外伝：俺たちは自由にやる！！ (Part4)

外伝：俺たちは自由にやる！！ (Part4)

Though, if he were the type to quit after mere condemnation, he wouldn't be standing here now.

That's precisely why he was surprised.

The soldier's words implied, "You're still far too soft."

This meant the method to forge such a perfect soldier was even more horrific than what the man was currently doing.

"...Don't you consider this situation hell?"

"This is HELL? Don't be ridiculous. If this much is hell, then the battlefield is beyond that."

"..."

"Civilians and soldiers, it makes no difference. On the front lines, people just die indiscriminately. There's no room for emotion there. It's just about surviving or becoming a corpse. And it's far more enjoyable than a place like this."

"Enjoyable?"

"Yes, you truly feel alive. Well, I'm dead now, but I'm sure I'll come back to life if I stand on a battlefield."

The soldier laughed with delight.

Watching him, the man felt a faint cold sweat break out.

He wondered if this corpse he commanded was beyond his control.

"Ah, don't worry. If I kill you, I can't maintain this worn-out body. And I'm grateful to you for creating such an amusing situation. I won't do anything as boring as killing you."

"...I see."

The man breathed a sigh of relief.

But seeing this, the soldier continued, amused.

"Well, if you don't prepare the next battlefield, I'll lose my reason for existing, so you might become my final prey."

"..."

"Before that, you'll have to take me to a battlefield where I can be used until I'm utterly shattered."

With that, the soldier strode past the man and continued towards their destination.

"...Well, I suppose I can use him up along the journey ahead. Since that's what he desires."

Feeling the soldier's madness, the man nevertheless believed the harsh path he was on would satisfy the soldier, and that the soldier would crumble within it. To achieve his own objective, he began to walk again.

"First, I'll complete the ritual here. Conveniently, it seems four suitable sacrifices have been gathered."

The man sensed the entry of new, unfortunate sacrifices into this otherworld and smiled.

"Hmm. I'll have to put some thought into this and create an audience."

"Tch, so I was led after all..."

She had been wandering through the abandoned school, now an otherworld, trying to destroy it. She hadn't found the starting point, instead crushing the grotesque forms that attacked her as she advanced, eventually arriving at this location.

This place was the school's gymnasium.

It was where students exercised. Also, most events were typically held in the gymnasium.

Though, whether this place, now transformed into an otherworld, could still be called a gymnasium was debatable.

"As expected, you understand that much."

As if answering her murmur, the man appeared in the center of the stage.

The man met her sharp gaze but did not flinch, continuing his words.

"How was it? How did you find my otherworld? Did you enjoy it?"

When the man spoke, she responded by throwing a talisman.

However, it burned to ash in mid-air.

But she seemed to have anticipated this, showing no particular reaction, merely observing the man's movements.

"I see, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

The man smiled pleasantly.

Seeing his expression, she finally opened her mouth.

"Hah, your twisted taste knows no bounds. Just how many have you processed? What's your goal? It's rare to find someone whose screws are so utterly loose."

She spoke lightly, but inwardly, her stomach churned with rage.

Along the path to this point, she had slain countless distorted beings fashioned from human remains.

She had stopped counting around twenty, but there were at least twenty.

This was already a major calamity.

To put it simply, he was the architect of immense loss of life.

Anyone with normal common sense would recognize this situation as evil and naturally feel anger.

How much sorrow would the victims' families have to endure from now on?

And how great was the agony and torment of those whose forms were cruelly altered?

Yet, the man answered her question with a pleasant smile.

"I consider it a fine hobby, but the number processed is 662. My purpose is to summon a certain entity. I do admit my screws are loose."

"...Western demon worship. 666, are you trying to summon Satan?"

"Oh, judging by the talisman earlier, I thought you were a Japanese miko, but you also possess that knowledge?"

"Isn't that mutual?"

As she spoke, she pulled a crucifix from her pocket and threw it.

But it didn't burn to ash; instead, it suddenly shattered with a strange popping sound.

"Eh?"

She couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Then, another popping sound occurred, and as she collapsed, she finally realized what had transpired.

*Clang.*

A sound like that, and looking in that direction, she realized she had been struck.

Yes, she had collapsed because she had been struck.

"Guh!"

Perhaps the impact was in a bad spot, as she couldn't stand up.

No, since she wasn't instantly killed, perhaps it wasn't such a bad spot after all.

But at this rate, it was clear she would be toyed with until her demise.

Injuries were commonplace in this line of work, and game-like recovery items called elixirs existed.

She just needed to use one and quickly regain her composure.

...That's what she thought, but reality wasn't so kind.

*Thud, thud, thud.*

"Guuh!?"

Gunshots rang out in quick succession.

Impacts struck her shoulders, and a dull ache resonated through her pelvis.

*Plop.*

The elixir she had taken out slipped from her hand.

And that elixir was then crushed by a soldier who appeared from somewhere.

"Hmph. I thought you were just a little girl, but you seem to have some grit. But you've never faced a soldier, have you?"

"Agggh!"

The soldier seized her head and, with a knife, tore away her garments.

It was somewhat rough, so the blade grazed her skin, drawing a shallow cut, but it wasn't a fatal wound.

Then, her attire was completely removed. At the same time, all the tools and talismans hidden in her clothes became useless.

She knew well that she would be killed without being able to do anything.

She could no longer hope for her own life.

So, at the very least, she tried to strike back, attempting to activate a spell based on Shinto prayers. But the soldier, hearing this, slammed her head into the floor while still gripping it.

Not once, but repeatedly, to ensure she couldn't open her mouth.

"Stop now. She's the only audience."

Only when the man spoke was she finally released from the soldier.

Her once fair face was now marred and streaked with crimson, and several of her teeth were visibly damaged.

Yet, the soldier did not relent.

He stopped slamming her head, but he laid her supine, spread her limbs wide, and anchored them to the ground with blades.

"Is there a need to go that far?"

Even the man frowned at this action and questioned the soldier, who immediately responded.

"Yes. I'm not well-versed in the occult, but these are the kind of people who can cause strange things just by mumbling their mouths or wiggling their fingers. Nudity is a given, lying supine is necessary because we can't see her mouth movements, and pinning her limbs allows us to detect any strange movements. This little girl will be disposed of anyway. You only want an audience, and you don't need an audience that heckles and interferes, do you?"

"...I see."

The man understood that the soldier's actions were intended to make her a mere audience member.

However, he felt a sense of regret that the opponent who had challenged them would end up like this without a proper contest.

Her once beautiful features were now severely disfigured, and though her physique was naturally graceful, its current state evoked no such appreciation from him. She was utterly broken.

"There's no mercy on the battlefield. It's kill or be killed. This little girl didn't expect the enemy to act like me. That's her undoing. Hey, how does it feel? To be defeated without being able to use your specialty?"

"..."

Tears streamed from her eyes as the soldier asked her that.

"Well, on the battlefields I know, she'd face further indignities or become a mere target, but the employer desires her as an audience. I'll let her live until then. Oh, her chest certainly has a tactile quality."

Saying such things, the soldier handled her body in a coarse manner.

From an outsider's perspective, there was no sexual arousal at all, so to the soldier, it must have been nothing more than soft flesh.

"...That's enough. She possesses characteristics of a miko, however distorted. There's a possibility her body itself has a purifying effect. You might be destroyed if you're not careful."

"Oops, shouldn't I just kill her quickly then?"

The soldier swiftly drew his gun and pressed it against her head.

"I told you. She's an audience. Wait until the show is over."

"Understood."

The soldier obediently listened to the man, immediately moving to a position out of her sight, towards her feet, ready to fire the gun at any moment.

Now, for her to lift her head and check on the soldier would mean death.

"Now, where were we? Ah, we were talking about how we both dabble in various things. Since you threw a crucifix, you must have knowledge and training in that area too. I'm the same. But what I'm trying to summon is different. Satan is everywhere, after all. No, the possibility of the real Satan coming is very low. Most are low-ranking demons borrowing Satan's name."