"Damn it! Who left this type of bastard— Urgh!!"
Thud!
"There are fewer people than I originally thought." Yuuto wiped his hands and processed the memories he absorbed.
"...Well, were you expecting more?" Star asked.
"My honest answer, yes. I wanted more people so that I could cross-reference their stories." Yuuto said calmly, which received an odd look from her.
Picking up the foxian man that was slumped over in front of him, Yuuto eventually reached another room where a large bundle of bodies were gathered.
"That makes 47."
Throwing the limp body towards the growing pile, Yuuto couldn't help but let out a frown.
Receiving a faint lead from the memory he took from the first prisoner he encountered, Yuuto started his little game with Sparkle in earnest.
The halls within the Shackling Prison were made in a decently organized fashion, where he could easily locate the cell replicated in the memory.
Considering that it had the prisoner reaching towards a doll that matched the gremlin he was trying to capture, Yuuto was sure that it was a decent starting point.
But upon reaching the cell, he was not only met with a large number of prisoners plotting to eventually reach the surface and break out.
This lead towards Sparkle ended up going nowhere since the doll he saw in the cell was nothing more than a red herring.
[Escape! Escape! Go before the scary playboy comes and slaps you silly!! The big boss lady will sacrifice herself to keep him busy!!! Escape! Escape!---]
Yes. Not a lead at all, but more of a message used to incite the prisoners to leave their cells.
Yuuto felt his jaw tighten as he remembered how the prisoners reacted to him reaching. their cell.
[Is that the playboy?]
[Looks like it. Our saviour is sacrificing herself for us…]
[Now I'm itching to smash his face in.]
[Don't hurt his face, I want a taste of it later.]
To add insult to injury, a faint silhouette of Sparkle popped out of nowhere and giggled before disappearing into a shower of confetti.
She knew exactly how to push his patience.
Yuuto wanted nothing more than to wipe that grin Sparkle had on her face.
"She's even trying to slander my image during this little game of hers. I swear once I get my hands on her…"
He was sure this wasn't the only doll in this prison, so imagining each one having the same message…
Yuuto didn't want to think of the various reactions it would bring.
Another mission was now placed in his mind while he glanced at the timer near his waist.
[45:17]
[Time was running out fast…].Star mumbled his thoughts as she noticed his attention on the clock.
[So, have we had any luck so far or did we reach a dead end?] Her voice carried a bit of worry.
Yuuto paused and looked at the pile of bodies in front of him.
"I wouldn't say anything significant but I found something about the situation in the prison while I was in my own cell."
Starting in the upper layers of the prison, the people he faced were mainly individuals who committed the lightest of 'sins' recorded on the Loufu.
This included inciting conflict among the public, being officers of the Sanctus Medicus and even illicit espionage of confidential information.
These were reasons that were among the prisoners he found, but there were a few outliers that had more… unsavoury reasons.
'Spiritfarers disrespecting the dead and some were even using their abilities for their own twisted tastes..'
Yuuto had no guilt in trying to extract their memories, even if they were hardly worth the effort.
However, considering the tight timeframe he had, he didn't place his full effort like using [Archive] and extracting their full life story.
Only memories lasting from a few days to hours before the whole situation came to be.
There were also memories tied to skills that caught his interest and he didn't hesitate to take them as well.
Many of the memories he gathered were focused on the confusion they experienced after seeing a doll telling them to escape.
To find allies and complete their escape.
Their only goal was to reach the surface and nothing else.
Among these memories, there was also a trend he began to see.
"The dolls suddenly appeared within the middle section before going deeper, but for the cells closer to the surface…"
Yuuto noticed the lack of reaction from the sections above him and that they only escaped due to the help of the people who had a doll with them.
Knowing Sparkle's personality by now, it could only mean one thing when it comes to finding her.
"Star, do you have any memories about the races hostile to the Loufu?"
He threw a question to the partner on his shoulder and felt a plan formulating in his head.
Star was only a heliobus that was created as a 'poison' by the Sanctus Medicus for their own goals so he didn't have much expectations.
The only reason he asked was other than being a ball of potent energy, she had a mind that was similar to Boo.
One that could think and even learn if they needed to.
Being a combination of different heliobus and even the potential of having the Emanator Shuhu in her own being, there was bound to be memories that remained.
Star thought deeply. [Not a lot, but I can think of some. I don't know if I can answer all your questions but I should be able to give you some sort of answer.]
Yuuto nodded and rolled his wrists together. Letting out a deep breath.
Dense mist grew rapidly and converged around his arms. Each second, the pressure that gathered grew heavier before eventually splitting outwards.
Mist crackled and turned into hardened frost.
The prison that was once able to see the countless floors and layers below it, was abruptly cut off by a thick layer of ice.
Sealing the middle section of the prison from the upper layers which were closest to the surface.
Finding this suitable for the meantime, Yuuto asked Star another question.
"Do the borisin often need a leader to act?"
[Not really, since they revere strength and prey on the weak, so a small pack can easily appoint an alpha if they need.]
A small laugh escaped Yuuto. "Here I was expecting you to just say no, so you surprised me. Seems like my little glutton is more than just a big eater."
[Do you want me to continue or should I give you a taste of sunburn?]
Her fur made out of flames burned a notch brighter and he felt his skin tingle.
"Continue." He gave her a few pats before brandishing his sword when he noticed a few stray prisoners running towards him when they noticed the commotion he caused.
"What the hell did you do!?"
"Freedom was within my reach and you ruined it!!"
Ignoring the cries that erupted around her, she continued.
[I don't know a lot about them but they always go in 'packs' and the one leading them would be considered the strongest and most cunning. Being called 'Warhead'.]
"So big alpha that keeps everyone in line?"
Star nodded and watched as Yuuto took care of the last few strays.
Their bodies stiff and noticing the white hue flickering in Yuuto's eyes, they screamed in pain feeling the sensation of memories being ripped from their minds.
"Other than acting like a pack, if a stray theoretically meets up with a Warhead and joins their group, how much trouble will that bring?"
Yuuto waited for Star to answer who noticed his probing question as if her answer decided his next actions.
She didn't hesitate and gave her honest opinion.
[Lots of trouble.]
"Perfect." Yuuto looked at the timer.
[40:15]
"Our next destination is to go to the lower layers of this prison."
[Huh!?]
Star could help but yell feeling a sudden cold energy wrap around them and noticed that Yuuto had already begun increasing his pace.
After thinking more about this 'game' he was playing, he looked at it wrong.
Looking for clues and the leftover trails Sparkle was leaving behind would bring him nothing more than a wild goose chase that would waste the limited time he had.
So what should he do?
Think more about the person hosting this game.
Would Sparkle really host this game and only have him chase her around the prison in areas where lowly prisoners had a sentence based on the lightest 'sins'?
That was not fun. Bland.
Being with her for just a short moment was more than enough to know her tastes.
"When there's a chance for entertainment, she will surely be there."
Since she can't resist a good spotlight.
And there was a good opportunity for some rather juicy entertainment to come through.
Enough to spice up this game of tag to a satisfying degree.
Even if there wasn't, he would make some himself.
He would bring the fun to her.
So she's forced to meet him.
Yuuto felt mist roll off his body but instead of the controlled fashion he always had it. He released it wildly without restraint.
The hallways and cells were now covered in ice and gliding through them was a man who left as a blur.
Rows of hallways. Individual sections.
All with prisoners that couldn't register the blizzard brushing past them. All were left embedded into the walls covered in ice.
And as if reacting to his actions, an excited voice called out to him.
"Yuu~~!! When did you decide to become a figure skater!? Let me in as well~"
His hand disappeared and a pistol appeared. Aiming the barrel at a figure hopping around at the end of the hall.
Yuuto stabbed his sword into the icy floor and used it as a foothold.
The change in direction shot him forward and he pulled the body close to him.
It's chamber right by her temple, Yuuto felt his finger on the trigger.
"Hihihi! Don't be so hasty, Yuu~! You have one bullet, remember? Don't regret it after~~"
Sparkle smiled wide and tapped her temple. In a way as if to urge him to pull it. Urging him to do it.
There was a moment of silence before Sparkle's head was instantly severed from her body.
POOF!
Instead of blood that usually came, confetti exploded and a sharp giggle assaulted his ears.
"A little eager but that just means you're getting into it! I can't deduct points for that. Only points were lost for how you harmed my delicate neck so easily."
Little sniffles formed from the voice that had arrived from all directions before abruptly stopping.
"Well, that was close!" Her voice continued to linger. "How about we have a little intermission to celebrate this wonderful milestone!"
Sparkle announced and cells that were closed shut by the mist he emitted suddenly snapped open.
Hulking bodies and a large snout closed shut by a metal muzzle. Yuuto knew the type of species they were considering they appeared a lot in the memories he took.
Borisins. Not just regular ones but judging by their appearance they had the presence of a seasoned warrior.
A true being that deserved to be down in this lowly prison.
"Let's see~" Like a spectator, Sparkle hummed to herself before vanishing.
Leaving behind two plastic masks that soon attached themselves to the borisin's head.
"Some doggies wouldn't slow you down, right?"
Yuuto shook his head and glanced at the timer one last time.
[33:50]
"I need to go faster."
***
Crunch.
Ice crumbled beneath his feet and a robed man looked up at the thick slab of ice sealing the prison, preventing prisoners from the lower sections from going up.
"This must be his doing…"
The man reached towards his chest and turned his head.
Trails of ice and frost. A clear distinction of whoever made this seal went towards the lower levels.
"I need to hurry."
***
[General! There have been movements noted within the Scalegorge Waterscape as predicted! Awaiting orders.]
"Keep the area sealed and don't allow any personnel from entering or leaving."
[Understood!]
The Jade Abacus shimmered into a faint green hue before fading as Jingyuan stored it.
His face devoid of the usual laziness, now carried a solemn look.
While he tried to ignore it, he couldn't help but draw his eyes towards the growing object slowly engulfing the sky.
The bright sky was meant to give the citizens an anchor to lean on during the most hopeless situations. It was being taken right in front of their eyes.
Tendrils the size of buildings extended outwards from the entity. Hoping to latch onto the surface.
Each one grew more excited as it got closer but a burst of flames was the last thing it met before igniting a chain of explosions. Ultimately meeting its destruction.
Jingyuan felt a rush of wind past him and rows of Fighter Jet Starskiffs soared through the air.
A sight he had mixed feelings about.
Considering that a person he didn't expect to meet was also occupying a broad area in the sky, just a few neighbourhoods away.
Allowing a bright blue moon to manifest as a challenge to the being.
"General, what's the situation? Will we go forward with the plan we originally had?"
Breaking his admiration, a group ran up to him and forced him to concentrate once more.
Welt followed by March and Stelle looked at him, who was distracted by the object in the sky and fought the unease that continued to grow within them.
Their bodies were covered in dust. Jingyuan couldn't help but feel grateful by their actions so far.
Jingyuan collected his composure. "We might need to at this point but this case has gotten too dangerous for me to consider the options where we could handle it on our own."
"Has it really progressed that far for you to say…"
Welt seemed to understand his thoughts and he felt like the weight of their actions would only get heavier going forward.
"Are we not going to do something about that thing up there…?"
March meekly asked, pointing towards the sky and felt like it was a sign that was too hard to ignore.
Stelle also had the same thoughts and wondered why they weren't addressing it.
Jingyuan sensed their unease and sighed.
"It's not really ignoring but there is so much we can do considering the threat. While we're managing its behavior so far, there's… countless records of what it could do to place it on top of our list of priorities."
"So choosing the most urgent one right now is the goal?"
He nodded. "Mr. Yang understands well. We can only prepare for the worst."
Jingyuan had already sent an SOS signal to the nearest ship but the transmission could take up to days, which is too late if the object were to go berserk right now.
A strange sight, not seeing.
Since he read just how aggressive this creature was. It was odd not seeing it release more of its attacks.
"We have already begun activating and loading our various defences, so all we can do is evacuate the civilians and focus on our other enemy."
His words didn't settle their unease but it was true that another enemy was slowly making their way towards the area they had predicted.
RUMBLE!!
And as if she was listening, the ground beneath them began to shake and the Ambrosial Arbor let out a bright green light in response.
"Meet with Master Diviner Fu Xuan and I will follow shortly after."
Golden lightning crackled around Jingyuan's body as he rushed towards the source of the earthquake. Leaving the three of them behind.
"Let's hurry."
Welt wasted no time and reviewed the plan they originally had while meeting Fu Xuan, who was in the distance.
March took one last look at the sky and mumbled while Stelle clenched her fist tightly.
'I hate this feeling…'
A small crease formed between her eyebrows and a subtle heat formed within her chest.
Lost in her own thoughts, she reached a turn and suddenly felt her own body fall sideways as she was pulled into an alley, cleanly hidden from wandering eyes.
"W-What was that abou—!?"
Stelle caught herself and was about to yell when she noticed the person who pulled her and her thoughts stopped.
"What are you doing here?"
"I.. need your help."
Stelle didn't speak and just had her eyes wander towards the blank, empty and dull gaze the woman had.