Chapter 81
There was nothing special about the night. More like, my body can’t take it if I don’t sleep. I remove the VR equipment, sleep deeply, and log in again right after waking up in the morning. No matter how much I struggle, I’m on a fast track to becoming a shut-in. The game mechanics are too shitty. When I wake up, it seems I was sleeping on Kana’s back. Kana, holding something, hides it while smiling and calls out to me.
「Good morning, Father. Did you sleep well?」
「Yeah, thanks. Did you properly take turns sleeping over there?」
「I left it all up to Kana and slept soundly. The difference in endurance compared to Powered Armor Humans really helps out.」
「My most painful memory is staying up for 4 days straight helping Father sort through his piled up documents. There were more parts that required care compared to combat, geez…」
「Sorry about that, but I guess it’s not something for me to say.」
「You should at least apologize for sleeping in until noon, you know. Kanji.」
「I’m truly sorry about that.」
「It’s okay, punishment has already been carried out.」
「What did you do!? Hey, what did you do!?」
The sun has already fully risen where we logged in. Yes, I was extremely fatigued from continuing to play in VR for far too long. My brain also feels somewhat heavy, but I took that medicine again this morning so I’m sure it’ll be fine, probably.
I get off Kana’s back and start walking on my own feet. The surrounding gray earth remains unchanged, but the density of the crystal trees has been gradually increasing. When we talk about that, Teo claps his hands as if to say 「Oh right, I forgot to mention.」
「Right, right, Strains appear around here.」
「Huh???」
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I’m disheartened by the bizarre sight of a swordfish slowly moving about. Moreover, only its head is a swordfish while its body is reptilian, and its forearms are tentacles – its appearance does whatever it wants. And I can see cannons too, it’s still equipped with UK.
What’s even more surprising are the Machine Beasts surrounding it. Primordial Strain Type-UYK46. Its size has swollen to over 200m, half of which is dominated by the swordfish’s horn. The horn, which lacks smartness in its swollen state, is riddled with countless holes through which the Machine Beasts enter and exit. Teo points at the horn from the shadow of a crystal tree, making a bitter face.
「They used to just store them, but they’ve finally begun symbiosis. Look, they connect thin tentacles when entering. They offer energy to the Strain in exchange for being provided a safe dwelling. The result of offering energy to avoid being eaten by other Strains are those swollen, ugly Machine Beasts.」
「You used to be somewhat slim, 46.」
「Various aspects have evolved and changed since the time you saw them, Kanji. That’s the reason for the joint Infinite Horizon Conquest this time. Their evolution is too fast, it wouldn’t be surprising if they could talk in the next Ver.」
「No way, right?」
「There are 2 types of cries from Machine Beasts – sounds that are just mechanical reverberations, and sounds intentionally trying to reproduce something using existing languages. Though they’re nothing more than meaningless strings of alphabets and Japanese.」
「That wheeled Machine Beast was shouting stuff like ‘stone roasted sweet potato’ the other day, right? From the speaker attached to its head.」
「That was likely not a cry, but rather it just incorporated unnecessary parts.」
I hate that kind of enemy. The only aspect with potential for popularity is that it seems like it might drop stone roasted sweet potatoes. By the way, wheels are apparently far too inefficient on this uneven earth and they easily get hunted by carnivorous Machine Beasts. Well, that’s why Apollyons were deployed instead of armored vehicles.
「Is this swordfish strong?」
「It seems to have some intelligence. When it attacks, it always matches timing with other Strains. And it escapes by itself.」
「Isn’t that the worst?」
「What is the person responsible for implanting trauma saying…?」
「Really? Ah, look over here, heeeey long time no see.」
I speak at a normal volume in case it hears me. The gaze of the swordfish guy, who was looking around restlessly, turns towards me and passes over me as I wave. …It passed by. And then it froze. A creaking sound effect can be heard as its eyes return to this side once more. Hm?
No way, that can’t be. I mean, think about it, this guy… I see, it only died once in Ver1.08. Since it was born around 2060, it never fought against the strong humans of that time, and then it was killed by a madman who charged in with a cannon. But wait, it shouldn’t be able to recognize individuals, right?
Seeing the Strain direct its gaze here and freeze, then sway with a thud, Kana and Teo start running with panicked expressions. I also hurriedly follow.
「We’re running away! The opponent is sluggish, we’ll run for 20 minutes like this and break through to the Apollyon Fusion. Father, I’ll carry you.」
「Whoa!」
「Well, for a guy who’s completely ‘synchronized,’ that’s gotta be terrifying. The only monster that killed him in the future he knows. Other Strains probably have a stronger impression of being defeated in groups, but with that pattern…」
「But I was riding in an Apollyon!?」
「If ‘synchronization’ can only be done with memories, ‘HAO’ won’t function. The essence of ‘synchronization’ is observing the future including oneself. It would check the abnormal person inside, right?」
I catch Teo’s words in fragments while being shaken vigorously, held by Kana. Kana’s legs are incredibly fast, moving three times faster than me despite carrying me. And Teo was keeping up with that. …You’re a Powered Armor Human, right? I didn’t accept the explanation that he’s a Cyborg though.
Behind our accelerating figures, the swordfish guy sluggishly begins shifting its body this way. Next, the Machine Beasts slowly crawl out of the holes in its horn, detach the small connecting tentacles, and start leaping out towards us.
「It gave a command! The role of the tentacles isn’t just to steal energy, it’s to issue commands for its own convenience!」
「A mid-boss shouldn’t have that ability!?」
The sound of scraping metal engulfs the earth. I ready the handgun ‘Beast Slayer,’ barely permitted to be carried by the Machine Beasts behind us, and shoot. An odd pain runs through my spine from the far too unreasonable posture, and the bullet flies off in the wrong direction. However, there’s a horde of hundreds of Machine Beasts behind us. There are Machine Beasts in the wrong direction too, and the Machine Beast with a distorted centipede-like shape that got blown away is trampled by the following Machine Beasts.
I only managed to defeat one, with 3 bullets remaining. But contrary to that despair, the movements of the Machine Beasts slow down a little. I see, these guys don’t have any merit in chasing small fry that won’t even become food, just because they received a command. Then it’s enough if we exist as a deterrent.
I load one more bullet and aim the gun while still being carried by Kana. I take aim in the posture of targeting protruding ones. I wait a few minutes, and when a rhinoceros beetle-type Machine Beast protrudes, I fire one more shot. Noise is generated to the point of destroying my eardrums, and while losing balance along with Kana due to the recoil, that single shot makes the horde of Machine Beasts further reduce their speed.
Then, a container tilted diagonally in the direction of travel enters my field of vision. On that blue container with each side measuring 10m, the engraving ‘Apollyon Project’ is made in scraped letters.
「We can see it! That’s the part, Teo, the key!」
「Alright, fingerprint and vocal cord authentication, OK! Good, activating the escape device, fly to the 13th area of the Infinite Horizon Conquest base!」
As Teo shouts, the container that had been quietly sinking into the ashen earth suddenly opens. Inside it is a container one size smaller like a matryoshka doll, and conical objects I’m familiar with are attached around it. Thrusters. And I can see handles slightly away from the nozzles. Wait, could it be…?
Kana and Teo reach the container and leap. While still being held by Kana, I’m tied to that handle by my belt and pressed against it. As if to sandwich me between the container and herself, Kana presses her whole body against me, her left hand around my waist and her right hand and feet connecting firmly to the handles. I can see Teo also fixating his body by himself next to me.
It wasn’t the time to talk about her soft body or nice scent. It’s not even about how it’s bad to do this to your daughter. Considering the horror that was about to occur, this level of perk was nothing but dust.
「Wait a sec, this-」
「Launch!!!」
「No way, waitwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh」
The container’s thrusters spew fire and it instantly rises. They’re likely using NMM in conjunction, which means I’m now in the situation of having to return while being stuck bare-naked to a craft flying at a tremendous speed. Amidst the shells fired by the swordfish guy, the container spins as it soars through the air. The wind pressure that should be blocked by Kana hits my body and suffocates my breathing.
Did he know this and still send me off? I won’t forgive you, Nakamoto. Wait, a shell just passed by, the wind pressure at the side is insane, the air is thin, wait a sec, my vision is spinning, scary scary scary scary, I can’t handle roller coasters!!!
The container takes off into the sky where the Machine Beasts can’t reach and sets course for home. Meanwhile, I arrive at a place of death. Mainly of my dignity.
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