Black Badger

Chapter 6

It felt like my organs were floating.

I hadn't even gotten a chance to look at the city in broad daylight. My throat tightened, and my eyes reflexively squeezed shut. A fierce wind whipped past my body. The sensation of falling. I'd keep plummeting endlessly. All the way to the ground....

A strong force yanked me back from behind.

When I opened my eyes, I saw green eyes.

"Got you."

Ricardo grinned as he pulled me in.

"Thought I was gonna lose you there~."

I stared blankly upward.

Ricardo gripped a wire with one hand. The wire's end trailed back up to the window of the floor I'd fallen from. The towering building stretched upward, its sleek windows gleaming.

The grotesque creature still clung to the window wall. Ami perched on top of it.

My mouth gaped open as I dangled from Ricardo's hold.

"Ami...."

"It's fine~. Looks like that, but she's a survivor from the First War and Second War...."

The man tightened his grip on me.

A cool, woody scent wafted from him. The moment I noticed it, our bodies, hovering in midair, suddenly dropped downward. I gasped involuntarily and clutched at Ricardo's arm.

Ricardo descended at an incredible speed, still holding the wire.

The ground rushed up toward us. People screamed as they fled from the building. The gray asphalt grew larger.

The approaching gray asphalt!

Aaaah! We're gonna crash!

The asphalt seemed to surge upward.

Ricardo pulled me close and rolled across the ground in a smooth arc.

"Th-thank you."

"When landing, don't look at the ground~."

Ricardo stood up and offered me his hand.

He pulled me to my feet with a gentle smile.

"If you ever have to land again, try looking as far away as possible...."

I hoped I never had to land like that again.

But I didn't have time to say it out loud. Ricardo had already shoved my back, urging me up from the asphalt.

"Run."

His voice was ice-cold.

"Get far away from that thing."

I wasn't dumb enough to argue with him.

The man glanced up while gripping his wire. The woman slashed at the creature's neck with her sword.

The sound of the blade slicing into flesh was followed by black blood splattering onto the asphalt.

I nodded and immediately turned around.

"Thank you!"

No response came.

I ran without looking back. The terrified screams of people pierced my ears. It had been so peaceful just moments ago.

People in business casual and white coats. Employees ran under the blazing sunlight. They all wore faces twisted in fear, fleeing in the same direction.

Where should I go?

The grounds were wider than I'd thought. The open space ahead looked good, but I had no idea which way to head.

The others seemed to know where to go, scattering in different directions.

I....

Had no clue, so I just needed to get as far away as possible.

As far from that thing as I could.

I pushed my legs harder, picking up speed. A cool wind pleasantly grazed my cheeks.

Ah.

As I ran, I spotted the edge of the grounds. There was a road where cars honked. Some people leaped out of their vehicles and sprinted to the opposite side.

I should head that way too....

Boom!

The asphalt vibrated beneath me.

A heavy thud came from behind. I staggered, losing my balance for a moment. I didn't dare look back. I quickly planted my feet firmly on the ground to steady myself.

Argh, the screams grew louder and more desperate.

A child who'd been running ahead tumbled violently onto the asphalt.

"Ow!"

It hurt just watching how hard they fell.

Ignoring the ominous presence behind me, I rushed to the child.

"Are you okay? Can you run?"

The moment I knelt beside them, a shadow engulfed us.

A chill sank into my gut. I instinctively grabbed the child's arm and looked up.

I came face-to-face with something new.

It was different from the one I'd seen before. This one was larger and had wings.

Faded gray wings tinged with blue, tattered like ancient rags. It evoked the image of someone in a gothic dress. Thick tentacles sprouted where limbs should have been, and what looked like the hem of the dress writhed with fur.

The five tentacles split into strands, each wielding a massive sword made of bone.

The instant it raised the sword, I scooped up the child and rolled away.

Boom!

The asphalt cracked open.

I dodged by a hair's breadth. Clutching the child, I opened my eyes to see the bone sword.

The blade had split the asphalt like a cookie.

"Mommy!"

The child burst into wails.

I scrambled to my feet, pulling myself together, but the ground shook. It slowly withdrew the sword from the asphalt fissure.

I changed direction and bolted.

Now that it'd spotted me, heading straight for the main road was out of the question.

I ran along the wall separating the grounds from the road. The child sobbed as if exhausted, but I had no time to comfort them.

What the hell are these things!

I didn't remember anything like this on the Earth I knew!

I poured strength into my legs and sprinted at full speed. Boom! Boom! The sound of the sword slamming down echoed behind me, but I didn't turn around.

The forceful wind shoving my back and the tearing of the road made it easy to sense the sword crashing right behind me.

If I can't dodge the sword, just let it smash straight into my head! Make it quick and painless.

I staggered as I ran.

A corner in the wall appeared ahead. Clutching the exhausted, crying child, I rounded the monotonous building.

And I knew I'd screwed up.

A long straight path stretched out. It was open ahead, but it ended in a wall. The side of the wall was blocked by this bland building.

This was it.

I hadn't imagined it ending so quickly.

Was there any way to save at least the kid?

Despair made my heart sink, but I didn't stop running. I'd think about what to do once I reached the dead end.

I bit my lip and kept going, hoping for some escape route I hadn't seen at the end.

Maybe a small gap too far to notice....

KABOOM!

A shockwave blasted from behind, sending me tumbling forward.

A sharp white pain wrapped around my left ankle.

"...Run into that."

The creature's wing had sliced my ankle. A hot pain crossed it. Amid the rolling impact, I pushed the struggling child forward with my hand.

There was a small gap under an apartment balcony.

"Get in there and stay quiet. Don't make a sound."

The bone sword halted in midair.

The child crawled away on all fours, not looking back at me. I was relieved.

Once I confirmed the child was crouched under the balcony, I slowly turned my head.

The sky came into view.

A vast, clear blue sky.

Blocked by the massive bone sword.

Bluish-gray wings.

The worn wings flapped a few times before stilling. The tentacle raising the bone blade showed no sign of moving. The sword's tip pointed directly at my face.

Ah. It was short, but a pretty good life.

As my right forearm got sliced by the flapping wingtip, I thought dazedly.

Full of inexplicable things and surprisingly brief, but still, I got lucky. I met kind people, received all sorts of things from them....

Vivid sensations of life. Confusing, but not bad times.

The small kindnesses exchanged.

Yeah, humans are worth loving after all.

A voice pulled from distant memories overlapped with my inner thoughts.

At the same time, the bone sword plunged downward.

Clang!

Something blocked it.

I stared blankly at the person who'd parried the blade.

A man in a plain white shirt and black slacks.

His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and he was barefoot. He looked like he'd rushed out mid-prep for work, but in his hands was a massive spear. Sunlight backlit him and the spear.

I blinked, and his distinctive features came into focus.

Flowing braided hair.

"I'll take the second creature."

He said it to someone.

The black spear tore through a wing. The creature let out a chilling, pained screech. Inky black blood sprayed, and its two-story-tall body twisted.

The long wail from a living being.

Black blood poured over me, and I squinted at the sound, furrowing my brow.

"I'll finish it quick, so hang in there just a bit."

The braided-haired man said without looking down at me. I tried to respond, but the noise drowned out my voice.

The man swung the spear heavily, deflecting the bone sword. The white blade flew off, crashing loudly into the wall.

Boom!

As I flinched at the sound, the spear shredded the other wing.

Saliva burst out, soaking the man's shirt and my body.

Ignoring the pains and stickiness all over, I muttered.

"Really, thank you...."

"Hey! Light it up!"

A window burst open in the building, and Ro emerged.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Continuous gunfire filled the air. The noise cleanly drowned out even the creature's screams. No one could have heard a reply.

Ro rested his gun barrel on the balcony railing and unleashed a merciless barrage.

The grotesque being shredded like rags under the onslaught.

The spear's wielder hopped back, out of my sight.

I felt a man crouch beside me.

Soon, his arm slid under my armpit. I relaxed as he grabbed me and dragged me backward.

"I'm sorry."

His voice dripped with regret and self-reproach.

"This is what we're supposed to prevent.... And we let you go through this."

"Not at all."

I replied with a hollow smile. The pain in my forearm and ankle lingered, tormenting me. But the relief of surviving overshadowed it.

I thought my life was over.

As my dragged body moved away from the monster, relief surged up.

Gazing at the blue sky in my vision, I let out a long breath. I tilted my chin up slightly, looking upside down at the man pulling me.

A handsome face full of apology appeared. Wind-tossed braided hair and a white shirt stained black. Silver piercings glinted in his earlobes.

A pleasant breeze swept over my body.

I really survived.

I grinned, meeting his eyes. Gratitude welled up from deep inside.

"Thank you for saving me."

His lips curved into a smile. It was genuine, unfeigned sincerity.

"You're welcome."

The man whispered lightly.

"Thank you for saving the child. That was truly brave."

"No."

It was just the obvious thing to do.

I lay there dazedly, staring at the sky.

I didn't move from my position. Not until Ro tossed aside his empty magazine, climbed onto the creature, and started swinging a hammer. Not until Ricardo and Ami came running. Not until Ami widened her eyes and screamed, Hilde! Wounds!

The braided-haired man panicked.

"It's an Augmented Body—why isn't it healing?"

Ricardo rushed over and hoisted me onto his back.

I was dragged to the infirmary, dangling from Ricardo's back. Along with the braided-haired man hastily tearing his shirt to bandage my arm, and Ami frantically calling the infirmary.

Once I'm treated, I can go back for brunch, right?

Surrounded by frantic people, that's what I thought.