…
It doesn't take long before we encounter a new type of machine.
A skeleton—no, six of them.
I focus my attention on one of them.
Its body is built from dark matte metal, thin to the point of being unnatural, and shaped as a deformed imitation of a human.
Crimson wires run through its limbs and rib cage, stretched tight to resemble exposed muscle.
Where a face should be, there is only a smooth featureless dome, broken by two burning red eyes fixed directly on us.
Touko and I slow our pace, coming to a complete stop.
"Ara, Ara, what do we have here?" Touko asks, her voice dangerously sweet.
"Looks like we've found some new playthings."
The skeletal machines offer no response. Simultaneously, they raise their right arms.
Their hands unfold into blades.
"How rude," Touko purrs, her smile widening.
"Ignoring Onee-chan. That's not very polite, is it, Lenah?"
I step forward into a battoujutsu stance,
My left hand moves to the hilt of the sword.
"I'll handle this."
"No need to waste your energy."
(Hmph. You always say that), Ignis grumbles in my head.
(Like you don't enjoy a good fight. Don't think I don't feel it, Lenah. The thrill. The eagerness to cut something apart.)
Focus, Ignis. We are going with the sixth form.
My mind becomes empty. No hesitation. No distraction. The energy from Ignis begins to flow through my sword.
I don't need to use a lot of ki for this.
I take a long breath, gathering the power into my core.
Brief hold to aim.
*WHOOSH*
With a firm exhale, I draw Homura from its scabbard in one fluid motion—
"Ignis—Burn through. Crimson Wave!"
The blade unleashes a devastating wave of crimson energy, shearing through the air as a searing horizontal line.
*▬Flashing* through them, leaving nothing but burning metal and ash.
Touko blinks, frowning slightly.
"Mou, Lenah! You didn't even let Onee-chan play!" Touko whines, pouting.
I resheathe Homura.
"They were merely an obstacle," I state, turning to continue our journey.
"Now, let's go. We don't have time to waste."
Touko sighs dramatically, but a cheeky, knowing smirk returns to her lips as she follows.
"Fine, fine. But next time, Onee-chan gets to have some fun!"
I ignore her, picking up my pace. The landscape flashes by in a blur of ruined buildings and crumbling infrastructure.
Each kilometer brings us closer to Kitakyushu, closer to Horikita.
Some time later,
We arrive at Kitakyushu City.
Both of us walk through the ruined streets, looking for any signs of Horikita's Ki, or any presence that could indicate her whereabouts.
I still can't sense her, which is a significant concern.
"Kita!" Touko shouts, her voice bouncing through the silent, decaying streets.
"Kita, where are you?!"
She sounds genuinely distressed. Her earlier playful annoyance is gone, replaced by raw fear.
"Touko, shouting will not help. It will only draw unwanted attention."
"I don't care!" Touko snaps, turning to face me, her eyes wide.
"What if she's hurt? What if she's—"
I notice something in the corner of my eye.
"Let's separate and search," I say, interrupting Touko's outburst.
"We will cover more ground that way."
Touko responds with a quick nod, her jaw tight with resolve.
"Kita, if you find anything, don't engage alone! Wait for me!" Touko yells, her voice already fading as she dashes down a crumbling side street.
I nod, even though she's already gone.
I take a deep breath and turn towards what I saw earlier.
I follow the path towards whatever's attracting me… It seems to be coming from the right.
I run through the empty city, and then▬I emerge into what was once a wide city square.
And I see it.
In the center stands a tall war machine on two legs. It's a heavy monster made of dark metal, loaded with weapons and turrets. Everything about it screams violence.
(Is this familiar to you, master?)
Yes, but I didn't know Japan had this kind of technology. It's not what I expected. The size of it... It's beyond anything I've seen in my travels through the Ruin World.
...Just what has Japan been doing all this time?
With a focused breath, I push a precise amount of Ki to my feet. The world blurs for an instant as I launch myself into the air.
I land without a sound on the roof of a crumbling building, dropping into a crouch behind the remnants of a concrete wall.
From my position behind the crumbling wall, I extend my senses.
First, for Ki. Nothing. As expected of a machine. Then, I search for the other presence, the one that makes the air feel thin and cold.
And I find it.
The same devouring void that signifies corruption clings to its metal chassis, staining its non-living essence.
This is... wrong. My brow furrows. Corruption is a parasite. Sickness that preys on the Ki of living things, consuming their life force to sustain itself. But this machine has no life, no Ki to devour.
So what is it feeding on? How is this even possible?
(It's there, Lenah,) Ignis's voice is flat in my mind, the usual proud heat in her tone replaced by an instinctual revulsion.
(I feel it. The same sickening cold that tries to snuff out my flame. It's wrapped around that thing like a shroud.)
"But it's not alive, Ignis," I mutter under my breath.
"There's nothing for it to consume."
(Then it has found something else to devour!) Ignis retorts, her spiritual fire flaring with defensive anger.
(It is the antithesis of life, of fire. I don't need to understand its food. I only need to erase it.)
Her primal assessment is correct, but incomplete. It doesn't satisfy my need to understand.
My gaze falls upon the machine's dormant posture. This isn't a mindless beast, raging with infection. It's waiting. Controlled.
Like a puppet.
The realization clicks into place with chilling clarity.
The corruption isn't just an infection here; it's the strings. It has become a system of control that animates the lifeless construct—turning a weapon born of human engineering into a slave for this devouring phenomenon.
My hand tightens on Homura's hilt.
Every puppet has a master.
A more terrifying thought follows. If this phenomenon, this 'corruption,' is the puppeteer... who, or what, is pulling its strings?
*BOOM*
Touko's Ki suddenly spikes from a few blocks away, and I instantly turn towards the source of the spike.
(Idiot!) Ignis growls in my mind.
(I told you she was reckless! She probably found something and charged right in!)
I'm already moving.
I leap from the rooftop, stabbing my sword into the side of the building to break my fall.
I descend rapidly, then spring forward, my momentum carrying me through the shattered streets.