Origin(45)
Pureblood supremacist.
A deranged group that neutralized several of Titan's military bases and, through suicide bombings, turned both the residential area and the mining base Heaven into monster nests.
More than likely, this was a massive force that committed acts of terror not only on Titan but on a cosmic scale.
Yet, what appeared before us could hardly even be called a mere fragment of their numbers. There were about twenty of them.
'...... There are so many.'
However, even with only that many, I couldn't deny the fact that their strength was overwhelmingly superior. Regardless of their numbers, they were our enemies—ones we needed to remain vigilant against. Each and every one was armed.
In the first place, this entire facility had already fallen into their hands. Occupying such a prominent spot in this refinery-turned-nest meant that the monsters either followed them or that they had means to avoid being attacked.
Besides, from the way they spoke, it seemed they had been watching us the whole time. The pureblood supremacists appeared as soon as we arrived at the pipeline control room, as if they had been waiting, looking down at us from above.
Perhaps this was to show which side held dominance, although even without that, the firearms in their hands were enough to make our bodies go rigid. Knowing the power of those weapons, it was a natural, instinctual reaction.
While the lower level was covered in creep, the sector where the pureblood supremacists stood was devoid of it. Although it was hard to see clearly, broken security robots were scattered around.
Seeing bullets embedded in their armor, it seemed they had protected this place until their cores shut down, finally collapsing in the end. But something seemed off. There were not just traces of bullet impacts.
The surfaces were intact, but the cores looked as if they'd been gnawed away, their shapes incomplete.
'Black smoke.'
A swarm of hyper-activated nanorobots. Weapons of our enemies, far more dangerous than the archaic gunpowder weapons. I quickly scanned the area to see if I could spot any such smoke.
Perhaps it was elsewhere, or could freely change its appearance; for now, I couldn't see it. I hoped that would remain the case. I had no desire to confront the black smoke, which had clearly helped lay waste to this facility.
While tension grew, spreading silently, the leading pureblood supremacist gazed at us, his eyes landing on Myosotis.
A strange gleam flickered in his eyes. He spread his arms wide, shouting in a somewhat exaggerated tone.
"Myosotis! Our blue flower, returned seeking blessings after reflecting on past sins!"
The man lowered his arms, his voice dropping to a murmur that resonated through the space.
"And the filthy ones who betrayed again."
"......"
"So, you've come to this place as well. I expected as much. Should I thank you for acting as I predicted, or should I be disappointed? Is this all you chose instead of us, those impurities?"
As his ridicule-laced voice rang out, Myosotis glared up at the man above. The atmosphere seemed so sharp it was almost tangible.
Outwardly, she remained silent, relaying information via internal comms.
"That man's name is Cystus. He's probably the commander in charge of this occupation mission on Titan. The man in the records who controlled the smoke was referring to him. He's highly likely to be involved in the Immortality Experiment."
"The Immortality Experiment...."
Again. The Immortality Experiment was mentioned again. The tragedy from seventy-five years ago. A related figure now existed as a commander among the pureblood supremacists.
That suggested the experiment itself might have been orchestrated by the supremacists. The ones who created Mars's nightmare were now targeting not only a satellite, but humanity itself.
"Let's talk face to face. That way I feel more comfortable."
It wasn't a suggestion, but a command. At his words, the supremacists around us aimed their guns. The clicking surrounded us, forcing us to comply.
Nadia looked at me, and all I could do was grit my teeth and nod. At least for now, we had to do as they said.
'Not yet.'
Until we were completely ready, we couldn't act rashly. I couldn't let everything go up in smoke.
"I'll try to buy time."
Myosotis warned us not to do anything reckless, as if trying to keep her earlier promise—to act as bait if need be. I wasn't fond of it, but we had no choice at the moment.
Once we removed our helmets and revealed our faces, Cystus also stepped forward. Dim lighting illuminated him. The first thing that caught my eye was the long scar running across his face.
A person's face plays a crucial role in first impressions. To me, Cystus's first impression was: 'dangerous'.
It wasn't just that he looked rough—his eyes lacked something necessary for a human. Like ghouls pretending to be human.
It was an indescribable feeling. Strangely, it reminded me of when I first met Blue Eye.
"I can practically hear your gears turning. Still, you made it this far, so I ought to praise you. Not bad—for an impurity."
Cystus said, as if genuinely surprised. He asked how we got through a facility filled with blessings, truly curious—as if the sight before him was unbelievable.
"...... Keep your promise, pureblood supremacist. I came here to find out where my brother is."
Myosotis stepped forward, gently pushing us aside. Her cold blue eyes bore into Cystus, who didn't so much as flinch.
"You were the ones who broke the contract, Myosotis. And now you come back?"
"We had a deal!"
"That promise wasn't meant for a traitorous blue flower."
"If you hadn't deliberately stalled for time, I would have...!"
Myosotis burst out, her voice choked with emotion.
"Meaningless what-ifs. So, if I tell you now, will you leave these people and come back?"
"......"
"Myosotis. Foolish blue flower. You're indecisive, now and always. That's why you fell. You failed to prove your worth."
Implying they were the cause of Myosotis's downfall, Myosotis bit her lip. Eric shot a deadly glare at Cystus, but it made no difference. From start to finish, he had total control.
"One question—do you know the name Lobelia? Or have you learned anything about her?"
"... Lobelia?"
"So you don't know."
Lobelia. Strangely, the more I repeated her name, the less foreign it felt. It wasn't a common name; after all, most people wouldn't name their child after a flower whose meaning was 'malice.'
I tried to recall where I'd heard it, but nothing came to mind. Just a vague, murky feeling, like wandering through a dream.
"Then you, answer me this: how did you get here?"
All eyes turned to me. Cystus had singled me out.
'How did I get here?'
I didn't understand the intent of the question. Surely they'd watched us—so why bother asking? What did he mean by a continuous sequence of unbelievable events?
"I... don't know what answer you're looking for."
"Hm."
Cystus stared at me intently. It felt like we were having a conversation, but not really. Communication requires give and take—what we were doing now was not a conversation, just one-sided communication.
"Occasionally, impurities like you experience this. Sometimes, the body itself rejects the blessing."
By 'blessing', did the supremacists mean the creep? No, it was clearly being used in a broader sense.
Blessing, creep, ghoul, mutation. I mulled over the word 'mutation'. The initial outbreak came from the ghouls.
The patient-zeroes must have been those in the medical sector. I suspected creep was the very thing that turned them into ghouls.
'Transformation to ghoul just through physical contact with creep? Like when that strange metal was forced onto us?'
I was mulling over this creepy thought when a comm came in from Licorice.
- Lee Hyun-woo, just listen. No need to signal back. Alpha is watching.
Only then did I realize Alpha's mono-eye had changed its movement. I'd been so focused on what was ahead, I'd missed the shift beside me.
- Roxy is circling above the facility. He's high enough not to be spotted—when I give the signal, he'll swoop in and strike. He's got an upgraded laser cannon this time.
Licorice said the multi-legged tank was on standby, too. She quietly explained she was ready to make her move.
- All you need to do is hand the comms jammer to the Alpha, quietly. It will need it for targeting coordinates and, temporarily, to boost output to block their comms with Heaven Central.
Hearing Licorice's voice settled my nerves. Doing my best not to show it, I took the comms jammer from the back of my belt pouch.
I measured the distance to Alpha. From this position, I couldn't pass it unnoticed. I'd have to transfer it through Nadia.
"Beastkin. The stench of animal reeks all the way over here. Disgusting, filthy."
At Cystus's words, Nadia balled her fists. Despite the insult, she couldn't utter a word in protest. My partner was being treated like an animal, and yet I was powerless to do anything.
At that moment, Nadia's tail subtly brushed toward me. Her fur was rough from the harsh surroundings, with tufts torn out as if something had gnawed on it.
"......!"
Noticing her tail's movement, I finally realized what she intended. Sensing I was up to something, she put on an act of indignant defiance.
I hid the jammer in Nadia's tail, and then it ended up in Alpha's hands. Alpha attached it to his frame, and Licorice signaled that everything was ready.
"I'll give you a choice. Accept the blessing and become the foundation for a new era, or die here, all of you."
We hadn't yet taken control of the pipeline. Though it was phrased as an opportunity, realistically, we had no choice at all. The fact that energy was backflowing from the refinery to Heaven Central was true.
In the end, death was the only path. When Myosotis pointed this out, Cystus nodded calmly.
"You're not wrong. Still, if you're going to die, wouldn't you want it to mean something?"
Who is he to say it would 'mean something' for anyone? I was speechless in disbelief.
- Coordinates set and laser cannon charged. Lee Hyun-woo, pull back as far as you can. This thing's got serious output—I'm unloading all the energy at once.
While debating whether to buy more time, Licorice's message came through and I looked up at the spot above Cystus, growling out my words.
"Get lost. I'd rather die a human than live as a monster."
As we donned our helmets, baring our hostility, Roxy's amused comm came in.
- Well said, friend. Better a person than a monster, any day.
Then a strange sound rang out from the facility ceiling. Suddenly, it glowed bright red, and a crimson heat ray erupted.
KWA-A-A-A-!
A beam, as if to slice the facility in half, swept across where the supremacists stood. The path it carved burst into flames as the facility melted down.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. The ceiling collapsed, thick dust billowing outward. No screams. No sound of bombs going off.
Even so, I was convinced the strike had succeeded—I'd seen it clearly before closing my eyes. The laser hitting them dead on.
But that was only for a moment. What happened next left us all stunned.
- Did he block the high-output laser cannon?!
Though much of the area, ceiling included, was destroyed, Cystus himself survived, completely unscathed. Around him, black smoke, buzzing like a swarm of bees, spread.
It looked as though it absorbed the energy from the laser; red sparks flashed viciously, like a thundercloud.
"I told you—I could hear those gears turning from here. Desperate last stands... Well, I don't hate them. The final flames of life are beautiful, almost mesmerizing. Still, I have no more time to waste on impurities."
Cystus pulled something out, holding it aloft. In that instant, his demeanor changed completely. An ominous aura swept over me, alarms blaring in my mind.
I instinctively knew what he was holding. The metal that turned humans into monsters.
"Get back!"
At my urgent shout, my companions immediately turned, just as Cystus did something with the metal lump. Almost simultaneously, a strange resonance echoed through the space.
It was like the chime of a bell—or tinnitus whispering in my ear.
I hunched low, bracing for whatever was coming. My heart pounded with tension. But as time passed, nothing happened. Nothing felt out of the ordinary, either.
'...... What is this?'
I couldn't hide my confusion, glancing around. Not just me—everyone else seemed bewildered, too. Even some of the supremacists looked thrown, as if this had never happened before.
Cystus froze in place, still holding the metal. I was about to say it hadn't worked, when he suddenly burst out laughing, madly.
Startled by his transformation, I watched as Cystus shouted in the fevered tone of someone who'd just made a critical realization.
"...... So it was you! You killed the second bud, Blue Eye! You were Lobelia's design all along!"
He finally found his answer. As Cystus screamed it out, I was frozen in place.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I fucking knew it!
Well, we all knew it.
Hyun-woo was suspicious af.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】