Chapter 105
☆Star_Night☆. The player known for his sniping skills in Sniping VR who took aim at me in Ver2.00. The very same opponent who opened the vault for me. And now, he was riding Apollyon, his sights locked on my machine.
「☆Star_Night☆ is a last-minute replacement for Sato, who withdrew just before the match. He’s been using Apollyon since Ver3.00, so his combat experience is limited, but that shouldn’t be a big problem if he’s focusing on sniping.」
「When it comes to aiming and shooting, there’s not much difference between a powered suit and Apollyon. Plus, he’s equipped with a prototype from the UK series, an underwater incendiary weapon designed to combat Strains. One hit from that gun and it’s all over!」
I ponder my next move, gazing up at the shadow far above. The distance is probably several hundred meters. Should I chase after him while ascending? No way. I’m well aware of the UK’s destructive power. It’s impossible to defend against a weapon that can pierce through a Strain’s armor, even if I sacrifice one of my blades.
I can’t get close. Which leaves only one option. Slowly turning the propellers, I begin descending further into the deep sea. As I move diagonally, another bullet comes flying from a slightly different position. The first shot was right on target when I was stationary.
「Whoa, Orange is making a run for it! What’s going on here?」
「I see, he’s aiming to blend into the darkness of the deep sea. The first shot was possible because Orange was stationary, allowing ☆Star_Night☆ to overcome the darkness and the sea to take aim. But hitting the second shot won’t be easy. Look, Orange has turned off his searchlight. Now, ☆Star_Night☆ has to shoot at an almost invisible enemy while correcting for errors.」
Engulfed in complete darkness, the bullets start flying from more erratic directions, but ☆Star_Night☆ persistently continues targeting me. Despite our history from Sniping VR, his tenacity is a bit too much. I wonder if Hiniru or someone else will deal with him soon.
「Meanwhile, Hiniru is defeated by a stray bullet from the other player! How unsightly!」
Well, that didn’t work out. Looks like I’ll be taking a stroll with the bullets for a while longer as I continue to sink. I must have already surpassed a depth of 2,000 meters. The surroundings are completely enveloped in darkness, with only the cockpit barely visible. Despite not actually being in the deep sea, I feel short of breath.
Thinking that it should be safe by now, I hit the switch to escape the suffocating feeling. But I accidentally press the wrong button, illuminating the entire area, and that’s when I see the full picture.
「Wha…?」
Gray scales cover the seabed. The familiar scales seen throughout the Infinite Horizon, across all the land within 「HAO.」 The product of the 「Torrent Phenomenon.」 The surface of 「UYK.」 On top of it, numerous crystal trees stubbornly stretch towards the earth. Countless broken crystal trees, likely the remains of the defeated, litter the seabed.
A once-hidden sanctuary I had seen in books is now being invaded by 「UYK.」 And the most striking feature is a single sphere. Ah, I see. That’s how the Strains were able to 「synchronize.」 The 「synchronization」 system allows the self from 2060 to influence the year 2040. In other words, if it doesn’t exist in 2040, 「synchronization」 wouldn’t be possible.
The large sphere is made of a translucent, metallic material. Inside, three metal lifeforms are curled up, as if embracing themselves.
The first lifeform is a monstrous creature, a round sphere with countless metal tentacles protruding from it. It wriggles its tentacles, as if searching for something within the shell. Yes, it’s the Strain-17. The Strain that fired the nuclear weapon.
The second lifeform has a relatively standard lizard-like appearance. However, what sets it apart is the massive building growing from its back and the overflowing cluster of crystal trees. The roots of the diverse crystal trees pierce through the shell, reaching the ground and beginning to sprout new stems. I’ve heard stories about plant factories being assimilated, so this is what they meant.
「Uh, um, what in the world is this?」
「…」
「Coach, would you mind providing an explanation?」
「…」
「Coach, are you there?」
「Indeed, you’re right. Strains didn’t suddenly appear in 2050. The beginning of the Second Generation Beastkin was the discovery of Strain cores. After a long time, the cores that weren’t recovered by humans continued to grow slowly in hidden sanctuaries like the deep sea. That’s how they’ve been 」synchronizing「 and evolving themselves. But why now? It’s a suspicious location, but why are three of them found here? Could it be related to Orange, the Prophet?」
「That wasn’t an invitation for a long-winded explanation, Coach. Come on, this is an unexpected event, right? I wasn’t informed about this at all. Does this have something to do with the victory conditions?」
It’s a natural question. In fact, I think it’s probably truly unexpected. With that thought, I gaze at the large sphere. It’s a familiar swordfish. Well, its size is much smaller than the one I’ve encountered before, but there’s no mistake. It’s the Primordial Strain Type-UYK46, the one that has given me… or rather, I’ve given it, a hard time countless times. It seems we’re truly connected by fate. Its blue-green metal eyelids are closed, and it shows no signs of emerging from the shell.
What should I do about this? It’s great that I’ve witnessed this shocking sight, but there’s no clear path forward. Just as I’m pondering, I hear an unpleasant sound: thud. It comes from the direction of the swordfish.
A UK bullet has pierced through the shell, as if destroying its eyelids and penetrating its head. It’s a stray bullet from ☆Star_Night☆. Strain-46’s closed eyes open wide, staring in my direction. I start flailing my body language, thinking it probably won’t understand. Flee. Lunge. Disappear into the sky while spinning.
After a brief pause, Strain-46 seems to comprehend and forcefully averts its gaze. Its line of sight circles the air about four times. It becomes more focused. And finally, it sees me. Apollyon, mimicking the act of charging with UK-02 in Ver1.08.
「…」
「…」
「…Hey.」
「Hjwqecnuijkmicixkdwfnruwvbpuqc!」
Letting out a scream that doesn’t resemble a voice, Strain-46 thrashes about inside the shell. Then, it suddenly begins to glow. More precisely, the surrounding objects are glowing as they crumble and head towards Strain-46.
I’ve heard of a phenomenon similar to this. It’s called logging in. When logging into 「HAO,」 the body is reconstructed from the surrounding materials. For example, in Ver2.00, players’ physical bodies were reconstructed in places where rotting flesh was present. If something similar were to occur from 2060 to 2040, like an 「inverse dive,」 what would happen?
Strain-46’s form rapidly swells. Resisting the shock, I somehow point the camera in its direction and see a familiar figure standing there. The entity that gave birth to the enlarged Machine Beasts we encountered in Ver3.00. The powerful being that chased us around.
But that didn’t matter. Well, it does matter, but something else caught my attention. You see, 「inverse diving」 involves reconstructing matter to match the state in 2060. If there’s not enough, what happens is that similar surrounding materials are absorbed.
In other words. Over there, two somethings that are 70% missing and have perished. Victims caught up in Strain-46’s 「inverse dive.」 They were close by, so of course, that’s what would happen. Coach Naga’s dumbfounded voice flows from the speakers.
「Strain-5 and Strain-17, two Strains, deceased. And a fully grown Strain is born…? What’s happening…?」
Rest in peace, Strain-5 and Strain-17. If you have any resentment, direct it towards that swordfish over there.
Primordial Strain Type-UYK46
Among the various versions where it has survived, Orange, the only one who killed it in Ver1.08, has become its trauma. When it opened its eyes, there he was. Why…?
Primordial Strain Type-UYK5
The source of the crystal tree outbreaks. Died after being caught up in the 「inverse dive.」 The possibility of crystal trees spreading in the future beyond this point has been lost.
Primordial Strain Type-UYK17
The one that fired the nuclear weapon. Died after being caught up in the 「inverse dive.」 The possibility of the southern part of the American continent becoming completely uninhabitable due to nuclear contamination has been lost.
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