Published at 25th of January 2021 09:04:20 PM
Chapter 117
[Collapse of Distortion]
My head turn blank . My mind can’t catch up with the ongoing things, and I feel like my view is shaking .
What the hell is going on …?
“Kemuri, you bastard… the hell ‘re you doin’?”
Utsusemi break the neck of Kemuri-san’s clone, which he was holding down . Then, the clone scatters as white smoke and disappeared into the air .
The clone that was aiming for me steps back a few steps to keep a distance from Utsusemi-san .
“I have no obligation to answer, see,” Saying that, Kemuri-san pull out the knife that was stabbed into Face Punch-san’s neck . He collapses on the spot, dead .
Seeing the corpse with his eyes wide open, I almost turn my face to the side .
And the other Kemuri-san pulls out the knife from Tameiki-san and once again tries to stab the knife into her who is staggering .
“Guu…ha!”
*Whap* Tameiki-san barely dodge it, and she falls down to her knees at the place she retreats to .
Tameiki-san’s shirt is dyed red with blood; she is holding that part with her right hand and is breathing roughly .
“Tameiki-san…!” I rush to her and shout .
“Chiyaku-san! Please treat her!” I look back toward Chiyaku-san in a desperate manner, but she is just standing there with her usual calm expression .
A frown is naturally formed on my forehead .
“Chiyaku-san…?”
Without avoiding my gaze, she says with a wry smile, “Sorry for this, Shion-kun . ”
A scalpel come down from the cuffs of her white robe, and she cut her wrist with the scalpel .
The blood flows down her hand in drips and form a shape just like that . And a blade of fresh blood is formed in her hand .
“You’re kidding me, right… Chiyaku-san…?” My breath is getting rougher and rougher .
I glance at Sen at the edge of my field of vision, and she is slowly stepping back with a frightened expression while staring at Chiyaku-san . From that expression, she is not an enemy…?
Tameiki-san’s rough breath is disturbing my thoughts .
It’s no good, think about it, think about it, think about it .
What should I do? What should I do?
“Shion…” Tameiki-san murmurs suddenly .
“Hah, hah . Kemuri’s, knife… must be, poisoned… I think I won’t… be able to make it…”
“……Please don’t say such stupid things . ”
I slowly regain my composure, but her words make my head blank again .
“Hah… hah…” Just like Tameiki-san, my breathing just keeps getting rougher too .
The fact that her injury is fatal is obvious in a glance .
Even if Chiyaku-san and Kemuri-san are defeated, Tameiki-san’s treatment will not be in time .
In the first place, Chiyaku-san who can treat her is an enemy, so there is no help for her in any way . Sen also seems to lose her fighting spirit for some reason, she stops in place as if she is petrified .
What . What’s happening .
While checking Kemuri-san and Chiyaku-san, I retrace how we got to this point in my blank mind . But as a result, my thoughts return to a blank slate .
It’s useless . Tameiki-san will die here .
I thought desperately, but that is the conclusion I come to .
“Hey, Kemuri… why… tell me,” At that time, Tameiki-san look up at Kemuri-san with teary face . Tameiki-san’s blood is sticking to Kemuri-san’s knife .
Her wound must have hurt severely . Despite that, she raised her face and looked at Kemuri-san’s eyes .
This is the first time I ever see Tameiki-san being like this . Seeing the tears filling her eyes, I can’t help but feel like crying .
Tameiki-san has been devoting herself to the organization the whole time . It is her life .
There’s no way she will have such an end, right?
“Tameiki . I thought of you as my own little sister,” Kemuri-san says expressionlessly .
Tameiki-san narrows her eyes, looking as if she has realized something . Then she closes her eyes, takes off her gaze from Kemuri-san and looks down .
“…Why . What is your purpose, Kemuri-san, Chiyaku-san?” I ask .
After all both Kemuri-san and Chiyaku-san are among the members who have devoted themselves the most to the organization, aren’t they?
“I have no obligation to answer . However, this was decided from the beginning . ”
I don’t understand what he’s saying . Even my head already become confused .
What’s going on?
Infinite Corridor . Shido-san is also an enemy…? The inside of the hideout is also dangerous . Where is the 2000-strong force of the Self-Defense Forces? Who is the enemy? Tameiki-san will die . I don’t like it .
…I will also, die…?
*zan* Chiyaku-san is stepping into the radius of 1 meter around me .
“Gggh…!”
I’m attacked in the momentary gap . I won’t be able to deploy the Silent World in time . It is also difficult to activate it at this timing . Crap, my judgment is too late .
The blade of fresh blood is approaching before me .
I’m dead .
When I think so, *gakin* I hear the sound of metal and metal colliding with each other .
I open my eyes .
It is Utsusemi who is standing in front of me and stop Chiyaku’s blood blade with his sword .
His haori that is wet with blood is flapping in my view .
He gazes back at me from the space between his bamboo hat and his shoulder, and says, “Fight, Shion . ”
A switch in my brain is flipped up with a *click* with that word .
It feels as if a pure white paper is permeated by blank ink .
That’s right . Fight .
What I need to do in this situation is very simple . Kill or be killed .
There is no doubt that these guys are trying to kill me . Then you guys, die .
As I breathe slowly, the ‘uncomfortable feeling’ that I felt until just now converge in me, as if dot after dot is connecting, as if entwined strings are unraveled .
The mysterious placement of members on our second line of defense . On the contrary, it was a deliberate act to make us like trapped rats .
There are many other orders of Kemuri-san that were incomprehensible too .
The motive does not matter . What is Kemuri-san trying to do now?
I collect my thoughts in a second .
“Sen, can you move?” I open my mouth slightly behind Utsusemi-san .
The sound reaches only Sen and Utsusemi-san .
“Get back to the base and tell Byakurei-san about what happened here . That person is an ally . ”
Otherwise, Kemuri-san would not make Byakurei-san to be exhausted by the constant deployment of his ability .
Sen is opening and closing his mouth for a while, but eventually she nods silently and tries to leave .
However, Chiyaku-san, who is standing in front of Utsusemi, gives off a killing intent .
“Sen, stay still . You’re mine, aren’t you…?”
Sen’s movement stops and she is in petrified state again .
Dammit, what a useless person .
“Haha . I wanna say the same to you, Chiyaku . I’ll be taking your head from now on, so you better stay still . ”
“You sure have a big mouth . ”
With a *bashin* Utsusemi-san and Chiyaku-san start to move .
The two move their battle spot in an instant, running to the depths of the woods .
I say to Sen,
“Now! Go!”
“No… it’s no good … her blood is flowing in my body, and if I disobey her order… I’ll be killed . ”
“What are you saying, you are immortal!”
“It’s impossible, impossible…”
Sen trembles and whines like that .
Not good . This person… is really useless .
I give up on Sen and turn my eyes to Kemuri-san that remains .
Probably, the one that created the clone who stabbed Tameiki-san is the real one . And there is also the clone that stabbed Face Punch-san and the clone that tried to stab me .
A total of three bodies .
This situation . Inevitably, I will have to fight Kemuri-san .
“Come on… let’s do this, Kemuri-san . ”
It was probably a big miscalculation in his part that he couldn’t kill me in the surprise attack at the beginning .
I was saved by Utsusemi-san .
I was confused because of the surprise attack, but when I calm down, I see that this is not that desperate of a situation .
“Don’t be cheeky, newcomer,” I focus my gaze on them . Each of them is ready for battle, but Kemuri-san, who has lost the decisive blow, has not taken a stance .
Their attack method is only physical attack . At this distance, Sound-Shot is faster . But a simple Sound-Shot is no good . Kemuri-san should be wary of it .
It is a good idea to hit his body with a Heartbeat-Shot, but honestly… I’m not sure if it’s his real body . I just think so because it is the closest one to his first position .
He might have changed place when I was about to be stabbed . In worst case, his main is not among the three .
No… I want to believe that it’s not the case . His main should want to check the situation here .
Then, one of these three is the main body .
In other words, there is a 1/3 chance . If I miss, I will be attacked in that gap and die .
And there is another concern .
There is a possibility that he can catch up with the lag of activation of the Silent World .
If I activate the Silent World, he will definitely launch an attack right away .
This is because Kemuri-san have seen the Heartbeat-Shot in the battle in the underground parking lot earlier .
He’s not Kemuri-san if he can’t see through what kind of technique it is .
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At this distance, there is a possibility that it will be a one-on-one close quarter combat even if I use ‘that’ . If that happens, I’m at a disadvantage .
In terms of ability, Kemuri-san, whose skill level of physical skills directly leads to improvement of combat power, has no equal in a battle without ability . With a knife, he could kill me in an instant .
Having gaps in all my techniques, if my blow is avoided, it will directly lead to my death .
I don’t have the initiative in this battle .
Then there is no choice but to keep a distance .
If I do so, I can finish him with ‘that’ .
I turn my eyes to Tameiki-san with a glance . I can barely hear her heartbeat and breathing .
She’s not dead yet . However, she won’t make it .
“Tameiki-san . Are you still conscious?”
“……Ahh,” A voice that sounds about to vanish replies .
In the meantime, the three Kemuri-sans step back a little .
“This time I will be the one to protect you, just for a while .
However, I don’t think I can save your life . I’m sorry,” I say plainly, keeping a clear mind .
Right now, I just calmly look at the enemy before me . With dry eyes .
“I… with the last of my power… I’ll let you escape… Hah, hah . Come here… Shion . ”
The voice she squeezed out is painful just to hear .
She is trying to help even at her last moment, huh . I wish she also think about herself for a bit .
“Please listen .
…I’m sure I wouldn’t be this strong without Tameiki-san…
Will you please see it if possible? My growth”
“…hah, hah… don’t . Kemuri… is not as weak as you think,” Tameiki-san speaks while vomiting blood .
At the same time, Kemuri-san starts to move . I have no choice but to ignore Tameiki-san .
The three Kemuri-sans slowly move away from me and take tens of steps away .
And he gains the advantage of siege by enclosing me in a triangle .
Seeing me laughed grinningly, Kemuri-san also curls up his mouth .
“That is the face of someone who give up the advantage of distance . ”
That’s right .
The moment I muttered so in my heart, white smoke rises from the three Kemuri-sans . If this is the case, I can’t determine which one is the main body . Camouflage, huh .
The white smoke quickly surrounds me, and eventually part after part of it forms a shape .
Eventually, a total of more than 100 Kemuri-sans surround us .
“…”
As expected, I’m also overwhelmed by their numbers .
“You are really… serious, aren’t you?” I mutter .
“Because you can’t be underestimated . My image of you is a brute who does anything to live . ”
Get yourself a mirror . You’re the crazy guy who put us in this situation .
“My clones are over 100 . You know that each has the same mass, the same properties, and the same equipment, right?”
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Naturally . I answer with silence .
I’m not overawed by Kemuri-san’s words .
“At this distance, I can deal with Sound-Shot with walls of flesh . Even if it is not Sound-Shot, the number of times you can use that single bombing is three more times even if you risk your life, isn’t it?”
Single bombing – he must be talking about Hearbeat-Shot .
“I can’t even use it three times you know . ”
“That so . That means I’m going to fight you with at least a winning percentage of 98% or more,” Kemuri-san who grins and make a wry face .
I’m the one who want to laugh .
“That’s not the case, Kemuri-san . ”
I spread out my both hands .
The reason he didn’t immediately attack me is probably because he sees my leisurely attitude . He should have come at me earlier .
“What……?”
“You know what the T wave is, right?”
“Are you talking about the Torque wave?”
That’s it . Torque wave… Commonly known as T wave, it is a brain wave emitted by nerve cells in the brain that control one’s ability .
It is said that this is giving paranormal changes to all kinds of events .
The wavelength varies from person to person .
TAD – which I was once tasked to sell together with Hakunetsu-san and Kuroinu-san – is also an item to detect ability user using the Torque waves .
“What’s wrong with that?”
I will let you find the answer to that question with your own body .
——Silent World .
At the moment when all sounds disappeared, the more than 100 Kemuri-san’s troops run toward me all at once .
However, I’m not scared .
This technique requires considerable concentration, but consumes almost no stamina compared to Heartbeat-Shot .
Because it only partially emits a small, small audible sound .
Even if the T wave is offset, its effect does not disappear for some reason .
However, if you add a sound wave of a different wavelength to the generated part and disturb it, you can prevent the activation of the ability only during that time .
Eat this .
Distortion Sound (Distortion) .
At that moment, with the activation of the ‘Distortion Sound’, all of Kemuri-san’s clones disappear .
Among the Kemuri-sans that disappeared without raising white smoke, there was only one Kemuri-san that did not disappear .
It’s the main body .
I concentrate and grasp his heartbeat .
He opens his eyes wide, looking astonished, but he immediately makes the best decision and run straight to me .
“Uooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
――Heartbeat-Shot .
His body explodes into pieces of fleshes and blood .