Chapter 442: The Beginning of Change (3)
"Gue-e-e-gh."
Every time I opened my mouth, black ooze came pouring out.
Perhaps because I was far enough away from that damn Pink Bat, the Mental Domination that had been shaking my brain and whispering to me had been severed, but the black substance lodged inside my body remained, turning my stomach inside out.
Just how much of this stuff is in me?
The black matter continued to spill out, so much so that I had to push aside the pain of vomiting just to wonder when it would end.
At a glance, it looked like Black Slime, but once it hit the ground, it displayed peculiar properties.
While it clumped together like mucus when exiting my mouth, the moment it hit the earth or smeared onto something, it spread thin like a sheet of paper, forming a shadow.
And as if it possessed some volatile quality, it vanished rapidly if left alone for even a moment.
It was the kind of substance that made you think, Is this what happens when darkness itself is materialized?
Of course, regardless of such contemplations...
"Gue-e-e-gh."
My mouth continued to heave up that garbage.
"Can't you hold it in a little? You're getting it everywhere."
Thunder God, who was clutching me and sprinting, spoke with an irritated tone.
"Guegh. Gue-e-e-gh."
I couldn't give her a proper answer; I could only continue to spit out the darkness.
"…Sigh."
Thunder God let out a heavy sigh, but she didn't throw me away or anything.
"Guegh. Agh?"
By the time the black discharge started coming out mixed with red...
"This should be far enough."
Thunder God came to a sudden halt and gently set me down on the ground.
It was an ordinary grassy field with nothing special about it.
We were apparently quite far from Detroit, as even with my vision enhanced, I couldn't see the battlefield we had been fighting in just moments ago.
However, the Pillar of Light soaring into the sky occupied a corner of my vision as clearly as if it were right in front of me.
Like a sentence announcing the end of the world.
The sight of it made my irritation flare up.
"Kha-tui!"
I spat out the last of the darkness remaining in my mouth along with some bloody phlegm.
The final remnants of the darkness within me clumped together and fell to the ground.
"Ugh… gross."
Thunder God, looking genuinely disgusted, distanced herself from the spot where my spit had landed.
Having purged the darkness and with my wounds healed during the transport, I began checking my physical condition while stretching.
Arms. Legs. No issues.
Skin. It felt a bit strange, probably because it had just grown back after being peeled off, but it was fine.
Internal organs. …Hmm. My stomach felt unsettled. Was it because everything had been shredded once? Or were my guts still contaminated?
Should I rip my stomach open and check?
I entertained that bizarre thought for a moment before realizing the fundamental truth: even if I did rip my belly open, there was no way I’d know what was wrong just by looking.
…I’ll have to ask Oxymoron to take me apart later.
I eventually reached that pathetic conclusion.
Anyway, since I decided I was fit enough to move for the time being...
"Hey. By the way, what brought you—"
Just as I was about to ask why Thunder God, who had no business being on that battlefield, had suddenly appeared...
"…Hmm? Hmmm? I’ve seen this somewhere before."
Thunder God, the person who was supposed to answer my question, was tilting her head while poking the phlegm I’d spat out with a twig.
What is she doing?
What could possibly be so interesting about my spit?
"…What are you doing?"
She seemed startled by my remark.
"Eh? Oh, no. It’s nothing special. It’s just, how should I put it…?"
Thunder God hurriedly tossed the twig aside and started acting flustered.
I waited a moment for her to calm down.
"You know… that Black Orb I ate before."
Thunder God continued, her voice and gestures mixed with a subtle, awkward embarrassment.
"This looks a lot like that…."
Ah. The Black Orb she ate when she was falling into corruption.
Now that she mentioned it, it did look similar—
Wait a minute.
"…Then, does that mean those Magical Girls are essentially corrupted?"
"It feels subtly different. The properties are similar, and the vibe is the same, but… how do I put it?"
Thunder God pondered my question for a moment.
"…The presence is different? I’m not sure how to describe it. Sorry."
She gave her answer shortly after.
The presence is different.
Thunder God probably apologized because she felt her answer wasn't precise enough.
But hearing those words made me understand.
That substance and the Black Orb were both condensed forms of Otherworldly Power.
However, what I spat out was a substance created by Cyan, not an Entity at The End, so it was likely of a lower grade.
A corruptive substance created not by The End, but by a Guardian Corps-level entity.
Unlike the Black Orb, which was for voluntary corruption, this was likely designed for forced corruption and absolute obedience.
That would make sense.
Thinking about it started to give me a headache.
That Cyan brat is Guardian Corps-level.
Its physical abilities were pathetic, suggesting it hadn't fully awakened, but it seemed to have gained power in a different direction.
In any case.
GM and Geuk were already enough of a headache, and now there was another Guardian Corps-level threat added to the mix.
This is insane, seriously.
And to top it off, they’re all on the same side.
I felt like I could handle them one-on-one, but three of them together?
…No, wait.
My Fourth Executive showed up too, didn't he?
He vanished suddenly, and I have no idea where he is now.
Please tell me he doesn't turn out to be an O-Rank too.
"Haha…."
After roughly organizing the situation in my head, I let out a hollow laugh filled with dread for the future.
At least three individuals who are at least O-Rank.
…How the hell am I supposed to beat them?
I had no intention of despairing or giving up, but the fact that this was a living hell remained unchanged.
"Sigh."
Well, I’ll figure something out.
Only after letting out that sigh did another thought suddenly occur to me.
Oh, right. There was something I wanted to ask Thunder God.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you come?"
Thwack.
A flash of light, faster than the sensation of pain, struck me.
"Isn't it a bit much to ask 'why did you come' after I just saved you?"
My question must have really rubbed her the wrong way, as her complaint only reached me after her fist had already connected with my head at the speed of light.
It seemed I had shortened the question too much.
"No, I’m obviously grateful for that. What I meant was, why did you, who should be with The Society, show up at a Management Bureau battlefield?"
When I rephrased the question with genuine gratitude this time...
"Huh? You didn't hear?"
Thunder God tilted her head and shook it.
"Hear what?"
"It should have been sent to the Bureau terminals?"
"I smashed mine ages ago."
There was no way something like that would still be intact.
I’d kept my phone in my Magical Girl pocket, but the terminal had been destroyed long ago in the heat of battle.
"…Ah. So that’s why you were still running wild even after the retreat signal was given."
"Huh? Retreat? With The Enemy right in front of us?"
So that’s where Ultimate and that geezer, the Lord of Infinite Castles, went. They ran away.
Those damn cowards.
If you're men, stand your ground and fight, you bastards. Aren't you ashamed of your chromosomes?
While I was busy priding myself on my true manliness...
"Right, right. I'll explain."
Thunder God raised her voice as if she had no choice.
"First of all, the Bureau decided to put the Pillar of Light on the back burner. All the seals the Bureau was managing were released at once, and all the Holes were activated."
"Then we should have fought harder. The culprit was right there."
If Ultimate and the Lord of Infinite Castles had been there, huh?
We could have done three one-on-ones, huh?
Geuk, GM, Cyan, whatever—we could've taken them all, huh?
It would've been a perfect happy ending!
"…You must have missed it because you were too busy fighting. Hundreds of Otherworldly beings, at least A-Rank, poured out of that Pillar of Light. Just getting close to it was a struggle."
"You made it."
"Only because it’s me. The Lord of Infinite Castles probably would've collapsed from acute back pain on the way."
Coming from Thunder God, that sounded highly credible.
Then I guess it couldn't be helped.
In the end, was it my fault for not being able to wipe them all out on the spot?
Good grief.
"Anyway, the Bureau decided to deprioritize the Pillar of Light, which isn't moving much, and enter a total war footing to start clearing out the surrounding areas. There was also a message sent directly to the Bureau by GM."
The Nautilus sent a message?
Did he type it out with those tentacles in that state? I can't even imagine it.
"What did the message say?"
"The time until the next attack."
"…Hmm?"
"Basically, they issued a declaration of war, stating that the main force of this invasion won't move until a designated time. They even included the attack location. It came with a notice that if the attack succeeds, they’ll designate the next attack's time and location again."
Did I hear that right?
Are they insane?
"Could you say that again?"
"I'll just tell you exactly what the message said. 'The main force shall move with honor. Let the sparks fly as strength clashes with strength in a brilliant display, and satisfy the audience. For that is the role of the actors upon the stage.' Following that sentence, the date, time, and location were listed, along with the note that they would continue to do this in the future."
My brain stalled upon hearing that.
What the hell is wrong with those lunatics?
That was 100% a message from Geuk.
GM might have sent it, but Geuk definitely wrote the script.
There’s a limit to staying in character, but this…?
I tried to understand their thought process for a moment.
Yeah, no. I don't get it.
Let's just give up.
That’s just how those 'End' bastards are.
As the mass-produced Lee Ha-ram inside me said...
The End is just full of guys like that.
There’s clearly no point in trying to apply common sense to a bunch of voyeuristic roleplayers with mental illnesses.
No doubt Geuk is a pervert who can't get excited unless the battle has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Just as I was nodding to myself, having realized this truth...
Pang.
I felt like someone had smacked the back of my head.
"Why are you hitting me again?"
"I didn't hit you."
"Huh?"
Startled, I looked at Thunder God in front of me.
Then, I turned my head back.
But there was no one there.
…Was I imagining things?
I must be having phantom pains from thinking too hard, which isn't like me.
Anyway.
"So the Bureau’s position is to clean up the surrounding areas until the designated time?"
"Simply put, yes. Though each of those 'cleanups' is a nation-ending level crisis."
"This is the first time I've seen Otherworldly bastards being so polite."
Usually, they’re too busy stabbing you in the back or popping up out of nowhere.
"Of course, the Bureau doesn't trust them and is preparing a separate task force. They’re just not launching a preemptive strike because they don't see a need to poke the hornet's nest right now."
A reasonable judgment.
Anyway, so The Enemy’s main force is tied down until the designated invasion time.
With that restriction placed on The Enemy, the world-ending crisis that had seemed utterly hopeless suddenly felt manageable.
I felt like we might actually be able to overcome this if things went well.
…Isn't this a bit too unnatural?
With that doubt in mind, I looked at the distant Pillar of Light.
And at Geuk, who would be beneath it.
There was no way I could see him, but for some reason, I felt like Geuk was smiling.
Fine. Laugh all you want.
So you deliberately set up a battlefield that feels winnable?
Don't you dare start crying and asking for a do-over when things turn against you later.
Kha-tui.
I spat toward the ground, my phlegm filled with the rage boiling in my heart.
There was no longer any black darkness mixed in it.
Anyway, now that I had a general grasp of the situation...
I’d better get ready to run my ass off.
"Well, thanks for the save. See you later."
With that, I began my farewell to Thunder God.
"Are you going back to the Bureau?"
"I have to."
"Then I'm coming with you."
Huh?
Just as I was about to bolt, Thunder God suddenly stuck to my side.
"…I'm going to the Bureau right now, you know?"
"I heard you the first time."
"…You're technically a Mutant, aren't you?"
"Technically, yes."
"…And I'm going to the Bureau?"
"I know."
Something wasn't clicking.
"I mean, you're a Mutant, so you shouldn't be following me to the Bureau."
I finally spelled out my entire line of questioning.
"Ah, right. You wouldn't have heard about that either."
Thunder God nodded quickly, as if she finally realized why the conversation was looping.
"It doesn't matter if we're seen, so let's just go."
She spoke with such nonchalance that it actually started to irritate me.
"No, I know exactly how Mutants are treated—"
Just as I raised my voice in anger...
"It's fine."
Thunder God cut me off with a smile and immediately continued.
"In the first place, don't you think it's strange that I know the Bureau’s internal affairs so well?"
Now that she mentioned it, she was right.
Given the current situation, she might have heard some things through the media, but information about task forces and the release of seals should be top-secret and not disclosed to civilians.
So, how did Thunder God know all that?
Just as I was trying to squeeze an answer out of my stiff brain...
"The answer is simple. The Society and the Management Bureau have formed an alliance."
Thunder God beat me to the punch with a grin.
"Though it seems like both sides are fully intent on stabbing each other in the back."
She laughed loudly as she said that.
Meanwhile, I couldn't even react, my mind stuck on the thought: What kind of 'Avatar-making-nautilus-salad' nonsense is this?