Chapter 96: O-Rank Participation Record - 『Terminal Plague』 (1)
Chapter 96: O-Rank Participation Record - 『Terminal Plague』 (1)
"So, why did we come to this godforsaken city again?"
I opened the window and hopped onto the sill, looking down at the streets. A quiet, gloomy city stretched out before me, devoid of life and stained entirely in gray.
Part of it was likely because the surrounding buildings were made of gray stone, but still...
"Macbeth said it would be related to the Otherworld, so here we are," Calavera replied.
Right. That damn Macbeth.
"Has that guy's prophecies ever actually been right? I can't even interpret half the things he says. Prophecy, my ass."
"It was a profound prophecy, so I believe it to be reliable. Based on that prophecy, I won enough for lunch through a lottery ticket yesterday."
"...Well, that certainly is a miraculous prophecy."
A prophecy with the reliability of a lottery win. How am I supposed to trust that?
"More importantly, shouldn't you hide yourself? This is a secret operation, after all."
Ah, so that's why he was peeking out from behind The Wall like that?
I thought he was performing some kind of necromantic ritual.
"Don't worry about that. There's no one around."
I couldn't sense anyone nearby—not even the people who had blockaded the city and were indiscriminately gunning down pedestrians. That was probably because...
"Even those murderers wouldn't want to walk on top of corpses."
"I usually say that death is not the end, but this is something worse than death. To think there isn't even a corpse left to lay in a grave."
Calavera spoke as he bowed his head, scattering the ash piled on the windowsill with his hand. He began to sing—his unique way of mourning.
"Can't you just scatter it?" I asked.
Like cremated remains.
"No soul remains. This is different from cremation. This is, quite literally, something where nothing is left behind."
"Doesn't seem like much of a difference to me."
Does a soul even exist in the first place?
I brushed the ash off my hands from climbing the windowsill, stepped back into the room, and closed the window. No matter how tough I was, I had no desire to inhale the ashes of corpses.
That was the reality. The vast amount of ash covering the city in gray—all of it was the final remains of those who were once human.
An infectious disease linked to the Otherworld had broken out, and to contain it, neighboring countries had blockaded the entirety of Czechoslovakia.
"What did you say the symptoms were? Calavera."
Because we had rushed here secretly to avoid the eyes of the higher-ups, I hadn't even received proper data. All I knew was that the ash was the final stage for humans.
"The body turns gray and gradually hardens. Finally, the flesh turns to ash and falls away, leaving only bones. The only mercy is that there is no pain."
"It's obviously a disease related to the Otherworld. Where else would something like that come from?"
It was either a plague mutated by Otherworldly Power, or something spread by an Otherworldly Being.
Or, in the worst-case scenario, the disease itself had crossed over from the Otherworld. If that were the case, the ecosystem was as good as ruined.
"Ha-ram. What is death?"
"If you have something to say, just say it."
He’s a good guy, but he has a habit of dropping these random Zen riddles.
He shook his head as if he had no choice and opened his mouth.
"That disease... that's not the end of it."
"What? There's more to it than flesh falling off and leaving only bones?"
"The face is not included in the process of turning to ash. Until the very end, only the face remains, forced to watch its own body turn to dust. Only when the bones—excluding the face—finally crumble, does the face begin to harden."
What kind of sadistic disease is that? And there's no pain, so they just feel pure terror?
"...There's no way something like that occurs naturally."
"But the governments of each nation refuse to acknowledge that. they think they'll be lucky if it ends with just one city."
Those crazy bastards. If there's an entity spreading this, do they really think a blockade will solve it?
"What's the population?"
"One million."
One million. If they all die, wouldn't that be the largest single death toll related to the Otherworld? It wouldn't even compare to a typical O-Rank disaster.
"Transmission route?"
"Contact with the ash of the infected or the recently deceased."
"Didn't we just touch the ash?"
"We did, my friend."
What the hell is this lunatic doing? If he knew, he should have stopped me.
"You son of a—"
"It has been confirmed that Awakened above a certain rank are not infected."
"You should have said that first, you madman!"
I thought my heart was going to drop. I was already imagining the end of my life as an Awakened, lying in bed with my limbs rotting away.
"Just show me that damn prophecy."
"Didn't you say you didn't believe in it?"
"Cut the crap. I came all this way because of it. If I don't even know what it says, what am I supposed to do?"
"I suppose that's true."
He opened a leather pouch hanging from his waist and handed me a note.
It was just a piece of A4 paper folded up.
For something called a prophecy, it looked quite mundane, but since I had no other leads, I had no choice.
On that messy scrap of paper, there was a sentence written in badly smudged ink.
He must have written it in a real hurry.
It was legible enough, so I quietly stared at the words.
『The Plague of Beginning shall be unleashed upon the capital of the once-sacred empire.』
『He who struggles to avert The End shall be persecuted.』
『Thus, in the gray city where all is too late, the sole Key must choose. A sacrifice, or a grave.』
"How about you ask him to write it in a way that's easier to understand for me?"
"He says he doesn't even know how he writes them himself."
"Ah, I see."
I stopped complaining about someone who wasn't here and began interpreting the prophecy.
The 'past' refers to the plague, and the 'present' suggests there's someone who can stop it. But the 'future'...
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth after reading that sentence, so I bit into a cigarette and lit it.
"This hotel is non-smoking."
"There's no one here, so who cares about non-smoking?"
Calling it a hotel was a stretch; the manager and staff had all fled, and we were essentially squatting.
"Anyway, about the prophecy. The past is too obvious, and the present... the one stopping The End certainly isn't you or me, Calavera."
"I know how to speak with the dead, but I do not know how to negotiate with a disease."
The dead. He said he couldn't feel anything from the thick ash outside. I wonder what the difference is.
I shifted my gaze to the window for a moment and saw the ash fluttering outside. It was drifting like a fog, far denser than the cigarette smoke lingering in the room.
"Then, is this situation someone's Story, and we have to find that Awakened? Because something will only happen if we help them?"
"Who knows? Perhaps it's a development like in the movies, where there's an immune person we must protect."
"Watching too many of those B-movies will ruin your personality."
The real world is bloody enough as it is; why bother looking for more in movies?
I leaned forward and pointed at the part about the future.
"But looking at the future here, assuming the prophecy is correct, isn't it already a given that everything is ruined—"
BEEEEEEEP.
An ominous sound rang out.
"Did I not tell you?"
Simultaneously with Calavera’s scolding...
Sshhhhhhh!
Water began spraying from the fire alarm. Cold, sudden, and irritating water.
Thanks to that, the cigarette in my mouth got soaked and drooped, and the ink on the note in my hand smudged, effectively giving me the middle finger.
I sat there, dumbfounded by the absurdity of the situation.
"Don't worry, I've already made a copy of the prophecy. And as for the future... Macbeth likely sent us here because he believes that 'choice' will have some kind of meaning."
"...You mean to reduce the number of victims?"
"Yes."
Bang—.
Hearing the sound of a gunshot from outside, our faces darkened in the rain-soaked room.
It seemed someone else had been shot and killed. I didn't care much.
Ever since entering this city, scenes of people being shot while trying to flee, or people pointing guns at others to keep them away on the streets, had become common.
* * *
Four days passed.
With zero results.
I let out a sigh as I returned to our lodgings, where Calavera greeted me.
"Did you find what you were looking for in the city of ash, young lady?"
Even covered in ash, the madman flashed a bright smile, showing off his white teeth.
"Cut the nonsense. If there was anything unusual, I would have contacted you already."
I was already irritated by the lack of progress, and adding his typical Latin-style playfulness made it hard to bear.
I opened the window and tried to shake out my ash-covered coat, but it only seemed to collect more. I gave up and threw myself onto the sofa.
"What about you, Calavera?"
"Can you not tell by my bright smile? I did have some success."
Tell me that first, you idiot.
I adjusted my posture, signaling that I was ready to listen.
"I saw a child doing something to an infected person. They were crying out that the person could still live."
"Doesn't sound like much. Probably just someone they knew collapsing."
"That is not it, my friend. The moment that child did something, the patient's body was restored. It was only a part, so it didn't stop them from dying, but still."
"You bastard, do you have a disease where you die if you don't save the most important part for last?"
I finally exploded.
His jokes are only funny on the battlefield. In a place where people are dying like this, it just makes my stomach turn.
"What can I do? That is my soul. Do you not think my past life is too long to change now?"
I suppressed the curses threatening to fly out of my mouth and shouted something else instead.
"Fine, whatever. Then that kid is the Awakened of the Story. Where are they? Did you bring them?"
"I lost them."
No. Seriously, goddammit.
"You son of a... I should have brought the Thunder God or the Lord of Infinite Castles instead of a useless piece of... like you..."
Once the dam broke, the torrent of curses couldn't be stopped. A deluge of profanity poured out.
"You #@$%^&*!"
"What can I do, my friend? I am not as strong as you. I tried to pursue The Child, but I have my limits."
"Oh, you're real proud of that, aren't you? An S-Rank getting outrun by some random Awakened, you #@$%^."
You lost the only lead we had? Just die.
"So, won't you come with me to find them? With your detection and physical abilities, we should be able to manage."
"You #@$%^. Where is it? Lead the way."
Dammit is dammit, but work is work. Fuck.
* * *
"So, is this the corpse?"
"It is."
Ignoring Calavera’s bizarre tone, I lifted the corpse.
Despite having turned gray, the man had died with a peaceful face, without turning into ash. Even when I shook the body, it didn't crumble like the corpses around it.
"It certainly looks like he was treated."
I didn't know the cause of death, but it was likely either too late or the treatment was insufficient.
"Do you feel anything?"
Feel anything... If it's that, I feel a mountain of things.
"Calavera."
"Yes?"
"That corpse lying next to it. Flip it over."
Calavera looked puzzled by my request, but he faithfully followed my instructions.
As a bit of force was applied to the body, a crunching sound echoed as ash scattered. The remains of what was once a human body drifted into the air, encroaching on the surroundings.
In the midst of that nightmare-like scene, the person who had been flipped over let out a faint breath, proving they were still alive.
Even if they were a living corpse with most of their body gone and unable to even open their eyes properly, they were still alive.
I moved next to the dying woman and spoke to her.
"Have you seen a young child around here? I heard one was running around this area."
"H... e..."
A tiny voice came out, but I couldn't hear it well.
Well, a dying person wouldn't exactly have a booming voice.
So, I leaned in close to catch her words.
"Treatment... people are here..."
I see. So there are rumors of such a child in this area.
"We're looking for that kid too. It seems you haven't seen them either."
"Can't... save me?"
"I'm sorry. We're more focused on combat than treatment."
"Ugh... hhh..."
the sound of her breathing grew more intense. A breath filled with grief. And at the same time...
Crackle. Crackle.
With a grating sound, her body, which had barely maintained its shape, began to fall away. It was as if her body was crumbling as her will faded.
"Kill... me..."
"..."
"It hurts... I'm disappearing. I'm... disappearing..."
Didn't he say there was no pain? Then where was this woman feeling pain?
"...If it really hurts that much, I can end it for you. Is that what you want?"
"It hurts... I don't know what it is... but it hurts... just kill me..."
Every time she spoke, her body crumbled further. It was as if she was consuming her very body just to squeeze out the words.
"Calavera. What about this woman's soul?"
"It still remains."
I don't believe in the existence of souls, but perhaps the pain she spoke of was the vanishing of that meaningless 'something' Calavera called a soul.
"Is this death a salvation? Calavera."
There was no verbal reply. I only felt him nod through my senses.
Whoosh. Clang. Clang.
A hammer extended from my hand, cutting through the air. It was a pure white hammer, devoid of any protrusions, modified so she wouldn't feel burdened by it.
I raised The Hammer with both hands, which had transformed as if reading my heart's desire not to look like an executioner's tool.
"Your soul will be saved."
At my words, she smiled.
Was it a smile containing her last bit of strength?
I swung The Hammer down toward that smile, which was already being consumed and crumbling into gray.
"STOOOOOP!"
A small child suddenly jumped out from somewhere.
A little girl with messy black hair and gray-discolored wounds all over her skin.
She leaped between me and the ash. As if she weren't afraid of the swinging hammer, she didn't even look at me. She jumped in with her eyes fixed only on the ash in front of her, offering the back of her head to me.
"Tsk."
Screeech.
With the sound of extreme stress being placed on metal, I stopped the hammerhead just before it hit her head.
It was a metallic screech caused by me exerting force in the opposite direction to prevent The Hammer’s handle from bending and striking her.
"Are you an Awakened?"
Ignoring both my effort to stop the attack and my question, she grabbed the crumbling head with both hands.
...She had no fingers.
Looking at the jagged edges, it seemed they had been cut off by something sharp.
"You can still live! Please, remember. Remember when you were happy, before you were consumed by the disease... please..."
I couldn't feel any Otherworldly Power. All I heard was the simple grief of a child.
But why? From the place where her hands touched, the gray ash began to regain the texture of human flesh.
Pink spread little by little, and finally, the head with its returned complexion began to move its lips quietly.
"...What is your name?"
A simple question. Despite having no lungs or throat, the fact that a voice came out normally was one of the bizarre aspects of this plague.
But there was something even stranger. Even at such a simple question, The Child in front of me flinched and did not answer.
As if afraid of something, her lips trembled, and she hesitated to speak her name. How long did that agony last?
"Al... it's Al’liv."
In the gray silence, that voice echoed quietly.
Simultaneously, the woman's face, which had been regaining its pink hue, began to turn gray again. It wasn't as fast as before, but it was at a speed clearly visible to the eye.
"I see... so you're that child. If only we had listened to you from the beginning."
Leaving behind words that suggested she knew something, her face slowly faded away. With a sad smile, she...
"Please. Forgive us. And, please save us... I'm sorry."
She left that final testament and crumbled.
The slow-drifting wind swept through the ash that was once human, breaking down its form.
The human face thus became faint dust before the wind and vanished.
Staining someone's hand, leaving only a small trace.
"Ah... aaaaaah."
The small clue we had found collapsed to the ground, unable to save the person before her.
It was a common occurrence.
In this city.