Chapter 390: For Science (2)
Chapter 390: For Science (2)
They continued to speak, showing no interest in anything other than spewing their own arrogance.
“Hmm. What must we do for you to accept our apology? We need you. For the sake of the future.”
“Kapustin. Give up. Let’s just use the corpse of that Completed Specimen to draw Sasha out.”
“Now, now, Coffin. We are the ones asking a favor. We must show courtesy to the Completed Specimen. Repeat after me. Say, ‘I’m sorry.’”
“You’re insane, Kapustin. I’m talking to you.”
Apologies. Comrades. Cooperation.
They spouted words that sounded pleasant enough, but no such sentiments existed within their emotions.
They were merely flapping their lips.
The hollow eyes they directed at me made me wonder if they even viewed me as a fellow Sentient Being.
Were these truly the people who once shared the same dream as the AO Institute Director?
The AO Director, burdened by the restrictions placed upon her and her own circumstances, couldn't apologize with her own voice. Instead, she found the best way she could to atone to the victims.
Even if it wasn't a direct apology to those who deserved it—even if it was indirect and closer to self-satisfaction—she never believed her actions washed away her sins, nor did she think her atonement would ever end.
She simply faced her guilt with stoicism.
But what were these things?
Their subordinates appeared as I sprinted down the hallway. Villains who, because I was so incensed, had their consciousness snuffed out by my hammer the moment they showed their faces.
Even as their men fell like that, these two showed no reaction, continuing to drone on with whatever they wanted to say.
They were beings so devoid of humanity that watching a drama through a television screen would likely elicit a more visceral reaction than this.
“Just a hundred meters more and you’ll reach our laboratory.”
“Kapustin. I clearly stated that we should flee.”
They didn't change their attitude even as I drew closer. They just kept spouting that nonsense.
Before long, I finally stood before them.
Thud.
I didn't even have the patience to open the door. I slammed my body into the steel door, tearing it apart as I entered the room.
A place encased in cold metal.
A place filled with experimental equipment everywhere I looked.
A place where a bulky scientist stood with open arms to welcome me, and a slim scientist stood with a deep scowl, clearly displeased with the situation.
And finally.
A place where mutilated corpses used for experiments were piled high in a corner of the room.
The moment I processed that sight.
I lunged forward and swung my hammer at them.
Not a single word was exchanged; not a single gesture was made.
Just as the AO Director had said, I swung with the sole intent of killing them instantly.
However, they did not die.
Their bodies, struck by The Hammer, twisted at angles impossible for a human.
“Isn't it a bit much to attack immediately? An ordinary human would have died already. Fortunately, I am not one.”
The words came from the one whose struck flesh had been crushed and distorted like clay.
The man, bulky enough to be mistaken for a wrestler, continued to speak as if it were no big deal, even though he had been hit by a hammer swing I had delivered with full lethal intent.
“You are actually on the verge of death, Kapustin. Necrosis is spreading from the point of impact.”
And The Slim One, who had been struck just as hard, leaned at an odd angle like a bent sheet of metal as he spoke nonchalantly.
“Is that so, Coffin? As expected of a Completed Specimen. To think it could break our immortality.”
What... is that?
Even my resolve to never speak to them faltered before this grotesque spectacle.
Weren't they ordinary humans?
I couldn't feel any power from them.
To my eyes, there was nothing physically special about them either.
Then why? Why were they still alive after taking that hit, even after their bodies had turned into something resembling flesh-colored clay?
“Look at that, Coffin. It seems he’s curious.”
“There’s no need to tell him. We must flee quickly. We will die at this rate.”
Flee.
I reacted instantly to that word and threw myself forward.
I couldn't let these things escape.
They were no longer human.
With that thought, I brought The Hammer down.
The strongest strike I could manage without releasing the Limiter.
If this landed properly, part of the base would collapse, and some of the unconscious terrorists inside would die.
But that didn't matter right now.
It was an unheroic thing to say, but it truly didn't matter.
My intuition was screaming. It warned me that these entities were infinitely ominous and that I had to eliminate them as quickly as possible.
It was an attack delivered without a thought for the consequences, but...
“Calm down, Coffin. If we retreat like this, the time we spent experimenting on those Regressionists will go to waste. It’s not easy to obtain long-term experimental data by drugging and brainwashing this many humans.”
“This laboratory is nothing. We can build as many as we want as long as our comrades are with us.”
Still trapped in their own world, conversing only with each other, they blocked my hammer with a single hand.
No, could that even be called a hand?
Could it be called a hand when four palms sprouted from the wrist at right angles, with twenty fingers firmly gripping The Hammer?
A monster absorbing an impact powerful enough to level a base into its own flesh.
What the hell is this?
“Look at this, Coffin. I can even block attacks like this. The situation isn't as urgent as you think.”
“That arm is ruined too, Kapustin.”
Still engaged in their hollow dialogue, they looked down at the arm that had blocked The Hammer.
The arm had turned violet, spraying bone fragments and blood from various points through the skin.
“Hmm? Haha. I see. It can’t be helped then. It’s a shame we couldn't persuade Sasha, but let us take our leave.”
The burly scientist spoke casually, even with his arm pulverized.
“Like I’d let you.”
With those words, I immediately followed up with another attack.
The moment I realized my attack had been blocked, I threw off the Limiter.
This operation was no longer about suppressing terrorists.
The things before me were Mutants—former humans who were clearly at least A-Rank or higher.
To take down such beings, the switch in my head had long since flipped from 'subdue' to 'combat mode.'
Ignoring my surroundings, I unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
Countless pieces of equipment scattered around were destroyed by the shockwaves.
Part of the base shook, and boulders fell from the ceiling as the foundation crumbled.
I was striking The Enemy with enough force to cause such destruction just from the aftereffects of our clash, yet The Enemy was enduring it.
By continuously manifesting hands from his heavy mass of flesh.
Dammit.
I should have released the Limiter sooner.
I started my engine too late.
I couldn't rouse enough emotion.
Still, regret didn't stay my hand. It didn't affect my movements.
With the resolve to defeat The Enemy before me even while carrying that regret, I struck The Enemy again and again, without pause.
“What shall we do, Coffin? We might actually die.”
Despite everything, The Enemy’s tone remained as nonchalant as ever.
Their flesh was crumbling, but that annoying manner of speech and distorted voice didn't fade in the slightest.
Then, how would The Slim One react to this chaos?
The Bulky One had the strength to withstand my attacks.
Then I had to assume The Slim One, his partner, possessed some kind of power as well.
He hadn't joined the fight yet, but I had to be prepared for any eventuality.
While pummeling The Bulky One, I kept a close watch on The Slim One, and finally, he began to move.
“It can’t be helped. Kapustin. We merge.”
The Slim One, who had been behind The Bulky One's back, reached out his hand.
“I am always welcoming of that! Coffin!”
The Bulky One reacted intensely to those words.
They were planning something.
That much was certain.
If I couldn't tell exactly what it was, the most ideal and certain method was to finish them before it happened.
But because I hadn't fully revved up yet, I couldn't break through The Bulky One to reach The Slim One.
Soon, I understood what The Slim One meant by 'merge.'
Literally.
Their two bodies fused together.
Their forms distorted like clay where they touched, becoming one. There had been a size difference between them originally, but The Slim One, who had been quiet compared to the flesh-expanding bulky one, was instantly absorbed.
Just like that, the two became one.
What the fuck.
Even as I continued to swing my hammer, I couldn't comprehend what was happening before my eyes, and I cursed inwardly.
Soon, I saw a scene that made me want to swear even louder.
“Hahahaha! Behold! Our power!”
“Calm down, Kapustin. We still can’t win like this. Focus on creating an opening to escape.”
Even though their bodies had merged into one, the two continued their conversation.
The Bulky One spoke through the mouth on his original head.
The Slim One had sprouted a face from a spot slightly to the left, below The Bulky One's head—roughly where the heart would be—and continued the conversation with that face.
It was revolting.
It felt even more disgusting because a clumsy semblance of human form remained.
I once saw an art piece made by grafting several mannequins together.
Looking at it had made me feel incredibly uneasy.
If just seeing something vaguely human-shaped stuck together like that was unpleasant...
Then seeing such a loathsome piece of art possessing the form of actual humans, living and writhing before my eyes...
I continued my assault, desperate to kill that thing.
As the Limiter was released and my engine began to roar, my attacks grew rapidly stronger, but the mass of flesh formed by the two entities was still keeping up with me.
“Oh! Yes! This is our dream! We, too, are Completed Specimens!”
“If Sasha succeeded, there’s no reason we couldn't. A few hundred is nothing.”
Their mouths didn't stop for a second, even in the heat of battle.
Even as parts of their bodies were constantly crushed by The Hammer, and mangled flesh and blood were splattered in all directions, they didn't stop their nonsense.
No, it actually got worse.
Had their minds warped further upon merging? The Bulky One, who was already talkative, had completely lost it and was spouting gibberish, while The Slim One, who used to be concise, was now providing more detailed explanations to match The Bulky One's words.
“We were not wrong! We have awakened and seen what lies beyond!”
“The one who gave us power waits beneath The Sea. He waits for the new era to arrive. On the day he comes, a new age shall begin.”
The battle and the nonsense continued.
“Beneath the white Pillar of Light that supports the starry night sky! Humanity shall meet its end! We prepare for the conclusion!”
“He was wrong. The End can be endured. We shall survive in the new era.”
The balance of power shifted.
They were certainly among the strong.
Beings that even I could only face once my Limiter was released and my engine was running.
However, they weren't strong enough to defy common sense.
Thus, their bodies began to collapse before my hammer.
Yet, their mouths never stopped.
“Oh, Sasha! Why can you not understand us! We are not The Enemy! The Management Bureau is not The Enemy either! Did we not let all those people go? Did we not show our goodwill by not using Sasha’s bomb? For the sake of the world!”
“Humanity must advance into a new era. Humanity must live. We must utilize everything. We must even utilize him. Everything... is for the world.”
“For science!”
“For science.”
Shut up.
Save that crap...
“...for after you win, you monsters who threw away your humanity.”
I’ve heard enough of this endless nonsense.
In the end, it just means you’re The Root of this entire incident.
I don't understand a word of this 'He' business, but you're the ones who controlled the terrorists with drugs, and you're the reason they acted in ways that defy common sense.
I want to beat the truth of this whole affair out of you, but there’s no way I can get information out of freaks who’ve turned into this.
“Just die.”
I swung The Hammer with everything I had.
“Hmm!”
“Block it!”
Had they finally realized the gap in power had widened too far?
The mass of flesh that was Kapustin and Coffin showed panic for the first time, summoning countless hands in front of The Hammer.
The multitude of hands that appeared before me...
The sight of those clustered hands was reminiscent of a bouquet.
Not a bouquet filled with beauty, but one filled only with loathing.
I brought The Hammer down upon that bouquet of hands.
Everything in The Hammer’s path was pulverized.
The hands that made up the bouquet were compressed, blown away, or vanished as their internal components were scattered in all directions.
The Hammer, having smashed through all those hands, did not lose its momentum and simply forged ahead.
Having broken through every obstacle, The Hammer, its power still intact, finally reached the enemies' heads.
Thud.
I slammed it right onto their skulls.
A distinct sensation of impact traveled up my arms.
The feeling of crushing everything it touched without any resistance.
Feeling that, I drove The Hammer down to the very end.
Whoosh.
The moment The Resistance against The Hammer vanished as it broke through everything.
I stopped The Hammer just before it hit the ground and surveyed the carnage it had wrought.
The cruel laboratory they had created was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained in every direction were rocks, flesh, and shards of metal.
“....”
After scanning the area once, I checked for any reactions in the surroundings, just in case.
I felt no life signs, nor any movement of Otherworldly Power.
The enemies were dead, and the battle was over.
However, I didn't trust my senses blindly. I maintained my combat stance and waited for about a minute.
Only after confirming that no reaction was felt did I release my tension and my combat posture.
“...Whew.”
A heavy exhale, the first breath I’d taken since I started swinging The Hammer without a moment's rest.
Man, I hope it’s okay outside.
I fought like this with the resolve to bury those terrorists alive, but seeing this catastrophe now, I’m starting to feel a bit worried.
And didn't I hear some of the truth about this situation from them?
That they used drugs to control people.
“...If they were manipulated, the story changes a bit.”
The nature of their crimes was so trashy that a full pardon would be impossible, but their sentences would be significantly lightened depending on how much mental manipulation was involved.
Thinking about that, I should have tried not to kill them and revealed everything through a proper trial...
“Don't worry about that. The drug only guides certain thoughts and brings out one's inherent nature. they acted that way because that’s who they were to begin with.”
Suddenly, a voice spoke.
I immediately turned my head toward the source and spotted them at the edge of my vision.
A flesh-colored mass resembling porridge, with two mouths floating within it.
It was drifting toward a drain that had somehow remained intact amidst the chaos.
From those mouths, their voices leaked out.
“We shall take our leave now.”
A final parting word as they were discharged into the drain.
I slammed the ground with all my might to stop their escape, but...
Whether that actually killed them...
Even I do not know.