Chapter 35: Anomaly Catching Anomaly

How to Kill What Doesn't Die (9)

I kicked the dolls in the face one by one as they blocked my path, dashing forward.

Following the screams, I headed deeper into the facility, where I saw countless corpses scattered on the floor.

"...A lot have died."

The gruesome sight made me unconsciously furrow my brow.

I had seen worse things in my life, and I had faced more appalling situations that defied understanding.

But seeing the monsters that had appeared in my homeland, which I had expected to be peaceful, and the bodies of people torn to shreds by those monsters...

It was more than enough to leave me feeling deeply disturbed.

'Those dolls, they definitely weren't normal.'

I recalled the appearance of the dolls I had just destroyed.

Grotesque figures stretched out as if tearing apart a dummy, adorned with all sorts of weapons.

Their behavior, expressing unconditional murderous intent towards people and attacking indiscriminately, was certainly close to that of a weapon.

But I could instinctively tell that they were not made for the purpose of ordinary weaponry.

Of course, there was no need to create a weapon with such a cumbersome design just to kill people.

Unless it was a golem alchemist from another dimension, or a mad scientist with bizarre tastes.

At least the weapons used in my homeland were as efficient as possible within the limits of the available technology.

Those dolls, which had no flying drones, treads, or even firearms, were quite different from the weapons of my homeland that I remembered.

That made me think they were more like living monsters than weapons.

"Huh."

It was ridiculous.

I thought I had finally returned to my homeland, but I was encountering monsters and whatnot again.

Surely, the homeland I knew was a world where such unrealistic beings did not exist.

So, what was going on?

Had scientists made the world more terrible through some strange invention while I was away?

No, I probably already knew.

Hadn't I already realized it a long time ago?

I was just turning a blind eye, but in reality...

'...No, let's stop with the useless thoughts.'

I shook my head to clear out the jumbled thoughts inside.

There's plenty of time to think later.

Anyway, I have things to do right now.

The sounds of blood splattering, flesh tearing, and someone screaming and shouting in succession.

The noise, reminiscent of the middle of a battlefield, was coming from beyond the corner of the hallway.

I sped up and reached the corner, where I saw...

Dolls rushing in savagely, and people desperately firing guns at them.

--Bang!

I kicked off the floor and soared into the air.

My target was above the doll's head.

Reaching the ceiling, I turned my body and pressed both feet against it, bending my knees.

Fixing my gaze on the doll, I straightened my knees and rushed towards it in an instant.

---Kwagagagagang!!

With a cracking sound, the doll's body compressed in an instant.

Countless vibrations transmitted from beneath my feet.

The doll, its head crushed, distorted its entire body and scattered fragments of its body.

By the time my foot was about to touch the floor, it had already been compressed beyond recognition.

"Take the people and run. I'll draw their attention."

As the fragments and dust cleared, the people who had been facing the dolls came into view.

Bewildered eyes visible behind goggles and masks.

I brushed off the fragments on my body and urged them to escape.

But they were confused by my sudden appearance and showed various reactions.

Then, one of them pointed a gun at me and started shouting.

"Wait a minute, what the hell are you?!"

A tense voice and a slightly trembling gun were pointed at me.

I was a little angry that they were pointing a weapon at me after I had just saved them, but I calmed my wavering heart.

Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't upset.

Unless they were an extreme masochist with a peculiar fetish, they wouldn't prefer to be shot by someone who had saved their life.

I, too, would rather receive a simple thank you than a hail of lead as a gesture of gratitude.

However, I wasn't strict enough to expect reason from someone who had just faced a life-threatening situation.

And after experiencing such situations several times, I realized that reacting to the other person's actions only consumed my emotions.

Instead of speaking, I let out a small sigh and silently stared at them.

"--Aaaaaaaah!""_

A scream was heard from not far away.

Many people were scattered throughout the space, each fighting against the dolls.

At the sound of their screams, everyone's attention shifted to the scene of the ongoing carnage.

"Don't you think you're too busy to listen to an explanation?"

I asked the person who was pointing a gun at me, and their gaze returned to me.

Their heavy breathing and trembling gestures revealed the complexity of their mind, even behind their covered face.

They kept the gun pointed at me, glancing back and forth between me and the screams.

"Damn it, what the hell has been going on since earlier...!"

As if having made a decision, they lowered the gun and ran towards their scattered comrades.

As their grumbling voice faded away, I also moved forward, passing by them.

The rescue operation was entrusted to them, so all that remained was to smash all the dolls in sight.

Of course, there were still many dolls left, and there was no way to know how far they had spread throughout the facility.

But at least, I seemed to have found the source of this incident.

'Found it.'

A doll with distinctly different characteristics from the others came into view.

A clean appearance without a single scratch, and a unique appearance with a spiral spear pierced through its chest.

And the numerous dolls surrounding it as if protecting it clearly showed that it was the cause of this incident.

Then, there was no need to think any further.

Without the slightest hesitation, I threw myself towards it and the dolls surrounding it.

---Bang!

As I kicked off the ground and soared into the air, numerous dolls rushed towards me.

I used them as stepping stones, zigzagging through the air.

The sound of the dolls' bodies shattering could be heard.

With each push of my knee, the dolls fell as if their strings had been cut.

Kicked, trampled, and slammed into the walls, they rushed at me without even caring about their own bodies being damaged.

But after dozens of boosts, most of the dolls guarding the source were now only scattering their fragments on the ground.

---Squeak

As if flustered, the doll that had run out of places to hide began to flee from me.

"Uselessly struggling." I muttered quietly.

But well, seeing what it was trying to do, I felt a little relieved.

While smashing all those dolls, no other individual had ever shown any sign of trying to escape like that one.

Yet, among all those dolls, only that one sensed danger and attempted to flee.

It was an act that was no different from advertising itself as the culprit of this incident.

With a cracking sound, the head of the last doll guarding the unique doll shattered.

Now, there was nothing left to protect the fleeing doll.

I fixed my eyes on its figure and unleashed a strike that would never miss.

As my body reached it, a grand shattering sound filled the hallway.

---Woooon!

The doll crashed into the wall with a grand sound.

The doll was buried so deep that its entire body was destroyed.

The doll, kicked by me, twitched a few times before stopping its operation.

---Kki-gi-gi-gi-gik

In front of me, along with that bizarre mechanical sound.

The doll that had been kicked by me was still glaring at me, looking perfectly fine.

"...?!"

As the sound of violently cutting through the wind was heard, the sensation in my body became unstable for a moment.

As if its escape had been a trick, it immediately turned to me and grabbed my leg that was touching it.

It immediately swung its arm, spinning me around like a vortex rotating greatly along the ring of the universe.

With that fierce momentum, it threw me towards the wall.

---Thud!!

As the wall crumbled, heavy fragments of the wall covered me.

Thump, thump, thump, the chunks of concrete mercilessly crushed my small body.

Underneath the pile of stones, I briefly questioned what had just happened.

What on earth just happened?

The sensation of kicking something beneath my feet was distinctly felt. The sound must have been clear as well.

However, the thing embedded in the wall was just an ordinary-looking doll.

The doll, which I was certain I had kicked, hadn't received any impact at all.

Instead, it grabbed the bewildered me and slammed me into the wall.

――――creeeeeak

From beyond the hallway, the thing that had sent me flying made that mechanical noise again.

It almost sounded like it was mocking me.

Alright.

Dared to laugh, did it?

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