"― It's because my heart... feels fulfilled."
Even with her intelligence, it's difficult to put into words. Or the shy smile she has when she puts her feelings into words, feelings that are hard to express or describe in any other way.
"― Commander, please wrap a bandage here too."
While Lapi and Anise looked puzzled, she was insisting on being treated with a bandage despite not having a significant injury. Looking back on it later, perhaps she felt like she was enjoying a privilege that only she had discovered.
"― Thank you very much. It doesn't hurt at all anymore."
Her smile at that moment is something he's unlikely to forget.
-----
Episode 8
"― This is it."
Marian, leading the squad, stopped at what used to be a street intersection.
Street signs, traffic lights, and other similar things standing on the roadside are barely maintaining their appearance from the past, having been exposed to rain and wind for decades.
She explains that this is the designated coordinates, but...
"― There's no one here from the advance squad, let alone anyone."
As Anise mumbled while looking around, the only presence besides the lonely wind brushing against their cheeks is the sound of the wind.
Whether this is the correct location or not, Moore also looks around, but it doesn't change the situation.
"― They're herE."
"No, seriously, there's no one here..."
"― Let's SeArcH."
However, Marian starts walking alone without giving in, insisting that this is the destination. Her voice seems somewhat "mechanical", not quite natural. This sense was not only felt by him, but also by Rapi and Anis.
It's as if emotions have been detached...
[― Lapi. The data analysis of the transport plane's black box has just been completed. I will send the text data directly to you.]
"― Roger."
The operator's report is also coming through the headsets he's wearing over his ears. Rapi's red eyes blink for a brief moment, possibly receiving data from Shifty, the operator, via the message she pointed out.
He doesn't understand how she's reviewing the data with her eyes only. However, the moment he notices Lapi's brow furrowing, he realizes something.
Lapi unlocks the safety of the assault rifle she's holding, presses the stock against her shoulder, and points the barrel at... the back of Marian, who's leading the way. His thumb is resting on the trigger, ready to release the safety if she makes any sudden movement.
As soon as he saw that, he reflexively aimed the barrel of the assault rifle. She stood just 2 meters away from him, facing towards Rapi.
"― Wh-whoa whoa!! wait a sec!"
"― I didn't know you had a habit of pointing your barrel at allies. What's your intention?"
Moore and Rapi moved almost simultaneously, aiming their barrels in different directions. Anis was puzzled by this and sent her gaze back and forth between the two in a fluster.
He still hasn't unlocked the safety. But with his thumb in place, he was ready to release the safety at a moment's notice if she made any movement.
"― Marian, stop."
Responding to Lapi's quiet command, Marian stopped abruptly, like a mechanical toy.
If intimidation shooting isn't enough, he was prepared to release the safety. He's become more accustomed to the weight and recoil of the assault rifle by now. At this distance, it's harder to miss.
His target is the assault rifle Lapi is holding. Swiftly, he moved the barrel slightly aside, then adjusted his aim to the assault rifle against her cheek, and he unlocked the safety...
"Did you shoot down the transport plane?"
― What is she saying? He couldn't understand the meaning behind Rapi's words as he felt his fingers stiffen.
"― nO."
Marian's voice denying it wasn't a mishearing, but it carried a strange tone.
Something was amiss.
The barrel he was aiming at Lapi gradually lowered.
"Two explosions occurred in the cargo hold of the transport plane. The explosives intended to be used in this operation. They won't explode without an external detonation signal. The identification code for the detonation signal... is yours, Marian."
As soon as she mentioned the in-flight explosion, Moore's mind was flooded with memories, memories that were vividly clear from the moment Marian had saved him from the crash's impact.
The memory of the officer responsible for cargo management leaving the cargo hold and visiting the pilot's seat area near him, offering him a coffee before his first assignment.
The door that the officer had just exited was blown away, followed by a burst of flames that engulfed his body.
In the cockpit, all the instruments alarmed due to the abnormal situation. Mockingly, as if laughing at the pilots struggling to land softly, who were desperately holding onto the controls because the hydraulic pressure and power were still active, the second explosion occurred again in the cargo hold.
Recalling that moment vividly, his gaze shifted towards Marian, who should have been seated in the neighboring seat.
"― Marian did...?"
"― NooO.."
She shouldn't be saying that. He wanted her to say that, yet she was just repeating the same words with a strange tone.
The barrel he had aimed at Lapi was gradually lowering.
"― What's the objective? If you don't answer, I will eliminate you right here."
"― hEReee."
When Lapi used the somewhat indirect expression of "eliminate," Marian finally turned to face them, giving a clear response.
"― HeRRee."
"― Hereee, heerrreee."
Her slightly drooping, gentle eyes had turned to a disturbing shade of black.
.
.
.
HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE
.
.
.
.
Clearly sensing something abnormal about Marian, he finally turned the barrel towards her. Rapi clicked her tongue beside him, and then Anis readied her grenade launcher.
[― Erosion reaction confirmed! The Rapture has taken control of the central nervous system! Since when...?! Detected a calling signal!!]
"― Ready to shoot! On your order!"
Lapi applied pressure to the trigger with her fingertip, squeezing it almost to the point where the hammer would fall. With a few more kilograms of force, the trigger would be fully pulled.
She's asking for permission to shoot, but he who should give the order hesitated, even while aiming his barrel at Marian.
It was just a moment's hesitation.
At that moment, the ground began to shake. Moore maintained his balance while keeping his aim on Marian, not allowing the barrel to waver, assuming it might be an earthquake at a time like this. However, it seemed it wasn't an earthquake. Shifty's warning echoed from deep within the headset.
[― This vibration pattern... Blacksmith is coming!!]
The malfunctioning computer seemed to endlessly input the same list, while Marian continued to utter heavy and low-pitched words that didn't match her appearance, and the ground continued to shake. At that moment,Rapi and Anis' expressions changed abruptly upon hearing Shifty's warning.
At the same time, Moore sensed something. A dense, pitch-black presence that felt like a mass of murderous intent was approaching. It was the moment he unconsciously unlocked the safety.
From within the partially collapsed building in front of him, something that could only be described as tentacles, similar to those of squids or octopuses, burst forth and entangled Marian's body.
"― FU*K!"
Having witnessed that scene, he pulled the trigger of the assault rifle he was holding. He didn't care if he'd stagger from the recoil; he fired without hesitation. Despite the harsh impact and recoil against his shoulder, he fired rapidly, sending large-caliber bullets into the tentacles that were entwining Marian's slender body.
From the point of impact, a substance that could be called bodily fluid, or more appropriately described as black oily waste, splattered. However, despite this, the tentacles started moving, dragging Marian back into the building.
"She's being absorbed!"
"The advance squad must have been taken down by that thing!"
As additional information, Shifty's voice conveyed to his ear that the enemy who dragged Marian into the building was called "Blacksmith."
〈Codename Blacksmith! A unique specimen that captures and repurposes those who have risen to the surface, including Nikke, into Rapture's components.〉
"―Then, we might still make it in time."
Wapi murmured quietly, and Anis, who was beside her, stared at her in astonishment. Her eyes were clearly questioning Rapi's sanity.
"Commander, Blacksmith will detain Nikke for a while. There's a possibility she's still alive."
"What are you saying, Rapi!? We have to run! And you too, Commander!"
"What will you do, Commander?"
"Are you sane, Rapi!? You'll die!!"
"― Anis."
Rapi's red eyes turned toward Anis, who suggested retreat.
Then, her elegant lips opened, and her refined voice uttered the words.
.
.
"I'm gonna die someday."
.
.
Anis' eyes widened as she heard the quietly yet distinctly spoken words. Her gaze alternated between her and the young man who, with an empty magazine, loaded a new one into the assault rifle, and her gaze was directed at him.
"― Prepare for engagement. Squad, cock your hammers."
He lightly tapped the protruding release button beside the insertion port, sending the first round into the chamber, and then he addressed them. He left his backpack on the spot and became lighter. He pulled multiple loaded magazines from his belt, placed them in his military uniform pockets, and attached them to his belt.
Is he really willing to fight? Does this commander not afraid of death?
The faces and deaths of various commanders who had led until now floated and vanished in Anis' mind. Every one of them had never concealed their fear of death. But this commander who had just graduated from officer school yesterday...
"― Anis, let's do whatever we can. I want to try."
"... Have you found "it" ?"
Having taken quite some time, Anise questioned the words spoken by the other half that she had finally become friends with. In response, she shook her head slightly from side to side.
"... I still don't know."
What the hell kind of answer is that?
Anise struggled to process her thoughts, which were turning into a jumble, but eventually, even that became bothersome. In frustration, she ruffled her flaxen hair with one hand, as if to express the turmoil within her heart.
"Ughhhh, FINE! Can't be helped! Got it! Let's give it a shot!"
"― Shifty, prepare for engagement. Please provide support."
〈― What?! But r-retreat...! Y-yes. Um, first, the simulation results...〉
"― Not needed. Tell me where Marian's signal is coming from."
Staring at the building where Marian was dragged in, the young man bit into a cigarette from the belongings of a deceased pilot and lit it with the oil lighter from the belongings. He didn't mind dying, but this act might reflect his desire to at least have one last smoke.
〈― Understood. Beginning the engagement against Tyrant Model 003, Blacksmith. Please stay safe. Encounter!〉
"Copy. ― Squad, move forward."
As they started advancing, pointing their barrels towards the building, Rapi and Anis followed suit. They walked along the cracked pavement and reached the exterior wall of the building. He leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of the interior through a gap.
"... Can't see anything from here. I'll take point―"
"No. I can't permit that. I'll lead. Anis, follow me, and then Commander."
"... Understood. In that case. If you spot anything moving, feel free to shoot. ― Also, Rapi."
As they prepared to enter, he lowered his gaze to Lapi's face, which was about a head lower. Wondering what was going on, she stiffened, and he slightly lowered his head.
"I'm sorry for earlier. For aiming at you. I want you to forgive me."
Later, she recounted that her strength was about to leave her after hearing it, and she accepted his apology.
"― It's because my heart... feels fulfilled."
Even with her intelligence, it's difficult to put into words. Or the shy smile she has when she puts her feelings into words, feelings that are hard to express or describe in any other way.
"― Commander, please wrap a bandage here too."
While Lapi and Anise looked puzzled, she was insisting on being treated with a bandage despite not having a significant injury. Looking back on it later, perhaps she felt like she was enjoying a privilege that only she had discovered.
"― Thank you very much. It doesn't hurt at all anymore."
Her smile at that moment is something he's unlikely to forget.
-----
Episode 8
"― This is it."
Marian, leading the squad, stopped at what used to be a street intersection.
Street signs, traffic lights, and other similar things standing on the roadside are barely maintaining their appearance from the past, having been exposed to rain and wind for decades.
She explains that this is the designated coordinates, but...
"― There's no one here from the advance squad, let alone anyone."
As Anise mumbled while looking around, the only presence besides the lonely wind brushing against their cheeks is the sound of the wind.
Whether this is the correct location or not, Moore also looks around, but it doesn't change the situation.
"― They're herE."
"No, seriously, there's no one here..."
"― Let's SeArcH."
However, Marian starts walking alone without giving in, insisting that this is the destination. Her voice seems somewhat "mechanical", not quite natural. This sense was not only felt by him, but also by Rapi and Anis.
It's as if emotions have been detached...
[― Lapi. The data analysis of the transport plane's black box has just been completed. I will send the text data directly to you.]
"― Roger."
The operator's report is also coming through the headsets he's wearing over his ears. Rapi's red eyes blink for a brief moment, possibly receiving data from Shifty, the operator, via the message she pointed out.
He doesn't understand how she's reviewing the data with her eyes only. However, the moment he notices Lapi's brow furrowing, he realizes something.
Lapi unlocks the safety of the assault rifle she's holding, presses the stock against her shoulder, and points the barrel at... the back of Marian, who's leading the way. His thumb is resting on the trigger, ready to release the safety if she makes any sudden movement.
As soon as he saw that, he reflexively aimed the barrel of the assault rifle. She stood just 2 meters away from him, facing towards Rapi.
"― Wh-whoa whoa!! wait a sec!"
"― I didn't know you had a habit of pointing your barrel at allies. What's your intention?"
Moore and Rapi moved almost simultaneously, aiming their barrels in different directions. Anis was puzzled by this and sent her gaze back and forth between the two in a fluster.
He still hasn't unlocked the safety. But with his thumb in place, he was ready to release the safety at a moment's notice if she made any movement.
"― Marian, stop."
Responding to Lapi's quiet command, Marian stopped abruptly, like a mechanical toy.
If intimidation shooting isn't enough, he was prepared to release the safety. He's become more accustomed to the weight and recoil of the assault rifle by now. At this distance, it's harder to miss.
His target is the assault rifle Lapi is holding. Swiftly, he moved the barrel slightly aside, then adjusted his aim to the assault rifle against her cheek, and he unlocked the safety...
"Did you shoot down the transport plane?"
― What is she saying? He couldn't understand the meaning behind Rapi's words as he felt his fingers stiffen.
"― nO."
Marian's voice denying it wasn't a mishearing, but it carried a strange tone.
Something was amiss.
The barrel he was aiming at Lapi gradually lowered.
"Two explosions occurred in the cargo hold of the transport plane. The explosives intended to be used in this operation. They won't explode without an external detonation signal. The identification code for the detonation signal... is yours, Marian."
As soon as she mentioned the in-flight explosion, Moore's mind was flooded with memories, memories that were vividly clear from the moment Marian had saved him from the crash's impact.
The memory of the officer responsible for cargo management leaving the cargo hold and visiting the pilot's seat area near him, offering him a coffee before his first assignment.
The door that the officer had just exited was blown away, followed by a burst of flames that engulfed his body.
In the cockpit, all the instruments alarmed due to the abnormal situation. Mockingly, as if laughing at the pilots struggling to land softly, who were desperately holding onto the controls because the hydraulic pressure and power were still active, the second explosion occurred again in the cargo hold.
Recalling that moment vividly, his gaze shifted towards Marian, who should have been seated in the neighboring seat.
"― Marian did...?"
"― NooO.."
She shouldn't be saying that. He wanted her to say that, yet she was just repeating the same words with a strange tone.
The barrel he had aimed at Lapi was gradually lowering.
"― What's the objective? If you don't answer, I will eliminate you right here."
"― hEReee."
When Lapi used the somewhat indirect expression of "eliminate," Marian finally turned to face them, giving a clear response.
"― HeRRee."
"― Hereee, heerrreee."
Her slightly drooping, gentle eyes had turned to a disturbing shade of black.
.
.
.
HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE
.
.
.
.
Clearly sensing something abnormal about Marian, he finally turned the barrel towards her. Rapi clicked her tongue beside him, and then Anis readied her grenade launcher.
[― Erosion reaction confirmed! The Rapture has taken control of the central nervous system! Since when...?! Detected a calling signal!!]
"― Ready to shoot! On your order!"
Lapi applied pressure to the trigger with her fingertip, squeezing it almost to the point where the hammer would fall. With a few more kilograms of force, the trigger would be fully pulled.
She's asking for permission to shoot, but he who should give the order hesitated, even while aiming his barrel at Marian.
It was just a moment's hesitation.
At that moment, the ground began to shake. Moore maintained his balance while keeping his aim on Marian, not allowing the barrel to waver, assuming it might be an earthquake at a time like this. However, it seemed it wasn't an earthquake. Shifty's warning echoed from deep within the headset.
[― This vibration pattern... Blacksmith is coming!!]
The malfunctioning computer seemed to endlessly input the same list, while Marian continued to utter heavy and low-pitched words that didn't match her appearance, and the ground continued to shake. At that moment,Rapi and Anis' expressions changed abruptly upon hearing Shifty's warning.
At the same time, Moore sensed something. A dense, pitch-black presence that felt like a mass of murderous intent was approaching. It was the moment he unconsciously unlocked the safety.
From within the partially collapsed building in front of him, something that could only be described as tentacles, similar to those of squids or octopuses, burst forth and entangled Marian's body.
"― FU*K!"
Having witnessed that scene, he pulled the trigger of the assault rifle he was holding. He didn't care if he'd stagger from the recoil; he fired without hesitation. Despite the harsh impact and recoil against his shoulder, he fired rapidly, sending large-caliber bullets into the tentacles that were entwining Marian's slender body.
From the point of impact, a substance that could be called bodily fluid, or more appropriately described as black oily waste, splattered. However, despite this, the tentacles started moving, dragging Marian back into the building.
"She's being absorbed!"
"The advance squad must have been taken down by that thing!"
As additional information, Shifty's voice conveyed to his ear that the enemy who dragged Marian into the building was called "Blacksmith."
〈Codename Blacksmith! A unique specimen that captures and repurposes those who have risen to the surface, including Nikke, into Rapture's components.〉
"―Then, we might still make it in time."
Wapi murmured quietly, and Anis, who was beside her, stared at her in astonishment. Her eyes were clearly questioning Rapi's sanity.
"Commander, Blacksmith will detain Nikke for a while. There's a possibility she's still alive."
"What are you saying, Rapi!? We have to run! And you too, Commander!"
"What will you do, Commander?"
"Are you sane, Rapi!? You'll die!!"
"― Anis."
Rapi's red eyes turned toward Anis, who suggested retreat.
Then, her elegant lips opened, and her refined voice uttered the words.
.
.
"I'm gonna die someday."
.
.
Anis' eyes widened as she heard the quietly yet distinctly spoken words. Her gaze alternated between her and the young man who, with an empty magazine, loaded a new one into the assault rifle, and her gaze was directed at him.
"― Prepare for engagement. Squad, cock your hammers."
He lightly tapped the protruding release button beside the insertion port, sending the first round into the chamber, and then he addressed them. He left his backpack on the spot and became lighter. He pulled multiple loaded magazines from his belt, placed them in his military uniform pockets, and attached them to his belt.
Is he really willing to fight? Does this commander not afraid of death?
The faces and deaths of various commanders who had led until now floated and vanished in Anis' mind. Every one of them had never concealed their fear of death. But this commander who had just graduated from officer school yesterday...
"― Anis, let's do whatever we can. I want to try."
"... Have you found "it" ?"
Having taken quite some time, Anise questioned the words spoken by the other half that she had finally become friends with. In response, she shook her head slightly from side to side.
"... I still don't know."
What the hell kind of answer is that?
Anise struggled to process her thoughts, which were turning into a jumble, but eventually, even that became bothersome. In frustration, she ruffled her flaxen hair with one hand, as if to express the turmoil within her heart.
"Ughhhh, FINE! Can't be helped! Got it! Let's give it a shot!"
"― Shifty, prepare for engagement. Please provide support."
〈― What?! But r-retreat...! Y-yes. Um, first, the simulation results...〉
"― Not needed. Tell me where Marian's signal is coming from."
Staring at the building where Marian was dragged in, the young man bit into a cigarette from the belongings of a deceased pilot and lit it with the oil lighter from the belongings. He didn't mind dying, but this act might reflect his desire to at least have one last smoke.
〈― Understood. Beginning the engagement against Tyrant Model 003, Blacksmith. Please stay safe. Encounter!〉
"Copy. ― Squad, move forward."
As they started advancing, pointing their barrels towards the building, Rapi and Anis followed suit. They walked along the cracked pavement and reached the exterior wall of the building. He leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of the interior through a gap.
"... Can't see anything from here. I'll take point―"
"No. I can't permit that. I'll lead. Anis, follow me, and then Commander."
"... Understood. In that case. If you spot anything moving, feel free to shoot. ― Also, Rapi."
As they prepared to enter, he lowered his gaze to Lapi's face, which was about a head lower. Wondering what was going on, she stiffened, and he slightly lowered his head.
"I'm sorry for earlier. For aiming at you. I want you to forgive me."
Later, she recounted that her strength was about to leave her after hearing it, and she accepted his apology.
