Western District Subjugation - 7
"Huh? How should I hold a sword?"
It was the kind of question that cut through the usual routine of surveying the scene. Ellyna's eyes widened in genuine surprise at her junior's unexpected words. Ellyse nodded slowly, then added in a deliberate tone.
"Yes. I heard that Inspector Ellyna is the most skilled with a blade."
"Oh, whoever said that must have excellent taste! Well, I'm not sure if I'm the absolute best, but I've at least figured out a decent way to use one, haven't I?"
"...I can't believe you're actually being humble for once. I was sure you'd claim you were the greatest."
"...Want me to just not teach you at all?"
Inspector Ellyna flashed a mischievous grin and stared pointedly at Ellyse. Ellyse instinctively averted her gaze, realizing she'd misspoken. With a shrug that said whatever, Ellyna Bastard agreed to show her. But perhaps she still held a grudge from the earlier comment—her teaching philosophy was utterly brutal.
"I haven't grasped the martial principles of the East or anything, but no matter which river you trace upstream, they all eventually converge into one main stream."
Just be faster and stronger than your opponent.
"It's an absolute truth."
But that wasn't the answer Ellyse wanted. She was more curious about the technique of handling a blade than simply tempering her muscles.
"There's also a sister technique to it—deflecting every single one of your opponent's attacks while landing every one of yours."
"...?"
"It's something you can practice right now."
"...Pardon?"
Inspector Ellyna had said that hammering it into your body meant it would somehow manifest in real combat. The conclusion was simple.
"Pick up a practice sword."
That day, Ellyse learned how to stab and parry. Through dozens of sparring matches with Ellyna, she drilled the sensation into her very bones. When she first encountered the monster in the underground waterway, tension had kept her from using it properly. But as time passed, she felt the blade growing more and more familiar in her hand.
And now, Ellyse Bertman had reached the stage where she could wield a weapon with some competence.
I can do this.
She had to be able to. Even if she couldn't match Inspector Ellyna, she needed to replicate the level just below hers if she wanted to overcome this adversity. To survive.
I will survive no matter what.
Ellyse Bertman gripped her Arts—the weapon forged from pure silver and demon remains—tightly.
"How foolish."
She ignored the mad scientist's mocking laugh leaking in from afar. What mattered now was her own capability. What demanded her focus was the monster right in front of her, the one she had to kill.
Ellyse Bertman leaned her body forward slightly, as if ready to spring, and extended her blade. It was only about eighty centimeters long—longer than a knife, but pitifully short compared to a longsword.
—...Krrrk?
In contrast, the white monster tilting its head was several times larger than her, with particularly long arms and a tail. It essentially held the initiative. Therefore, Ellyse decided not to be greedy. She wouldn't entertain the arrogance of charging in first. Just as she had done with Inspector Ellyna, she would calmly dismantle the opponent's attacks, chipping away bit by bit. She would break its balance, target vital points, and gain the advantage. And she had to kill it as quickly as possible.
Grrrrrrrrrk—!
Drrrrk—!
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk—!
Though fewer than at the very beginning, the monsters still overflowed the space. There was no time. She had only one chance.
"I can do this."
Having murmured those words, Ellyse finally took a step. She advanced toward the monster. She moved swiftly. Her motions were so fluid it was as if all her previous hesitation had been a lie.
—Krruk?
Ellyse raised her blade toward the monster, which was stupidly tilting its head. Its unusually long claws and tail caught her eye. It would probably attack with those.
I'll deflect them.
And then strike the vital point. It was something she had to do. It was what she had always done, and what she must do now to survive. So she would.
Ellyse Bertman chanted the incantation in her mind as she swung her sword. That was when the monster, which had been standing still, began to slither forward. Its claws twitched. That was all she saw. Instinctively, Ellyse adjusted the trajectory of her blade. Right after, something made contact.
ScreeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEK——!!!
...!
Her eyes widened as she stared at the monster's claw that had stopped just short of her face. It couldn't be dismissed just because it was a claw. It was a sharp, elongated weapon as deadly as her own blade. She realized its owner was even more viciously fast than the sharpness of its nails suggested.
Ellyse bit her lip and angled her sword. She redirected the claw and tried to step inside the monster's reach. But the creature's center of gravity hadn't fully collapsed. And it still had one more arm left.
The white monster slashed its right hand through the air.
Screeeek!
Ellyse blocked it. So the monster raised its left hand and struck down again.
BOOM!
Ellyse deflected it.
—Krrurrrk?
The monster tilted its head, then tore its mouth open into a grin that stretched ear to ear. It recalled the exchange that had just occurred and repeated the process even faster.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
It slammed its claws down wildly, like a child pounding on a drum. But to its opponent, the act itself was an utterly vicious game. The slightest graze from the hand holding the sword was common, along with her shoulders, thighs, and sides. No matter how she tried to redirect them, the five-pronged claws would brush dangerously close somewhere.
Slice!
Her uniform and skin tore together. The number of places where blood flowed across her body kept increasing. It didn't seem to be poisoned, yet her whole body was growing numb. Shoulders, wrists, waist, knees. Every part of her that tensed to receive the monster's attacks creaked as if it would break at any moment.
BOOM—!
But Ellyse Bertman endured somehow. She parried. Though her body grew sluggish, her mind became increasingly clear. By focusing on only one thing, her capabilities rose higher and higher.
...I can do this. I can do this. Somehow, I can—
If she'd been given more time to adapt, she might have been able to defeat it alone.
"Wow, the young lady's really piling up combat data for me. In that case, shall I clean up the unnecessary parts in advance?"
However, this was not a coliseum limited to one-on-one battles. It was closer to torment than a fair fight. Like throwing prey into a den of beasts.
The scientist jerked his chin. The monsters that had been staying in place began moving all at once.
Toward Aidan.
"...H-Hiiiiiiik!"
Aidan screamed. But the sound was quickly swallowed by the noise of the monsters rushing toward him.
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk—!
Drrrrrrrrk—!
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk—!
Ellyse witnessed Aidan being swept away by the wave of monsters beyond the one in front of her. But she kept her mouth tightly shut and tried to focus entirely on her own opponent. No other monsters came for her. Considering the talk of combat data, the scientist must have been acting arrogant—thinking he could clean them up easily later.
...I'll make sure you regret this.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ellyse Bertman repeated the same exchange countless times again. Having grown accustomed to the rhythm, she moved beyond simply receiving wounds and began landing scratches on the monster as well. But seeing how quickly its wounds healed, that level of damage wasn't enough. Though it continued to bleed faintly, her mind gradually began to blur.
...I can do this.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ellyse somehow kept receiving the blade. She started leaving fairly large scars on the monster's body rather than mere scratches. If she could buy just a little more time like this, she would be able to overcome it. If she could repeat this process dozens more times, she could make it back alive...!
"Ah, it's broken through."
It was the scientist, who had been observing the situation from afar. For some reason, that single phrase pierced her ears even as she was wholly focused on the monster before her. And right after, what followed was the scream of her foolish colleague.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
It was a death cry. Whether by chance or design, through a gap in the wall of monsters, she saw Aidan's body impaled. He hung limply, skewered through the stomach by a monster with sharp parts similar to the one before her. He was vomiting blood, his organs spilling out.
"Uwaaaagh! Save me! Save me! Save—"
For a moment, Ellyse's gaze was drawn to the sight. Whether because she pitied her colleague crying like a child, because the screaming was too loud, or because she saw her own future self overlapping with him. Or perhaps because she felt she would soon end up the same way.
...After all, even if she defeated the monster before her, she would still have to face hundreds more alone.
"Ah."
Ellyse Bertman recalled the truth she had been desperately trying to ignore. Her concentration broke for an instant. She hurriedly returned her gaze to its proper place. As she had done until now, she angled her blade against the incoming monster's claw. She deflected it—
CLANG!
The blade snapped in the middle. It flew through the air. It brushed past her cheek. Blood flowed down a face that had been without injury, and the blade in her hand was now half its original length. She saw the monster's tail wriggling. Ellyse brought both hands up in front of her face and curled inward. The tail struck above them. She was sent flying.
"——Ugh!"
THUD!
Ellyse slammed into the wall. It wasn't just her back and arms that hurt from the impact—the entire sensation was of her body being shaken to its core.
...Did I just allow an attack?
Her mind grew distant for a moment. But Ellyse quickly regained her senses and began searching for her sword. And then she realized.
...She had let go of her blade.
—Kurrrrrrk?
The white monster picked up the broken blade with its tail, waving it around. It grinned as if asking, Want this? But of course it wouldn't return it. The creature hurled the blade far behind itself—in a direction impossibly distant from her. Clang, clang. The half blade bounced several times before disappearing into the wave of monsters.
Ellyse Bertman stared blankly at the scene before regaining her composure. She forced herself to. She recalled what she still possessed. The sword had just been lost, so she had to give up on it. She needed to find a new means.
The radio had been left with Inspector Butler. The rifle had expended all its magazines while fleeing toward the wall after reaching the laboratory, so she had discarded it to lighten her load. The pistol was the same. And now she had even lost her close-combat weapon.
Even so, she unconsciously rummaged through her coat and then realized.
"...Ah."
There were no weapons left for Ellyse Bertman. No—actually, there was one. The last remaining grenade. The final grenade she had saved for suicide found its way into her hand without thought.
Ellyse stared down at it blankly, and only then did the realization hit her.
...I have to die with this?
Me, dying?
The moment she understood that fact, her hands began to flail on their own. They trembled violently. Even so, Ellyse forcibly moved her empty hand and obsessively wiped it down her face. She tried to pull herself together.
...Stay calm. ...Stay calm.
Her prayers were in vain as dark red stains spread across her face. As if the trembling had transferred there too, her features shook. At last, she realized where she had arrived.
—Krrurrrrrrk?
The white monster slowly approaching as if savoring its leisure, and—
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Aidan screaming.
"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Thomas letting out mad laughter.
Crunch! Crunch!
The corpse of an idol being trampled.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
Drrrrrrrrk! Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
Monsters watching her from afar. Monsters drooling and smacking their lips. Monsters shaped like humans. Disgusting and horrifying monsters.
Click—.
Before she knew it, Ellyse Bertman had arrived in a hell filled with such monsters. She realized she had unconsciously pulled the pin on the grenade. She muttered blankly.
"Am I going to die?"
And by my own unconscious choice?
"...Haha."
What an absurd story. Maybe even a funny one. Unconscious, my ass. You're just scared and running away in the end. You've got so many excuses.
She laughed at herself.
...Good thing I didn't tell Mr. Butler I'd definitely come back alive.
Since I'm dying like this.
Thinking that, Ellyse closed her eyes. Her vision went dark, but the sounds became clearer. Not the monsters' noises, but simply white noise.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
Drrrrk!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
Drrrrrrrrk!
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
....
Ellyse Bertman cursed her foolish self. It had been stupid to exclude Butler from the search team just because she kept seeing his face after vowing to survive no matter what. She saw the photo of his wife inside the pendant, imagined the child in her belly. It had made her, who was already hesitating, decide she had to go instead. She had switched roles with Butler. And only now was she regretting that decision.
She had mistaken a sense of justice and shallow consideration. For the success of the operation, she should have brought the competent person into the team, but it had turned out the opposite. She blamed her own indecisiveness. Yet she thought it couldn't be helped given her overly kind personality, and soon recalled something even more heartbreaking.
Not someone else's family, but her own. The Bertman family.
...My family.
Ellyse Bertman realized that the will she had written in advance would be her final greeting to her family, and that fact could become a source of heartbreaking pain. She regretted having to leave without seeing them. She was sorry. How foolish must it have looked for a daughter raised like a princess to throw herself into a pit of fire? How could they still cheer her on? And she felt sorrow and guilt for not being able to love them more.
Ellyse felt guilt. She cursed herself for feeling it only now, calling herself foolish and shameless.
...Ashily.
She'll manage to live on her own, I suppose. At first she'd wail, but she'd quickly resign herself to a world without me and somehow get by. So Ellyse recalled the person who occupied the next largest place in her heart.
...My prince.
My first hero, whose every aspect is pitch black. Will you come to save me today as well? Will you appear to save me by smashing the monster's head like that day? And will you once again turn away without a word and leave me? Will I once again fail to hold onto you? Today too, I'll only be able to watch your retreating back....
Ellyse Bertman suddenly opened her eyes. At some point she had reached out with one hand as if to grab someone, and within that grip was the grenade that could explode at any moment instead. Right before her, the white monster had lowered its body and was looking down at her. In the distance, Aidan was dying, and Thomas was trampling the idol. Hundreds of monsters were drooling as they looked at her. Hell still lay before her eyes.
"...As expected."
Even so, Ellyse still wanted to live. Even if the disgusting world overlapped with the images of her beloved family and the hero she admired, she wanted to live on. So she made a wish. She had rarely shed tears since childhood, but wasn't it about time for a gift to arrive? If she couldn't embrace her beloved family or grab the back she dreamed of, then something should come true to make it fair. If only her wish could be granted in exchange.
Ellyse Bertman gripped the bomb in her hand tightly. She gently placed her hand on the nose of the monster that had tilted its head playfully. And she closed her eyes. She pictured a beautiful world once more in her mind.
When she opened her eyes, the world was still disgusting, yet a little light could be seen. The scent of mint came from somewhere. Ellyse suddenly smelled a refreshing fragrance. A blue glow had gathered in her hand. She slowly clenched her fist. There was no longer a grenade in her grasp. But there was much she could still hold.
Ellyse closed her eyes and pictured the hero from her childhood. Wishing she could at least grab his fluttering cloak, she clenched her hand. Or anything else.
Ellyse Bertman chanted the spell.
"────Just die, all of you."
She grasped it.
*
"Hey, Officer. It's about time you explained what this operation is really about—"
Slane had belatedly regained his composure. He scolded himself for getting excited because it had been so long since he'd used an officer as experimental material. He was just about to call over Thomas, who was still trampling the corpse at his feet, to ask what plan had brought them to infiltrate the laboratory.
Splat. Slane instinctively sensed that something had splashed onto his face. He reflexively wiped it off as he turned his head. It was green.
"......"
Slane's expression hardened. The liquid on his face and hands was green blood, and every wall in the direction he was looking was covered with green blood. Or with foreign matter soaked in it. The children he loved were nowhere to be seen. Neither were his masterpieces. Only the girl leaning against the wall was there, twitching her hand with hollow eyes.
The scientist muttered.
"...What is this—"
The officer turned her head as if she'd heard something. Crunch! Crunch! She smiled at Thomas, who was still trampling the idol. She reached out her hand. She clenched it.
Splat. Thomas's head exploded.