Chapter 14: Samael-2, The Truth of That Day

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Have you ever run until you couldn’t breathe?

Until you could taste blood?

"Damn it, please, please, please!!!"

Boom! Boom!

Kiiiishigigigigik!

I poured bullets madly into the swarming Raptures, forgetting even to breathe like a beast as I ran forward—farther forward.

What had happened was this:

The moment I returned from the front lines earlier, word came that the Raptures had attacked the front lines. Tyrant-class Raptures and all the lesser breeds beneath them—

And their numbers were overwhelming, so a request for reinforcements came in.

Ignoring the voices calling after me, I grabbed my gun and ran out like a madman.

From everything I had experienced fighting until now, no squad had ever withstood a Tyrant’s attack. They had all been wiped out. And Samael was in the middle of that battlefield...

"Please... please, don’t do anything stupid. Run away or hide somewhere, you idiot...!!"

He would surely become the target of Raptures that had tasted human blood.

Click!

I spat out saliva, reloaded, and moved forward again.

The aftermath of the battle must have been severe. The ground had been gouged up, fires burned everywhere, and Rapture corpses lay scattered around. But the NIKKEs... were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you...? Come out already! Samael!!"

Thud.

As I shouted in frustration, something fell with a sound that seemed to answer me. Don’t tell me... was that you?

"Samael?! Are you there?!"

Then I caught the smell of blood. Damn it, was he badly hurt? Was that why he couldn’t speak and was lying unconscious?

I immediately found a stretcher nearby and headed toward the smell of blood. He really had to be there; along the way, there were repair kits and medical kits lying on the ground. And when I reached where the scent of blood was strongest—

"You, what are you doing here!......... Huh...?"

Yeah... it really was the smell of blood...

"Uh... ngh... ngh.... nghah... ah?"

For the first time that day, I stood there stupidly, unable to do anything.

The Samael I found that day was...

Drip... drip... drip...

"Nngh... nghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

His neck was gone, his body mutilated and thrown onto the ground.

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And back in the present—

The moment Red Hood finished speaking, no one in the mess hall could say a word. The only sound was Red Hood swallowing her alcohol.

As the Commander, who had remained silent, was about to speak—

"Pfft..."

"...Red Hood?"

"Hahahahahahahaha."

"R-Red Hood?"

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"

Having drained her drink, Red Hood stared at the ceiling and broke into laughter as if she had lost her mind.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

"J-just... calm down..."

"What Goddess Squad... this is what it is..."

"...Rapunzel, take Red Hood inside..."

"What Goddess of Victory is this supposed to beee?!"

Baaang!!! Baaang!!

Before the anxious Commander could even give Rapunzel an order, Red Hood began slamming her head into the table.

"P-please calm down, Red Hood!"

"What Goddess of Victory?! What strongest NIKKE?!"

"Red Hood, calm down!!"

"How can someone who couldn’t even protect one friend be a Goddess of Victory?!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Each time she slammed her head down, images of Samael from the past began to unfold like a panorama.

"Red! What are you doing?"

"Red! Let’s go together!"

"Red! Let’s eat together!"

"Red! Don’t get hurt!"

"Red!"

You... always... called... for me... called me...

"Who is Samael?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!"

"Red Hood!!"

As the nightmare from just moments ago resurfaced in her mind, that thing inside her head began to writhe again.

And just like that—

"Samael..."

"Red Hood!"

With Snow White staring at her in alarm, her head spun and she collapsed backward.

Rapunzel hurried over, examined Red Hood all over, then let out a long breath of relief.

"She’s only fallen asleep. It’s probably stress and... corru—"

"I understand. Then I’ll leave Red Hood to you, Rapunzel."

With that, Rapunzel supported Red Hood and departed. After Snow White also left to perform maintenance, the Commander leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers to his temple.

Strength surpassing Liliweiss’s, and seeing Red Hood suffering to that extent... what that man chose to do would depend on this squad.

"Just what... are you, Sicarius... no, Samael..."

Are you a follower of the Queen...? Or are those actions... acts of resistance...?

"...I’ll have to look through the list of dead soldiers."

There would definitely be a clue there.

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"No, what the fuck? That’s insane."

"Woooow... Rukh, Rukh, this is way bigger in scale than I thought."

So you were a member of the strongest squad, and someone’s boyfriend, and a frontline soldier? Hold on...

When I fought Red Hood earlier, I thought I might find a clue about the owner of this body, so I secretly attached a tiny bug to Red Hood’s clothes...

"Holy shit... wait a second..."

What I heard went beyond anything I could have imagined. Then how did the Queen... make me?

In the original story, male NIKKEs were never created. Most either died or developed mental problems, so it was considered impossible...

Just how did she make me?

"Hmm... more importantly, Rukh? Think about that later."

Tap.

"Ta-da, it’s finished~"

Its name: Vladtan! Wow... that sounds so embarrassingly edgy.

Eclipse placed a red-tinged bullet before me.

Unchained—the only thing capable of wiping out corruption.

To make this, Eclipse had stayed up all night assembling and rearranging my blood!

Right. Let’s focus on reality for now.

Thank you, Eclipse! Hell yeah.

"Buuut? What was the name of this operation again? The one that’ll stop one of the Queen’s plans..."

"Rukh!!"

Mori interrupted Eclipse as she rushed into the cave where I was. Agh, that echoes.

Ah, my persona. Ahem, ahem.

"What is it? Is Janghwa training intensely?"

"That’s... whew... that’s not what’s important!"

"Mori, breathe. I’ll explain."

Janghwa? She came too?

Janghwa followed behind her, her expression full of concern. I had never seen her make that face before.

Janghwa caught her breath for a moment before speaking.

"I heard a local broadcast over the radio..."

After hearing Janghwa’s explanation, I slowly raised the corner of my mouth.

"So... I was wondering if we should relocate our base... Rukh?"

"The time has come."

I put the bullets lying on the rock into my pocket.

Yes. I had waited for this day.

"Mori? Fuel Bippy and the car, then prepare the sniper rifle. And Janghwa? It’s time."

"Ah... I see?"

At my words, Janghwa smiled softly and helped Mori to her feet.

"At last, we get to show the results of your training to deflect lasers?"

"Correct. Now... shall we begin?"

Let’s go save the beautiful princess trapped in a dream.

+ The Truth of That Day,

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Kiiiiing... kiiiiing...

A sudden attack. A horde of Raptures had swarmed in and attacked the base.

Kiiiing...

A gigantic Rapture was looking around the area.

"Please go away... please..."

I was hiding.

The unit, including Azalea and the Horn Squad, had decided to retreat. They said the Commander had run away. Damn it.

As everyone headed toward the sealed tunnel—the only escape route—

Whoooosh!

"It’s a bomb!!"

"Samael, run! Hurry!"

"We’ll be fine! We’ll meet up at the tunnel later!"

A bomb fell, battle broke out, and we were separated. I had to rejoin them quickly...

I was so scared that I gripped the repair box and medical kit I was carrying tightly. I pulled a worn-down cross from my pocket and clutched it. Lord, please let this ordeal pass... please...

Kiiiing... kiiiiing...

Maybe my prayer had been heard. Strangely, the Rapture turned and went in the opposite direction.

Then I ran forward like a madman.

Just as Red had taught me, breathing only through my nose—

Using even my thighs to thrust my legs forward.

She had taught me this so I could use it to run away from thugs in the village...

I had probably never run this hard in my life.

"Huff, huff, I-I'm... here..."

After running for a long while, I saw a black hole in the distance.

The tunnel.

My head was spinning from suddenly running so hard, and I wanted to sit down, but I forced my feet onward.

It was an optimistic thought, but I felt relieved, believing that if I passed through that tunnel, I could live.

Live...

Live... enter a place called the Ark, and just like before...

Return to the ordinary days we had back then...!

"You can’t~"

"...Huh?"

"You can’t run away~"

Craaaack.

In an instant, my body pitched forward, and my vision was pointed at the sky.

My legs... my legs...?

They were gone. No, they had been crushed to pulp.

"Uh... ngh... huh?"

"You’re scared~? But..."

Step, step.

Someone walked over to me in a gentle voice, as though soothing a child, and met my eyes.

"It’s okay. Soon..."

"You’ll become one with the Raptures, you see?"

Pshhk!!

Thud...

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