KNOW!!"
Maine slammed the steering wheel. "Goddamn it…"
Facing Adam Smasher, all the experience and reputation their team had built… felt utterly meaningless.
"Maine, let me go alone." Lucy said quietly. "Even if Adam Smasher catches up…"
"Enough!!" Maine shouted. "Pilar! How's Falco?!"
"Mobile," Falco said, rising to his feet.
"Then you drive!!" Maine's eyes were bloodshot. "Kiwi! Knock out Rebecca! And Pilar…"
Before he could finish, Rebecca had already passed out—and Pilar knocked Lucy unconscious.
"Dorio! Get them out of here!!"
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