Chapter 285 ·Turning Point (48)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Point (48)

As my deeply submerged consciousness suddenly surfaced, I took a large breath. When I snapped my eyes open, the scene I saw before fainting was still vivid in my mind, making me hastily try to get up.

Or rather, I would have gotten up—had it not been for the sharp pain that shot through my body the moment I tried to tense my muscles. My body felt rigid, as if it had turned into a lump of metal.

But I couldn't just lie there, moaning because of the pain. Assessing the situation took priority. Just as I was forcing myself to rise, a quiet voice spoke.

"Don't move. The strain on your nervous system hasn't dissipated yet. The neutralizer cleared out some remnants, but the damage is so severe that your recovery is slow."

"... Carrot?"

"Yes, it's me. Can you see me clearly?"

A familiar voice followed. But I didn't let my guard down even then. After all, I'd lost consciousness under bad circumstances. There was the chance that something far more ominous and threatening than any monster was playing tricks. Hadn't I already experienced being trapped in illusions or hearing hallucinations?

Still wary, I first tried to diagnose my own state.

"It's... hard to see well, but not to the point of not recognizing at all."

My vision was blurry, devoid of focus. Squinting made things a bit clearer, but there wasn't much difference. Still, I could tell it was Carrot. He had come close and gently laid me back down.

"That's a relief. Your optic nerves had swollen and expanded."

Carrot informed me—matter-of-factly, as if merely telling me he'd just had a glass of water—that I'd almost gone blind. I absorbed that casually at first but, fully understanding only a beat later, went pale.

If I'd had anything in my mouth, I'd have spit it out. Fortunately, Carrot said I'd passed the worst stage, so I didn't have to shudder with dread. I reached up to my eyes with trembling fingers and let out a small sigh of relief.

"You were injected with stimulant twice. And that too, while the effects of the first combat stimulant hadn't worn off."

"... Yes."

"The stimulants you took are so concentrated that they could send a normal person into shock with a single dose. Why on earth—"

Carrot began to scold, then just sighed and closed his mouth.

Even though I'd been clearly warned about the dangers, the fact that I still did it meant I'd had a reason—a pressing situation that left me no choice. Carrot must have realized this after being briefed while I was unconscious.

'If I'd used only one, I wouldn't have won.'

There was no opportunity to hold back. Unless I played my entire hand, it would've been nearly impossible to create an opening. No—make that absolutely impossible.

'And this is how I end up.'

I thought Cystus would be the end, but something even worse emerged. That thing, which burst out from beneath the Archive. The memory of its colossal size—so big I couldn't imagine how it had been hiding—left me breathless.

'Sprout...'

Sprout was lying next to me, visibly wilted. Several reasons came to mind as to why, and as my expression hardened, Carrot's voice reached me.

Maybe as a substitute for nagging—Carrot, as a medical professional, expressed concern for my reckless actions. He started explaining where my body had been damaged, how severe it currently was, how long recovery might take, and so forth.

"I know your healing is usually fast, but for now you must absolutely rest. There's a proper time for recovery."

"But—"

"Quiet and listen. I'm not telling you to rest forever. I know that's not possible in our situation. But your body needs rest badly. Stimulating your senses is a double-edged sword. Expanding your consciousness widens your cognitive range, but the strain multiplies, not adds. There's a reason military stimulants are regulated. Their side effects outweigh the benefits. What you took can't even be compared to those. If you don't get at least minimal rest now, you'll have lifelong aftereffects. If that happens—"

As he droned on, I sensed the coming of a full lecture and quickly cut him off.

"Alright, I'm lying still, see? More importantly, what happened? How did things turn out? Where is everyone? And... where are we, right now?"

I knew I was in Albatross's medical bay. I'd been here several times before for stimulant effect verification, so I was familiar with the space. What I wanted to know was the current situation.

My last memory before fainting was seeing Roxy push the container into the storage bay and then exit. I couldn't guess what happened after. Didn't Albatross fail to make an emergency flight, and end up crashing?

'It's too quiet.'

No matter how bad my state, my hearing was intact. But there was no noticeable noise. No sounds of fighting or footsteps along the corridors.

Carrot sat in a chair he pulled over beside my bed and spoke.

"First of all, let's start with this: fortunately, no one has died. At least, not yet."

"... Not yet."

"Yes, not yet. I can't say how things will go from here. You'll have to see for yourself."

Carrot handed me the holographic terminal he was holding. When I took it, a series of images popped up on the hologram screen. The first thing that caught my eye was the exterior view through the outer cameras.

Seeing the massive, reverse icicle-shaped ice chunks crowding the area, it was clear Albatross had crash-landed.

"I don't know how much you remember or what you saw. To put it simply: Albatross crashed after an engine runaway. Luckily, Roxy, using a special craft stolen from the pureblood supremacist base, kept the ship from slamming straight into the ground. The crash couldn't be prevented, but damage was minimized."

No matter how impressive the Orca was, its sheer size couldn't compare to the massive Albatross. Yet, despite the disadvantage, they somehow managed to stabilize things enough to restore some balance.

Switching to another exterior camera, I saw a wider landscape.

The sky, tinged in a menacing purple and devoid of even artificial light despite it being day. Long scars gouged in the terrain suggested where Albatross had skidded, and the black lightning flashing ceaselessly down, splitting the earth along its path.

And beyond the violet clouds—a translucent barrier.

Titan was always a kaleidoscope of colors, even with its icy satellites. Now, though, only monotones remained. Even the icy mountain ranges reflected that one hue.

Reddish-black sparks leapt or floated out of the cracked earth, the result of the satellite gravity cannon piercing Titan's surface.

The utter apocalyptic sight left me speechless.

"... The sky... is blocked."

"......"

"The sky's blocked. Titan's sealed up again... after everything we did to break through..."

I muttered blankly. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but seeing it with my own eyes made my heart drop. I felt like I'd plummeted into the abyss.

This whole situation had undoubtedly been caused by the gigantic being Orca had referred to as the Invasion Tree.

Even the satellite gravity cannon couldn't take it down quickly. The Invasion Tree wasn't visible, but its presence was palpable.

Carrot stayed beside me in silence. Now that I really looked, he seemed thoroughly exhausted. The medical team may have existed, but Carrot was the linchpin—he probably hadn't had a moment's rest. But knowing Carrot's nature, he would have refused rest anyway.

While I kept quiet, Carrot filled me in on the rest.

Once the semi-transparent black barrier engulfed Titan, all communications with Myosotis's fleet in orbit had been cut.

The satellite gravity cannon had done some damage—enough that the Invasion Tree was currently silent.

And Albatross, as a shape-shifting capital ship, had suffered too much hull damage to take off in its current condition.

"Are the others... are they resting like me? There were a lot of people hurt. Some badly."

This was just an excuse. All I wanted was to know how everyone looked—whether anyone had broken down in despair.

Carrot shook his head.

"Kyle and the remaining engineers are all working to repair Albatross's engine. Without fixing it, we can't fly again."

"It's awfully quiet for that..."

"That's because they've gone out to look for the necessary parts. Roxy apparently had the coordinates of the pureblood supremacist outpost. Everyone available went there. The only people left on this ship are those as badly injured as you and the five remaining Beta Series units. That's why it's quiet."

Carrot added that these Beta Series were left not for defense, but to care for the wounded. According to him, even Celestia and Nadia were part of the outside operation.

I remembered both of them being pretty badly hurt, but, given the situation and their stubbornness, they must have treated themselves quickly with advanced-rank medical supplies and headed out immediately. Carrot nodded, confirming my guess.

He also added that the pureblood supremacist forces left on Titan were all but wiped out now, so there was little risk of being attacked here.

He said emotional state also played a big role in recovery, and that while he would let everyone know I'd woken up, he wouldn't connect communications.

"Sometimes, seeing each other's faces can help emotionally. But, the outside operation isn't over. Even if we connect for a call, it can wait until there's news from the outside."

Carrot emphasized that it was better not to experience emotional turmoil during forced rest. I agreed, nodding.

I'd thought the ship was quiet because everyone was resting—but to learn they were out there, fighting still, not giving up. It made my head spin. But I was also relieved.

Not sitting idly by, but still striving to do something—no one had given up, despite seeing the supermassive monster that was the Invasion Tree.

Even if we hadn't encountered it, our situation after entering the Archive was enough to induce despair. We'd gone all out—slammed all our power against the wall.

And now, after all that, we'd been crushed. Of course, it was despairing. I felt it myself. The outcome was not what I'd hoped for. The sense of loss was indescribably deep.

"Are you worried?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I am."

"About what?"

"Well... to be honest, there's so much I'm not sure where to begin."

Staring vacantly at the ceiling, I slowly opened my mouth again. Carrot, seeming to agree, nodded and looked at me.

"Everyone who saw you collapse was deeply worried. Worried you'd never wake up."

He said this while bringing up Nadia—how, when she'd gone to the outpost to collect remaining supplies and possibly mop up stragglers, she'd looked like she might burst into tears as she left my bedside.

"The beastman girl didn't cry. She wiped her eyes roughly, but judging from her expression, I wouldn't say she cried."

Carrot said Nadia had worn an extremely resolute expression. He continued, with a bittersweet tone.

"Only the strong ones are left. The others fell and were left behind—so I guess it's only natural."

"......"

"The survivors are strong—but that strength is maintained because they have a center."

That center—what, or rather who, that was—was clear from Carrot's gaze.

"I don't want to burden you, but remember this. Don't fall. You're in a much more important position than you think."

"... That's a lot of pressure."

"But it does relieve some worry, right?"

"Does it though? Actually, I feel even more overwhelmed now—like, 80% pressure, 20% relief."

"No matter how you slice it, facts won't change."

"That makes it 90% pressure now."

When I grumbled that my worries hadn't really lessened, Carrot just chuckled. He handed me a nutrition pack. I gratefully accepted it; I'd been feeling thirsty.

"You don't need to shoulder all the worries yourself. Just look at the situation. Everyone else is just as worried as you. Still, they all headed for the pureblood supremacist outpost, determined to try something. Whatever happens next, it all starts with fixing the engine."

Albatross wasn't giving up on taking flight again. That's what Carrot was saying. My mind was a tangled mess—too much even to put into words. So instead, I acted.

I slapped my cheeks to snap myself out of it. Or—I would have, if a sudden jolt of pain hadn't shot through my ribs the moment I tried to lift my arm.

As it was, all I could do was try—and writhe in pain. Still, I hoped Carrot would see that I was steeling myself.

"... What are you doing?"

Apparently not. Carrot shook his head, then handed me a pill.

"Painkiller. When you first came in, even prescribing this was difficult, but your recovery's come far enough for it to be okay now. Here, take it."

Pain overruled embarrassment. I gulped down the pill with the rest of my nutrition drink. Maybe just knowing I'd taken medicine made me start to relax. My body went limp.

"Carrot, about what you said earlier—about others leaning on me more than I thought. I see it a bit differently."

"Oh?"

"I'm the one relying on everyone else. I wouldn't have made it this far alone. So you don't have to worry about me. I'm not planning to fall. After everything it took to get here, giving up now would be a waste—wouldn't be able to face those who got me this far."

"I see."

"Right?"

Carrot closed his mouth after saying that was good to hear. A silence hovered. In the quiet, Carrot scanned and checked my data continuously.

I didn't really mind the silence, but I couldn't sit still. I kept opening my mouth, then closing it again.

Carrot gave me a look as if to say, "If you have something to say, spit it out."

So I summoned my courage and asked.

"Carrot, um... Licorice... How is she?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask."

"I was wondering when you'd tell me."

"I thought it'd be the first thing you'd ask. You seemed so concerned."

"That's why I couldn't."

I grimaced bitterly. The real worry on my mind, when I first woke up, wasn't for myself, but for her. That was why I'd tried to wrap up the fights with Chimera and Cystus so quickly—because I knew that the longer things dragged on, the worse Licorice's condition could become, and we might miss the golden time.

With no real medical knowledge, I couldn't diagnose Licorice's condition, only sense that it was dire. That made me even more desperate—to end things quickly.

I had many questions for Carrot—about how she was after using Lobelia's power, if her steadily rising temperature had calmed, if she'd shown any strange symptoms if she woke up.

I waited for Carrot to speak. At last, he shared the hologram terminal's screen with me. It displayed Licorice's scan results.

But something about it felt off. At first glance, the scan looked ordinary—but given when it was taken, these results shouldn't have been possible.

'... All the numbers are normal? ... That's impossible.'

Remembering how close to death she'd seemed, these results couldn't make sense. I snapped my head toward Carrot, who let out a small sigh, as if he'd expected that reaction.

"Licorice is structured differently from us. Or rather, from everyone except you. She shows patterns similar to yours, but still different. Put simply—she's not human."

How strange. Just earlier, Carrot had said that fewer emotional disturbances were better for me, and yet suddenly, he was saying this—like he wanted to shake me up. Was this not reality but some illusion after all?

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't hide my disconcerted gaze.

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