Seren stared at the giant werewolf. Despite his fierce appearance, he was politely dressed in human clothing and wore a brass mask in the form of a muzzle over his mouth.
Contrary to that noble atmosphere, a terrifying bloodlust swirled from Delford's body.
"Delford."
Cromwell also recognized Delford.
"Doctor Cromwell. To think we'd meet in a place like this. Fate truly is such a mysterious thing, isn't it?"
"So it is. Have you also come to kill me?"
"Are you going to beg for your life? If it's you, I trust you're not unaware of what reason brought me here like this."
Seren bit her lip.
"You, don't tell me you were also connected with them?"
"The genes of an ancient fierce wolf dwell in this body of mine. Hard to believe looking at me now, but I was once human."
Delford flicked his elongated claws.
"...Really?"
"I did experiment with ancient powers. Besides you, there were others who escaped, but I never thought I'd meet them like this."
"Are you saying that like it means something!"
"Delford was an experimental subject created much earlier than you. However, I want to make it clear that I wasn't the one in charge of that experiment at the time."
Delford laughed lowly at Cromwell's words.
"Well, I won't deny it. But Cromwell, it's also a fact that you were involved in my experiment. You're aware that everyone who was there at the time became corpses by my hand, aren't you?"
"W-wait a moment."
Seren stepped forward. Delford was an opponent she couldn't handle with her abilities. If they fought like this, it would be certain defeat.
Seren could fight and retreat, but what about Cromwell? If he died, how would she fix her body?
"I know about you. Blood Brotherhood. If you're a victim of those experiments, I also have something to say about that."
"You're a fixer affiliated with Violet Fox. Sir Osian's senior, I presume."
The tone in Delford's voice when calling Osian was somewhat softened. That meant their relationship wasn't bad.
"Yes, that's right. That guy, he's fighting right now. Against someone called the Puppeteer. The reason is simple. To prevent the Puppeteer from taking Cromwell away."
What Seren wanted to say was simple. Since Osian was trying to protect Cromwell, you should let it go without interfering too.
Delford laughed lowly at those words.
"I know he's here. However, who do you think brought me to this place? That very Puppeteer you mentioned."
"What? Wait. Then, are you also taking Cromwell away?"
"No. I've vowed to eliminate everyone involved in my experiment. So I came here to kill Cromwell."
Seren realized how the situation was unfolding. If the Puppeteer couldn't take Cromwell away, he planned to kill him right here.
"Wasn't your goal to fix that body of yours? If Cromwell dies, you won't be able to return to being human."
"It doesn't matter. I've already lived like this, so this form is more comfortable for me now. Although I gained a beast-like appearance, it's also true that I simultaneously obtained power. In a world where the weak can only be trampled, such power is a kind of privilege."
One way or another, it was fair to say that Delford had met his current family thanks to this fierce wolf's power. So unlike Seren, he had no intention of healing himself at all.
"...Are you saying you're satisfied living in that state?"
"It seems you are not, young lady. Well, I understand. The world has all kinds of people. And if you were in a similar situation as me, you would understand my position. It's true they gave me this power, but receiving the experiment at the time was truly agonizing."
Seren couldn't deny those words. If not for this situation, she would have killed Cromwell too. And quite horribly at that.
"I have no reason whatsoever to let Cromwell, who was involved in the experiment, live. Rather, if he can heal me, that's all the more reason he must not be allowed to live."
Seren let out a sigh. She sensed something uncompromising in Delford's firm voice. She didn't know why the Blood Brotherhood had joined hands with the Puppeteer. In this city, even hostile parties joining hands when their goals aligned was common enough.
But she never expected someone like him to show up.
"Then, at least keep him alive until I can heal my body. I want to erase this ability."
"That also won't do. If I give such an opportunity, who knows what that cunning scientist might do."
Seren couldn't be certain that wouldn't happen. Even now, she didn't trust Cromwell herself.
"It's unfortunate for you, young lady, but I hope you understand that I also have reasons I cannot compromise on."
"...I see. So this is how it ends up."
"I'll take that as understanding."
Delford maintained his courtesy to the end as he took his stance. Just as he was about to swing his Wolf Fang Slash.
The cyborgs who had been moving stealthily while the two were talking rushed at Delford.
"Uaaaah!"
One of the cyborgs' bulk grew larger than Delford. With his enlarged body, he blocked Delford and pushed him back.
The moment Delford tried to swing his arm, another cyborg clung to it. That body transformed like slime and wrapped around Delford's hand itself.
"Young lady! Take Doctor Cromwell and escape now!"
"You people! What are you doing!"
Seren couldn't understand the cyborgs. For a moment, she even suspected whether Cromwell had ordered them to protect him.
But Cromwell's reaction was the opposite.
"What are you doing? I told you not to step forward."
"Doctor. We do understand why you say that. But this is our choice."
A man who appeared to be in his mid-50s said with a smile.
"It was a life where dying at any time wouldn't have been strange anyway. It was you, Doctor, who let someone like me with an incurable disease live like this. I'm simply trying to repay that kindness."
"Stand down immediately."
"Doctor. You are a kind person. Because you didn't forcibly implant command authority in us. Rather, how much easier would it have been if you had planted bombs in our brains like the other scientists from the White House."
Cromwell was not a righteous person. The experiments he conducted were clearly morally and ethically wrong. The cyborgs risking their lives now also knew that fact.
But most people are like that. Is there anyone perfectly clean in this world? What was important to them wasn't a righteous person. It was simply someone who gave them an opportunity when they were suffering not knowing when they might die.
They couldn't just stand by and let such a person die. The life they gained thanks to Cromwell. Dedicating it for him wasn't regrettable in the slightest.
"Young lady. There's no time. We can't stop that monster. So hurry!"
Seren was confused. Both Cromwell's appearance ordering them to leave him, and the cyborgs throwing away their lives of their own will to protect him.
This entire situation was frustrating.
Seren suddenly remembered the candy she had put in her pocket. She took it out and held it in her hand.
"Really, I don't even know what I'm doing."
She peeled off the candy wrapper and put it in her mouth. The sweet sugar stimulated her tongue. Her brain felt dizzy from the taste of sugar mixed with cheap spices.
What's so good about this that everyone eats it? If you're going to eat something, at least eat something more expensive and better.
Seren crunched the candy with her teeth.
She couldn't escape from here with Cromwell anyway. But fighting Delford was also a dangerous move.
However she couldn't give up. Whatever it was, if there was only a future of death, she would struggle even a little and choose the path with possibility.
Seren's body melted into the air. She soon appeared above Delford's head.
Seren's awl aimed for Delford's head. At that moment, Delford, sensing her, whipped his head around.
Klang! The awl didn't pierce Delford's head but his mask. From inside the broken mask, Delford growled.
"You will regret this."
"If I'm going to regret it anyway, I might as well do this."
The fight between Osian and the Puppeteer continued. The Puppeteer poured out everything he had prepared. He classified the automatons by type and assigned each their own role.
With those roles, he pressured Osian relentlessly. He even mobilized the Giant he had modified for this.
However,
-Slash!
Starlight shot out in a long line. A massive sword of starlight stretched nearly 30m and blew away one of the Giant's arms. The shield implemented at maximum output and external armor were meaningless before it.
Boom!
The massive arm fell. The moment the Giant lost its balance and staggered, Osian's sword swept the surroundings again.
Kwang!
A Type Swordsman was split along with its defensive stance. The ones made for defense were the same. They were blown away by Osian's sword.
A barrage poured from long range but Osian reduced the output of his Starlight and weaved through it like a loach, approaching quickly.
Cold air swirled as his figure split into several. The Puppeteer quickly distinguished the real one. But even so, he couldn't ignore the clones either.
Crack!
An automaton hit by a clone froze solid and collapsed. Its functions hadn't stopped, but it was neutralized enough that it couldn't fight immediately.
Thud! Thud!
Automatons that collided with clones here and there became frostbitten and neutralized. Now the few remaining defensive automatons blocked Ossian's path. At that moment, Osian's Starlight Sword swung.
The output was lower than before. It could be blocked. The moment he thought that, the form of the blue Moonlight overlapped like an afterimage above the Starlight Sword.
Slash!
With astonishingly sharp cutting power, the automaton was split in half. Considering its record of blocking even a strike from the Solar Straight Sword, it was unbelievable.
'In the end, even with this many forces, all I can do is tie him down.'
He had truly done his best to eliminate Osian. But Osian was much stronger than the Puppeteer had thought.
Rather, he seemed even stronger now than when analyzed before. Could a human be like this? He couldn't believe such a thing was possible.
It was then.
Awoooooo!!
From beyond the passage where Cromwell had fled, the sound of a giant wolf howling was heard.
'Delford.'
He had unleashed his Fierce Star. Osian also stopped swinging his sword and looked back. He had noticed too. That it wasn't only himself trying to kill Cromwell.
[Now the positions are reversed.]
Osian had been in the position of preventing the Puppeteer from capturing Cromwell. Now conversely, the Puppeteer was in the position of preventing Osian from going to save Cromwell.
[Deploy all forces.]
Soon after, with heavy noise from above ground, the ceiling collapsed again. Along with two Giants, the remaining automatons that had been on standby rushed in. Osian frowned. Now there was no strategy or anything.
'Even just one minute is fine, he plans to hold my ankles.'
Osian thought as he cut down the rushing automatons.
'What's there is definitely Delford. Seeing the Puppeteer blocking me like this, have the two joined hands? Considering the source of Delford's abilities, he would have no choice but to have ill feelings toward Cromwell too.'
Then had Delford killed Cromwell just now? It didn't seem like it. At least the Delford he knew would have cleanly killed Cromwell and disappeared. The fact that he roared like this meant he had unleashed his Fierce Star, and that meant there was a reason for it.
Was there more of Cromwell's arrangement, or had Seren done something?
'Whatever it is, I need to clear this place and move.'
Osian increased the output of his sword.