The Kraken's full form finally stood revealed. While it lacked the agility it possessed while swimming, its ten tentacles moved with a speed that demanded extreme caution.
Squid and octopuses are often called cephalopods. If one were to force them into a human structural analogy, it would be as if all the organs were crammed into the head, with limbs sprouting directly from the neck. Naturally, such a massive head was ill-suited for terrestrial activity; the tentacles thrashed about restlessly, dragging the body along like heavy luggage.
The enemy, clinging to the walls and attempting to climb, was riddled with openings. Dozens of Quinns swarmed at once. They easily closed in on its defenseless head.
However, that was where the problem began. To gauge the enemy's regenerative power, I tested an attack. I swung a hand-blade coated in aura. I had created microscopic aura protrusions on the striking surface of the hand, vibrating them at high speed. This granted my blows a chainsaw-like cutting and destructive power on top of my aura-enhanced physical strength.
Against a normal-sized regenerating squid, this power would be enough to sever the entire body in a single stroke. I hadn't expected quite that much against the Kraken, but I figured if one hit didn't work, I could simply follow up with a second or third strike. That was the extent of my concern.
I struck. But I couldn't wound the enemy. I didn't understand what had happened. I struck again. The blow definitely connected, and I felt the sensation of slicing through flesh. Yet, the end result was zero damage.
It was regenerating. By the time a Quinn's hand had even scratched the surface of the skin, the healing process had already begun. It continued even during the attack, and by the time the strike was finished, the regeneration was already complete. Even when we fired Cyst Shots, the infection stopped at the epidermis; it was sloughed off with the surrounding tissue like dead skin. Its regenerative power was far faster than the speed of the acute infection.
In that case, no matter how much we damaged the surface, it was meaningless. Unless we completely destroyed the nerves that formed the foundation of its regenerative power, we wouldn't be able to kill it. These nerves were spread throughout its entire body; if even a single part remained, it would regenerate instantly. While attacking areas close to the surface was one thing, reaching the deep interior was difficult.
With a technique that used aura waves for resonance destruction, we could reach a certain depth. Since this technique used the enemy's own aura to trigger internal damage, it was less hindered by regeneration. However, the enemy's body was simply too vast; the waves couldn't reach the nerves at the core.
I considered entering through the mouth. However, that was tantamount to volunteering to be eaten; it wasn't a route one could simply stroll through. Naturally, the esophagus was also subject to incredible regenerative power. Reports from another 'me'—who had sent Quinns in ahead—indicated the environment was impossible to navigate in a normal state.
'Hypothetically, even if we sent in enough people to cover every corner of this monster's body, I feel we couldn't defeat it unless everyone coordinated perfectly to destroy the regenerative nerves simultaneously without a millimeter of error. If even one millimeter remained, it would regenerate before the next attack could begin.'
'Was such a thing even possible? There was no guarantee of success. And yet, we had to do it.'
It wasn't clear why this squid had come to this island. Was it to prey on us, or to remove intruders from its territory? Regardless, I didn't think this squid would simply return to the sea unless we defeated it.
This might not be a battle decided in a single day. The enemy's stamina was inexhaustible, and it seemed to feel no pain or fatigue despite our onslaught. On the other hand, it wasn't an opponent that made us feel immediate mortal danger. While the attacks from its massive frame were powerful, its movements were slow. We couldn't see any complex intellect in its attack patterns, and it wasn't difficult to keep evading.
However, we couldn't halt the Kraken's advance, and it eventually breached the defensive wall, entering the island's inland lake. Once it got this far, we couldn't recklessly fire the railguns. The shockwaves from the explosions would affect our allies.
We decided to engage using our most specialized tactic. "Swimming." Not through water, but through flesh. The high-speed swimming method using aura vibrations wasn't a technique that only worked underwater. If one could identify the waves residing in all things and work with them rather than against them, there was nowhere one couldn't "swim."
The attempt was not easily accomplished. While we could bite into the interior of the flesh temporarily, we were immediately pushed back out. The cells were regenerating at a speed beyond our comprehension, working to expel foreign objects from the body. It wasn't as simple as swimming through water.
'Presumably, the deeper we entered the tissue, the higher the regeneration speed and resistance became. Still, we won't give up. We eventually conquered the sea of mucus, which we initially thought would be impossible to swim through. If we can go deeper and understand the biorhythms of this creature called the Kraken, we will surely be able to swim.'
I wondered for a moment if I could use drugs to heighten my sensitivity. But I quickly shook off the thought. To rely on drugs here would be a betrayal of my comrades and myself. For the sake of my pride, I couldn't stray from the path any further.
'If we defeat this monster, we will obtain a ship. That would be a major foothold for escaping this island and crossing the sea. I thought it might take time, but it certainly seemed possible'—just as that thought crossed my mind, it happened.
"Help!"
We were in close contact through radio waves. It wasn't like before, where our thoughts were transmitted instantly. Even with telepathy, information was sent and received in the form of language. In the face of an enemy requiring essential cooperation, there was a jumble of information being exchanged. Amidst that, a voice signaling an abnormality was mixed in.
There was no doubt it was a distress signal. However, no further information came through. The source was far from where I was. I couldn't grasp what was happening.
'I should go help, but I have been entrusted with the frontline battle. I can't leave my post. I have to let the other 'me's handle it.'
A single word for help. It contained a truly desperate emotion. And after that, there were no more communications. An indescribable anxiety grew, but I could only pray and believe in the safety of my comrades.
It happened in an instant. The change occurred right next to me.
We were a unit on standby at the rear defensive base. The stamina of our comrades fighting on the front lines wouldn't last forever. Particularly against an opponent expected to be a long-term fight, a rear unit conserving strength was necessary. We were fully prepared to swap in at any time.
Abruptly, and without warning, the body of one Quinn was covered in crystals. We knew this state. It was a technique that wrapped the entire body like armor using the red botanical gemstone, Carbuncle. We called this the Carbuncle Talisman.
However, that technique was a forbidden art that became uncontrollable once used. It was a mass of 'malice directed at oneself,' born from the guilt and self-loathing that could destroy one's own mind. It was a technique where that phantom, visualized through malice perception, was metallized by the Almeiza Machine and worn as armor. While it allowed one to exert immense power, it also caused the Quinn to enter a berserk state.
Certainly, the Kraken invading the island was an extraordinary foe. But if asked if this was an opponent that required the Carbuncle Talisman, the answer was an immediate no. The downsides were clearly too great.
Furthermore, just before the technique activated, a signal seeking help had been sent from that Quinn's main body. Did she not use the technique of her own will? Afterward, I tried to send telepathic messages multiple times to establish contact, but there was no response. The main body had been pulled into the armor along with the Quinn.
At first, I suspected some kind of special attack from the Kraken, but it began to seem like a problem unrelated to that. Regardless, unless we identified the cause, there was no way to save her.
One thing that concerned me was that Quinn's background. There was no difference in our physical structure or relationships. We possessed uniform characteristics like clones. However, the main body of the Quinn who activated the Carbuncle Talisman possessed an awareness that none of the others had.
She was the very last main body to remain in the shared consciousness. After a certain period, the number of individuals separating from the collective had exploded, but they hadn't all left at once. While independent factions rose to power, there was a small number who remained in the old shared consciousness.
However, even that resulted in dispersion within a short period. Now, every individual had achieved independence, and the shared consciousness functioned only within individual networks. Although she hadn't turned independent until the very end, the fact that everyone else had left meant she could no longer belong to the collective.
That didn't mean she had mental problems. She had simply been a little slower to decide than everyone else; she too had the intention to leave. Until now, she had lived a normal life, no different from the rest of us.
However, when I compared the current situation with her background, I couldn't say they were completely unrelated. Among the thousands of us, an abnormal situation had occurred, and the fact that she was the one involved didn't feel like a mere coincidence.
The Quinn covered in the Carbuncle Talisman remained still in an eerie silence. Those of us nearby were also stuck in a stalemate, unable to recklessly provoke her.
During the Carbuncle Talisman's rampage, the Quinn's personality becomes extremely aggressive, launching reckless suicide attacks against enemies. But it doesn't mean all reason is lost. She won't take incoherent actions that provide no benefit. She shouldn't harm us, her allies.
But since an unexpected situation had already occurred, we had to be cautious. If the technique was functioning normally, the main body's consciousness should be operating clearly. Only the Quinn should be berserk.
That said, we couldn't just stand there and watch. As she herself had asked for help, there was a high probability that a dire situation was ongoing. We had to separate the main body from the Quinn somehow.
One Quinn moved. As if triggered by that slight movement, the berserk Quinn reacted. We lost sight of her.
She vanished from the spot as if she had never existed in the first place. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air, like a nasty hallucination.
'A momentary void appeared in my thoughts. But then understanding caught up. This is Zetsu. A high-level Zetsu that caused one to lose track of her presence even while she was right in front of us.' I immediately searched with En.
The next time she appeared, it was the moment a palm strike—more than enough to bring death—was being driven into one of our comrades. A palm strike covered in black smoke and red crystals slammed into the Quinn's chest.
A tremendous roar and wind erupted, but that fact actually relieved us. The Quinn who was attacked had managed to defend in time. She had parried an impact that would normally have shattered her body, effectively dissipating it by converting it into sound and wind energy. In fact, the Quinn who took the palm strike hadn't moved an inch.
From there, she transitioned into a counterattack. She thrust her fist toward the Carbuncle Talisman. It didn't matter if it was protected by hard armor. Micro-waves would travel through the mineral and surely destroy the interior.
However, even though she was berserk, the opponent was also a skilled fighter who had trained just like us. Just as we had evaded the resonance attacks of the Withered Tree Humans by changing internal body density, she shifted the wavelength of the aura flowing through her body.
With neither side's attacks connecting, they were locked in a close-quarters grapple. However, it wasn't a match of equal strength. The comrade who had been attacked was at a disadvantage.
The Carbuncle Talisman wasn't just armor. It acted as an exoskeleton that reinforced the body from the outside, raising the base stats that served as the coefficient for aura enhancement. It went without saying whose enhancement rate was higher: a mere slender girl or a girl covered in a versatile exoskeleton.
In terms of both defense and offense, the berserk Quinn's physical abilities far surpassed those of a normal Quinn. Furthermore, she had trained on this island and acquired sensitivity to "Waves." Even while berserk, her combat precision didn't falter.
She wasn't an opponent one could beat in a head-on, one-on-one fight. The fact that we parried the first blow was nothing more than a fluke. If the berserk individual had attacked in earnest, we would have certainly been defeated.
Because we knew her performance, we didn't misjudge the difference in skill. She was clearly holding back. She had lost almost all normal consciousness, but perhaps her last shred of reason had worked to make her hesitate.
But I would soon learn that even that prediction was naive.
"Eh...?"