She clenched the ring set with a black-red gem tightly in her palm.
The sharp thorns on the ring pierced Su Yuzu's palm, causing a stinging pain. Su Yuzu looked at the Holy Relic she had just obtained, feeling the cheers and jubilation of the evil soul within it. It had accepted her.
The "Holy Relic - Evil. Taboo of the Fate Twins" had only one standard for approval: The holder must be one of the twins. Obviously—Su Yuzu met this condition perfectly.
Soon, the convoy of olive-green jeeps had driven out of the urban area. Su Yuzu saw a large number of sentries and fortifications.
"Actually, those ordinary soldiers don't have much use in the face of a real Catastrophe invasion." As they were about to cross the city boundary, Kujou Katora's crimson eyes looked at the group of soldiers with a nearly inorganic, appraising gaze.
"Although they are bolstered by Technology Division equipment, standard-issue gear already has minimal effect when facing Aberrants above the Second Sequence."
"More often than not... the meaning of their existence might just be to prevent some naughty child who kicked their ball out of bounds from trying to cross this line to retrieve it. In the face of a true tide of Catastrophe, even the Assault Department... might be insignificant."
"But they still chose to stand here," Hayabusa said, glancing back at her superior while driving slowly into the checkpoint.
"Because their parents and children are right behind them. Even if they just buy the Assault Department a little time, the lives they save might be the people they once knew."
At a time like this, Kujou Katora surprisingly didn't mention deducting the salary of Hayabusa, who was singing a different tune than her. Hayabusa showed her ID. The non-commissioned officer saluted Hayabusa somewhat solemnly, then wished them good luck.
Hayabusa started the car.
"Did Miss Yuzu see that... there are no women here."
"Because once women are infected by the Catastrophe, they will corrupt into Aberrants, and the difficulty of dealing with Aberrants is much greater than that of Walking Husks."
"So..." Hayabusa looked through the jeep's rearview mirror at Su Yuzu, who was sitting in the back row with Kujou Katora. "Does Miss Yuzu really want to leave the city with us?"
"The reason those soldiers respect us is that everyone in the Fourth Action Division is a 'dead person'. We are a Death Squad."
"But you are different, Miss Yuzu. You are the Young Miss of the Soga clan. Even if you have left the Soga clan, the name of the Soga clan is actually protecting you all along. You don't need to come out and face danger with us."
Su Yuzu looked at Hayabusa in the rearview mirror. She was completely different from her usual pitiful appearance of being the persecuted role. The young woman's gaze in the rearview mirror was sharp and solitary. Just like her name—Hayabusa.
"Was it the same for Miss Hayabusa?"
"My sister encountered a Catastrophe invasion when she was about Miss Yuzu's size," Hayabusa revealed an ugly smile. "I sent her back to the Abyss with my own hands."
Perhaps this was also the reason why Hayabusa was willing to take such care of Kujou Katora. Hayabusa lost a younger sister. And what Kujou Katora lost was an older sister.
"Sorry," Su Yuzu apologized softly.
"There is nothing to be sorry about," Hayabusa continued driving. "Hatred isn't something that can't be spoken of. I just don't want Miss Yuzu to make a choice she hasn't thought through in a muddled state."
In Hayabusa's view, Miss Yuzu was completely different from herself and Lady Kujou. Miss Yuzu was a girl living in the light. Even if she was just on the edge of the Soga clan's spotlight, it was far brighter there than anywhere else.
But people like them were just dead spirits hiding in the shadows. Until the final moment before their collapse, they wanted to bite a piece of flesh off the Catastrophe.
"I have a reason I must go," Su Yuzu looked seriously into Miss Hayabusa's cyan eyes. "Under an overturned nest, no egg remains intact."
Miss Hayabusa met Su Yuzu's gaze through the rearview mirror. She didn't know why... she suddenly had a strange feeling. It was as if she and the others were the embers in a novel that would burn everything they had to release the last bit of light. And Miss Yuzu... was the protagonist who shone with boundless radiance and was destined to save the world.
Hayabusa didn't dislike that feeling. It didn't matter at all if she was just embers or whatever. If Miss Yuzu could save the world, then even if she died, she would probably smile very happily.
"Good luck to you."
After leaving the urban area, what came into Su Yuzu's view was boundless wilderness. Dense herbaceous plants were lush and green under the warm spring sun, even spreading onto the dilapidated highway. But... Su Yuzu could sensitively detect that faint aura permeating the air here that made her feel uncomfortable.
"More than ten years ago, this place used to be a major population center too. Many people bought houses here and took the railway to Tokyo for work during the day."
"And then..." Hayabusa glanced somewhat hesitantly at the rearview mirror.
"There is nothing to hesitate about," Kujou Katora looked calmly out the car window. "You said it yourself... Hatred isn't something that can't be spoken of."
"This was the main battlefield where the Saintess of the 'Holy Royal Court' intercepted Kujou Iruka seventeen years ago."
"Yes..." Hayabusa nodded gently. "Although Lady Saint Michael successfully intercepted that person... the aura of the Catastrophe still invaded the land."
"For humans, especially for growing children, the influence of the Catastrophe's aura is still severe. There are only a few towns left here now."
"But fortunately... although the land influenced by the Catastrophe's aura is no longer suitable for human habitation, the yields of both agriculture and livestock have increased significantly. The only thing to worry about is whether there will be mutant individuals, like man-eating flowers or something..."
Su Yuzu nodded gently to indicate she understood.
"That report said... that 'Epiphany Manufacture' laboratory is near the sea, correct?" Hayabusa looked through the electronic files.
"According to our investigation, there are a total of two seaside laboratories in Chiba. One is located in the central-southern part of Chiba, near Tokyo Bay. And there is another one at the southernmost tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba. We are currently heading to the first one."
Su Yuzu held her breath. She had a premonition. She sensed that the journey ahead would not be that easy. Otherwise... Option 1 wouldn't have been just ordinary Combat Records, while the reward for Option 2 directly changed into a Holy Relic.
And, it was a Holy Relic quite suitable for her.
*
Keigunen Private Academy, staff residential area.
Soga Yura and Sakura Mai knocked on the wooden door of Unohana Chiyo's home as usual.
"Teacher Chiyo?"
They saw Unohana Chiyo wiping a naginata.
"Are you here to wait for Yuzu? Yuzu won't be coming today. She left the Tokyo metropolitan area with people from the Investigation Bureau to investigate the laboratory behind that Aberrant."
"Wha...t?"
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