Chapter 23 - Trick or Treat?

This expedition was different from the very beginning.

The moment they left Sanctum and emerged beyond the Outer, the Halloween Society's pent-up madness erupted all at once.

Dozens of armored vehicles raced across the wasteland, covered in dazzling paintwork, geometric neon signs, and decorations of indeterminate purpose. Huge speakers mounted on each vehicle blasted their own eardrum-splitting music, clamoring to make their presence known.

The spectacle looked less like an expedition than a mad carnival procession awash in cacophony.

Several idols climbed onto the roofs of their speeding armored vehicles and began streaming, shouting at the drones following them. One roared after downing a newly released energy drink; another flashed a V sign in front of a rival's vehicle, which an explosion had blown to pieces.

-Oh! Team Underdogs! What a fiery start! They've neatly eliminated a competitor and won over the viewers!

The commentary poured out of the car radio.

Before Chatterbox could finish exclaiming, another massive explosion erupted. A half-wrecked armored vehicle went flying through the air.

Watching the scene unfold outside the window, Ash suddenly recalled that everyone here except him and Akina belonged to the Halloween Society.

A society bound together by a single value.

The one value governing this expedition was clear.

Popularity.

The fighting here wasn't about survival. It was closer to a show staged for higher ratings.

From this point onward, everything here would be dictated by a single truth: viewership.

In a world where even life-or-death battles were reduced to mere entertainment, likes and donations mattered more than survival.

That was the true nature of this expedition.

"Fuck. They're already at it with this bullshit."

The one consolation was that their teammates—Ifrit, Dullahan, and Jack O' Lantern—were relatively quiet.

Ash turned his turquoise optical sensors toward Ifrit.

"Will you not join the commotion, my lady?"

Ifrit grinned as she serviced her personal weapon, Dragon Breath.

"Ash. Whatever you do, you've got to make an impact. If we jump in while everyone else is going wild, we'll just get lost in the crowd."

"... Would you explain in more detail?"

"There's nothing to explain. In the end, every viewer wants to know one thing: who's in first place? We just have to find the Nexus first. Ratings? We can steal every last viewer from the others."

Jack O' Lantern shouted from the driver's seat.

"That's right, boss! The real star always shows up at the end! Heh heh heh."

A message also scrolled across Dullahan's visor: [Only amateurs bait for attention right out of the gate. Yep.]

"... I see."

Their methods differed, but they were no different from the others.

Thinking about it, that was only natural. They all belonged to the Halloween Society.

Ifrit.

Dullahan.

Jack O' Lantern.

There was only one reason they had entered this dangerous reclamation campaign, even recruiting guest members to do so.

Popularity.

Greater recognition.

More viewers.

They wanted to shine brighter than anyone else on the grand stage of the Nexus reclamation campaign.

Ash wanted to ask what on earth this "popularity" was that made them willing to throw away their lives.

"..."

But he didn't ask.

'Have I not lived a life consumed by something myself?'

The only difference was that what popularity was to them, revenge had been to him.

If someone asked him why he had lived that way, could he really answer? Ash wasn't certain.

After all, those aboard a ship cannot see the shape of the vessel.

Adjusting the steel blade strapped to his back, Ash distanced himself from this world of violence wrapped in merriment.

Not a trace of the festival's fervor reached him.

But this frenzied festival seemed to have no intention of leaving him alone.

"Son of a...!"

With that brief cry, their armored vehicle swerved sharply as Jack O' Lantern wrenched the wheel.

"Aah!"

Ash caught Akina, who had lost her balance and nearly been thrown across the vehicle, then looked up.

Through the window, he saw five or six bikes approaching across the wasteland. Smoke rose from a heavy weapon one of the riders was holding; apparently, they had fired at the vehicle.

"These bastards...!"

Ifrit, who had been flung into a corner by the sharp turn, spat out a curse.

"So you want to play?"

As she moved to open the top hatch, Ash rose too.

"I shall join you."

"Good! Let's have some fun!"

The two climbed out through the speeding armored vehicle's top hatch. The fierce, biting rush of air whipped their clothes about.

Between the dust kicked up by dozens of vehicles and the barrage of gunfire, the wasteland was utter chaos.

The bikes approached through it in clouds of dust, cutting in along their flank and pouring bullets into them.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT!

Sparks flew from the armor plating.

Ifrit swore once, then raised Dragon Breath with a crazed grin.

"Eat this!"

Dragon Breath was a shotgun.

One that breathed fire.

With a thunderous blast, a spread of fiery shot engulfed the bikers. A couple of bikes went tumbling in flames as their riders screamed.

Three bikers burst through the dust storm. Rather than retreat, they closed in, adjusting the heavy weapons slung over their shoulders.

Antitank guns.

"Ah, shit!"

Before Ifrit could aim, Ash stepped forward. His low electronic voice carried through the rushing wind.

"Cover me."

Ash shot explosively from the edge of the armored vehicle's roof. Faint sparks crackled along the spiraling trail he left behind.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!"

A biker stared in horror as Ash hurtled toward him. Before he could do anything, Ash reached him and swung his blade.

With a shearing crunch, the antitank gun's barrel was sliced clean off.

Ash stepped onto the biker's shoulder and vaulted past him, launching himself toward another rider following behind.

"Holy shit!"

The riders raised their guns in alarm at the sight of Ash flying toward them. But he moved faster than their bullets.

Twisting in midair, he narrowly slipped past the incoming rounds and landed precisely behind the second biker.

"How do you do?"

"..."

A humanoid had arrived as though dropped straight from the sky. Its turquoise optical sensors gleamed, and it swung its blade, striking the biker with the back of the sword.

"Aargh!"

The bike lost its balance and veered toward the rider's companion.

"Huh? Whoa! Hey, you asshole! Don't come this wa—"

The two bikes collided, tangling horrifically as they tumbled across the ground.

And Ash?

Ash was already gone.

Just as he had leaped out, he had somehow flown back through the air to the armored vehicle's roof. All of it had taken less than ten seconds.

Leaping between speeding bikes and subduing every rider—a feat bordering on the miraculous, made possible by movement arts honed to their pinnacle.

Ifrit blinked. Instead of providing the cover he'd requested, she had simply stared at him in a daze.

Ash, his sword already sheathed, paused while climbing into the hatch and spoke to her.

"Are you not coming in?"

"Uh, y-yeah..."

Still looking bewildered, Ifrit followed Ash through the hatch. The instant she entered, Chatterbox's excited voice erupted from the car speakers.

-Unbelievable! Did you see that, viewers? Team Elementary Girls' secret weapon! That is, uh... hold on a moment. Ah! Ash Blade! The humanoid swordsman who took Sanctum by storm with a single short video not long ago! What a rush, watching him charge into enemy ranks alone and smash them all! Just what were those moves?!

Chatterbox wasn't the only one making a fuss.

HONK! HONK! HOOONK!

After repeatedly sounding the horn, Jack O' Lantern whipped his head around.

"Whoa! That was insane! What was that just now? How do you move like that?"

Dullahan, in the passenger seat, was much the same. A short message on his visor summed up his feelings.

[Holy shit.]

He even applauded.

Apparently, he was quite impressed.

"Heh, hehehe! What did I tell you? Didn't I say he was something else? We're the stars of this reclamation campaign!"

"At this rate, we might even make Today's Best!"

"Of course we will! Come on! Let's go!"

[Go go go go go! Today's Best, here we come! Go go go go!]

The armored vehicle filled with excited chatter.

But Ash, the very subject of their excitement, remained quiet. Leaving his boisterous teammates behind, he quietly took the seat beside Akina.

"Is anything damaged?"

"Nothing."

"What about your power? How much battery do you have left?"

Ash looked at Akina for a moment, then raised the steel hand she had fitted for him and gently stroked her hair.

"Do not worry. There is nothing to be concerned about."

Ratings. Streams. Popularity.

None of that mattered in the slightest to Ash and Akina. Even amid the current excitement, survival alone occupied their minds.

Having reassured Akina, Ash closed his voice module and turned his gaze out the window.

"All right! Let's keep this momentum going! Jack! Floor it!"

The armored vehicle's massive engine growled, its eight cylinders pounding in succession.

Accelerating with a deep roar, it raced across the wasteland, trailing clouds of dust.

* * *

After driving without pause, the armored vehicle came to a stop.

They had reached their destination.

"But boss, are we really going in without streaming?"

Jack O' Lantern spoke as he shut off the engine, his voice full of regret.

Ifrit answered while opening the rear hatch.

"I told you. All the tedious little details of the expedition don't matter. We're after the Nexus Port. We just have to find it first. There'll be plenty of time to start streaming then."

Dullahan nodded. A message appeared on his visor.

[Yep. And we have to watch out for anyone trying to follow our route.]

Jack O' Lantern still looked disappointed. He seemed loath to waste the sudden attention Ash had brought them.

But he too understood that an off-stream run offered several advantages, so he said no more.

"Enough chitchat."

Ifrit was the first to step out of the armored vehicle.

"Let's get ready."

At her quiet words, the team began moving.

Jack O' Lantern took out several small bombs and secured them around his waist, while Dullahan moved his mechanical arm several times to check its systems. He also inspected his firearms thoroughly.

"Dullahan and I take point. Jack, you cover the rear. We'll blast through obstacles whenever possible. Speed is the key on this expedition. Oh, grab a few extra bombs. Now that we're here, these ruins look bigger than I expected."

Following her instructions, the three idols busied themselves with practiced movements.

Clearly, Ifrit and her companions were no run-of-the-mill Pathfinders. They were veterans who knew the ruins well.

Amid the bustle, Ash stepped out of the armored vehicle with Akina and spoke.

"What is my role?"

As though the question surprised her, Ifrit cocked an eyebrow.

"What's gotten into you? You're creeping me out. Would you even listen if I told you?"

"If necessary."

Ifrit blinked a couple of times at his answer.

"... You really do have this strange way of charming people."

Ifrit raised Dragon Breath and chambered a round.

CLACK!

The heavy mechanical sound rang out.