Chapter 58 - Resolve

Nestled in Ash's arms, Akina lifted her head at the faint smell of blood. She carefully inspected him from head to toe, her brow furrowing deeply.

Not a single part of him was unscathed. His usual black exploration suit was torn in places, and scratches and scorch marks stood out against his steel body.

"Mister. Weren't you going to return a memory chip?"

"That was how it began. It ended rather differently. Did anything happen to you, Miss Akina?"

"Nothing's changed with me. I've been here at the rest stop the whole time. No, never mind that. Your body's the problem right now! What on earth happened? There are way too many things here that need immediate repairs!"

Akina launched into a scolding, pointing out one part of Ash's body after another. Watching her, he gave a quiet chuckle.

"Straight to the scolding, are we?"

"How can you laugh right now?"

"Wow. Look at that thing. What, did you fight a war down in Underland?"

Ifrit, who had appeared while they were talking, cut in. Her gaze was on the Revenant, not Ash.

"This thing isn't easy to wreck. You've turned it into a heap of scrap."

Just then, the heap's passenger door opened, and an equally wrecked Siren emerged. Her combat suit was torn and stained with blood, and she looked utterly exhausted.

Ifrit blinked a couple of times at the sight.

"What's with her? I knew something was up when she put on that ridiculous act, but what the hell happened in Underland?"

Ash answered her.

"I was just about to explain. So..."

"Aaaagh! Big Brother! What did you do?!"

Jack O' Lantern's anguished scream rang through the rest stop. He threw off his helmet and raced over to inspect the Revenant's pitiful condition.

Dullahan came rushing over like lightning, too.

"What happened to it?! The armor plating's smashed, and the suspension's completely shot!"

[Fuck, the hydraulic pump too]

After examining the armored vehicle for a while, the two turned toward Ash in unison. Their stares were menacing enough that he could only discreetly avert his eyes.

"Inside! The internal systems are still okay, right? If it's more than the outer armor, we're in serious trouble..."

"Ah, young Master Jack! Wait a moment...!"

Before Ash could say anything more, Jack yanked open the Revenant's rear hatch.

But he couldn't step inside. Instead, he practically jumped backward.

Dark figures filled the rear seats. They were the very ninjas who had attacked this rest stop only a few days ago.

And now there was one more of them.

"... Why are there ninjas in here?"

Jack's muttered question transformed the friendly atmosphere outside the rest stop in an instant.

"Ninjas?"

Ifrit had already drawn a pistol from inside her clothes, while Jack and Dullahan took defensive stances, wielding the tools they always carried as weapons.

Santa, who had been leaning beside the front entrance, also discarded the cigarette between his lips and glared toward the parked Revenant.

In the suffocating silence, the ninjas were the first to move.

They climbed out of the armored vehicle with conspicuously slow movements, as if to show that they had no intention of attacking, then faced the people staring at them.

At some point, Zero had stepped to the front. He bowed deeply.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zero."

He continued.

"I understand my younger siblings caused a great deal of trouble here. As their elder brother, I offer my sincerest apologies."

Faced with this unexpected politeness, the rest stop's occupants could only stare blankly at one another.

These were the people who had come chasing Rudolph just days ago, yet now they had suddenly appeared with Ash and were bowing deeply. Given that the others knew nothing of the circumstances, their reaction was only natural.

Bewilderment spread across every face.

Then Santa, who had remained silent until now, spoke.

"Ash. I think this calls for an explanation."

Ash nodded.

"That was my intention. Though things seem to have happened a little out of order."

Taking out and lighting another cigarette, Santa jerked his head toward the rest stop's interior.

"Let's go inside first. This sounds like it'll take a while."

* * *

And so everyone gathered inside Santa's Rest Stop.

The large worktable, normally cluttered with all manner of parts and tools, now served as an impromptu conference table. Santa, Siren, ROA, and Ifrit all sat around it.

Every gaze was fixed on one person: Ash, seated beside Akina.

"Then I shall begin. I suppose I had best start with our arrival in Underland."

The ninjas did not sit. They simply stood motionless behind Ash like shadows. Looking much like warriors guarding him, they added a strange tension to the room.

Ash's "explanation" went on for some time.

Their arrival in Underland, his meeting with Zero, the truth behind the memory chip, Dreamweaver and Memoryphilia, memory manipulation, and the assault on Club Inferno.

Finally, he reached the fact that Vortex had been behind it all.

He calmly explained everything he had experienced, leaving nothing out.

"... And that is how we arrived at the rest stop. With these people."

When Ash finished, a heavy silence settled over the table.

Ifrit was the first to break it. Still slouching in her seat, she whistled.

"Aw, what a waste. I should've gone instead of Siren."

Ash turned toward her.

"Why is that?"

"There must've been tons of great moments. You should've filmed them. That's all views, you know?"

Ash decided to ignore her.

"That concludes my explanation. I believe that should be sufficient proof that these people are no longer our enemies."

Everyone looked up at the ninjas. Zero and his siblings responded to their gazes with slight bows.

"We have absolutely no intention of attacking any of you. Once again, we apolo—"

Santa waved a hand.

"Enough. I've got the gist. In short, they're victims too, right?"

Having stopped the ninjas from apologizing again, Santa let out a deep sigh. Gray cigarette smoke drifted with it.

"... Vortex Energy, huh. We tried to get the ninjas off our backs and ended up making an enemy of a corporation. This has gotten royally fucked up."

Santa tapped the table for a moment, then looked up at Ash. More precisely, at Ash's torso.

"Let's put that aside for now. There's something we need to discuss in private, too."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Good. In that case..."

Santa lifted his head slightly, turning his gaze toward the four ninjas standing like shadows behind Ash.

"What are they going to do? Do they have anywhere to go? From the way things are going, they'll drop dead the moment they go back to Underland, won't they?"

"Indeed."

After a brief pause, Ash continued.

"On that subject, Master Santa..."

"Fine. Go ahead."

"... I haven't said anything yet."

"It's obvious. You were going to ask if they could stay here, weren't you? That's why you brought them here in the first place."

Ash's optical sensors blinked a couple of times.

"Would... that truly be all right? This is rather different from when you were forever shouting at Miss Akina to leave."

"Of course it's different. You think a brat who keeps blowing out the distribution panel with her ridiculous experiments is the same as these polite young people? The risk is different. The risk."

"What did I do?!"

"Shut it, brat."

The old man flicked ash from his cigarette, then abruptly broke off and frowned.

"... Besides, I'm partly responsible for how this turned out. Something I sold and a job I gave you turned everything into a fucking mess. I can't just wash my hands of it."

"Hmm. Isn't that a separate matter from where the ninjas will stay?"

"Separate? Hardly."

Santa lowered his sunglasses slightly and looked at Ash.

"You're planning to recruit them for your team, aren't you, Ash?"

At that incisive observation, Ash merely shrugged without offering any particular reply.

The ones who were truly surprised were someone else.

"... Pardon?"

The ninjas.

Still standing behind Ash, they visibly flinched. One could practically sense their eyes wavering in bewilderment beneath their masks.

They had only come along to finish apologizing for their past actions. This was an offer they had never imagined.

"What... do you mean? Are you saying you would take us in?"

Ash turned his head slightly at Zero's question.

"Nothing seems to be going as planned today. Once again, things have happened in the wrong order, but yes. As Master Santa said, I intend to recruit you."

"Recruit us for what...?"

"To be Pathfinders, of course."

Ash continued.

"Our situation is rather unfavorable. As you saw, I have now made an enemy of Vortex Energy. They will likely make a concerted effort to come after me. So I intend to strengthen our forces by recruiting trustworthy, capable people."

"...!"

"And as it happens, here before me are some capable people with nowhere to go. They even have rather decent characters. That is why I intend to bring you onto our team."

Of course, that was not the whole reason.

The Thirteen Swords of the Cloud Dragon.

It was not merely a sword art. Within it resided Kunlun's soul, and the blood and sweat of the school that had preserved it to this day.

Now Omni-Cell was attempting to treat Kunlun's martial arts as its own, using methods corrupted through all manner of experiments.

For Ash, who could be called Kunlun's last legitimate heir, this was something he could never stand idly by and watch.

He had to pass judgment.

Either take them in and guide them onto the right path, or reclaim everything of Kunlun from them.

His decision now was the first such judgment: that it was right to take Zero and his siblings in and guide them onto the proper path.

He could not know whether it was the correct answer.

But neither could he hesitate.

This was Sanctum, a place that never waited for anyone to finish thinking.

Knowing nothing of Ash's inner thoughts, Zero and his siblings were simply moved by his offer.

He was offering to take them in when they had nowhere to go—when they were not even fully human.

Just then, Ash placed a hand on Akina's shoulder.

"Miss Akina here. Myself. And finally, all of you. That is the team I have in mind. What do you say? How about a change of career to Pathfinders?"

Deeply moved by the offer, Zero looked around at his brothers and sisters for a moment, then bowed deeply.

"We will follow you."

The legendary Pathfinder group composed entirely of swordsmen, which would one day shake Sanctum to its core.

Such were the humble beginnings of Team BLADEZ.