Swoooosh!
The knife slashed right through the arms, cutting them with one clean slice.
I took the chance to pull my feet back, but the moment I did, even more hands emerged, clinging to my legs ferociously. They gripped my pants and climbed higher and higher, forcing their way towards me.
Swooosh! Swooosh!
I continued to cut down the hands, barely freeing myself each time, but it was no use.
Each time I cut down a hand, a new one appeared.
No, not just one.
Several dozen appeared at once.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
It reached the point where all I could see were hands, my shirt and face smeared with blood as the heavy scent of metal filled my nose. To make matters worse, the distant chopping grew louder, steadily closing in.
I could feel it.
Something else was coming.
Something even more powerful.
But I didn't panic. Swinging my hand, I continued to slash down, cutting down several hands at once. But even that became problematic.
With each slash, a dozen new hands appeared.
I was being overwhelmed. Each slash forced me back, my arms burning as sweat streamed down my face.
My swings began to slow down, just for a moment... but it was enough.
SWOOOOSH!
More hands burst from the blood, clawing at my legs, my arms, my clothes, anchoring me in place. I struggled, but they only multiplied, dragging me down inch by inch as I continued to move back, my back eventually colliding with something soft behind me.
I gave my back a quick glance, finding one of the carcasses behind me.
But something was wrong.
The carcass... moved.
It's cold, mangled skin shifted against my back, the entire body cracking and changing in forms as its rib cage expanded with a sharp, splitting sound, stretching wide, as if trying to swallow me whole.
By the time it acted, it was already too late for me.
Thankfully, I wasn't alone.
The moment the carcass moved, a shadow appeared right behind it as two dark hands grabbed onto it, stopping its movements.
"Hihihihi~"
A laugh followed, and the hands came to a sudden stop.
Turning around slowly, I looked at the dangling carcass and slashed the chains on top.
Thud!
The carcass collapsed to the floor shortly after, and the number of hands dragging at me began to dwindle, shrinking one by one before there were none left.
The same was true for the chopping sound as it faded into the background.
"...I guess you're not it."
I was a little disappointed to see this.
From the moment I entered the room, I'd already sensed something else inside the place. It wasn't the glasses that revealed its presence, but the knife. Through its second ability, I realized an anomaly was hiding among the carcasses. But it didn't stay put. It kept shifting from one body to another, never settling, which explained why every carcass had been swaying since the start.
It was for this reason that I allowed it to do as it pleased, moving back slowly and waiting for it to strike.
In the end, this was the result.
But...
"You're not the one who is haunting me."
Lifting my hand to look at the blade, I once again met my own reflection before wiping the blood from its surface. When I glanced down at my clothes, I found them torn in several places and completely soaked in blood.
"This won't do."
Taking out my [Quickstitch Outfit], I quickly changed it into an apron and put it on.
"...I won't get dirty this way."
Adjusting the mask on my face and holding onto the knife tightly, I began to walk away from the place.
"Time to look in a different area."
***
Early Morning.
BUA Branch Guild.
A small group had gathered in front of a particular door, a man in a dark suit standing before it with a clipboard in hand.
"As most of you are aware, the Guild is preparing for the upcoming World Congress. Soon, the main Guild's representatives will arrive, and things are going to get more and more hectic. We'll need to determine which teams will represent us. And naturally, we'll be holding a trial for that."
He was the Section Chief of the Hoarding Department, Clement White.
Staring at the group in front of him, his voice turned stern.
"Do not look down on those coming from the main Guild. Although they aren't from the island, they have access to a lot more resources than all of you. They're also trained by some of the best people on this planet. When the time comes for you to meet them, you'll be surprised by their skills."
Despite the intent behind his words, the Section Chief's words didn't reach the ears of many.
It was practically ingrained in everyone's minds. 'Those from the outer islands can't compete with those from the main islands, besides a few.' This stigma didn't appear out of nowhere, but from years of results in the World Congress and the achievements that followed.
The number of people who came from external islands and actually did well was a dime in the dozen.
There was usually no comparison.
"...Let's also not forget that we're also part of the same Guild. It would be best if you all got along."
The Section Chief's gaze paused on a particular figure as he spoke. Though he didn't say anything, his eyes said it all as several heads turned toward the woman leaning against the side of the wall, playing with her phone.
"Hm?"
Finally taking notice of all the stares, Catherine looked up.
"What? Why is everyone looking at me?"
"....."
Nobody answered. All heads simply turned back to the Section Chief as he continued briefing the group on the current situation.
"The type of gate we'll be entering is a hoarding gate, meaning that it'll continue until you end up clearing it. It's a fairly straightforward one. Most of you should already know the basic information about the anomalies inside and the general method of clearing them. I won't waste time explaining what you already understand. Your scores will be based on the number of kills you secure and their ranks."
Seeing how everybody had ignored her, Catherine clicked her tongue, feeling annoyed. But just before she could say anything else, a figure appeared next to her.
"Did... he end up showing?"
Chaterine paused, her emerald eyes turning towards the figure standing next to her.
Eventually, she shook her head.
"He didn't even answer me."
"He didn't pick up?"
"Didn't. Even when I knocked on his door, he didn't answer."
"...I see."
Marcus nodded, his expression calm. He wasn't surprised by this development as he calmly nodded his head.
"I guess it makes sense. He probably doesn't want to expose himself before so many people."
"Probably so."
Catherine brushed a strand of hair behind her ear while simultaneously taking out an electric vape and taking a quick drag of it.
"...I don't really blame him. If I were in his position, I'd also try my best to milk it so that I can make enough money to retire. If you ask me, he made the correct decision."
"Ye—"
"That's enough time wasted. Get ready, everyone. The trial will start soon. Make sure to get into your groups and prepare yourselves. This isn't going to be an easy ride."
Taking another drag of her vape, Catherine pushed off the wall and headed toward her group. Marcus followed close behind, the two of them drawing the attention of the nearby members as they made their way over and joined the other two guys.
Their presence instantly caught everyone's attention.
For they... were the aces of the Hoarding Department, and the most likely group to receive a good ranking within the World Congress.
-x-X-x-
Swoosh!
The first thing the team noticed upon entering the Gate was the heavy stench of blood. It clung to the air and soaked into the silence, filling the entire area until the faces of a few scrunched up as a result of the smell.
"...Ugh."
Marcus was no different, holding onto his nose while looking towards the two other people standing next to him.
"I've been to my fair share of Gates, but I've never been in one that has ever smelled this bad."
"You're not the only one."
Elias replied, quietly retrieving his square-framed glasses and wiping them with a cloth before slipping them away and replacing them with a circular-framed pair. The new glasses had gold rims, giving him a more scholarly air than before.
Of course, he didn't have to change glasses just for a style change.
"So? Did you find anything?"
"Give me a moment. Don't rush me."
Holding onto the rims, Elias scanned the surroundings as he took a close look at his surroundings. He took in the dangling chains, the flickering overhead lights, and the blood splatters throughout.
For the next couple of minutes, everyone stood in silence, quietly waiting for him to speak.
And then—
"There are numerous anomalies located on both paths that we take. I do not feel the presence of a boss just yet, but he'll eventually show up once we manage to defeat all the little minions."
"Any abnormalities?"
Catherine spoke, her emerald-green eyes scanning the surroundings as she wore a nice, bubbly smile that seemed to ease the tension.
"...If there are no abnormalities, let's go ahead and start. The faster we get this done, the faster we can go back to the Guild."
"Alright."
Putting on a pair of gauntlets, Andreas took a step forward, his enormous body towering over the rest as he moved toward one of the doors positioned at each end of the room.
"It's been a while since I've entered a Gate. I've just about gotten quite tired of waiting at the Guild. Now that I'm finally back, I'm planning on stretching my body a bit."
Smacking the two gauntlets, he laughed.
"That said," Andreas said, chuckling as he spared Elias and the others a glance, "I really like the sound of going back earlier. Since time inside of the Gate flows much faster than the real world, its best if we do this quickly. Let's do the usual. I'll take the lead, and ya'll follow me from behind. How about it?"
"That sounds fine with me."
Elias replied sternly, his gaze flickering in all directions as he studied everything around them.
"I'll take care of the scouting while everyone else takes care of the rest. The standard time for the gate clearance is three hours and forty six minutes. I expect us to be able to clear this faster than the record."
"Don't take this lightly."
Catherine cut in, her lips pulling into a thin smile.
"This is a trial, not a random gate excursion. We're all going to be graded on our performances. not how long it takes for us to clear the gate. The gate isn't going to be like one that everyone is used to. Furthermore, given everything that's happened recently, there's no guarantee the Gate will act normally. I'd even argue that the chances of something going wrong are quite high. If I were you... I'd all be careful."
Catherine gave everyone a meaningful look before interlocking her hands behind her back and making her way toward the far end of the room.
Her words stirred a sharp tension through the room as they all glanced at one another, their smiles fading while their expressions shifted into something far more serious. If the fact that this was a trial wasn't enough to make them treat the Gate with caution, then the second part of her statement was what truly added the cherry to the cake.
Everyone's mind went back to the Malovia incident a few weeks back. From the anomaly that brought despair to the world, to everything else that happened in between.
The images remained vivid in the minds of all those present, and as they all thought back to those moments, they realized that they really couldn't take the situation lightly.
Who knew if they'd end up being the next victim?
"Let's go."
As Catherine's words faded, everyone followed along in silence.
***
Drip! Drip...!
Blood dripped from the body of my blade, staining the ground beneath it.
"Haa..."
Breathing was a little difficult beneath the mask, sweat dripping down the side of my face as I looked around. Carcasses littered the place, severed limbs appearing in all directions as some twitched while others still tried to crawl towards me.
'So this is a hoarding gate?'
By now, I had already understood what sort of Gate I was in.
This was no normal gate.
It was no doubt a hoarding gate.
There was no real scenario to speak of. There were just endless anomalies that appeared with each room that passed. The goal of the Gate was to find the 'boss' and kill it. In that regard, Hoarding Gates were relatively simple in their structure.
But that was the issue.
Because of their simple structure, everything else was a lot more difficult. The anomalies were less tricky, but they were without a doubt more powerful.
Furthermore, finding the boss was no easy task.
Like endless mazes, Hoarding Gates were designed to make it as hard as possible to find the boss. There were a few exceptions, but that was just about it.
"Hmm."
Standing still, I stared at the compass.
It was no longer pointng at a single direction. It was now spinning in all sorts of directions.
'This makes the situation a little troublesome.'
Kicking a limb to the side, I tightened my grip on the knife and closed my eyes. Several dots appeared within my darkened vision, each one relatively far away from me. Fixing my attention on the dots, I soon opened my eyes and shook my head.
'None of them appear to be the boss.'
Although I wasn't certain, a gut feeling told me.
But more than that..
"Why is such an 'anomaly' haunting me?"
This was the thing that I was trying to understand the most. I wasn't quite familiar with this anomaly, nor had any interactions with it.
It was different compared to the Conductor.
'No, but now that I think about it, I also did get haunted before. I'm still not quite sure about that one either. I've only got a couple of guesses, but no real certainty.'
"Could it be the system?"
This felt like the most probable scenario.
Thinking about the system potentially being the one responsible for the entire situation, my grip over the knife tightened as I wiped some of the blood that had stained the pig mask.
"...I don't like this."
Yet again, the system was trying to control me.
"I really don't like this."
I had already given it a warning, but it didn't seem to have paid much attention to it.
Wiping the mask once more, I looked ahead and proceeded to the next room.
'I hope I'm just overthinking things.'
Otherwise...
"I really don't want to resort to extreme measures like before."
I really didn't.
"....."
I came to a stop.
Turning my wrist and checking the time, I frowned.
"I've been here for more than two hours."
Time flew by before I knew it.
'No, it's more like I never had enough to think about how much time has passed.'
I spent the entire time fighting anomalies while also chasing the 'boss'. And yet, this very 'boss' appeared to be hiding from me. This was despite using the glasses in order to attract its attention.
"In the end... You haunt me, and yet, you don't even bother doing anything to me when I show up in front of you."
It may seem like two hours wasn't much, but there was no guarantee the Gate didn't have some kind of time dilation. Did time inside the gate flow the same as outside?
I didn't know, and as such, I needed to be as fast as possible to make sure unexpected situations wouldn't occur.
'Then again, I'm sure the Guild Master will back me up if I really take too long.'
Still, I had already grown sick of this place.
I wanted to go back as fast as possible.
"I guess this is of no use to me."
Putting the compass away, I decided to head for the next area.
Clank!
Moving past the next door, I expected to see the same layout I'd encountered the previous times, but the moment I stepped into the new room, I was met with a warm and damp air that contrasted sharply with what I'd encountered before.
I paused dead in my tracks.
'...Something is different.'
TAK! TAK!
A sharp cleaving sound echoed.
The sound rang out loudly, each strike cutting through the air with the force and clarity of a bolt of lightning.
TAK!
I felt the floor shiver faintly under the repeated impacts.
Warmth pressed against my face, humid enough to make the skin under my eyes prickle.
I looked up.
Rows of hooks hung from the ceiling. They swayed ever so slightly, their sharp tips brushing against one another. A dim glow pulsed near the hooks, not quite flickering but twitching, almost as if the light itself was uncomfortable being here. The light filtered through the numerous hooks, casting weird shapes around the walls and floor.
'...I can't see beyond the hooks.'
Just the number of hooks hanging from the ceiling was enough to cover my entire vision. Almost as if they had created a sort of veil that blocked my path.
Clank! Clank!
Brushing past the first row of hooks, I took a step forward.
The smell hit me then.
It was different compared to the iron-like scent from before. This was heavier, and it coated the inside of my throat, making each breath uncomfortable.
Just ahead, the room opened wider.
And there they were.
"....."
TAK!
Several figures stood in a loose half circle, their backs turned as their broad shoulders hunched over towards the work desk before them. They moved with an awful rhythm. Shoulders lifting. Elbows rising. Blades coming down in the same repeated motion.
TAK!
Then another.
TAK!
The wet squelch beneath each blow filled the air, gnawing at my chest.
But the sound was not what made me still.
I shifted slightly to the side to get a clearer view of what they were working on, and the moment the full shape came into view, a shiver ran down my spine.
There were carcasses, just like the other rooms.
But these...
Something about these carcasses felt familiar. Their limbs and parts were longer and thinner than the ones I was used to, the shape extremely familiar to me.
'...Humans.'
And not just regular humans.
But... ones that had an identical body shape to mine.
"Haaa..."
TAK! TAK!
The butchers eventually came to a stop, a heavy and suffocating silence settling over the surroundings as I kept my gaze firmly locked on them. I tried to gauge their strength while gripping my knife, ready to strike the moment they made a move.
Perhaps...
They were the ones I was looking for.
The 'boss' that I needed to clear in order to escape this Gate.
I got myself ready, my nodes churning at the same time.
But then—
"...."
As if they all took notice of my presence, they froze mid-movement, their bodies stiffening as their heads began to turn, slowly, until they faced me. One by one, their features revealed right before my eyes. A cow. A pig.... Something that might've once been a horse, its jaw hanging loose, swinging slightly as if the tendons had already given up.
'...How fitting.'
It almost felt amusing when thinking about my current outfit.
But staring down at the enormous blades they were carrying, the amusement barely lasted a few moments before I tightened my grip on the knife as I scanned the group. I could tell from just a glance that they were a lot stronger than anything that I had faced before, but despite this, I still had a nagging feeling that the 'boss' or the one that was haunting me had yet to make a move.
...It was probably still watching.
Waiting for me to show an opening.
'Unfortunately, I don't have much time to play along.'
I needed to get this done quickly.
But...
"Hmm."
Staring at the 'butchers' in front of me, my hand tingled. I realized rather quickly that the more I held onto the blade, the more it seemed to 'corrupt' me.
The corruption didn't seem permanent, only there in the moments when I held the knife. But the longer my fingers stayed wrapped around its handle, the more something subtle pressed in at the edges of my thoughts, nudging them, shifting them, as if trying to let out my inner thoughts.
Normally, I'd be able to suppress the hidden part of me, but...
"Haa... Haa..."
Perhaps I had killed a little too much today, but staring at the anomalies standing in front of me, I didn't step back or act with the caution I knew I should. Instead, something else crept in, different thoughts, quieter and more sadistic.
'Let me kill them.'
I could tell that they were a lot stronger than anything that I had faced thus far. There was also the potential ambush coming from the anomaly that was haunting me, but such thoughts appeared to fly out the window as I took a step forward, moving towards the anomalies.
Swooosh!
As I took a step forward, a black film began to slide over my skin from beneath my clothes. My body felt lighter, almost hollow, and I started to feel a surge of power.
[Trait Transfer]
Using [Trait Transfer] and connecting it to the Realmwalker, I was able to enhance my physical abilities. I was now more confident in dealing with the anomalies.
But as I moved forward, I felt a sudden twitch come from the back of my mind.
'Let me out.'
'...It's been a while since I've been out. Let me fight them.'
'I can take care of them for you. I've gotten stronger since before.'
'Let me out.'
The Conductor's voice continued to ring inside my head, but I ignored it. It wasn't that I didn't want to rely on the Conductor or that I thought he was useless. Quite the opposite. With him present, I'd have no real worries.
But I wanted to do this alone.
'No, that's not quite right.'
While it was true that I wanted to do this alone, that wasn't the real reason.
The truth was...
I... just didn't want it to touch my prey.
-x-X-x-
Crack!
The ground cracked as the anomaly wearing the horse hat rushed forward, hacking down on the ground with its large, muscular body.
I just barely avoided its attack before the pig head attacked me; its movements were just as fast as the horse head's.
Swooosh!
Taking a step back and sucking in my stomach, the blade just barely grazed my apron as a shadow cast behind me. I could feel the presence of the other anomaly, trying to grab me from behind, but before its arms could close down on me, I activated [Trait Transfer] once more, and a biting cold pressed on me from all directions.
The surroundings changed as the anomalies faded.
I... was now in the other world.
Without wasting a second, I turned around and brought my hand up, hacking down with all my might as I deactivated [Trait Transfer] and the world returned to how it was, the back of the anomaly now facing my direction.
SPURT!
It was a direct hit.
Blood spurted in all directions as the knife quietly absorbed the blood, my eyes gleaming at the sight as my breathing similarly grew harsher.
Unfortunately, that attack didn't appear to be enough to kill the anomaly.
Despite the massive injury, the anomaly still managed to turn its head, the ruined body twisting unnaturally as it revealed the head of a cow. Its mouth opened with a low, dragging creak, as though something inside it was forcing the jaw apart.
And then—
"Hehehe~"
I started laughing, shutting whatever 'attack' it was attempting down as I brought my blade towards its neck and slashed down cleanly.
Thud!
With a low 'thud', the head fell, and the body followed right after.
Blood pooled across the floor as I held onto my mouth, trying to keep my smile in check, feeling a sudden tickle in the middle of my chest.
'Not now. Not now.'
Looking at the knife, I knew that its influence was growing.
But that wasn't all.
My head was fucked up. I knew that much.
The knife was just... letting me let loose.
Swoooosh!
The anomalies didn't give me time to think. With one down, the other two came rushing at me. One from the left, and one from the right. I didn't have the time to think. But I didn't need to think as I already knew what I needed to do as I looked towards the horse head, its arm reaching up as it gathered enough momentum to slash at me.
This time...
I wasn't able to hold my smile back.
[Trait Transfer]
Time suddenly slowed.
Staring at the anomaly, my grip over the knife tightened as several dots and red lines appeared on the charging anomaly. I memorized each line carefully while looking behind me and noting the other anomaly's attack trajectory.
I could feel my node strain under the heavy usage of [Trait Transfer], but I paid no real mind to it as time soon returned to normal and I sprang into action, using every little bit of built-up tension in my muscles to shoot towards the hoarse head anomaly.
Knife in hand, I followed the trajectories that I remembered perfectly.
SWOOOSH!
With the sudden burst in speed, I distanced myself just enough to avoid the pig head anomaly's attack while also getting close enough to the horse anomaly to slash at its armpit and several of its vital areas.
Spurt!
The moment was quick.
I didn't even look back at the other anomaly. The moment I slashed in the directions that I wanted to, I used the little remaining strength that I had to dash away.
"Haaa...! Haaa!"
My lungs burned as I gasped for air, sweat pooling down the sides of my face as blood dripped down from the side of my blade.
Thud!
Soon, the eventual thud came, signaling the fall of the anomaly.
'...Not yet done. I'm not yet done.'
Without wasting time, I turned to face the remaining anomaly.
The pig head.
"....."
It stood not far from me, its gaze directed my way as its eyes gleamed under the dim lights of the slaughterhouse. Staring at the anomaly, I took the anomaly's lack of action as a chance to catch my breath.
The entire sequence of events probably lasted no longer than a couple of seconds, but those couple of seconds were enough to drain a lot of my energy. Especially my nodes, as I started to clearly feel the pain in my mind.
Despite this...
'I can still go in.'
This much was still acceptable. I could continue this for several more rounds, and catching my breath, I held the knife tighter.
I prepared myself to get rid of the last anomaly.
But—
"Hm?"
The moment I prepared to act, something unexpected occurred.
The anomaly... which had been so fiercely staring at me a moment prior, turned around and dashed away from me, its body moving past the numerous chains.
"....."
The sight caught me completely off-guard, my eyes blinking slowly as I tried to understand what was going on.
But soon, a certain thought crossed my mind as I stared in the direction of where the anomaly ran.
'Is this a trap, or...? Did it just run away?'
"It can't be, right?"
But after thinking for a while, I realized that it was possible. After a certain point, anomalies weren't just mindless monsters. They could think for themselves, and it wasn't out of the question that they would run away from me.
Of course, I was more inclined to believe it was guiding me towards a trap.
But this worked for me.
Holding onto the knife, I followed along.
'I hope it leads me right to the boss.'
...I really hoped it would.
***
Bang!
The smell of gunpowder drifted through the air as a body fell, the echo of the shot lingering longer than it should have.
"It's done."
Elias lowered his gun while looking at the numerous anomalies scattered around him.
"...How many does that make?"
"Fifteen. Not bad."
Catherine complemented, sitting on a crate in the distance as she smiled at everyone present. Some were a little tired, but in general, everyone was faring quite well. The Gate had yet to deviate from the norm.
This was good.
"I've already counted all of the points for everyone. There are a few that need to get some kills quickly; you might get dropped, but so far, so good. Let's take some time to rest before going into the next room. Once we manage to get through enough rooms, the difficulty will rise."
Catherine had all the rules and layout of the Gate noted down in her mind.
This wasn't the first time that she had been in the Gate, and was in fact quite familiar with it. Thus, she wasn't worried at all. In fact, in terms of points, she had the fewest. But, of course, everyone knew the reason wasn't that she lacked skills.
She just... didn't plan on doing anything until the end.
'It does seem like Elias has gotten better.'
Catherine carefully studied Elias as the gun faded from his hand. He was a rather exceptional member of her group, of the Conceptualization Decree. With his skills, he was able to create guns that were strong enough to kill anomalies.
He was an indispensable member of her team.
The same could be said for Andreas and Marcus.
"Hmm."
Pursing her lips, Catherine noted everything down while also looking at the other members. For the World Congress, she needed the best available team if she wanted to rank highly. For that, she needed to pay close attention to everyone.
She needed to—
Catherine's thoughts came to an abrupt pause.
She wasn't the only one; many also paused, all turning in a certain direction.
'Thud!' 'Thud!' 'Thud!'
A loud thumping echoed far off in the distance, growing louder and heavier with each passing second as it drew nearer to them.
Catherine heaved a deep breath as she looked at everyone around her.
"Careful."
Her voice echoed through the quiet space, her mind calming as she had long since taken situations like this into account.
"...Be very careful. Something is coming our way. Do not panic and raise your weapons. Meet it head on."
-x-X-x-
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Heavy silence fell over the surroundings.
All eyes remained locked towards the sound as it grew closer and closer.
There was no panic in the room.
Everyone remained focused, alert, and ready to respond to anything outside of their expectations.
"Not yet. Remain calm. Not yet."
Despite the current situation, Catherine remained smiling. Her eyes were narrow, and her tone was serious, but despite it all, the smile never faded. It was perhaps such a smile that brought a sense of calm to the group as they all waited patiently for whatever was coming.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
It was extremely close now.
Everyone also started to feel it, the ground shaking as the 'presence' was now upon them.
And soon—
"Brace!!"
BANG!
The wall in the distance shattered, dust erupting upward as one of the group members thrust their hands forward, forming an enormous shield around them to block the flying debris.Even so, a cloud of dust still managed to slip through, rising around them and blurring their vision for a moment.
"Careful! I sense multiple! Coming fast...!"
A shout followed a moment later, Marcus pointing towards several points within the smoke as several red dots appeared in his vision. Standing next to him, Elias took a step forward and brought his hand forward, pieces of a gun materializing from thin air as they quickly assembled into one he shot the moment it formed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Despite the dust, his shots were pinpoint accurate.
The sound of flesh being torn and blood sputtering echoed throughout, and yet...
THUD! THUD!
Whatever was headed their way didn't slow down.
In fact, it only picked up its speed as Andreas had no choice but to step forward, smacking his gauntlets together as he let out a low grunt before rushing towards the dust.
BANG!
His body soon drove into the intruder as he grunted. Subsequently, his body glowed a bright yellow hue as his muscles expanded alongside his frame. His strength exploded, and whatever was trying to pass was quickly stopped.
That was also the moment when everyone managed to catch sight of what was charging a team.
"A... pig?"
"...Huh?"
"A pig? Wait... isn't that the masked butcher?"
"What?"
For the first time, Catherine's smile wavered as she looked at the creature Andreas held back.
'A masked butcher? Isn't that an anomaly that is supposed to come way later? How come it's here? It's supposed to appear way later into the Gate. And how come it's rushing towards us? They aren't supposed to leave their rooms.'
But as if that wasn't enough...
BANG! BANG!
"Ukh!"
"Hold it! There's more coming!"
"Hold it! Wait... isn't this a masked butcher? What the fuck!?"
"Wait, what?"
More appeared, and chaos erupted.
Even Catherine was shocked to see more appear, their masks a different animal as they rushed their group with all their might.
'...This doesn't really make sense. While they're indeed strong, they're usually bound to the deeper areas. For them to appear now, it's obvious that something has gone wrong with the Gate.'
Catherine's shock merely lasted a few seconds. Beyond the shock was a calm analysis of the current situation.
'The studies and descriptions have said that the busked butchers never seem to leave their own place. The only way they do that is if they're chasing someone. Could they be chasing someone?'
Lifting her head, Catherine gave them a good look, but as she did, her brows knit tigther tightly.
Although she couldn't read their thoughts because of their weird heads, she could read their body language. It was there that she noticed something peculiar.
'...They're not actually attacking anyone. In fact, it seems more like they're just trying to get past us.'
The realization hit her quickly as her smile thinned even further.
But why were they trying to get past them?
Was there something beyond them? What was the reason for their actions?
"It looks like I'll have to step in this time."
Closing her eyes, Chaterine connected her mind to her nodes. A series of lattices formed across her vision as she connected each path to another, several nodes connecting at once, and as she soon opened her eyes, her emerald green eyes flickered as her body began to split.
There was a certain reason why Catherine was regarded as the ace of the Branch Guild, and not only that, the Guild.
It was because of her Decree.
One that only a small margin of the population had.
The [Mimic] Decree.
Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!
One after another, figures resembling her began to split away from her main body as even more masked butchers started to appear. For now, the group appeared to be doing fine, but she could tell that the number of butchers was still growing.
Not from any special skills, but from the vibration on the ground.
Spurt!
As another clone formed, she mumbled a direct order.
"Go."
Her clones didn't waste a second. They dashed toward the anomalies, their movements sharp and nimble as they zig-zagged past the others. One reached an anomaly first, leaping up and planting both hands on its shoulders, using the momentum to vault herself onto it. In the same motion, she twisted its head with one clean, brutal motion.
Crack!
The neck snapped back, but the anomaly remained standing.
In fact, it didn't seem like it even noticed the fact that its head was twisted as it raised its weapon and slashed away.
The clone remained on top of it, taking out a dagger and stabbing it towards its neck.
Spurt!
But even that wasn't enough to make it stop.
A similar situation appeared to be occurring with the other clones and group members.
While some of the anomalies were taken down, the number coming down was even greater than the number taken down. Catherine stared at all of this with a frown as she created even more clones, trying her best to aid the group, but it was becoming extremely apparent that she couldn't create clones fast enough.
For a second, she even thought about telling the others to stop and let the anomalies pass, but she was quick to discard such a thought.
...It was already too late for that.
There were too many of them. Each one of them was rushing toward them, their speed and momentum increasing as they began to overwhelm the group.
"Kh...!"
"I can't hold on much longer!"
"Akh!"
Seeing the situation turn for the worse, Catherine took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
'...This might hurt.'
In the end, after signaling the others with a few quick gestures, her fifth node began to churn, and her clones froze in place. A moment later, their bodies started to swell, forcing the group to rush back while covering for one another.
"Hurry back!"
"She's doing it!!"
"Cast a shield!"
"I'm doing it!"
All sorts of defensive measures snapped into place at once as the group covered for each other, and just as they finally managed to raise enough protection, one of the clones exploded.
BANG!
A heavy explosion thundered across the surroundings, making the shield shudder under the force. But that wasn't all.
BANG! BANG!
Even more explosions resounded, each one more extreme than the other, causing the barrier to shake even further.
".....!"
Standing within the barrier, Catherine's face paled considerably as a sharp pain invaded her mind.
"Are you okay?"
"Do you—"
"No, it's fine."
The others moved in to support her, but she refused, even as more of her clones exploded. With each detonation, her face grew paler, and her legs trembled, yet she stayed on her feet, refusing to let herself fall.
This wasn't about pride.
It was about being a leader.
A leader couldn't show weakness in dire situations.
It was also for this reason that she decided to opt for this option despite the pain.
And soon, with the last clone exploding, a heavy silence fell over the surroundings. As the dust finally cleared, it revealed scattered limbs and blood. It was pure carnage, bones strewn across the ground, leaving everyone staring at the sight with cold breaths.
But just when they thought it was over.
Squelch! Squelch!
A peculiar sound echoed, startling the faces of many.
Squelch!
Immediately, all heads turned toward the noise and spotted one of the anomalies. Its body was almost completely gone, and it was using its arms to drag itself across the ground, a long path of red following its movements.
"What...? It's still moving?"
"...That actually looks quite pitiful. What is it trying to do?"
"Yeah, I've been wondering. They weren't really trying to kill us, no? I'm not the only one who felt that, right?"
"I thought the same."
"Me too."
While the group was still marked by confusion, Chaterine's gaze remained fixed on the anomaly as it crawled further and further away from them. She stared at it desperately trying to drag itself away from them, almost as if in fear.
'Fear...?'
Her eyes blinked slowly as several images flashed back in her mind.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
With her smile fading, Catherine slowly turned her head toward the distance, toward the hole in the wall.
There didn't appear to be anything beyond the wall, but as she stared at it, Catherine began to feel... something. Something that made her heart freeze. Her mouth soon grew dry, and she stopped blinking altogether, her gaze locked tightly on the ruined wall.
She stood like that for the next couple of seconds, even causing some of her team members to look at her weirdly.
But soon, she heard it.
Step.
The sound of a step.
One that was steadily making its way towards them.
And at the same time, she also caught a glimpse of it.
Of the blood-stained figure standing behind the walls, blood dripping from its knife as its presence swallowed the surroundings.
Of the...
Butcher.
-x-X-x-
Moments prior.
I previously assumed that it wouldn't be long until I found the boss.
That the new types of 'anomalies' were the next step for me to meet it, but...
Spurt!
'Still, nothing.'
I stood in silence while staring at the decapitated head on the floor.
My thoughts were empty. Gripping onto the handle of the knife, I just had one thought.
'...Kill. I need to kill the boss.'
No, it wasn't just the boss.
I wanted to get rid of everything that stood in my way of the boss.
SPURT—!!
Thus, moving from room to room, I started going on a killing spree. The anomalies that I encountered became stronger with each room that I passed, but so did I. Or to be precise, the knife.
Although temporary, each anomaly I killed with the knife caused its power to rise, sharpening something deep within it for a short while.
Each slash became smoother, anomalies falling under a simple slash of mine.
My stamina also started to replenish. With the anomalies becoming easier for me to kill, the strain that my body took was a lot lower.
But at the same time, the sense of bloodthirst increased.
'Kill.'
The world before me deepened into an even darker shade of crimson as I scanned my surroundings. I still had no clear sense of where the boss was hiding, but I could feel myself drawing steadily closer to him.
He wasn't far off.
Clank!
Moving towards the next room, the situation was no different. Chains dangled from all directions as the familiar anomalies appeared.
But this time...
"....."
The moment I stepped into the room, something appeared different.
The anomalies all stopped whatever they were doing, turning their attention towards me as they visibly froze on the spot.
My entire arm tingled at the sight of them, and several dots appeared all over their bodies.
I could feel... the urge to kill surge even further as I took another step forward.
But this time, the anomalies didn't engage.
Instead, they all turned away and headed away.
"Hm?"
It wasn't a sight that I was unfamiliar with.
This wasn't the first time I'd seen it, but it usually happened after I'd killed a few anomalies. At first, I thought it was some kind of trap. However, after observing it for a while, I realized that wasn't the case.
Instead of killing them instantly, I simply watched the anomalies in silence as they moved toward the next room.
'Why is this happening?'
If this wasn't a trap, then...?
Taking a moment to look at the knife in my hand, I tightened my grip on the handle.
As opposed to how the knife was in the past, it looked a lot different. It still looked like an inconspicuous knife, but something about it felt different. The blade was longer and sharper, with blood dripping from the side of it.
Staring at the knife and then my reflection, I finally noticed something.
My eyes...
They were pitch black.
'It wasn't like this before.'
The entire white area was covered in black, while the pupils were entirely red.
It was a change that caught me off guard, but also made me understand.
'...All that killing is seeping deep into my mind. I see. Perhaps, the reason why all the anomalies are running away is because of the changes that the knife is making to me.'
I grew hesitant.
Thinking back to what had occurred to me as a result of my fractured node, I didn't want to repeat the same mistake as in the past. I didn't want to let the madness consume me, but at the same time... I also understood that this was a form of power.
If I could just control it...
'Can I even control it?'
Staring at the body of the knife, I focused my attention on my reflection.
This knife...
It had changed so much that it almost felt like an entirely different item.
The rate of absorption was limited, yet it still grew temporarily stronger with every drop of blood it consumed, passing that strength on to me. The changes never lasted long, but they were undeniably real.
However, there was a catch... the more the knife devoured beyond its usual limits, the more it pressed against my thoughts. If I wanted to harness that power, I couldn't afford to let it seize control of my mind.
'Kill the boss. Find him.'
'Kill him.'
Its effects were already showing.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.
'Should I just call it a day with the knife and stop using it? I can always handle this with the Realmwalkers and the others.'
Knife or not, I was confident in completing this scenario.
But...
'In the off-chance that someone does end up showing up, I can't afford to have my anomalies show up. Given the events that occurred back in Malovia, I'm sure any human that I might end up meeting in a scenario might recognize them. Wouldn't it be better to test the utmost limits of this new power for the future?'
I didn't dwell on the matter for too long. Perhaps because my mind had already tasted the power, and I was already in too deep, I decided to proceed ahead with the knife.
I... planned on testing the item to the limit.
To make use of it in the future, I needed to use it longer so I could get a sense of when to stop and how far I could push it.
'Yes, this is all for the future.'
And it was with such thoughts that I headed to the next door.
Clank!
This time, I acted differently from before.
Instead of walking slowly past each room, I started to run.
Knowing that there was a very good chance that the anomalies would simply run away from me due to the knife, I simply decided not to give them the time to run.
I decided to go on a killing spree.
To grow the knife further.
"...Come here!"
Spurt! Spurt!
Blood splattered all over my mask and clothes as I slashed everything within my sight.
At some point, my vision started to narrow. I could no longer see and take note of what was around me.
My breathing grew heavier, and my focus sharpened. More dots began appearing across the anomalies, and I could feel my body moving even faster than it had just moments before.
It was a strange sensation.
One... that felt incredibly addictive.
"Where are you running to?"
Spurt!
With one clean slash, two anomalies fell.
'Kill. I need to kill them!'
I didn't look back, dashing ahead.
I could feel the location of every anomaly within the vicinity, with the scope expanding further and further with each kill. This was when I realized that I could very likely find the boss the more blood that I absorbed, and without wasting a single moment, I charged ahead with even more momentum.
Spurt!
I lost myself in this euphoria, killing every anomaly that was in my path.
By then, I had long since lost track of how much time had passed. My vision grew increasingly narrow, and at some point, I started seeing fewer and fewer anomalies.
But I could feel them.
...I could see that they were moving away from me.
And soon—
"....."
My steps started to slow down as I stared at the gaping hole in the wall.
Drip! Drip!
Walking ahead in silence, I barely took notice of the people within the room as I looked around.
My lips eventually curled beneath the mask.
'Found you...'
-x-X-x-
Tak!
At the sound of its step, the air in the room, which had been growing hot, suddenly turned cold.
Catherine and the others had the sudden urge to reach for their necks.
".....!!"
"....Kuek!"
"What in the world is that?"
Drip! Drip!
A wet, dripping sound followed a moment later, and the figure stepped out of the shadows, its face gradually coming into view. The instant it appeared, an intense, suffocating pressure swept over everyone present, forcing their breathing to grow even heavier.
Especially when they caught sight of its appearance.
"W-what the hell... is that?"
"Another butcher...? Is this the boss? But why does he seem so different?"
"I..."
Wearing the head of a pig, it resembled the other anomalies at a glance, yet something about it was unmistakably different. Everyone felt it immediately... their breaths coming to a stop as a cold wind drifted through the room, making the crimson apron at its front flutter softly while it took another step forward.
Chaterine stared at the anomaly in silence, her eyes as narrow as they could be.
'My heart is beating so quickly, even though I don't want it to.'
As an elite, Catherine was trained to keep her composure and heartbeat in check.
And yet...
'It's been quite some time since I've felt so uneasy from an anomaly.'
Having not participated in the Malovia Gate, for Catherine, the anomaly in front of her was one of the first to truly send chills down her spine. Especially when she took notice of the knife within its grasp as it slowly dripped blood onto the floor.
Something about the knife... felt off.
No, not just the knife.
'Its eyes.'
Yes...
Those horrifying, piercing red eyes, coated in a pitch-black darkness that seemed to absorb all light around.
Staring into those eyes, Chaterine found herself falling into a daze.
But not for long.
"...Captain."
A hesitant, yet firm voice called out for her.
Blinking once, Catherine shifted her attention toward Marcus and the others, finally noticing the way they were all staring at her, waiting for her orders.
'Ah, fuck.'
It was the sight of everyone's gazes that snapped Catherine out of her daze.
Without hesitation, she began issuing orders.
"It's clear that the Gate has changed. I can't tell if its rank has increased, but judging from the fact that an outlier like this has appeared, it must mean that something has changed. Especially since I don't recall the boss being like this."
Her thoughts were firm, and so were her orders.
"...The best thing we can do is keep the anomaly in check while calling for backup. Elias, use the flip phone and get in touch with the Guild."
"Understood."
"Marcus, Andreas, the two of you help me out. As for the others, get out of this room and look for the boss. I can't say for certain the boss hasn't changed, but in the off chance it's still the same, I know you'll be able to handle it. If we clear the gate fast, we might be able to survive this. I'm counting on all of you."
Taking a deep breath, three of Catherine's nodes churned at once. She no longer held back as her body started to split into different copies of her.
Each copy was exactly the same as hers. Be it power and thoughts.
But... she could also quickly change that.
[Intermediate Node: Independence]
The eyes of the numerous clones flickered at once.
That was also the moment when the numerous clones charged the distant anomaly.
"H-haaa."
Seeing them move, Catherine's chest heaved heavily as her face turned pale. Not only was she still creating clones of herself, but this node also consumed a lot of her stamina.
But it had to be done.
If she didn't do this, she'd be forced to take control of several dozen clones at once and somehow keep them organized. Considering she also had to defend her real body while tracking the position and direction of every other clone, it would overwhelm her mind almost instantly.
This wasn't all.
It was merely just the beginning as the clones started to circle the anomaly, and the others also got into position.
"Ready?"
Catherine glanced at everyone, her face turning paler.
Despite this, her nodes continued to churn, and changes began to affect the clones she sent out as her knees started to wobble.
Still, gritting her teeth, Catherine forced herself to remain standing as she used her most powerful node.
Catherine could feel it with all her guts...
If she didn't use this, they would be as good as dead.
[Advanced Node: Replica.]
"....Uekrh!"
A sweet sensation rose up from Catherine's throat as her legs wobbled once more. This time, she found herself unable to keep herself upright as her knee buckled onto the hard ground and blood leaked out from her mouth.
The expressions of many in the group changed, but only for a moment.
Looking at her...
At her expression...
Nobody dared to tell her to stop. They could all see the fire in her gaze, and they all understood that there was no stopping her.
Instead, they all focused their attention on the anomaly in front of them.
Holding onto that knife, it stood in silence, its crimson gaze quietly scanning the room.
In a way, it almost felt as though it wasn't looking at them.
As if...
It held no regard for them.
But such neglect didn't last for long.
Especially after the changes that occurred to the clones set up by Catherine.
Cra Crack! Cra Crack!
Loud cracking sounds began to echo across the surroundings, the clones twisting and churning in all sorts of ways as their forms warped with each movement, their faces shifting away from Catherine's features and reshaping into entirely different ones.
In just a matter of seconds, all the clones began to resemble one of the people in her group.
This all happened incredibly fast, with the anomaly staring at it all in silence. It didn't seem to want to attack immediately.
As for the others...
They were all keenly aware of Catherine's ability, hence why they showed no reaction.
Instead, they all faced the anomaly with the same serious expression.
"Haaa... Haaa..."
Seeing the situation, Catherine caught her breath as Elias helped her up. Grabbing onto his shoulder, she clenched her teeth tightly while staring at the anomaly. It wasn't doing anything at the moment, but the pressure coming out of it was suffocating.
'We need to take the initiative.'
And thus...
"Go."
Her words started a chain reaction.
Be it the clones or the members of her team... the moment the words left her mouth, they all surged toward the anomaly at once. They attacked from all directions, a series of different nodes churning at once.
And yet—
"....."
The anomaly didn't move.
It didn't even spare them a glance.
And just when the attacks were about to land on it...
A black film covered its entire body from beneath.
Shortly after that, he disappeared.
"Huh?"
Be it Catherine or the other members of her team, they all froze at once, confused by the sudden turn of events. That confusion lasted only a moment until everyone felt it. Their heads slowly turned, expressions shifting sharply as a shadow stretched across the floor, forming right behind Catherine.
"....."
Catherine opened her mouth, but no words left her mouth.
After all that work.
After... all that preparation.
She—
BANG!
A terrifying explosion ripped through the air.
The surroundings shook, along with the chains that dangled above, as they swayed wildly in all directions.
But nobody paid attention to what was happening around.
In that instant, all eyes fell on the anomaly as hearts stopped at once.
In particular, Catherine's.
"....."
"....."
A heavy silence fell as dust rose up in the air.
Nobody knew what had happened, but in that instant, some felt it more than others...
Death.
For just a fleeting moment, Catherine felt death stare at her right in the face, her face completely white as she stood completely still, her body frozen from the shock as the clones around her started to fade one by one.
Her forehead was now completely soaked in sweat, with her emerald green eyes rattling wildly as she slowly turned her head to see the dust settle, exposing the butcher as it stood before a broken-down area of the room.
"....."
It stood in silence, not saying a single word.
And yet—
She and the others felt it clearly.
The... twisted and bloodcurdling sense of joy within its gaze.
Almost as if it had found its favorite toy to play with.
Be it Catherine or the others in the room, they all felt it at once. The hair on the backs of their hands stood on end, their skin prickling as their breathing stalled. The pressure bearing down on the room grew even more suffocating, forcing some to clutch their throats as they stumbled back.
"T-that's..."
"H-how are we... supposed to defeat that?"
"I..."
A heavy sense of crisis fell over the room. Feeling such a suffocating pressure coming from a single anomaly, they all started to despair. How could they defeat this? It was impossible!
Run!
They needed to run!
'S-shit.'
Staring at her team, Catherine could sense that the minds of everyone present had been tainted by the anomaly before them. Its overwhelming bloodlust seeped into their thoughts, planting deep seeds of fear that took root almost instantly. Even she... could feel that same fear beginning to crawl through her own mind. Thankfully, she was just able to hold on to enough clarity to notice something.
"H-hold on."
Extending her hand to hold the others back, Catherine swallowed nervously while staring at the anomaly. With most of her clones cancelled, she was no longer as tired and worn out as before.
Of course, she was still far from being in optimal condition, but at the very least, she was faring better than before.
Better than those moments when she could barely even bring herself to breathe.
"C-captain?"
Feeling the doubts coming from her group, Catherine swallowed nervously while continuing to stare at the anomaly. The more she looked at it, the greater the sense of despair that she felt, her heart racing faster than ever before as she swallowed her saliva before eventually speaking.
"I... don't think its here for us."
Her words made several pause.
Wasn't here for them?
A few sharper ones immediately understood as they thought back to the interaction from before.
"Thinking about it, the anomaly has never looked at us once..."
"...Now that you mention it, you're right."
"Wait..."
All heads turned toward Catherine once more as she pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on the pig-headed butcher's side profile. Eventually, as if it could feel her eyes on it, the butcher slowly turned its head, her emerald eyes locking with its sharp, crimson ones.
Time appeared to freeze for her in that moment, the very air getting stripped away from her lungs as those two crimson red eyes remained fixed on her.
In that very moment...
Catherine felt what could only be described as a profound, sinking dread.
But above all...
She sensed it with absolute clarity—
The smile lurking behind those eyes.
A deep and depraved smile that hid nothing but the sense of ecstasy the butcher felt in that very moment as its head slowly turned and it walked past the broken wall, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
And then...
Crunch!
Catherine's teeth clenched tightly.
So tightly that it almost felt as though they would crack under the pressure.
"Fuck!!!!!"
***
'I am getting closer. I can sense it. I can... feel it better. Yes, I'm almost here. Where are you? Where are you hiding? I've been looking for you for quite some time.'
My vision was narrow.
So narrow that I could hardly keep track of what was happening around me.
All I could see was what was ahead of me.
...Or to be more precise, the 'dot' that was ahead of me. The one I was certain was the boss.
I was drawing closer and closer to it, and with every step I took, the knife in my hand trembled more violently, flooding me with a disturbing, almost intoxicating sense of pleasure.
'A-h, yes...'
I knew that things were starting to become dangerous.
There was a very real possibility that I could lose my sanity, yet I still wanted to push forward. The danger was undeniable, but if I intended to keep moving ahead, I had to follow this path before everything slipped beyond the point of no return.
Thankfully...
I had arrived at my destination.
As my steps slowly started to come to a stop, a distant chopping sound echoed across the surroundings as the dot in my vision started to grow larger and larger. Eventually, it was all I could see as the crimson within my vision faded, and a large room appeared before me.
Tak...!Tak...!Tak...!
The sound grew louder with each step I took, syncing disturbingly well with the rhythm of my heartbeat. As the last traces of crimson bled away from my vision, shapes formed. Dark, hanging shapes that dangled from the ceiling like some sort of ornaments.
The air was thick... as if something wet clung to it.
I took another step.
Squelch.
The floor... yielded beneath my boot.
My steps finally paused as I looked towards the room.
It was long, dim, and bathed in a sickly yellow light that flickered every few seconds, as though they were on the verge of breaking. Rusted metal tables lined the walls, their surfaces scratched and stained in ways that reminded me of the crimson that coated my apron.
Chains hung from above, each one ending in a hook dripping with something dark and sluggish.
And at the far end of the room—
Tak.Tak.Tak.
The source of the sound.
A massive silhouette stood hunched over a blood-soaked slab. Its broad back rose and fell with each slow breath. Something squelched wetly under its blade as it chopped again... and again... and again. Each strike sent droplets flying, splattering faintly against the nearby wall.
My hand trembled faintly.
Not out of fear.
But... something else.
Tak...!
The cold took over the room.
For a moment, I almost thought it hadn't noticed me. The figure remained focused entirely on whatever lay beneath its blade, carving, slicing, cutting with a twisted sort of rhythm, methodical, patient, almost... tender.
Then—
It stopped.
Putting the knife down, the anomaly slowly reached for the white towel next to it and began to clean its head as it slowly turned its head to face my direction.
As it did, it paused.
Our gazes met, and its lips parted.
"You're... here."
I smiled then.
"Hello~"
-x-X-x-
The anomaly's presence felt different from any of the others I had encountered. Its face was hidden behind a plain white mask, smeared with streaks of dried and fresh blood that clung to it like crude, uneven markings.
Through the narrow openings of that mask, a pair of piercing dark eyes stared straight at me.
I found it both amusing and odd.
Staring at the anomaly in front of me, and seeing its calm expression, almost as if it was expecting me, I realized rather quickly that it had long been aware of my presence. Perhaps it had been waiting for me to arrive the entire time.
But that didn't matter.
Holding onto the knife, my lips parted slowly.
"Weren't you looking for me?"
"....."
The anomaly stood in silence, not saying a single thing.
All of a sudden, it had turned into a mute.
I found it hard to contain my smile as I looked at it.
The urge to kill the anomaly was stronger than ever, the voices in my mind growing stronger with each passing second.
Still...
I just barely held myself back.
"...No words? That's disappointing."
I opened my mouth again, the words about to leave my mouth, but—
Nah, fuck that.
The bloodlust took complete hold of me. Normally, I would've waited a little bit and hoped to gain some information from the anomaly, and this was what I had initially planned to do, but it all went out the window a second later.
'Right, right... I can just use my node to figure it out. I'll just cut it up a little. It doesn't matter if it can't speak.'
Knife in hand, several dots appeared on the anomaly's body.
Swooooosh!
I swung my knife towards its left shoulder.
The blade met its shoulder, or at least, it should have.
Instead, the moment steel touched cloth, the anomaly's shape bent in a way that shouldn't have been possible, like its bones were made of wet rope.
My knife sliced only empty air.
My grin stretched wider.
"Ohhh... you're one of those."
The anomaly's head twitched once. Then again. Its body began to lose its shape, the edges melting like wax under a flame before the entire figure collapsed into a wet splash, spreading across the floor as a thick pool of blood.
A moment later, it reformed several steps away. Its eyes never blinked behind those mask slits. Just watching...
I hated the way it stared.
Because it wasn't afraid.
It should have been afraid.
'Why is it not afraid? Why....'
I stopped myself mid-thought. Bringing my hand to my mask, I realized something pretty quickly.
My arm...
It was trembling.
"H-haa."
With a shaky breath, the smile on my face dimmed.
'...I'm starting to really lose it here.'
The knife's influence had grown even stronger. Perhaps, if I pushed a little bit more, the influence would turn me completely. I was threading a very dangerous territory. I... needed to get things over quickly.
I was close to the limit now.
"Well, alright."
Taking a deep breath, I extended my hand.
A dark figure appeared a moment later, almost like how the butcher disappeared, as a dark hand reached for the knife in my hand.
"...I guess I should stop."
The anomaly moved at the same time.
Seemingly realizing what was happening and preparing to strike, I felt a powerful surge of pressure from its body. The weight of it hit me instantly, leaving no doubt in my mind. If it came at me like that, defeating it would be nearly impossible. Especially without a knife in my hand.
But this had to be done.
Otherwise, I would really lose track of myself.
I...
"Kidding~"
Just as the Realmwalker's hand was about to close around the knife, I activated [Trait Transfer], forcing a surge of borrowed power through my body and amplifying my strength several-fold before twisting my torso and throwing the knife with every bit of power that I could muster.
SWOOOOSH!
The knife shot forward like a bullet.
It tore through the air with a sharp, cutting whistle, ignoring everything in its path as it closed the distance to the anomaly in an instant.
And yet, as if it had anticipated that impossible speed, the anomaly's body began to melt before my eyes, its form dissolving into liquid seconds before the blade could strike.
...Or at least, it attempted to.
"Hehehe~"
A soft giggle escaped my lips, and the anomaly stopped melting.
There was nothing it could do from there.
THUD!
".....!!"
The knife drove straight into the center of its forehead, sinking in with a dull, wet sound. The white mask split down the middle, cracks spiderwebbing outward as its eyes widened beneath the fragments.
The smile returned to my face as its body froze on the spot.
Hmm, not yet.
It was a good strike, but I had failed to strike it in the perfect spot. It was just a hair's breadth away from the real spot that I needed it.
But this was fine.
Without further ado, I moved closer to the anomaly.
I didn't delay time.
With the knife no longer in my hands, I could feel my strength slipping rather quickly.
I had to end this quickly.
And so I did.
"....."
Stopping before the anomaly, I stared at the knife embedded in its forehead and reached for it. But just as I was about to do so, a hand clasped my own as I turned to see a certain stitched-up face looking at me.
"....I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"How so?"
I asked smilingly.
For some reason, the Conductor didn't seem very threatening to me.
In fact, I started to wonder...
'Can I cut the Conductor as well? Was I strong enough to do that now? I... want to cut him.'
The Conductor didn't answer. Instead, as if noticing my smile beneath the mask, it too started to smile as the stitches on its mouth came undone.
"I never once imagined you'd be able to surpass yourself the way you did back in the Gate. Even now, I still get shivers just thinking about the power you displayed back then. But this time...?"
The Conductor's smile faded slightly as its gaze shifted to the knife lodged deep in the anomaly's skull.
"This time, even I'm starting to get goosebumps at the thought of what you'll become once that knife completely takes over your mind. Like an addiction, it'll eat away at you, little by little, until you turn into something that... the world won't be able to contain.'
"....."
Standing in silence, I didn't respond to the Conductor. I simply stared at its stitched-up eyes, watching every tiny shift in its expression with careful focus.
In the end, I brushed its hand off and grabbed the knife.
The Conductor vanished a moment later, its presence dissolving into the silence around me.
In the heavy silence that followed, I stepped forward without a word.
Then, gripping the handle of the knife tightly, I began to drive the knife into the anomaly's body.
Spurt!
Not once.
Not twice. Not even thrice.
I did it for as long as I was satisfied.
Spurt! Spurt—!!
Apron, shoes, and pants.
Blood spurted in all directions as I continued to stab at the anomaly.
As I continued stabbing, the Conductor's words echoed relentlessly through my mind, threading themselves between each harsh breath I took. And then, just as the blade sank into the anomaly one more time, I stopped.
"Haaa."
Clank! Clank!
The knife dropped onto the ground, clanking on the hard concrete floor as I slowly raised my head to look up.
'The world won't contain...?'
Pursing my lips, I moved my hands a little.
'...I wonder if it'll ever get to that point.'
-x-X-x-
The next step was simple.
Reaching my hand forward, I activated my node.
[Intermediate Node: Anamnesis]
Krrr! Krr—
Something about the memory felt odd.
Bits and pieces of fragmented memories surfaced, flashing images that had once belonged to the anomaly. None of them was complete. They appeared only for an instant before dissolving away, drowned out by a loud, grating static.
This persisted until the surroundings shifted.
Or at least, partly.
Aside from the blood staining the ground and the shattered wall behind it, nothing had really changed at all.
Everything just appeared to return to how it had been before my arrival.
Tak! Tak!
Even the chopping sound remained the same.
The anomaly returned to the table, resuming its work as if nothing had happened. Its massive cleaver rose and fell in a brutal rhythm, crashing down onto the numerous carcasses laid out before it, splitting flesh and cutting cleanly through bone with terrifying force.
This persisted for the next several seconds, until the anomaly eventually stopped.
Almost as if it sensed something, it turned around.
That was when it saw it.
A shadow.
Standing in the corner of the room, its presence was swallowed by a towering shadow as the chains above creaked and swayed. Most of its form remained hidden, erased by the darkness clinging to the walls. Yet a few things couldn't be concealed.
The smile clinging to its face as it stared at the anomaly, paired with the uniform worn only by the Severed Stars Guild.
It stood within the darkness, observing the anomaly.
No...
It was staring somewhere else.
Something else...?
Krrr! Krr—
The static returned.
"...I know... you'll see... this eventually."
That was also the moment the shadow spoke, its voice cracking. Despite this, its voice was still easy to understand.
"I hope you enjoy my gift... It should entertain... you for a bit."
Its gaze appeared drawn towards the anomaly.
"You... stood out too much. Now... we see you."
Krrr! Krr———
The static grew even stronger, making it even harder to determine its words.
But despite this, just before it all ended, its last words rang out.
"...You... are not... from... this world."
"Huaa!"
The memory ended, and I took a deep breath, my head rolling back towards the ceiling as I clung to the head of the anomaly with all the force that I could muster.
Thousands of different thoughts and questions flooded my mind as I stared blankly at the ceiling above, completely forgetting where I was.
Everything soon became clear to me.
"Ah, so that's the case..."
This entire situation had been fabricated from the start. The anomaly had targeted me due to the man wearing the Severed Stars Guild uniform. It did all of this in order to send me a message, and given its words, it was very obvious that it knew a lot about me.
'Not just about the fact that I wasn't from this world, but the way that it knew that I could see the memories of anomalies.'
What was happening?
Who was the shadowed figure? How did it know so much about me?
Was it related to the demons?
I had countless questions swirling through my mind, but this wasn't the time to linger on them. Especially not when I heard the faint sound of something rolling onto the ground as I slowly turned my head.
"...."
A pair of emerald green eyes met mine.
She stood in silence, her expression twisted as she looked at me and the anomaly.
This was also the moment I finally took notice of my current position. Bloodied from head to toe, I stood there holding the head of the dungeon's boss, its body carved apart beyond recognition.
...Yes, I certainly looked very friendly.
Even so, with my goal finally accomplished, I activated my second node and tightened my grip around the boss's head, crushing it with all the strength I could muster.
BANG!
Once more, blood exploded in all directions.
The emerald eyes twisted further at the sight as she finally reacted, her body blurring towards me with such craze that it took me aback. Was she always like this? Unfortunately, it was already too late.
I felt my body begin to drift away, my form growing lighter with each passing second. As I faded completely, I could just make out the faint outline of Catherine's body as she desperately tried to reach the spot where I had been.
'...How persistent.'
No, there was more to it.
"I'll fucking kill you!!"
Crazy.
Yes, she was crazy.
Especially those eyes of hers.
"Get the fuck back!"
Swooooosh!
A crazy bitch.
***
"No, no... damn it! Fuck!!"
A curse rang out as Catherine's hand sliced through empty space.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!! Damn it, fuck!!"
More curses spilled from her lips as she turned back, staring at the void where he had been only moments before, before snapping her head around in search of any trace of the anomaly.
Her once bubbly personality had long since vanished, replaced by a cold mix of hatred and disgust. She continued to scan the surroundings, searching desperately for any sign of the anomaly, but no matter how hard she looked, it was gone.
"Damn it! Damn it...!"
Her thoughts drifted to the moments when she first saw the anomaly.
From the disregard, to the sight that greeted her after she chased after it.
Those cold, glaring red eyes stared ahead as they clutched the torn, mutilated body of what was supposed to be the Gate's "boss."
And most importantly, that... subtle shudder that she felt under its immense gaze.
"D-damn it!"
Chaterine bit onto her lips, her face paling as she covered her face with both hands.
'I wasn't scared. I wasn't scared. I... just was surprised. I was caught off guard by the suddenness of the situation. Yes, that's what it is. It has to be that. I wasn't scared of shit!'
Despite telling herself this, Catherine didn't really believe her own words. Deep down, she was acutely aware of the truth.
Of the fact that, for just a brief moment...
She felt fear.
...And it was that realization that made a long-buried emotion surge to the surface as she bit down on her lip. Hard enough for blood to well and spill, her eyes turning bloodshot as her breath grew uneven.
"I'm not the same as her," she muttered, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "I'm not fucking useless. I... can do better. I'll do better. I'm not useless like that piece of shit that can't even beat a couple of Titans. I'm... not useless."
Tick!
Bringing Catherine to an abrupt stop was the sound of something falling. She slowly turned her head in the direction of the noise, not bothering to hide her expression.
It was there that she saw several figures enter.
"Captain!"
"C-captain!"
From their breathing, it was clear they had rushed to her.
"Captain, I get that you're trying to get the anomaly, but this is too much. That thing...? It wasn't something that we could defeat. I've also contacted the Guild, and they should be arriving soon. What if something happened to you? This—"
Abruptly, the voice stopped.
Finally taking in the chaos around them, their voices fell silent as their eyes widened. One by one, their gazes settled on the mangled heap on the floor, and if not for the shattered mask, none of them would have known what it once was.
Seeing their reaction, Catherine opened her mouth, but soon closed it.
Eventually, her lips pulled into a soft and bubbly smile as she opened them again.
"...Get the fuck out of my sight for now. Just the mere sight of everyone pisses me off."
Everyone flinched. Not because of her attitude.
They had long been aware of her real self.
But it was more because they could see it clearly. The crazy bitch of the Branch Guild was about to explode.