Chapter 9

Author's Notes: "I post this with shivering mind... Please forgive me for the content. (While holding the barrel in my mouth)"

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Volume 0, Episode 9

The three of them maintained distance, directing the barrels and gazes of their firearms towards blind spots as they advanced through the ravaged interior of the building.

According to the operator, Shiftie, the signal emanating from Marian was located beyond this building they were traversing.

"Where could they have taken Marian..."

"It's uncertain how far those tentacles can stretch..."

Rapi stole a sideways glance at a hole that could easily accommodate a person in the wall. Concrete fragments were scattered around the freshly-made opening.

Despite capturing armed Nikke, even the parts that had to be described as "tentacles" seemed to possess considerable strength.

Rapi speculated that it had pierced through this wall, reaching into the building to ensnare Marian's body.

"...Wait a sec..."

If their speculation was correct, the enemy, Blacksmith, might possess considerable sensors or impressive senses. It might have already pinpointed their position.

Just as Anis was about to convey this thought, a window shattered with a deafening sound, and glass shards and bits of the surrounding walls were blown away.

"Run!"

No sooner had he said the word, Rapi and Anis began sprinting. He, too, held his assault rifle and rushed down the corridor. However, behind him, one wall after another was blown apart with thunderous sounds, creating large breaches.

They were completely exposed.

"Get outside! Hurry!"

Being hit by debris in such a confined space or being crushed by a detached ceiling was something he'd rather avoid. Responding to his command, Rapi and Anis had already leaped into the holes in the crumbling walls.

Moore also leaped out through a hole, slightly delayed. As soon as he did, a loud noise echoed behind him, and a blast of wind grazed his body.

It seemed he had narrowly escaped.

As he tumbled onto the ground, transitioning into a roll and rising without losing momentum, he witnessed a nearby building, which had just rolled out, collapsing.

Then, a colossal shadow appeared as if blocking the streets.

With three pairs of legs arranged in a line, it resembled a spider or some kind of crustacean. Its overall appearance... he couldn't find the right words to describe it. It was as if biological and mechanical elements had fused together, with strangely organic parts pulsating visibly.

It must be around a dozen meters in height. Its massive body seemed to have an equally matching mass, as its legs caused the exposed asphalt beneath them to buckle and cave in.

Tyrant Model 003: Blacksmith.

A special individual that captures surface-active Nikke, strips their bodies for Rapture's parts.

Moore's first impression of witnessing the entirety of it was...

"...Gross..."

He could only sum it up with that one word.

Perhaps it had taken offense at his sentiment. The sinister red single eye—likely its core—glowed brightly and then abruptly closed the distance with an unexpected agility.

"Fire!"

No need to specify where. Rather, its sheer size made hitting it almost inevitable.

Rapi, Anis, and he aimed their assault rifles and grenade launchers and pulled the triggers, directing their fire towards various parts.

Despite the concentrated firepower of the squad, Blacksmith seemed unfazed.

In fact... Moore considered, he didn't know if emotions were applicable to that entity, but it appeared to be treating their attacks as child's play.

The crimson single eye appeared to be its weakest point. He looked through the sights, aligning the front and rear sights, and pulled the trigger. The large caliber bullet shot out in a straight line, but just before reaching the red eye-like structure, it seemed to hit something and produced a high-pitched sound.

Was it equipped with bulletproof glass or something similar? If even the bullets from his assault rifle were being deflected, it must be incredibly durable.

The chamber was now empty after the recent volley. Quickly swapping out the magazine with a new one he had tucked into his belt, he pushed in the release button.

"Commander! Take cover!"

Rapi shouted. But just as he was about to comprehend the situation...

From both sides of Blacksmith's head—though he wasn't entirely certain about the terminology—two massive gun barrels or cannons emerged.

"That's freaking unfair as hell."

The words slipped out of his mouth instinctively. It was an absurd sight. Yet, for Rapture, for Blacksmith, it might be commonplace.

The tips of those newly emerged thick barrels were aimed at him. In Moore's eyes, it seemed they formed a clean, perfect circle.

Whisch is proof of being completely locked on.

Reflexively, he turned sideways and rolled to the ground as the barrels unleashed their thunderous roar and the piece of reinforced concrete that had been his makeshift cover shattered.

In the moment of shattering, concrete fragments scattered in all directions.

Rapi's warning, and Anis' action of crouching in response, ensured they were unharmed, thankfully.

"I'm REALLY glad my headset has noise cancellation!"

The shockwave from the impact must have been tremendous. If he had been closer, his eardrums would have burst, rendering him incapacitated.

As he rose to his feet, he aimed his assault rifle again, pulling the trigger to fire at the freshly loaded rounds.

No longer attempting rapid fire, he held the trigger down continuously.

The bullets were ejected from the magazine into the chamber one after another, and upon being fired from the barrel, the spent casings were expelled, littering the ground.

Is there no weak point?

In the midst of continuous ammunition being fed from the magazine to the chamber, and as spent casings scattered all around, suddenly one of the gun barrels sprouting from Blacksmith's side exploded with a blast.

The explosion caused the massive creature to stagger.

They had found it.

"Target the gun barrels! Fire!"

Shouting at the top of his lungs, he designated the parts they should aim for to Rapi and Anis, and then opened fire himself. The tracer rounds illuminated the path for their shots.

Following his lead, they adjusted their aim and simultaneously pulled their triggers.

The concentrated gunfire caused the remaining barrel to explode, and Blacksmith's enormous form staggered once more.

...It's working.

As soon as he thought that, tentacles extended from the midst of the explosion at a tremendous speed. In an instant, they wrapped around Rapi's torso.

"---Guh...!"

The elasticity of the Goddesium-made skin combined with its strength. Her body's internal framework tightened as she let out a groan.

Like wires being reeled in, her body was being dragged. Just as it seemed she would be pulled in, multiple gunshots rained down on the taut tentacle.

The bullets struck the tentacle, tearing it apart, and the dark oil-like fluid scattered like blood in the air. As soon as this happened, the connection between Blacksmith and Lapi was severed.

"---Thank you, Commander!"

"Don't mention it!!"

Lapi had fallen to the ground momentarily after the tentacle was cut, but she quickly got back on her feet, raised her assault rifle, and nodded in gratitude towards Moore, who had provided covering fire.

"---This bast*rd tried to pull Rapi in!"

Anis' eyes widened in shock and anger as she loaded grenades into the revolving cylinder of her grenade launcher. She aimed and pulled the trigger.

Two explosions had left several large cracks on the enemy's body surface.

Three gun barrels, aligned to a single point, spewed fire in succession.

With every hit of bullets and grenades, black viscous fluid oozed from the cracks, flowing onto the ground.

Although the surface of the body was undoubtedly as hard as the exoskeleton of an arthropod, its insides were less fortified.

Just as he was about to pour in the entire firepower of his squad, Moore noticed something. A part of Blacksmith's back or shoulders—there, a red-tipped something emerged.

---Enough with the surprises.

"---Anis!! Aim for its back!!"

Moore shouted the targeted area. Anis responded by aligning her sights, then pulled the trigger.

The thrown grenade traced a shallow arc through the air. Upon contact with the red-tipped object, the explosive charge detonated.

Rather than saying "it exploded," it was more accurate to say, "it caused an explosion."

It seemed to have been some form of offensive mechanism that triggered an explosion upon impact, and that impact was the grenade.

Of course, this triggered explosion wasn't effective against Rapture's inhabitants. However, it had managed to disrupt something inside Blacksmith.

It appeared to be some form of attack, as a grenade hit the mark and triggered an explosion there. Naturally, the red object that caused the explosion was embedded inside Blacksmith. As the explosion occurred, half of the colossal body expanded. Then, like a geyser, thick, dark body fluid and thick cables scattered in all directions.

Amidst a final scream or a sound like metallic screeching, the massive form convulsed repeatedly and sank to the ground. With the weighty vibrations, the crimson, luminous monocular eye of the fallen Blacksmith gradually faded away.

"---Did... we... win?"

Anis' murmur reverberated through the eerily silent space. At that moment, when the red monocular eye seemed about to vanish, it once again glimmered brightly.

With a harsh grinding of metal, Blacksmith, standing up once more, lunged upward with a motion that belied its colossal size. And with the ground trembling, it landed right before Moore, the Commander.

"Commander!!"

"Commander, run!!"

One of its front legs was swung mightily and arced sideways, the girth of each of its multiple legs nearly as wide as an adult's torso. There was no way to dodge it.

Lapi and Anis screamed, urging Moore to evade.

However, before the Commander could leap back, the thick front leg was swung down, and the sound of metal clashing echoed.

"---Eh..."

"---Impossible..."

Yes, the CLASH resounded clearly.

Before their astonished gazes, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

It wasn't the mangled corpse of the young man who was the Commander.

It was the scene of him, wielding his assault rifle like a shield, deflecting Blacksmith's strike with its primitive and direct attack from its front leg.

"---...You... bas...tard!!"

Gritting his teeth tightly, sinking both feet into the exposed ground.

It wasn't just a few hundred kilograms. Compared to Blacksmith, which weighed several tons and was using its massive body as a weapon to crush him, the relatively tiny human of about 188 cm and over 100 kg was stopping its blow with a single strike.

The massive crimson eye blinked faintly. It looked as if it were expressing surprise and confusion.

There's no fuc*ing way this can happen.

Why, the weak human who only be protected by those damned human-imitating dolls could---

If it had the capacity to think, Blacksmith's confusion would probably be something like this.

The pupils of its deep brown eyes dilated, the whites bloodshot. He clenched his teeth as if they were about to break, using his assault rifle, which was about to be crushed, as a shield, he braced himself.

Every muscle in his body screamed, his muscle fibers felt as though they were tearing. The excruciating pain of every bone shattering wasn't important.

He exerted his last ounce of strength, using one hand to catch the front leg, and with his full might, he clenched the assault rifle he held and directed his empty right hand towards his right leg.

His palm grabbed the pistol's grip, and with his thumb, he disengaged the safety after drawing it from the holster. It probably wouldn't work on Rapture, but whether it was a desperate attempt or whatever...

"---Don't you dare....UNDERESTIMATE ME(HUMANSSSS)!!!"

He raised the barrel of the gripped pistol above his head, aimed at the exposed crimson monocular eye, as the rigid transparent membrane shattered. He pulled the trigger, the firing pin struck the primer of the .45 caliber bullet, and the explosive ignited.

The fired bullet followed the rifling engraved inside the barrel, spinning as it flew, and pierced the core resembling an eye of the monocular.

The crimson monocular shattered in an anticlimactic fashion, and the colossal body collapsed with a resounding crash on the spot.

Raising the muzzle of the pistol he held, Moore aimed it at the exposed red eye-like orb that had just broken through the translucent membrane. He pulled the trigger, causing the firing pin to strike the primer of the .45 caliber bullet, igniting the gunpowder.

The fired bullet spiraled through the barrel's rifling and flew towards the core within the red eye-like orb.

The red eye shattered in a erratic manner, and the massive body collapsed onto the ground with a resounding tremor.

---This time, it didn't move a muscle.

Realizing that, Moore reengaged the safety on the pistol, holstered it, and then his strength gave out. His body slumped onto the ground, and he sat there beside the bent assault rifle.

"---Commander!"

His comrades arrived at his side, checking for injuries. His mouth had been tightly clenched, causing his gums to bleed. Additionally, both of his eyes were bloodshot, and blood was seeping from his nose.

But there were no significant injuries beyond that.

"---Haa, haa... I'm... fine. More importantly... find Marian!"

Moore halted Rapi and Anis, who were attempting to treat him, instructing them to look for Marian, who would likely have been taken in by the Rapture, along with the leading Nikes.

"But..."

"Search for her. Please. It's an 'order'."

"Understood."

"Yeah... Commander, rest."

Emphasizing his order, Rapi and Anis got up from their positions. Moore muttered a word of gratitude and endured his body's pain while waiting for them to return from their search.

After a while, Rapi reported a discovery. However, the members of the advanced squad, including the Nikkes who composed it, had been stripped of most of their components, including parts of their body surface.

Pushing through the pain, Moore stood up and walked unsteadily towards Rapi.

"---Where's Marian?"

"...She's...'alive'...but--"

Despite the pounding of his heart and the muscles and bones screaming in his entire body, he saw her.

Marian's figure was a far cry from before, her once-recognizable form now transformed into a nightmarish sight.

Her left leg was shattered from the thigh down, and her right leg remained but twisted in the wrong direction. Her delicate right arm had been lost from the shoulder, leaving only her left arm somewhat intact.

Despite her vacant eyes, void of life, only her right eye emitted a suspicious red light.

"---Here... I Am... hERe..."

Her lips moved as if trembling, her voice faint. Moore watched her while struggling to regulate his breathing amidst the red-tinged world.

"It's too late. The corruption has spread to her brain."

<---According to military law, the Commander must carry out the disposal of the damaged Nikke. The disposal of the Nikke due to brain damage requires the Commander's intervention.>

The voice of the operator coming through the headset vibrated Moore's eardrums. Beside him, Rapi attempted to hand him her own pistol, but...

"---It's fine. I have mine..."

Moore, in agony, withdrew his .45 caliber pistol from its holster using with a spasming hand. He disengaged the safety, pulled the slide back slightly using his other hand to confirm the chamber held ammunition.

"...Please shoot her head from point-blank range."

"Shall I... do it?"

"No. One Nikke can't dispose of another."

"...It's the duty of an officer. Don't take that away from me..."

Shrugging off Anis' hand on his shoulder, Moore advanced toward Marian, dragging his feet.

Regaining his breath and sitting down beside her, Moore aimed the gun at her forehead within the crimson-tinged view.

He repeated heavy breaths. Aligning the sights, the front and rear, and Marian's forehead in his crosshairs. He placed his finger on the trigger, but... lacked the strength.

"Commander, if you don't act quickly, it might become an irregular situation."

---It doesn't matter to me.

---For the sake of his comrades, his friends, and for her, he had to put an end to her suffering as soon as possible.

---Even if it was his last duty, he had to pull the trigger to grant eternal rest.

---Hurry, hurry...---!

He focused his strength into his fingertips. With just a few kilograms of pressure, the hammer would fall, but the trigger felt too heavy.

His arm trembled, the muzzle slowly lowering towards the ground, and then Marian's left arm before him lifted.

In that left hand, she held the pistol---

"...Ma-ri-an..."

"...Com-ma-nd-er... here... I am... here..."

---Guiding the muzzle to her own forehead.

"...Command...er... the... ban...d-ages... made me... hap...py..."

.

.

.

.

Ah, so you could make that kind of expression?

I wish only I knew about it.

Oh... but... making you show such an expression is my fault, isn't it?

I'm sorry, Commander.

I make you fulfill difficult roles.

But... thank you, Commander.

I'm glad that your face is the last thing I see.

Does one become greedy as it reaches the end?

I wanted something warmer from you, Commander.

I wanted to work together with you more.

I wish I had met you sooner.

If that had happened, then more, much more...

No, I can't think that way anymore.

Well, let's bring this to an end.

I won't burden you with everything.

I'll assist you, Commander.

My eyes are closed.

...I can't see your face anymore, but I can feel your warmth.

...If I could be reborn... then, at that time, once again...

.

.

.

.

.

BANG.

A thin wisp of gun smoke rose from the pistol's muzzle, and the ejected shell casing fell to the ground.

Amidst the resounding sound of the single gunshot, he stroked her cheek as he knelt down beside her. He noticed that the loosely-wrapped bandages around her head were coming undone, so he carefully repositioned them.

Drip.

A red droplet fell to the dry ground, playing a dripping sound as it made contact.