Глава 14

Hey! Why aren't you moving?

Hello? Anybody home?

The Feranmut's skeleton is badly damaged. Its soul seems to have wandered off again—

Now?!

It's the skeleton that's getting dragged away!

What do we do, Doctor?

Boarding action.;We'll take the airship ourselves.

Wow, your tactics really are getting bold? I'm nearly impressed.

Amiya, Kal'tsit, you know the revenant better than anyone else.

I'm ready.

W, your bombs will work even better behind enemy lines.

As if I didn't know.

Logos, protect Lifebone.

I can prevent any enemy from approaching it for thirty minutes.

You'll need to come with us to the airship, Doctor.

I will.

...No hesitation or questions.

It's not the time for those.

Stow the small talk. Made up your minds? Let's go!

We'll slide over this bunch of nerves, bunny. Don't let those Witchlings hit you!

I'll intercept any stray projectiles.

Doctor, Dr. Kal'tsit, we'll clear a place to land.

Be careful.

Mon3tr.

(Joyful braying)

Hang on, Doctor.

There are some things that only you can control. You may be our last hope in this darkest hour.

Just as you used to be.

Mon3tr grabs you and leaps down. The feeling of weightlessness makes you uneasy, and the raging winds force your eyelids shut.

In the distance, you can hear Logos's incantations, W's laughing, and the explosions from Sarkaz drones being shot down.

You feel your weight return as someone grabs your hand.

Doctor.

We're here.

Looks like an old friend has come calling.

This ship is a revenant, right? Looks like it doesn't like people standing on its head.

Strange shadows seep out from the metal walls, filling every corner of the deck in an instant.

The slight tremors in their movement echo the breath of the revenant.

The revenant's work.

It's expecting us. It won't let us stop it so easily.

We'll just pummel it until it stops.

This time, I brought bombs more than enough.

Alright, any more weird shadows that wanna get blown to pieces?

Well, shit. There actually is one.

Cutting down their numbers is most likely pointless, W. They're simply the projections of the revenant's power.

So long as the revenant dwells on the ship, there will be no end to its creations.

This is nothing more than a means to buy time.

Then how about I blow a couple more holes until the revenant decides to come out of hiding?

I'm afraid that won't work.

This whole ship is nothing but the revenant's husk. Even if you were to destroy the ship's outer shell or blow it, the revenant would still be able to keep it running with witchcraft.

It would only temporarily keep it functional, but it would be more than enough to take them to Amnannam.

To completely stop the airship, we must find and destroy the revenant's core.

Gotta say, we Sarkaz are up to some really weird shit. Keeps you up at night.

Can't we take care of this with a bomb?

The firepower of an entire fleet's main guns might break through its outer shell, stopping it from operating, even using witchcraft.

Alright, let's go look for that core, then.

One day, I'm gonna get myself a cannon.

How do we find the revenant's core?

I'm not certain. As the true core of the airship, it is certainly protected by layers of defenses, hidden away carefully in some cabin.

We will only uncover it by infiltrating deeper into the ship.

This also means that our enemies will be able to defend it much more easily.

There is no time.

Is the revenant privy to everything about the airship?

Theoretically, but the airship is large in size. Its attention is limited.

Ines's been on this ship, and she still got out of here without a scratch, didn't she?

Well, it could also be because she's not a real Sarkaz and can't feel the mental pressure the revenant lays on.

We need to work with each other.;We must find a way to distract the revenant.

Doctor, you mean...?

When somebody's hurting real bad, they won't notice an insect crawling up their pants.

W, I need your help.

...Oh?

Come clean. Is this a trap you've been setting up for a long time, and you're only telling me about it now?

You're the best one for the job.;No one makes a ruckus better than you.

Hah.

Guilty as charged.

Alright, buy some time. Then buy some more.

Lemme get one thing clear, though. I'm not your bait this time.

If the revenant's really sharper than we thought...

You wink at Amiya, who stares blankly at you for a second before nodding.

Light it up, W.

That enough of a ruckus for you?

Alright, you insects. Don't get spotted too easily.

...Not until you find her.

Doctor, Amiya, we'll enter the airship through the opening W made.

Stay close.

This is our one and only chance.

It's empty.

It seems the Military Commission has already evacuated all the passengers. They knew how dangerous this mission would be.

Kal'tsit, if the airship's really going to collide with Amnannam...

Then what happens?

Amnannam will assimilate all information it comes into contact with.

That includes all materials, organic or not, even personalities and emotions... Everything will be engulfed in Originium crystals.

Then Theresa and the revenant...!

Yes, they chose to sail there, and it means they understand what this entails.

What do they want from the Originium?

A possibility.

A deep, sophisticated voice can be heard from within the cabin.

But there are no signs of life. The hallway is as empty as before.

This voice...

...It sounds familiar.

In this place, its voice... can be heard by all.