Chapter 12

"There's quite a distance to the landing spot. We should get moving."

Specter said this as she stood up energetically. There was no sign of fatigue; she seemed to have recovered in this short time.

Enviable. I... don't feel that tired either.

In the end, Specter accepted that we would go to Rhodes. Or rather, I think she probably decided to leave it all to Kal'tsit, just like I did. And she agreed to accompany us back to Rhodes. Though she seemed a bit reluctant.

From here on, things moved quickly.

All we needed to do was contact Rhodes with the communication device we had brought and have them come pick us up.

As I was putting out the fire, Specter started walking away.

Hey, wait a moment. I have a bike, you know.

...It's impossible to fit both Skadi and Specter on it. Does this mean I'll have to run alongside while the two of them ride tandem?

"—GAH!"

There's no seat for you!

Apparently Skadi came here by Rhodes aircraft. Perhaps the Bad Guy or the Good Boy?

However, this whole area is rocky, and the effects of catastrophes have left the ground uneven with holes everywhere. Plus, the wind is blowing. Even a four-wheel vehicle would struggle to find a path, so how could a delicate aircraft find a place to land?

"I jumped down." "You jumped down...?"

Is she Blaze or something?

As a result of not considering landing space, she was apparently airlifted quite close on the way here. From there, she jumped from the rear hatch and made a dynamic entry into Laterano territory.

As expected of an Abyssal Hunter. Her power is terrifying in its simplicity.

However, since we need to board the transport aircraft on the way back, we have to head to a suitable location.

So that's why we're on the move. I'm driving the bike with Specter sitting behind me.

Skadi is following closely, floating nearby.

Though the floating person herself looks somewhat displeased, if you think about it calmly, there's no need to have her ride the bike if she can float.

"I'm not floating. I'm swimming." "...To think you've adapted this well to the air on land. I wonder what Andreana would say."

Probably come to kill us (despair)

Apparently the other two Abyssal Hunters are away on different missions, but what should I do? Regarding Gladiia, it seems she harbors murderous intent even toward Mizuki, so Skadi is probably out too.

"It's okay. When I cross the boundary between self and other, the melted world mixes together and becomes one."

That's great!

"...If I sense that my other self has become a sea monster or an even greater threat, I'll draw my sword without mercy." "Yes, understood, I'll keep that in mind."

I reflexively respond as I feel Specter's sharp gaze directed at me from behind.

I don't know what she saw or what she thinks, but Specter seems to find value in keeping the current Skadi alive rather than killing her. That means she would draw her sword if she felt Skadi should be killed, which means that I, who am haunted by Skadi, would also be killed.

...I wonder if I can keep Skadi under control?

Perhaps as a clear reflection of the anxiety lingering in my heart, dark clouds are gathering in the sky. It's like the sky over Iberia when I woke up. The weather looks like rain is coming, and my mood sinks.

By the way, Specter is also sitting sideways behind me. I thought she was similar to Skadi in that regard, but considering she won't let go of her sword, I'd probably be cut down immediately if I did anything suspicious.

If she were to sit normally and put her arms around my waist, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on driving for fear of when I might get my back broken, so this is more welcome.

...What should I do when we get to Rhodes? I have a wishful trust that Kal'tsit will somehow manage it! But surely I won't be forcibly handed over to Iberia, right?

There's no way I could work as a combat operator. On that point, Skadi is a regular as an assistant operator. Pairing her with Specter for a deep sea combo wouldn't be bad.

I'd be in the back office providing support through administrative work. Specter and Skadi as frontline operators. Hmm, that's not a bad lineup, is it?

"...? That's impossible, I can only exist here." "I know."

...That's right, we can't easily make Skadi, with her Seaborn roots, collaborate with humanity. To put it bluntly, it's like saying let's put the Deep Ones alongside humans and work together.

Can it... can it somehow work out?

Clunk, the front wheel bounces.

"Focus on driving." "Ah, sorry."

Specter scolded me, but my mind keeps wandering.

I've been working hard to reach Rhodes, but what should I do once I get there... it's troubling. Look, from the edge of the horizon, as if cutting out and pasting my state of mind, pitch-black clouds are spreading. They're expanding at a tremendous rate, covering the sky, with terrifying thunder cracking loudly.

"...Ah."

Specter muttered something and started to move. She probably wouldn't have any problem if she fell off the bike, but I wouldn't get away unscathed, so I wish she wouldn't move. It throws off the balance.

I saw her take out an information terminal. ...Is she looking at a map or something?

"...I have good news and bad news." "Let's hear the good news." "We're taking the shortest route. Just a little more to the rendezvous point." "And the bad news?"

Crack-crack-crack, a tremendous thunder roared from above. I looked up at the sky, wondering if we'd run into some terrifying cumulonimbus cloud, and was dismayed.

Black clouds were swirling and writhing. Lightning was visibly crackling and racing across the sky, with ominous light bursting forth, followed by tremendous explosions echoing all around.

"...Huh?"

At the edge of my vision, a black shadow appears.

BOOM!

With a tremendous sound, it landed—a black, mineral-like object.

Coming down from the sky, it grazed right past my face and hit the ground, creating a small crater.

Specter spoke gravely.

"We're right in the middle of a catastrophe forecast area." "You should have said that earlier!"

Intuition raced through my brain, and I instinctively turned the handlebar to its limit. The heart-stopping sound of shattering I heard was from the spot where we were just a second ago.

The protruding mineral... if it hit the bike, it would be instant scrap; if it hit the driver, at best I'd be sent to the hospital, at worst this would be my grave.

...This is no joke!

"Keep the handlebar straight, ride straight through."

After saying that, Specter stood up on the unstable foothold, unaffected by the bike bouncing on the rough road. Doing something like acrobatics... Please stay still because I might lose balance and crash, please!

"If you crash, I'll kill you." "That's unreasonable!"

If I crash, I'll be dead at that point!

Without even the luxury to say such things, I desperately handle the steering. Because of the uneven ground, my butt hurts! Terra's world is not kind to touring!

Hoping that Specter doesn't see me, I ride with teary eyes and nearly wet myself when I spot a meteorite flying straight from 45 degrees above in front of us.

Whoosh!

The tentacles did leak out.

The moment I tried to turn the handlebar, there was a particularly large impact. Unfortunately, the bike that rode up on a large black rock jumped high into the air, and directional control was no longer effective.

Come on, I'm dead...

Ignoring me as I shed tears, Specter gripped her sword on the unstable foothold and twisted her waist with all her might.

"—Hah!"

CLANG!

The great sword wielded with such a light touch did something terrifying—it grazed just above my head, taking a few strands of my hair with it, and knocked away the meteorite that was approaching right up to my nose.

Specter and Skadi's Home Run Derby

Such words crossed my mind.

"Good, we can still go on."

Specter, who seemed to have accomplished something tremendous, was practicing her swings with an unchanged expression while absorbing the impact of landing solely with her knees.

The bike continued through the wilderness, and the minerals falling from the sky still showed no signs of stopping.

The storm—catastrophe—continued on.

It has long been mentioned that catastrophes are the carriers of originium, the root cause that led people in the world of Terra to build mobile cities, and the frequently occurring worst-of-the-worst natural disasters.

And since I am definitely in the world of Terra now, encountering a catastrophe would be expected. However, I never dreamed that I would end up cutting through the very center of a catastrophe.

"Ha!"

CLANG!

I want to shrug my shoulders as a metallic sound that shakes my eardrums resonates above my head, but that would cause an accident, so I endure it.

"I don't have enough hands. You help too." "I'm driving!" "You have extras, don't you?"

Indeed, my tentacle hands are dangling freely, but you're really asking the impossible!

"Don't be imprisoned by the heart of a human-shaped being that's been contained... we can be anything, become anything."

Skadi has it easy just floating and following along!

But well, if I do nothing here, Specter might get angry, so I desperately swing my tentacles.

Hitting, deflecting, diverting.

Using the tentacles that I've become increasingly adept at handling lately, I noticed that they are quite sturdy yet flexible, and can knock away incoming originium meteorites. I might have discovered a method to deal with catastrophes. In other words, all you have to do is deflect the incoming meteorites.

"That's right. The constraints of originium mean nothing to us. We can avoid them, or stay in place and keep deflecting them. There's no way to prevent us from soaring into the sky. After all, the possibilities for evolution are limitless." "If you have time to talk, you should help too." "That's impossible, my other self. Because you're taking my place." "...I wonder who taught sophistry to the sea monster."

Shut up!

Now it's raining too! And there's a stormy gale! That's right, it's a catastrophe, so that makes sense.

...I'm scared of oripathy. This rain definitely contains a large amount of originium particles. And the falling meteorites are originium, right?

I'll definitely get a medical examination when we arrive at Rhodes.

"Don't be afraid, you from the stars. Because nothing can stop us."

Skadi's voice mysteriously reaches my ears despite the roaring sounds all around.

And it's comforting. My heart, confused by anxiety and fear, is calmed, and somehow I feel like I can manage—

"Ha!"

CRASH!

It's impossible after all!

"I'm going to speed up, don't fall off." "Don't underestimate me."

Roar, originium engine, just enough not to infect me with oripathy!

Rhodes, the land of peace, is just ahead!

"The intensity is weakening. Have we finally made it through?" "Yes. I think the first wave is over." "...?" "According to the forecast, this will continue at least two more times." "Mii!"