Story Reader / Arcade Anima / Land of Bliss / Story
Drowning
>Sshk...
Blood gushes from the neck, splattering onto the face of the next person.
The searing stimulus forces an involuntary scream from his throat.
I know where she went! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Don't kill me!
Then you better prepare your excuses in advance. I don't have time to wait for you to calm down.
The crimson figure toys with her small knife and, under the man's terrified gaze, kicks the third fresh corpse off the deck. The waves instantly swallow any trace of that person's existence.
Seeing this, the man grows so tense he dares not swallow in case the blade against his neck would slice his throat open.
She betrayed Kurono like me, and we both ended up at Daedalus.
She seemed perfectly normal at first, carrying out missions and everything for Daedalus... without any issues.
But no one expected she was there for "revenge"! Not even me!
The man's eyes widen as if recalling something terrifying, and he gets agitated once more.
One day, she pulled me aside and told me not to go to work the next day. I... Don't you get it? I knew something was wrong the moment she said it!
...Seems like she trusted you quite a bit.
The man winces, squeezing his eyes shut as he recalls the past.
She also told me that your mission together all those years ago to find the "Key" was fake. It was deliberately staged, and the real "Key" had already been recovered by Daedalus... So she wanted to do something about it.
And she succeeded! She made her move the very next day, not only killing the mastermind who wronged you all but also escaping with the real "Key"! She even managed to scrub away all traces linking her to it!
—Afterward, everyone assumed I was the culprit because I stayed home that day! "She trusted me"? She didn't trust me at all—she was setting me up as the fall guy! I was naive enough to believe her! I was such an idiot!
I always knew everyone from Group 013 was rotten to the core! Especially you! "Hound"!
...
The crimson figure takes a deep breath, seemingly having heard enough of his tedious tale, and decides to cut to the chase.
After all that rambling, I only hear one thing—you don't actually know where she went in the end.
W-wait! I do know! I do! You're asking the right person!
I was in charge of Construct maintenance at Kurono. I knew her well—I even installed tracking devices on her!
Her last known location was in...
With his arms tightly bound, the man casts a puzzled gaze toward the island now clearly visible ahead.
...That island?
Oh? Then we've come to the right place.
H-hold on, that's not right! You knew she escaped to that island all along, didn't you?!
You just wanted confirmation from me... unless... you were planning to kill me all along!
Heh, I only wanted to ask you about her whereabouts originally.
But I just found out something interesting—that tracking procedure back then was your handiwork all along.
You said it yourself—that mission was set up to destroy Group 013, so you must be perfectly aware that you're one of the killers responsible for their deaths.
You've managed to hide quite well all these years.
No, I... I... Just hear me out...
I've heard enough. Time to say goodbye.
Realizing his fate, the man lets out a desperate, agonized scream.
But soon, his screams dissipate across the ocean's surface alongside a splash of crimson.
The screams are replaced by the cries of seabirds, telling Vera that the island is now within reach.
...
She does not shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight, her gaze fixed on the target growing ever closer.
Hah, this is your so-called "paradise"?
She can never forget how the Constructs from Group 013 spoke of this island with such longing in their eyes.
They claimed its beauty was transcendent, even going so far as to describe it as a paradise.
Yet clinging to such fantasies changes nothing about the harsh reality they faced.
...
It was the third day of the siege on them.
Underground Fortress
What's beeping?
Sorry, it's, my, bot.
Group 013 from the Kurono Special Force has just finished an interdiction mission, leading a group of haggard refugees to safety.
Everyone is resting where they are, uncertain when the next Corrupted attack will come.
Hush struggles with her vocal device as she apologizes for disturbing Vera's rest.
...What is it? Still going on about that perfect homeland of yours?
How can you still afford to daydream at a time like this?
As Vera gazes ahead, she notices lengthy text silently scrolling across the bot's screen in the dark fortress—all of it Hush's descriptions of her beautiful homeland.
Having always dismissed such things, Vera finally cannot resist taking a closer look. She wants to see just how beautiful Hush's hometown was to deserve such persistent "advertising".
<i>"There's a beach in front of my home. We called it the 'Rainbow Beach'."</i>
<i>"The 'Rainbow Beach' has very shallow waters. Shoals of fish will appear at high tide, and the coral beneath reveals itself when the tide recedes."</i>
<i>"The corals are so colorful. They gleam in the sunlight."</i>
Vera sneers after scanning the text briefly.
It's just ordinary stuff... What's the point of remembering any of this?
T-there's a point!
Hush gestures animatedly—she claims she was the last person alive on the island, fortunate enough to receive Kurono's modifications.
She says she must document her homeland—otherwise, no one would ever know its beauty again.
She says that the Punishing Virus outbreak will end one day, and she will return to her homeland.
Hahaha! How naive can you be?
The Punishing Virus has swept across the whole world. No one can escape this disaster, not even that little island of yours.
Those beautiful sights you described? They're all gone. Who knows—maybe your precious "Rainbow Beach" is now filled with the corpses of your fellow villagers.
...
Vera.
Oh, is our do-gooder captain playing the good guy again?
I wonder how long it will take you to come up with an actual battle plan.
Vera
BPN-13
Vera, designation BPN-13, is a support-type Construct from Kurono.
Kurono "excavated" this fiery Construct from the ruins of a battlefield.
She presented Kurono with a mountain of Corrupted corpses she had slain—the most impressive resume.
She has become Kurono's property ever since.
However... it is quite evident that this "property" is rather difficult to control.
...There's no need to speak like that, Vera.
Tch.
Catching her captain's stern, disapproving look, Vera just gives an indifferent shrug.
—The "cordiality" displayed in this team makes Vera sick to her stomach.
Hah, you're Kurono's lapdog, so why bother putting on this facade of kindness?
Good thing we're not competing with other squads on this mission—otherwise, you all would've shown your true colors after being trapped here for so many days.
I know you despise teamwork, but these are your orders. You must comply.
Bring the "Key" back yourself if you're so capable. Feel free to request to be exempt from all future team operations afterward.
...
This squad of Constructs from the Kurono Special Force arrived at Seaside Town three days ago.
Their mission is to find the "Key".
To be more precise, the "Key" is an unknown authorization that Kurono briefly processed before losing it after the Punishing Virus outbreak. The last intel suggested it had surfaced on the black market.
This black market sits at the edge of the world, having been protected by a CPF that has kept it relatively safe from the Punishing Virus. Their mission seemed straightforward—or so the three-person squad thought.
But disaster struck almost at the exact moment they obtained the "Key".
Countless civilians rushed in from the end of the street, shouting about the spreading Punishing Virus as they fled toward the town's last refuge—the underground fortress.
The number of Corrupted is too overwhelming for even three Constructs. Caught in this unexpected situation, they are also swept along with the crowd, taking refuge in the underground fortress.
They have been spending their days fighting one defensive battle after another, right up until today.
The fortress still has plenty of supplies. At least the people here had the foresight to prepare...
Vera... lend me a hand and move the wounded to the back... We'll focus on their treatment...
Her captain's voice fades in and out, but Vera is focused on her own secret mission... one concerning the "traitor".
Now that her entire team is trapped underground, Vera is not going to accomplish anything if she keeps on stalling. Is it time for her to make a choice?
Should she continue her observation or heed what her higher-ups suggested and eliminate the target outright...?
"Hound"! Did you hear me?
!
The target of her "secret mission" suddenly appears before her, startling Vera for a moment.
Stop spacing out. The three of us Constructs are the only ones with the strength to carry the wounded down here. You aren't seriously expecting those refugees who haven't eaten for days to do it, are you?
...
Perfect timing. I have something to ask you.
...?
Where's the "Key"?
Why?
You said I can bring the "Key" back myself if I'm capable. You have it right now, so hand it over.
...Are you serious? Do you realize you're disobeying orders?
I'm not disobeying anything. Kurono's rule is survival of the fittest, and I question your capability.
Vera looks over with an ambiguous half-smile, staring directly into Hey's eyes.
Everyone can sense something discordant fermenting slowly within the group.
I'm warning you, Vera. Stop provoking me.
Snikt.
Hey even draws a blade, watching Vera with suspicion. Vera often saw this exact expression on Hey's face when she joined Group 013 six months ago.
That wariness still remains as Vera expected.
...No wonder everyone says it's bad luck teaming up with you.
Hey, why are we just focusing on me? Everyone who has ended up in Group 013 is a piece of work—except for Hush, that bleeding-heart saint.
Aren't you quite the "decorated veteran" yourself? Your last squad was completely wiped out because of your poor decisions, and yet somehow you still have the nerve to be our captain.
My team was sabotaged by another squad because of competition within the Special Force!
...Forget it. There's no point explaining to you. You've never cared about any of this anyway.
After all, you're probably the type who wouldn't hesitate to turn on your own teammates...
If I remember correctly, all the people who joined up with you temporarily on your last mission ended up dead, and they didn't die from a Corrupted attack.
...Oh? Haha.
Vera laughs at the accusation as if mocking the absurdity of such rumors—she realizes that there is also a deep-rooted prejudice beyond mere wariness between them.
But in the next instant, Vera draws her blade and lunges forward with a strike.
That's right, I killed them! What's the point in keeping scum like them alive?
!
CLANG! Their weapons collide almost simultaneously, creating a piercing sound that draws the attention of the refugees huddled in the corner.
They watch the two brawling nervously, but no one intervenes as if they all know this is inevitable. The two kick up clouds of dust like vicious dogs locked in combat, and Vera's red hair occasionally flashes into view.
When the dust settles, a victor is declared.
Vera pins Hey to the ground, her strikingly beautiful face leaning in close.
She whispers into Hey's ear, her soft voice dripping with venom.
I can't stand cowards like you... in every sense of the word. And to think I was just about to look the other way.
...What do you know?
Vera gently taps Hey on her cheek.
Behave yourself. Better not give me anything to use against you.
Hey's eyes flash with defiance as she immediately tries to fight back.
Feisty, aren't you?
Vera rises to her feet, pressing down hard on Hey's body with her boot. She raises her blade, ready to plunge it.
Ve—ra! Ve—ra! Please, stop!
Suddenly, a small, slender figure darts out from nowhere, throwing herself in front of Vera and clumsily pleading for Vera to stop.
Vera freezes, giving Hey the perfect window for a retaliating strike with her blade.
Move! Do you have any idea what she's done...
Mh-hm!
It turns out that the dust has not settled until now—shielding Vera with her body, Hush stops Hey's blade from thrusting into Vera. Instead, Hey's blade cut into Hush's arm instead.
Both combatants freeze, staring at the vital fluid dripping to the ground in shock.
...
...
Did you lose your mind?! Why the hell did you get involved?!
Hey also stands up with a pale face. She is recalling what Vera whispered to her earlier.
—Indeed, she too has secrets. There are [more important matters] to attend to.
Compared to that, this squad, this mission to find the "Key", even this entire town that is about to fall to the Punishing Virus... None of them matters.
Urgh... I'm, fine.
Bandage it now! There's a first aid kit over there!
N-no... pain. Me, not in pain.
Why?
Hey stands frozen for a moment before rushing to the medical kit and rummaging through it for bandages.
What am I doing...? The other matter is far more important, while these two... They're nothing but deadweight... obstacles, even...
Hey mumbles as if trying to convince herself.
She even said she's not in pain...
Despite that, Hey returns with human-use medical gauze and carefully wraps it around Hush's wound, pulling it tight.
I... didn't mean to hurt you...
This is all we have for now. I'm sorry.
Vera says nothing, simply applying pressure to Hush's wound. She has observed how Hey stumbled away, rummaged for supplies, and repeatedly apologized.
Hush shakes her head at her remorseful captain as new text appears on the bot that "speaks" for her—
<i>"It's okay. My pain module is virtually non-existent. I'm not in pain."</i>
Hush had congenital analgesia—the inability to feel pain—as a human, so her pain threshold as a Construct is extremely high, making her the perfect vanguard to charge into danger. This minor wound means nothing to her.
I'm sorry...
Hey has been considering desertion for a long time.
—But she still apologized, perhaps because she didn't want to hurt her teammate.
Tsk.
Vera balks at the scene, her brow furrowing as she clicks her tongue and sheathes her blade.
Vera was ready to kill just moments ago, but seeing Hey's reaction just now makes her retract her aggression irritably.
So, do you have anything you want to confess, then?
Hey avoids Vera's interrogating gaze, her mind visibly racing.
—They have been trapped in this underground fortress for three days, their chances of survival dwindling by the hour. Escaping Kurono seems increasingly impossible.
Hey does not know how Vera finds out her escape plans, but in this confined, isolated place, having her deepest secret exposed produces an inexplicable shiver—a feeling almost like excitement.
Should she be honest... before all hope is lost?
Should she be honest about her selfish desire?
I...
BEEP—
The alarm blares suddenly, bringing their first confrontation since being trapped to an abrupt end.
...The Corrupted are back to tear through our paper-thin defenses.
...
The chance to sit down and be honest is gone. Hey closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and pulls out the mission recorder, speaking directly into it.
Survival is now the only thing that matters. She still has a team to lead.
...I'm recording the latest operations of Group 013 of the Kurono Special Force.
We've been trapped for <color=#ff4e4eff>three days</color>, and we're still unable to contact HQ. Another wave of Corrupted is incoming, and we'll do our best to defend the fortress, prioritizing the protection of the "Key"... and the refugees.
Mission personnel: "Hummingbird", captain. "Moth", vanguard. "Hound", support.
..."Moth" is injured, so "Hound" will be taking point temporarily.
Her recording completed, Hey puts down the mission recorder and looks toward her two team members.
Let's go, "Hound". This is our job.
This is the first time I've ever hated my codename this much. I'm being ordered around like a dog every day.
"Hound"—Vera lets out a scornful sneer, picks up her weapon, and grudgingly accepts the arrangement.
Whatever... Can't be bothered to learn your names anyway. You'll keep the nicknames I gave you—consider us even.
...
Vera secures Hush at the rear before following Hey, her captain.
Hey seems to be quite shaken by the friendly fire. Besides M.I.N.D. disturbance from spending too long underground, Vera cannot think of any other reason for her to look so devastated.
Suddenly, Vera feels a searing heat.
She looks up and notices a crack in the ceiling of the fortress. Sunlight streams through, so bright it is almost blinding.
...
Vera strokes the sunlight, murmuring to herself.
Is it noon already?
They have been in the bunker for too long. If not for the refugees dying one after another, she would have thought that time had stood still. Only Hush's bot still displays today's date.
In truth, it has been <color=#ff4e4eff>30 days</color> since they were trapped in here.
Vera remains unaware of Hey's inner turmoil, focused solely on staying alive—and, if she can, completing the mission along the way.
Under a noon sun that is equally blinding in its brightness, a wave pushes sea foam onto the shore, along with a completely drenched human.
You remain lost in a dream of drifting and sinking.
A vivid crimson figure seems to flash before your eyes, compelling you to reach out and grasp it—
A silken, delicate sensation slides across your fingertips.
No, it doesn't seem like a dream. It feels so real... that it's like lost memories.
Is your head still hurting?
As long as the hematoma doesn't go away... I'm afraid you'll stay pretty lousy for the time being...
Your hands struggle instinctively, trying to grasp this shadow—you only manage to relax slightly when you feel that familiar silky texture again.
Tch, what's your obsession with my hair? Let go.
Did you hear me? I said let go.
...Forget it. I'll just chop them off.
A tremendous force strikes your face, causing you to instinctively release your grip.
Splash—
Another wave slaps against your face.
Enduring the needle-like pain throughout your body, you frown as you force your eyes open, your waterlogged self struggling to take in your surroundings.
This appears to be an abandoned, desolate island. The buildings have been severely wind-blown, sun-baked, and eroded, the paint on their walls peeling away in numerous places.
There seem to be no other living creatures around besides curious seabirds.
You remove your heavy, waterlogged coat and almost immediately discover that all your equipment has been thoroughly removed.
Even the special tracking device Lee gave you has been taken.
Whoever did this operated with extreme caution and has an astonishing familiarity with standard Babylonia military uniforms.
You finally breathe a sigh of relief after checking for your most crucial equipment. The situation is still under control.
Vera's words before your departure still linger in your ears.
Vera leans in and whispers the confidential details of this mission to you.
Listen up. You won't have the Gray Ravens following you this time. The mission rating isn't high enough to warrant a bunch of "babysitters".
Though it's a classified mission concerning Kurono, your core objectives are simply to find the "Key", make a trade on the side, and figure out the location of the "chest".
Let me make this clear one last time—your job is to be the bait and nothing more.
You can't catch a wolf without risking the lamb. Be good and "sell" yourself according to the plan, and the rest will fall into place. Understand?
Nope.
Seeing how you are completely unfazed by her intimidation, Vera gives a dissatisfied little smile.
Has the puppy finally learned? Oh well, I'll stop toying with you.
Here, say "aaah"—open your mouth.
Vera grips your cheeks and forces your mouth open, implanting a microscopic tracker behind your teeth.
Hmm, alright... alright, almost there.
Vera "comforts" you unnecessarily as she flicks a finger against your canine tooth, satisfied.
Nice teeth you've got.
Don't glare at me like that. This is a necessary procedure.
That whistle I gave you is probably useless now. Do you still remember the signals I made you practice?
Good. Be precise with the timing when the time comes—call me when you think it's right.
I'll be there right away.
You struggle to stand up from the beach. Before you can fully steady yourself, several figures appear in the distance, approaching you.
They make no attempt to conceal their identity—the Aurora Squadron emblems on them are particularly conspicuous.
Standing alone on the beach, you can barely resist the urge to call for your ally—but you ultimately suppress the impulse.
Soaking wet in the sea breeze, you slowly raise your hands, signaling you are not a threat.
The Aurora Squadron members do not waste words either. They kick you down before dragging you away unceremoniously.
Splash—
Another wave crashes onto the shore, washing away everyone's footprints and erasing all traces of your presence.
