Chapter 70

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"Mr. Gadior, I've been waiting for you..."

As Gadior arrived at a certain park in the central district, Welcy ran up to him, waving her hand. She looked quite exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, and her running was wobbly.

"You really pushed her to the limit, didn't you?"

"Yes, it was... quite a stretch... But I managed to find it, just as you asked."

She then pulled out a newspaper. It was quite old, and it wasn't even one she had made.

"It was still around?"

"The remaining staff in the capital combed through the archives where various back issues of newspapers are stored. Of course, we worked through the night."

"I thank you, Welcy."

"Please return the favor threefold..."

They didn't discuss any monetary transactions, but Gadior intended to give her a decent reward once the battle was over. After exchanging a few light-hearted words, he opened the newspaper and began to read the article.

'Large-scale fire in the capital's residential area, multiple casualties'

The headline read, and the body of the article detailed the cause of the fire, the spread of the flames, and the efforts to extinguish it. However, his gaze was drawn to the list of victims at the end.

"Suzanna Smith... Is this it?"

"Yes, it seems this person is Mother—no, Mike Smith's mother."

That was the man's real name. The wanted poster displayed in the plaza in front of the royal castle clearly listed his name.

"The fire occurred twenty years ago, and Suzanna Smith was thirty at the time."

"According to Flam, Mother was a man in his late twenties."

"The ages match perfectly. However, isn't 'Mike' a rather plain name? Could his complex about it be why he calls himself 'Mother'?"

"He probably just has complicated feelings towards his mother. We can't infer much about his family environment from this article, but his fixation on becoming a 'mother' and on 'children'—"

"Indicates a rather twisted family view, I'd say."

Just as Welcy said this, the ground shook violently. She lost her balance and almost fell, but Gadior steadied her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, thank you."

"No, I should apologize for bringing you to such a dangerous place."

His gaze was directed towards the eastern district, where a massive block of transparent ice had pierced the ground in the middle of the town.

"Is that Eterna...?"

"Probably. She's making quite a spectacle."

As Welcy observed, something flesh-colored was climbing up the towering ice mountain. There were countless of them, and they soon enveloped the entire structure. As she squinted to identify them—

"It's better not to look."

Gadior warned her.

"Why not?"

"You won't be able to look at infants the same way again."

"...Huh? Oh... Could it be...?"

The identity of the insect-like creatures writhing on the surface of the ice. Gadior seemed to have understood it at a glance. Realizing this, Welcy never looked towards the eastern district again.

"So, getting back to the main topic... Why did you have me investigate Mike's mother, or rather, Mother's mother?"

She had only been told, "I'll explain later," and still didn't know the true reason.

"If they are looking for a place to die, they might seek out their mother again at the end."

"But the house was burned down in the fire, right?"

"The area where the residential district was is now a warehouse district."

"Are they hiding there? But the warehouse district is vast, and if we search every inch, it will be dark by the time we're done."

"We don't need to search everything. We just need to check places where they are less likely to be found."

"The warehouse district is usually bustling with people, so it's unlikely to be—"

But Welcy remembered a place that would be "convenient" for them. Given its connection to the church, it wouldn't be strange if Mother chose it as a hiding place.

"Oh, right, the Francois Company!"

That was the name of the company where Satyrus Francois was the CEO. She was killed by Flam and brought back to life through necromancy, but died again in the chaos in Sheol. After her disappearance, the company was temporarily shut down due to its illegal drug dealings with the church, and it remains closed to this day. Of course, the warehouse where the goods were stored is also largely unused.

"Since we know, let's go immediately."

"It's better if Welcy doesn't come."

"Even if I can't fight, I can help with the search."

Welcy was determined to come. If it was just about finding Mother, she would have been useful. However, Gadior had another priority that needed to be addressed.

"Not just that, if the warehouse district is Mother's hideout, the remaining Children won't leave me alone."

"Ah, Nect... I see. Then I have no choice. I don't want to die, after all."

Welcy was dissatisfied, but life comes first. Her curiosity as a journalist whispered to her to follow Gadior alone to the warehouse district, but that voice was undoubtedly demonic. In the eastern district, several massive blocks of ice had pierced the ground, and the sounds of intense battle could be heard from the western district. If she got caught up in it, Welcy, who had no combat skills, would surely lose her life. Rushing into such a battlefield would be more than just reckless. Despite her curiosity, she shook her head and returned to the company where her colleagues were waiting.

---

Gadior, too, had his doubts. Eventually, Nect would appear before someone. Given that the baby and Linus were fighting, and Eterna was engaged in battle, and Flam was attacking Slow while Luke fought back, it was logical that Nect would come to him. He had expected Nect to attack either before or during their conversation. If not, then if Nect attacked in the warehouse district, it would be a form of "confirmation." Of course, there was also the possibility that Gadior's prediction was wrong, and neither Mother nor Nect would be there.

"...Is this it?"

He looked up at a large building. A sign next to the entrance bore the name of the Francois Company. The door of the warehouse in front of him was marked with a '1'. Three identical warehouses stood in a row, each with a '2' and '3' on their doors. The scale of the warehouses was impressive, even for a leading company in the capital. It was even more surprising that they were now abandoned, with no one inside, regardless of whether they had evacuated or not. If Gadior had been a child, he would have played hide-and-seek here with great enthusiasm.

"There haven't been any incidents in this area recently, which is suspicious."

There were several locations in the capital where no victims had been reported, making it difficult to find Mother based on that alone. However, a place that was perfect for hiding and usually bustling with people being left untouched was highly suspicious. Naturally, the largest door in the center was locked, so Gadior moved to a small door connected to the office. It was also locked, but a light tap with his black gauntlet opened it. As he stepped inside—

He sensed a strong killing intent behind him. He immediately drew his greatsword from his back and swung it around.

*Pong!*

He missed, and only the sound of the sword cutting through the air echoed, but Gadior had clearly seen the boy "teleport" at the last moment. The blue-haired boy—Nect—moved inside the office, sat down in a chair, and clapped his hands.

"Right on target."

He said it mockingly.

"Congratulations, Gadior Raskart, you figured it out."

Gadior was unsure how to interpret Nect's words. Was he just trying to mislead him, or was Mother really here? Either way, he would have to defeat this boy first. He glared silently and pointed his sword. Nect stood up and said, "Wow, scary," in a deliberately exaggerated tone.

"Sometimes it's good to trust people, you know. Mother really is ahead, though I can't tell you which warehouse."

"What do you hope to achieve by telling me that? Weren't you buying time to keep Mother alive for four days?"

"Ah, you knew. Then I'll tell you, the answer is yes. But I also think it doesn't matter."

Everyone will die eventually.

Like Mute, Luke will probably die, and so will he, without a doubt.

Nect didn't think Gadior could win with just one core.

"If I use two cores, I'll die. Whether I win or lose, I'll die. Mother is the same; he doesn't think he can survive being targeted by the Chimera. Even if you lose, they will swarm and attack, and it will be over anyway."

"But if the 'something' you're hiding is born, won't it be able to stand up to the Chimera?"

"Maybe, but I don't really understand the 'fourth generation.' It could just be a means to fulfill Mother's wish. In other words, he's trying to fulfill his dream at the end of his life."

Nect spoke with a somewhat hollow gaze.

It didn't matter if the 'something' born was defeated by the Chimera.

He wanted the result.

The achievement of bringing something to life, which he had sought with his entire life.

If he could hold that in his heart, even death would not be tragic.

"But we won't see the end. So it doesn't matter. Do as you please. I'll just fulfill my own wish, in my own way."

His eyes sparkled.

His usual smug and insolent smile returned, and he extended his right hand, palm open.

He was finally ready to start.

Gadior gripped the hilt tightly and took a mid-guard stance.

"Connect!"

As he declared the activation of his power, Nect clenched his fist.

Gadior's vision of him disappeared.

The walls surrounding the office converged in the center, and the room was crushed in an instant.

But Gadior, undistracted, turned and struck the ground with his greatsword.

A storm of prana erupted, cutting a fan-shaped swath in the ground several dozen meters ahead.

"Damn!"

Nect, who thought he had successfully flanked him, cursed.

Facing the approaching debris and blades of air, he shielded himself with both arms and "connected" again, teleporting out of range. Several more stone slabs peeled off and rushed at Gadior.

He swung his greatsword with one arm, shattering the slabs before they could hit him.

"Still as reckless as ever, I see."

Nect, seeing this, said with a sigh of exasperation.

He reached into his pocket and spoke to Gadior.

"Remember? In the western district, I got a good slap on the cheek from you."

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten."

If he could sneak in close, he thought he could attack effectively, but that was a tragic mistake.

"Good, I'm glad. That was one of the most humiliating moments in my life."

"Tough luck."

Gadior said it as if it were someone else's problem.

"Thanks to that, I developed a wish I wanted to fulfill before the end of my life."

"Hmm, so that's your wish? Surprisingly simple."

"Call it age-appropriate."

Nect shrugged.

Then, with a look of resignation that belied his age, he said,

"Besides, isn't that what men are like, no matter how old they get?"

For the first time, Gadior felt a sense of kinship with Nect.

Indeed, that was true.

Seeking power to crush humiliation and regret.

Facing an opponent even when you know you can't win.

"If so, show me your true strength. You must understand that you can't beat me with what you have now."

Gadior taunted him.

"That's harsh, but you're right. Well, since time-buying doesn't matter anymore... Let's do it, let's end it."

Nect took out a core.

He pressed it to his chest and absorbed it into his body.

The feeling of a foreign object entering his body made him grimace.

"Ah... Is this the end?"

He muttered, clutching his chest.

He groaned in pain, writhing and staggering on the spot.

"Gaah, aah, aaaaahhhh!"

He roared.

Was it Nect's pain, or the Origin's joy at being born?

A storm swirled around him.

His skin peeled off, revealing red veins beneath.

Nect, shedding his human shell, was reborn as a new life form.

Faced with this, Gadior's hatred for the Origin intensified, separate from his feelings towards Nect.

It was ugly.

Pretending to give power while degrading.

This was a prelude for Gadior.

If the Chimera had more power than the Children, he had to overcome the opponent in front of him to achieve his revenge.

He had to crush him at all costs.

"O... OOOOOOOO!"

The transformed Nect emitted a sound similar to Mute and Luke.

Hearing it for the first time, Gadior grimaced in disgust.

First, he had to gauge how Nect would attack.

Nect no longer had eyes, and his entire body, including his face, was covered in red veins, but he seemed to be staring at Gadior's feet.

"O, o"

Nect made a short, two-note sound.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Gadior disappeared.

A hole about thirty meters deep appeared without warning.

"This is...!"

Gadior's eyes widened.

As he fell, the ground that had been cut out and was falling from above to fill the hole came into his field of vision.