Painted in Red Pt. 4

"Minerva," Holiday called out. "You're free to engage. Clear the depot. Make sure every last one of those vehicles is burned to the ground."

"Understood, Cap'n," she replied. "Hehe. Finally."

Minerva pulled up her hood and leaped down from the building's ledge, landing gracefully despite the long fall. She advanced toward the depot, each step splashing in the flooded ground. A flash of lightning illuminated her for a brief moment, and this time, two guards caught sight of her.

"Hey, you!" one of them shouted. "Who the hell are—?!"

"Whoa, dude!" the other one quickly nudged at him. "That's one of the Athenians who were sent here earlier. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"Oh. O-oh, shit... Apologies, ma'am!"

She passed by in complete silence, her subtle yet confident demeanor only amplifying the guards’ fear.

"You'd better fucking hope she doesn't remember your face!" the second guard whispered frantically. "Otherwise, you're a dead man!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know?! All these Athenians dress weird!"

"Use your head next time! Why would a random stranger be walking in so nonchalantly like that, let alone an enemy?!"

"I don't know!"

As they continued their useless banter, Minerva let out a slight chuckle.

"That was easy. Now, let's see here... Whoa."

Her eyes lit up as she darted from one vehicle to another, scanning each one with swift precision. Her gaze lingered on everything, from armored vans with automated machine guns to a massive artillery carrier. She could barely contain her excitement, almost letting out a joyful squeal that would have undoubtedly given her away.

"No way..." she mumbled.

In an instant, she bolted over to a massive, stylish tank topped with a heavy railgun.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" she gushed. "You're so beautiful! I wish I could take you home with me and reverse engineer you. Ah... What a shame. I'm only gonna get to play with you just this once. Don't worry, my gorgeous creation. I'll build you back someday. Just wait for me."

Minerva took a step back, lifting her fingers to her mouth.

"Code: Trojan Horse."

With the soft blow of a kiss, a faint glow enveloped the tank, invisible to the naked eye. Moments later, it rattled to life. The railgun swiveled on its own, catching the attention of a few who noticed its sudden movement.

No one was ready. The engineers, turning from their work to watch the commotion, realized too late as the railgun fired its first shot. An explosion rocked the building, and the line of vehicles along the back wall erupted into flames one by one.

As the chaos unfolded and everyone scrambled to make sense of the situation, Minerva remained unfazed, skipping ahead like a carefree child while humming a gentle lullaby. Even as the armored truck beside her exploded, she didn’t flinch.

Further down, another tank, equipped with a large rocket launcher, caught her eye. A devious smile curled on her lips as she passed by while brushing her hand along its side. Just like before, the tank pulsed with light and soon fired missiles at random.

Minerva paused at the center of the depot to admire her handiwork. Flames and explosions erupted all around her, filling her heart with a warming sensation. It was truly a magnificent sight, and she couldn’t help but smile.

"Freeze!" shouted an annoying voice that broke Minerva free from her moment of trance.

She turned around to meet a small platoon, all pointing their rifles at her.

"Aw, guys," she sighed. "You're messing up my moment here. Just give me a minute. I need a bit more time to enjoy this feeling."

"Shut it, defect! On your knees, now!"

"Whoa, sorry, sorry. Let's not be so hasty. Oh! How about this? Why don't we... Wait... H-Hela?!"

Immediately, they all broke their necks turning around, but there was no one there.

"You—!" was all the soldier could say before a bullet pierced through his head.

The guards quickly shook off their daze, scrambling for cover as Minerva pinned them down with her kinetic rifle. Every time they tried to take a shot, a racing bullet forced them back. It was as if every round she fired had a purpose.

"Come on!" one of them cried out. "It's one fucking person! Just peek at the same time!"

The moment one of them showed his head for even a split second, he was shot dead, a bullet square in his forehead. When Minerva emptied her rifle, she discarded it without hesitation, pulling out a pair of submachine guns to continue her assault.

She fired relentlessly until the last bullet was spent, then tossed the guns aside as well. From her waist, she drew a hand cannon, and with every shot, she hit her mark with precision. Soon, only one guard remained.

Their eyes locked. He stared at the small but formidable firearm aimed at him, a weapon unlike anything he’d ever seen. One wrong move and the etched bullets would tear through his heart in an instant. Fear overtook him. Trembling, he dropped his rifle and ran for his life.

Minerva tracked his movements but didn’t fire. Instead, she knelt down, picked up a fallen guard’s rifle, and hurled the hand cannon across the depot. Aiming the rifle at it, she fired a single shot. The bullet raced through the air, striking the trigger of the hand cannon mid-flight, sending a shot that nailed the fleeing soldier straight in the head.

"Heh, not bad," she said to herself.

"Not bad at all, Minerva," Astrid chuckled.

"Oh! Were you watching me?"

"Yep! I'd give it nine out of ten."

"Eh? W-why not a ten...?"

"Because if it were up to Boss, she wouldn't have wanted you to show off with that last shot. Clean shots only, one and done, that sort of thing."

"Aw... I think you're right too. Cap'n definitely wouldn't have approved."

Suddenly, a series of footsteps came from the open garage door to the now-ruined vehicle depot. Dozens of soldiers stormed in, but unlike the guards, they were holding their ground using what natural covers they could. The advantage Minerva had before was no longer there.

A tall woman walked through the crowd and stood at the forefront. Much like Minerva, she was dressed rather casually, leaving many spots that a bullet could easily pierce through. The most daunting thing was the hollowed triangles in her eyes.

"Minerva," she spoke with a cold voice. "Surrender silently. If you try anything rash, we will not hesitate to shoot."

"Oh, gosh. I'm so~ scared. That was sarcasm, by the way."

"Are you trying to die?"

"Hehe."

Despite facing down the barrels of countless guns, Minerva stood confidently with a hand on her hip. There wasn't a trace of worry in her eyes, and the smug smile on her face only reinforced her unshaken composure.

"You know... My bounty increased by a lot recently," she said. "What was it again? A whole one-point-eight billion credits. That's insane, isn't it? I wonder... Which one of you will take my head and live the rest of your life in luxury? Anyone up for it?"

No one spoke a word. Perhaps it was because they weren’t allowed to, or maybe they were simply unable to. Either way, a palpable anxiety swept over them all. Despite holding the guns, they felt as if they were the ones being cornered.

"Hah... Of course not," Minerva scoffed. "You're too scared to stand up against absolute power. The High Order is stomping all over you, and you're just letting them. Because of that, people you love are suffering, yet you'll do nothing because you care so much more about yourselves. That's always been the issue with you nerds... and I hated that."

At that moment, her radiant eyes flashed brightly. "Code: Trojan Horse."

"Shit... Light her up!" the Athenian woman screamed.

But nothing happened—just the sound of a hundred triggers clicking in vain.

"What the…"

Suddenly, the guns dropped by the fallen soldiers began to glow with a faint blue aura. They lifted off the ground and lined up in a massive formation behind Minerva.

She raised an arm high, and with a snap of her fingers, uttered a single word: "Bang."

The rifles fired autonomously, expending every last bullet until no soldier was left standing. The depot, once shrouded in ashes and flames, was now painted in red.

"Phew..." Minerva sighed. "I wonder how the others are doing."

Suddenly, her senses heightened. She jerked her head to the side, narrowly dodging a streak of red. Right as she was about to fall, she stretched her arms up to tumble away. However, she wasn't quick enough. The moment her head lifted, all she saw was the palm of a hand, and she was pushed to the ground with great force. Blood shot out of her mouth, and it fell like her entire back had been torn apart.

"Now, now, darling..." said a familiarly sharp voice. "This isn't the time to be worrying about others, don't you think?"