──36 hours have passed since the formula was deployed. Now, I will announce the number of infected humans and those who are not.
The 13th floor of the Silonti Tower.
I am searching the interior where Void's broadcast is echoing.
The closer I got to the first floor, which was heavily populated, the more it resembled hell.
──Once one side reaches zero, the barrier will be lifted.
Literally all day long, the screams of people and the roars of the infected resound. It's a situation that is almost unbearable for anyone.
──Infected: 6,753 entities.
I am tracking Void's trail with the SZX-9500 as much as I can.
Where on earth is he hiding?
──Humans: 1,357 entities. Quite a few are still alive.
I've searched thoroughly from the first to the twelfth floor, but I haven't found Void, and there are still 28 floors left. It's unnecessarily large—
Crash──
Amidst the silence of the 13th floor, a sudden loud crashing noise. I turned to look in that direction.
I wasn't the only one.
The infected that filled the floor also turned their gaze there.
Grrrrrr────!
"Ye, Yeri!"
Then a man's voice echoed.
"Uh, ughhhhh…."
A child had fallen. The father hurriedly ran to embrace the child, but it was already too late.
Dozens of infected had already dashed to that spot.
The father and child would be torn apart.
And I...
...
Should I have gone out today?
Should I have left Yeri at home?
Jackson held the child in his arms. Gasping for breath in extreme fear, he did not let go of the child's heartbeat he felt against his chest.
Grrrrrr───!
As he saw the infected rushing towards him after he had fallen, a flurry of thoughts flashed through the father's mind.
The kids' cafe.
Yeri liked the kids' cafe, and he had wanted to let her play there.
To bounce around, eat desserts, that's all he had wanted to do.
Jackson held Yeri tightly.
"...It's okay. Yeri."
If they were to die like this, at least it wouldn't be the worst.
It's much better than dying separately.
Jackson had found Yeri, who had been hiding somewhere in the kids' cafe, and they had come out together to escape.
In such a hellish situation, he had seen the child who simply smiled as if she had been saved by the world just by meeting her father.
If he could die instead of Yeri, he would wish to, but if not, being together on this path was the father's role...
Thump─! Thump─! Thump─!
"Ughhhhh…."
While comforting Yeri, who was crying in his arms, Jackson closed his eyes.
"It's going to be okay. It'll be alright..."
And so he waited.
For death or infection, whatever it may be.
But no matter how long he waited, it was silent.
Or had he already died?
In the midst of the unknown, as Jackson was tilting his head in confusion.
Crash───!
A sound of something being torn apart echoed. Hot liquid and cold flesh poured all over his body.
"Kuh-huh."
Jackson gasped for breath and opened his eyes.
"..."
Blood and gore were scattered all around. Jackson took in heavy breaths as he looked at the scene.
A man stood there.
Across from him, where he presumably saved Jackson, countless infected still swarmed.
─Cover the child's eyes.
The voice was heavy and deep, as if modulated. A hockey mask covered the face.
Jackson knew who he was.
No, if one is from Trick City, they couldn't possibly not know.
They must not be ignorant.
The Avenger── Raquel Dra.
"..."
While Jackson stared in disbelief, the man waved his hand in the air.
It was just once.
With a lazy gesture, as if shooing away a fly, he swished his hand.
Kwaaaa───!
A tremendous gale arose. The wind took the form of a blade and surged forward.
Fwshhhhh!
The bodies of the infected were sliced as if by a blender. Corpses burst like pus. Remnants squelched as they settled down.
Jackson covered the child's eyes with both hands.
"..."
He stared at Raquel Dra, almost in a trance, as if his mind had drifted and scorched.
─...
The man looked back at him.
No, more precisely, he looked at the child in his arms.
The little one had already fainted.
But it seemed necessary to inform him.
"She's alive, she's just asleep…"
─...
Raquel lifted his head. He said nothing. Instead, he took out a wand from his waist and waved it slightly.
Swoosh-
A breeze arose. It was a gentle current. It swept away the corpses clinging to the father and child.
"Ah…"
Jackson didn't know what to say.
He was the most infamous villain in Trick City. A terrorist who killed respected sages, assassinated entrepreneurs, and terrorized the wealthy, indiscriminately of class, personality, wealth, gender, or age.
And he had helped Jackson.
─7th floor. There are survivors there.
Leaving those words behind, Jackson watched the man's retreating figure, walking step by step.
It was only after he had disappeared that Jackson finally found his voice.
"...Thank you."
* * *
People who are directly infected by the foreign magic power turn into monsters. These monsters bite others, infecting them in the same way.
That was all Layla had found out in two days.
Ideas like researching the formula to dismantle it or finding a way to detoxify were far too complex for Layla, who was more skilled in technical aspects than theory.
"...Shh."
Anyway, this was a corner on the 10th floor of the infected tower.
Layla turned around and put a finger to her lips. The group following her nodded with tense faces.
"We're just going to grab food and get out. Quietly. We can't get caught."
The tower had a total of 39 floors. It was so large that survivors were hiding everywhere, but there was a problematic person.
It was 'Rhine'.
An active knight, he had taken over the most crucial 10th-floor food center and was slaughtering people. If he saw even a hint of infection, he would cut off their heads.
"Slowly. Pack without making noise. There's no sign of patrol."
Layla and her group packed cans of food and other items into baskets. It was fortunate that the food center was incredibly spacious.
"...That's enough. Let's go quickly."
Dozens of cans of food and water. The variety of the menu was lacking, but this was enough to last for a couple of days.
Stealthily─ stealthily─
They returned to the emergency staircase.
"...Phew."
Layla wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and sighed with relief.
"What should we do now?"
The security guard asked. Layla glanced at her group.
One security guard, one department store cashier, one cleaner, one high school student. These four were relying too heavily on her.
"...Let's go back to our place for now."
The 7th floor. A floor lined with furniture and electronics stores. That was where Layla's group had their hideout.
"Haah..."
Layla pondered as she descended the stairs.
The incident was too big for Layla to handle. They still didn't know who the main culprit 'Void' was, and thousands of people were trapped here, killing each other even when cooperation was desperately needed.
Should she reveal herself as 'Mila'?
If it was to protect Elly, she could prepare herself for that much.
But... then she wouldn't be able to keep the promise she made with her father.
A hero is no longer a hero the moment they reveal their identity.
"Huh?"
Arriving on the 7th floor, Layla's eyes widened as she saw something.
"Elly!"
Elly was sitting up.
"Elly! Are you okay?!"
"..."
She nodded her head, albeit with a pale face.
"I think I'm okay."
"How, how did you? What's that magnet?"
Elise was in a bit of a strange state. She had wrapped a bandage around her head, and attached to that bandage was a magnet, as if she had intentionally placed it there.
"I've contained the foreign formula with my magnetism."
"Contained?"
"Yes. There are bugs crawling around in my head. This foreign formula itself has become a living entity."
Gasp- Gulp- The others in the group let out sounds of alarm.
"Then, what should we do?"
Layla asked urgently. Elise continued, breathing heavily.
"It's a good thing we're in the tower. There should be plenty of useful items… First, we need to find the 'core'."
"The core?"
"We'll need a microscope, a mana stone solution, and various other experimental tools. I'm going to analyze it visually and write a dismantling formula."
"…Elly. Can you do it in that condition?"
Elise nodded her head.
"I can bear it."
"Then. How do we get the core?"
"…The source of the formula. It must be somewhere in this tower."
"…"
Layla let out a heavy sigh.
"Got it."
Bodies were strewn about. People whose entire bodies had turned into purple tentacles flailing about like zombies, or those who had been killed before they could mutate.
"What should we do?"
The group asked her.
"…Protect Elly here in the Magic Space. We don't know when that knight Rhine will come again. Elly is our only hope."
They nodded with very stiff faces.
"I'm not sure if we can protect her, but…"
"Contact me immediately if anything happens."
Layla tapped a small walkie-talkie. It was something she had brought from the electronics store on the 5th floor.
"Understood."
"Do you have water?"
Elise asked the group. The security guard hurriedly opened a bottle and handed it to her.
"Elly. I'll be back. I have someone to talk to."
"…Okay. Be careful."
* * *
Layla went back up to the 10th floor. In the center of the food corner, there was a space barricaded with counters.
"Phew…"
After taking a deep breath, Layla walked steadily forward. People armed with scythes, knives, and harpoons glared at her from the entrance.
"…Stop."
"I need to speak with the person in charge here."
"Whether you're infected or not-"
"I'm not infected. Can't you tell?!"
"We can't. You look infected just by your face."
"What did you say?!"
"—It's alright."
A voice came from behind. Then, a knight walked out steadily.
Rhine.
His eyes were cold and dry, and he had killed hundreds of people in just one day.
"What do you want?"
Rhine asked. Layla took a deep breath and said,
"I've found it."
"Found it?"
Layla nodded confidently.
"Yes. Elise figured it out."
Rhine furrowed his brow.
"…I told you. That person is infected."
"She overcame it herself. I told you, it's possible to overcome."
"…"
Rhine's eyes wavered, but he quickly shook his head in disbelief.
"It only looks like she's overcome it. Elise is a human with exceptional magical abilities, so she might be able to withstand it for a while. But soon, she'll become a monster. A worse monster than any ordinary person."
Rhine's hand rested on the sword at his waist.
"I'm going to kill her."
"No, I'm telling you we found a way?!"
Layla was horrified. What kind of person is this? Completely stubborn.
"People are turning into monsters because of something like a magical life form? Anyway, something like that is getting into their heads."
"We've found a method too."
Layla was startled. She glanced around and asked cautiously.
"…Really?"
"Yes. It's simple. We kill all the infected people."
"…Ah, seriously!"
Layla crossed her arms.
"I'm serious. 'Void' said so. You heard it too, didn't you?"
"The one who trapped us here. You trust what that person says?"
"Of course. Who else is going to rescue us from outside? Two days have already passed. This mess happened at the Silonti Tower in the middle of C Section. What is the country doing?"
Rhine's eyes widened. Blood seemed ready to flow from his bloodshot eyes.
"Shall I tell you? The people outside are afraid of the infection too. That's why they've abandoned us. They're afraid that if the tower's doors open, the infection will leak out."
"…"
Layla bit her lip. Rhine growled as he continued.
"Edsilla, Trick City, they won't help us. Not until we inside solve the problem."
Then he stepped aside. He gestured with his chin for Layla to enter the barricade.
"Come in."
"…Me?"
Layla was slightly taken aback.
"Yes. Come inside. You're not infected, are you?"
Rhine gestured for her to come in. Layla hesitantly stepped forward.
"…There are a lot of people."
There were many people. It looked to be about five hundred.
There were couples, lovers, friends, and children. Each face trembled with unease.
"Layla. There are 7,000 infected. If we combine our strength, we can certainly kill them. And…"
Rhine paused for a moment. Then he gestured to a child.
"This is… to make matters worse."
"Why this child?"
Layla looked at the child. He appeared to be a boy about 12 years old.
Rhine placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Tell us what you saw."
"Yes."
The child looked up at Layla.
"Hello. You're Layla Hilton, right? From the National University's Department of Magic Studies."
"…Huh? Oh, um… yes, that's right."
The child, who seemed mature for his age, pointed to her ear.
Did he want to whisper something?
As Layla leaned down, the child whispered into her ear.
…Here, 'Raquel Dra' is present.
Layla's eyes widened in shock.
"…What, what did you say?!"
"Shh. Please be quiet. People are getting anxious."
The child placed a finger over his lips. Layla turned to look at Rhine. Her expression was grave, as if to confirm the truth of the child's words.
"You. Are you telling the truth? If you're lying, you'll be in big trouble."
"I saw it with my own two eyes."
Layla bit her nails without realizing it.
"Are you sure it's not a mistake?"
"Let's go to the office."
The child led Layla to an office that was separated even within the barricade.
He opened a laptop and plugged in a USB drive.
"I brought a USB with CCTV footage from the security room…"
Click- Enter.
Then, the CCTV footage began to play on the screen. Layla's face turned to one of horror as she watched.
"This person. It's Raquel Dra, right?"
A hockey mask. A robust physique. It was definitely Raquel Dra.
However, what was more shocking to Layla was the location shown in the CCTV footage.
"This is… the 7th floor."
Raquel Dra was standing in the middle of the 7th floor, Layla's residence. Moreover, he was intently staring at something.
Precisely, the 'furniture store'.
That is, the place where Layla had been staying.
"…Layla. Raquel Dra was watching you."
Rhine murmured softly. Layla's body shuddered.
"I don't know the reason yet, but the most likely hypothesis is…"
As Layla continued to stare at the CCTV screen, Rhine casually confirmed his suspicion.
"You might be the next target of 'Raquel Dra'."
Layla clenched her fists tightly.
"After the entrepreneur from B Section, the only daughter of the Hilton family. It fits well enough."
She bowed her head as she listened to Rhine's words.
"…So join forces with us-"
"It doesn't matter."
She cut him off.
It doesn't matter. Whether Raquel Dra comes or not.
No, it would be better if he did come. Then I can smash him myself.
"Let him come if he dares."
A snicker- the sound of the child's laughter rose. Layla looked at him.
"You're cool."
"…I've always been a bit like that."
Layla shrugged nonchalantly in response.