Guilty Gear Transmigration: Light of Madness

"I guess that means he's just like the two of them…." Viidia was puzzled as she watched the grizzly's gunshot wound close up in no time at all.

"It was a surprise when that happened to Daubeny and Frederick, too, to be honest. It doesn't matter anymore." Serge quickly operated the terminal, and the door to Special Lab 6 slammed shut with a resounding thud.

Daubeny, Frederick, and Viidia were chased around in the now-locked room by the grizzly bear. The thought of it was horrifying, but Daubeny didn't think Serge would get off scot-free either. But what made him so confident?

"I won't let you escape. Viidia, you spy hiding in there. I will track you down and kill you. It's my mission, and I will ensure it gets done."

When Serge declared this, he tapped his left arm down towards his wrist with his right hand. An inorganic gray-colored bracelet appeared on Serge's wrist, not decorative but utilitarian and somewhat like a watch.

"Rip them apart, grizzly." When Serge said this, the grizzly, who had been quietly gnawing at its claws and grooming its head, looked up with a start as if it had noticed something. Then, its unusually glowing red eyes grew brighter.

"GUUUOOOOOOOOOOOHH!!"

The grizzly let out a roar like a mortar blast. Immediately, the colossal animal rushed towards Daubeny and Frederick on all fours.

"Ah! It's even faster than last time?!"

Even the average speed of a normal grizzly bear is said to be close to 37 miles per hour, but this was even faster. With no time to think, Daubeny reflexively jumped out of the way. He and Frederick quickly hid behind a terminal under the capsule, but the grizzly stopped as soon as they avoided the charge. It then turned around and rushed at them again.

"Uh oh!"

With the sound of shattering glass, the grizzly's huge body charged at the duo, destroying the capsule, glass and metal scattering everywhere. Daubeny and Frederick had no choice but to run for their lives as the grizzly's behavior defied all obstacles. The large hole in the center of the laboratory limited the direction of their escape. Daubeny did not want to make the mistake of falling into it and dying there. But even if he ran, the bear was faster. It would soon catch up with him and Frederick. If he couldn't escape, he and Frederick would have to fight, but unfortunately, they didn't have any weapons.

"I have one weapon but don't know how to use it. And I'm not being mauled into wielding it again, potentially."

"Hehe, you can't create a future if you avoid it. Are you ready to go again?" Daubeny could hear Serge's voice, which was out of sight, perhaps hidden behind a terminal.

"Are you controlling this thing?!"

"If that's the case, I'll go for the source!" Viidia fired several shots but only made a metallic sound like they had hit one of the metal terminals or walls.

"I see. You're going to aim at me. It's not a bad decision, but is it the best one?"

The grizzly bear, aiming at Daubeny and Frederick, suddenly changed direction and rushed toward Viidia, who was some distance away.

"There it goes!"

"Huh?!"

Viidia easily avoided the assault. As if in an action scene from a movie, she rolled over, got up quickly, and fired at the grizzly with the pistol in both hands. When the grizzly turned around, a bullet hit between its eyes, but it was shallow. The bullet that did not fully penetrate its skull spilled out from the wound, which then began to regenerate in no time. However, its vast body stopped moving, even for a short time. Viidia, with a click of her tongue, ran over toward Daubeny and Frederick.

"This is a horrible joke. I'm running low on bullets…."

"Do you think killing Serge will stop that grizzly?" Daubeny asked.

"I don't know, but the remote he's operating the grizzly with isn't perfect. If we can get that bear near him or…. Frederick, Daubeny, I'll go around and drive the grizzly into a corner. Then, lead the bear toward him."

"Easier said than done…." Frederick said.

Even though both Daubeny and Frederick had modified bodies like the grizzly, they were not specially trained like Serge and Viidia. Therefore, it was all he could do to escape from the grizzly bear that was attacking him.

"Here it comes!"

"Oh, shit!"

However, the grizzly that had rushed toward them stopped right before them this time. Or rather, it stood up on two legs with the momentum of its lunge. However, this was an unexpected action for Daubeny, Frederick, and Viidia, who had jumped to either side to avoid the bear.

"It's a feint?!"

The grizzly's arm swung sideways at Daubeny, who should have avoided it.

Daubeny had a gut feeling it was over for him.

However... his heart pounded, and his throat got hot as if to say it was too early to give up.

"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"

Daubeny, thinking he couldn't endure a direct hit, crossed his arms and kicked the ground as quickly as he could when the attack was felt. He felt a tremendous impact on his arms, followed by the sound of bone cracking. The effect was likely lessened by the fact that he jumped just before the impact, but the result was that Daubeny was blown away, spinning through the air.

"Guh!"

"Daubeny, no!"

Unable to catch himself or listen to his friend's scream, his body was hit directly by a capsule. He was lucky that he was not sent toward the large central hole in the room, but a large piece of the destroyed capsule lodged inside his stomach, and Daubeny vomited blood profusely.

"Ha… hahahahahaha!"

Daubeny couldn't help but laugh. Like the grizzly, the newly formed wound started to close. The pain had already begun to fade before Daubeny felt it. It was proof that he was just like the grizzly. But the rate of regeneration was much faster than before.

"You've got to be kidding me, really." It was a fact that Daubeny still had a hard time admitting. As it turned out, the capsule that Daubeny had crashed into was right next to Serge.

"Hey, what a coincidence…."

"Damn, you're a monster!"

Serge immediately tried to run away from Daubeny, but a shot was fired at his feet. Viidia's threat stopped Serge in his tracks. Daubeny jumped out of the capsule, and the grizzly rushed behind him. If only he could throw Serge into the grizzly and hit it. Daubeny reached out and grabbed Serge's left arm.

"What?!"

Daubeny's legs were swept out from under him almost simultaneously, and his body seemed to float in the air for a moment.

"Guhah?!"

His back hit the floor hard, and the air completely drained from his lungs. The result was a sudden loss of breathing.

"Don't underestimate me, Daubeny."

The unexpected technique reflected the prowess of a trained military man. In the past, he had captured Serge because he caught him off guard while Serge shot at Frederick, but this time, it was the exact opposite.

The charging grizzly was already right in front of them.

"...Huh?"

Daubeny thought he would be caught in the middle, but he couldn't believe his eyes. The grizzly slid slightly across the floor due to a figure on its back holding on, slamming his fists onto its back. It was Frederick! He was trying to restrain the monster when it stopped right in front of Serge.

"Would Viidia have expected that?" Serge looked down at Daubeny and grinned. Then, showing off the bracelet on his wrist, he said, "I'm not going to be attacked."

"Pugh?!"

Serge kicked Daubeny in the stomach, opening the distance. At that moment, the grizzly bear roared back into action, throwing Frederick off its back with him yelling.

"Shit!"

The grizzly's thick arm scooped upwards from under Daubeny's body. The claws dug into his torso, and Daubeny was launched back into the air, presenting him with a slow-motion view of the spacious laboratory below. His own blood, which he had just coughed up, looked like falling grains of sand. Daubeny's body began to fall slowly. He had only crashed into the capsule earlier, but now, by bad luck, he was sent flying toward the center of the lab, toward the large hole.

"I've failed?" He desperately reached for the fence around the big hole, but it slipped away. His hand found purchase below it, and Daubeny barely gripped the hole's edge.

"Damn…!"

His outstretched hand was the fulcrum around which his body swayed at the pit's edge. The hole was like an abyss, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. If he fell in, it would be the end of the road. Daubeny put all his strength into his arms and lifted himself onto his chest at the edge of the pit, where he coughed up blood again. He could not lift his body any further. The wound seemed to have begun regenerating, but the direct hit from the grizzly's arm was far more damaging than the previous one, and he was still unable to fully exert himself.

Of course, he would be able to recover in a while and crawl out entirely on his own, but even with his elbow resting on the edge of the hole, he was in an undeniable predicament with half of his body hanging down. He didn't think Serge would wait that long.

"You're alive, Daubeny!" Frederick rushed over to him, with Viidia following close by. The grizzly bear was slowly closing in behind them, and there was no way either could get him out of there in time.

"Run you two!" Daubeny shouted with a great effort as if he had to squeeze the words out of himself.

"Hold on tight. Hold on tight, okay? Don't let go, okay?" With a stern look, Frederick turned his back on Daubeny and faced the grizzly with Viidia. 

It was a dangerous thing to do. A living person, even a monster like Frederick and Daubeny, could instantly be killed by a grizzly bear blow.

"What are you doing? Frederick! Viidia!"

"It may be a bioweapon, but it's still an animal. What about its instincts?" Viidia said.

The grizzly raised its arm. At that moment, Viidia ran to Frederick's left.

"Come on, chase me bear!" Frederick screamed.

The grizzly was actually starting to chase after Viidia and Frederick. Frederick and Viidia could keep some distance, but the gap between them was closing quickly.

The future that awaited both was a collision, like being hit by a car at incredible speeds or getting ripped apart by sharp fangs. Frederick could escape, yet Viidia could not. It was apparent that the bear would eventually catch up with her. Just before completing a circle around the pit on the right-hand side from Daubeny, with whatever intentions she and Frederick had, they quickly climbed up to the fence surrounding the big hole moments before the grizzly caught up with them. Viidia stood dexterously on the pipe-like top of the fence, and then.

"Whatever the circumstances, an eye's an eye!"

Bang! She turned around and fired a shot. The bullet hit the grizzly's eye. The beast's cry was heard for a moment, and the grizzly's lunge was distorted as if it were doing a tremendous forward roll. But the massive body, now fully accelerated, did not stop immediately.

"Here! Jump!"

Just when it looked like the redirected charge would hit Viidia directly, both jumping, Frederick dove towards the grizzly bear. While Viidia and Frederick jumped in front of the grizzly bear, colliding against it.

"Ah! You idiots!"

Daubeny knew what Frederick wanted to do. Frederick wanted to drop the grizzly into the big hole, but that would mean he would fall in with it. Frederick jumped off the bear and at Daubeny, who was still hanging on the hole's edge; thankfully, he reached his friend and gripped Frederick's hand. Daubeny supported both their weights with one hand hanging on the edge. However, Viidia couldn't reach them because they were more than five meters away.

"Frederick, give me your hand!"

Viidia began to fall, reaching for him. The distance between the two felt incredibly vast but not impossible. Daubeny quickly grabbed the fence post with his right hand and used it as support to step against the pit wall. Frederick stepped up against the wall, then reached out for Viidia with all his might.

"Damn it! Graaaghhhhh!" Frederick should be able to reach her.

"Hold on!"

Then, they barely connected, hand to hand. Viidia's weight was suddenly pulling down on Daubeny's body. The damage to his body was still there, and the claw marks on his abdomen from the grizzly bear hurt, but even so, he could not let go of Frederick's hand and, by extension, Viidia.

His heart pounded in his chest, and his throat began to burn again.

"Nguaaaaaaaaaagghhhhh!"

As he felt his body regain its strength, supporting the weight of two bodies felt easy. Frederick and Viidia's bodies, perilously dangling due to gravity and inertia, swung like a pendulum around Daubeny's hand, but it was okay. He could support her without any issues now. That's what Daubeny thought, at least. He figured he could help both people for now.

A violent crash sounded from below. It was the grizzly bear. The upper half of its huge body was completely buried into the wall on the opposite side of the large hole, indicating the severity of the impact of its charge. The lower half of the grizzly's body could be seen struggling to get out, but it was positioned about 10 meters below, much deeper than Frederick and Viidia. At that height, it would be impossible for the grizzly to crawl up.

"Just barely made it, huh?" Viidia looked up at Frederick and smiled.

"A hell of a reckless…" Frederick smiled as well at his two companions.

"But it worked," Daubeny said, laughing.

Viidia's expression did not seem like she had just gambled for her life. Her resolve was so firm that it couldn't adequately be described with words like "gutsy."

"What would you two do if you didn't make it?"

"I'm still a trained special agent, you know. I'm not weak."

"It didn't happen, so there's no reason to think of what could have happened."

In any case, they couldn't just hang there like that forever. Daubeny lifted Frederick's body up, freeing him to hold the edge with one supporting hand. And he, with a jerk, hooked Viidia's upper body over the edge of the big hole. Then, Daubeny put his free hand on the bottom of her foot and pushed her up from underneath, helping Viidia quickly climb out of the hole. Frederick followed suit, also pulling himself out of the hole. Walking over to his friend, Frederick managed to lift Daubeny with ease. After settling down on the floor, Daubeny let out a deep breath. Now, only Serge remained.

"Well done," Serge said as he emerged from behind the broken capsule.

"Unfortunately, you survived, but I applaud the result. Good eye, Viidia."

"Are you sure you can afford to be so cavalier?" Viidia quickly pointed her pistol at Serge.

"It's about time we took you hostage and put you on an escape boat."

"I think you'll just shoot me all to hell as soon as you get the chance, isn't that right?"

"Do you have company? Then, I'm going to have to walk through the tunnel with you."

Serge had just communicated with them, and there was no doubt he had friends. But even if Viidia was right and the escape boat was unusable, there seemed to be a good chance they could escape by walking through the tunnel the boat would take.

"I'm going to have to get you to come clean on a lot of things."

"I'm not going to tell you a damn thing."

If they could get him out of there, Viidia would be able to accurately tell the country about the military's involvement in the outbreak. That was why she would not kill Serge here.

"Above all, I don't feel threatened by a gun pointed at me that is out of ammunition," Serge said, and Viidia, perhaps knowing this, shrugged her shoulders before lowering the muzzle of her gun.

"You were counting bullets?"

The nerve of these two people to do such a thing in a situation like this was beyond the comprehension of civilians like Frederick and Daubeny.

"It can still be used as a blunt weapon. Besides, there's Frederick and Daubeny."

Daubeny didn't need Viidia to spell out her plan to understand what she was getting at. He and Frederick resembled a monster, and she was no doubt well-trained. On the other hand, Serge, who had a broken wrist, was alone, even though he was also well-trained. With a three-person team, it would be possible to capture him and take him away again. What they were afraid of were Serge's suicidal attempts to escape and leak false information about the facility, but that could be temporarily prevented by gagging him with a piece of clothing or other material. In other words, the situation was overwhelmingly in Daubeny, Frederick, and Viidia's favor. Or so they thought.

"Don't you think it's too early to be complacent?"

"What do you mean?"

"An animal that merely heals wounds is not an experimental weapon. I mean…." Serge showed Viidia the bracelet on his left wrist. "It's been dead for a long time."

She was distracted for just a moment. A strange noise came from right next to Daubeny. It was a nasty sound. Daubeny had no idea what had happened. However, something definitely stuck out of the center of Viidia's chest. It was positioned as if it were a stab to the heart.

"Guh...ghah?!" As soon as she coughed up blood, something was pulled out through her chest.

"Wha-?! Viidia!" Frederick supported her weakly fallen body and helped her stand up.

"No, this can't be happening. This can't…." A fatal wound. Frederick gritted his teeth as it dawned on him that Viidia would not survive.

"I thought I could get away with not using it so far, understand?" Serge's mouth twisted into a generous smile.

"Serge! What have you done!"

"What? You saw it happen; you should understand."

Serge pointed behind Daubeny, Frederick, and Viidia, where only the big hole existed. But from the hole, a tentacle-like thing emerged. The tentacle flew out of the hole toward Frederick and Daubeny.

"Ug…agh?!"

Frederick and Daubeny dodged as quickly as possible. Even while Frederick was still holding Viidia in his arm, immediately afterward, Daubeny noticed the sound of footsteps echoing, like a series of cracks in the concrete. Daubeny and Frederick looked around.

"Are you kidding me?"

A giant body slowly crept up. The grizzly was floating above the big hole. But it was no longer just a grizzly bear. About six tentacles pierced through and out the back of the creature's body. Each tentacle seemed to have an independent mind, acting like the support structure of a rocket to lift and carry the grizzly out of the hole.

"This…monster…."

That was the only word Daubeny knew to describe such a creature. The grizzly's body was at the center of its tentacles, but it was not a creature that existed in nature by any stretch of the imagination. An experimental gear, Daubeny was about to realize the meaning of these words.

"Guooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The grizzly bear howled as it landed on all four legs. At the same time, the tentacles on its back lashed out and whip-cracked through the air, snapping terminals and capsules nearby as if it had no other choice but to destroy them.

"Whoa?!"

It did not aim at anyone but seemed to attack randomly. Even Serge, who should have been able to control it, rolled his body sideways to avoid the deadly tentacles.

"I guess it's dangerous to get close.… It's still not fully controllable?" Serge got up and ran to the airlock.

"I didn't think it was even possible to do something like that…." Viidia, in Frederick's arms, said breathlessly.

"Viidia! If you're conscious, pull yourself together! A wound like this is nothing!"

"Haha…I'm not like either of you; I'll die like a normal person, I'm afraid. But you'll find out for yourself."

"Don't give up so soon, you damn bastard!"

Frederick couldn't help but shout. They had only recently faced the deaths of Dustin and others, but their deaths happened quickly and with no time to grieve. There was a big difference between that and watching someone die slowly in front of your eyes, even if it was a woman whom he had only known for a few hours. The sense of solidarity that forms by enduring hardships together had certainly sprouted in Frederick. While Daubeny hadn't gone through as much with Viidia as his friend, she had grown on him.

"I know it's a crazy request. Since you're the ones whose wounds can heal, maybe you two can…?" Viidia vomited blood, interrupting her words, as her eyes became increasingly unfocused.

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Don't talk anymore! Viidia!" Daubeny shouted.

"The Gear cells should be used…peacefully. If you make it out of here alive, will you stop this…military nightmare for me?"

"We will! We will survive, and we will stop it!" Frederick yelled.

Frederick took her hand in his and made his promise. But the hand that should have held his in return slowly lost its strength.

"I know. Thank you."

Daubeny did not know that watching a person slowly die in front of his eyes would be so heart-wrenching.

"So, it's time to go…" Viidia said and slowly closed her eyes.

"Frederick… Daubeny... if you survive…."

The hand Frederick was holding fell to the floor. The more disgusted he became, the more he understood. His hearing, which had now imperceptibly improved, would not spare him the tragedy of the situation.

"Hope is still… alive." Viidia's breathing and heartbeat came to a complete stop. She was dead.

"Viidia…?"

Frederick called out to her, but she could no longer answer. This reality, this nightmare, would not be reversed. Frederick was almost alone, but he had decided to live. He was determined to survive with Daubeny. How many times had he thought that already?

Du-dum.

Daubeny and Frederick's heartbeats increased.

"Ah! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Frederick's head, chest, and, above all, his throat were burning. Hot, hot, 

hot, hot! He clawed madly at his searing, hot throat. However, the slashes made by his fingernails quickly regenerated and closed. It was the work of a monster, no matter how you looked at it. When Frederick glanced down at his hands, he saw his hands with hard, sharp claws. 

Daubeny looked down at his hands, which were covered with strange cords of powerful muscles yet kept a normal appearance despite what transformations he could feel. He couldn't see it himself but could hear the sound of cloth tearing on his back. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain, as a pair of wings burst forth from his back while also hearing Frederick's clothes tearing on his back.

"I… am…. a...."

It was as if Frederick was ceasing to be himself as his thoughts began to be burned by the flames of anger. As a human being, he felt as if something had snapped.

"I am a… monster."

The moment Frederick admitted it, something began to change rapidly. Frederick's rationality was blown away, and he could feel his body and mind violently bristling. Although Frederick was in human form, his overall appearance was that of a monster.

"Ough?!"

Frederick and Daubeney were suddenly blown away by a direct hit to his body and crashed into a stationary terminal, but they slowly got up. Both could clearly see what had just happened. The tentacles of the grizzly bear approaching them had shot Frederick and Daubeny away. It was an impact that would have originally, perhaps, severed their torsos.

"Ha ha…Was that supposed to hurt?"

To the bitter end, he maintained composure. Now that he had admitted that he was a monster like that thing, Frederick couldn't even feel proper pain as a human being.

"This is where the fun begins." Daubeny began laughing hysterically.

While the goal Frederick had set in his heart was burning like wildfire, saying, "Don't get in our way. We've decided to live..." Frederick reiterated his determination. Why did Asuka shoot him? Why did he turn Frederick and Daubeny into such monsters? Why did Asuka allow Gear cells to be used as weapons?

Daubeny had similar thoughts, such as why Asuka didn't EXPLAIN ANYTHING. Why didn't he leave with Aria when the military arrived?

With these things in mind, they let themselves be carried away by the current in their hearts as if to say, "This is not the end yet."

Was it hostility or the urge to destroy? At that moment, he felt as if his vision had turned yellow. Now that he was aware that he was a gear, what would he do to survive?

"It's simple. If the monster in front of you is the only thing standing in the way of your future..."

"Are you ready?" Frederick growled.

"Aye."

Frederick had encountered many monsters up until that point. It was all he could do to survive and escape. However, as he had encountered hounds, owls, and crocodiles, he had somehow begun to realize that he may be a monster like them. He just couldn't accept it as a human being. Like the time Daubeny restrained Serge, captured him, and tried to kill him. Frederick's and Daubeny's senses and physical strength were far from human. 

Like the beasts before them, they had become undeniable monsters who could even heal their own wounds. So, what if they put everything they had as monsters into defeating this opponent? What if they chose to fight with all their strength?

"Mnnaargh!"

Daubeny and Frederick's hands crushed the floor together and pulled it away with great force. Somehow, this was possible. It was so easy for them to do it, too.

Feeling the heat in his throat, Frederick had some sense of how much of a monster he had become, although his calm thoughts were being washed away. Perhaps he would not be defeated. He had no proof, but he had such confidence. That was why Frederick and Daubeny walked up to the grizzly with floorboards in hand.

"Move out of the way. Both of us are going to survive".

Was it afraid? The grizzly loomed over them threateningly as they approached. The grizzly's attitude really annoyed Frederick. "What's with that look?" 

Even the tone of his voice changed wildly. Every part of his body urged him to destroy the enemy before him.

Frederick and Daubeny instantly kicked off the floor and slammed the floorboards down on the monster's head. At the moment of impact, the floorboards in their hands were shattered, and the floor around them from where they had jumped was crushed like a crater. It was an overwhelming impact. Yet, the grizzly was still alive and well—no, it was enduring. It grunted for a moment but still waved its tentacles in defiance. Daubeny and Frederick then accurately caught the tentacles flying at high speed with one hand each.

"It's so annoying!" Frederick ripped it off with both hands, easily and with a snap, with Daubeny ripping the other half.

"GUUUOOOOOOOOOOH!" The grizzly writhed in agony as if its sense of pain remained intact. However, the grizzly's arms swung at Daubeny and Frederick again the next moment. The sound of a violent collision echoed through the air.

"And…?"

Daubeny was still standing after receiving a blow from the grizzly to the side of his head. He was not moving slightly, not guarding himself or anything, and was taking the grizzly's blows without a care in the world.

"If you're going to attack someone, you'd better put more energy into it." Daubeny laughed excitedly. Then, without taking a step back, Daubeny delivered a powerful punch to the throat, leaving scorched fur and raw skin in the aftermath. At the same time, Frederick delivered an equally powerful counterattack.

"Oraaaaah!"

The fists of Frederick's fist, swelling with immense physical power, had struck the grizzly directly in the stomach.

-----------------------------

"Dragon install…."

Frederick had transformed into a monstrosity, while surprisingly, Daubeny stayed the same, except for a pair of white feathery wings. The grizzly bear was about to be beaten to a pulp. Asuka stared at the monitor, which showed the situation in Special Laboratory 6, and secretly clenched his fist. The grizzly's transformation was a surprise to Asuka, but more than that, he was now second-guessing his joy.

'"The seeds have sprouted fully…." Once that happened, Frederick and Daubeny would never die again. Only Asuka, who had shot the seed, could say they had become such beings.

However, he could not be fully relieved just yet from the bottom of his heart. The possibility of avoiding the worst-case scenario had only strengthened slightly. The future he wanted could only be reached by going through several harrowing events, starting with this one.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your fun, Doctor, but I must ask you to return to your seat. We're starting the evacuation."

"Finally…? I understand." Asuka replied and got up from his seat. The escape craft's airlock opened and closed with a soft hissing sound. 

Asuka, watching on the monitor, knew it would happen sooner or later.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

When Serge appeared on the escape boat, Asuka took one look at him and braced himself. Seeing Frederick and Daubeny in that state gave Asuka hope for the future. Even though he could not stop it at this point, if the whole story was misunderstood, it would be a problem, at the very least, for Aria, the other subject of the experiment. Asuka now had no choice but to play the fool.

"Doctor, what the hell was that all about?" As expected, Serge immediately confronted Asuka.

"How could those men, your friends, whom you supposedly killed, be in such a state?"

"I'm the one who's surprised. I never expected that either would turn out like that. When did they implant Gear cells in themselves…?"

"Ridiculous. That can't just be the result of Gear cells! Forget it! What special Gear cell did you shoot that man with and give Daubeny?"

"Frederick is an expert in the study of varga nectarine, which is contained in Gear cells. He has recently been experimenting with accelerated cellular transformation and may have developed some enhancement methods that we don't know about. Daubeny works closely with him, so it makes sense he has those Gear cells as well."

"Is that part of your charade? Tell me the truth!" Serge grabbed Asuka by the chest of his shirt with his left arm.

"Calm down, please. I really don't know." Asuka maintained his ignorance.

"No, Serge, that's not like you." The man in charge of the surveillance put his hand on Serge's arm to stop him.

"I'm curious about the data, but it's too dangerous to take it home. I'm sorry, but we're going to destroy it. Come on, Serge, we're going to move the escape boat. You, too, take your seat."

Serge seemed to have calmed down a little after being told this and quietly withdrew. However, his eyes were still filled with suspicion toward Asuka.

"I'll open it up in detail later…hah. The outcome was a disappointment for me, too; I'm sorry. "

"Disappointment…? What do you mean?"

"They must have lost his grip at the last minute. I don't know what they're up to, but no matter how big a monster they are, neither will survive if they're completely under the rocks."

"I don't get it, Serge. It would be rather convenient for them to die. I told you both would be a problem for me in more ways than one."

The escape craft's engine began to make a high-pitched whirring sound as it powered up. It wouldn't be long before it started moving.

"I'm not going to tell anyone. So, we're going to keep it quiet."

But for some reason, Serge sat in front of the terminal instead of in his seat. In Special Laboratory 6, which was still being projected, the battle between Daubeny, Frederick, and the grizzly was about to settle. Serge was indeed a military watchdog. Asuka had unexpectedly hit a sore spot.

"Then will you at least say goodbye in front of us?"

"....Wha–?" For a moment, Asuka was speechless. With a scowl, Serge quickly set up a two-way video communication and gave up his seat to Asuka.

"That's what you mean, huh…?" In other words, he wanted Asuka to step up to the plate. Asuka had thought that he would leave Frederick and Daubeny without telling them anything. Of course, Asuka wished he could tell them about the whole situation if he had the chance. But, if he said anything bad in a monitored communication, Asuka's entire plan and hope for the future would be destroyed. Hence, Asuka now had to lie directly to his best friends.

"Sorry, Daubeny, Frederick." He felt like a ridiculous fool who hid all his true intentions.

"But if it's you now, I'm sure someday..."

Asuka stood in front of the terminal, anguished but determined.