Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 398 - 0127

Chapter 398: 0127

The entire building shook as the battle on the sixth floor raged on.

The destruction wrought by the Relics ensured that most available Taskmasters were sent to aid Oswald in suppressing the attack before it spread to the other floors.

Though this made it easier for Alex to ascend to higher floors, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted about the situation.

In his initial drafts for the heist, he’d considered causing chaos by releasing the Relics just to ensure he wouldn’t be disturbed in his search.

However, he’d ended up scrapping it for the fact that he had no idea what would happen should he go ahead to release a Relic without protection.

It didn’t seem worth it to risk his life and it was good that he’d done so, considering the state of the corrupted Taskmaster who’d ended up devoured by the Relics, despite protections put in place to avoid that.

Now, capitalizing on the situation was key, but that was only if he could shake off his current pursuers.

Not all Taskmasters had gone to aid the Conductor of Ordnance in suppressing the Relics.

Some remained to watch after the other Relics, having noted that the chaos of the sixth floor had caused the Relics of the other floors to grow restless.

While two were currently chasing after Alex to bring him to justice.

Hidden at a corner in the passageway leading to the fifth floor, Alex watched as the Taskmasters walked towards his location, their ’gaze’ scanning the surroundings as they brandished black pipes the length of kitchen knives.

Knowing he’d stand no chance if they attacked together, Alex prepared to strike preemptively, pulling out a smoke bomb before tossing it out causing a dense layer of grey smoke to immediately cover the Taskmasters.

Taking the opportunity... he fled.

As the Taskmasters activated the pipes, causing blades to come out of both ends, they swung instinctively, thinking their opponent bold enough to face them... they couldn’t be more wrong.

On getting to the hall leading to the sealing hall on the fifth floor, Alex froze as he found four Taskmasters standing guard.

None said a word as they immediately pulled out their weapons with two rushing forward to restrain him.

Their movements were much faster than the corrupted Taskmaster, adding credence to the fact that it was because he’d been in a fight with his comrades that he’d been so slow in their clash.

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to meet them head-on, Alex pulled out all the tricks he was familiar with, pulling out as many as five smoke bombs before tossing them at the ground causing the hall to be enveloped in grey smoke for a few seconds.

Of course, this did nothing to impede the Taskmasters’ approach as they didn’t hesitate to lash out once they got close but Alex made use of Entropy to escape capture, instead making a beeline for the fifth sealing hall entrance.

The other two Taskmasters were prepared to receive him, this time, not bothering to catch him as they brandished their weapons with killing intent.

With four behind and two before, Alex pulled out yet another bomb and tossed it before tripping and falling to the ground.

As one of the two ahead swung at it, it was split in two and with that, a blinding flash erupted followed by an audible ’pop’.

The resulting shockwave sent all standing flying back a few meters with the two in front taking the brunt of the force.

Taking the opportunity, Alex rose to his feet and bolted for the door, pushing it open with as much strength as he could muster before rushing in and closing it once again.

Once inside, he was met with the scene of several agitated Relics with the whispers aggressively probing his mind causing him to grit his teeth as he struggled to resist.

As his breaths turned heavy, Alex noticed that this sealing was quite similar to the last one though there was a major difference; most of the candelabras were no longer alight.

The burgeoning darkness persisting in the hall flowed without restraint, with numerous eyes already manifesting before sending bloodlusted gazes Alex’s way.

Bombarded both visually and aurally, Alex buckled over, his hands over his face as he tried to maintain calm amidst the storm.

Just as he began to fall unconscious, a pair of hands grabbed hold of him and dragged him out of the hall.

The next time he opened his eyes, he found himself chained while seated in a chair with two Taskmasters standing guard over him.

It would seem, the heist had failed.

***

/4 hours later/

"How many casualties?" Oswald asked as he sat in bed without a shirt, his gaze fixed on the full-body mirror before him as his Homunculi assistant tended to his injuries.

Though not life-threatening, the Relics had made sure that he would remember this day till his death.

"26." The Homunculi replied, her soft voice echoing in the brightly lit room.

Sighing helplessly, Oswald inquired. "This has never happened before, Lyra, what went wrong?"

"You are correct, Master. It hasn’t happened before."

"So what was different this time around?" Oswald asked again with a hint of annoyance though he remained cordial.

The Homunculi, no, Lyra rose to her feet, having completed her stitching before moving to where a box of medical supplies lay.

"Lyra, I asked a question."

Lyra paused before letting out an audible sigh.

Pulling out a small journal from her pocket she handed it to Oswald. "I found this in the 0127’s room."

Oswald frowned before taking it from her and perusing its contents.

The first few pages were covered in numbers and caricatures but on getting to a certain page, words appeared.

[Who am I?]

A simple question that held deep meaning was posed on the page causing Oswald to pause, his eyes drawn to the short sentence.

"Most Taskmasters are provided with human equipment like that journal to help them maintain a semblance of humanity while standing guard in this building. It’s the first time one of them managed to write." Lyra remarked at the side, her tone laced with an indescribable emotion.

Glancing at her, Oswald returned his attention to the journal, flipping to a new page only to be met with yet another sentence.

[Where am I?]

[Why am I here?]

It would seem after 0127 regained his human faculties to an extent, he was immediately bombarded by the terror of existential crisis.

The pages after were filled with even more questions, some even spiraling into full statements and run-on sentences but throughout, they all displayed the same thing.

0127 was spiraling into madness.

His last entry read, [The whispers told me they have a way, a way to free me from this torture as long as I set them free. I’ll do as they’ve said... I can’t take this pain anymore.]

Oswald’s expression soured considerably as he read the lines over and over again.

He raised his head to look at Lyra who had her face turned away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

Pursing his lips, he shifted his attention back to the journal.

"Looking at something like 0127’s state before his inevitable madness makes me wonder if it’s all worth it," Lyra muttered. "if it’s worth doing so much."

Oswald hesitated, his expression unreadable as he muttered. "... Do you think what we are doing is wrong, Lyra?... Do you think our preparations are in vain?"

"No, because I know the truth of it all, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel sympathy."

"..."

"You should get some rest, all other reports can be heard tomorrow."

With that, she turned and left, leaving Oswald to his thoughts as he glanced at the journal in his hands.

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