Chapter 142

Episode 142. Nanami’s Greatsword (3)

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Blue Rose entity, Spring. A follower of the Machine Cult.

What on earth was the Foundation Headquarters thinking when they created something like that? It’s obvious that as soon as it escaped, it would join the Machine Cult and attack the Foundation.

Was that the intention? Who knows.

“Rumored to be Dr. Kim, huh.”

It’s visible. It seems too late to hide now. I had no choice but to look up and stare at Spring.

Should I use ‘that’? I really don’t want to.

“Alright.”

“Shall we talk for a moment, Director Kim?”

I stared at Spring. Every time it moved, I could faintly hear mechanical sounds, making me think it might be a cyborg.

Or maybe it’s entirely mechanical.

Should I accept the offer to talk?

Since we’ve found the Blue Rose entity, there are many ways to kill it. The tracking drones monitoring the target, Nanami who will soon burst out, my gun, etc.

There’s no need to listen to that monster. Just kill it. On the other hand, there are countless reasons to kill it immediately.

I let out a sigh.

Admiral Furani was also killed without listening. I, and my Foundation, have dealt with many supernatural phenomena in that way so far.

But this time, the situation is different. The Blue Roses are, like it or not, my flesh and blood. There’s information we need to get from them.

“I won’t reveal myself.”

“Do as you please.”

Silver, Paint, and even Black are about to die without spilling any information. This time, it seems I have to listen to Spring.

I stared at Spring.

“Alright. What do you want to say?”

“Director. I don’t plan to talk long. I understand you’re not the type to be persuaded. Just, think about it.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“We are Blue Roses. Like you. Created miracles and created gods, made to dominate the world through the Foundation’s influence.”

I looked at the opponent through the scope.

“So?”

“Think about what a god is. Ultimately, isn’t it a collection of supernatural phenomena? Think about what the Foundation is. A place to contain supernatural phenomena?”

“The Foundation.”

“Dr. Kim. How many of the supernatural phenomena you fought were the Foundation’s creations? Have you ever thought about that? Calculate the ratio.”

It was a chilling thought.

“Quite a few, huh.”

“You. You’ve become the very monsters you wanted to fight. I’m not saying you should join me and fight. But fighting against the Foundation isn’t evil. It’s a meaningless fight.”

It’s the same old story.

“So?”

“Think about why you were created. I repeat, we were created to dominate humans. That’s the symbolism behind the word Blue Rose.”

“That makes sense.”

“In the Foundation’s eyes, only you are a success. Only you reign over countless humans, Foundation facilities, and even nations.”

I looked at Spring’s mask. It was a cold face with only two eye holes. In its hand was a gun.

“What do you want from me?”

“Survive. Watch the Foundation’s plans. And decide for yourself. Think about what a proper world is.”

“If that’s all… let’s fight now.”

“Wait. There’s a part where our interests align. If Blue Rose-0 is liberated, your power will also increase. Cooperate in liberating Blue Rose-0. After that, we go our separate ways.”

The liberation of Blue Rose-0.

“Isn’t Blue Rose-0 the source of our power? If Blue Rose-0 disappears, won’t our power disappear too?”

“Blue Rose-0 is the reassembled corpse of an ancient god. Liberating Blue Rose-0 will greatly increase our power. Just tolerate that.”

I don’t understand. There’s no guarantee that our power will increase if Blue Rose-0 is liberated. Isn’t it because Blue Rose-0 is bound that we can steal and use its power?

I looked at Spring again.

“I heard you, and you’re going to die here.”

Bang! Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out.

I raised the gun and hid.

Spring was reloading its gun. Looking again, it wasn’t just a big gun. It might be a clockwork device-type supernatural phenomenon.

Of course, getting hit wouldn’t be good.

“I see you, Dr. Kim. Hiding won’t help.”

“……”

I had no intention of fighting fair. Let’s deploy the drones first. The sound of propellers and explosions came from behind me. I hope Nanami bursts out and kills them all.

Armor-piercing bullets had no effect.

The firepower of handheld weapons is insufficient. That thing isn’t human, so biochemical weapons are unlikely to work either.

The drones probably won’t solve it either.

Only one option remains.

Using a supernatural phenomenon to kill it.

“Going all out.”

Setting up a defeat flag, huh. I dropped a smoke grenade on the floor and melted back into the darkness. Come and get me, monster.

Symbolism, huh. What’s the symbolism of Spring mobilizing the Machine Cult’s supernatural phenomena?

The strength of steel, right? Of course, physical means are nearly impossible to subdue it. At least with the equipment I can mobilize now.

Moreover, the invisibility cloak’s effect seems limited. It knows my location. Even if it’s not clearly aware.

Creak.

The sound of gears turning can be heard here too. It doesn’t seem to be coming from Spring itself, what is it? Did it summon something else?

****

Spring looked at the smoke Dr. Kim left behind. It might be hiding something. But can it just chase after it…?

It knows nothing about Dr. Kim. Earlier, it seemed to use some strange furball to track, but it disappeared somewhere quickly.

The spider it worked hard to create was killed by the Foundation’s drones. Where the drones went, where they came from, is unknown.

In the end, it was the fear of the unknown.

It was ironic.

Black dug a black trap and provoked Nanami to chase. Blue Rose-13, Kim Bari, dug a white trap and is provoking Spring.

No choice.

Four mechanical arms stretched out from Spring’s back. It doesn’t seem like it can handle Dr. Kim with these, but no choice.

Spring took out powder and sprinkled it in front of its eyes.

A tool to make the invisible visible. Since Dr. Kim has hidden himself layer by layer…

It was necessary to think about countermeasures one by one. This is one of them.

There you are. Due to cognitive interference, Dr. Kim’s general direction was only roughly known, but this time, his exact location is visible.

Bang!

The clockwork rifle spat fire.

****

Meanwhile.

Nanami swung her sword. This time, the wall finally collapsed, and Black frowned. The sound of the factory’s concrete floor crumbling.

“Brute force, huh.”

This was the last.

Nanami’s sword aimed at Black’s neck. Black’s sword fell to the ground. For Black, it was a fight that couldn’t be won from the start.

Surviving this long was a miracle.

“Farewell.”

Black flew in all directions.

What fell to the ground weren’t limbs or entrails. The black tentacles, black wings, and other grotesque parts inside Black were cut off and scattered everywhere.

Nanami frowned in disgust.

Is there anything left to research… This time, it wasn’t just dismemberment but complete destruction. The research department will have something to say about this.

“This is Nanami. Blue Rose’s Black has been eliminated. Requesting retrieval of remains as the scene is cleared.”

[Confirmed.]

Nanami looked around again.

It was clearly a humanoid shape, but the amount of debris scattered around was like cutting an elephant or a giant squid.

There weren’t many humanoid remains.

Fragments of tentacles and eyeballs that weren’t visible before were rolling around everywhere. What on earth is this? Disgusting.

Nanami couldn’t help but think of Dr. Chloe. Wouldn’t cutting open Dr. Chloe yield similar results?

More importantly, one must never let their guard down against humanoid supernatural phenomena. They might come back to life or retaliate as ghosts.

Nanami picked up Black’s sword from the ground and slammed it into the concrete floor, intending to render it unusable.

That’s done.

Now it’s time to find Dr. Kim. Who knows what monster he’s fighting. Honestly, I’m not too worried.

Let’s wrap this up. Black is dealt with, the small fry mimics and dolls are cleared. Now only the Machine Cult’s created god remains.

****

Ah, damn monster. I re-equipped my gear and turned my head towards Spring.

Seeing an explosion from Nanami’s side, it seems she successfully cleared the situation.

Need to change the strategy.

I pointed in the direction of Spring, and the Popos rushed out.

This time, it’s not a direct attack. To divert Spring’s attention. And to tie Spring’s feet.

It works.

Spring looked around.

“Looks like you’re out of moves, Dr. Kim.”

I took it out of my pocket.

The one bullet that can kill anything. The exact mechanism is a secret, but it’s related to the supernatural degradation of information.

I didn’t want to use it, feeling uneasy.

“Your bullets, your pets, your magic, nothing can harm me. Admit defeat or die!”

Alrighty.

I pulled the trigger of the Gauss Musket, and the bullet hit Spring’s head.

Dead? I frowned. Spring was still standing but not moving.

What the heck, creepy.

Clunk, clunk, clunk. Parts started falling from Spring’s body, and a moment later, a loud crash of mechanical parts pouring out was heard.

Survived another day.

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