episode_0404

How thrilling would it be to have that vast space and all those goods all to myself?

“When you were little?”

At another Violet’s question, Unit 1’s eyes widened as she replied.

“Before we came here, of course!”

“Ah, so that’s what Unit 1 means! But that’s our memory too, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

Anyway, I never thought a fantasy combining childlike wonder and material desire would unfold before our eyes.

Inside the shopping mall at midnight, silence reigned.

The stopped escalators and tightly closed stores had transformed into an eerie, empty space devoid of any visitors.

“Wow! There’s no one here! We can run around to our heart’s content!”

Unit 3 clapped her hands and shouted.

“How exciting!”

Of course, there was some disappointment. We weren’t here to raid the place. So, the goods displayed throughout the mall were just out of reach [a proverb meaning something tempting but unattainable]. Everywhere I looked, glittering jewels and the latest electronic devices in glass display cases tempted me, but stealing them went against the Ariel Group’s combat ethics.

“Looting is a violation of international law! We came here for arrests and assassinations.”

Unit 2 shook her index finger and declared firmly.

“Aww… what a waste!”

While some Violets pressed their noses against the glass and whispered, Unit 6214 bit her lip slightly, then cautiously offered a new idea.

“Then how about we take things that are properly broken or damaged after the battle? The owner wouldn’t feel wronged by that! They’ll just throw them away anyway, right?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Unit 6214.

“Aha! To think such a genius idea exists!”

“We clean up the damaged mall’s trash, and we get to pick up some decent items! It’s an amazing idea!”

As expected, we Violets are undoubtedly smart and brilliant girls.

After all, we so easily solved the problem between the desire for free shopping and wartime ethics.

This is the wisdom that cuts through the labyrinth of conflict in one go!

“Alright! Let’s go!”

The little Violets, proud and dignified, took small steps deeper into the darkened shopping mall.

As if on a stroll, each girl climbed the non-functional escalators.

We came here for one reason: a raven we had released on the street had discovered an area where reality and darkness overlapped.

Shadows shimmered like heat haze in places. Dust motes floating in the air bounced and danced strangely.

Beyond the ambiguous boundary, only by approaching closely could we detect the faint flow of magic that separated this place from the outside.

Tiny currents, almost tangible, could be seen rippling across the floor.

An alien energy, cracking reality and veiling it like a curtain, was distorting the space.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason we chose this place. During aerial reconnaissance, the unattended vehicles parked near the mall seemed unusual.

They were mostly lightly armed vehicles, bearing a clan mark that seemed familiar.

The engines were running, but no drivers were visible, suggesting they had hastily vanished somewhere.

“Could it be a strike team here for the Restraidna bounty?”

The little Violets tilted their heads. They rested a finger on their chins, their small faces filled with questions.

A clan had opened the doors and stormed into the mall, yet there was no noise, no sound.

An abnormal silence enveloped the mall.

The little Violets placed the small bags they carried on their backs onto the floor and pulled their zippers.

As soon as the opening appeared, dozens of mice waiting inside poured out, scattering in all directions.

For a moment, the quiet interior of the mall echoed with rustling sounds, squeaks, and tiny scurrying footfalls.

The sounds melted away into the space like cotton candy dissolving in water.

Hundreds of mice scurried through the mall like arrows. Their tiny claws scraped the tiled floor, and their sensitive noses detected subtle changes in the air.

Through the mice’s senses, light appeared on the previously dark Violet map. The map forming in their minds became increasingly clear.

As the shadows of the battlefield receded, the little Violets followed, their tiny footsteps echoing.

Some Violets immediately grew into their main forms and checked their weapons. Their movements were precise as they ran their fingers down gun barrels and checked magazines.

When the V-Animal’s first-line reconnaissance team checked with their keen sense of smell, the little Violets’ second-line reconnaissance team followed, surveying and checking.

The regular Violets at the rear would be deployed to areas where anomalies were detected, tasked with hunting the killer’s clone.

“No! Not hunting! We have to capture it alive!”

“Ah! That’s right!”

Oh, I had forgotten something important.

Our goal is clear: to find the killer’s true body.

We intend to use our unique abilities for this.

The operation is simple.

We just need to grab its clone and use memory reading to find its location.

“If we just absorb it immediately, we could finish it in one go!”

Of course, some raised the possibility that it might not work.

Even Professor Albert said that typical clone generation abilities, artifact technology, or magic had fundamentally different operating mechanisms from my unique ability.

I remembered the serious look in the professor’s eyes behind his glasses.

“What did he say again? He said that normal clone abilities are no different from operating toy robots using ether as radio waves, right?”

“That’s right! Like drones.”

He said that the unique abilities typically demonstrated by others were just mimetic puppets.

Because they were too simple, he said, all that would likely happen was the clone being destroyed.

It’s probably similar to how you can’t electrocute the drone operator by hacking a drone.

Since dealing with only the clone wouldn’t harm the main body, a cautious approach was necessary.

“Even in that case, we should be able to track its location!”

I don’t know the extent of its power.

The range of the clone’s control ability is unknown. It seems wider than expected, but it’s not a big problem.

Jetbike squadrons and hang gliders were already on standby around the mall. Its escape routes were as good as sealed.

Carrying these various thoughts, we wandered the mall for a long time. As we searched each floor following the complex structure, only silence continued.

First, the security office was empty. The chairs were tilted back, and all the monitors were black.

There were no traces of internal patrols or human presence, and security systems that should naturally be on at night were off.

Anyone could see it was strange.

Nevertheless, the empty interior of the mall was truly peaceful and quite enjoyable.

With a space always bustling with people now empty, a strange sense of freedom was felt.

“Squeak! Little Boss, the food court search is complete! Now we’ll investigate the kitchen and ventilation shafts!”

One mouse pushed off the floor and leaped onto my shoulder. Its tiny whiskers tickled my nose.

“Food court?”

At the keyword the mouse uttered, the eyes of the little Violets following behind glittered like stars.

My intelligence lowered, I impulsively…

But the food court is good, right? Hehe.

“It’s ice cream! I want to eat it!”

“Command central instructs. Halt!”

Some little Violets tried to snatch snacks from the refrigerator in the dark restaurant, momentarily halting, but fortunately, the incident ended quickly.

“This is why it’s a problem… The little ones have too low intelligence!”

“Low intelligence?”

“I’m not stupid!”

As I tried to admonish the others, urgent sounds reached my ears.

The first-line mice detected an anomaly. The location was towards the women’s clothing stores on the second and third floors.

“Suddenly, I smell blood! It’s dark! I can’t see anything!”

Anxiety was present in the mouse’s connection signal.

“Strange! My eyes are completely dark! Squeak!”

Immediately after the mice’s connection broke, the second-line little Violet reconnaissance team, who had been following, were swallowed by darkness.

A pitch-black space poured over us as if to engulf us. Truly, it was a situation where nothing could be seen except for the stalls and mannequins right in front of our noses.

“I focused magic into my eyes, but I can’t see anything!”

“It’s dark!”

We cried out in protest. Suddenly, in the murky darkness, little Unit 6335 bumped into something.

-Thump!

“Eek!”

The little Violet fumbled at the heavy object she had bumped into.

Her fingertips traced along a cold surface.

She wondered if it was a mannequin and examined it, only for something sticky to suddenly drip onto her face.

She turned on her light and shone it, revealing a dark reddish-brown color.

“Is it ketchup?”

Unit 6335 innocently dabbed the substance from her forehead and licked it.

A metallic taste spread on her tongue.

“Ugh, it’s blood.”

Only then did we realize the true nature of the “mannequins” that had appeared in the darkness.

Human corpses were hung in rows from the store ceiling like meat. Their appearance, sprawled out like slaughtered animals, was truly grotesque.

Their faces were pale, and their eyes were blankly open like glass beads.

With every step we took, the corpses hanging in a row vanished beyond our sight, and then one by one, others were revealed from the darkness.

“Squeak! Boss, you were here! It was scary!”

Collecting the hidden mice as we entered, a small mouse leaped onto my shoulder and trembled.

“This is scary? It’s just messy.”

“As expected… Boss is brave!”

Let’s analyze the corpses one by one. The collective intelligence quickly read information each time it passed through the little Violets’ eyes.

What about the person at the very front? A typical combat vest, suspenders, and a bandolier with a sword and quiver indicated they were a hunter.

Some had no heads, while others had only their carotid arteries severed. Blood already flowed thickly across the floor.

Some wore lighter attire, presumed to be security guards of this place.

Others were in neat uniforms and skirts. Were they employees?

“Wow, people are hanging like meat.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this…”

The sight of what the evil clone cannibal had done was quite grotesque.

The corpses, hanging from hooks in the ceiling, swayed slightly from side to to side. To die at work and become like this, unable to even go home.

“Dying at work! Won’t they become vengeful spirits instead of finding peace?”

“Gasp! Horrible! Even as ghosts, they can’t leave work!”

I felt a little pity at the chilling sight.

As I walked, lost in various thoughts, someone suddenly lifted me from the darkness.

Instantly, the ground disappeared beneath my feet, and my body floated upwards.

“Screech!”

Unit 6335 let out a shrill scream. A tall, slender human figure suddenly grabbed me from the darkness.

A cold, firm grip squeezed my small body.

Where its head should have been, an eerie shadow flickered. It was a mass of shadows shaped like a static-filled television screen.

The form, irregularly distorting like electronic noise, showed no trace of expression.

“Hey! Let go of me!”

The little Violet threw a tantrum, but it had no effect. Her small fists hit empty air. The mice rushed forward, but to no avail.

The shadows kicked and slashed all the mice. The mice’s squeals echoed through the mall.

“Ack! I’m caught!”

“Uwah!”

The little Violets wailed. I needed to touch its head, but my arms couldn’t reach. They were too short.

The shadow clones looked at me, tilting their heads as if in thought.

Suddenly, its head portion shook violently like a blender.

The shadow lowered its head, holding me without a word. The little Violet shouted.

“What! Don’t eat me!”

I felt a sense of regret at the failed attempt at communication. It seemed poised to swallow me in one gulp.

To think it was such a violent monster.

Then there’s only one answer.

“…”

“I said don’t eat me!”

The little Violets, without an inch of error, flipped a switch. A small click sounded from their chest pocket.

Only then did the clone stop trying to swallow my head and hastily examined its body.

Its black head thrashed wildly in confusion.

The bomb vest’s circuit lit up. Red lights blinked in sequence, then—

-Boom!

The Violet “junk food” must have been quite spicy. The clones, who tried to consume what they shouldn’t, were thrown back by the explosion.

The inside of the darkness-filled barrier shook eerily.

Walls and floor rippled like waves.

“…Insane…”

One clone, with its body half shattered, picked itself up and muttered. Its voice was distorted like radio static.

“No, you killer! Disappear from my sight!”

And a flash of light, split into three streaks, pierced the void where the little Violets had vanished. Hot beams melted the clone’s body, causing it to evaporate.

“Beware my power. Melting Ray!”

A powerful flow of magic tore apart its trickery. The veil of darkness ripped away, and reality returned to its place.

Under the dim lights and illumination, the horrors inside the mall were brightly revealed.

The miserable corpses and red trails were a hellscape painted directly onto the mall floor.

And someone had to clean this up.

I’ll do it for them.

“Squad 3, deploy! Deploy! Deploy!”

The mobile Violets pushed off the floor, crouching low as they raced at furious speed.

They stomped up the humming escalators, gripping the cold walls with their hands as they swiftly ascended to the upper floors.

Immediately after, I focused my mind on the sharp news that burst from command central.

“Command central transmits. Attention! We’ve intercepted some radio communications! Traces of what appear to be enemy clones have been detected throughout the southern district! Multiple clans seem to be tracking them!”

The intercepted general channel radio crackled loudly like a bomb exploding.

Sharp shouts, urgent directives, and commands, along with dozens of thudding boot steps, poured into my ears in chaotic mixture.

“What, is it a fight? Engagement location?”

“Around the mall… irregularly, scattered everywhere and repeating! Happening simultaneously on all sides!”

Could our small movement have led to a huge variable?

It was impossible to tell. What was clear was that it had unleashed its clones everywhere and was rampaging madly.

That meant there was a high probability that its attention was extremely divided, creating an opening.

Shadow clones, strange forms like black smoke, wriggled forth from the darkness of the store.

One, two… the number quickly surpassed ten, then well over a hundred.

Sticky darkness, like a sharp awl, once again encroached upon the surroundings.

But darkness can never defeat light.

According to facts already proven by the great genius Einstein, sufficient mass creates immense power and dazzling light.

And the magazines in our hands were filled with ample mass, ready to tear through the darkness.

Heavy metal armor-piercing high-explosive rounds!

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

With a flash, the Hecatoncheir-made acceleration rifle roared. Amidst the tearing roar of bullets, they pierced through the group of shadow clones, and some enemies shattered into black fragments.

The scent left by the rocket-propelled rounds in the air stung my nose. As gunfire poured down like a storm, the assault Violets dashed through the piles of fallen corpses like the wind.

Blade-like shadows screamed and charged ferociously.

“Sever its limbs! And capture it!”

“Find the main body!”

Clone clashed violently with clone.

**

Just as the engagement began, a loud engine noise shook the road.

A motorcycle roared to a stop.

The helmeted man drew a long sword from his back and approached the parked, lightly armed vehicles.

“As expected, communications have been cut for 30 minutes… This silence was suspicious. To think they all vanished.”

Sebastian thought it was good they had intercepted the communications as he looked around the empty vehicles.

His gaze, hidden beneath his helmet, was directed towards the mall.

A faint, ominous aura brushed past him. The mall was strangely silent.

“I’ll have to investigate.”

Sebastian took his steps into the dimly lit mall.

“Oh! Boss, a suspicious individual has infiltrated!”

The outer surveillance network stirred at the unexpected appearance of an outsider.

The Violets’ attention was diverted to the wrong place.

That’s why they didn’t notice.

Thousands of meters in the sky, a transparent aircraft appeared in the airspace of the southern district.

As the side door opened, a red-haired woman in a vintage dress calmly leaned out into the strong wind.

“We have arrived, Administrator-nim.”

The woman lightly tapped her neckband and whispered.

“Don’t worry. The runaway operative won’t cause any more trouble.”

A brief thank you came back over the radio.

The woman smiled faintly, and with her long, fluttering dress trailing behind her, she plummeted downwards like an arrow.

Following her, black shadows descended, cutting through the night sky. The human figures instantly melted and vanished into the darkness.

That’s why the Violets didn’t notice.

No one in the southern district, not even Restraidna who managed the air defense network, noticed.

The woman and her escorts landed silently on the ground.

At that moment, a small halo appeared above the woman’s head. It soon faded, seemingly dissolving into the woman’s figure and the surrounding scenery.

Arsyt joined the midnight commotion.