episode_0356

***

The grip of disaster did not discriminate between living and non-living things.

The whirlpool of air created by God’s giant hand was enough to paralyze the city’s functions.

Even if it is Aaru that has endured for tens or hundreds of years.

The drones crashed into the sand that entered the seam.

The cold bodies falling from the sky were like fallen flowers announcing the end of spring.

At first glance, it could have seemed like the fall of the city or the end of the world.

“Everything is as predicted.”

However, this type of crisis was not new to Isis.

Although the damage was worse than usual, it was within a manageable range. As long as the storm passed, Aaru would return to his original form.

To Isis, the storm that struck Aaru was nothing more than a storm.

The disaster that has befallen Aaru now is not the sandstorm outside, but the absence of the owner.

When deleted CCTV records were recovered, the owner’s whereabouts were found out.

He entered the cradle’s official passage through the bathroom vent, and at the time of observation, was passing through the maze-like passage at high speed.

Isis’ response was quick. It moved directly to its owner and at the same time closed all passages.

The owner ran to avoid the firewall as if he knew the way. Isis gritted her teeth involuntarily at the sight of her owner narrowly escaping, seemingly trapped.

Still, the boring game of tag didn’t last long. Isis succeeded in cornering the master, and succeeded in trapping him between the two firewalls.

Unfortunately, the owner could not be seen because it was a blind spot on CCTV, but there was nowhere for him to escape unless he broke through the firewall.

Isis placed the drone outside the firewall and increased its stride.

Open the firewall door, pick up the owner, who was squatting in the corner, and return to the cradle.

That was the only thought on Isis’ mind.

“Master…”

But when I opened the firewall door, there was no trace of the owner anywhere.

The entrance to the very small hole was just shaking in the wind.

The question of why there was a hole that was not even in the blueprint did not last long.

Because Isis knew the answer.

“NB!”

Another shout echoed through the hallway.

The firewall goes up all at once. The passage opened, and Isis ran out.

Following Isis, the drones waiting in the hangar took off all at once.

A large pile of silt greeted Isis as if it were covering her. Any android would have been unable to move and would have been submerged in the sand.

Isis stomped her feet hard and soared into the sky, followed by drones. Several drones crashed due to malfunction.

“You are a part of me. Do you think I don’t know where you are going with the Master?”

A sound that could not have been heard by the other party was drowned out by the fierce wind.

It was a meaningless cry.

***

The base located underground in Aaru is connected by passages like an ant cave.

Although not all bases were connected, this base that NB led him to was clearly connected to the road to the dimensional sailing ship.

He walked towards the outside of the city, fumbling along the wall. The fluorescent lights that flickered and barely illuminated the passage announced the long absence of the owner of the base.

[This is the left passage.]

The earphones in my ears were still working. I can say I was fortunate because I didn’t have a map in my head.

The cradle was in the deepest part of the city.

If you ask where the deepest place is, it can be said to be the furthest point from the A-11 base where he first started life.

The dimensional navigation ship is waiting for him close to the A-11 base.

It is a long walk from the A-11 base to the outskirts of Aaru, and it would take several hours to walk from the cradle to the vicinity of the base.

Not knowing when Isis would grab his back, he walked with his hands on his bleeding knees.

Thump thump thump

Leaving behind the noise that I don’t know if it was the noise made by the storm or Isis digging into the ground and coming down, knowing his location,

After passing through a long passage that felt like dozens of hours had passed, he was able to arrive.

An old wooden plank hidden in a tree branch.

The entrance to the dimensional navigation ship CLBS-1283 was visible.

Clear the boards and carefully go down the huge passage.

Using the landing as a ladder, carefully go down one step at a time. The stairs that went down quickly when I was walking with NB are now no different from a cliff.

It was a bridge that was moving miraculously. If you stumble here, you will never get up again.

After taking a while to reach the basement, the uneven stone stairs ended and a marble-covered hallway appeared.

From now on, it was the domain of human hands. He was able to move his feet more easily than before.

I drag my legs through the hallway.

I was reminded of the short time I spent with NB while repairing the dimensional sailing ship.

As if they had arrived at their destination, the earphones in their ears remained silent.

– Weeing

The automatic door opens, and another hallway appears.

A few minutes to walk again. A door that required a password to enter blocked him.

A dimensional sailing ship is waiting for him behind the door.

It was time to get close to the door to change the password.

Along with the sound, an explosion was heard behind him.

Boom, the ceiling shook and some stone dust fell.

The dust generated by the impact flowed down from the stairs to where he was.

Cough, Cough. He coughed at the dust and threw up his hands, and saw someone approaching through his blurred vision.

“Master. I came to pick you up.”

The gray eyes were shining eerily. In the center of those eyes, which were always colorless, a red dot bloomed like a rose.

Isis strides down the hallway she had been walking through with difficulty.

“Please go back to the cradle.”

And after that, drones with guns pointed at them gather like bees.

he thought.

It seems like the story in this dimension has finally reached its final chapter.