In Putato's rigid imagination, a Nest was supposed to be nothing but neon lights and the reinforced concrete of a megacity. He hadn't expected to find places that looked like urban villages.
Calw Town was a warm, European-style settlement. Old utility poles were tangled with a chaotic mess of wires, giving the place a sense of conflicting yet harmonious beauty.
Crossing the dirt paths through the woods, Putato arrived at the town entrance. He stared at a massive billboard listing various Prosthetic Workshops and corporate services, complete with contact information.
It was no exaggeration to say this place was a holy land for Prosthetics.
The atmosphere of Prosthetic technology on the streets was so thick it made Putato's spirit stir, after all, he was a legitimate Maestro of Prosthetic modification!
"Hey bro, any Workshops here taking private orders? I need to customize some concealed weapons as toys."
"You alright in the head? Coming to our town for throwing knives instead of Prosthetics, well, I guess making toys for fun is one way to spend time. Go ask Hans."
Following the townsperson's directions, Putato headed to the town square and found Hans, who was running a stall to promote himself.
"Someone hire me already! I'm a master at hand-crafting all sorts of Prosthetic components! I don't even need to rest on Christmas Eve!"
Damn, a corporate slave in the making!
"Give it a rest, Hans. You're still a student; who's going to trust you with their hardware? If one of those high-end components breaks, you'll be paying for it forever."
"Hahaha, why are you out here doing gig work anyway?"
"I've officially joined a Workshop! I'm not just a student anymore!"
"Yeah, you joined your own family's Workshop. Everyone in town knows that."
Hans, whose short hair stood up in spikes, desperately tried to defend himself.
"I've got a small job for some concealed weapons. You interested?"
"No problem! I can make anything. Follow me!"
Putato thought it would take some convincing, but he was accepted immediately.
The houses here all came with garage-like workspaces. Once the rolling shutter was raised, a vast array of professional equipment was revealed. Hans used two glowing mechanical arms to push the machinery into place.
"Whatever style you want, I can do it. I'm on my way to becoming a Prosthetic artisan. Perfect timing to test these new Prosthetic arms, the precision is top-tier!"
"Throwing knives will do. But I'm going to need a lot of them."
Putato watched in mild surprise as Hans threw himself into the forging process. The kid was a pure, unadulterated workaholic; the kind of labor that ordinary people would loathe didn't dampen his enthusiasm in the slightest.
Touching the Stasis Preservation Packaging in his bag, Putato felt a headache coming on from Kokochi's demands.
She wanted him to torture someone with Death Aura and then decapitate them.
He had no intention of using such bloodthirsty, horrific methods on innocent people; that would make him no different from Wym.
Gazing at the darkness rising with the setting sun, Putato wondered if he should head back to Backstreet 23 and "borrow" the head of one of those chefs.
"Truly hideous things."
An unkind, furious voice made Putato frown. He turned to see someone completely out of place in Calw Town, glaring at Hans.
He recalled seeing this person at the immigration checkpoint earlier; the nail-and-hammer emblem on the armor was unmistakable.
Putato immediately realized who this was, one of the fanatics from N Corp's "purity" movement. They viewed any Prosthetic user as a heretic and used bloody, violent means to carry out their judgments.
A guy like this coming to Calw Town is literally just looking for trouble!
What about my concealed weapons?!
"Hey, you! Get lost before I lose my patience!"
Signaling Hans not to worry, Putato stood up and walked toward Guido. He now noticed that beside the giant man in full armor lay an unconscious blonde boy.
Guido gently placed the boy on the roadside before gripping a massive iron nail in one hand. The thing was large enough to skewer a human like a kebab, and it was currently stained with fresh bits of shredded flesh.
Putato followed the trail of intermittent bloodstains on the ground back to the house next door to Hans'. This guy was here specifically to murder!
"You are a 'pure' one. Step aside."
"Though this journey has concluded, I must still teach these heretics a miserable lesson."
"I told you to beat it. Are you deaf?!"
"Why do you shield these heretics?"
THUD!
As Guido moved to raise the iron nail, Putato stomped it into the dirt. Guido's eyes, hidden behind the iron mask, instantly turned predatory. He exerted force with his arm, slowly lifting Putato's foot off the ground.
Hematic Pump!
THUD!
The tip of the iron nail was slammed back down.
"Are you also a heretic? Do you house Prosthetics within your body?"
"Guido, let's go."
A woman dressed in a school uniform emerged from the house next door. She didn't spare Putato a single glance, walking straight toward the edge of town.
Putato finally released his foot, watching vigilantly as Guido pulled the iron nail from the earth.
"I will remember you. Next time, I shall bring a scanner. No heretic shall remain hidden."
Guido followed the woman and slowly vanished into the distance.
Putato knew they were dangerous, but he had no reason to start a fight here. This Guido fellow hadn't used his full strength just now, likely because he didn't want to harm someone who appeared "pure."
"Sinclair?!"
Hans dropped his tools, his face turning pale as he saw the battered blonde youth on the ground. He frantically slapped the boy's face until Sinclair slowly began to stir.
Putato then recalled that this boy was likely an important figure, but he didn't care much for such things now. His only goal was to become the Pinnacle of The City.
When he stepped into the house next door, the familiar scent of blood, scattered stones, and Prosthetic fragments told the whole story. This family had been judged by Nagel und Hammer because of their Prosthetic modifications.
It was truly infuriating.
He had come here only for Obana. Why did they have to force him to kill!
"Are my throwing knives ready?"
"Are you blind?! Look at what's happening, and you're still worried about your knives?!"
The razor-sharp Honesuki pressed against Hans's neck, cutting his words short.
"Do as I say."
The sentence lacked profanity or overt threats, yet it made Hans tremble. After a quick look at Sinclair, he returned to the forge.
Putato retracted Honesuki and acted as a supervisor, turning his head to call out to Sinclair.
"You okay? If you're fine, sit in the yard. Your whole family is dead, after all. If you go back in now, the place hasn't been aired out; the smell is still quite strong."
Sinclair burst into a violent sob upon hearing that, clutching his head. Putato, acting as if nothing was wrong, questioned Hans.
"Does your town record the entry and exit of personnel?"
"No, it doesn't. There are too many people coming and going for Prosthetic business. The townsfolk are basically used to seeing unfamiliar faces."
On this trip, he hadn't revealed his name. Combined with the change of clothes upon entering K Nest and a deliberate haircut, he shouldn't have left any obvious traces.
However, without the Workshop Hamster talent providing invincible durability, it would be difficult for him to fight flexibly after activating Necro Emission.
Inside the backpack, the five Stasis Preservation Packaging units were currently holding his combat gear. Putato was done wasting words with those Nagel und Hammer idiots; he'd just use their heads to settle the debt with Kokochi.
What kind of pieces of shit think they have the right to judge people!
CLANG!
The sound of the forge sent a surge of lethal intent through Putato's heart. Sinclair's crying was only making him more irritated.
Suddenly, the town's broadcast system crackled to life across all of Calw.
"Everyone, I am Kromer. By now, I'm sure you've all come to know me well. I'd like to introduce you to the new members our town is about to welcome!"
CLANG!
"I'm certain you will grow to love and understand our painstaking efforts."
The background of the broadcast was suddenly filled with the cacophony of screams and wails, causing the tools in Hans's hands to falter.
"Don't stop. Do exactly as I said."
Seeing Putato standing before him with an expressionless face, Hans suppressed his terror and returned to work.
CLANG!
"We have prepared a ritual of repentance for you. For now, we will maintain the principle of voluntary participation, letting you witness the pollution and sin brought by Prosthetics."
"Every unclean part shall be driven through. Witness the fate of the impure!"
"This is the punishment they deserve!"
CLANG!
The sound of iron nails being driven echoed alongside the screams. Anyone could hear the horrifying sound of metal shattering and flesh being pulverized.
Calw Town instantly erupted into chaos. Many townsfolk who had undergone combat Prosthetic modifications rushed out to resist.
"Ah, more volunteers have arrived. Don't worry about waiting in line; we have plenty of Judges here."
CLANG!
"Sir... I... I have everything ready."
Hans watched in horror as a swarm of hair-thin wires extended from Putato's sleeves and collar. He couldn't comprehend the logic or the mechanics of how they moved, but the pile of freshly forged throwing knives on the workbench was instantly swept into the folds of Putato's clothing.
CLANG!
"Your name is Sinclair, right?"
Putato knelt in front of Sinclair. The blonde boy's face was a mask of post-traumatic terror and unspeakable regret; he stared at Putato with wide, frantic eyes.
"I get that you're hurting, but sitting here crying isn't going to stop them from killing people over there. Time keeps ticking, even if you try to sleep through it."
"I... I don't know. I have nothing left. This is all my fault, but I can't change anything!"
The nightmare he had just witnessed seemed to grip Sinclair's lungs, making him sob so hard he couldn't string a sentence together. The next second, he felt himself being hoisted up by his collar.
"Escape, revenge, submission, endurance, suicide, you clearly still have so many choices. What do you mean you 'can't change anything'?"
His words left the grief-stricken Sinclair stunned. Could those really be called choices? And even if they were, he had no idea how to choose!
"But... but my family is already dead."
"I asked you a question. Answer me. What do you mean you 'can't change anything'?"
Originally, Putato just wanted to use those Nagel und Hammer religious nuts as "repurposed waste," but he found himself moved by the hollow look in Sinclair's eyes. It reminded him of how Khaji, after his job-hunting failures, had looked at him with that same lost expression.
When faced with someone drifting aimlessly in the currents of The City, Putato's answer was always the same!
Keep moving forward, without hesitation!
Putato cupped Sinclair's youthful face, mimicking the way Katae had held him. Sinclair struggled slightly, his breathing hitched, while Hans stood by, terrified into silence by the overwhelming aura Putato was projecting.
"In The City, there is only one thing that is impossible to change, and that is the fact that you can change yourself."
"Don't worry, kid. They're already dead."
The moment Putato whispered those words into Sinclair's ear, the boy's eyes widened in disbelief and confusion. For a heartbeat, he even forgot to cry.
Putato set him down and turned to walk into Sinclair's blood-soaked home.
...
The entrance to the town.
CLANG!
Another combat Prosthetic was nailed onto the billboard. Blood and cerebral fluid trickled down, obscuring the names of the Prosthetic Workshops and Corporations listed beneath.
"Don't worry, little one. You are still pure. Come, take a good look at how your mother died because she wandered into the path of heresy."
Kromer forcibly pried the young girl's eyelids open, as if adjusting a camera lens, aiming her gaze directly at the gruesome display of Prosthetic parts on the board.
"The Green Journey personality chips are truly an affront to humanity. A pity they've already collapsed; otherwise, I would have let you witness the judgment of their sins as well."
A mere dozen Inquisitors armed with hammers and nails had brought death to every Prosthetic user who dared to resist in this town. Guido, standing sentinel by Kromer's side, had already pulverized five Prosthetic heads with his hammer.
The rest of the townspeople huddled in their homes, terrified, listening to Kromer's brutal proselytizing over the broadcast.
SCREECH!
Suddenly, the broadcast let out a piercing metallic grate. The preaching cut out, replaced by a rasping, synthesized electronic voice.
"Attention everyone. Stay indoors. If you die, no responsibility will be taken."
The cold sentence repeated three times.
Kromer immediately dropped the shivering, terrified girl. She turned to Guido with a puzzled frown; this was not part of their sermon.
"I stationed two Mittelhammers at the broadcast room. I fear they have been subjected to a cowardly ambush by heretics."
"I shall lead a team to excise this heresy immediately."
Standing there, Guido looked like a massive iron nail. As he took a single step, his heavily engraved plate armor delivered a crushing visual impact, and his blood-red cloak swept across the gore-stained earth.
Three Inquisitors moved to follow him, but they froze in their tracks the next moment.
The figure approaching wore a grey-white combat suit devoid of any serial numbers or markings. A faint grey mist seeped from the seams of the suit, and the blood-red character for "Death" was dimly visible, leaving Guido somewhat perplexed.
"Why do you conceal your body? Do you carry the sin of Prosthetics within you?"
Putato raised two head-sized iron hammers he had been dragging across the ground and hoisted them onto his shoulders. This caused Kromer to stand up; she narrowed her eyes dangerously at the uninvited guest, a disdainful smirk playing on her lips.
"It seems we have another sinner steeped in evil. Do you recognize someone on this display board? Hahaha."
"Don't worry, I won't kill you all at once. There are still pure souls in this town who can turn away from heresy. I will use this town to show them the greatness of the Nagel und Hammer."
Guido had already angrily raised his oversized nail and hammer. The blood-stained white seal ribbons beneath the nail-and-hammer insignia on his armor swayed as his body trembled with rage.
"To dare slaughter my faithful brethren and insult the Hammer of Judgment, your sin is punishable by ten thousand deaths!"
Three Inquisitors struck simultaneously. Guido, swinging his hammer, surged forward like a gale, showing none of the mobility restrictions one would expect from his massive frame and heavy weaponry.
WHOOSH!
The blood-drenched Inquisitors charged with fanatical zeal, swinging their hammers with both hands to deliver a crushing judgment upon the heretic.
THUD!
Putato showed no weakness, swinging the hammers in his hands to meet them. The collision of massive hammerheads ignited a shower of sparks, accompanied by the surging, colorless, and odorless Death Aura.
"AAAAHHHGGGHHH!"
To the shock of every Nagel und Hammer member, the three front-runners let out heart-wrenching screams. The lead Inquisitor even let his hammer slip from his grasp.
The killing intent and fury that Putato had suppressed for so long erupted, fueled by the agonizing torment of death, with no further restraint.
CLANG!
The heavy helmet of an Inquisitor, engraved with a large cross, was struck violently. Blood splattered from the helmet's visor as he collapsed into his own gore, silenced instantly.
Putato discarded the smaller hammers with disdain and picked up the even larger heavy hammer dropped by the fallen man. This sight filled the remaining Inquisitors with boundless rage beneath their shock.
How can this guy lift our hammers so easily?!
"Unforgivable! You must be baptized by the Great Nail!"
Guido, lunging with a massive long nail, closed in rapidly. He reached out to impale Putato's body, only to finally experience the bone-deep agony his subordinates had just faced. His movements came to a jarring halt.
"This is... the noble suffering!"
Even though his trajectory was warped by the pain, Guido exceeded Putato's expectations by slamming the long nail toward Putato's chest with sudden force.
Putato suppressed a groan of his own, releasing his other hammer to grip the hilt of his weapon with both hands. His formidable resilience allowed him to swing the massive, kinetic-cannon of a hammer with instant, full-throttle force.
CRASH!
The long nail gripped by Guido was instantly batted away by Putato's heavy strike. The terrifying metal projectile tore through the air, impaling an Inquisitor behind Guido who was still reeling in pain. The sharp point forced its way brutally through the helmet's visor, squeezing a spray of minced flesh out through the gaps.
His screams vanished along with his life.
Retreating hastily, Guido keenly sensed the agonizing aura of death rapidly fading as the distance grew. He immediately realized the opponent's ability had a range limit and barked a warning to the remaining Inquisitors.
"Holy Hammers! To my command!!!"
WHIR-THUD!
Putato gritted his teeth and hurled the massive heavy hammer; it let out a terrifying whistle that cut Guido's order short. Guido dodged to the side with every ounce of strength he had, but his right shoulder was still struck with a heavy impact, cracking his thick armor.
"HERETIC!!"
Guido never imagined the Hammer of Judgment, designed to shatter gold and break iron, would one day be turned against him. His fury at Putato's desecration eclipsed every other emotion.
Even Kromer, the wielder of the handle for this operation, stood stunned by the display board in total confusion. She didn't know who this newcomer was, and in her shock, she failed to notice the little girl slipping away.
In a single encounter, two Inquisitors had been slaughtered without suspense, and even the battle-hardened Guido had been repelled.
Yet, facing such a brutal interloper, Kromer showed no cowardice or fear. Instead, she erupted into a fit of wild, manic laughter.
"You think you are worthy of blocking the path of Nagel und Hammer? I judge the road to the future, no one has the right to interfere!"
Completely disregarding Guido's recent warning, Kromer barked a direct order:
"Execute this sinful heretic on the spot!"