(I'm back stronger than ever ^-^ Thank you all for your patience)
It was a fleeting and heartless spectacle, like a single leaf at the mercy of the wind.
The butterflies possessed long proboscises. Their sharp sucking tubes, curled up like mainsprings, extended at speeds invisible to the naked eye. Extension took an instant; retraction took an instant. Even for a Nen user, human reaction speeds and physical abilities were far from sufficient to dodge them completely. Their power could pierce the earth and easily shatter stone. If hit, they would penetrate a human body as if it hadn't been there to begin with.
This was likely the true nature of the attack that had breached my red crystal. It possessed a speed that Quinn could not fully react to, coupled with enough power to damage the main body's armor. It was not an opponent that could be fought head-on.
Yet, Katroi was in the midst of that rain of thrusts. Amidst the pouring barrage of madness, he was still alive. The figure there was not that of a despairing human wandering the brink of death. That was precisely why he was alive.
He used his ability to sense the enemy's malice and predict the trajectory of their attacks. The opponents were insects that could not be called highly intelligent, and there were no deceptive tactics involved like in interpersonal combat. Attacks by proboscis only extended in a straight line, making the trajectories easy to read. Prediction itself would not be difficult.
However, the enemy possessed speed that rendered such advantages negligible. It was a dimension where, even if predicted, one's reactions could not keep up. Katroi was predicting beyond the prediction. He had to take action before the enemy even harbored definitive malice, or he wouldn't make it in time.
It was not a feat achievable solely through the effects of his ability. It was a condensation of all the martial arts he had accumulated up to this point. Body movement without a single opening, footwork, and lingering awareness (Zanshin). His way of life, focused solely on avoiding rather than attacking, was right there.
Even with such skill, evasion was hanging by a thread. The attacks grazed him, slipping past by the breadth of a single layer of skin. Dodging even one shot could only be called an unexpected miracle.
And such attacks continued incessantly. Five enemies were attacking him all at once. Why was he still standing? How could he keep dodging? It had transcended the realm of what could be explained by theory or probability.
The aura rising from his body could not be called beautiful, even as flattery. Even understanding his constitution, it was shockingly raw. It was the exposed nature of a human being. Dependence on life, attachment to desire. There were no ideals patched together with grace or neatness.
terrified, thinking of regrets, struggling to live. That figure was equivalent to prey cornered by a carnivore. Attracted to that weakness, the enemies ignored me standing nearby and targeted only him as if mad. They didn't realize he was releasing his aura specifically so they "wouldn't let him get away."
As if looking into a mirror, my own weaknesses were reflected in him. It evoked emotions I had unconsciously denied within myself. Unable to accept that, I loathed him and wanted to attack him to blame someone else.
Surely, the mechanism of his aura was simple. He did not deny his own weakness, and he did not hide it more than others. He feared, lamented, and agonized just like anyone else, and he accepted all of it as himself.
He was just a human. He was likely the human with the most common sensibilities among those I had seen, yet at the same time, perhaps a human far removed from the ordinary.
Those born with the tough spirit of a warrior, or those who had grown by overcoming numerous brushes with death, would not understand. They could not possibly imagine a human who remained purely human yet never stopped fighting.
Just like the butterflies, I could not take my eyes off him. Forgetting that we were in combat, I watched his every move.
I left the combat to Quinn. As long as the network between Quinn and the main body was severed, I could not visually see the situation outside the inventory bag. The information Quinn saw and heard was merely stored in her brain and not shared with the main body. It was temporary information that would be lost if Quinn died.
Therefore, the main body used En to watch Katroi's movements. When he drew the enemy in and revealed an opening, Quinn would finish them off with Cyst Bullets. During that time, the main body continued to observe Katroi.
I felt I had to record his spirit, his technique, and his life in vivid detail.
What is a human?
I once asked the squad members that. The question bought derision, and I was asked in return if I wanted to become a philosopher.
This question, which I thought anyone human could answer, turned out to be far more difficult than I imagined. Even if a philosopher spent a lifetime exploring it, a universal conclusion would likely not emerge.
So, could I, who was not even human, ever really know? No matter how much I observed their outward appearance, the truth was unfathomable. If mimicking their form was enough, I wouldn't need to rack my brain like this.
Quinn was running through the forest carrying Katroi on her back. He had already breathed his last.
He hadn't been able to fully dodge the butterfly's proboscis. Rather, it was abnormal that he had kept dodging without being hit for so long. Even then, it wasn't a direct hit, but a mere scratch; however, the poison that entered through it killed him.
During the battle, his movements never dulled even while affected by the poison. I didn't know the strength or type of the poison, but I could imagine it wasn't something one could move through with mere endurance. Immediately after I defeated the last butterfly, he stopped moving as if his strings had been cut.
I don't know how to express my emotions right now.
Would a normal human shed tears here? Regret being unable to protect him? Be grateful for being saved? Praise the pride of a warrior who fought for his comrades?
None of these seemed the appropriate expression to describe my heart. One thing I could say with certainty was that it was "regrettable."
I wanted to talk to him more. He knew many things I did not. I wanted to learn more martial arts from him. The dance he showed me on the verge of death earlier was magnificent. I was captivated to the point of forgetting to breathe.
It's still not enough. I want to know him more. That wish will no longer come true. It is a loss so great I cannot give up on it, and my heart is maddeningly disturbed.
Perhaps that is why I am carrying his corpse. Once dead, it is no longer a "living thing," but a "thing." There is no need to run while carrying baggage that hinders movement. According to military regulations, the bodies of squad members who die during the Dark Continent investigation are to be disposed of on-site, except when they become research materials. Leaving it behind would actually be the correct action.
If so, it means I have found value in this corpse beyond that of mere baggage.
I finally realized the reason.
Quinn's pace, which had been constant, slowed down and eventually came to a complete halt.
Good news reached the survey ship Quantum Road. The final expedition had ended, and the survey team had finally acquired a Return and was heading back. The difficult construction work on the docking harbor had reached its limit, and Commander Andarm used the achievement of acquiring the Return as an opportunity to announce the suspension of construction. The news gave hope to the exhausted crew. The long-awaited time to return home was approaching.
Upon departure, the unit consisted of four members and one "girl." They had completed the investigation and survived, though they suffered one casualty.
The calamity designated as Estimated Threat Level B, "Worm," possessed the characteristic of spawning eggs in the eyeballs of living creatures upon visual contact. Due to this, many members were eaten alive by Worm larvae during the initial contact. Those who escaped by removing their eyeballs before hatching were driven to blindness and lost their lives on the return journey.
Using that lesson, various countermeasures were taken, but during the next expedition, the appearance of a strengthened Worm individual resulted in two infections. However, since they operated with one eye constantly closed, they were able to avoid total blindness.
It could be called a heroic achievement. Andarm praised the returning members unreservedly. At least, that's how it appeared on the surface.
Of course, inwardly, this man was dissatisfied. He didn't care about the safety of the returning soldiers. His primary concern was the Return they brought back.
According to the report, it was an ore that affected surrounding gravity. From Andarm's perspective, his honest thought was, 'So, what use is that?' If it had been an "Inexhaustible Stone" that produced 20,000 kilowatts of electricity a day just by being placed in water, Andarm would have had no complaints. Its value would be obvious at a glance.
Proceeding with analysis might lead to a historic discovery for the advancement of humanity, but at this stage, it wasn't clear what concrete benefits it would bring. What Andarm sought was immediate, material profit, not theories scholars simply kneaded around on their desks.
His political enemies waiting back home would likely show the same general view. And they would undoubtedly use this to pick apart Andarm's achievements. They were a bunch who worked hard to find fault with others whenever there was an opening. To them, the most important thing was the name value of the Return.
If Andarm had completed the docking harbor without delay, there would be no criticism. Even a Return of uncertain utility would be a credit added to the original mission. However, having thrown enormous costs into the gutter and failed the primary mission, bringing back garbage would certainly make him a target of censure.
He wanted a revolutionary Return that could cancel out the mission's failure. For the 200-plus squad members who died for such a worthless pebble, he had only feelings of scorn for their incompetence.
However, there was no helping what wasn't there. He could only consider the existing possibilities. He had one more important, unavoidable job left. The problem of what to do with the girl who accompanied this investigation.
If she would be beneficial to the United States, he wouldn't be averse to allowing her to stay on board. The topic of rescuing a girl left on the Dark Continent would be good to have, if only to give this investigation a little meaning. Since official records remained stating she cooperated with the investigation and contributed to acquiring the Return, he could no longer leave her behind without reason.
That said, she wasn't an existence he could welcome without thought. Andarm had Quantum investigate Quinn's movements. Not only that, but he had rigged even the equipment given to her. The mask Quinn wore had a built-in eavesdropping microphone and small camera, which had already been recovered.
He had a general grasp of the actions Quinn took during the operation. Her abilities were also identified. He had grasped her humanity and its transition. Understanding that she was an extremely dangerous existence, could she be tamed as our "comrade"?
On this ship, there was a "Guide" who had ridden along when crossing the Boundary Sea Region. A demi-human summoned by the Gatekeeper clan; negotiations with them were the jurisdiction of the Permit Agency, so Andarm wasn't informed of the details. However, it was certain they were indispensable for navigating the Dark Waters.
But in the five investigations conducted in the past, the survey teams met ends where they brought calamities back to their own countries due to the Guide's intentions. It wasn't that they directly took such actions, but it was a fact that they dared to overlook humanity's mistakes. Some experts predicted this might be a "reprimand" by the Guides, but being made to bring back threats capable of destroying humanity for such a reason was unbearable.
Guides possessed both benevolent and malevolent aspects toward humanity. What meaning would this girl's rescue hold for them? Considering past cases, he wanted to hear their opinion, whether affirmative or negative.
The answer was neither. 'Do as you like,' was all he said.