Beeeep—
(Company Level Two Alert OST may be played here)
A Level Two Alert—signaling extreme danger—rang out throughout the facility.
"Emergency situation! All units, be advised—emergency situation!"
X 's calm, steady voice echoed through the broadcast system.
"All Level Three employees and below, proceed immediately to the Control Team's main break room and await further instructions!"
"All Level Four and above employees equipped with HE-grade or higher E.G.O, proceed at once to the Training Team's main break room and prepare to suppress the Abnormality Nothing There!"
He continued issuing orders in that same reassuring tone, directing the staff throughout the facility.
Although he nominally had twenty employees under his command, in reality, only a handful were truly capable of participating in a suppression operation of this level.
"Two sets of ALEPH-grade, one WAW-grade, and one HE-grade soul-damage E.G.O… plus a Gaze set whose output rivals WAW-grade Magic Bullet…"
X silently calculated as he watched the elites assemble on the surveillance screen.
"To deal with Nothing There… this should be enough. Right?"
"next, we just need the data visualization from the Information Team…"
"The E.G.O visualization data has just come through, Manager."
As if on cue, Yesod's voice sounded clearly over the communicator.
"I will now give you a concise report on Nothing There's current form and parameters."
"Perfect timing, Yesod! Go ahead!"
X brightened, immediately raising the communicator's volume and focusing intently—
all while keeping his eyes locked on the movements of the crimson figure on the screen.
After the brief report concluded—
"What?!"
X was stunned.
"Nothing There's current form has two thousand HP?!"
"And it's immune to physical damage—doesn't that mean Gaze and Mimicry are completely useless in this suppression operation?!"
"Based on current analysis," Yesod replied,
"your conclusion is entirely correct."
"Then, Manager—what are your orders?"
"Hold on… let me think… just give me a moment…"
This was devastating news.
In previous suppression operations, those two E.G.O sets had always been the unquestionable main damage dealers.
Now, they were completely unusable in the most critical fight yet.
And because Magic Bullet inflicted indiscriminate friendly fire, the usual tactic—having a Mimicry-armored employee tank in front while Magic Bullet provided safe long-range damage—was also impossible.
"In the end… the only things that can participate are Heart of Aspiration and Justitia?"
X murmured.
How could that possibly be enough to suppress an ALEPH-class Abnormality?
"AAAAAAH—HELP—HELP ME, MANAGER!!!!!"
At that moment, something on the surveillance feed caught his eye.
The massive crimson figure was chasing a mentally broken clerical worker who had simply wandered into its path—
pursuing them relentlessly from the Training Team all the way to the Security Team.
Three entire departments, just to kill a single, helpless clerk.
"…No. We can try a different approach."
Seeing this, X suddenly had an idea.
"Nothing There… it seems extremely fixated."
"Have Justin stand at the front, using the high-red-resistance Mimicry armor to tank the damage and draw its full attention…"
"Then let the others sneak in damage from behind."
"Would that work?"
"…"
"…Yes. That's it."
X nodded and pressed the broadcast button again, issuing new orders.
"Employees equipped with Frost Splinter, Heart of Aspiration, and Justitia, proceed immediately to the Security Team's main break room and stand by."
"Employee Justin, report immediately to Security Team Corridor Two and suppress Nothing There!"
Security Team – Elevator Area
Clack—
The corridor door opened.
Even from far away, Justin could clearly see the crimson figure ahead, having just crushed a poor clerk into a pile of pulp with its flesh hammer.
That towering body radiated an oppressive, suffocating aura of danger.
Ordinary clerical staff would lose all sanity and break down instantly just from seeing it.
Yet despite its grotesque appearance and terrifying presence, Justin felt no panic at all—
only absolute, crystalline calm.
"…So this day finally came."
She drew the Mimicry greatsword—born of the same origin as the Abnormality itself—and stepped forward.
"No matter how much the Manager tries to protect us employees… there are some things even you can't stop."
She murmured softly.
"I might die in this suppression."
"So why am I not afraid at all?"
"Is it because I know my sacrifice would be meaningful… and that someone I care about would grieve for me?"
"Heh… if it were me when I first arrived here, just the thought of death would've had my legs shaking."
"I had the nerve to talk big, the courage to invite the Manager out… but not the composure to face death."
"I wonder… whether becoming who I am now is a good thing… or a bad one."
—Hellow?
A voice neither male nor female, steeped in countless layers of malice, entered Justin's ears.
Along with it came a storm of razor-sharp bone spikes, pouring down like torrential rain and filling the space before her!
Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
Justin swung her blade, deflecting them—
the collisions between sword and bone spike rang out with shrill, metallic screeches.
Even so, some inevitably slipped through.
Thunk.
A bone spike slammed into her shoulder, piercing the Mimicry armor—but failing to penetrate the flesh beneath.
That was the power of an ALEPH-grade armor with a red resistance of 0.2.
Had Faust been here in Magic Bullet gear, she would have been riddled like a sieve.
"…Tch."
Justin casually pulled the bone spike from her chest. Blood seeped out, merging seamlessly with the living flesh of her armor.
"Whatever. I don't really have anything to cling to anymore."
As the spike was removed, the Mimicry armor itself responded—
living flesh rapidly proliferated, sealing the punctured wound.
"If there's anything I'd truly regret…"
"It's probably that one sentence…"
"The one I kept bottled up… and never managed to say…"
'I like you, Manager.'
"…Yeah."
Facing the massive flesh hammer head-on, Justin swung her blade once more.
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