Published at 2nd of February 2021 09:30:05 AM
Chapter 118
[Collapse of Death]
Kemuri-san who was approaching me exploded, splattering blood and flesh on me, then I take a few steps back due to stamina consumption of using Heartbeat-Shot .
Staggering, I endure from collapsing on the spot .
“Hah, hah…”
It seems better to avoid using Heartbeat-Shot any more than this .
I stare at both of my hands and think .
I have overused my ability . If I hadn’t recovered in the medical room, I would have collapse by this time .
I used the Heartbeat-Shot on the spur of the moment, but thinking back, I should’ve used the Sound-Shot . Dammit, I wastefully consumed my stamina .
However, to kill him for sure, that was the correct answer . Sound-Shot, which is a ranged attack, might not be enough to kill a master-level enemy . As a deciding attack, I’m not really confident in Sound-Shot .
“Hah… hah…”
While adjusting my breathing, I walk up to Tameiki-san and kneel on the spot . Before I notice it, Tameiki-san is lying on her back while holding her stomach .
“…You’ve become, stronger . ”
“…Told you so . ”
Blood flows out of Tameiki-san’s mouth . I wonder if the poison has begun to spread .
Her breathing is rough and her bleeding does not stop .
Seeing her condition, I sort out the situation in my mind .
Tameiki-san probably can’t be saved .
Tameiki-san knows that as well, and I don’t know what to say .
Words for a person who is about to die…
I look at Sen, who is still petrified .
There are many mysteries . And many things that needs to be done come to mind .
A sound of battle is echoing in the woods . It’s from the battle between Chiyaku-san and Utsusemi-san .
I have to give up on Tameiki-san and head inside the hideout first .
I thought so, but my legs didn’t move .
“Go . You must live…” Maybe she noticed my inner feelings, as Tameiki-san says so while looking up at the sky vacantly .
I stand up quickly . Right, I have to go .
I turn my back on her .
“Thank you for everything,” When I try to run after saying that, Tameiki-san coughs violently .
My legs stop .
At the same time, I can hear a loud noise from somewhere in the forest, and the ongoing battle sound stopped .
I’m worried about that side too, but I turn my gaze toward Tameiki-san .
Then Tameiki-san turns her head toward me .
“…Shion, sorry, but can I ask you, for just one thing…?”
“Yes . ”
Upon hearing my reply, Tameiki-san turn her face in the opposite direction and says,
“…Then… kiss me . ”
I was unintentionally about to ask her to repeat that, but I immediately reply with a nod .
Just that much . Even in this situation where there is no time to waste, if it’s for Tameiki-san, I won’t hesitate .
“Come to think about it… even though you said you liked, me… you haven’t done anything, since then…”
That ‘since then’ is probably about when she trained me .
…Which reminds me, I did say something like that .
I kneel beside Tameiki-san again, and bring my lips closer to hers .
Tameiki-san’s lips are wet with blood .
Right at that time, Utsusemi-san appears from the depths of the forest .
Utsusemi-san seems to be injured, as he is holding down his right shoulder . From the sound I can hear withdrawing in the opposite direction, it seems that Chiyaku-san is not dead yet .
I close my eyes and kiss Tameiki-san . I can smell Tameiki-san’s nice smell mixed with the smell of blood .
After putting my lips on top of hers for just a few seconds, I lift my face and stand up .
Tameiki-san has a thin smile on her face .
“…I’m going . ”
“…Ahh, see you later,” Saying that, Tameiki-san closes her eyes .
It seems that she has fainted .
Her heartbeat is weak, but still beating . But she probably won’t open her eyes anymore .
“…………”
Utsusemi-san walks to me .
The wound on his right shoulder is quite deep .
And as expected, before Tameiki-san’s death, it seems that even Utsusemi-san can’t smile frivolously like usual .
“Why did you kiss her?”
That thought of mine immediately shattered hearing that pretty boorish question .
“Why, you ask…”
“Well, whatever . I’ll cure her for the time being . ”
“Hah?”
Utsusemi-san kneels beside Tameiki-san, flip up her shirt, and put his hand on her wound .
Then, her wound is gradually closing from the edge .
“…!”
I open my eyes wide . Then I come to a realization . His personality has reversed .
I see, this is… Chiyaku-san’s ‘Accel Heal’ . This person…
“No way, did you copy it from Chiyaku-san…?”
“You got that right . This ability is essential if Chiyaku becomes an enemy . I’ve decided to abandon Sound Control . ”
I want to give a big applause to Utsusemi-san . I unintentionally want to give him a tight hug .
Holding myself back, I stare at him .
I completely forgot . Even if Chiyaku-san becomes an enemy, if Utsusemi-san copies her ability, the hole will be filled .
Did this person start a battle with Chiyaku-san with that intention from the beginning?
When I first met him, I thought he was just a ridiculously oversized garbage, but the more I interact with him, the more I find him to be pretty sharp .
“Her wound is going to be okay, but the poison is troublesome . If she doesn’t go back to the hideout and get it detoxified soon, she’ll die . What happened to the inside of the hideout?
Also, what about Kemuri?”
“Yes .
I don’t know about the inside of the hideout . I tried to send Sen in, but…”
I glance at her . Sen is looking this way with an apologetic look .
With my and Utsusemi-san’s gaze piercing her, Sen hangs her head in a dejected manner .
“Go now . ”
“I-I understand…”
Sen is at the bottom position of Anonymous, but if Sen had also become an enemy in the previous situation, I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything .
There is no way for me to defeat Sen .
I think while looking at Sen’s back as she ran .
“…What about Chiyaku-san?”
I will confirm it for the time being .
“She has escaped . Rather, I got this shoulder injury in exchange for copying her ability . Well, it can be cured though . ”
As I thought, Chiyaku-san isn’t dead yet .
Eventually, Tameiki-san’s wound is closed, and Utsusemi-san lifts her body and carry her under his arms .
“Let’s go . ”
“No, please wait . ”
I look at the Derrida central doorway through the gaps between the trees in the forest on the slope .
The battle has begun . Did Byakurei-san’s ability run out, or was there something going on inside?
Kemuri-san’s strategy was probably like this .
Tameiki-san, Utsusemi-san, and all members who were brought here were to be isolated and then dealt with or forced to stay here; meanwhile, he’ll annihilate the people inside the hideout somehow .
Even if they are not annihilated, the Self-Defense Forces will clean them up .
However, does the small number of Self-Defense Forces means that they weren’t there from the beginning …?
The messenger who came during the meeting said that their number exceeds 2000 .
Kemuri-san himself too, said things suggesting that the enemy’s force was overwhelming .
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Is that mean that it was all a lie from the very beginning…?
Thinking about it, the Anonymous Countermeasures Department could not possibly have such a force .
The members on the surface of Derrida have been annihilated .
However, it is not difficult to annihilate them all even with a small amount of force, as long as there’s time .
Perhaps that’s why they were late to find the entrance to the underground parking lot .
“The number of troops left is roughly 150, or less .
For the time being, I think that Utsusemi-san alone will be able to manage to annihilate them . Would you like to launch a pincer attack as originally planned?”
“We don’t even know what’s going on inside the hideout, you know . The situation is messed up . ”
“But in order to sort out the situation, it’s better to get rid of those soldiers .
Or rather, aren’t you aching to do that? Fighting against that number of people at once, I mean . ”
Even if his personality is reversed, what Utsusemi-san desire for doesn’t change .
Overwhelming desire for battle .
“Well, I can’t deny that . ”
“Then please . Regarding Tameiki-san and the inside of the hideout, please leave them to me . ”
After taking Tameiki-san from Utsusemi-san, I carry her on my back .
As for Utsusemi-san, he claps my shoulder while laughing and rushes to the battlefield .
After seeing him off, I run to the evacuation exit .
Shido-san’s Infinite Corridor being deployed is probably the cause why Anonymous’s reinforcements haven’t arrived until now .
The Infinite Corridor in this situation is very disadvantageous for our side .
Therefore, Shido-san is also an enemy .
In other words, is Boss confined by Shido-san? It’s hard to imagine that even Boss, the leader of Anonymous, is an enemy .
When I arrive at the evacuation exit, I wrap the wire of the grappling gun around a nearby tree and managed to get down to the second basement floor of the hideout .
“Hah… hah…”
Because I’m carrying Tameiki-san, I used up a lot of stamina .
After taking some breaths, I start running again . The second basement floor is quiet . This is probably because all the members are gathered near the central doorway . The above is noisy .
First, I head to the medical room .
There is also a medical room on the second basement floor . This is where I was brought in earlier .
When I open the door of the medical room, the same scenery as before unfolds there .
The members in charge of medical care are running around busily .
When I lay Tameiki-san on the nearest vacant bed, I call a nearby medical staff and entrust her with Tameiki-san . I tell her to prioritize Tameiki-san’s treatment and detoxification .
The people here don’t seem to know anything about the situation, but I want to avoid confusion, so I decide not to tell them .
Immediately after leaving the medical room, I hurry to the central entrance on the first basement floor .
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When I expand the sound detection to the first basement floor, I find that the enemies are rushing in .
At the end of the passage, there is a melee battle against the Self-Defense Forces ongoing, and obviously the number of our side is smaller .
I see Sen’s red hair among them .
Her ability is useless in a closed place . Sen should’ve stayed and fight on the surface, huh .
The one who sent her here wasn’t me though .
“Sen, have you told anyone about the situation?”
I send a sound to Sen from a long distance .
“There’s no way I could do it in this situation!”
This person is really useless .
However, looking at this situation, it is highly possible that Kemuri-san set up a disturbance here as well .
I wonder if he took each of our situation into account .
I ignore Sen, run back, and proceed from another passage that has few enemies .
The corpses of the enemies and allies are lying around, but as expected there are more corpses of our allies .
When I viewed the enemies’ forces from above, I saw no factor that would make us lose even in this situation .
Kemuri-san’s purpose was probably to give us reckless instructions and losing the battle that we could afford to win .
I find that the enemies inside the hideout are visibly decreasing . Utsusemi-san must be rampaging on the ground .
When the enemies’ offense loosened, I go to the front line right away .
When I arrive, Roll, Byakurei-san, and the other members are keeping the enemies’ invasion to a minimum .
Kaysan and Hikisaki-san are still alive as well .
“Roll!”
“Shion!” Calling my name, Roll run to me .
Byakurei-san immediately deploys the Room Impair, and the space with multiple members including myself, Hikisaki-san, Kaysan, and Byakurei-san temporarily gained an absolute defense shield .
“How’s it going?” I ask .
“Kemuri-san betrayed us…! He suddenly increased his clones and killed everyone…! …But all of his clones suddenly disappeared midway, so we’re able to hold up for now . The situation is hopeless…”
I see, his clones here disappeared because I killed his main body, huh .
“Hah, hah… That’s the situation here . How’s… the situation over there?” Byakurei-san asks in strained manner while heaving his shoulders up and down .
It seems that he is quite exhausted; deploying this 5-sided barrier must also be quite taxing for him .
“Chiyaku-san is also an enemy . Also, Shido-san too .
There is an Infinite Corridor deployed outside, so reinforcements cannot reach this place .
Face Punch died and Tameiki-san was serious injured, but I’ve carried her to the medical room, I think… she will make it . ”
I omit various parts, explaining it in a concise and brief manner, and everyone reacts to it with a bitter expression .
“Chiyaku-san… and Shido-san are enemies… something like that…” Roll mutters .
“At any rate, let’s talk more about that later . Once we’ve cleared the enemies . ”