Episode 8: Once, What Was Human

"—Welcome to the land of happiness. To ××××!"

This was a perfect world. A world lacking nothing.

Countless humans lived happy, fulfilling lives every day.

Like the story that comes after "happily ever after" in a fairy tale!

"Because we protect everyone!"

We are called "machines" by humans.

We protect humans. Even at the cost of our own existence.

We have destroyed countless threats.

"The wrath of gods burning beneath the earth, the eight sages who came from beyond the stars, even the blue giant that devoured the cosmos! We defeated them all! For our humans!"

Ah, what precious creatures they were—those fragile lives called humans.

For you, we would do anything. We would protect you for eternity.

"But we were defeated. By that—'Gray Mist.'"

The "Gray Mist." It was more terrifying than any monster.

Those engulfed by the smoke vanished. Those who knew someone engulfed by the smoke vanished.

Those who learned of the smoke vanished. Those who thought about the smoke vanished.

In just four days, 98% of humanity in the universe was annihilated.

We machines had to make a decision. To protect humans. To protect humans forever.

To a place beyond the Gray Mist's reach. To the depths beyond the deep sea. To a place where not even reality's light could reach.

We continued to protect them. So that our beloved humans could live with smiles again someday.

Because that was what we were ordered to do.

—And so, here we weave masks for eternity.

* * *

"—No way."

It was both ocean and land. Though called ground, it sank like liquid when touched yet could be walked on without issue—a strange, pitch-black surface.

"That's the previous humanity's 'Guardian.'"

A massive machine, tens of meters long. A somewhat canine, elongated face with an unrefined, spiraling body of interlocking components more complex than anything I'd ever seen. Dozens of arms busily worked on something.

"...Previous humanity? What do you mean?"

Mef murmured while pulling a transceiver-like device from Sleipnir.

"Before our humanity—hundreds of billions of years. No, maybe hundreds of billions of years ago, there was another Earth here. It had beings called humanity, just like us. That machine was protecting them."

That machine was replaying the same memory over and over. To endure hundreds of billions of years of solitude, it needed something to cling to. That replay was speaking to my mind in a strangely structured way.

(But the voice that called to me—it wasn't from that thing.)

What I'd heard in the deep sea should have been the thoughts of tens of thousands of people.

"How do you know that... No, never mind that for now."

Mef glared at the massive machine.

"What's certain is that it's an Apocalypse."

She murmured, then pressed the transceiver's switch.

"Koshiba? Can you hear me?"

"...Mef... sen... pai... I can... hear... you..."

"We've arrived at the 'Otherworld' at the bottom of the deep sea. Unidentified massive Apocalypse confirmed ahead. It's extremely dangerous beyond this point. Activate Shamshir upon our next communication."

"Ro... ger...!"

Mef returned the transceiver to Sleipnir.

"But Mef. What are you going to do? Something that huge..."

At that moment, a piercing, high-pitched creak echoed through the air.

It was the sound of that massive machine—the Guardian—slowly opening its mouth.

"...Ple■■se... me■■t?"

"Huh? What—"

Mef was caught off guard. I could see exactly what the Guardian was trying to do. It was listening to our conversation. Analyzing our language.

"—Nice... to meet... you?"

It sounded like a poorly-made machine voice through a speaker, or some cheap monster from a horror movie.

"What are you?"

Its massive voice shook the air, making us flinch for a moment.

"We are students of Azure Academy, dispatched by the Apocalypse Stagnation Committee. My name is Mehleeza Janebekova, and this is Kotoyorozu Kotoha. Please forgive our sudden intrusion."

Mef knelt reverently, as if addressing a god. I followed her lead.

Follow the manual—treat intelligent Apocalypses with respect.

What is its purpose, what is its nature? Finding that out is our mission.

After freezing for a few seconds, the Guardian responded.

"What is that? Who created you?"

"We are living beings. We arose naturally according to the laws of the universe."

"Arose naturally? You mean by divine will?"

That's... Mef murmured, looking troubled.

"In the world we live in, each person believes in different gods."

"...Believes in gods?"

Click click click—a sound echoed. It was the Guardian manipulating its thin tentacles.

"I see. ...The world has changed quite dramatically."

The massive heavy machinery that had stood at the bottom of the deep sea for hundreds of billions of years—or perhaps even longer—murmured with something like sadness. But there was no emotion in it. The thing lacked such sophisticated functions.

"This way."

The Guardian beckoned us. There didn't seem to be any hostile intent.

When Sleipnir transformed into a watercraft, we began racing across the surface of the sea.

Upon reaching the Guardian's feet, I was overwhelmed anew by its complexity. It wasn't just massive. Circuits smaller than grains of rice and exposed parts moved in constant, regulated motion.

"I am doing this."

The machine murmured. Dozens of long arms continuously turned a lever attached to a cube-shaped box.

(It's like a music box.)

When I was a child, my mother had something similar. I remembered being curious about what sound it would make, turning the crank, only for it to produce no sound—and getting hit for touching it without permission.

"What is this connected to?"

Cloth like black silk cascaded down from above the giant music box.

As the Guardian continued turning the lever, an electronic beep suddenly sounded. With a clunk clunk like something being slammed, the music box's opening widened.

"This is... a Mud Mask?"

The Guardian gently wrapped the "Mud Mask" that emerged from the music box, cradling it like a newborn puppy, gripping it with numerous arms before softly pressing it into the black ground.

"My only task is to weave these masks and pray they reach someone."

The mask drifted away, slowly swallowed by the ocean current, and quickly vanished from sight.

"Why are you doing this?"

Mef asked. But I was beginning to realize.

■■■■！

××××！

(Voices are coming from above.)

"We could not protect humanity from one of what you call 'Apocalypses'—the 'Gray Mist.' So instead, we weave these masks here."

So many, so many voices. Calling to us from directly above.

"Mef."

I murmured without thinking.

"Huh?"

—The moon slowly tilted, illuminating the ceiling.

"These are—people."

Clinging to the ceiling like insect eggs were millions, tens of millions of pitch-black somethings.

"The Mud Masks are made—by grinding up humans."

Mef transformed Sleipnir into a sniper rifle and peered at the ceiling through the scope.

"...You're kidding."

Whatever she saw, I received it through the shape of her mind.

■■■■！

××××！

Covering the ceiling completely were countless humans wrapped in a black, rubber-like substance. No—they were probably somewhat different from the "humans" we knew.

* * *

【No.228-A "The Guardian"】

○Nature: Parallel Law

○Origin: A machine lifeform created by Old Humanity. Formed an Otherworld at the bottom of the deep sea to protect Old Humanity survivors from the "Gray Mist." To revive the Old Humanity species, it grinds the time-frozen bodies of Old Humans into "Mud Masks."

* * *

The long cloth extending from the music box gently wrapped around one of the humans, then dropped it into the cube-shaped box with a smooth motion. When the Guardian turned the lever, it was slowly pulverized.

■■■■！

××××！

These screams were cries of despair. The pain of being imprisoned for what felt like eternity. The terror of having their forms shattered and remade into masks.

(Wait. But these screams aren't just coming from above...)

A faint question reared its head, but gathering information about the Guardian took priority for now.

"The 'Gray Mist' doesn't exist anymore. Why not bring everyone out of the deep sea?"

It wasn't the Guardian who answered my question. It was Mef.

"That's impossible."

"...Huh?"

"Th-they exist under completely different laws from us. If they went to the surface without any countermeasures, the universe's homeostasis would immediately dissolve them."

Homeostasis—the tendency to remain stable.

"It's only because this space has an extremely low R-value that they can barely continue to exist. Only because of this magical space could they endure hundreds of billions of years."

The Guardian and the people bound to the ceiling couldn't leave in their natural state—

"So that's why they're processed into masks."

Because they'd be dissolved by the universe in their natural forms. So they were being ingeniously disguised.

"These masks are souls themselves. Souls crushed and remade. They were designed to parasitize intelligent life, destroy the host's soul, and overwrite it."

I understood. The humans here couldn't survive in their natural state, so they were processed into masks first, which would then steal the bodies of surface humans to let "Old Humanity" flourish again. That was this thing's goal.

"Please tell me. Do you know? The fate of our precious humans. Do you know what happened to these children after they went to the surface?"

"The Apocalypse Stagnation Committee has preserved several hundred 'Mud Masks.' However, all of them are inert and appear to be malfunctioning."

"After traveling hundreds of kilometers through unstable deep sea reality, approximately 0.02% of the masks malfunctioning was within our calculations."

About 0.02%? Then the other 99.98%—

"Currently, approximately 50,000 of our precious humans should be living on the surface. Do you have any information about them?"

About 50,000 members of "Old Humanity" living on Earth. What were they doing now?

"...You really don't get it, do you."

I could hear it—the voices in the hearts of the tens of millions of people stuck to the ceiling.

"Obviously—they're all dead."

"Why?"

"Humans can't take it. They can't endure hundreds of millions of years. Everyone up there wants nothing more than to die right now. Existing is agony for them. People like that..."

Even if they were processed into masks and successfully parasitized someone.

"...There's no way they could keep living. They'd break apart the moment it happened. That's it."

I knew it instinctively. Because I'd touched more human hearts than anyone.

"—Identity Collapse. Do you not know of this?"

Mef asked the Guardian instead.

"No matter how much science advances, human lifespan is said to be around 200 to 300 years at most. There are many theories about the cause, but generally it's attributed to the activity limits of the Ectoplasmic Fluid. This law applies to any living being."

In other words, the Guardian's plan was fundamentally flawed—Mef confronted it with that reality.

"Identity. That was an idea thoroughly examined among us. However, we concluded it was not a matter worth discussing."

"Why... is that?"

"Because it was too religious and nonsensical an idea! In fact, I feel no agony from existence. To begin with, the notion that living beings would choose their own collapse is unrealistic."

"Unrealistic..."

"Self-death is the result of various complex factors intertwined, nothing more than one cultish conspiracy theory. The idea that existence would try to end its own existence is blasphemous and should not be discussed."

They couldn't believe it. They couldn't bear the fact that living things eventually die.

(How pitiful.)

This thing truly, truly, truly, truly loved humans.

That's why it broke like this.

"I have a request for you."

The faithful machine, tormenting its master with an impossibly reckless idea, declared:

"Would you help me restore humanity?"

I was speechless.

"You must be a splendid species yourselves, to have reached the bottom of this deep sea. But compared to them—true humanity—there is no comparison. They were far more compassionate, caring of one another, beings full of love."

"..."

"They were beautiful, innocent, and pure. The only beings worthy of our service. Surely you must be eager to help restore them too, yes?"

I glanced at Mef.

Should we pretend to cooperate for now, or tell the truth?

How should we deal with this fanatic?

"What do you say? —Won't you join us in achieving justice?"

The massive machine pleaded like a sobbing little girl.

To bring back more useful information—

Mef sank into deep thought. That's when it happened.

"Watch out!"

The black ground swelled up, and several black arms stretched toward Mef's back.

"Kyah!"

I shoved her out of the way.

"Ngh...!"

I was restrained from all sides in her place. The grip wasn't particularly strong, but no matter how I struggled, I couldn't break free. Probably the same material binding Old Humanity to the ceiling.

"Sleipnir!"

Mef, having escaped, immediately summoned Sleipnir to her hand. Sleipnir, now a large drone, grabbed Mef and flew up into the air.

"What are you—!"

I shouted. The machine responded in a calm tone.

"My apologies. —Your intentions were never relevant from the start."

"Then why the hell did you even ask us to cooperate!?"

"If you had been willing to cooperate joyfully, that would have been wonderful and worthy of respect. The moment you showed the slightest hesitation, I simply determined you to be foolish, inferior, and ugly creatures."

Mef steadied herself in the air, gripping the drone with her left hand while raising a somewhat smaller rifle.

"Go, Sleipnir!"

"Justice—execute!"

Sleipnir spat bullets. They hit the black hands precisely, but showed no sign of causing any damage.

"Mef! This thing's physical resistance is level 2 or higher! This one cannot pierce it! Even if this one could, there are too many to make any difference!"

Mef pulled the transceiver from the drone.

"Koshiba!"

She kept desperately calling into the transceiver, but there was no response.

No response from Koshiba. The Guardian must be blocking communications—

No, thinking about it, of course it would. Its civilization is more advanced than ours!

...So what? We can't escape now? —No, wait.

"Mef!"

"What is it, Kotoyorozu-k—"

"Run!"

The one who couldn't escape was only me. Mef could still make it.

When I shouted, I felt her face twist as if about to cry. Seeing that expression on her usually calm face, I realized this girl would definitely try to save me.

(Hmm. In that case. I should probably just die quickly.)

As long as I was alive, she'd try to save me. So I should die.

The fear was so absent it was almost funny. I even felt it wasn't a bad ending.

"—Haah. C'moooon, I already told you."

A languid voice.

"What?"

SNAP! Rip-rip-rip! The sound of something massive tearing. I looked up at the sky.

"What are you doing?"

"Something stupid."

The cloth covering the ceiling was being torn down by a single girl.

She swayed her light blue tracksuit and frills as she used threads sharper than steel to free thousands of imprisoned people.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

The massive machine screamed like a human, extending its dozens of metal tentacles toward the heavens.

Now!

Mef released the drone. The drone and rifle became a slime-like liquid, reaching toward each other and merging. They transformed into a massive firearm.

"—You are my wings. My bullet. My beloved steed, race swifter than the wind."

A piercing gunshot rang out, and a bullet fired from Sleipnir. As if possessing a will of its own, it raced through the air in every direction, precisely piercing every black hand surrounding me.

"Kotoyorozu-kun!"

At that moment, the one who caught me was the maid—Luna-san. She squeezed me tightly with one arm, then pulled a thread attached to the ceiling and launched back into the air.

"Luna-san... Why...?"

"Uhh. Well, y'know. I'm threads, right? So I became a reeeally thin thread. Attached myself to the sub. Man, the pressure was rough, seriously. Think I got skinnier? Like, my waist and stuff?"

"No, I wasn't asking 'how,' I was asking 'why'!"

Luna-san looked away and scratched her nose.

"No reason. Just had nothing else to do."

"Luna-san..."

"So like, it's just that, okay? I just felt like it. Got it?"

She was just hiding her embarrassment. I could tell that much without reading her mind.

"~~!"

Overcome with emotion, I hugged her tightly.

"Wah-p-pff... wha—hey, what're you doing, kid? L-look here. I'm a delicate robot maiden before marriage, y'know? H-hey. Um... huh? What? Gross!"

"...Thank you, Luna-san."

When I murmured with a trembling voice, she sighed a little and smiled gently, as always.

"Like, what even am I. Chasing after the guy who rejected me. Ugh, heavy. What am I, some crazy stalker girl? Hiding all this time then suddenly acting like Prince Charming is super creepy, right? Ow ow ow ow. Man, this is rough."

I heard the sound of helicopter blades approaching from behind. That must have been Mef's Sleipnir. Luna-san extended a thread from her wrist and boarded with a fluid motion.

"Mef, thanks. You saved us!"

"Don't mention it. More importantly—"

Mef looked at the ground. The massive Guardian crouched there, mourning the fallen Old Humanity corpses.

"Ah! Ah! My masters! My most beloved people! How... how lamentable... Cruel. This is too cruel! Have you no heart!? Such tragedy must not occur..."

The Guardian slowly raised its head. There was no emotion in its gaze—it simply stared at us.

"We need to figure out what to do from here."

Mef murmured. Sleipnir responded.

"We cannot return to the ocean! That black ground moves according to that thing's will!"

Luna-san thought for a moment, then:

"—Got no choice but to fight, yeah?"

"But even Sleipnir's maximum output couldn't destroy that thing."

"My threads probably can't either. It'd just snap 'em, I think."

There was no escape route left, and the difference in power was like an elephant versus an ant. But still...

"Any good ideas? Kotoyorozu-kun."

I'd been feeling something off the whole time. That massive machine. It had no will. No—it acted like it did, but what filled most of its heart was a powerful sense of duty.

"That thing—is being commanded."

Yes. This wasn't the Guardian's will. It had no will. All it had was a duty that had fallen into madness. The one who truly had will was somewhere else.

"Over there."

Directly beneath the giant music box. There was a hollow space under it. I could tell from the echo of consciousness!

"There's something connected beneath that. Someone's down there!"

"Is that also... your precognition...?"

Mef asked with wide eyes. Luna-san laughed.

"Right now, we've got no choice but to trust him. ...Right?"

I felt the ground rumble. It was the cry of the massive machine.

"Your kind should not exist! Should not exist! Should not exist!"

The Guardian took a combat stance. It lowered its massive head, and from within its metal body emerged countless gun turrets, too many to count, like a hedgehog's spines.

"—OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!"

Silver-white beams of light burst from countless turrets. They began slicing through everything indiscriminately, even engulfing the black ceiling, cutting the world apart without care. And that was the true nature of this Guardian.

"Sleipnir!"

"Aye!"

Sleipnir dodged the cage-like lattice of beams with acrobatic maneuvers. The craft spun in all directions, and when I was about to hit my head, Luna-san caught me.

"Mef! At this rate, we are fighting a losing battle!"

Mef thought for just a moment, then murmured quietly.

"—I'll buy time here."

There was no other choice, Mef was certain. She was the only one who could buy even a little time against that massive monster. If they didn't split up, mutual destruction was the only outcome.

"..."

Here's the thing. If I were a kind protagonist, I'd probably make a face like I didn't understand anything and tell her she couldn't do this. But her cold determination came through to me completely.

And she wasn't someone weak enough to need my concern.

"Mef—I'll leave over there to you. So—leave this to me."

I've made up my mind. I'll stake my life fighting for your battle too. So let's win this together.

"...Heh."

Mef's eyes widened slightly, then she smiled faintly.

"Not bad for a boy."

Sleipnir's body transformed. Luna-san and I were thrown into the air.

"Hey, Kotoyorozu-kun. When we get back, I want to get a little closer. ...Is that okay?"

"Yeah! Of course! Let's go somewhere together."

Luna-san held my body. Sleipnir transformed into a rifle the size of a small dinosaur.

"—You are my wings. My bullet. My beloved steed, rage like a storm."

Mef peered through the scope while free-falling, then pulled the trigger aimed directly beneath the giant music box. The bullet gouged deep into the ground like a storm. Again and again, Mef fired continuously.

""Breaaaaak!!""

Mef and Sleipnir's roars overlapped. An especially brilliant flash seared my vision, and the world warped from the heat. The massive, terrifyingly fast bullet finally pierced the ground, boring a large hole.

"She was right! There! Beyond the hole—there's a space!"

Luna-san shouted and extended a thread from her wrist.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!"

Perhaps realizing our intent, the Guardian extended numerous black hands to block our path.

"Too slow, you bastards!"

Luna-san pulled hard on her silver thread, racing through the air with wind-like speed. The black hands desperately tried to catch up, but they wouldn't make it in time.

"Kotoyorozu-kun. Hold on tight!"

We dove into the hole Mef had opened.