Chapter 320 : Those I Wanted to Protect
Chapter 320: Those I Wanted to Protect
Clink. Clink.
The Module Chips inside the pouch in my hand clinked against one another.
Even after carefully selecting only the worthwhile ones, there was still quite a haul.
As expected of High-Level Adaptees, each of them had been equipped with a large number of Modules.
The satisfying weight in my hand lifted my mood.
As I contentedly toyed with them, I looked down at the people sprawled across the ground.
The surrounding forest had been reduced to a complete mess by the aftermath of the fierce battle.
Huge craters dotted the area, and those who had challenged me were scattered across their slopes.
I hadn't gone so far as to take their lives.
At the end of the day, they had only done it to make a living.
It didn't sit right with me to kill people who served as one of the city's primary pillars of public security over something like this.
Well...
That was just an excuse.
The truth was, I simply felt like letting them go.
Enough humans were already dying as it was.
There was no need to add more corpses to the pile.
So I decided to show them a little mercy.
However...
“You there. Get up.”
“......Yes, sir.”
The one whose eyes met mine struggled to his feet.
With only his left arm remaining while his right arm and both legs had been severed, he seemed to have quite a difficult time standing.
At first glance, it looked like a serious injury.
But in this world, people could detach and reattach their limbs almost as a hobby.
There wasn't much to worry about.
“You're Yamato, right?”
“......Yes, sir. I hold the title of the Orange Fixer.”
“I'm not interested in that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I've got a few questions.”
“Yes, sir. Ask away.”
Yamato answered with remarkable obedience.
Part of it was probably fear toward me.
More likely, though...
That was simply the kind of person he was.
Not that it mattered.
“Why did you attack me?”
“It was the Defense Force Commander's orders......”
“No. I'm not asking about your objective. I'm asking about your judgment. Did you really believe you had a chance against me?”
“......Yes.”
After hesitating briefly, Yamato nodded awkwardly.
He had genuinely believed he could defeat me.
When I looked at him with disbelief, Yamato hurriedly began making excuses.
“N-No... it's just... You have two Game Changer-Class Modules, right? But if you added up all of ours, we had more than that. So we thought that if we coordinated properly, maybe we'd stand a chance......”
Because of the powerful weapon known as Modules, every Adaptee in this world had become superhuman.
Even so...
Humans had never been creatures capable of easily defeating three opponents at once.
Even the so-called Swordmasters of medieval Europe supposedly taught,
"If you're facing more than three enemies, just run."
In the end...
Numbers were everything.
From the number of Lv.5 Arcane Modules to sheer manpower...
They must have believed there wasn't a single aspect where they were at a disadvantage.
“Besides, the Stingray Group doesn't have a leader right now, so we figured you couldn't expect much backup from your side either... We thought maybe if we overwhelmed you with numbers, we'd somehow manage......”
The further he spoke...
The more embarrassment seeped into his voice.
Even he seemed to realize just how arrogant that line of thinking had been.
His face flushed red as he scratched his head with his remaining arm.
I questioned him again.
“You still thought that after watching me fight?”
“That's exactly why we thought this was our chance. According to the reports Headquarters sent us, your [Tech Blade] consumes an enormous amount of energy. Since you've been using it continuously since yesterday, we assumed you wouldn't have much energy left......”
I'd blown apart the Stingray Headquarters Building.
I'd fought the Ninja Corps.
I'd even torn Behemoth apart.
From their perspective...
My strength should've been greatly diminished by now.
Their intelligence network could never have imagined that I'd obtained a [Mana Battery] through the Module Gacha.
Naturally...
They also knew nothing about my Lv.6 Modules.
As Yamato continued rambling through his excuses...
He suddenly said something rather strange.
“A-And... now that I've come back to my senses, I understand reality... but back then... I genuinely felt like we could win. One side of my mind knew we couldn't beat you, but another side kept whispering, 'Why not give it a shot? He's exhausted too. We might actually pull this off.' Those thoughts just kept flooding into my head......”
“......”
“P-Please don't look at me like I'm pathetic. Compared to you, we may not be much, but everyone here is still among the ten strongest people in the city......”
“Enough.”
“Yes, sir.”
After silencing Yamato, I fell into thought.
Had those emotions they experienced truly been their own?
'...I'm not sure.'
I could wake the others and interrogate them as well.
That would probably let me determine the truth with certainty.
But...
There was nothing to gain from uncovering the exact answer.
I'd already witnessed the Sky Dragon manipulating people however it pleased.
Even if I learned it could implant thoughts directly into the subconscious...
What would actually change?
It would simply be a waste of time.
I had more important things to do.
'Let's head back first.'
Whether the Defense Force sent helicopters or rescued them some other way...
Someone would take care of these people.
I'd be taking all the valuable Modules.
But fundamentally...
They were still capable fighters.
There was no need to worry.
“Module Online, [Dimension Jump].”
I immediately activated the Module I'd obtained from the Fox Mask.
Incidentally...
There was a story behind this Module's name.
When I had absentmindedly suggested calling it [Dimension Jump], simply because it meant "jumping across dimensions,"
Miyu had immediately objected with all her might.
—Do you understand, Aaron? Dimensional travel is impossible. To begin with, what exactly do you mean by "jumping dimensions"? Are you going into one dimension? Two dimensions? Five or more dimensions? Or do you mean traveling to another parallel world?
No. If you actually jump dimensions, the only result is annihilation. Hm? Dragons cross dimensions? That's exactly why the terminology itself is incorrect. No. Mathematically speaking, dimensions mean something completely different. Therefore, naming this Module "Dimension Jump" is an insult to every Modular in existence...... (Omitted)
And so...
While I was recharging my energy, I had no choice but to sit through Miyu's impromptu lecture on the theory and practical application of spatial movement.
There was no escaping it.
If this had been a university...
It would've easily been a three-credit major course.
And after listening to every minute of that lecture...
Deeply moved by her passionate arguments and unwavering conviction...
I decided to call it [Dimension Jump] anyway.
Who was she to criticize my naming sense when she was the one who came up with names like "You'll Be Healthy! MK.2"?
That alone deserved punishment.
More importantly...
The real issue wasn't even that she thought the name lacked scientific accuracy.
She'd only sulked because I'd strongly rejected the name she wanted.
[Whoosh~ Pop!]
Seriously...
If I had to say,
“Module Online, [Whoosh~ Pop!]”
every single time I activated a Module...
I'd be laughed at wherever I went.
To begin with...
Where had she even come up with the idea for [Whoosh~ Pop!]?
Honestly...
I would never understand how geniuses thought.
...Well, anyway.
The place I arrived at using [Dimension Jump] was, naturally...
Right in front of Miyu's workshop.
Love her or hate her...
When it came to anything related to Modules, I had no choice but to rely on her.
'I just hope she isn't still sulking.'
Even while that worried thought crossed my mind...
The corners of my mouth naturally curled into a smile.
Nothing had ended yet.
Perhaps I was destined to face the worst enemy imaginable.
Yet...
Whenever I thought about those idiots...
I couldn't help feeling this strange warmth.
Of course...
My relationship with them was vastly different from what I'd originally expected when I first arrived in this world.
After the protagonist died...
I had inevitably been forced to continue the scenario in his place.
As a result...
Every path had branched into an entirely different direction.
Irie Elisbell.
Originally, she had been the protagonist's dependable front-line tank and main heroine.
Somehow...
She had ended up becoming the Student Council President.
Her once-tsundere personality had long since all but disappeared.
And ironically...
The girl who had once considered the Stingray Group her mortal enemy...
Had developed feelings for me instead.
Honestly...
I still had no idea what I was supposed to do about her.
Silence.
He, too, had once resented the Stingray Group.
Yet somehow...
He had become the dependable eldest brother of the Stingray Special Class.
After getting together with Raina, he seemed to have overcome much of his past trauma.
Even his ruined body had recovered considerably.
Because of that...
Unlike in the original story, he probably wouldn't end up retiring early after recklessly pushing himself during the final climax.
Hobeop.
Because the timeline of events had changed...
His fate had become thoroughly twisted as well.
Who could've imagined that the kind and righteous young monk from the original story...
Was actually a battle maniac who loved fighting more than anyone else?
Even now...
Whenever I remembered discovering that truth...
My cheek still tingled as though I'd been slapped.
Raina.
She had originally been nothing more than an extra who appeared briefly in a single episode before disappearing.
Now...
She had somehow become the party's primary firepower.
It was surprising enough that someone who fell in love so easily had fallen for Silence.
Even more surprising...
Was that after doing so, she'd abandoned that habit entirely and devoted herself wholeheartedly to him alone.
Ciel.
The pitiful Android who had once served as the party's comic relief...
Had found her own path as an individual.
Even now...
I could summon her whenever I wished.
But after Honeycomb City...
I painfully realized that constantly dragging her into danger while she was trying to hide her identity and adapt to university life wasn't right.
Unless something extraordinary happened...
She would probably continue drifting farther and farther away from the protagonist's group.
Maria.
In the original story...
She had served the greatest enemy.
Now...
Somehow...
She had become something like the party's caretaker.
Who could've imagined that the woman once devoted to the Stingray Group would end up like this?
Evangeline.
The beautiful and brilliant woman...
Had become an adorable little girl attending elementary school.
She was one of the people whose fate had changed the most through the whims of destiny.
Unfortunately...
I had no choice but to remove her from the party as well.
And then...
Miyu.
Alongside Evangeline, she had undergone the greatest physical transformation.
Her black hair with a bluish tint and blue eyes had become the same black hair and golden eyes as mine.
Instead of continuing to be bullied at the Academy like she had in the original story...
She gained confidence through interacting with the professors.
Now...
She had become so assertive that she almost seemed like a completely different person.
Among everyone...
She had probably changed for the better more than anyone else.
Yes.
They were the ones.
The people who made me long for this world.
The people who kept me bound to this world.
The people who made me want to continue protecting this world.
They were my heroes.
My family.
People as precious to me as my own children.
If it meant protecting them...
I probably wouldn't hesitate to throw away my own life.
“......”
Click.
I slowly opened the door to Miyu's room.
The final battle would probably begin soon.
No matter who I was...
I couldn't guarantee how it would end.
Perhaps every one of my efforts would prove meaningless.
Perhaps...
I would be reduced to nothing more than a handful of ashes before the Dragon's Breath.
And perhaps...
This would be my last opportunity.
Even so...
I had to do what needed to be done.
For the people I loved beyond measure.
And for the sake of this world.
With that thought...
I pushed the door open.
“......You're here?”
As always...
Miyu welcomed me.
But...
Her expression was different.
The moment I looked into her eyes, I immediately realized she had something serious she needed to tell me.
Sure enough...
Before I could even say a word—
Miyu looked up at me and said,
“I-I have something I need to tell you.”
I instinctively knew that it would be something extremely important.