Chapter 98: Death, Walking
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Death, Walking
Death is often depicted as having no feet. It follows close behind, no matter where you hide or how far you run, catching even the most vigilant unawares.
But Lieutenant Colonel Callis’s death was walking on two very certain feet.
A boy, pretty enough to be mistaken for a girl, was approaching with clear murderous intent and the ability to see it through. With every step he took toward Callis, she drew closer to her end.
Her survival instincts screamed a warning.
“Wh-what do you think you’re doing? As a warden of Tantalus, I was merely disciplining a trainee who refused to obey orders…”
Knowing it would be useless, the officer still stammered out an excuse to the approaching Regressor.
Of course, it didn’t work.
“Actually, it doesn’t matter if you let go. You’re going to die anyway.”
But not letting go after hearing that would only seal her own fate.
The officer threw the chain aside and stumbled backward. The iron links clattered to the floor, and Azzy’s eyes fluttered open. The chain was still wrapped around her neck, but she paid it little mind. A pull like that wouldn’t hurt her anyway.
She simply watched the humans fighting amongst themselves with a hint of sadness.
Sensing the impending scent of blood, Azzy turned her head toward the darkness.
In contrast, the Undying, who did not fear death, stood tall and faced it head-on.
“Well, now. Isn’t it the boy with the scandalous preference for men! A shame, but the lieutenant colonel is a woman! Her attitude is so stiff, you must have been mistaken!”
It was a foolish joke, but it had no effect on the Regressor in her current state. A switch had been flipped, and now her mind held nothing but a killing intent honed to a razor’s edge.
It was a killing intent that could not be satisfied by a single death in this lifetime.
It was a will to extinguish her existence from all future possibilities… a more fundamental, transcendental desire for annihilation.
“…Must you do this, boy?”
Even the Undying, who had never experienced death, could not manage a smile in the face of an aura that transcended mere killing intent. He watched the Regressor, his body tensed and ready to spring into action at any moment.
Soon, the distance between them closed to twenty paces. The Regressor spoke to the man blocking her path, her voice laced with annoyance.
“You were better off with your limbs detached. At least then, you weren’t in the way.”
“Boy, you were better when you were flustered and confused. You were quite human then, but now… you’re like a fiend.”
The Undying let out a hollow laugh. It wasn’t born of leisure, but from a keen awareness of the chasm between them.
Even as he drew this close, his speed hadn’t decreased.
Despite possessing the ability to unleash blades of wind, despite being able to rain down a barrage of deadly attacks from this range, the Regressor didn’t slow her pace. It was as if the Undying wasn’t even an obstacle.
One step, then another. He was closing in, neither slowly nor quickly. A steady, constant approach, like the inexorable march of a promised hour.
If he reached the officer, who was trembling in the grip of that murderous aura…
The Undying muttered.
“Callis. Run.”
This was the Abyss. The ultimate dead end, with nowhere to run.
Knowing this, the Undying could only repeat himself.
“Anywhere, just go! Now!”
The officer, jolted to her senses, nodded and broke into a sprint. The sound of her desperate footsteps echoed.
The Regressor watched her back and muttered.
“I was right. You’re better off gone.”
He drew his arm back. The simple motion caused the wind filling the corridor to be sucked toward a single point.
His last trace of amusement vanishing, the Undying shouted with utmost urgency.
“Run faster—!”
In the next instant, the Regressor aimed for the center of her back and thrust Chun-aeng forward.
Skyblade Art, Daybreak.
A single gust of wind blew. Compared to the tremendous prelude, the result was laughably trivial. A soft whoosh, like a gentle puff of breath, flowed down the corridor.
But to dismiss it would be a grave mistake. Its power was devastatingly fierce.
“Hah!”
The Undying instantly moved to block the tip of the Regressor’s sword. As expected, an invisible blade of Qi pierced through his body. It tore through his crossed arms, his muscles, his bones, his air-filled lungs, and out his back in a single breath.
A troubled look crossed the Undying’s face. The attack’s penetrating power far exceeded his expectations. It was an overwhelming force that couldn’t be stopped by simply crossing his arms and throwing his body in the way.
“Duck!”
With that shout, the Undying twisted his body.
The blade of wind tore through him and shot forward, grazing the officer’s cap. The service cap, a symbol of the Military State’s authority, flew into the air. The officer staggered from the impact but managed to regain her balance and scrambled up the stairs to escape.
The Regressor clicked her tongue.
“Tch. You twisted your body in the middle of all that?”
“Haha. It was quite the feat, wasn’t it? But I pulled it off!”
While the blade of wind was piercing him, the Undying had tensed every muscle in his body and twisted. Because the blade was passing through him, it was as if he had grabbed hold of it with his entire being. As a result, the trajectory of the sword art said to shoot down the sun was thrown off, causing it to graze the officer’s shoulder instead of her neck.
She had failed to kill her, but the Regressor felt no particular regret.
“It’s only a temporary reprieve. This is the Abyss. No one can escape from here. The lieutenant colonel will die.”
“Haha. Be patient, boy. She was just a little on edge.”
“Her true nature came out because she was on edge.”
“One’s nature isn’t singular, boy. Everyone has good and bad parts, like two sides of a coin. Here in this land cursed by Mother Earth, in this dark and gloomy place, her bad side simply became more prominent!”
“Right. I understand.”
The Regressor gave a small nod and added.
“So I’ll kill the bad part. You can deal with the good part… if you’re still alive, that is.”
It seemed no one could persuade him. It seemed no one could even stop him. Furthermore, his rage was justified, and he himself had no intention of stopping.
Feeling a sense of hopelessness, the Undying spoke.
“Must you see blood, boy?”
Seeing the Regressor’s expression grow colder, the Undying quickly added.
“Ah, don’t misunderstand! I’m talking about my blood, of course!”
“And you. Do you have a reason to protect the lieutenant colonel, even if it means shedding your own blood?”
“Of course. She’s my friend!”
The Undying declared it proudly, without a hint of hesitation. The Regressor swept a hand through her hair in annoyance.
“I wasn’t going to say anything because it feels like I’m taking credit, but this is getting tedious, so I’ll just say it. The lieutenant colonel wasn’t the one who revived you. I was. I took your right arm, which was wasting away under a curse, and regenerated it by throwing it into a healing potion made with a World Tree leaf. The fact that it looked like she saved you was a complete coincidence…”
“Haha! I know! My right arm told me! I’m truly grateful for that, boy!”
“…Then, why?”
The Undying answered cheerfully.
“Regardless. She came with the intention of helping me, and she had the ability to do so! Even if my right arm hadn’t arrived when it did, the lieutenant colonel would have helped me! So, doesn’t that make us friends?”
“Haaah. Fine. I get it.”
With a deep sigh, the Regressor raised Chun-aeng and resumed her advance. The Undying extended her right foot back and shouted gallantly.
“Of course, I consider you a benefactor as well, boy! I have no intention of being hostile! Ah! And I’m not just saying that because I think I’m going to lose!”
“Tch, of all things, an undying one I can’t even kill… It’d be better to just blow you away and move on. Hmph.”
“I may not be able to stop you, but I won’t let you pass easily!”
Seeing the Regressor raise her hand, the Undying let out a roar and charged toward her.
It wasn’t to attack, but to reduce the time the blade would spend tearing through his body. Retreating would only mean being ravaged for longer. It was like a light infantryman charging head-on into a squad of armored cavalry.
In any case, the Undying met a similar fate. As the violent wind swept past, his sturdy body disintegrated in an instant.
In the most literal sense.
*
I have to escape. I have to escape.
The Progenitor was indifferent to humans, the criminal threat was currently getting along with the laborer without issue, the Undying was in pieces, and the target, the Dog King, was friendly toward humans.
For these reasons, Lieutenant Colonel Callis had judged this mission to be easier than expected. All she had to do was enter the Abyss, a place full of people indifferent to others, and secure the Dog King. As long as nothing dramatic happened, she would be safe as well.
The fact that the laborer had survived so brazenly until now was proof of that. It was her most terrible miscalculation.
I was wrong. The moment I touched the Dog King, they all reacted.
The laborer had interfered the moment she approached the Dog King.
The Progenitor protected him with all her might, willing to antagonize the entire nation for his sake.
And when she had approached the Dog King in secret and placed the ‘chain’ around the Dog King’s neck, the criminal threat had lost his mind and charged at her, intent on killing her himself.
Everyone here is an enemy.
This was a devastating blow for the Human Regime. The operation had been planned with the casualness of picking up a lost item, but in reality, it was as difficult as walking into hell to steal a treasure from the king of the underworld.
Have they grown attached to him? Or did they realize who we are and are trying to interfere? Whatever the case, I have to report this. The mission must be canceled. And…
Since the situation was dire, she would escape to survive.
Abandoning a mission midway was unacceptable, but surely they wouldn’t expect her to succeed in this hellhole. It was better to plan for the future than to throw her life away.
Callis reached the 4th floor, panting. A soldier of the Military State wouldn’t get winded from just running up some stairs, but her body, having just indirectly experienced death, was desperately seeking proof of life through ragged breaths.
Strands of red hair stuck to her face. Only then did Callis realize that the cap that always pressed down on her head was gone. A wave of anxiety washed over her, but she knew she should be grateful her head was still attached to her neck.
Callis opened a hidden compartment on her belt and took out a packet.
For communication.
The Military State’s synchro-type magic golem was an invention of the century, but one couldn’t resonate with it without a special Unique Magic. For ordinary people to send messages, they had to use communication facilities or revert to more primitive methods.
Like the brooch Callis now held, which had four gems attached to it.
Break one for ‘safe,’ two for ‘caution.’ Three for ‘danger’… and if all four are broken, it means every being present is a confirmed hostile.
The twin gems, created through a special alchemical process, were designed so that if one shattered, the other would shatter as well.
It had its drawbacks—it was single-use and useless unless the signals were predetermined—but the Human Regime, being a secret society, made full use of this feature.
I have to assume even the Progenitor is hostile. That means four gems.
Callis pulled on the pin attached to the brooch. The tip of the pin, which should have been sharp, was unusually fitted with a heavy iron ball. She pulled it back as far as it would go and let go. The iron ball shot forward and struck a red gem.
Clink. The sound of a shattering gem echoed in the corridor.
They said to be sure to break the gems before escaping. That way, they can prepare an escape route from above.
One, two, three, four. The sound of shattering gems rang out in succession.
Having sent her message by breaking all the gems, Callis took out her last packet, the one for escape. The escape packet was sealed more tightly than the others. Her hands kept slipping in her haste, but Callis continued to claw at the knots with her fingernails.
It was then.
『Salute. Lieutenant Colonel Callis. This is Signaller Captain Abbey.』
A small golem walked out of the cafeteria. It was the signaller’s synchro-type magic golem.
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Callis’s expression brightened once she recognized it.
“Captain!”
To hide her activities as a member of the Human Regime, she was supposed to keep her distance from the signallers. She had been ordered as much.
But for someone trying to escape, even a signaller was a precious ally. They were the only ally who could relay information about the outside world.
“Perfect timing. I am attempting to exit Tantalus. The trainees here are too violent to be resocialized yet. Therefore, Captain, I need you to help me…”
But the words the golem relayed cut her off.
『…The military authorities have approved a temporary suspension of your command, Lieutenant Colonel Callis.』
“What?”
She was so shocked that her hands, which had been working on the escape packet that was her lifeline, momentarily froze. In contrast, the signaller’s voice was flat and emotionless.
『While it is understood you entered Tantalus by mistake, it is still a blunder. The military authorities have decided to issue a disciplinary action for this error.』
The words ‘disciplinary action’ sent a different kind of shock through Callis, even in the face of death.
The Military State’s evaluations were strict. To become a level 4 citizen, one could have no disqualifying marks. Having no blunders was even more important than earning merits.
And now, a disciplinary action. Callis protested.
“What—what are you talking about? Didn’t you say there was a problem with the orders? The orders I received stated that I was to supervise the supply process!”
『Be that as it may, the Abyss is a level 5 security facility. Even if you were following orders, your entry into Tantalus without any verification cannot go unquestioned.』
“I will explain. I can explain that part.”
Callis said urgently, but the reply from the golem was mercilessly rigid.
『I am merely relaying the message and have no influence on the decision-making process. It is recommended that you make your case to the investigation team that will arrive at a later date. That is all.』
As if there was nothing more to say, the golem gave a short salute and returned to the cafeteria. The strength drained from Callis’s body.
How, why had she risked her life to come this far? The dream that had led her here was about to vanish into thin air.
No. I just have to escape.
The Human Regime had its reach everywhere in the Military State. They had roots in everything from the military to the administration. If she could just get back, they would solve this problem for her. All she had to do was escape.
Callis gritted her teeth and worked on the tightly bound knot.
Just then, the troublesome knot came undone. Callis hastily tore open the packet and looked at its contents.
It was a packet with a geometric pattern drawn on a square, hard body.
An equipment packet!
An alchemical weapon that could create simple equipment like daggers or shields.
This packet had to be her means of escape. Callis immediately opened her bio-receptor and inserted the packet. The packet’s data flowed through the archaic avatar covering her body and began to take shape around her shoulder.
How do I use this? Are there any other instructions?
Callis was peering inside the packet for other clues when it happened.
A blade, sprouting upside down, grazed her neck.