"Get everyone ready and gathered in place. I'll begin immediately," Seiya instructed, his voice steady and unwavering. Without sparing Hayne another glance, he strode out the door.
Hayne stood frozen, startled by Seiya's sudden assertiveness. He had known Seiya to be confident in battle, but rarely with words. The boy was not one to argue or insist on anything. But, without questioning further, Hayne turned and walked out to carry out Seiya's command.
Meanwhile, Seiya, halfway down the corridor, abruptly stopped and retraced his steps to his room. Entering the restroom, he reached for Ibyu, who rested quietly.
"Get back inside," Seiya said simply, asking Ibyu to go back inside him.
{Why? I've been enjoying the outside world,} Ibyu pouted, reluctant.
"A commotion's about to start. I can't keep an eye on you through it all, so get back inside," Seiya replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.
{Ugh, fine,} Ibyu grumbled, conceding.
Seiya paused, his brow furrowing slightly. "…How do you even get back in?"
{…}
"…"
{Should I melt into blood so you can drink me, or shrink and go down your throat?} Ibyu offered, as if discussing the most mundane choices.
Seiya stared at the creature, unimpressed.
"…"
{I could also slip in through that open wound on your chest,} Ibyu added nonchalantly.
"…"
Seiya's expression remained flat, none of the options appealing in the slightest. "Just crawl back in," he sighed, opening his mouth.
With an exaggerated sigh of its own, Ibyu shrank into a more tiny, insect-like form and crawled into Seiya's mouth, sliding down his throat.
"Are you in place?" Seiya asked in a tight voice, fighting the instinct to gag. There was no response until he felt his heart settle into place, its steady pulse resuming.
{Now I am,} Ibyu finally replied.
Seiya ran his hand over his chest as if reassuring himself of his heart's presence. Then, without further delay, he left the room.
He made his way to the facility's main hall—the largest space, where gatherings and announcements were usually held. At this late hour, the hall stood empty; most were at their posts, asleep, or had already gone home.
Seiya removed his sleep mask, revealing a pair of gleaming eyes and the scar beneath.
"Now… How exactly do I use this stone to open a gate?" he mused aloud, rolling the stone thoughtfully in his palm.
{Maybe just smash it?} Ibyu suggested.
Without hesitation, Seiya stepped back and hurled the stone at the ground with tremendous force. It shattered instantly, releasing a brilliant light that shot upward. Slowly, a swirling blue vortex began to form.
Seiya stepped back, observing the whirlpool as it grew, expecting monsters to pour out. But something was off—it was taking longer than usual.
"I'll let it form and handle something else in the meantime," he murmured, turning his back on the gate.
He stood still, his gaze sweeping the surroundings as if scanning for something hidden. After a moment, his head tilted slightly, his eyes narrowing toward a specific direction. "Yes… there. The operating room," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with resolve.
With measured, heavy steps, Seiya headed toward the operating room, where most of the facility's systems were managed. As he reached the threshold and extended his hand to open the door, it creaked open from the inside. A worker, unaware of Seiya's presence, was about to step out.
"Thank you," Seiya murmured politely, offering his tributes before extending his palm toward the man's face, fingers splayed across his temples.
With terrifying strength, he pressed inward, crushing the skull between his palm until it burst into bits, splattering the walls with blood.
Inside the room, two staff members—a man and a woman—sat frozen in horror. Their faces drained of color, bodies trembling uncontrollably as Seiya discarded the lifeless corpse and began walking toward them.
"N-no, d-don't come closer! You can't! I-I'm a woman!" the female staff stammered, her voice trembling with desperation as Seiya drew near. Seiya tilted his head slightly in question, pondering what relevance her gender had in this situation.
As he paused to understand the meaning behind her words, the two workers began inching their hands toward the keyboards, likely hoping to trigger an alarm. But Seiya's sharp eyes caught their movement.
"Stop," he commanded, his voice cold and piercing.
The workers froze, their hands suspended just above the keys. The oppressive weight of Seiya's presence suffocated them. They could already sense their impending deaths, knowing compliance wouldn't save them, so why not just trigger the alarm? But their bodies refused to disobey Seiya. His glowing eyes and scarred face appeared more terrifying than any monster, forcing every nerve in their body to comply.
Seiya closed the distance to the woman and, without hesitation, seized her by the hair, delivering a brutal punch to her side. Her abdomen burst with a sickening crack, and she crumpled lifeless to the floor. He then turned to the remaining man, whose eyes were wide with paralyzing fear. With a swift strike to his face, Seiya snapped his neck, leaving him to collapse beside his colleague.
Seiya glanced at the operational equipment, indifferent to its purpose. He disconnected a few systems at random before exiting the room.
As he walked down the corridor, faint screams echoed in distance through the facility.
{There's screaming from the main hall. I think the gate's opened—monsters are out already,} Ibyu chimed in.
Seiya remained silent, his footsteps heavy and unhurried, as if time itself bent to his will.
{I sense a strong presence on the third floor. Can you sense it?} Ibyu asked.
"Mn," Seiya grunted in acknowledgment.
{It feels like there's a commotion up there… they're probably fighting,} Ibyu added, his tone edged with concern.
Seiya walked on, silent. Then, after a stretch of quiet, he finally spoke, his voice low and indifferent. "Should I care?"
{…}
{The third floor's where Suhei is. What if he's in danger? I thought he was your friend?} Ibyu persisted, its words laced with urgency.
"Eeehh," Seiya exhaled lazily, stretching the sound, his gaze fixed ahead, unflinching.
{Trust me! He's your friend. And the Seiya from before would've rushed to help,} Ibyu insisted, its voice tinged with frustration.
Seiya's face remained expressionless, his tone flat and cold. "Too bad that Seiya is lost… and can't be found. Exiled, probably."
Ibyu fell silent, Seiya's words hanging in the air like shadows that refused to dissolve.
When Seiya arrived at the main hall, a horde of red orcs greeted him. They varied in size—some tall, some squat, some horned from their heads, others from their mouths. Their monstrous forms were grotesque and menacing.
Three staff members lay lifeless on the floor, while another—a woman—was being threatened by an orc, her terrified screams were the ones Seiya had heard earlier. The orcs grinned wickedly, seeing Seiya as yet another fool to be slaughtered.
Without a word, Seiya strode toward the orc menacing the woman. In a single, fluid motion, he seized its horn and, with effortless strength, hurled it across the room, its body crashing into a heap of equipment, and shattering it.
The remaining orcs froze, their grotesque smiles fading into stunned silence, eyes wide with disbelief. Seiya turned, indifferent, his gaze locking onto the largest of them, standing imposingly at the center like a self-proclaimed leader. As he advanced, the room grew heavier with each step, his mere presence suffocating any spark of defiance within them.
Standing before the towering orc that loomed over him like a giant, Seiya calmly placed a hand on its massive shoulder. With effortless strength, he forced the orc down to its knees in a single, forceful motion.