Before moving forward, that is, before we had reached the bull, I saw the dim Faust stop walking.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she had not stopped walking, but was quietly observing Dante.
I got the feeling she was deep in thought.
Was it because of Dante's judgment earlier?
Before I knew it, I had instinctively stopped walking too, curious about what they would say.
"Why? Do you think my judgment was inefficient too?"
"No. I was simply interested in how you would react after recovering all your memories."
What was that supposed to mean?
Was Dante really some kind of person like Otis, with no humanity or anything of the sort?
That said, Dante, whose memories had merely been cleanly incinerated, seemed to be on the rather kind side.
"Faust, something I've been wondering since before... Is it really all right for someone as talented as you to be treated like this?"
Oh, I was quite curious about that too.
Someone who could create a first-rate piece of technology like Mephistopheles would surely be a welcome talent in any Wing.
So why had she taken a job at a company as obscure as Limbus Company and was getting killed off like this?
"Faust is fine. And I do not think the word 'talent' is suitable for Faust. Talent can be many, but Faust does not wish to be included among the many."
That was some truly insane narcissism.
...Though if she had the ability to back it up, maybe it didn't matter?
"If we are to speak of the most conventionally talented among the prisoners, it would be Yi Sang... I suppose. For reference, I am a genius."
Isn't the cutoff for talent a little too high?
I remembered Yi Sang had been a researcher for a Wing too.
Was someone like me just a mere commoner, then...?
Though to be fair, I wasn't exactly unrelated to the Wings either.
While I was thinking that, Yi Sang, who had been a little ahead of me, suddenly stopped and turned back toward Dante.
No... was he looking into empty space?
"...That is not so. I have long since ceased flapping my wings. So to discuss talent would be a futile exercise, Manager."
"..."
Honestly... the more I looked at him, the less I understood what kind of person he was.
We had clearly known each other for months, and yet Yi Sang still felt no different from when we first met.
Was it because he spoke so little?
Soon after, Yi Sang moved the foot he had stopped, and I looked straight ahead as well.
"What is that flying machine? It's been bothering me since earlier. I'm on my 3,000th time of wanting to slash it to pieces."
"That is... something called a drone."
Oh, a drone. I hadn't expected to see one here.
"Ah, maybe it's a combat drone dispatched by K Corp to help us. K Corp seems to be a Nest where technology has developed above average."
...No, unlike Ishmael said, it wasn't a combat drone. Rather, that was...
"No, judging by its appearance, it doesn't seem to have any combat functions. And there's a camera mounted in the middle."
"Well... I suppose cameras would gather around when such a mess breaks out in a prosperous city."
Ah, that was an awkward tone.
...Setting that aside, something felt off. A camera? They were recording while an Abnormality was rampaging in the middle of a Nest?
If it was a drone, it must have cost quite a bit... It reeked of something rotten. Though not to the point of a medical drone, at least.
"Oho! Then will we appear on the thing called the newws~?"
I don't think so, Don Quixote.
"But these drones... why... why are they only filming the corpses and the people dying?"
"Well, isn't it natural for attention to be drawn to the more sensational side of things?"
"Maybe it's something like, 'This much horrific damage has occurred'?"
Gregor and Rodion each offered an explanation.
Well... maybe that really was it.
"But..."
Wait, this is...!
"Hey, kid! In front of you!"
Clang!
What, the force of a filming drone...!
"Sinclair! Are you all right?"
"Y-yes..."
"...As Sinclair said, something is strange. These drones are subtly focused on filming us. Especially Sinclair..."
"...I don't like spectators without souls."
"It seems they are deliberately blocking us from approaching the area where the Abnormality is rampaging."
Hah, yeah. There was no way the Wings would have a clean backside. They were definitely blocking us.
"No way. They'd go out of their way to interfere with people who came to help...?"
"They're not even hiding it anymore. Doesn't it look like they're blocking us no matter how you look at it?"
"Greetings. For the safety of all citizens, please remain at least 10 meters away."
What bullshit. They were blatantly blocking us under the pretense of maintaining a 10-meter safety distance.
"K Corp personnel have been dispatched. All citizens are safe. Please remain at least 10 meters away."
"No, I'm saying your precious personnel are all dying over there!"
"Greetings. All citizens are safe. Please remain at least 10 meters away."
"Ha, that broadcast makes no sense to begin with. In a mess like this, how would staying just 10 meters away make anyone safe?"
Exactly. There was no way a mere 10 meters would get anyone out of this chaos.
There was no way those lofty corporate Wings would send out broken drones without noticing, so this was definitely intentional.
"Tch, what a pointless nuisance... Whether they're broken or badly designed, we'll have to shoot all of these things down first if we want to get to the Abnormality without interference."
So battle was inevitable after all. What a pain...
"...Manager, your orders."
Clang──!!
With the sound of something breaking, another identity was overlaid.
"Then... go and deal with them!"
Annoying, but... orders were orders.
Buzzz!
"Hah!"
As expected, since it didn't seem to have any combat functions installed, dodging them was easy.
Boom! Crackle, crack...
And it wasn't all that sturdy either. It didn't even require that much knowledge to take them down.
At this rate, there wasn't much to worry about on this side... the problem was.
─Moooooo!!!
That bull.
How long had it been since we broke through the drones? The Abnormality had noticed us and immediately started charging at us.
"Everyone, be careful!!"
Thud!
"...The hammer of the one who grasps is here."
As expected of Guido's identity. It was absurdly tough.
That insane durability, which had let him keep moving even after taking all my attacks in Kalf Village, seemed to remain unchanged even on our side.
It had been filthy as an enemy, but as an ally, it was reassuring.
Soon after, Sinclair, seeing Meursault block the attack, immediately charged at it.
"That filth!"
Boom!!
"I'll tear it off!"
Crack!!
Holy hell, was that really the kind of force a halberd could produce?
It had been a while since I'd seen Sinclair's N Corp identity, but that power still made me marvel every time.
─Moooooo...
The bull looked like it had taken a heavy hit at a glance.
It was an absurd result, considering we had only met it a short while ago.
If it had ended there, things would have been truly favorable...
But the more we traded blows with that Abnormality, the more I felt my strength draining away.
More precisely, it was when I was struck by the enemy's attacks. After that, some sinister thoughts... seemed to come into view.
How should I put it... yes. It was as if, instead of the possibility I had been trying to see, the image of me losing suddenly spread out before my eyes.
─Moooooo!!!
Thud!!
"Kgh...!"
Damn it, we just lost that exchange.
If only I weren't seeing all these bizarre possibilities, I'd be able to counter it...!
To make matters worse, that Abnormality was absurdly, unnecessarily tough, so it wouldn't go down easily.
Was it insane?
On top of the bull's own attacks...
Boom!!
...the human shape that suddenly burst out from its mouth was also a considerable threat.
Could we actually win this...?
"..."
Even Dante, who had been issuing orders up until just now, seemed to sense the unfavorable turn of the battle and soon fell into thought.
The commander couldn't find a way forward... at this rate, we were screwed. If things went wrong, we might get wiped out like we did on the railway.
Maybe the others felt it too, because everyone's movements became faintly more passive.
The N Corp people didn't seem to care at all, but well... that was how they always were.
So, in the end...
"...Ah, aim for the head!"
The head? Did that bull even have something like a head... no way, that thing shaped like a human?
"That thing that looks like a person?!"
"Yes!"
So that was it.
"..."
*Crash!!!*
And then Sinclair, having heard that, immediately smashed that part into pulp.
"...Burn to death."
...What in the world was that? I was starting to doubt whether it was even the same rank of identity.
Honestly, wasn't that just the same as the Rat identity with a different color? It was such insane force that I really started to suspect it.
But why hadn't it been there during the railway? If it had been there then, it would have been so much...
...Ah, whatever. It's all N Corp's fault anyway. If it's going to feel disgusting whether it shows up early or late, then early is better.
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