They were in the same group as the Osprey.
This time, however, there was a difference: the AH-64 attack helicopter and the personnel aboard it really were from the military.
They were soldiers bought off by an organization called "Syringe." This sortie had been carried out under a different cover story and pretext.
As for the purpose, it looked like it was purely revenge against Kain.
If they couldn't kill him, then they would target the people around him—assassinations and ambushes—using that to "get back" at him.
In that case, it was intelligence with no real value. It could be discarded.
With that kind of commotion, of course it drew in plenty of Shitai. He simply chose the most "enthusiastic" crowd—so enthusiastic they were packed together like canned sardines.
The captive he threw down was instantly grabbed by countless hands, gnawed by row after row of mouths. Flesh was ripped away with vicious force, and the man let out a shrill, miserable scream.
At this rate, even if he "joined" them, he'd be nothing but a crippled wreck among monsters.
"Abandon the vehicles. From here on, we travel on foot."
"Eh? Why?" The first to ask—confused—was the blonde health-room nurse with a figure most men would struggle to ignore.
That airheaded look of hers almost made people want to trick her into doing something unspeakably indecent.
"The target is too big, especially the Humvee. A special-purpose vehicle like that is even more conspicuous. It's easy to get blown into the sky."
Just as the glasses girl said, the enemy had already locked onto this vehicle, and it even looked like they could use satellite surveillance.
Which meant their movements were happening right under the enemy's eyes.
"But it's not far to my house. We should still make it before nightfall."
If the Shitai crisis hadn't broken out, even Saya—just walking at a normal pace—could have reached home before dark.
Now the streets were full of Shitai, but everyone was working together, and with Earth Elixir as support, they didn't need to be overly afraid of minor injuries and infections.
Still, they had to be careful not to get grabbed.
These things were strong. If one caught your arm, it could snap it. If it grabbed your neck, one twist and it was over.
Or if it bit into the neck and you bled heavily, Earth Elixir might not be able to keep you alive.
So they stayed vigilant—yet their courage grew. Their pace naturally picked up.
And with him—the super-soldier—there was no real need for detours. If Shitai tried to block the way, they could just carve straight through.
In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk—
"Another helicopter."
"Is it heading to the Takagi estate?"
"Or searching for us?"
This was the second helicopter they'd seen, but it wasn't an attack chopper. It looked more like a disaster-response helicopter, and with Kain's eyesight, he could tell there was some kind of equipment hanging beneath it.
Given what had happened earlier at the school—Saya contacting her father and asking him to prepare certain equipment—this was probably one of the items he'd arranged.
Because of nearby buildings blocking the view, they couldn't see the Takagi residence itself, but judging by the helicopter's descending altitude, the distance was under two kilometers.
And that under-two-kilometers gap was closing fast as the group advanced.
Hm?
Kain caught a glint—like light reflecting off a lens.
So someone had spotted them, had they?
Then he might as well loosen up a bit.
He couldn't be bothered to wait for some fool to come looking for trouble, to stir up conflict, to "test" him because he looked easy to bully—then force him into a tiresome face-slapping confrontation.
To him, this was reality, not a novel. Cutting down unnecessary trouble had real meaning.
"???"
Saya—who had just put a round through a Shitai's skull—noticed his sudden movement.
All along the way, he hadn't lifted a hand. Now he was like a wolf.
No—like a wolf king that had already eaten his fill, indulging an ugly sense of fun as he barged into a flock of lambs, slaughtering "lambs" that posed no threat to him at all—the Shitai.
Was he stepping in because everyone's stamina was nearly gone?
No. Saya's brain started spinning at full speed.
They weren't at the point of collapse yet. They probably really could have made it to her home.
So if he was choosing to act this loudly and openly, there was only one likely explanation.
He was putting on a show of intimidation—aimed at her family.
Saya didn't feel offended by that.
She trusted her parents to believe him, to understand what he was: an extremely dangerous man, a terrifying man.
The problem was everyone else.
Some of her father's subordinates were unbearable. People like that might not know their place, might think he was easy to push around, and come looking for trouble—then everything would become a headache.
So this sudden display, this inhuman performance, should ensure no idiot tried to "learn the hard way."
On the contrary, they would feel fear—and might even not want someone this dangerous to enter.
And sometimes fear itself was a form of suppression, a deterrent that stopped people from doing something stupid. It saved everyone from a lot of boring trouble.
And then—
"Ugh—!"
Saya threw up again.
Not just her—several others couldn't take it either.
Wasn't this too much for intimidation? Even her parents would be horrified.
What was he, some kind of dismemberment maniac?
"Um… how much longer do I have to keep my eyes covered?"
"Just a little longer, Alice. Wait a bit, okay?"
Since she was the group's designated medical support—and because everyone complained she was clumsy—Shizuka hadn't fought. She'd been taking care of Alice.
Alice had her father, but he'd joined in the Shitai purge as well.
Otherwise, this hellish scene would have been far too much for a child whose mind wasn't fully developed.
Honestly, even as an adult, Shizuka felt like she could barely handle it.
Mr. Kain, honestly… what if he made her have nightmares?
"Okay."
Such an obedient child. She deserved a head pat.
Shizuka's gaze returned to the young man—who looked a bit younger than her—and she narrowed her eyes with a trace of unease.
Why would he have a vaccine that carried a virus?
No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't a vaccine aimed at the Shitai.
When she and Saya had been preparing the formula, Shizuka had also looked over the Earth Elixir operation page and read some of the descriptions.
Earth Elixir was more like a ridiculous panacea—something that "cured everything."
Right. She remembered two lines in particular, the kind that left you thinking.
First: Earth Elixir could treat nearly all diseases from before the 15K era.
Second: on Terra in the 2K era, how one should manufacture Earth Elixir.
Those hints carried an unsettling implication.
So what had Kain truly gone through, before the Shitai outbreak even happened?
Burn scars, an arm once severed, and that horrifying wound across his chest—what kind of nightmare did someone have to endure to end up like that?
And yet, even with injuries like those, he was still protecting everyone.
For a moment, Shizuka felt gratitude and concern surge up… along with a tug at her heart she couldn't quite name.
Hm?
Shizuka snapped back to herself—because Kain had stopped dealing with the Shitai.
Most of them had been cleared out anyway, and they had reached a street blocked off with steel wire.
And then she saw several figures approaching, dressed in fire-resistant suits.
One of them reached the wire, lifted their hood, and revealed a face that resembled Saya by seventy or eighty percent.
Was that Saya's older sister?
No—she'd never heard of Saya having a sister. She was an only child.
Then there was only one possibility.
That person was her mother.
(End of Chapter)
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