Shadow (1)

“Ahem, that concludes my presentation. D-do you have any questions?”

The Dissection Team Leader carefully set down the microphone his trembling hand had been clutching.

The Monument's grand conference room.

Gathered in this room were individuals ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who could rightly be called the very apex of power within Mega Corp.

The elders and house heads of Prime Capital.

Akira Yujin, CEO of Noble Capital, alongside the Thompson family of T&C.

And even elders sent from the other Noble Capital houses.

As Mega Corp's leadership listened to the Dissection Team Leader's presentation, they sat frozen in a silence steeped in shock.

One of them murmured.

"I had no idea T&C possessed such mastery of genetic engineering as well..."

Such a remark was made in a room where Akira Yujin himself sat, yet no one called him out on it.

Even Akira Yujin was so profoundly stunned that his composure had cracked.

'More than six types of genes, fused perfectly. Was that even possible?'

Akira Yujin was certain that even hearing the Earth had been split in two could not have shocked him as much as this very moment.

And with good reason—the content presented by that shabby-looking man far surpassed even the Yujin family's genetic technology.

'This is dangerous.'

The moment he thought so, someone in the conference room raised a hand.

It was Wei Zhao, the man who held Mega Corp's media in the palm of his hand.

"Haha, it seems even Noble Capital is due for a changing of the guard."

A changing of the guard.

It was a pointed jab suggesting that after this presentation, the balance of power between the Yujin family and T&C might very well invert.

At the same time, it carried an implicit declaration that Wei himself would be switching sides.

Fitting for a journalist—no one changed allegiance faster than a bat.

With Wei's words as the spark, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted completely.

Now it favored T&C.

At the sight of it, Lyla smiled.

'Finally!'

Her health had been in a dreadful state these past few days, but this one moment was so exhilarating she forgot all of her suffering.

Her current appearance could only be described as a living mummy ravaged by her illness.

And with her eyes alone gleaming, slick with madness, no one who looked at her would mistake her for a sane woman.

But no one in this room would dare point that out.

And why would they? The Dissection Team Leader's presentation was valuable enough to make even the death of her own father slip her mind entirely.

While everyone else reveled in the presentation's achievements, exactly one person was struggling to suppress the rage boiling up from within.

'Those damned thieves!'

Denver, head of the Edgerton family, ground his teeth.

Lyla and the Dissection Team Leader had packaged the results as the fruit of long years of research, but Denver knew the truth.

He knew exactly where today's announced achievements had come from.

'That thing was mine from the start!'

Had his relationship with Lyla not been so poisoned, he might have been able to get a piece of it too.

As compensation for helping subdue the monster.

But their relationship had shattered completely, and Vickers, vice-commander of the Silver Lion Knights, who might have explained the situation, never showed his face.

'At this rate, even T&C's funding could be cut off.'

There was only one reason Sadam gave him money.

Because a new type of Hulk Mutant would squeeze Akira Yujin's political position.

And now that need had evaporated.

They could simply make their own, using the monster's corpse.

'No. It's not over yet.'

Denver's eyes went cold.

The achievement they so smugly claimed as their own came solely from that monster's corpse.

If that corpse were to disappear, the future he feared would never come to pass.

'I must get my hands on that corpse!'

As it happened, his knights were currently detained in the guest rooms of the Monument.

If he ordered them to take 'appropriate' measures, seizing the corpse hidden somewhere in this building would be far from impossible.

While Denver schemed his dangerous plot, Akira summoned Code Black, disguised as one of his bodyguards.

"Find out everything about that man."

"Understood."

"You may take Code Red with you if necessary."

"...I will handle it with all haste."

Code Black hurried from the room, but Akira's gaze remained fixed on the Dissection Team Leader.

The team leader, drawing such feverish attention from the very summit of Mega Corp.

At any other time, he would have been overjoyed.

If only 'that thing' hadn't made a nest in his home.

Four days ago, it had slipped out on a Monument security team truck and infiltrated his house.

Because of that, he had been forced to lie down to sleep in his own basement, sensing the thing watching him.

'Somebody, please save me!'

But his scream never escaped those walls.

'Hm?'

A familiar thought-wave came flying from somewhere.

One of my five parasites—the one that had settled in the Dissection Team Leader's head.

'Stress and shallow resentment detected from the Dissection Team Leader, you say?'

And along with that report came word that the parasite had administered 'appropriate' pain to its insolent host.

'Is it because of the house?'

At present, I had left the Monument and was using the Dissection Team Leader's house as a temporary hideout.

'Team-leader-level officials get houses in the Administrative District.'

The Special Trade Hub provided free housing and personal vehicles to Cultists and senior civil servants.

William, whom I had devoured earlier, had also lived in the Administrative District, and the Cultists now enslaved to me all lived in this area as well.

'And the Dissection Team Leader is useful for far more than that.'

He regularly reported on me to the city's General Manager.

Because of that, the Monument's upper administration had been unable to connect the sudden staff disappearances with me.

'Besides, the information leak I worried about hasn't amounted to much.'

According to the team leader, my genetic data had never been registered in Mega Corp's data archive.

The General Manager had ordered it—and I had a pretty good guess as to why.

'Greed, most likely.'

In the case of the Edgerton knights, they had gotten greedy trying to capture me and paid for it.

Just like them, the city's ruler had concealed the team leader's research in order to monopolize all rights to me.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠As a result, the research on me was being handled entirely by the Dissection Team Leader and his 'subordinates.'

'The higher-ups don't even know the researchers are dead.'

It was a blunder born of the higher-ups' judgment that the project team had to be kept small to maintain secrecy.

'Fools.'

Obsessed with the illusion of 'results,' they had no idea what was actually happening in reality—no idea what had gone wrong.

'Results, while the city is dying.'

Death was spreading through this space city right now.

Death in the guise of a space bacteria variant.

The things I had fought in the sewers were busily spreading an unidentified disease through the city as we spoke.

The space bacteria itself wasn't lethal enough to kill a person.

At worst, it was about as nasty as a flu virus.

But because it had combined with every manner of contaminant in the sewers, it had now transformed into something terrifying enough to be called a plague without exaggeration.

'If not for the Edgerton knights, it never would have spread to the Monument and the Administrative District.'

Without them, it would have ended with crippling the defense fleet alone.

My original intent was to infect only those who posed the greatest obstacle to leaving the city.

But the knights joined the subjugation operation, and then got themselves detained in the Monument under the pretense of lodging—which is why the outbreak spread far beyond what I intended.

By now, most of those inside the Monument were probably infected.

'In a few more days, it'll be completely out of control.'

Nothing is more dire than a plague spreading inside a sealed structure floating in the void of space.

And if the structure's administrators become the plague's first scapegoats? The place would undoubtedly descend into total anarchy.

Of course, if the General Manager and the Monument's upper administration had recognized the danger and responded early, the space bacteria variant could have been easily eradicated.

'But right now, their minds are on something else entirely.'

Thanks to their foolish judgment, I had been able to fulfill my evolution conditions with ease.

'Only eight more Cultists to go.'

Before coming to this house, I had devoured the night-shift Wolves of the security team, and after arriving, I added the Administrative District's Cultists to the menu.

Thanks to that, I was only steps away from completing my evolution conditions.

'By the time I finish eating them all, the defense fleet will be entirely neutralized by the pandemic.'

At that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠point, I could take Number 26 and Adhai and leave this place.

Even if they wanted to chase me, they wouldn't have enough soldiers and officers left to load onto their ships.

Of course, they could try loading androids instead—but since Star Union's rebellion, Mega Corp no longer puts androids on its ships.

So unless they somehow resolve the space bacteria variant I spread, tracking me out of this city would be extremely difficult.

'Everything is moving according to plan.'

I ended my rest and rose to my feet.

'By the way, I wonder how the kids are doing?'

The distance between us made communication difficult.

My transmitted waves did reach them, but they kept cutting out midway, making proper conversation impossible.

I could keep trying, of course—but this was Cultist territory.

Beings sensitive to psychic power could eavesdrop on waves sent by me or Number 26.

'The Cultists in the 1st Central Monitoring Room could manage it, at least.'

The Cultists there were beings on a different level from any I had devoured so far.

Facing even one of them one-on-one would be dangerous; if three of them ambushed me together, it would be a certain loss.

'Cultists with yak horns are tremendously powerful.'

A Cultist's specialized school of psychic power—and its potency—varied according to the shape of their horns.

Goat horns, for example, specialized in support-type psychic techniques, while ram horns specialized in close-combat ones.

When they used techniques matching their horn's form, their power more than doubled.

'Yak horns specialize in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all four categories of psychic techniques.'

Close combat, long-range combat, buffs, and crowd control—they excelled in all four, gaining a synergy boost of at least three times when using techniques from those schools.

Even with my defensive strength bolstered by traits and my Type, psychic power wielded by a yak-horned Cultist remains a heavy burden.

'Which is exactly why I'm targeting different Cultists.'

I slipped out of the Dissection Team Leader's house.

Today's prey: the two Cultists of the 2nd Central Monitoring Room.

Two days of tracking had revealed they were lovers living together in one house.

'Both goat-horned Cultists. Their combat power isn't high.'

Thanks to my Psychic Resistance trait and the Perfect Organism trait, my defense against psychic power was exceptionally high. In this city, no Cultist short of a yak-horned one could harm me.

Besides, I had no intention of facing them head-on.

'This is the one.'

I sprinted toward the Cultists' house, deactivating cameras with my Hijacking trait as I went.

Neatly trimmed streets lined with orderly rows of trees.

Between them, white houses and green lawns.

The Administrative District's image called to mind an American suburban subdivision rather than a dystopian space city.

It was before quitting time yet, so the streets were deserted.

My auxiliary organs detected people inside the houses, but none showed any sign of alarm at my presence.

'There it is.'

A house with the Cult's traditional sigil painted on its front gate.

I stood before it and studied the gate.

With a handle and keyhole, it showed no particular security apparatus.

I activated my Ghost Claws trait.

Thanks to the trait, my hands took on a faint violet shimmer and turned semi-translucent.

I slipped my hands through the door and let only my claw tips phase into solidity for an instant, then released the lock mechanism from the inside.

The door swung open with a click.

'There we go.'

Having infiltrated successfully, I surveyed the interior.

The house's layout was identical to the Dissection Team Leader's.

'Three rooms and one bathroom on the first floor, two rooms and one bathroom on the second. And a basement.'

Same structure, but while the floor plans matched, the feel of the place was completely different.

Compared to the Dissection Team Leader's house, which reeked of nerd, this place looked far more tasteful.

A wooden dining table with richly visible grain, furniture to match, chairs carrying the scent of aged leather—the whole house radiated a strong antique charm.

'This will do nicely.'

I crawled down into the basement.

"B-babe, not here, let's not..."

"Why not? Feels good, doesn't it?"

"We just got off work. Let me shower first, okay?"

"So shower together?"

"Seriously!"

"Heh heh, fine. I'll get everything set up, so take your time."

The Cultist couple, who had been trading passionate kisses from the moment they walked through the door, finally pulled apart, reluctant.

Just as the female Cultist was heading upstairs, her lover suddenly called her back.

"Hey, wait a second."

"Hm? Mmph—?"

The male Cultist gently took her face in his hands as she turned and kissed her.

"Mwah... haaah, ah... nnh, babe... haah!"

Mid-kiss, the male Cultist deftly wielded his psychic power, trailing it down her back.

An electric thrill of ecstasy shot through her, and a moan spilled from her lips.

"Haah... mmh, nnh! Nnh, babe... hng! S-stop it!"

Finally wresting back her senses, she pushed her lover away with both arms.

Her neck and ears flushed scarlet, she glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Babe, seriously!"

"What? What did I do?"

"...Ugh."

Looking at her lover's grinning face, she found she couldn't manage even a forced anger.

She sighed and headed upstairs.

"Now then, time to set the stage."

The male Cultist pulled out a bottle of fine wine and two glasses he'd secretly hidden in the corner of a cabinet.

Something specially air-freighted from Earth for today.

He was carrying his gift upstairs when a voice drifted down.

"Babe, the hot water isn't working!"

"Again? Okay! I'll go check the basement!"

Having shouted that up to his girlfriend, the male Cultist opened the basement door, gift in hand.

"Huh? What's with it now?"

He flipped the switch, but the basement lights didn't respond.

He hesitated, wondering whether to go find a flashlight.

"It'll be fine, nothing down there."

Wine and glasses in hand, the male Cultist descended into the dark.

Incidents like this happened often enough that he knew the basement's layout by heart. Though not a hand's breadth was visible, his movements were unimpeded.

"Was it this one?"

He activated the machine that regulated the water temperature.

The light emanating from it shifted from red to green, and a grateful voice drifted down from above.

"Now, back upsta—"

The moment he turned to go, he felt it.

That something was behind him.

*Crash.*

The wine bottle in his hand struck the cold floor and shattered.

The liquid spreading from it was far too crimson to pass for wine.

"Hmm, hm-hmm."

The female Cultist hummed to herself under the warm water.

After a string of overtime shifts lately, it was her first punctual end to the workday in ages, and her mood was soaring.

'A surprise, he said? I wonder what it is.'

On the way home, her boyfriend had told her he had a surprise gift for her.

It was originally meant for their year-end vacation, but with things so tense at work lately, he'd decided to give it to her today.

She'd been dying to know what the gift was, but he never told her.

He only said to look forward to it.

Just as she was wondering what kind of gift could possibly warrant such teasing, she heard the bathroom door open behind her.

'There he is!'

Cradling her fluttering heart to her chest, she turned around.

'That was almost too easy.'

The Cultist couple had apparently been planning to enjoy some private time together, because they never registered the fact that I was already inside their house.

And so they were picked off one by one without offering a single moment of resistance.

'Even accounting for city-dwelling Cultists, I can't believe they're this careless.'

If I went to the planet the Cultists came from, I couldn't have won this easily even against goat-horned ones.

In any case, having achieved my goal, I left the house and headed back toward my hideout.

It was evening, so a few people dotted the streets, and I took a different route back than the one I'd used coming.

'Just six more, and it's done.'

The Dissection Team Leader's house wasn't far.

'Huh?'

Someone was standing in front of his house, visible in the distance.

The instant I registered the figure's presence, a brief scene flashed across my eyes and vanished.

'What?'

The very moment I recognized that as the danger-precognition effect of my Predator Sense, my combat arms were severed from my body.

'Ghk?!'

I nearly blacked out from the agonizing surge, but Pain Mitigation triggered automatically and the torment rapidly receded.

I flung myself backward.

By a hair's breadth—the sidewalk I'd been standing on was obliterated by an invisible object.

'A psychic whip?'

The thing that had severed my arm and shredded the pavement into ribbons was a weapon conjured from an ability I knew all too well.

But as far as I knew, that ability couldn't produce this kind of destructive force.

"I see. So that's what it was."

The woman standing before the Dissection Team Leader's house.

That woman, dressed in black mourning-like clothes, was the very architect of this impossible feat.

"If we capture you and study you properly, producing results of that caliber would be no difficult task at all."

As she extended her hand, a vivid violet whip materialized out of thin air.

At some point, yak horns had sprouted from her temples.

"I shall offer you up to Lord Akira."

A whip stretching tens of meters came flying at me.