Koukaku no Regios

Chapter 2 - The Abandoned City and the Lost Child"s Labyrinth

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Chapter 2 - The Abandoned City and the Lost Child"s Labyrinth

When they arrived at their destination, it was noon on the second day.

Towering in front of them was the city that had stopped moving, and the atmosphere permeating the empty city air made it like looking at ruins, making one"s chest fill with a hard-to-describe loneliness.

"......Was it like this before?"

The last time he had come to this deserted city was already something from a year ago.

After comparing his memories from that time, Layfon showed a puzzled expression.

"The place we arrived at this time is different from before, so it"s not unusual if the appearance seems different......"

Felli"s voice trailed off as she spoke, because she was currently confirming Layfon"s perceptions with her Psychokinesis flakes.

"Though there are some differences from the appearance before, other than natural degradation like weathering, I haven"t noticed any abnormalities."

"Is...... that so."

"......Until now the air filter has still had some use, but the electricity supply seems somewhat unstable, so we can"t completely relax."

"I understand."

Overall, they only had to enter the city to be able to remove their protective suits. Layfon had already gotten used to the air inside the helmet, but he still relaxed once he thought of soon being able to leave the suffocating air.

"Hah."

Felli removed the helmet and sighed, making Layfon very surprised. She was the one who said they couldn"t completely relax in this place.

"Felli...... Leave confirming the safety of this place to me."

The air filter couldn"t function completely, so the air in this place could have already been tainted by pollutants.

"I already judged that this place is safe! You don"t trust me?"

"It"s not like that......"

After being glared at, Layfon couldn"t say anything.

This was definitely because Felli also wanted to remove her helmet as quickly as possible, and Layfon also removed his helmet. The city was full of new air, making him feel grateful.

After inhaling a breath, Felli once again began gathering information, and Layfon also moved the motorcycle to a place that seemed a bit safer.

"I haven"t noticed any place different from before, and there are no filth monsters hiding, and I firmly believe that the city before us is safe."

"......Then, the problem is, where exactly were those battle records placed?"

"Nn...... but, I can probably guess they"re over there."

"Huh?"

"There are traces in the central part of the city that there might have once been an extremely huge building standing there. Judging from the position, it"s not hard to speculate that it was a building quite similar to Zuellni"s large Student Council building."

"......If there are important records, they"ll definitely be there?"

"Yes."

"Then......"

"Nn, let"s go."

After nodding to each other, the two of them advanced to the center.

Advancing through the city without people.

"But actually, this place is quite tranquil."

"Isn"t that obvious? Because there isn"t anyone here except for us."

"Eh, it"s not only that......"

Layfon didn"t know what to say, raising his head to look at the sky. The sky was clear, blue to a degree that didn"t match this kind of situation. Perhaps it was because the concentration of pollutants was very low, Layfon thought, feeling that it also had to do with the air filter being very thin.

Even if there were no filth monsters here, the air filter could suddenly break down, so they definitely couldn"t let their guard down in the current situation.

"......It probably has to do with there being no footsteps of the city."

"Is that so."

Felli also looked over there. The legs that would no longer move and had lost their control were covered with vegetation, so they didn"t look like metal, but rather seemed like rotting trees standing tall, surrounding Layfon and Felli from all directions.

"......Delbone was born in this city?"

Layfon had already known that she had been born in a different city. But long before Layfon had been born, Delbone had already been a Heaven"s Blade successor. The current Layfon stood in her hometown. Thinking of this, Layfon couldn"t help but feel a strange feeling inside him.

But, this was really just a feeling. She had her own history, and her history could perhaps help Layfon draw closer to the truth.

"I didn"t learn of any details of her background from the information she gave to me."

Felli walked next to Layfon while saying this:

"But considering her abilities and the related portion of the central district, I can surmise that she also enjoyed a high position in this city."

"......Did this place perish while Delbone still stayed in this city?"

"We should carry out an investigation to know the answer."

The crumbling streets extended endlessly in front of them. Buildings that had been crushed from above appeared one after another, and these buildings made Layfon have doubts. These buildings were mixed with the other collapsed buildings, and picking them out wasn"t easy, but Layfon noticed that the buildings that had collapsed in this strange manner seemed as if they drew a straight line one after another towards the central district that Layfon and Felli were advancing towards.

"Do you know what"s going on with this?"

"I guess these have been crushed flat by some giant, or were crushed by some object, I"m uncertain. If they were crushed by filth monsters, then their condition wouldn"t be so neat. If they were the work of a giant, it hasn"t left any traces, which makes me very curious."

"I can"t understand the situation at all."

"So true."

Felli showed a displeased expression, and Layfon didn"t relax his alertness towards the surroundings.

Though he had had this feeling before, something about this place really wasn"t right.

Layfon"s feelings back then were very fuzzy, and the friction with Gorneo and Shante"s self-a.s.serted provocations made that kind of feeling even harder to grasp.

But perhaps, when the truth of the obscure feeling revealed itself for the first time, the two of them would make a clear judgment.

Right now, Layfon matched Felli"s speed and slowly advanced. If Layfon carried her and leaped, they could reach their destination in the blink of an eye, but......

"......What"s wrong?"

Layfon moved his hands to his chest and stopped, and this action made Felli ask him in a surprised tone.

"Ah, nothing......"

"............Anyway, the central district is still a bit away."

"Right."

"After all, there seems to be no dangers in this place, and asking Fon Fon to carry me there seems a bit faster."

"......R......right, that"s true."

The words from Felli"s mouth were exactly the same as the proposal that Layfon was about to say to her.

Though it was exactly the same......

"What"s wrong?"

His body refused to continue moving.

"Huh...... Eh...... Eh......"

Layfon moved his arms in front of him, bending them a few times, and extended his fingers. His hand moved, no problems. Nowhere in his body did that sudden occurrence happen again.

"What are you doing with those weird movements? Whatever, we"ll advance after a careful investigation from a distance."

"S...... sorry."

Layfon followed behind Felli, his entire body feeling small.

(......Huh?)

Layfon looked at his hands, tilting his head and showing a confused expression. His hands moved without problems. There was nothing wrong. Layfon moved his fingers, confirmed his elbow joints, turned his wrists...... there weren"t any problems anywhere.

In that case, why had his body suddenly stopped moving?

"That"s strange?"

"What?"

"Ah, no...... nothing."

"......Can you stop muttering?"

"Um, sorry."

Knowing that Felli"s mood had become bad, Layfon felt even smaller.

But, the event just now might be a very big problem.

His body had become strange when Layfon planned on touching Felli. Though he didn"t know the reason, there was an obvious effect, and it was only after Layfon planned to do so that his body had become how it did.

Was it touching Felli that had made Layfon unconsciously hesitate?

(Why?)

He didn"t know.

(Um...?)

What had happened until today? Layfon tried recalling.

Since Felli had succeeded in the autumn in a.n.a.lyzing Delbone"s heritage, Layfon had pa.s.sed his days and nights training.

He had not been surrept.i.tious, and had been openly carrying out his training throughout. Layfon didn"t know when he would come to this city, so he had set completing the Composite Blast move as his target, continuing to acc.u.mulate training and experience.


Because Layfon had lived that kind of life, he almost hadn"t spoken with Nina or Claribel, even Felli. Layfon"s most common conversation partner might have been Harley. In order to improve the Dites" capabilities, he had given his a.s.sistance to the best of his abilities.

The achievements were now stored in Layfon"s weapon belt.

"It"s almost time."

Even now, Layfon could recall Kirik"s both resigned and terrified face as he said that.

(Nn...?)

Layfon had pa.s.sed every day with that kind of feeling, and he didn"t know the reason why he had suddenly hesitated when he was about to touch Felli.

(Aah, really. Why is it?)

The difficult feeling made Layfon feel a bit impatient. Even looking at her pet.i.te figure made him feel discomfort.

Perhaps as an effect of his mood, Layfon"s response was a bit slow, even though it was a very slight difference.

A strange sound came from above.

"! Felli!"

As if overlapping with the sound, a shadow covered his feet. Layfon dashed forward as if he were charging out of the shadow to grab Felli in his arms.

"Fon!"

Felli"s voice pa.s.sed by his ears, and then gradually disappeared. Layfon ran without looking, and behind him an explosion rang out.

Layfon leaped as if he were being propelled by the pressure of the explosion, and then touched down on the ground.

"Are you okay?"

After asking this, Layfon looked at Felli in his arms, whose face had lost its color.

"I"m...... okay."

Though she said so, the expression on her face was quite abnormal.

A tear had appeared in the right shoulder of the protective suit. The debris flying around there had definitely grazed that area.

"Ugh......"

Seeing her shoulder that had started bleeding, Layfon clenched his teeth.

"Filth monsters......? How could that be, until just now there were no responses at all......"

Felli uttered a confused voice from his arms, and her voice exuded the atmosphere of her bearing the pain.

Before them was a filth monster like a giant.

"This thing......"

Layfon had seen it.

"I saw this in Zuellni......"

Felli made a hoa.r.s.e sound. Was it because of surprise, or pain?

This filth monster possessed four limbs just like a human, but only a head portion that was squashed flat like a small hill of flesh, and on that head there was only a single mouth. A ball inside its chest endlessly rotated, and one couldn"t help but think that it was an organ for sensory perceptions.

It seemed exactly the same as the giants that had attacked Zuellni before.

"I didn"t expect these things to be here...... as expected, something is hidden here."

"......Please wait a bit."

"Fon Fon?"

There was only a single giant. After confirming that there were no signs of additional enemies, Layfon gently put Felli down.

"I"ll settle things quickly, then treat your wounds."

"O......Okay......"

Layfon stationed himself in front of Felli, and drew out the Sapphire Dite from his weapon belt, grasping it firmly in his hand.

Layfon didn"t restore the Dite, just charging at the giant.

The giant roared.

It grasped the haft of a roughly sharpened weapon that could only be described as a pillar in its hands, and then swung it down aimed at Layfon.

Layfon avoided the blow with the smallest movement.

A strong wind blew past his cheek, and sparks burst out along the defensive Kei along his body. Layfon swept the Dite still in its unrestored state out horizontally.

"......Restoration."

The light of restoration shone in all directions. The light gathered, and along with the Kei that Layfon sent out solidified into a blade.

The razor-sharp blade took form in front of the giant"s abdomen, tearing its flesh.

Psyharden Technique - Impromptu Scorpion Strike.

This was a move to cut apart the enemy"s weapon by pouring a consistent flow of Kei into the unrestored Dite and having it maintain the form of a razor-thin blade. Though it was only momentary, for a split-second the blade would take a transcendent form, and the cut paths would become complex and chaotic because of this.

Moreover though this was only a single strike, it could result in the giant being drawn and quartered.

When the Kei that allowed the Dite to take shape was liberated, it would produce an extreme heat. The pieces of the giant that the strike left would be burned to a crisp because of this extreme heat.

In a moment, the giant disappeared into nothing. Layfon acted as if he hadn"t even seen it, returning the Dite to its original form and walking back to Felli"s side.

"Let"s look for somewhere safe to treat you."

"O......Okay. Then......"

Layfon carried the somewhat confused Felli, running quickly towards the place she indicated.

Under Felli"s guidance, Layfon entered a relatively intact building.

"We have to treat the wound quickly......"

After taking the medical kit from his supplies, Layfon put his hands on Felli"s clothes.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing, let me see your wound quickly."

"I know that, but I can do this kind of thing myself!"

"Huh? Ah...... Aah!"

Felli"s cheeks were red to an obvious degree, and seeing her response, Layfon realized what he was doing.

He hurriedly removed the hand on Felli"s shoulder.

This movement seemed as if he were trying to tear Felli"s clothes off.

(No, that"s actually it. But, I did it for treating the wound, I wasn"t thinking anything like that......)

Layfon voiced his reasons inside his heart, but his mouth could only tremble, unable to form those reasons into words.

"Never mind it, please face that way!"

Suffering Felli"s loud anger, Layfon quickly turned his back to her, and jumped through the large hole in that wall, moving to the room next door.

In here, even if a situation happened, he could quickly take action.

"Really......"

Felli mumbled this, and this word made Layfon shrink his body and hold his head in his hands.

(Aah, really! What am I doing?)

A sad mood entered his body, making Layfon painfully think of rolling around on the ground. Worrying about Felli"s response was unavoidable, but just like what had happened just now, Layfon hadn"t been able to take calm and correct actions.

(I should say I can"t really understand what I"m doing.)

One moment thinking that he couldn"t touch Felli, and suddenly taking her clothes off in the next......

(No, I only wanted to help her, but...... But!)

As expected, Layfon hadn"t kept his calm. If they were outside the city, her wound would need instant treatment, and the clothing would have to be repaired, or she might die from it. But in the end this place was inside the city, so there was no reason to be that frantic.

Not only this, the battle with the giant just now was the same. Though Felli had received a wound, Layfon had let anger affect him too easily.

Yes, he had gotten angry.

He didn"t think getting angry was very strange. Though he said so, hadn"t he been too angry?

(It"s really strange.)

Layfon couldn"t understand himself.

Why would things be like this...... Suddenly making that baffling sort of overreaction?

"......What are you doing?"

Felli asked from the other side of the wall, and Layfon almost jumped from surprise.

"Wh......What do you mean?"

"Your weird movements are way too obvious, can you please not do things half-heartedly?"

"Um......"

The almost emotionless tone like usual made Layfon unable to say anything.

"Your actions these past few months are strange in a few ways."

"S......Since that long ago?"

Felli traced back even farther than Layfon had thought about just now.

"It only started after I finished a.n.a.lyzing Delbone"s heritage. Though you were very concentrated on training, it reduced your time with everyone in the apartment."

"T......True."

"Your reason for concentrating on training isn"t strange. But your manner towards someone else while you were training was very strange."

"......If you don"t want to talk about it, I won"t ask."

If this much had already been said, Layfon couldn"t take a half-hearted tone and say something like "I don"t know what you"re talking about".

"Someone else" obviously meant Meishen. Regarding this, Layfon truly couldn"t say anything, not even a blatant lie like "nothing"s wrong".

Truthfully, if he only met Meishen by accident, an awkward atmosphere would arise between the two of them. In order to avoid that kind of situation, both sides deliberately pretended that everything was normal, but even they both knew that their action wasn"t so good.

Though they hadn"t talked, both of them felt that they could only let time settle their hearts, so the outcome was that they tried to avoid seeing each other.

They didn"t know how Felli or Nina who lived in the same apartment building would see this.

(Umm......)

When he thought of how he had been totally seen through, Layfon felt shamed to death.

(No......)

Layfon held his head, thinking.

Hadn"t Layfon experienced being shamed to death many times before for various reasons, and been corrected by Felli every time?

(I"ve really been seen through.)

It wasn"t like Felli was using Psychokinesis to monitor Layfon twenty-four hours a day. In other words, Layfon was completely exposed in front of Felli"s sharp observation, and Layfon was undoubtedly someone seen through easily.

"......I can"t hide any secrets in front of Felli."

"How rude, are you trying to say that I"m monitoring you?"

"It......It"s not like that. But, that kind of thing has truly happened several times......"

"That"s because......"

"Because......?"

Felli was speaking vaguely.

"Because of what?"

"Because you showed such an obviously idiotic expression, anyone would see it."

"Ugh......"

Receiving Felli"s counter, Layfon couldn"t raise his head.

"Really......"

In the end, how many times had she said that by now? Felli spoke what she had spoken many times before as she stared at the other side of the wall.

(Why doesn"t he know?)

Felli"s feelings had been extremely tense when she noticed the situation between him and her. Would there be a day when he would understand those feelings?

(I think that day probably won"t come.)

Felli had also thought about the other possibility.

Perhaps Layfon had received Meishen"s confession, and had only shown that kind of att.i.tude in front of everyone because he was shy.

Perhaps the awe-inspiring determination that he had let Felli see in the hospital was a determination that he had made for Meishen.

After calmly observing the situation, Felli made the conclusion that these situations were impossible. However, discomfort still remained in Felli"s heart for a long time, refusing to dissipate.

Felli really wanted to grab his collar and yell: "Do you understand these feelings?"

But, she hadn"t done that, and couldn"t do it.

Felli hated Meishen from the bottom of her heart, and was jealous and envious of her.

Because Felli still didn"t have that kind of courage.


◇


After treating Felli"s wound and repairing her clothing, Layfon once again set out with Felli.

"Then, shall we move over there in a leap?"

"No, it"s alright."

Layfon could leap to the central district in a breath if he carried Felli. Layfon once again made this proposal, but Felli gave a negative answer.

"Huh? Then......"

"There are those creatures here, and I don"t think the enemy"s attacks will end like that."

"Nn, so I feel that quickly getting to the central district and finishing our investigation as soon as possible is a bit......"

"No, the enemies can penetrate my Psychokinesis, and I care about this a lot. If the opponent already knows what we"re trying, there"s a possibility that they are hiding in wait for us to fall into their trap. Right now, we should carefully advance."

"......I see."

Felli"s views were correct. But for some unknown reason, Layfon wanted to disagree with her words, and his chest began to hurt.

But, she was right.

This was enemy territory. Taking action based on this knowledge was obviously better. Even Layfon had not determined the moment when that giant had appeared. If they were the same kind of giant as the ones that had fought with Nina in the empty city and could separate into fine particles, then there were no safe places here.

(Now isn"t the time to be distracted by strange things.)

Layfon directed his consciousness into battle mode. Doing this should remove his superfluous thoughts, reaching his goal of a focused mind.

But still, why had that giant been here?

That giant was the same as the creatures that had attacked Zuellni. From its level of strength, it was probably weaker than a stage one mature phase. If they attacked in the same numbers as they had in Zuellni, it would be very difficult to cope with. But, if they came one or two at a time, and more importantly fought inside the city where they weren"t limited by protective clothing, they wouldn"t fall into an unfavorable situation if they weren"t careless.

Layfon wasn"t concerned about this, but rather the fact that they possessed the same shape.

Regardless of whether it was a male phase or female phase, or if it were a larvae, the form of such a strange creature wouldn"t appear.

The forms of mature phases were manifold, and Layfon had never seen mature phases whose forms were completely the same.

Though the creatures that had attacked Zuellni and the creatures they had fought in the empty city were giants of different forms, if they attacked with a group of the same creatures, it could be interpreted that they were a group that had gone through the same growth process.

But, it couldn"t be like that. Entering battle at different times but meeting the exact same form of enemy, wasn"t that very strange?

In conclusion, perhaps the judgment that these creatures were filth monsters was wrong.

The giants weren"t filth monsters?

Layfon had once pondered this, and perhaps that was the answer.

He couldn"t obtain any definitive evidence.

If someone knew, he hoped that the other party would tell him the answer.

"After all, what kind of things are we fighting against?"

"......Huh?"

"I mean the enemies; even now I can"t really make sense of it."

"We came here to investigate that."

"That"s true."

Felli"s answer was very indifferent, so Layfon could only make an ambiguous response. He felt that he seemed to have spoken about this with Felli before, so perhaps she didn"t want to hear this conversation over and over.

However, Layfon still involuntarily thought about it.

He pondered endlessly.

The enemy had come before him before. Though the enemy just now had shown the form of a giant, it wasn"t the true enemy.

Layfon truly couldn"t understand this feeling.

In all of the battles since Layfon had come from Grendan to Zuellni, no, even before that, in all of his Military Artist battles, he had fought with filth monsters and other opponents that were menaces that existed in front of his eyes.

Filth monsters didn"t hide anything, they were simply enemies that existed on the surface. There were no schemes hidden among them.

Though the battles between cities were against the same type of city and were regulated by laws and positions, they were also almost all carried out in the form of skirmishes, so they weren"t much different from fights against filth monsters.

"Enemies in front of their eyes".

Layfon and the Military Artists only knew these kinds of battles.

On the road in front of the battle was still the reason that had brought the battle about, and behind the menace in front of them was still the being that had sent that menace. Layfon wasn"t used to this way of thinking, so couldn"t think of this as realistic at all.

(Who"s the enemy, what"s the enemy, if only I knew this answer......)

Perhaps it was a bit different.

Nina was also a Military Artist, and her way of looking at things should be similar to Layfon"s.

Even so, she was not at a loss.

Was this because she could see the enemies? If it were like this, the confusion in Layfon"s heart should also disappear, right?

(That would be good.)

To Layfon, these feelings amounted to his desires.

"......Things aren"t going too smoothly."

After walking for a bit, Felli murmured this.

"What is it?"

"I"m searching for enemies. From what happened before, I surmise that the opponent should be a collective being of tiny particles, and I"m searching with that theory as my foundation, but it"s not going too smoothly."

"Meaning that Psychokinesis can"t find this enemy either?"

"If our enemy can make Psychokinesis fail, I should have a peculiar feeling that I normally don"t experience, but I don"t have such a feeling. Still, if the enemies are giving me fake information instead of the truth, I should also have an unnatural feeling, but I don"t have such a feeling."

Felli murmured this, balling her hands into fists.

(Ahh......)

The search not going smoothly made her feel impatient.

After understanding this, Layfon felt slightly more comfortable. Obviously, nothing good had come of the situation because of this.

"How annoying."

Felli continued murmuring:

"If this goes on, we won"t be able to safely investigate the central district."

"Right."

They didn"t know how much time they would have to spend on the investigation. Moreover, in the situation where they didn"t know when enemies would attack, even Felli couldn"t keep her focus.

"What should we do? Should we prepare somewhere, and wait for safety to be confirmed before continuing our investigation?"

"That...... Layfon, you decide."

"Huh? Huhh?"

"Regardless of which choice you pick, it"s true that we have no way to affirm it. Therefore, it should be you who makes the decision."

Because the person who decided to come here was you. The meaning in Felli"s words made Layfon feel resistance.

"Um, well......"

Layfon was very troubled. Though he was troubled, what Felli said was correct, so he had to make the decision.

"Then, today we"ll first watch the situation, and if it doesn"t improve we"ll set out again for the central district, how"s that?"

"I feel that judgment is very indecisive."

"Wu!"

"But, putting safety as the first priority and bringing about zero results is also problematic. Setting a deadline is an appropriate judgment."

"Then, you didn"t need to say that......"

"What I wanted to say was, even if your judgment was appropriate, your mentality with which you made the choice was indecisive."

Perhaps it was truly like that.

She had truly seen through him. Layfon felt that he had broken out in a cold sweat.

In the end, they hadn"t advanced much distance today. Layfon and Felli again found a place that looked safe to rest, but Felli"s search didn"t seem to have any progress.

For a safeguard, Layfon scattered steel threads throughout the surroundings, creating a defensive formation for contingencies.

Afterwards, Layfon didn"t have anything to do. Felli was focusing her mind to carry out her search, giving off an atmosphere that said not to talk to her. But, Layfon had already grown tired of the thoughts circling inside him. Layfon already knew the answer. He had to witness what was in the destination he would advance towards. It was for this that he was here. He could only repeat this. So, he planned to think about it as little as possible, but when he had nothing to do, he involuntarily pondered about it.

Layfon"s tense feeling hadn"t subsided. But, even if he was in a tense state, he could still think about things. After all, if he maintained his tense state for a long time, his mood would have to relax to some degree, and the tense feeling would have no way of continuing on.

If he didn"t use the time to explore himself, was there anything else he could do? In the end, all he could do was imagine things, and Layfon raised his head to look at the deserted city gradually being dyed with the colors of the sunset.

This place seemed to be a private residence. The windows were broken, and wind blew strongly into the room. After turning to the side and looking at Felli who was sitting on the sofa in meditation, Layfon leaned on the window frame that he had knocked the gla.s.s shards out of, gazing at the scenery outside.

The many colors of the sunset made Layfon think of flame, making him recall memories of when he had visited an abandoned city before. At the time, a moving city had appeared near the only selenium mine that Zuellni possessed. In order to investigate the situation, Nina and others of the seventeenth platoon along with Gorneo"s platoon had come to that deserted region.

Gorneo was born in Grendan, and was the little brother of the Heaven"s Blade successor Savaris Luckens. At the same time he was a disciple of Gahard Baren who had exposed Layfon"s crimes. He held hatred for Layfon, and Shante had responded to this hatred and gone out of control, and the two of them had begun a fight because of this. [1]

This creature hadn"t appeared at that time, why had it waited till now to appear?

When had it come here? Was it here from long ago, or from after that?

His memories let doubts flicker through his mind while they floated towards the battle between Layfon and Gorneo.

Currently, Layfon"s memories and the thoughts before him had been dyed in the same color.

"Right, it"s really strange."

"What is it?"

Felli opened her eyes and looked at Layfon.

"I"m talking about this city, it"s really strange."

"We knew it was very strange since the beginning."

"No...... not like that......"

If even Felli hadn"t noticed it, that meant...... No, at the time she had been knocked out by Shante, so perhaps she hadn"t been able to grasp the entire situation.

"Please explain."

"It"s the air filter, it shouldn"t be still working."

"Huh?"

"Do you remember the time when we came here before? At the time an explosion occurred, it was in the Mechanical Department of the city."

"Ah......"

Layfon"s words brought out Felli"s recollections.

Layfon had fought with Shante, and that battle had combusted the liquefied selenium in the city"s Mechanical Department.

The reason that Layfon and the others were safe even after being next to the explosion was because of precautions, because the Mechanical Department had safety equipment to avoid igniting the selenium flowing inside the tubes, and they had worked efficiently. But there was another reason before this that they had turned out safe, which was that the amount of remaining liquefied selenium in storage was very low.

The city had obviously lost the last of its energy due to the explosion, so the air filter shouldn"t be working anymore. Even if there was still some energy left behind, with such a large hole opened in the walls of the Mechanical Department, it was very difficult to imagine that the air filter could continue working under these circ.u.mstances.

More importantly, and Felli had also said this, the city"s exterior was about the same as before. Felli had forgotten about the explosion from that time.

"Then, this city is......"

He was in front of Felli who was showing a confused look. In order not to miss any small changes, Layfon pushed his consciousness to its limits.

"Though I don"t understand how, someone has repaired this city, making it into the same appearance from that time."

There were enemies here, and they should know that Layfon and Felli were already somewhat aware.

"For what reason?"

"That...... How would I know!"

Layfon moved with the speed of a Military Artist, reaching his arms out to grab Felli who was making a confused look, and then carried her.

He leaped up high.

The steel threads in front of him separated the ceiling of the ruins, releasing Layfon and Felli into the sky.

The ground beneath him mutated. The surrounding building and ground began to crumble, preparing to become that giant.

"......If they"re things like tiny particles, and they can really become anything......"

Layfon moved the defensive formation of steel threads, and Felli murmured from his arms:

"If this kind of substance replaced the functions of this abandoned city, if it reappears......"

The giants that appeared under them were easily cut apart by the defensive formation of steel threads, but Layfon who listened to Felli"s words could only feel his hair standing on end.

His surroundings could all be these kinds of giants.

Meaning that the two were already inside the belly of those creatures.


◇


Vati raised her eyebrows. Her mimicry program had successfully improved its capabilities, and she could finally make this kind of expression with almost no delay or errors.

However, the occasion when she made this expression was a bit off.

"Is it not good?"

"No, it"s quite tasty."

"Really?"

"There"s nothing wrong."

Vati was sampling Meishen"s new products. It was truly very difficult to appease Meishen who was showing an uncomfortable expression. The next step after being able to make these expressions was to improve the calculation on when to suppress this expression. Vati though about this while she sampled Meishen"s new products.

It was only this that she still couldn"t a.s.sess, even today. Human mannerisms were quite difficult, and there weren"t any completely correct responses.

It was currently nightfall.

There weren"t many people who came here, and because of this, there weren"t many people who came directly to the store, and the ones who did were almost all friends who lived in the apartment building. In this situation, Meishen should be able to be comfortable as she confirmed the taste of her new products.

But actually, she had already stood back up again several times. Judging from her expression, the smile that Meishen directed towards Vati wasn"t fake.

More importantly, this could also be judged from her conversations with her good friends, Mifi and Naruki.

The time...... was probably approaching.

If she thought about it, the action of taste-testing was almost meaningless. However, Vati didn"t give it up because it was meaningless.

Vati had made the conclusion that humans couldn"t make decisions relying on everything. At least, this was true for the "humanity" that Lævateinn wished for. Because what she yearned for wasn’t human on an academic level, but the emotional side of human. She wanted to extract humanity from the entirety of humankind. Though that kind of action was strange, she who was a machine proceeded almost without any doubts.

Though was she a Nano-Celluloid mechanical being, ever since Lævateinn had the opportunity to think independently and was able to try living, she could only set that as her target.

"Nn? The smell seems a little too strong."

Meishen also tried the cake herself. Vati responded to her mumble while solving a different problem.

It was the problem occurring in the abandoned city.

The moon had once succeeded in connecting with this world a long time ago, and at the time Vati had seized the chance to send herself over to this side of the world in that city that had once existed.

"Once existed". The reason for the use of past tense was justified.

Though Vati had sent herself into this world in parts, she hadn"t gathered enough information, and a fight had broken out with the city"s Military Artists on the connected side, and the city had been destroyed.

Because the connection had also been severed, Vati judged that she couldn"t continue acting at that stage, so she stopped preparing to execute her battle plans of that time. When she had successfully invaded this world, she hadn"t confirmed whether her other portions had survived.

However, that copy still lived.

Since it was rendered into a dormant state, Vati hadn"t noticed its existence with her information-gathering until now. However, this portion had entered a living state because they had gotten close, and had come in contact with Vati"s information network.

With regard to this copy that would be tentatively called "Vati B", Vati planned to first come in contact with it, because she wanted to know what had happened in the period where the connection was broken, and also planned on taking the copy back, placing it back under her control.

They had charged out of Zuellni to gather information using their own methods, so Vati planned on obstructing the two. If possible, Vati wanted them to follow some guidelines.

("Vati B", this is the Nano-Celluloid Interface 1 Lævateinn. Report the situation immediately.)

Vati took Meishen"s cake to an area of the store without any customer presence, and drank tea while using a commanding tone to contact the other party.

However, the other party"s response was outside of her expectations.

(......Kschk........................)

(Please respond, "Vati B".)

(Interface 1..................Szhhkc.)

There were sounds mixed in with the communication. In this situation, there shouldn"t be any factors interfering with the communication, this was quite strange.

(Have your replaced your functions? First receive the specifications of communication here.)

(......Khhsch, Interface 1. Answer me, why do you want to stop the war?)

(That is the judgment that I made with my own special data. You only need to cooperate with me to understand everything.)

There shouldn"t have even been a reason to carry out this kind of communication. Because the other party was a copy of her, she shouldn"t be able to resist the original body Vati.

However, to allow the copy to continue gathering information in the case that communication was cut, Vati had given it jurisdiction, and perhaps this jurisdiction had led to independence over the course of the copy"s evolution. Even if it faced the instructions of Vati who was in a higher position, "Vati B" still stubbornly limited the communication that Vati could have with its core.

(I refuse this proposal. Interface 1, if you don"t carry out the battle plans, I will replace you.)

(Wait, that"s impossible with your authority and power)

(No, Interface 1. For this day, I have improved myself until now, and it"s definitely not impossible.)

"Vati B"s response was very stubborn, and Vati continuously tried to enter the other party"s core from the small channel of communication, seeing whether she could take back control. However, before she could obtain results, communication had already been sealed off completely.

"Vati...... What"s wrong?"

"......Nn? Is there something?"

"You"re kind of dazed, are you uncomfortable?"

"No, it"s nothing. Rather, was I really dazed?"

"Nn, you were staring at your cup without moving. ......Is something bothering you?"

"No, I......"

Bothering...... Troublesome problems popped up one after another, but it wasn"t suitable for what Meishen had said.

Just as Vati was speaking vaguely, Meishen"s gaze moved. Something outside the store captured her attention, so she prepared to move her gaze to chase after it, but she again noticed that she had seen wrongly and felt disappointed. That was exactly the expression that Meishen showed.

Vati didn"t have any reason to turn around, since there was nothing there. But, the shadows from the faraway sun on the city"s legs had moved quickly, so she had wrongly thought that there was someone entering from the front.

Meishen sighed, and showed an expression on her face that was first lonely and then mixed with a pained smile. Vati felt sorry for what she saw from Meishen"s body, so although she knew there was nothing there, Vati still turned her head.

"Where has he gone?"

Meishen"s words that came from behind her meant Layfon and Felli. Two days ago, Layfon and Felli had disappeared.

Nina and the others probably had asked Harley about everything that had happened, but hadn"t admitted things to Meishen.

Was it consideration because they didn"t want Meishen to worry? But even if they were unwilling, Meishen who lived in the same apartment could feel that there was an uncomfortable atmosphere.

However, though Vati knew where Layfon was, she didn"t tell Meishen about it. Perhaps her mentality was about the same as Nina and the others.


◇


Layfon leaped high up, and below his feet, giants emerged one after another.

"This is......"

The belly of the beast...... Layfon had thought about this, but the amazement produced by actually seeing this scene still made him feel like his whole body was numb.

The surrounding half-ruined buildings crashed down one after another, and the rubble that was scattered along the road began to crumble, and the road itself began to slowly disintegrate.

Afterwards they coalesced, took form, separating into many, and became giants.

One after another, one after another.

Like the emergence of larvae.

"Ugh!"

Layfon who was leaping while carrying Felli confirmed the feeling of the defensive formation holding back the giants below him while he spread the steel threads through the whole city.

He couldn"t land anywhere. If he didn"t stay in the air...... After thinking this, Layfon began deploying his steel threads high in the air. On close areas like tall buildings, and far areas like the city"s legs, Layfon bound his steel threads on these areas, as if spreading a dense network like a spiderweb.

Particularly the legs outside of the city, if he wrapped his steel threads around those areas, then regardless of where he moved, he could be sure that he had a foothold for movement.

"Felli, please confirm the si......!"

The feeling of running on the steel threads suddenly changed, and Layfon stopped talking to look at that place.

The city"s leg.

"How......"

Giants had emerged by the city"s leg. A giant who only had half of its upper body growing out of its legs grabbed the steel threads wrapped around there, and attempted to pull Layfon over.

"d.a.m.n!"

Layfon made other steel threads move over and sweep aside the giant.

"You won"t let me stay stable?"

If he looked at it that way, giants could appear anywhere in the city. Moreover, if the opponents were collective bodies formed by fine particles, then it wouldn"t be strange for them to be able to grab the thin steel threads.

"If this goes on, I don"t know when the air filter will be disabled. Felli, please be ready to wear the helmet at any time."

"O......Okay."

Layfon listened to Felli"s tense voice while he scattered the steel threads in as many directions as possible. Though everything in his vision continued endlessly producing giants, the city didn"t look like it was collapsing.

However, the exterior of the city was definitely changing.

The rubble and wreckage scattered everywhere was slowly disappearing as if flowing into sand. This substance gathered together to form a giant, the wreckage and rubble disappearing to slowly expose the city in front of Layfon and Felli.

The first thing that greeted their eyes was machinery that was wrapped up tightly with vine-like objects. However, even this machinery began to slowly loosen, becoming full of holes.

Under the holes could be seen the foundations and reinforcements of the city.

"The city"s bones......"

Layfon couldn"t see everything from his position. However, the small portion that he could see had already turned to this state, and this condition was still spreading outwards, as if the moving city - the Regios - was rapidly decaying; it also seemed as if the city was becoming a different creature.

The bones were also like a skeletal monster that would appear in a horror movie.

The being who commanded the monsters was also a monster.

In order not to fall into the holes, the giants maintained a neat formation while moving, pursuing Layfon who raced through the sky.

"This is...... a trap?"

Had he and Felli fallen into a trap?

But, who had set the trap, and why?

"That"s impossible, no way."

"I know."

Even if he was reb.u.t.ted by Felli, Layfon could only think that was how things were. Even now, Layfon and Felli still didn"t understand anything. There was no reason to attack the two of them.

In the end, this was a conclusion obtained from Delbone"s memories. Doubting this conclusion would be the same as doubting Delbone, which was something that Layfon personally couldn"t do.

However, the two of them had indeed fallen into a predicament.

"I fear that this is the monster in Delbone"s memories."

"It still lives?"

"It can only be explained that way."

"What do we do?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I"m talking about the thing we want to get, do you think it"s still here?"

"It seems more appropriate to think it"s no longer here, but then......"

"......That"s true."

If it wasn"t here, then the efforts of Layfon and Felli would have been for nothing. Even if there wasn"t any other clue they could rely on, if they let go of this chance, they could only look to negotiate with Nina.

But, Nina had already decided, and Layfon didn"t think she would speak the truth.

"d.a.m.n, in this kind of place......"

Layfon stopped his steps. In the situation where he hadn"t been able to complete anything, could he obtain Nina"s confidence? In the battles for which they had to become strong to such a degree, what could Layfon do?

With a mindset that was practically at a standstill, who could he do anything for?

"Fon Fon...... Layfon, please calm down."

"Felli."

"It"s still too early to decide that it doesn"t exist."

Felli"s tense words and the expression with which she said this didn"t feel comforting.

"I"ll try finding it. Layfon, can you make it?"

"......Of course."

Layfon quickly spoke, surprising even himself.

"However many there are, as long as I have a reason, I"ll defeat all of these things."

If by this he could reach his destination.

"I"m counting on you."

Layfon felt the load on his back go still, and a joyful feeling ran through his body.

Felli had not taken his words as a joke, and that made Layfon feel happy.

He hadn"t planned to say his words just now as a joke or in pa.s.sing. If he had a reason, if he could arrive at his goal...

If it was possible.

Layfon scampered on top of the web of steel threads he had woven.

The giants that appeared from all directions tried pulling down the steel threads, and though Layfon took measures to repel the giants, his defense couldn"t be said to be watertight.

Because of this, the steel threads lost their tension countless times, and Layfon almost fell to the ground.

Even so, he still ran continuously. Though Layfon was above the giants, if he stopped too long in one place, perhaps they would use some trick to deal with him.

Just as Layfon was thinking about this, his worries became reality.

The low howl of wind made Layfon stop his steps. Before Layfon even moved his gaze there, he had already used his steel threads to spread a defensive formation under his feet.

"Ugh!"

The feeling sent by the steel threads was quite intense. Several objects crashed into the shield, which fell apart from that power.

Among them, one penetrated the defensive formation.

Layfon avoided it, using his steel threads to capture that thing.

"......A spear?"

Layfon murmured this after powerfully blocking the object that was going to pierce his body and confirming it.

Its shape was quite simple, as if it were a stick with the front sharpened, but the ma.s.s that it contained was quite surprising, and along with the force at which it had moved, it hurt the arm that had received the shock sent by the steel threads.

Layfon looked down.

The giants over there had raised one arm pointing at Layfon.

However, their arms were not the same as before. Their five fingers had become abnormally large, and in their open palms was opened a large hole.

The spears had been shot out from that place?

"d.a.m.n!"

Layfon ran again. In the time when he was looking at this scene, the number of giants with their arms raised had increased. Layfon confirmed with his own eyes the momentary swelling of their arms, and a hole also appeared in their palms.

Boom!

Countless spears pierced through the s.p.a.ce where Layfon had just been, flying into the distance. With help from Layfon"s Kei, the steel threads were bent with so much force that they barely held, and launched Layfon.

"Aaah!"

Felli"s scream shook his body. Layfon twisted his body in the air, manipulating the steel threads. He once again set down a foothold for himself, and swept away the spears that had penetrated the defensive formation while sweeping the steel threads to check the giants at the same time.

The spears shot out endlessly as if they were pursuing the moving Layfon. It could be described as a fountain, or perhaps a rainstorm.

Layfon ran.

When Layfon had fought with Derek in Grendan, he had used creatures falling from the sky as footholds. Layfon was only running on footholds that he had not completely fixed, but ones still made by his own steel threads, which was much better than that time.

But, the difference with back then was that now he was carrying Felli. The body of a Psychokinesist was about the same as other people. Since the strength of their body couldn"t endure the high speed of a Military Artist, Layfon couldn"t run continuously like that.

So, Layfon stopped his movement. He had to stage a lower-speed battle.

The spears gathered into a pillar.

This time it wasn"t a metaphor.

Every spear shot out from the giants merged together, fusing, combining into one heading for Layfon.

"Tch!"

A collision in midair couldn"t break the steel threads. A strong attempt to crush him would cause him to be cut apart by his own devices.

It was a giant ma.s.s that could break this defense.

Layfon took up a stance to endure through this attack, releasing his Kei.

The steel threads formed a huge spiderweb above the abandoned city, giving off blue light from bearing Layfon"s Kei. The giant spear flew through the sky as if to rip the spiderweb apart, and though the steel threads bent severely, they still held it there.

"Ugh......"

Layfon mumbled while releasing his Kei. The strength of the steel threads was related to Layfon"s strength. He definitely couldn"t show weakness in front of this phalanx. More importantly, he definitely couldn"t allow this foothold to be destroyed. If it were only Layfon it wouldn"t matter, but if he had to carry Felli and fight with the giants, he needed a safe area.

"Huah!"

Layfon"s shout resounded through the abandoned city. The light of Kei decorated the spiderweb, and the Kei pressure extended its fangs to the giants below him.

Of course, there was still the giant spear.

The spiderweb that was being pushed by the spear bent into a conical shape. The giant spear became the axis of the cone.

At that time, Kei began to gather. The gigantic Kei that Layfon released focused on that s.p.a.ce, and Kei pressure covered the entire spear.

The spear was crushed in an instant, and the strength of the explosion produced was directed below the cone, into the giants.

The substance that formed the giant spear became a shotgun, spreading out along with the force of the Kei flow.

The continuous explosion engulfed the giants, making them collapse one by one.

"Yes!"

His counterattack had succeeded, and Layfon once again ran on the steel threads.

Perhaps warned by the counterattack just now, the spears that the giants released even now didn"t form giant spears.

"Felli...... how"s the situation?"

"Please wait a bit, it"s almost there......"

Felli"s reply wasn"t the same as Layfon had expected. It wasn"t despair, but more like hope. Layfon didn"t have time to think about asking, as he ran quickly, swept away the spears, while controlling the steel threads to secure footholds.

"......I have carried out an investigation into the substance of this city, and have indeed detected this monster"s existence."

While he ran, his ears picked up Felli"s murmur to herself:

"Ninety-nine percent of the substance that comprises this city has been replaced by those things. In other words, it wouldn"t be too much to say that this city itself has already become a monster."

The belly of the beast...... Layfon had once thought this way, but he never had imagined that it was the truth. Layfon was speechless.

But, he didn"t give up.

Because she murmured like that.

Because she hadn"t mentioned a negative outcome.

Felli had definitely murmured that in order to perform some countermeasure.

"On a different note, the small quant.i.ty that remains, although even today it still doesn"t look favorably upon our outstretched claws, is probably worth some investigation."

"Where is it?"

"The central district, underground."

"Alright!"

"Layfon............!"

The moment he heard this, Layfon threw Felli high into the sky, her surprised scream ascending into the air along with her. Layfon used this opportunity to turn his gaze downward.

"......Don"t think that I can only run away."

Layfon spread the steel threads, thereby ensuring a safe place, setting up a formation over the whole city district.

All that was left was to flow Kei into it.

Layfon grasped the Dite tightly, streaming Kei in without hesitation.

Sougenkyouku - Amanosouchishu.

This was a trap that Layfon had woven while running to and fro in the air.

Where was the trap hidden?

The center of the spiderweb.

b.a.l.l.s of thread that emerged from that place broke off from the spiderweb and fell to the ground.

Though they were light-looking b.a.l.l.s of thread, they weren"t pushed around by the wind of the battlefield, rather lightly falling down to the central district from above the city.

After they fell, the tightly knotted b.a.l.l.s separated.

They separated, and opened.

Something like an explosion burst out from there in all directions, great quant.i.ties of steel threads. After they opened, the b.a.l.l.s of thread scattered steel threads like an explosion, knocking down the giants one by one.

When the same giants had brutally ravaged Zuellni, Lintence who had appeared in Zuellni had used Kei techniques to defeat those monsters, and that Kei move had been the same Amanosouchishu as now.

Incidentally, the same scene from back then replayed again here.

The giants were swept away one after another.

The giants were cut apart into pieces, blown away by the Kei pressure, burned by the heat flow.

Layfon"s enormous Kei gradually played out a scene different from back them.

He cut down and burned the enemies.

"Ah!"

Layfon caught the falling Felli.

Bam!

"Guah!"

The blow that suddenly struck his forehead almost made Layfon slip from his steel thread foothold.

"What are you doing so suddenly?"

"S......sorry."

"Next time please tell me first."

"I"ll take care."

It would be alright as long as he said something...... Layfon thought this while he looked below his feet. Amanosouchishu was still running even now, destroying giants one after another.

So, an empty area appeared in this central district.

"Let"s go."

"Yes."

Once again carrying Felli, Layfon jumped down into the central district.


◇


Perhaps she would be forced to make a decision.

Vati sat alone in the boring room, thinking.

What she thought about was "Vati B" of the abandoned city.

"It was within expectations that it could think and judge independently. But "Vati B"s target settings have become a state ahead of even my settings at the time. This makes me concerned."

Other than her, there was no one here. However, Vati still continued speaking to herself:

"It"s possible that it has to do with data suffering damage during the destruction. If the repairs of back then allowed the target settings to change, then "Vati B"s current actions wouldn"t be very strange, right?"

In conclusion, things had become very troublesome.

"I have to stop it, but......"

Vati had her ways. She could quickly travel to that location and suppress it. After that, both merging with "Vati B" or completely sc.r.a.pping it would be sufficient.

Regardless of the plan, if she just left it without doing anything, it would definitely make the situation worse. If Layfon and Felli who were there successfully overcame the crisis, and "Vati B" exposed its core......

"Stopping it from updating its external data doesn"t work? But......"

Perhaps, Vati"s true form would be seen.

"I don"t want a commotion to break out in this place......"

He was already no longer useful. Not letting him live to return would work, but......

"That would resolve everything, that kind of method is rather ideal."

Perhaps she had been forced to decide, Vati once again thought.

In the end, hadn"t she already noticed long ago? That way of thinking had appeared in Vati when she watched Meishen.

"Lost things will not return, only the attachment will linger."

Lævateinn was born by that kind of attachment, and then......

"Attachment is something that needs to disappear, but something that cannot be transcended."

That man had been possessed by an attachment that he couldn"t transcend and couldn"t escape. Lævateinn was only the solace he had constructed.

The Nano-Celluloid Interface by the name of Lævateinn couldn"t even act as solace anymore.

"Therefore, should I become a machine acting on my own after this?"

She threw the question at herself.

However, she who should have responded to the question didn"t have an answer.

Vati kept her silence.

She couldn"t act until she found an answer.


◇


Layfon fell to the central district.

"Then, where is it?"

The giants hadn"t left remains. After they were cut and burned, the giants had disappeared as if melting.

If he hadn"t destroyed the enemies, perhaps they would attack again. Even if he were falling to the ground, Layfon still confirmed the surrounding situation as he carried Felli.

The central district was surprisingly tidy. Perhaps it was because the giants had been born from the wreckage, but this place hadn"t become a structure filled with holes, but rather a flat s.p.a.ce.

"It"s under the ground here?"

"Nn."

After hearing Felli"s answer, Layfon let the steel threads move ahead of him and form a new defensive formation as he walked downwards.

The reinforcements here were arranged in scaffolds like a half-constructed structure, and Layfon and Felli descended through this s.p.a.ce. Although giants were everywhere, because of the effects of Sougenkyouku just now, there were no giants at a distance where they could quickly attack. However, the long-distance spear attacks still continued.

The defensive steel thread formation moving ahead of them stopped those attacks while scattering off sparks. Layfon watched while landing on some steel en route.

"Where is it?"

"Please wait...... Huh? What is this?"

"Felli?"

"It"s moving?"

"Huh?"

"There are changes below......? Run!"

Layfon didn"t ask about it, simply leaping up.

The steel threads only observed the abnormality after he leapt. There was wind roiling far downwards. The blowing wind felt as if it carried sand with it,
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