Wait until the Gate shatters...
’Surviving until then is easier said than done.’
The plan wasn’t exactly solid, but Osvald knew it was the only option that he could go for.
Feeling the rising power emanating from the Butcher standing before him, his eyes shrank away from the fine cracks as his thoughts immediately fell on the situation.
As his thoughts scrambled, his gaze fell on the Team Leader, who seemed to have gotten the situation on his side under his control. However, that was all there was to it.
The situation on his side had stabilized, but it was far from perfect.
’As things stand, if I don’t work with him, I don’t think there’s a chance I’ll be able to get out.’
His thought process was quick. Calculating everything that there was to calculate, Osvald reached into his pocket and retrieved a small item.
He felt a little pained taking it out, but he had no choice as he tossed it toward the Butcher.
Simultaneously, Osvald turned in the Team Leader’s direction and threw a couple of items his way.
"Put them on."
The Team Leader paused the moment the items reached him.
His expression revealed surprise and confusion as he looked them over, but after a second glance, he eventually put them on as Osvald shifted his attention back to the Butcher.
’Since it has lost all sanity, it should destroy it.’
Sure enough, the moment the item left his hand, the Butcher’s attention snapped to the box for a brief second before it slashed in its direction. Its movements were extremely fast, even faster and sharper than before, as the bloodlust lingering in the air heightened.
BANG!
The box shattered almost instantly, and a soft tune began to play all around the room.
Osvald reacted quickly. The moment the melody filled the air, he slipped on the eartips. The Team Leader, already understanding his intent, put on his earbuds as well, and all surrounding noise faded away.
A change occurred subsequently.
Keeping his gaze fixed on the Butcher, Osvald’s entire body tensed as he slowly edged closer and closer to the Team Leader.
’It’s working. It’s working...’
He couldn’t hear a single sound through the earplugs, but he didn’t need to; he could see the Butcher had shifted its attention away from him, looking elsewhere in multiple directions.
This was exactly what Osvald had intended when tossing the item.
He was certain it was going to work from the start due to the nature of the item, and also given how it was something that he had spent quite a lot of SP on. It was something that he had only intended to use when the situation was dire.
"....."
Keeping his gaze locked on the Butcher, Osvald continued to fall back until he reached the Team Leader, who stood beside a couple of anomalies. Primarily, a little girl and a dark figure.
Both seemed to have fallen into the Team Leader’s hands, standing upright without doing a single thing.
But despite this, Osvald felt no relief as his head turned slowly.
In the distance, a figure watched them with a curled smile, the threads around its mouth hanging loosely as it seemed to savour the moment.
"Are you struggling to get it under your control?"
"...Yes."
The Team Leader replied weakly, his face pale as he held onto his injured arm while his eyes shifted between the Butcher and the Conductor in the distance. Looking at him, Osvald’s eyes narrowed. He could see that he had lost a lot of blood.
Holding onto the pain, the Team Leader continued, nudging his head towards the Conductor.
"It’s... not so much the other anomalies. I’m having trouble with that one. The priority should be getting it under control. I’m afraid we won’t get out of this if we don’t handle it."
"...."
Osvald didn’t reply, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the Conductor.
Despite wearing the earplugs, the two could still hear each other without any issues. The only thing the earplugs did was mute all sound not transmitted through voice, neat in its own way, and something Osvald had prepared in advance for situations exactly like this.
With the Butcher not looking at them, they could afford a few seconds to discuss the situation. They were even tempted to run, but Osvald knew all too well that while it was distracted, any sudden movement from their side would draw its attention right back.
And by then...
Osvald drew a deep breath while staring at the Conductor.
It was staring back at them, its lips curled into an even more sinister smile. Having handled plenty of anomalies in his life, Osvald had thought nothing could truly unsettle him, but meeting the Conductor’s gaze and feeling that smile made his heart press tight against his chest.
For some reason... that anomaly unsettled him even more than the Butcher.
"Cough! Cough!"
Grabbing Osvald’s attention was the Team Leader’s coughs as he held onto his lips, his hoarse voice whispering out a short moment after.
"Our... priority shouldn’t be the Butcher. It should be that anomaly. If you can help me get close to it and touch it, I should be able to c-ontrol it. As you’ve already noticed, those of the Sonorous Decree seem to have some effect on the Butcher. If I can gain control of it, I should be able to buy us enough time to escape. At least, it’ll confuse the Bu—Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Bending over, the Team Leader coughed more harshly, struggling to keep himself upright.
Osvald drew a small breath, his eyes coldly scanning the Team Leader’s body. His body was doing badly, and as things stood, he was deadweight. However, thinking about his plan, Osvald knew that it was very likely the best option that they had.
And...
’Even if he tries something late, the moment the Gate shatters, I’m sure they will make a move. I also doubt he’d act against me in the middle of a Gate, and given the condition of his body, I doubt he’ll be able to think about anything else besides running. But I’m not sure... I’m thinking of keeping him closer to my side. His abilities are pretty intriguing.’
"Alright. I’ll help you."
Osvald made up his mind rather quickly.
"....."
The Team Leader said nothing, his gaze still lingering on the Conductor, who did nothing the entire time, just calmly observing them with the same smile as before.
No, it wasn’t the same...
It was even deeper. Almost as if it had heard the entire conversation and found everything to be amusing.
Osvald’s heart raced at the sight, only for him to forcefully calm it down as he muttered to himself, ’It’s not even at the peak of its powers. Its true powers are suppressed due to the limit of Seth’s nodes. There’s nothing to be uneasy about.’
Drawing another breath, his eyes shifted between the Conductor and the Butcher as his nodes began to churn.
"I should be able to lock the Conductor in place for a short moment. The instant I do, make a dash for it and touch it. If you can gain control over the Conductor, we should be able to stall for more time."
"...O-okay."
The Team Leader’s frail voice didn’t inspire any confidence, but Osvald had no choice but to trust it as a multitude of eyes began to appear all around the room.
The moment they appeared, the Butcher stopped scanning the area and fixed its attention on them, its grip tightening around the knife as the glow intensified. Feeling the weight of the stare, Osvald’s expression turned incredibly heavy.
These next few minutes...
They were probably going to be some of the hardest of his life.