Chapter 95 Origin (11)

...thud ...thud ...thud

The heavy footsteps shattered the silence of the shuttle station. The monster wasn't acting impatiently as it had before.

Maybe it had learned from being pummeled in the waste disposal sector after acting recklessly in its own strength. It was clear the thing still remembered that incident—its gaze fixed on me was even more intense.

"......"

I was still hiding in the shuttle wreckage, and the monster was slowly closing the distance. It pretended to know nothing, but we were both already aware of each other's presence, both observing one another.

【Grrrr.......】

A beastly sound scratched at its throat—the cunning and murderous intent hidden in its insistent stare, the fortress-like exoskeleton, the chillingly blue wavelengths of the blue crystal.

And then, a gust of wind blowing from outside.

Right now, the loudest sound to my ears was the beating of my own heart. Rising tension made my heart pound faster, pumping blood at full speed to loosen my tense muscles.

...thud ...thud

The thought that this monster, despite its appearance, was surprisingly quiet lasted only a moment. I shook my head internally. Remembering the screech it had let out when mocking us, this beast was never quiet.

Right now it was only restraining its voice because it was curious how I'd react. That was the feeling I got.

......thud

At last, when it reached the front of the shuttle wreckage, the monster didn't go anywhere, only stood still. Behind it, black smoke rose into the air—another scene of hell.

- Hyun-woo! Don't you dare do anything reckless! Can't you hear me? Hyun-woo, answer me!

Licorice, who had been watching the whole spectacle, screamed close to a shriek, shouting that she'd send Alpha immediately so I could escape in the ensuing confusion.

'I told you, it's not possible to get out.'

We already knew each other's positions. If I tried to run or stubbornly continued to hide, the thing would just tear us apart along with the shuttle wreckage.

If I was going to die regardless, there was only one option left to me: Fight. Fight and win. At least then there'd be a chance I might survive.

I thought to whisper to Nadia—to distract the monster while she and Carry escaped—but soon realized I couldn't.

Her green eyes, though dimmed by fear, still held resolve, not panic. Just as I had, Nadia had made up her mind.

She appeared gentle at first glance, easily swayed—but when Nadia put her mind to something, she rarely let go. Maybe that was the part of her that resembled me. Or perhaps it was mere partnership, making us similar.

- You said you'd fight.

Nadia glared, as if accusing me of forgetting her words that if I was going to fight, she'd fight with me. I could see her tail fur bristling and her hands trembling with fear, yet she was determined.

- Go to the warehouse first. I'll distract it and bring it over.

After sending that message, I moved immediately. Even if Nadia were to help me, now was not the time. If she stepped out now, it would only mean death.

I had to find a more certain opportunity for Nadia to shine. Each in their own place, each with their own role. Since I'd told her this in town, Nadia reluctantly nodded.

I stepped out from the wreckage to face the monster, while Nadia and Carry hid deeper inside. The monster seemed aware of her presence, but his top priority was me.

Glancing momentarily toward where Nadia was, the monster seemed to say: if I tried to run to save myself, or tried to die alone escaping, it would kill everyone here.

"......"

Clenching my fist to suppress the trembling, I looked up at the monster without a word. I didn't know if the description was quite right, but the monster seemed to tremble with excitement—maybe even ecstasy.

Was it because it looked down at me, thinking me insignificant? Or because it believed it could finally have its revenge? The latter seemed more likely.

- Somehow, lure it to the warehouse. The containers are heavy enough that we could bury it as before. Even if we can't kill it, we'll at least buy time to escape.

Glancing at Eric's message, I began slowly increasing the plasma cutter's output. It was then that I noticed something.

There was something like an initial engraved on the side of the monster's neck. As if someone had carefully inscribed each character.

At first glance, it wasn't in any script we normally used. It felt like looking at an ancient character whose records had long vanished. But for some strange reason, I understood it immediately.

'... Blue Eye?'

Blue Eye. Was that the monster's name? It sounded disgustingly unfitting. Blue Eye—this thing had neither blue eyes nor eyes that looked anything like it.

Just looking at the letters, though, an emotion I couldn't place surged up from deep inside. Maybe because of that, I couldn't help but sneer.

"Someone gave even a thing like you a name, huh."

At that moment, my standoff with the monster ended.

【KIIIIIIIAAAAAH–!】

A mighty wail that shook the station. The monster lunged at me with its overwhelmingly massive body. The floor warped horrifically where it passed, testifying to its power.

And it was fast, as if to prove it hadn't lost any momentum since coming here.

Clack—

I quickly pulled the shockwave emitter from my back with one hand and aimed it at the thing. Since it was already charged, I pulled the trigger immediately.

Bang!

A loud report as compressed air blasted forward. Though invisible, a strong force drove the air outward.

A fierce windstorm lasted for just a moment, and the shockwave at full power sent debris flying in all directions—but the exoskeleton blocked it effortlessly.

My attack certainly hit, but did no harm. In just an instant, a tempest powerful enough to flay skin became less than a butterfly's flutter.

'... Of course it wouldn't work!'

I only tried it just in case. Now I was sure: I couldn't rely on the shockwave emitter at a critical moment. Seeing the monster unaffected, I dove to the side for my life.

KA-THUNG—!

Where I'd just been exploded simultaneously. The shuttle wreckage shook as if made of paper, sliding back easily despite its weight.

The spot where the monster struck was so severely battered it resembled a massive crater—its core ripped hideously, even though I was wearing auxiliary armor.

For a moment, I clenched my teeth, worried for Nadia and Carry inside. But fortunately, I saw them flying into the warehouse sector just in time.

They must have used the wreckage as a decoy while our attention was distracted.

Now just outside the monster's attack range, I gripped my plasma cutter like a spear, finally ready to use it.

I considered leaping high to strike from above, but I chose to keep a low stance instead—ready to roll or slide out of the way at any moment. Jumping would only make me an easy target.

Taking a deep breath, I swung the weapon with all my might. The monster and I were fundamentally different. I might have been stronger than most, but only within the realm of human strength.

So there was no way I could overpower the monster barehanded—its physical specs were overwhelmingly superior. Ghouls could tear human limbs easily, mimics could swallow us whole, and this monster could crush us with a gesture.

What narrowed the gap was our tools. A boundary separating beast from human. The suits we wore were like their hides; the weapons we wielded, like their claws.

I was confident this attack would land a blow. But what followed was a result I didn't expect—not at all.

"...?!"

I'd thought I could at least scratch it, even if I couldn't cut through. But the moment the blue plasma blade made contact with its exoskeleton, the blade fizzled and burst apart instantly.

'Recoil reaction?!'

An expletive shot through my mind as I was flung backward, even faster than I'd charged in.

Tumbling roughly, I barely got a moment to compose myself before I had to roll again. The monster reclaimed the turn, smashing its fist down where I'd landed.

I was barely dodging attack after attack. In this situation, even one hit would mean no next chance for me.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each time its exoskeleton-shrouded fist smashed the floor, metal shards flew up. Some sharp fragments scraped past my suit—most were deflected, but a few pierced through.

Pain flared. Was I bleeding? I couldn't tell. All my nerves were focused on the monster.

I tried to stand. Rolling endlessly didn't make me invincible; it only sapped my stamina. If this kept up, I'd die without even trying.

Blue Eye raised its foot high. A shadow fell over my head, ominous killing intent washing over me. Gasping, I lifted my head—just as the mutant launched an attack with the force to obliterate everything.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself upright. Even if I couldn't keep up with its attack, I might at least use that force to my advantage.

KWAANG–!

My joints cracked from the strain as I pushed up, just barely dodging the monster's foot. As soon as it struck the ground, compressed air exploded outward.

I didn't resist the force. Instead, I let myself be hurled as far back as I could. Half a beat later, a shockwave crashed over my whole body.

I never let go of my weapon. It was my only means of resistance against the monster. Losing it would mean certain death.

Fighting for balance midair, I managed not to fall when my feet touched the ground. If I did, it'd only invite another round of the same disaster. For the next step of my plan, I had to stay upright.

THUD......!SIZZLE-!

A fleeting moment of weightlessness brushed my gut. As my feet landed, the impact shot up through my legs and rattled my head. My thigh muscles screamed as if they'd snap.

At least, I'd flown properly towards the warehouse.

【CUAAAAAAH–!】

- Hyun-woo! Get inside now! We're ready!

As I dodged every one of its attacks, the now-enraged mutant shrieked, and Licorice's signal overlapped in my ear. I slammed my fist against my unresponsive leg to make it move.

Forcing my unsteady leg, I dashed into the warehouse sector. The monster's gaze flickered momentarily to the crushed shuttle wreckage, but seeing no one there, it resumed chasing me.

With its maw splitting open into four, the monster barreled after me, the spine-chilling scraping sound closing fast. It was so vivid, it barely felt real.

Knowing instinctively that stopping meant death, I ran like mad, squeezing through containers severed by blue beams, leaping debris.

When I finally slipped between container walls with Eric waiting in the crane, the monster entered the same sector a moment later. It was a miracle it hadn't caught me already—it was right at my heels.

Just as I crossed a certain line, Carry—waiting atop the containers—unleashed a blast of blue fire with a flamethrower.

FOOOOSH—!

Flames roared with the force of emptying all remaining fuel; sparking like a flare, they exploded outward. While not on par with the blue beam, it was powerful.

At least to the eye, it looked like nothing should survive but ashes. Even the monster hesitated in surprise.

- Keep running! No telling how much will collapse!

Over the roaring blue wall, Eric's voice rang out. Following that order, I didn't stop. Several cranes groaned into action at once—a shear noise, then collapse followed.

Distorted container walls, already weakened, were forcibly toppled by the cranes. THUD, tHUD, tHUD. The entire sector shook like an earthquake; debris filled the air, dust clouds billowed.

No sound from the monster. For a moment, my thoughts shifted from 'Got him!' to 'Did we get him?'

Panting, I stopped and looked back—wanting to check its status and shout to my team.

The first thing I saw was dust rising from the collapsed container pile; next, the murderous glare of the monster's eyes.

It was unharmed. Maybe it couldn't ignore the shock entirely—there were some cracks and splits in its exoskeleton, but only here and there. Relative to its whole, it barely counted as damage.

I realized why this formerly amorphous creature had enveloped its whole body in exoskeleton—so it wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Before full mutation, it had only covered part of itself.

- Didn't I say it wouldn't work! We can't win with our current gear! At this point, it's better to fall back!

Despite Licorice's desperate cry, Alpha calmly pulled back. Even if we hadn't inflicted much damage, at least the monster was entangled for the moment—enough to tell us to escape toward the base perimeter.

But then the monster, seemingly immobilized under the container weight, moved oddly. I noticed immediately, never taking my eyes off it.

The mutant's upper body churned violently. I tensed, prepared to see it hurl all the containers aside with brute force—but it didn't. Instead, beneath robot-like retracting armor plates, steam began venting out.

With its maw gaping wide, it sucked in blue particle-like matter. The moment I saw this, I realized immediately what it was about to do—my instincts raising the alarm bells in my brain, screaming at full volume.

Or I would have screamed—

━━━━━━━━!

But the blue beam fired in a straight line, faster than any cry. In what felt like slow motion, I saw the blue line slice through space.

A line of death, cutting anything in its path. The containers pinning it melted away as the beam passed; whatever was inside vaporized. The warehouse sector filled with black smoke.

The monster's attack, once begun, threatened to cut the entire base before thinning, as if spent. By the time the line faded, everything nearby was devastated.

FWOOSH—

Its exoskeleton hissed, pouring white steam. Must be an exhaust outlet for all that heat.

I heard groans of pain over a barely-maintained communication link. The blue beam had scratched the control room this time, and the man inside seemed seriously injured. Eric, being closest to the monster, had likely taken wounds too.

There was no need to ask if they were alright. I knew they weren't.

- ... We're in real trouble.

Licorice's voice trembled as she realized everyone was incapacitated. As she said, escape was now impossible.

"... I really should have killed you back then."

I muttered with regret. Cracks spread across my respirator mask. No longer airtight, acrid smoke flooded directly in, stinging my lungs.

I doubled over in a fit of coughing. With the addition of toxic air, my consciousness wavered and cleared in turns. I had a spare respirator, but there was no time to put it on.

【Heh... heheheh.......】

Blue Eye grinned hideously at the devastation around us. It looked as if it was already celebrating victory.

As it slowly straightened up, the collapsed containers—no longer serving any restraint—crashed down around it. Blue Eye... If it were named Heavy, it would have been more fitting.

But I hadn't yet used all my options. What caught my eye were the anchoring bolts installed throughout the warehouse sector.

If the exoskeleton was the problem, I just had to rip it off, didn't I?If its blue beam attack was the problem, I just had to shove the plasma cutter down its throat, didn't I?

Fueled by a near-obsessive will to live, to survive, my plasma cutter formed a vivid blue edge.

I would not make the same mistake twice. Here, I would kill it.

To make sure it could never escape.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=This is intense.【༼ง=ಠ益ಠ=༽o:【】:::::::〉】

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