[Part 3/4]
"Why be so angry? If my grand ambition is realized, it will be the salvation of country, and indeed, the human world. It's loyalty to the emperor and patriotism."
"That's just delusional. Come on, let's get you cuffed. I've read about you. You've done all sorts of crazy things, haven't you?"
'( ´,_ゝ)Heh... you're just another scumbag in a rotten world.'
I gripped my dagger—my tantō—tight and demanded his surrender.
I didn't even want to imagine the things Juuyaku had sacrificed for his twisted research and experiments.
I'd read the reports. That was enough.
I was glad I hadn't seen that 'ranch' with my own eyes.
Humans are capable of unthinkable cruelty.
And if I left him alive, the sacrifices would only grow.
Switching jobs doesn't mean the results come easy—but this was something I couldn't ignore.
"What a shame. Truly a pity."
Juuyaku's voice was smooth, almost mocking.
"In that case... shall we force you to make a vow?"
Immediately afterward, Juuyaku Ichishen closed the distance in an instant and lunged.
He moved at such high speed that the wind sliced through the air, the sound of it trailing behind.
But...!
"I can see it...!!"
'(* ﾟ∀ﾟ) I CAN SEE IT! I CAN SEE THE ENEMY TOO!'
My dynamic vision, which was usually not so sharp, was now capable of completely tracking Juuyaku Ichishen's movements after having just gone on a rampage and still being half-youkai.
I immediately shut down Ichishen's hand-to-hand combat techniques.
I deflected everything, grabbing both of his arms.
I clenched them, entangled them, and restrained him.
"It's useless!! Just stay still and give up...!!"
"Oh? How about this, then?"
Click.
"Huh?"
'(´・ω・`)?'
Confusion.
And then the flesh in front of me began to swell.
It bulged grotesquely—
And before I could react, I threw up my arms to shield myself from the explosion.
"Urgh!! ...Ugh!!?"
'ヽ( ﾟдﾟ)ﾉ Bomberman!?'
My body slammed hard against the floor, then rolled uncontrollably.
I could feel bones—fragments like buckshot—tearing into my flesh as I hit the ground.
But more than the pain, I was stunned.
"Why the hell did he self-destruct...!?"
I stared in disbelief at the charred crater where the man had stood.
The stench of burnt flesh filled my nose, making me grimace.
What remained were fragile scraps of what used to be a human.
This wasn't a grass doll.
It was definitely a person.
That... that was...!?
"...Hmm. It seems that with that body, even self-destruction is only enough to inflict a minor wound?"
Amidst my shock, Juuyaku Ichishen's calm assessment vibrated in my eardrums.
As I slowly turned around, Juuyaku Ichishen appeared from the back of the botanical garden... Impossible.
How could that be?
"A shikigami, you mean?"
No doubt about it, the guy who just blew himself up was supposed to be Juuyaku Ichishen.
There's no mistake about that.
I can tell.
All my instincts were telling me the same thing.
"What kind of trick is this...?"
"No big trick. More like a desperate measure, really."
The reply came from a different direction.
I turned to the side.
Juuyaku Ichishen was there.
I glanced forward.
The second Juuyaku Ichishen still stood where he was.
That made three.
It wasn't an illusion. And it wasn't some high-speed movement.
"You can cultivate as many bodies as you want. The real problem is the soul."
A fourth one appeared.
Calmly walking over, speaking the same as the others.
"As I mentioned earlier, creating a soul is difficult. There's no material—you're making something from nothing."
"That's why we resorted to using the evil god. But there are other solutions... if you're not picky about methods."
A fifth and sixth emerged from behind, footsteps quiet but in sync.
"Creating a soul is hard," one said. "But extracting and processing one? That's not impossible, if you've got the right technology."
"We take a pure soul. Implant memories. Shape it. Carve it. And there you have it."
"Of course, it's not perfect. The success rate's low. You need the same race as material... at that point, the method becomes the goal."
"That's why we needed the heathen god's factor."
"With the help of the Household Member Coordinator, we can cut back on the sacrifices."
"So then... this should be considered a meritorious deed. A service to the country."
Their voices overlapped from all directions, weaving a net of words, closing in.
And they all focused here—pressing closer.
"Do you understand now?"
One of them smiled.
"What do you think? Can I trouble you for a signature, perhaps?"
One of the Juuyaku Ichishen stepped forward from behind with a proposal.
I turned slowly to face him.
A dry, self-deprecating laugh escaped me.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
And yet... I answered.
"...Ha. Can we skip the pressure interview? I'll be declining that shady job offer, if it's all the same to you."
"Hm? ...How disappointing, shall I say? But if that's your answer—so be it."
The head of the Juuyaku family paused, as if weighing my response.
Then he straightened, flashing a disturbingly cheerful smile.
And with that, he answered.
"Shall I give you a warm welcome, then?"
"It's already warm enough...!!"
With a fierce shout, I hurled my fist—and insults—at the Juuyaku Ichishen charging in.
...Three of them came straight at me.
Our fists collided, the impact sending us all flying.
...Rolling to break my fall, I kicked away the one rushing from behind, then blocked simultaneous punches from two more on either side.
...A flying knee came at me; I deflected it and used the attacker's back as a springboard to deliver a crushing kick to another one's face.
...One tackled me from the flank, and we wrestled across the floor.
Grabbing his collar, I flung him—straight into four others who were closing in to help.
But they just kept coming.
Juuyaku Ichishen from all directions.
Fists.
Knees.
Throws.
A constant assault with no room to breathe.
I braced myself.
And kept fighting.
And then, and then, and then, and then...
A small shadow pulls another shadow away from the raging flames as if trying to rescue it.
Both are ragged, charred, and covered in wounds; they look like they could easily be mistaken for the dead.
"...It's heavy."
The girl who had finally freed her partner from the feeding ground murmured something, her voice short, yet heavy with exhaustion.
It went without saying how difficult it must have been to calm and recover him from such peril, deep within that burning room, hidden away from the world.
And yet, given the current state of their clan, it might have seemed like a minor detail.
"Is it... over, then?"
There was nothing left to say.
It was all over.
Everything was ending.
Going up in smoke.
There was no way out now.
Juuyaku had realized that much, however faintly. It was the kind of truth only someone who had stood at the very edge could truly understand.
They had come this far.
All that remained was to see it through.
The Juuyaku family was finished.
This was the end.
Everything would be exposed.
Judgment... or perhaps execution.
...Or maybe they would simply end up as specimens.
"Heh... heh..."
At last, after putting enough distance between herself and the flames, Juuyaku slumped to the ground.
A dry, hollow laugh slipped from her lips—resignation, exhaustion.
She turned her gaze to her partner.
"Kaya..."
Kaya, still struggling to return fully to her human form, was scorched and battered. Her body resembled that of a giant praying mantis more than a woman.
Juuyaku reached out and gently brushed Kaya's cheek with her fingers.
In her own way, she held deep affection for Kaya—the one who was most like her, out of everyone in their clan.
And now, in this moment of hopelessness, she understood.
But it was far too late.
"...Maybe it would've been better if they'd just killed us all at once..."
She feared death, yes. But surviving made it far too easy to say reckless things.
And Juuyaku knew that.
Even as she spoke bitterly, she understood.
But with Kaya by her side, she wasn't afraid.
If they killed her, at least she could accept it.
Dying here, in the land where she was born and raised... that would bring some peace.
Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.
The fate of those who should have died—but didn't—was always far more cruel.
"Damn it, this place is still burning."
"Get the grass dolls and the flamethrowers! You bastards, what a mess..."
The shouts came from a corridor beyond the flames.
She turned her head, already knowing what she'd see.
Figures in black—members of the Research Division—emerged from the smoke, their grass dolls in tow.
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