Chapter 19: The Ulterior Motives of Men

God is the only being who, in order to reign, doesn't even need to exist.

— Charles Baudelaire

An unending rain of bullets flies fiercely through the air.

Armed soldiers dash through the decadent cult facility.

They pierce through the resisting fanatics cloaked in black, slaughtering them one by one as they press forward.

Leading the vanguard of this group is a stern-looking man wearing headgear and bearing a scarred face: Gou Baran.

"All units, dispose of the targets immediately. The enemy may be ordinary, but they are heavily armed. Do not let your guard down."

He issues orders and takes command of the soldiers with swift calmness.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

Several screams echo from deep within the facility, and an overflowing herd of Ogretails swarms out from the corridor, attacking the vanguard soldiers and the enemy alike without distinction.

"Tch... So they were keeping Aragami... Is this place also in the hands of 'Echidna'...? All personnel, take your positions!"

The soldiers fall into formation, raising their firearms and unleashing a volley in unison.

The pack of Ogretails falls under the hail of bullets. These are no ordinary bullets; they are Anti-Aragami rounds containing specialized Oracle Cells.

"Hm? Wait, cease fire!"

As Gou halts them with one hand, the soldiers stop shooting.

He approaches the piled-up corpses of the Ogretails and inspects them.

"These... aren't Ogretails... They look similar, but they're different. They're a different Aragami altogether. These things are..."

The defeated Ogretail-like Aragami bubble up and dissolve, dispersing into a mist before vanishing.

"...Something's coming...!"

Gou holds his Short Blade in a reverse grip, glaring vigilantly into the depths of the dark corridor.

Trampling over the human corpses and the Ogretail-like Aragami fading into black mist, a figure walks gracefully forward, swaying its hips like a model on a runway.

It flaunts the curved beauty of an outstanding figure akin to a movie actress, spreading the brilliantly colored wings adorning both its arms and scattering feathers.

Scanty feather garments daringly cover parts of its body as if as an afterthought, and its expression cannot be seen beneath what might be hair or a feathered headdress covering its face.

It is a human-faced demon bird. The very image of a Harpy from fantasy and mythology.

In stark contrast to its beautiful upper female half, its supple legs end in sharp talons akin to sword blades.

"...Yan Zhi...!"

Gou grimaces, bitterly muttering the Aragami's name.

A Psion of the Chi You family in the form of a bewitching beauty. It summons Chouwan, Aragami that closely resemble its Ogretail servants. Using its Psion abilities, it concentrates the attacks of surrounding Aragami onto a single target.

As this venomous lady walks among the piles of corpses woven from soldiers, fanatics, and Aragami, a soldier who was still breathing attempts to crawl away.

Yan Zhi effortlessly snatches the dying, gasping soldier with the massive claws on one of her winged arms, lifting him with ease.

She raises the vainly struggling soldier to her face, her bewitching blue lips tearing open all the way to her ears to reveal jagged rows of teeth—

And devours half his body, starting from the head.

"You bastard—"

Gou glares at the grotesque, human-faced bird Aragami as it crunches through meat and bone, dyeing its entire body in splattered blood. Gripping his reverse-held God Arc tightly, Gou activates his Accel Trigger.

Having finished its appetizer, Yan Zhi spreads its wings wide and lets out a high-pitched screech to welcome its next main course.

A powerful Oracle Bias Field generates around the captivating demoness.

A massive horde of her loyal Chouwan servants appears like a mountain, instantly overrunning, filling the area, and rushing forward like an avalanche.

Is this place a laboratory?

Various pieces of equipment of unknown purpose are crammed into a vast area, operating with a low, mechanical hum.

Tubes and pipes intertwine in complex arrays, connecting to transparent cylindrical objects situated around the edges.

Bloop. Bubbles rise in the green liquid filling a massive, clear container.

Is it a living creature? An unidentifiable "thing" that looks somewhat like a larva is submerged in the liquid, quietly swaying and floating.

Several such containers line up at equal intervals, displaying similar bizarrely shaped lifeforms inside like specimens.

"...As expected, the base body itself is incredibly fragile. The Oracle Cells are too unstable. And it takes time to culture and incubate. However, even factoring those in, they show stat potentials with more than enough promise."

A middle-aged man draped in a white military surcoat observes the creatures floating in the lined-up culture fluid cases.

"Your technological prowess is truly magnificent. I have decided that we should formally welcome you into our organization, Dr. Fuyuhiko Inukai."

"Y-Y-Yes, sir! I-I am honored! The skill with which you rose to prominence and swiftly dominated the corporate world following the collapse of Fenrir is worthy of respect! Truly befitting of Mr. Gideon Wolf, the representative of the major human biochemical corporation, 'Echidna'! I am proud to have my results recognized by you like this!!"

The thin man in a lab coat and glasses standing behind him salutes, straightening his back despite his stammering.

"Heh... I find it highly questionable why those around you refuse to recognize a scientist of your caliber. Despite you being the foremost authority on Humanoid Aragami research."

The man in the surcoat, Gideon, heaps praise on Inukai.

"Th-Th-Th-Thank you very much! Over twenty years of hardship, my life dedicated to Aragami research... yet those fools at Gleipnir refused to acknowledge me, subjecting me to the demonic treatment of dismissing me time and time again! It's so frustrating...! But now, 'Echidna' has saved me...! Oh... Lord, I thank you!!"

Tears streaming down his face, overcome with emotion, Inukai clasps his hands together and looks up to the heavens.

"...Even so, 'Erosive Fusion Oracle Cells', hm? The power to mutate existing Oracle Cells at will to control Aragami... A brilliant concept. Dr. Inukai, you are an undeniable genius. Your name will be etched into history. As the rare hero who saves the world."

Gideon looks at the Aragami larva floating in the culture case with admiration.

"Yes, sir! I am deeply humbled and overjoyed by your excessive praise! I am filled with gratitude! However, it isn't complete yet! A mysterious ruffian stole the research data midway through, so it's not perfect! We still lack experimental data! Please, give me just a little more time! I will definitely deliver results that will satisfy you!"

Inukai straightens his posture and advises.

"I see. Then I shall wait. The world must break free from the domination of the Aragami. The Will of the Earth is nothing but a plague. Humanity will reclaim dominion over this planet with its own hands. Never the Aragami... The ones to emerge victorious will be us humans."

Gideon speaks while gazing at the creature swaying in the green liquid.

"Fenrir, the savior that once led this world to revolution, is now nothing more than a disorganized mob. It won't be them. The ones to accomplish this will be us, 'Echidna'."

With cold, calculating eyes that seem to evaluate and see right through everything.