Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 129: "Limbo"

[Mc Pov]

I wake up to feel a cold wind on my cheeks.

I pull myself up.

...I'm sure I was in the favelas of the royal capital...

The earth is dry under my feet.

The sky is the colour of twilight.

The wind is cold and there is an empty wilderness.

Where am I?

I have no idea what's going on.

My equipment has not changed since before I lost consciousness.

Club Monster and Human Sentipede are all here.

The mask is still in place, and the coat and cuirass are still intact, although damaged from the previous battle.

So? What happened to me?

Did someone carry me in?

...No.

It doesn't explain why my equipment is still intact, and it's odd that I'm not restrained.

So, was I blown up by the impact of the large-scale magic?

... well, something like that.

The deafening sound of the bells also bothers me, but is that magic too?

I couldn't think of anything else, so I decided to accept that.

For the time being, let's be honestly happy that I am safe.

Now, what do I do from now on?

As far as the eye can see, there is nothing - oh?

I can see some figures in the distance.

I don't know how many people are there because of the distance, but let's just go for now.

When I approached them, they were apparently in battle.

One is a holy knight and the other is a ...... What are they?

They look like holy knights or knights, but their movements are strange.

They are snarling and trying to bite.

They look like zombies - or is that what they are?

"Curse you! Smash its head! Attacks to the torso have little effect!"

A cathedral knight, who seems to be the captain, slams his halberd down and the ground rises up, skewering the zombies.

The zombies, whose movements are blocked, are decapitated by the holy knights, who finish them off with their heads.

...Ah, so they are zombies after all.

And the method of killing them is just like the theory.

It would be fine if I interrupted them, but since the situation is unknown, I'll just wait and see.

Let's keep an appropriate distance and watch the battle between zombies and holy knights, shall we?

The battle itself was over in an hour.

It was a battle well worth watching, especially the leadership of that cathedral knight.

He was always in front, inspiring his allies, sometimes helping them, controlling the battle situation well and annihilating the zombies with zero deaths.

"So? Who are you?"

That cathedral knight is now holding a halberd at me.

I raise one hand to show that I don't want to fight.

With my other hand I pull out the plate hanging around my neck and show it to him.

"I'm just an adventurer. I found myself here. I'd appreciate it if you could tell me where I am, if you don't mind. And while you're at it, tell me about those guys from earlier.

There are no zombie bodies.

As soon as they were killed, they melted away.

There are no other threats around.

I slowly approach the Holy Knights.

Of course, I don't wear the mask.

I can't even talk to him in that weird outfit.

It's risky to show my face to the Gnosis, but the situation is the situation. It can't be helped.

The knight of the cathedral lowers his halberd, but does not seem to have let his guard down.

"...... As for the opponents, I can only describe them as limbo undead. This is the first time I've actually seen them, but this is probably what they call a 'limbo'."

Limbo. Or the border of the limbo, a place with quite special characteristics.

I wonder if this is really a land, said the cathedral knight.

As for the zombies that were fighting, it was explained that they don't know anything except that a corpse that was sent here with them got up and attacked them.

From the atmosphere, the tone of voice and the situation, this must be true.

Now, this is a sudden change of subject, but there is history and civilisation in this world.

It's not like there were castles and cities from the beginning.

People, just like monsters, have been killing each other, accumulating blood and corpses, and now they are here.

Naturally, there have been countless wars of hundreds, thousands and even tens of thousands of scale.

After the wars, rivers of blood and corpses spread, and the insects and plague that swarm around them - they don't appear.

Why?

It is common knowledge in this world, but those who know a place different from this world must have their faces scrunched up at the strangeness of it.

For some reason, corpses in large numbers disappear within a few hours at the earliest, or a few days at the latest.

The conditions under which they disappear are still unknown, but at least it has been confirmed that they will definitely disappear if they occur in large numbers.

Most people say, "Dead bodies? They disappear when left alone, don't they?" but there were of course those who thought why they disappeared.

Those who have investigated the mystery of the disappearance of corpses say they have seen corpses disappear as if they were melting away.

Some of them were caught up in the process and disappeared along with the corpses.

They literally never returned, but some of them came back suddenly one day.

According to the testimonies of those who returned, they thought they heard the sound of bells and before they knew it, they were in a strange wilderness.

It was a magical land overrun by dead monsters and people - later known as the "frontier species" - and those who had returned were unable to make any sense of it, only testifying that they had found themselves back while on the run.

Many people were so terrified that they became mentally ill, and the wilderness - later called the frontier - is still a mystery, with many details still unknown.

"...I see."

I organise in my mind what I have heard from the knight of the cathedral who called himself Gregor.

I knew the story that if you leave a large number of corpses for a long time, they somehow disappear, but I see, it's a prison.

To be honest, I thought it might raise some eyebrows, but when I see it like this, I have to believe it.

...Well, I can accept most things as long as I have experienced fantasy such as reincarnation in another world and magic.

"I understand what you're saying, but don't you know how to get out?"

"Mm. Some of the Gnostic records say that they found themselves back where they started, or in odd places, standing in their home village for some reason, but I don't know the details."

So you end up walking around and looking for a way out?

OK. I've heard what I need to hear, and I have no further need here.

"Thank you for sharing your valuable information with me. Well, I'm off. I hope we both get out of here in one piece?"

"You're going on your own?"

"Yeah, it's easier and more convenient for you, isn't it?"

Gregor says nothing.

In addition to the zombies, he can't afford to spare his nerves for a shady guy like me.

At least I won't be welcome.

It's better for our mental health if we split up.

I lightly raise my hand and leave.

I was not stopped.

I move away until they are out of sight, then I stop.

I check my surroundings.

It is still an empty wilderness.

I float up with [Flight]. I gain some altitude and stop.

There's nothing here.

As far as the eye can see, there is nothing.

Then I thought, "Oh no."

I don't see any zombies.

They say there are quite a few hanging around, but I can't see them.

Where are they coming from?

Oh, well, that's okay.

If they come out, I'll just take care of them.

I get down on the ground and start walking.

The first change happened after about an hour of walking.

A presence suddenly appeared right behind me and attacked me.

"Whoa!"

I quickly kicked directly behind me and blew the presence away.

What was blown up was the zombie I saw earlier.

However, the clothes were ordinary, so it must be different from the holy knights and knights.

...Where did this guy spring from?

I don't remember letting my guard down.

I was completely oblivious, at least until it got in close proximity to me.

And somehow there are more of them.

There are five of them around, in addition to the one I kicked away.

How did they appear in a place with such good visibility?

Magically camouflaged?

And all those death-defying bastards in front of me who don't seem to have an ounce of intelligence?

It's impossible.

Well, as long as I don't know, there's no point in thinking about it.

Let's just finish them off for now.

One of the ones closest to me jumped at me, so I grabbed it by the head and crushed it.

The head is shattered, but for some reason it doesn't bleed.

...Hm? What are these guys?

I smash two of them with my Club Monster, and then reap the other two with my left arm Human Centipede, except for the one I kicked away first.

The remaining one is cut off limb by limb with the Club Monster's nippers, turning it into a ball.

Now, let me do some checking.

Like their Holy Knights counterparts, the ones whose heads were crushed disappeared immediately.

The ones with severed limbs are crawling around fine, but the limbs have disappeared.

Look at the severed surface.

It looks not so different from a human's, but there seems to be no blood.

The clothes are ordinary and he has no particular identification.

I've checked them all over, but I have no idea what they are.

...The only thing left to do is to eat it and see what's inside.

In the meantime, let's see if I can absorb it.

I extended the roots and made contact with them.

Absorption was easy, but there is no memory of any kind and I have no idea what it is.

There is only a feeling of hunger.

Like moths swarming around a light, they can only come to the living and feed on them.

However, it seems to have a good energy efficiency as food.

I feel a recovery of lost vitality.

...In the meantime, I'll just eat the zombies when they attack.

Having decided on a policy against zombies, I walk again.

I kept walking aimlessly, wandering around.

How long did I keep walking?

An hour? Two hours? Or a day?

It's hard to sense the passage of time because the landscape hasn't changed at all.

The only change is...

I let out a sigh and swing my left arm lightly.

The zombie that was about to attack me from behind instantly becomes minced meat and is swallowed into the mouth of my left arm.

Only this annoying zombie.

Oddly enough, these guys really do appear out of nowhere and attack out of nowhere.

I tried to spot the moment they appeared, so I put eyeballs all over the place to be on the lookout in all directions and checked the moment they appeared, but the funny thing is, they appeared without warning, as abruptly as if the camera had dropped frames.

I've tried everything I can against zombies, and I'm getting tired of being in this incomprehensible space. It's time to find a way out.

Besides, for some reason, this wilderness is terribly nerve-wracking.

Listening to the sound of the wind, an unidentified irritation grows, and something like discomfort smoulders in my chest.

It's the lack of understanding that makes it so irritating.

If I had to use a metaphor, I would say that I have an itch, but I don't know where it itches.

I used to relieve this frustration by hurting the occasional zombie, but I'm getting tired of that too.

...What's the cause?

I'm turning most of my thoughts inwards, but I have no idea.

--...

After smashing the zombie attack for I don't know how many times now, I resume my steps again.

--...lo.

When did I feel the change?

At first I thought it was tinnitus or something, but then I started to hear it more and more clearly.

-...do.

The more I hear it, the more uncomfortable it gets.

Ah, it's irritating.

Do--...

I exhale deeply.

I've reached my limit.

I stop.

"If you have something to say, why don't you say it out loud?"

I say aloud.

--You finally responded, didn't you? Don't be sloppy, you piece of shit!

A voice rang out clearly in my head.

What the hell is this guy? I heard his voice somewhere else, but I can't remember for some reason.

But why is it?

Why do I feel uncomfortable with his voice?

--Hey! Don't ignore me forever! Bollocks!

The voice is noisy and squeaky, as if he has a nervous disposition.

I try to calm myself down by trying to overcome my discomfort with my strength.

--What are you?

--What are you? You can tell by looking at me, can't you? Are you an idiot?

--I'm asking you because I don't know.

--Then what are you, you piece of shit?

What the fuck is this guy? Can't you even have a conversation without belittling people?

I put the question of who I am on hold.

As uncomfortable as it is to converse with him, my mind is rallying for me to end my conversation with him as soon as possible.

I have no idea why, but I agree with that point.

That ant man was physiologically unacceptable, but the owner of this voice is extremely unacceptable.

It goes beyond discomfort to something close to hatred.

However, if I don't continue the conversation, I won't know what's going on.

I persevere and change the question.

--I understand... Then I'll change the question. What do you want from me?

--Give it back to me.

--Where is it?

--I want it back! You piece of shit!

-What are you talking about?

When I ask back that, the voice laughs like a little fool, 'Ha'.

--Don't you even understand that? Are you a bloke?

Is it a test of my patience, perhaps?

To be honest, I couldn't stand it because I wanted the owner of this voice to show up.

I'm going to kill you, you know.

- - It's my body. My body.

My thoughts of such things were stopped for a moment by those words.

Ah...

And then it becomes clear.

This is my voice.