Talos
Angela, who was not only drenched in sweat but also dripping blood from her nose, managed a weak smile and nodded.
“They won't be tracking us anymore.”
“Thanks, Angela.”
She had successfully hacked and disabled the tracking device inside Alpha's body. Since Angela said so, Talos would no longer be able to track them.
“Save the compliments for later. We need to get out of here first. Troops will be swarming this place from all directions soon.”
Serena wasn't in good shape either.
Up until now, she had been controlling all outgoing information.
When South Peak's 7th district was half-destroyed, Serena felt like her own head was about to split in two. The Aegis System had launched an immediate counter-response.
No matter how skilled Serena was, she couldn't handle the Aegis System's netwatching all on her own. Having pushed her processing power to its absolute limit just to buy them time, she could barely see straight now.
Yet, she refused to lose consciousness.
It felt as though she had finally caught a glimpse of the bigger picture Swoo was painting. Until that picture was complete, she had to stay alive, no matter what.
“Honoka...”
“...Mm.”
Serena hurriedly pushed herself up. Kou, however, couldn't bring himself to stand. He clutched Alpha's—no, Honoka's—tattered prosthetic arm, his eyes rimmed with red.
Still, he didn't shed a tear. Perhaps he believed crying should wait until everything was truly over. He was certainly a passionate, romantic guy, despite his flashy, bleached-blonde appearance.
“Cut the melodrama... Do that at home. I said we need to move. Get up while I'm still asking nicely, or I'll drag you myself.”
“Yep, let's go.”
For once, even Swoo quietly listened to Serena.
Six Talos teams, Lui Chen, and Zyrec.
The elite forces of Eden were converging on a single location. Against that kind of firepower, even Swoo would find things difficult.
Of course, if she didn't care about the consequences and just destroyed everything, she could manage. But doing so would completely derail all the plans she had laid out so far.
Therefore, retreating was the right choice for now.
“Are you going to carry Honoka, Kou?”
“I'm holding her.”
Kou stood up, cradling Honoka protectively in his arms. A desperate light, stronger than ever before, shone in his eyes.
“Let me know if it gets too heavy. I can carry her for you.”
“I said I'm holding her...”
Despite his grumbling response to Swoo, he didn't forget to express his gratitude.
“Thank you, Swoo. Really... thank you so much. I... I will never forget this debt.”
“It's not completely over yet.”
“Then I'll say it as many times as it takes. Thank you, truly. If you ever need my help in the future, I will lay down my life to assist you. I promise.”
He finally got his girlfriend back, and now he's talking about laying down his life? I wonder how he'd react if I actually asked him to die in my place.
Probably shouldn't think things like that, right?
Swoo nodded lightly and scanned their surroundings.
The building the five of them were currently standing on was the tallest in South Peak, offering a panoramic view of the entire district.
Because of this, they could see exactly what was unfolding in the distance at a single glance.
Though, she doubted there was any real need to look.
Everyone gathering down there was looking for Swoo.
More precisely, they were looking for Noise. At the same time, behind the scenes, they were trying to figure out what kind of force could slice a tactical transport ship in half.
Of course, that investigation was just for show.
The ECPD departments connected to Talos knew about every single incident in Eden. By now, they must have already realized that the weapon used to slice the transport ship was the MG-2.
A weapon lost by Zyrec.
But what if it wasn't actually lost, but staged to look that way? What if Zyrec had staged it to build up a force that could rival Talos?
The train of thought went one step further.
Looking at the beastly claw marks that had torn down the Zyrec research facility in the distance, one couldn't help but suspect it might be Lui Chen's doing.
Lui Chen and Zyrec had been constantly clashing in South Peak. Although their conflict had quieted down recently, it was far from over.
Therefore, the possibility that Lui Chen had stolen Zyrec's weapon and orchestrated this incident had to be kept in mind.
Thinking along those lines, the ECPD would be nursing a massive headache.
The tension of corporate warfare spilling over into the ECPD. The fear that a three-way war might break out. And the terror of Noise, who had half-destroyed South Peak's 7th district.
Just which faction did Noise belong to?
Once their thoughts reached that point, Lui Chen would have no choice but to pay close attention to Wolha, which had recently come under Serena's department.
Because from now on, Noise would be linked to everything involving Wolha. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that everything Noise did would be tied to Wolha.
Either way was fine. In the end, Lui Chen's gaze would naturally turn toward Neonic.
With that, the board was set, forcing every faction in Eden to get involved.
I got lucky.
Originally, she had planned to drag Neonic in first to create a three-way war. But meeting Kou and getting tangled up with Talos had allowed Swoo to complete the board she had envisioned much faster.
And on another front, they would realize the existence of magic and begin searching for it in earnest.
Of course, setting the board so quickly wasn't entirely a good thing. It meant they had that much less time to prepare.
But it should be fine.
Catching Swoo's eye, Angela let out a soft, weary smile.
Though she looked haggard and exhausted from the grueling netwatching, because it was Angela, even that exhaustion looked like a carefully styled aesthetic.
“Are you hurt anywhere, Swoo?”
“Yep, I'm perfectly fine.”
Swoo slowly turned her gaze to Serena. She looked completely different from Angela. Her face was twisted in a terrifying, venomous scowl.
“What are you looking at?”
“I just got curious about what would happen if I broke your strong-willed spirit.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I want to see you smile happily after your spirit is broken.”
“What... How does that even connect to—?”
“Heheh...”
Stretching her stiff body, Swoo turned around. Leaving behind the 7th district—where the neon signs no longer flickered, leaving only the sorrowful moonlight to wash over the ruins—she took a light step forward.
Whether the elites of Lui Chen and Zyrec were rushing toward them or not, Swoo did not stop.
“Good work, everyone. Let's go home.”
Swoo's work here was done.
All that was left was for the corporations to tear each other apart.
She wanted to watch that unfold, of course, but right now, she just wanted to sit somewhere soft and eat a hamburger.
“Ah, right. The proof shot.”
She had almost forgotten the most important part.
“...So,” Irina began, her voice strained as she finally managed to process Swoo's explanation.
“You took my request, met the target, decided he was a better person than expected, and not only attacked Talos but also kidnapped an Executor. And in the process, the 7th district was half-destroyed... Is that what you're telling me right now?”
“Exactly. You're so smart, Irina.”
“Exactly? Smart? Fuck! Do you think I actually understand this? You goddamn brat!”
“Oh?”
Swoo blinked at the sudden outburst of profanity.
“Should I explain it again?”
Irina stared at Swoo with a hollow expression before leaning back. She didn't even have the energy to get angry anymore. She began to wonder if getting worked up over this lunatic was her own mistake to begin with...
“...I don't need to hear that explanation again.”
“Yep.”
“Is there... any other explanation? The entire middle section of the story is completely missing.”
“Hmm... I told you everything, though. I even mentioned we brought Kou's girlfriend back because she was an Executor.”
“Did you seriously kidnap her for a ridiculous reason like that?”
“It wasn't a kidnapping. We just brought her back. To where she belongs.”
“Swoo, words have different nuances depending on how you frame them. If some random middle-aged man on the street told you you looked like his daughter and offered to buy you a hamburger, would you go with him?”
“Yep.”
“...I was the foolish one. I should be worrying about the pervert instead.”
Sitting in the back and sipping her coffee, Serena let out a chuckle. She had always been the one suffering, so she hadn't realized how entertaining it was to watch someone else go through it.
Irina glared at Serena, thinking her face looked somewhat familiar, before turning her attention back to Swoo.
“So... what do you plan to do now?”
“The request was a success. Kou is going to leave that office after this anyway.”
“Of course he has to. How could he stay in the same city while harboring a kidnapped Executor, for fuck's sake? So, where is he going?”
“District 4.”
“...District 4 of South Peak?”
“Yep.”
Irina shook her head firmly.
“What, is he spouting some nonsense about the darkest place being under the candlestick? The ECPD is the kind of organization that checks right under the candlestick first. Tell him to stop being insane and get out of the city.”
“He said he can't leave the city because he has to protect his true love.”
“For fuck's sake... Then at the very least... make sure that if he does get caught, it doesn't trace back to me. True love or whatever, I don't want to get fucked over because of that crap.”
“Yep.”
Irina was truly exhausted.
Just talking to Swoo drained her completely. If it was this exhausting just to converse, how hard must it be for Swoo's companions? Or did they only work together because they were just as crazy as she was?
Irina rubbed her face and let out a deep sigh.
“Ha... I barely just got back, and now I have to live on edge again. All thanks to you.”
“This fight is going to drag on for a while, though.”
“...Say you're sorry to me.”
“I'm sorry to myself.”
“Ah, I really want to strangle you.”
“I think your thoughts slipped out of your mouth.”
“Oops, my mistake. You crazy brat.”
Regardless of Irina's irritation, Swoo casually ate her ice cream.
They had run out of cones, so she had ordered it in a cup, but she felt that having a cone was much more satisfying.
“Why did you even send those photos? It's all going to be in the news anyway.”
“I was wondering if you knew how to cure a cyberpsycho.”
“Well, since you said she was his girlfriend, a cyberpsycho who belonged to Talos would...”
Irina froze mid-sentence.
Swoo, who had been chewing on her ice cream, looked up. Serena, who had been leisurely enjoying her coffee, also turned her head to stare at Irina.
Normally, this was information Irina shouldn't have known.
The fact that Talos consisted of cyberpsychos was a secret that even someone of Serena's corporate standing could barely access.
Yet Irina had answered naturally, as if it were common knowledge.
Was it Irina's slip-up, or Swoo's intention?
Had Swoo deliberately provoked Irina's nerves just to draw out that response?
Serena suspected the latter was closer to the truth. But she couldn't be sure. Trying to read Swoo's mind was a fool's errand.
Fuck...
Irina, however, was certain.
It was Swoo's intention. She had been manipulated by the chilling scheme hidden behind that innocent smile.
What should she say?
Would an excuse even work? That red-haired woman had heard it too. How could she possibly explain this away...?
“Swoo!”
Just then, the office door burst open, and Angela rushed in.
“She's awake!”
There was no need to ask who "she" was. Looking at Angela's bright smile, it was easy to guess that the outcome was very good.
“That's a relief.”
Swoo smiled warmly and looked at Irina.
“Want to come see her with me?”
“...Yes.”
Irina had no choice but to agree.