Episode 27 – What He Truly Wishes For (3)
“Save me… ugh…”
Lizard, also called Phantom, a type of demon.
They are ghosts with translucent bodies.
An upper-grade B-class demon that is immune to bullets.
“….”
Right in front of me, a young woman, caught by a 2-meter tall ghost, had all her vitality drained and dropped to the ground as a dry husk.
This one was slightly different from the phantoms in my common sense.
It wasn’t a shabby appearance that looked like it was covered with a rag; it had a properly formed skull-like face and even wore armor.
“Unit.”
I realized they were a mutated type, a unit.
I crawled backward, trembling, but it had already seen me.
A chilling coldness of bones was gradually approaching.
“—”
It seemed like it was saying something, but there was no way I could understand a demon’s speech.
The subway car that had been attacked came to a halt, while the surrounding area was still engulfed in slaughter.
There was no one to help me.
Its rough hand, like a rotten twig, reached out toward me.
“Get lost, you bastard!”
[Execution Authority]
And I clenched my teeth and reached out my hand toward it.
My only cherished attack, which I had been saving, was now being used.
It felt as if something was rapidly escaping from my body.
“—–!!!!!!”
“Ugh..”
Like tearing paper, its body started to shred apart.
The ghost’s scream was more chilling than I could have imagined.
I covered my ears and squinted, watching as it gradually vanished.
“That’s…”
[Hurry and take a picture. This is the remains it has left behind. It’s indeed a valuable opportunity, whether the legion can analyze it or not.]
In between gasps, my phone buzzed with urgent messages.
Certainly, something was diminishing at the spot where it had been.
Something resembling a rock piece, or perhaps flesh.
That statement holds true. After all, this is an opportunity.
I took a picture of it with my camera.
“…I need to survive now.”
Fortunately, the car I was in was the end for that one I killed.
Moreover, hearing the sounds of the battle outside, it seemed help might be arriving at the right moment. For now, I was alive.
“Everyone seems busy.”
Before I knew it, the sun had set.
Having been rescued, I stood blankly, gazing at the scene.
It was worse than an orc raid.
At this rate, martial law, which had only been mentioned as a possibility in broadcasts, might actually be declared.
[What could this possibly be? For now, the legion attempted to absorb the leftovers of the phantom but failed. What we currently have is a mysterious power that is beyond our understanding. It was something of a completely new concept.]
“In the end, isn’t it useless?”
[Well, one thing is certain: the legion already knows how to solve the problem. When it failed to absorb the scales of the two-headed lizard in the past, it desperately found a way to turn those tough scales into our armor.]
The mysterious power was probably the spectral energy held by the Lizard, akin to the mana spoken of by hunters.
Mana is the driving force behind the abilities hunters wield, a mysterious energy that transforms them into superhumans.
Ten years later, at this point, the chances of the legion understanding and interpreting that miracle, scientifically, remained low.
“But… if they can understand and utilize it, it holds sufficient value.”
[That’s the same thought that the legion has. If they unravel the unsolved riddles they have yet to comprehend, they already know how significant changes and achievements it can bring us.]
What if the legion could handle mana like hunters? A chill ran down my spine.
I had thought that pure physical abilities were sufficient, but now a way to leap to another level had emerged.
[Look at the screen. The legion is currently searching through the data it has devoured from both branches of the tree. Just like you, the legion is sincere.]
I looked at the screen.
All the data of the creatures we had collected was stored in a coded format.
I watched as countless characters scrolled up, disappearing and reappearing randomly.
[All data has been scrutinized. In total, there are 1601 species of life that have been assigned codes by the system.]
“..What’s the answer?”
[Failure. However, a faint clue has been seized. Look at this.]
A new video unfolded on the screen.
This was a moment recorded in the history of the legion, showing the native creatures being mercilessly swept away by the legionnaires.
“What’s that?”
[Code 3n8888, Luminescent Fairy Bee.]
Something with a bizarre name was floating in the air, shining with light.
It swallowed a flying type whole, only to spit out the crushed remains into its nest.
The nest immediately began to break down and absorb that creature.
“So… what? What about that firefly?”
[It was a trivial and insignificant creature. The only useful aspect was its unique luminescence. However, there is one piece of data that the legion overlooked at that time.]
The screen rewound once more and zoomed in on the moment when the flying type was swallowing the fairy bee.
As the jaw crushed it, I could see a faint smoke rising from the body of the fairy bee.
“Could that be…”
[I don’t know the details yet. For now, an analysis of the fairy bee’s corpse was successful in understanding the structure of its luminescence, but the most important part of that luminescence was something the legion neither understood nor could acquire, thus rendering its reproduction impossible.]
An unidentified mysterious power.
Could it truly be mana?
Was it the same power that the demon, the Lizard, possessed?
In truth, that didn’t matter.
[There must be more clues as we go up. As we ascend the levels, the variety and strength of the flora increase.]
The legion’s eyes lit up at the discovery of this possibility.
It was fast even now, but it released the energy it had been storing at a constant ratio, causing an explosion.
Instantly, their forces began to multiply.
[We will definitely find it.]
Gathered troops conquered and devoured the second branch and the surrounding branches where they had occupied the guardian spirits, all before congregating toward the upward passage.
And they then began to swarm.
That sight emanated an intense insanity.
“The enemies are really proactive.”
[Isn’t this something you initiated?]
“Me?”
[You and the legion itself prioritize becoming stronger. The desires of both have merged. There’s no need to look elsewhere.]
I had no words. It was the truth.
I came home, trudged to my bed, and still kept staring at my phone.
*
In the dim labyrinth, a significant movement of change began after such a long period of stagnation.
This change was something that could not occur structurally.
What made it possible was a trivial variable.
That variable, once at a cellular level, was breaking the immutable laws and had now consumed not only the roots of the labyrinth but also the trunk.
“…”
There were those who absolutely could not tolerate that change.
They recalled another instinct that had been inscribed in their genes after an incredibly long time.
With only a few samples secured, the legion had yet to understand that instinct.
Thus they began to gather in one place.
That was their forgotten purpose and duty.
[Analysing the gene requires efforts beyond just studying and deciphering a language. First of all, the possibility of them being units is low. But that doesn’t mean they are a common species either. They are worth analyzing. If we can learn about them, we might also gain insights into this vast labyrinth we were born in.]
The legion, wholeheartedly engaged in reconnaissance, spotted the gathering forms of the creatures.
They did not shy away from the fight that approached first.
In fact, it was a relief.
The more unusual events arise, the more they become nourishment for the legion.
The sound of stomping footsteps echoed.
The newly restructured forces of the legion had evolved a stage further from before.
On the ground, in the air, and against the walls, a black wave connected.
[It’s war. But isn’t it familiar?]
Various guardian spirits that recognized the legion roared in their own ways, exuding intimidation.
On the other hand, it was extremely quiet and still here without the slightest sound.
After all, the legion had no need to create vocal organs.
The guardian spirits flinched.
They were absolutely not foolish.
That’s why they sensed the unease and were perplexed.
“Crrk…”
“….”
The sight of the legionnaires maintaining complete silence without any hint of movement fostered an unnatural sense of alienation.
It was a chilling silence and momentum that one could hardly consider to be those of living beings.
[We haven’t learned useless feelings like fear.]
The legion advanced.
There was no hesitation whatsoever. The legion was free from the fear of death.
[We noticed a peculiar creature. That moth-like being glowing with a soft light, resembling the clue of the fairy bee.]
Just before entering combat, the same command was issued to all.
A massive moth was hovering, scattering its shining powder over the gathered guardian spirits.
The legion was determined to capture it, no matter what.
