Chapter 449: Distortion (1)
"Now then, Ms. Lee Ha-ram. What did I tell you?"
How did it come to this?
The situation I found myself in was bizarre enough to warrant that exact thought.
I was kneeling in the middle of the room, while Seini looked down at me, preaching.
Something that should never have happened was happening, yet I couldn't utter a single word of protest as I endured Seini’s lecture.
Of course, I wasn't actually listening.
So, it is possible for my knees to fall asleep in this body.
It wasn't that my physical durability was lacking; rather, it was likely a trait of a Magical Girl's body—faithfully replicating physical responses to stress.
As I continued to drift off into such idle thoughts, ignoring the sermon...
"Are you listening, Ms. Lee Ha-ram?"
The voice, which had felt distant, suddenly boomed right in front of me, and the boy's face filled my vision.
Seini’s angry face was glowing with a faint light.
I was startled by his face suddenly being thrust into mine, but...
I didn't immediately throw a punch like I had with Al’shel.
Why was that? Was it the difference between a face that was actually decent to look at and the mug of an abyssal monster dwelling in a nightmare?
Regardless of my sensibilities, even though I hadn't listened to a word and didn't know exactly what Seini had said, I could guess the gist of it.
"Ah, so you're saying I shouldn't go out on my own and cause trouble, but stay on standby so I can deploy at any time, right?"
"...That is what I told you before I left."
Was it?
As I tilted my head in confusion—
Thud.
My head rolled right off my shoulders.
My vision spun 360 degrees, taking in the entire room in a blur, but...
It's been a while since this happened.
Unfazed by this bizarre phenomenon, I moved my body and picked up my rolling head.
There was a slight issue with my sensory organs, but I managed to retrieve my head without much difficulty.
"...Could you at least pretend to be surprised?"
"It's not like this is the first time I've experienced it."
Having said that, I placed my head in the crook of my crossed legs and began stroking my own hair.
"Ms. Lee Ha-ram, do you even know the meaning of the word 'reflection'?"
Seini, looking thoroughly incensed, began to raise his voice, which was unusual for him.
But if he was going to be like that, I had something to say too.
"That's why I'm just taking it without resisting your Spatial Severance."
See? I'm practically juggling my head right now.
This is actually great training for sensory development.
Since my vision, hearing, and sense of balance are all scrambled and unusable, it's a drill to scan my surroundings using only my other senses and the ability to detect Otherworldly Power.
Seeing as I could do it quite well despite it being a while, it seems skills engraved into the body don't just disappear.
"It looks to me like you're just playing around."
Is that so?
Then I guess I have no choice.
Huuup.
I tensed my neck, and a sensation like something breaking around my throat began to flow.
Wung.
Along with a vibration in the air, my vision, which had been staring only at the floor, immediately returned to its familiar, original position.
Just like that, Seini’s Spatial Severance was dispelled in an instant.
Breaking that technique doesn't require any special ability or skill.
In the first place, that power is actually quite easy to deal with. If you know it's coming, you can easily resist it, and even after being cut, you can dispel it quickly by focusing your nerves and power on the severed area.
Furthermore, that ability is completely non-lethal. Even though my head was cut off, it didn't hinder my body's movement, nor was there any blood from the cut.
It looks like a decapitation, but in reality, it just manipulates space to make it appear as though the body has been disassembled.
Even if you don't know that specific trick, there are various ways to nullify the technique. It's a fairly easy ability to resolve: it dispels if the caster, Seini, moves too far from the target, if a certain amount of time passes, if the disassembled part receives a shock above a certain threshold, or if a body part is moved beyond a certain distance.
There's a common trade-off where a technique is easy to activate if it's also easy for the opponent to dispel or resist, and Seini’s technique is particularly practical for actual combat.
Setting aside how annoying it is until you figure out how to break it, it's an ability that suddenly severs a part of the body the moment the opponent lets their guard down during a fight.
If he mixes actual lethal Spatial Severance with this non-lethal body disassembly, the opponent's judgment will falter as they struggle to decide how to react to the attack.
Well, regardless of Seini’s ability...
"...Are you reflecting on your actions?"
Seini, who usually used polite speech and showed respect, was now fuming and lecturing me.
"I'm sorry. I just have to stay still, right?"
And so, praying for the lecture to end, I apologized with about 10% sincerity.
"...It seems you haven't reflected at all. Let's start again from the beginning."
Our resident educator, Seini, began his lecture once more. A lecture that felt like it might go on for eternity.
How did it come to this?
Why was Seini so angry again?
I really didn't think I'd done anything to deserve such a long lecture.
Right, it definitely happened not long after I finished greeting the Executives.
* * *
"Standby?"
"Did you not hear? The Society's intelligence unit is searching Dubai. There was a request for the rest of the personnel not to provoke The Enemy recklessly."
Locria, who still spoke with that strange cadence, called out to stop me as I was about to leave the building.
Hmm.
"You do not seem convinced. However, standby is also important. We must prepare so we can deploy when needed."
Her voice was so gentle despite that weird way of speaking; it was truly bizarre.
Anyway.
"A stroll?"
I understood the gist of what she was saying, so I shortened my request to go out and check the situation for a bit.
Locria looked thoughtful for a moment, then...
"That... is fine?"
Since I had Locria's permission...
"Then I'm off."
"You must return soon."
I left the building with her seeing me off.
Or, to be more precise...
I approached the building's exit.
'Interior renovations in progress. We apologize for any inconvenience.'
I pushed through the glass door with that notice attached and took a step outside.
I was still inside the building.
It was a space of unknown purpose, filled with the cold air of the air conditioning from above.
It wasn't a lobby, a rest area, or decorated with anything—just a meaningless, double-layered empty space between the building's entrance doors.
They must have money to burn, blasting the AC in a place like this.
And here I thought we were supposed to be saving energy.
I grumbled inwardly as I passed through the second door.
And soon, I realized why that place existed.
...Ah, it was a place to shake off the sand.
Outside the building, a sandstorm was raging.
Of course, I already knew a sandstorm was blowing from looking through the glass walls, but a natural disaster far harsher than I expected hammered against my body.
I hadn't even been out for ten seconds, yet fine sand stung my skin like needles, and grit began to crawl inside my clothes, making everything feel scratchy.
It was a massive amount of stress, as if nature were reminding a tiny human of their helplessness.
An ordinary person would have retreated to the human nest developed over thousands of years for comfort, unable to endure the stress.
But I am no ordinary human.
"Strooooooll!"
Shouting that, I closed the door and sprinted away from the building.
Bitter.
The taste of the sand was stinging and bitter.
I shouldn't have opened my mouth.
Just a brief moment of opening it, and my mouth was already full of grit.
Ptu.
I gathered the sand in my mouth and spat.
Feeling a bit better, I resumed my stroll.
Of course, the environment hadn't improved, so sand was invading every single crack and crevice on my body.
But I had no intention of turning back.
When a man makes up his mind, he must walk his chosen path with fortitude.
Locria would surely be there to greet me if I went back, and what would she think if the person who left for a stroll returned in less than five minutes, transformed into a sandman?
So, I ran down the empty road, where not even cars traveled due to the sandstorm, humming a tune.
Actually, I gave up on the humming.
I'd inhaled, and sand had gone down my throat.
Anyway, I wandered the streets like a madman, and by the time I finally got used to the pouring sand, I began to drift into thought.
Now then. Let's look up at the sky.
I see buildings.
I see the lights of skyscrapers shining even through the thick sandstorm.
Skyscrapers built upon The Sea and the desert.
Dubai.
A land of pleasure and finance, developed by the influx of capital from all over the world as a hub for Middle Eastern trade.
...Hmm? Isn't something strange?
It's hard to put my finger on it.
But something is off.
The scene unfolding before my eyes is somehow at odds with the knowledge I have.
What is it?
I can't tell exactly what's wrong.
However, a faint haze, like something I could almost grasp, danced in my mind along with the sandstorm in my vision.
Hmm?
So, I continued to ponder, even enduring the sand particles entering my lungs as I breathed.
Just as a fragment of truth seemed about to appear, dancing within the sandstorm...
A bizarre sensation brushed against my neck.
A chilling cold.
A warning my own body emitted, one I had experienced many times before.
I cleared everything cluttering my brain.
Thud.
I stomped on the ground, momentarily clearing the sandstorm around me as I scanned the area.
It wasn't nearby.
On the other side, where the sandstorm had briefly receded, far in the distance...
An entity too black to be a mere shadow was walking slowly.
I couldn't fully tell what it was, even with my current senses.
The sand mist, which was overwhelming even for me, was blocking all my senses.
However, my intuition, the experience I had accumulated, whispered to me.
That Black Shadow...
Is my adversary.
And so...
Boom.
I immediately sprinted forward.
To kill an Executive-level target.
To take care of it before it could eat something or do something.
My charge became an air current, scattering the sandstorm.
That movement formed a new, massive sandstorm along my path, but since there was no one around to be harmed by it...
I widened my eyes, ignoring the dust colliding with my eyeballs, and raised The Hammer I had summoned.
"Die!"
I swung The Hammer down instantly.
Only then did the entity perceive me.
A monster in human form, composed of countless intertwined black tentacles.
Its appearance was utterly monstrous.
But its actions were so very human.
Even though it had no face or expression, I could feel its emotions.
Curiosity and interest.
A gesture and a gaze that lacked any negative emotions like fear or hostility.
Whether The Enemy felt hostile toward me or not didn't matter.
I was simply doing what I had to do.
And so, clearing the sandstorm with the shockwave alone, I brought The Hammer down, but—
Squelch.
The Hammer, carrying immense force, was stopped by The Enemy’s outstretched hand.
The Hammer sank deep into The Enemy’s hand, as if hitting thick mucus.
I felt the sensation of The Hammer hitting something, but not the feeling of having actually struck something.
Just as I was about to retract The Hammer and continue the attack...
...It won't come out?
The Hammer wouldn't budge.
It was stuck fast, as if glued to something.
It wasn't completely fixed, though.
The Hammer was vibrating, being pulled toward me and then toward The Enemy in a tug-of-war of strength.
So, I looked at The Hammer.
And I immediately understood what had happened.
...Those tentacles weren't just for show.
The tentacles forming its body had rapidly dispersed at the moment of impact to minimize the shock, and then they must have latched onto The Hammer the moment my attack stopped.
Right. This much was fine. The problem was...
...An enemy that can match me in a contest of strength?
Of course, there was the issue of my gear being low since the Limiter had only just been released.
Even considering that, this Black Tentacle Human was holding its own against me.
My weapon, swung with both hands, was caught, while the tentacle human had only used one arm.
Since the opponent had one arm left, one might think I was at a disadvantage.
But looking at the state of the tentacles, it didn't seem like they were at ease either.
The tentacles that made up the other arm, the torso, and the legs were all wriggling and moving toward The Hammer.
It seemed the tentacles wanted to win the power struggle rather than attack me.
Is that how it's going to be?
Let's see who wins.
So, I continued this meaningless tug-of-war.
Actually, there was a much simpler way to resolve this.
I could de-summon The Hammer to free my hands, punch it with my gauntlets, and then re-summon The Hammer.
A very simple method.
However, this contest of strength had become a matter of pride.
The tentacles and I continued our struggle for about a minute.
As my gear shifted higher and the tentacles also concentrated their strength, the sandstorm, unable to withstand the turbulence of power, began to clear. At that moment...
"Do you believe in yourself?"
Suddenly, I heard a voice.
It sounded like a woman, a man, an old person, and a child all at once.
A voice that sounded completely different depending on how one thought of it.
It emanated from somewhere within the tentacle human before me.
"To believe is to be alive. That is why you stand here with your faith."
It continued to speak even as it maintained the struggle.
"My name is Fanaticism. The entity that shall block your path."
It raised its voice.
And then...
"Fall into a dream. And so, I too shall slumber."
With those words...
I lost consciousness on the spot.
* * *
And after that, The Society, realizing I hadn't returned for hours, went into an emergency and started searching for me.
The story ends with them finding me in the middle of the city, having fallen fast asleep and turned into a pillar of sand.
Honestly, I'm still not sure if this was my fault.
I mean, I have a conscience, so I know it wouldn't be a 0:100 split in terms of negligence.
But since it was a defensive action due to an unavoidable situation, wouldn't it be more like 20:80?
Of course, I'm the 20.
However...
"So, did you just let my warning not to go out go in one ear and out the other? Do I need to define the word 'standby' for you?"
It seems Seini doesn't agree with me.