Chapter 98: - Walking Death

༺ Walking Death ༻

Death is often depicted as footless, for no matter where you hide or how far you flee, it swiftly catches up to you, right at your neck. Even those who are ever-vigilant of its touch can fall prey to it without even realizing it.

But in Major Callis' case, her death unmistakably walked on two feet. A boy, pretty-looking enough to be mistaken for a girl, approached with the clear intent and ability to execute murder. Each step the former took toward Callis brought her closer to death.

Her survival instinct blared its alarms.

"W-what are you doing? As a warden of Tantalus, I have power over unruly trainees to..."

Despite knowing it was in vain, the officer stuttered in her defense against the approaching regressor. And it was futile indeed.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you put it down. You're still going to die."

After hearing such words, not letting go of the chain would only be tying a noose around her own neck.

The officer tossed her end of the chain and retreated haltingly. The metal rings clanged against the floor, and Azzy opened her eyes a slit. The chain was still wrapped around her neck, but she didn't particularly mind. The pull of the chain could hardly harm her, after all.

Azzy merely gazed, with a tinge of sorrow, at the humans fighting one another. Foreseeing the spilling of blood, she turned her head toward the darkness.

In contrast, the undying, unafraid of death, boldly stood up to its looming presence.

"Well if this isn't the boy who indecently likes men! It is unfortunate, but the major is a woman! You seem to have mistakenly presumed based on her overly rigid attitude!"

He attempted a pointless jest, but it fell flat on the regressor in her current state. Once the switch in her head was flipped, her mind would only contain the honed determination to kill, sharp as a blade.

And that determination wouldn't only be satisfied by a single death of this lifetime. She intended to deprive her target of any possibility of future existence... to destroy her from a slightly more primal, transcendental perspective.

"...Must you do this, boy?"

Even the undying immortal found it impossible to smile under the shadow of her aura, which surpassed lethality. He pulled his muscles taut, preparing to leap into action at any moment as he observed his opponent.

Before he realized it, there were only 20 paces separating them. The regressor expressed annoyance at the undying standing in her way.

"You were better off without limbs. At least you weren't a hindrance back then."

"I can say the same, lad. You were better when you were floundering in confusion, which struck me as quite human. Now, though... what an asura you have become."

The undying burst into wry laughter. Not out of leisure, but from realizing the disparity between them.

Despite closing in, the regressor didn't slow down. She possessed the ability to unleash blades of wind and launch consecutive threatening attacks from her position, yet she didn't slow her footsteps, as if the likes of the undying weren't even an obstacle.

She drew closer step by step, neither slow nor fast, steady like the coming of a promised moment. If she reached the officer, quivering in the coils of bloodthirst, in her current state...

The undying murmured to the officer.

"Callis. Flee."

This was the abyss, a dead end with no place to run to. Even though he knew this, he had no choice but to tell her to escape.

"Go, anywhere, quickly!"

The officer regained her senses and nodded, immediately setting off, her hasty footsteps echoing.

The regressor eyed the officer's back, muttering to herself.

"You really are better gone after all."

Then she pulled back her arms. That was all she did, yet the air filling the whole corridor was sucked into a single point.

The undying wiped off what little mirth remained on his face and screamed urgently.

"Quickly run—!"

A second later, the regressor aimed for the middle of the officer's back and thrust Chun-aeng forward.

Skyblade Art, Daybreak. A gust of wind blew. Compared to the tremendous build-up, the result was utterly pitiful; a small, light sound traveled down the corridor, like someone blowing with their mouth.

Yet the power it brought forth was far too great to be dismissed.

"Hyah!"

The undying immediately moved to block the regressor's blade. As expected, an invisible Qi blade pierced through his body, bypassing his crossed arms, muscles, bones, lungs filled with air, and the skin of his back, all in an instant.

Bewilderment crossed the undying's face; the penetrating force far exceeded his expectations. It was an overwhelming power that couldn't be stopped merely by crossing his arms and throwing his body in its way.

"Duck!"

He twisted his body, yelling, while a blade-evoked blast of wind shot through him, grazing the officer's service cap. The emblem of State authority was sent twirling in the air. Staggering from the blast, the officer barely regained balance and hurriedly fled up the prison stairs.

The regressor clicked her tongue.

"Tsk. You managed to twist at that moment?"

"Haha. It was almost a miracle. Nonetheless, I succeeded!"

As the sword gale was punching through the undying, he had tensed his whole body and twisted. What he did was equivalent to grasping the attack with his entire being, causing its trajectory to deviate and graze over the officer's shoulders instead of slicing her neck.

Despite failing to kill her target, the regressor wasn't bothered much.

"You still only bought a moment. This is the abyss, no one can escape this place. The major will die."

"Haha. Have some composure, lad. She was just a little under pressure."

"That pressure brought out her true nature."

"Nature is not singular, lad. Both good and bad coexist in people like the sides of a coin. This dark, gloomy land cursed by Mother God merely distinguishes the bad in her!"

"Yeah. I get it."

The regressor nodded in understanding before continuing.

"So, I'll kill the bad side. You handle the good side... if she's still alive after, that is."

It seemed like no one would be able to persuade the regressor, let alone stop her. Moreover, there was a valid reason for her anger, and she herself had no intention of giving up.

The undying felt helpless as he spoke.

"Must you see blood, lad?"

Seeing the regressor's face grow increasingly colder, the undying hurriedly clarified himself.

"Oh, do not misunderstand! I meant my blood of course!"

"Let me ask you then. Is there a reason to protect the major at the cost of your own blood?"

"Naturally. She is my friend, is she not?!"

The undying made his declaration proudly without a trace of hesitation. The regressor brushed her hair back irritably as she replied.

"I wasn't bringing it up since it'll feel like showing off, but with the annoying way things are going, I'll tell you now. The major didn't revive you. It was me. While your right arm was sick from that curse, I dunked it in a healing potion containing a world tree leaf. It was just a perfect coincidence that it looked like she saved—"

"Haha! I know! My right arm told me! I am very grateful for that matter, lad!"

"...Then, why?"

The undying answered frankly.

"Because, regardless of circumstance, she came with the intention to help me, and had the ability to do so! Even if my right arm had not arrived in time, the major would have helped! Well then, does that not make us friends?!"

"Haah. Alright, I hear you."

Taking a deep sigh, the regressor raised Chun-aeng and resumed her footsteps. The undying took a wide stance with his right leg behind, crying out gallantly.

"Of course, I consider you a benefactor too, lad! I mean no hostility! Oh! I am not saying this in advance because it seems I will lose!"

"Tsk, I can't even kill you because you're undying of all things... Guess it's better to send you flying and be on my way. Hah."

"I may be unable to stop you, but I will not let you go without a fight!"

Seeing the regressor raise her hand, the undying loosed a bellow and rushed forward; not to attack, but to reduce the time her blade spent tearing through his body. The further he retreated, the longer he would have to endure being ravaged. The scene resembled light infantry meeting the charge of heavy cavalry.

In any case, the undying ended up similarly to how such light infantry would've ended up. A tempestuous gale roared by, and the undying's strong body was instantly scattered—in a physical sense.

* * *

'Escape, I have to escape.'

The Progenitor was indifferent to humans, and the criminal threat got along with the laborer with no particular issue. The undying was dismembered, and the target, the Dog King, was friendly to humans.

Given the situation, Major Callis judged her mission would be easier than expected. All she had to do was enter the abyss, filled with those disinterested in others, and secure the Dog King. Unless something extreme occurred, she would be safe.

That was why the laborer was still shamelessly alive... or so she had presumed. A terrible mistake.

'I was wrong. The moment I touched the Dog King, all of them reacted.'

The laborer interfered the moment she approached the Dog King. The Progenitor exerted all her strength to protect him, even willing to open hostilities against a country for his sake. And when she tried to make a move unbeknownst to them, tying a chain around the Dog King's neck, the criminal threat went berserk and attempted to kill her personally.

'Everyone here is an enemy.'

This meant incredibly sad news to the Human Regime. They had drafted the plan under the presumption that it would be as simple as retrieving a lost item, but it turned out the actual difficulty was comparable to entering hell to steal treasure from the king of the underworld.

'Have they grown fond of her? Or are they interfering because they recognized our true identity? In any case, I must inform them. To cancel the operation, and...'

With things looking so bleak, she was going to escape to survive. Abandoning a mission midway was unacceptable, but Callis didn't think they expected her to succeed in this hellish den. Planning for the future had to be the better option instead of throwing her life away.

Callis arrived at the 4th floor, gasping for breath. A soldier of the Military State didn't run out of breath from merely running up some stairs, but her body was desperately craving evidence of life through intense respiration, shocked by the earlier indirect experience of death.

Her red hair stuck to her face. It was only then that Callis realized her cap, which had always pressed down on her head, was missing. She grew needlessly anxious, but nevertheless, she figured she should be thankful her neck was still attached.

Callis opened the hidden compartment of her leather belt and took out a package.

'The communication package.'

The synchro-type magic golem of the Military State was an invention of the century, but achieving resonance was impossible without possessing a special, unique magic. For ordinary people to transmit information, they had to use communication facilities or revert to more primitive methods.

Like the four-bejeweled brooch Callis was currently holding.

'Break one to signal safety, two for caution, three for danger... and when all four are broken, it means every individual present is a completely hostile entity.'

"Twin gems", created through a special alchemy, were designed so that if one was broken, the other pair would also break. Though there was the drawback of being single-use and useless without predefining signals, the secret society of the Human Regime still made the most of its trait.

'Even the Progenitor should be considered hostile toward us. Four gems must be broken.'

Callis tugged at the pin attached to the brooch. Unusually, a heavy iron bead was attached to the end of the pin, which was supposed to be sharp. She pulled it back and released it, causing a hard impact on the red gem among the other three.

Clang! The sound of the gem breaking echoed through the corridor.

'They emphasized that I had to break the gems before escaping, so that they could prepare an escape route from above.'

One, two, three, four. The shattering of gems rang out in succession.

Once Callis was done and concluded the communication, she took out the last remaining escape package. It was sealed even more securely than the others. Even as her grip kept slipping from tension, she persistently started scratching loose the knot tying the package.

Just then, she was interrupted.

『Madam Major Callis, this is Signaller Abbey speaking.』

A small golem walked out from the cafeteria. It was a signaller's synchro-type magic golem.

Callis was startled by the unfamiliar voice, but her expression soon brightened upon recognizing what it was.

"Captain!"

To remain undercover as part of the Human Regime, she had to keep the signaller at a distance. She was instructed to do so, too. But as someone trying to escape, even a signaller was a valuable ally. The only ally who could relay information about the outside situation.

"Just in time. I intend to escape from Tantalus. The trainees here are still much too violent to resocialize. So, Captain, help me to—"

The Golem delivered a message then, cutting Callis off.

『...The State authorities have signed a temporary suspension of your authority, Major Callis.』

"What?"

The shock was so great it made Callis pause in opening the escape package, which was basically her lifeline. In contrast, the signaller's tone was flat and even.

『Though it was by error that you entered Tantalus, it is still a blunder on your part. As such, the authorities have decided to impose disciplinary action.』

Disciplinary action. Callis was flabbergasted, even amidst the threat of death.

Military State screening was severe. To attain level 4 citizenship, there could be no disqualifications whatsoever. Having no blunders on record was more critical than earning accolades. Yet, she was facing disciplinary action.

Callis protested.

"What, what do you mean? Did I not say there was an issue with the orders?! My directives clearly instructed me to oversee the supply process!"

『Nevertheless, the abyss is a level 5 security facility. Even if you followed orders, entering Tantalus without any verification inevitably raises doubts.』

"I will explain. I can clarify that part."

Despite Callis' hurried words, the golem's reply was almost heartlessly rigid.

『I only deliver the news and have no influence on the decision-making process. I recommend that you offer clarification to the investigation unit that will arrive later. If you will excuse me then.』

As if there was nothing more to say, the golem saluted briefly and returned to the cafeteria.

The strength left Callis' body. Did they even know why and how she had come this far, risking her life? The dream that led her to this place was about to vanish as nothing but a dream.

'No. I just need to escape.'

The Human Regime had its roots spread throughout the Military State. They were everywhere, from the military authorities to the administration, so they would resolve this issue as long as she returned. She just had to escape.

Callis clenched her jaw and undid the tightly bound, accursed knot on the package.

Finally, it came loose. She hastily tore open the package and looked at what it contained.

It was a square, hard packet with a certain geometric shape drawn on it.

'An equipment packet!'

Alchemy arms that produced simple equipment like daggers or shields—equipment packets. Believing this packet to be the method of escape, Callis immediately opened her bio-receptor and inserted the packet. It fused with the arch-avatar enveloping her body and began to take shape from the shoulder.

'How do I use this? Is there no other message?'

But just as Callis took another look inside the package to search for additional clues... a reverse-protruding blade flitted across her neck.