- Clack, hiss...
"Damn it."
I force my eyes open as wide as they'll go.
If I want any chance of dodging that thing, I'm going to need this.
Haa... Even if I survive and win, I don't think I'll be walking out of here.
Feeling an absurdly, absurdly, absurdly unfair sort of misery, I grab my sword and charge.
At the end of the day, if I keep my strength loose, I should be able to slip past that dogshit weapon too.
And besides, this isn't even a one-on-one fight to begin with.
"I'll carve it into your eyes."
- Ziiing. Slash!
Ms. Ryoshu's sword, the one that cuts through the space of a W Corp identity, grazes Ahab's body.
"I won't miss!"
Ahab immediately counters, but Ms. Ryoshu twists her body cleanly and avoids the attack.
However, Ahab's attack doesn't end with a simple thrust. The instant she stabbed, spikes burst out, and she swung them straight toward Ms. Ryoshu.
- Boom!
"That won't do."
That attack is casually blocked by Mr. Hong Lu, who is using a K Corp Grade 3 employee identity and a collapse blade linked to K Corp's Singularity.
Right after that comes Ms. Ishmael, who has somehow switched to a Liu Association identity.
"Too slow!"
"You're the one who's slow."
Ahab immediately tries to swing her arm around and block Ms. Ishmael, but I jump in at exactly that timing.
I swing my sword and block the nearest harpoon tip, opening a path for Ms. Ishmael.
"One."
- Fwoosh, bang. Boom!!
Three consecutive hits slam into a body with no real means of defense.
Ah, right. If I'm going to interfere once, I should do it all the way.
I let my sword snake in and entangle it between the harpoon points. If she wants to clear this and defend, she'll at least have to win a strength contest against me.
Of course, if she fights me properly, I'm doomed—but how many attacks will she have to eat in the meantime?
"That filth..."
- Boom!!! Grgrgrk, boom. Boom!!!!!
"I'll tear it off!!"
One hit. Ahab weaves her arms this way and that, but I skillfully avoid the parts where the harpoons protrude and follow her movements.
"It's wide open."
- Slash, slash, Boom!!
Two hits. The strength I'm using to hold her back is starting to weaken. Ahab must have seen a real chance to break free, because she starts moving more carefully.
"Allez!"
- Thunk, thunk!!
Three hits. The joints are getting dangerously unstable now. I naturally pull my blade back and seize an opening to attack.
And at that exact moment, Mr. Heathcliff comes in.
Huh?
"Hey, wait—"
"First Mate Starbuck, freedom is right in front of us!"
- Clack, hiss...! Slash, stab stab stab stab stab, slash!!
He chose the worst possible timing to jump in, and gets impaled on Ahab's harpoon tips and lifted up 그대로.
And then, with every harpoon tip, thunk.
Oof... Well. That's some terrible luck.
Still, if the gas burned off a substantial amount, then it's fine.
Let's at least pray for his soul. That was a brutal way to die.
But I still have to do what I have to do. Let's not let Mr. Heathcliff's death go to waste.
I swing the sword I pulled free and land a hit.
"Burn."
- Fwoosh! Slash!
"Tch..."
Damn, she's sturdy. I only hit her clothes, not even E.G.O., and it still came out like this.
Even so, I did manage to break her stance.
In the brief opening that appeared, every Sinner in front of me rushes in one after another.
Nine... ah, eight, since Mr. Heathcliff died.
The eight attacks are enough to burn through all of Ahab's next gas, and right after that, Ahab regains her posture and shoves all the Sinners back with a loud roar.
...Now there's only one left.
"Queequeg, I... don't want to cut you down too..."
"All of this is because of you, Ishmael! Because you tried to forcibly drag out the deeply buried heart of this thing, this happened! Ha! It's your fault again, Ishmael!"
- Hiss... Clack, bang!
"Look at her properly! The faith she barely held together so she wouldn't become a mermaid is collapsing, and she's dying white before your eyes!!"
At last, Queequeg's own self begins to be fed into Ahab's harpoon and burn away.
Hah, look at the size of that harpoon. One hit from that and I'm dead on the spot.
And considering how Ahab has been roughly copying the crew's combat styles until now... is that a counterattack form?
Take the hit head-on, then counter. Nasty. It's a terrible matchup for me too.
At least the Liu Association identity is sturdy, so it's less affected...
I don't know. Something will work out. Either way, whether I get hit to death or win clean, I'm guaranteed to be exhausted when this fight ends.
Besides, the painkillers haven't even worn off yet, and I'm feeling pain anyway to the point of overdosing.
I should just hold my sword quietly. If I'm going to lie down whether I live or die, I'd rather win.
I charge in first. Since I have no fear of death, it's better if I keep her from counterattacking as much as possible.
And she isn't even holding a harpoon in one hand—she's replaced one arm with a giant harpoon. In that state, delicate movement is practically impossible.
I slip under Ahab's harpoon and cut downward.
- Slash.
One hit. The harpoon comes down immediately, but I don't stop and fling my body sideways.
After rolling once, the harpoon slices across my body twice.
Damn it, she's tracking me like a bastard. I guess I should be grateful it didn't fire and punch a giant hole straight through me.
I've got a wound on my body. It's not huge, but I can't ignore it.
...Is this right? Can I even do anything?
"Hyaa!"
- Slash!
And she's not just counterattacking once, either.
The earlier strike didn't even feel satisfying...
Maybe because she's using people as fuel. Why is it so effective? Mr. Dongrang's identity wasn't this good unless I had enough time.
While I'm catching my breath and thinking for a moment, I feel a strange ripple from the other side.
...Ms. Ishmael? No, that's...
"I failed."
<...!>
A hallucination? I can't identify it properly.
Ms. Ishmael, overlaid by a sudden white membrane like the captain's.
"In the end, I couldn't solve anything. Pathetically, I only survived by clutching my friend's coffin all by myself."
That voice reaches everyone.
Mr. Dante, Ms. Ishmael, me, and even Ahab.
"Hahahahaha!! That's right! Ishmael! In the end, you couldn't save a single one of the sailors who were with you! You'll quit again. Because you're afraid! Because you think you can't do it!"
"Ms. Ishmael! Don't listen to her! She's just spouting nonsense!"
"......"
Ms. Ishmael wavers.
...She really is a handful.
"Hey, Ms. Ishmael. Can you hear me? If you can, nod."
Ms. Ishmael's head moves faintly.
I step in front of her. I lightly cover my ear, and make her face me directly.
"Don't listen. Really—do you think there's nothing you can do? Are you going to give up because you made one mistake, and forget how to keep moving?"
"......"
"You can't answer, right? I know. I've had similar thoughts. From where I stand, the best thing at times like that is... just start walking. Even if you can't see ahead, go where your feet take you. Living isn't that hard. So for now, don't listen to that nonsense. Got it?"
I know that even if I say this, it won't fully get through.
Old anger and gaslighting don't disappear because someone says a few words, and it might even backfire.
But I believe I've built up a fair amount of trust with Ms. Ishmael over the course of this journey.
So instead of a message, I shake her mind as a person.
"......"
Ms. Ishmael's eyes tremble. What is she thinking?
Anger? Or is she embarrassed that I'm doing this? Either way, it doesn't matter. The deep gloom in those eyes feels a little lighter now.
Even if it isn't a perfect solution, it should definitely help her move forward for now.
I quietly step away and look back at Mr. Dante.
"Haa... Sorry for stealing the cool scene. And... please handle the direction. Comfort is about all I can do."
<...Right.>
Mr. Dante gathers his words and stands before Ms. Ishmael.
"......"
Ms. Ishmael seems deep in thought.
Still, her feet haven't stopped yet. Slowly, but... little by little. One step forward.
I don't know what's fueling her. It could be anger, or some thought that belongs only to her.
What matters to us is that she moved in the end, and Ahab is still alive.
However, Ahab doesn't seem inclined to simply let Ms. Ishmael, who has just started moving again, be.
- Clack. Hiss...!
"Queequeg, my finest harpooner, sever the line in front of you!!"
- Bang───!!!
The moment she finishes speaking, a massive harpoon is fired above Ms. Ishmael, who has just begun to act.
What can stop that is... ah, damn it.
I force my body in and block the harpoon with my sword instead of Ms. Ishmael.
- ──────!!!!!
"...You really are a handful..."
"...!"
"Kgh... I feel like I'm going to die..."
The result is, naturally, a failure.
I'm still alive, but... my hand couldn't withstand the force of the harpoon and let go of the sword, and the harpoon that came through blew off my right arm.
And what followed was a massive impact that tore through my body.
The world is spinning so badly right now I can't even do anything properly.
Ms. Ishmael stares at my mangled state for a moment with confused eyes, then uses that feeling as fuel for her anger.
"Ahab...!!"
"I'm right here, even if I don't say it! If you're not all mouth, come at me!"
"I'll rip that stupid mouth apart first..."
"Then do it. But since you can't, I'm the one doing all the talking! Hahahaha!!"
Ms. Ishmael and Ahab trade blows, both of them burning with fury.
Ah... maybe I should rest a little now. I'm exhausted... I don't even know if I can rewind the clock for this, and I'm bleeding out, so I'll probably die anyway.
Sorry, but I'm going to close my eyes for a bit...
As I lie there waiting to die, Mr. Meursault, who had been beside Mr. Dante, comes over and supports my body.
"Remain still. I will stop the bleeding."
"Huh? I was just..."
"It is the Manager's order. Hup!"
"Wait, aaagh—!"
- Hissssss...
Mr. Meursault, who had apparently put on a Liu Association identity at some point, sears my arm with fire.
Mr. Dante's ord... are these people insane?! Just let me die!!!
"This grudge, one day..."
"Confirmed."
"You son of a bi—!"
I'll get my revenge for this someday...!
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