Chapter 115
「See, it happened just as prophesied, right?」
That’s all I can say for myself, but I truly have no idea how it turned out this way. Having made our way to the surveillance room, we watch the high-speed highway soaring through the air, Hiniru flying in the sky, the Crusaders getting barbecued, and the betrayal of Thunder, all through the monitors. The speakers simultaneously broadcast audio from the scene and communications from 「SOD」, forcibly making us understand the chaos unfolding. Space President has a look of terror on his face as if to say 「With this level of precision… it’s a monster,」 while Kanata directs a gaze of respect and worship towards me. No, it’s all their doing.
By the way, you might be wondering how we managed to infiltrate such a place that seems like it would be the first to be occupied by terrorists. However, this surveillance room is designed to be difficult for enemies to detect, yet allow for investigation without hesitation in case of emergency, hence why there was no door built from the start. It’s a room premised on being accessible only through psychic powers or communication, so there’s no way the terrorists could have known about it. Well, we did destroy the wall and enter with Kana’s guidance though.
「He must be furious. Well, it was the perfect timing to peel him off.」
Teo says as he pockets a fallen handgun with a bit of bewilderment. Beside him, Kana, the mastermind who instigated this, giggles. Hey, you wicked elementary schooler, put yourself in the shoes of Kurage, who now faces the possibility of having his porn collection read out loud on the battlefield.
However, just as I’m thinking that it’s going too smoothly, Kana discreetly shows me her terminal in a way that others can’t see. Written there is a list of members, activity records, and a detailed 3D map of the enemy’s escape routes. …Ah, so they were able to pretend there was rationality by force because they had a grasp on everything, including cutting off escape routes and detection methods. It’s truly pitiful to see them this thoroughly prepared for.
With that said, since the terrorists are coming here, we can’t just do nothing, so I turn to face Teo. The handgun is still pointed at me, which is a bit scary, but I ignore it.
「So, now that you’ve provoked them, what are you going to do?」
「You already know, yet you still ask, Orange. We’re going to corner them. Both Thunder who betrayed us and the Crusaders are incapacitated, and SOD is half-destroyed. But if we waste too much time and let the police intervene, it’ll become extremely troublesome. So we’ll use you as bait to gather the remnants in one place and exterminate them.」
「Taking time over risk. As expected of you, Prophet, to be able to do that in this situation!」
「Y-Yeah, that’s the plan.」
I reply, a bit daunted by Teo’s response and Kanata’s shining eyes. Eh, we’re risking our lives in this situation? I thought we were already in the phase of waiting it out here in peace. When Apollyon was around, there was still room for bluffing, but now that it doesn’t work in our human bodies, I really don’t want to engage in combat.
Seeing us having this conversation, Space President raises his hand as if giving up. With that signal, the gun pointed at me quietly lowers.
「If I keep pointing this, we’ll end up barbecued too, right?」
I think that’s probably not the case. Well, even if it’s not, at this rate, Momiji will forcibly make it happen anyway, so I just nod appropriately. As we do so, the surveillance camera shows a woman speeding faster than a car, trying to stop the porn exposure. I know she’s aiming at me in an attempt to turn the tables in one shot, but that’s all it looks like now.
「Alright, let’s go, Orange. The only other one who can fight is that beastkin girl over there. Okay, the rest of you wait here. I’ll clear a path.」
Teo says as he grabs my waist and lifts my entire body with one hand. With his free right arm, he cuts through the floor just outside the surveillance room and descends to the first floor. I’m surprised by the floating sensation and being thrown into the battlefield against my will. Hey, you should get the person’s permission first. The prophet might have feelings of wanting to hide in a safe room forever, you know?
Kana follows after us, descending from the hole we came down from. She mutters 「2 people, 18 seconds」 as she surveys the surroundings.
The place was in terrible shape. This hall, which was supposed to be displaying parts of Apollyon, has been riddled with a hail of bullets, making it impossible to even read the text on the posters. Seeing the guide signs bleakly indicating the now ruined interior makes me feel sick to my stomach. This is unacceptable for a hall showcasing robots.
As I’m agonizing over a slightly misplaced part, Kana and the others continue their conversation beside me.
「2 people? That’s few.」
「On the contrary, the androids and beastkin from Kōmitsu Solutions are taking them out one by one as they head towards us. If the destination is known, it’s easy to set up an ambush.」
「I see, so two managed to break through. One is Kurage, but who’s the other?」
「Father will handle that one, so don’t worry.」
「That’s a big expectation.」
I’m troubled by being expected of. I’m not some manga protagonist, you know? There’s no way an ordinary person can be that active. I grip the metal lump that has become familiar to my hand in my pocket. Even with this thing prepared by Momiji, it’s not like I have an assist like Apollyon. Can I really win with this?
As I’m thinking that, right on time, a golden figure appears from the other side of the hall. Despite being covered in wounds, those eyes that haven’t lost their shine convey killing intent towards me. Standing in the way to block Kurage from getting closer to me is Teo. Long, thick, reptilian metal claws protrude from his fingers.
「Move!」
Kurage’s tentacles trace geometric trajectories as they approach Teo. With a reach of over 5 meters, they must boast unparalleled strength in close combat. The speed of the tentacles is fast enough to be mistaken for bullets, but they don’t reach Teo. His claws flash faster, slicing and dicing the wounded tentacles. Teo closes the distance with a sad expression.
「Why do you involve civilians, Kuu-chan? No matter how many Ver changes, all I hear is SOD leading the war and killing people. And you’re at the center of it.」
「…Move out of the way.」
「Why? Tell me.」
This exchange sounds familiar. That’s right, it’s similar to the conversation we had when surrounded by a horde of Apollyon Fusions. So I chime in from the side to defend Teo.
「It’s because he likes you, Teo! Whew-whew!」
「…」
「…」
「Huh, did I misread the mood?」
「Father, you probably heard that from them 20 years in the future, so they had enough time to process it to the point of being able to say it out loud. On the other hand, they’re young now and haven’t sorted out their emotions yet.」
「So in other words…」
「Your provocation is top-notch.」
An awkward atmosphere flows. Both of them stop their attacks and look at each other’s faces, blushing slightly, then avert their gazes in random directions, only to hurriedly return them, realizing that’s not good. Hmm, youth.
But the end of the battle arrives mercilessly. The moment their attention is diverted, a dry, cracking sound echoes, and a bullet pierces Kurage’s leg. That’s right, no matter how you look at it, this is a terrorist attack involving civilians, so the perpetrators are crushed without mercy. As Kurage collapses, another bullet impales her other leg, ruthlessly declaring the end of the match.
「There was one more, right?」
「That’s right. You should shoot at their feet about now. Okay, 3, 2, 1…」
「Wait a…」
Without allowing me to leisurely finish watching Teo and the others’ battle, Kana suddenly starts a countdown. I hurriedly take out the gun I’m familiar with, the 「Beast Slayer」, which was hidden in the cockpit. It’s a single-shot gun.
「0」
「Here goes!」
Although I was rushed to shoot, perhaps due to the improvements made, the recoil is far less than the last time I used it. The noise is still the same, making my ears hurt, but that ridiculously powerful gun forcibly grinds away the ground and penetrates deep underground. A little while later, a scream of 「Gwaaaah! My right foot!」 flows up from a burly man. The fact that he can self-report the painful area makes me feel a bit relieved that he seems to be alive.
「Mogura extermination complete.」
「Hey, why did he give me such a ridiculous gun?」
「The premise was that I would be enough for protection, so it was for intimidation purposes. I don’t think he imagined it would be used like this.」
It’s an unsatisfying conclusion, so to speak. I mean, it makes sense now that you mention it, but the idea of me, an ordinary person, being unrivaled against terrorists… there’s no way such a thing could happen. It left me with the impression that it was just methodically processed through thorough preparation and military force. This is the end result of the Scorch Wars. Momiji’s plan to gather the deranged extremists at one point and crush them early to cut off their successors. It’s too small in scale to be called a war that truly ended in 3 days.
◇
Two days later. The news is filled with the shooting incident at the New Technology Exhibition, with voices of sympathy and sorrow for the victims and concerns about society.
That being said, it doesn’t have much to do with me. Well, to be precise, it might, but since I escaped through the back door after that battle with the reason of 「it’ll be troublesome if they find out I’m here,」 what I should be doing is hiding and sneaking around inside the house.
By the way, according to the news, the Crusaders seem to be the cause of everything. Well, they were so extreme and apparently had a lot of other crimes, so they were the perfect scapegoat.
Due to that kind of situation, Reina and Momiji are busy, so our call ends in an instant. Kana comes to visit my house as a bodyguard, but I’m really anxious to ask Momiji something specific.
Well, with that, the extraordinary passes and the ordinary returns. I was absentmindedly imagining what would happen to the captured SOD and how the future would change from now on when a notification arrived on my terminal.
《Announcement: 「HAO」 has been updated!》
Oh, it seems the future has already changed. This is the first version update since I learned that 「HAO」 is the future. I’m looking forward to seeing how my provoking of 46-shiki and the chaos on the battlefield caused by my random prophecies will affect things.
I immediately put on the VR gear and log in from the usual screen. And so easily, I encounter it. The world that unfolds upon logging into the updated 「HAO」. Our future 20 years from now, the result of the actions of the prophet and his companions.
What spreads out there is a gray earth without a single city. I’m standing on it. A world that makes even ver1.06 feel tepid, devoid of any breath of civilization.
I had thought about it before. If I didn’t know, there’s nothing I could do. But if I knew and took action, resulting in the future taking a turn for the worse, how should I feel? What can I say to the people I sacrificed then?
There are no structures in the world, only countless corpses of Apollyon Fusions and Machine Beasts scattered about. Metal entrails and blue fluid remain without disappearing in this world of death. That’s what I saw when I logged into 「HAO」, and a familiar woman who once had green hair stood there as if waiting for me, glaring at me with a resentful expression. Ah, that’s right. If I betray expectations, this is what happens. Kanata, who seems to have aged quite a bit, unable to even apply anti-aging technology, ponders for a bit and then opens her mouth.
「Quite the CEO arrival, isn’t it, fake prophet?」
— If only I hadn’t messed with the Primordial Strain-46 in the battle royale, everyone would still be alive.
『Updated to Ver-2.00.
Humanity suffered great damage due to the early activation of the Primordial Strain.
The escape to space failed.
There are currently no available bases for humanity to use. All have been destroyed.
The organic matter available for constructing bodies is extremely limited. In principle, logging in is not possible.
The destruction of 2050 has not been avoided.
The 2055 operation could not even be considered due to a lack of military strength.』
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