Yield My Flesh to Claim Their Bones

Year: 984 - 10

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3 - Episode 4 - Episode 5 - Episode 6 - Episode 7 - Episode 8 - Episode 9 - Episode 10 - Episode 11 - Episode 12 - Episode 13 - Episode 14 - Episode 15

Episode: 1
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles
Heathcliff	So we're finally here, eh...
Heathcliff looked out the rattling bus window with a dour expression.
Though it wasn't raining, the world outside was grey and opaque like an overcast sky. Black, pungent clouds of smoke had long devoured the atmosphere.
So this is the kind of place Heathcliff used to roam...
Yi Sang	The color remains grey this deep into the heart of the Backstreets. I recall with quite the certitude that the T Corp. I arrived at after my departure from S Corp. was sepia-hued.
Faust	This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the technology used to drain our saturation is situated at the center of T Corp. It has been reported that such variations in hue may occur in areas further away from its sphere of influence.
Yi Sang	Ah, I understand. Then...
Two other Sinners immediately jumped in on the conversation to direct it away from whichever obscure subject Yi Sang and Faust were about to steer it into.
Rodion	OH! Right, I had something to ask you guys!
Gregor	Ohh, yeah! Uh, m-me too.
Rodion	What? I-I mean yeah! That's, uh... oh, yeah. The buildings here look a little different from where Yi Sang used to live... so I'm just wondering if there's anything up with that.
Gregor	Exactly! That's exactly what I was about to ask.
Dante	<......>
It's been a while since we started on this journey together. I was starting to grow more comfortable with the Sinners.
Maybe that's why I found Gregor and Rodya's valiant effort to keep this conversation remotely comprehensible to most occupants of the bus... pretty amusing.
Yi Sang	Ah, allow me to elaborate, then. To discuss this subject, we must first—
And Yi Sang, unknowingly shooting down their effort by jumping onto another complicated discussion, was another sight I'd become familiar with.
While I was curious about the technology T Corp. uses to drain our color, and about the behind-the-scenes of T Corp.'s operations...
... it wasn't something that could be answered now. I decided to table that discussion for later.
Instead, I approached Heathcliff. He was sitting on his lonesome, clearly in deep thought.
Heathcliff	... Hm? Ah, Clockhead.
Dante	<Still wracking your head about what to wear to Wuthering Heights?>
Heathcliff	What?! N-no. It's nothing like that.
Heathcliff protested, jumping up from his seat. Looks like I hit the nail right on the head.
Heathcliff	Fine, I was. A little bit. But... I was mostly reminiscing about the past.
Mm, I do remember hearing that Heathcliff used to live in the Backstreets.
A part of some... Syndicate, if I recall correctly.
Vergilius did say that we were going through the Backstreets instead of going straight to the T Corp. Nest for a reason. And that it was because of the company's orders.
Dante	<... Maybe there's something for us to do here? Heathcliff did spend some time in the T Corp. Backstreets, after all.>
Dante	<Maybe we'll run into a Golden Bough here...?>
Ishmael	No chance. If the Golden Bough was as common as any other twig in some Backstreets, why'd we be doing any of this globetrotting waste of time?
Dante	<T-true, I guess...>
Heathcliff	... Besides, Wuthering Heights is... quite the manor in more ways than one. You won't find it anywhere near some run-down Backstreets like this.
Heathcliff	There's a chasm of wealth between these poor alleyway sods and... them.
Heathcliff	After all, they've sent me an invitation. Quite obvious that we'll find our Golden Bough in that manor, innit? Or at least somewhere in the same Nest?
Faust	... Correct. We will eventually travel to T Corp.'s Nest.
Heathcliff continued to speak in a low voice. The hubbub from outside the bus seemed to blend with his words, turning into a mass of murmurs. There was a sort of commotion outside...
Heathcliff	Before we talk about wherever our eventual destination is, we'll have to clear the road of some blockage.
Vergilius	Your intuition is half-right, Heathcliff.
Heathcliff	Hmpfh?!
Heathcliff, who was muttering to himself in an uncharacteristic daze, jolted awake.
Heathcliff	Bloody hell... what's wrong with you and the vroom-vroom lass? Neither of you ever do anything with a proper forewarning.
Vergilius	I simply did not see the necessity of warning you.
Vergilius	Anyway, those outside the bus are our 'targets'.
Dante	<Targets...?>
Meursault	I believe that he means to say that they must be eliminated.
Vergilius	I feel compelled to let you know that that is not the only implication of the word 'target'. Though I am yet to be informed of the precise details of this mission, that is...
Vergilius	Regardless, you are to make contact with a 'target' among them.
Vergilius	Find the target, then extract the necessary intel. Is this clear enough for you, manager?
Dante	<How are we supposed to find this 'target' if you're not even going to tell us who it is...?>
Faust	Dante asks if there are any identifying characteristics to this 'target'.
Vergilius	I'm sure you'll find out when you get there... You are asking me questions I have no answers to, Dante. Don't waste your time.
Vergilius	Well... Off the bus, all.
I was somewhat wary of the way Vergilius answered me, but... even in murky situations like these, we've always managed to pull through anyway.
I'm sure things'll get a little clearer once we get there. I slowly disembarked the bus with the rest of the Sinners.

Episode: 2
Location: Backstreets of T Corp.
???	That one's headed your way, aniki!
???	Don't worry about me, I'll handle him! Try not to get yourself killed, ya got that?!
Dante	<What a mess...>
We walked out of the bus and right into what appeared to be a battlefield of a violent gang war.
Black cloaks flutter under the grey sky, and bloodthirsty blades clash violently. The bus had stopped not even 30 paces away from the thick of the battle.
Ishmael	They're... the Kurokumo Clan?
Kurokumo Clan. I've heard of them before.
I'm sure we had some Identities from that Syndicate. Some Identity Cards said 'Wakashu' too.
They're a pretty large subsidiary of an even larger Syndicate called 'The Thumb'. I think the Identities wore outfits similar to the ones they're wearing here.
Dante	<I think you're right. ... But who are they fighting?>
Heathcliff	It's gotta be a strife.
Heathcliff replied in a monotone voice like he was reading from an encyclopedia.
Heathcliff	It ain't a rare sight to see Syndicates fighting one another in the Backstreets.
Heathcliff	Must be somethin' about street tax or some other trivial turf dispute.
Don Quixote	Leeches...! Bloodsucking curs seeking to oppress and exploit the weak with violence! Fie, there is nary a place these scum do not infest...
Heathcliff	It ain't anything new, lass... Most Syndicates are like that. The only difference between 'em is how far they're willing to go.
Heathcliff	Like... right, there he is. Blokes like that one over there. The one walking right at us.
Heathcliff raised his bat and pointed it at the approaching man.
He wore the same outfit as the other Kurokumo Clan members.
???	The hell are you lookin' at? Crowdin' like you're here to start shit...
???	Gonna keep pointing that bat at me? You wanna go? Is that it?
Outis	Hey, lower your weapon. Let's not do anything rash—no need to escalate this further, is there?
Outis stepped in to warn Heathcliff, but he did not budge. He remained motionless, the bat still raised and pointing threateningly at the approaching man.
Heathcliff	Won't matter what we do here. It's a foregone conclusion.
Sinclair	... That we're going to have to fight him?
Heathcliff	Right on, lad.
Heathcliff	They're in the middle of a strife. They'll be real sensitive about making it clear that this is their turf.
Heathcliff	What better way to do it than forcing some unwitting travelers to pay the toll for the road?
???	Heh, looks like we've got a smart one 'ere.
The Kurokumo Clan henchman strutted before us like he owned the place.
Ishmael	Just as I begin to wonder about how dumb you could possibly be... you show your shrewd detective side. Gotta say, it's a real mystery.
Ishmael muttered at Heathcliff, who was shrugging at us with an expression that clearly read 'I told you so'.
???	Well, since it looks like you clowns already know how this works... lemme get straight to the point.
???	The toll is five-hundred-thousand Ahn. Per person.
Don Quixote	F-f-f-fffive-hundred-thousand Ahn?!?!
???	Lessee 'ere... One, two... right, I count thirteen of you here. And since you guys all rode in on a bus, I'm sure there's a driver in there, too.
???	Don't ya skimp out on us, now. I'd like it if we didn't have to make this business... messy by going through the bus ourselves.
Rodion	Didya hear that, Dante? This is totally a highway robbery.
Dante	<It kind of is, isn't it?>
Well, it didn't really matter how much they were asking for. I wasn't going to negotiate with them anyway.
Ishmael	…….
Ishmael turned and looked quietly in my direction. I nodded back.
Don Quixote	Halt! There, in that field of battle...!
Don Quixote pointed at... something.
Don Quixote	There lies a wounded dame... We must make haste and rescue her! ... Thou wouldst agree, no?
Just as Don Quixote said, I could catch a glimpse of someone bleeding out on the ground through the chaos of clashing blades and black cloaks.
Heathcliff	Oi, what'd I say about this 'justice' rubbish? This is a Syndicate turf war, yeah? No one's more or less honourable than the other.
Meursault	Agreed. It is no complicated mathematics to expect unnecessary allied casualties in this effort should we involve ourselves in this conflict.
Don Quixote	Alas, I do not wish to leave her behind so undefended...
I guess it's an improvement... In the early days of our adventures, we would've been dragged into this conflict five minutes ago thanks to Don Quixote's recklessly valiant rescue attempt.
Don Quixote	Mmmhh...
I suppose she's learned her lessons by trials of fire. She was starting to show restraint for once.
... But it's a bit different this time.
Dante	<Okay, so I do think that we have to help that woman. But—>
Don Quixote	OOOOOOOOO?!
Heathcliff	What?!
Ishmael	Manager...? I didn't think that this was what that nod was about...?
Dante	<No, no. I'm not saying that we should get involved because 'it's the right thing to do' or anything like that.>
If Vergilius was telling us the truth earlier, there is a chance that we were purposefully made to drive right through this strife. Which means that there must be something here they're expecting us to find...
They always put us in danger's way for a reason, after all.
Dante	<... I just have a feeling that the wounded woman might have something to tell us. Maybe... an intel of some kind.>
Dante	<And... if it turns out that we were supposed to get that intel from the Kurokumo Clan and not that woman, then I suppose we'll have to beat it out of them.>
Outis	... Oho.
Outis	Marvelous, Executive Manager! I, Outis, am actually awestruck by your genius!
... 'Actually'? What, is she implying that her usual flattery is phony?
???	I don't like the way you're treating the Kurokumo Clan like we're some pack of stray dogs...
???	And don't think I missed that sympathetic look you gave her. Which could only mean...
???	... that you clowns are chummy with the Blade Lineage.
I could practically hear our negotiations(not that I was going to negotiate) falling apart as the man drew his blade.
Outis	A rational deliberation followed by a sensible decision. I will return my appreciation for your magnificent leadership with a flawless victory.
Outis	All units! Prepare for battle!

Episode: 3
Location: Backstreets of T Corp.
Ryoshu	S.A.D. All bark, no bite. Truly a disappointment.
While the rest of the Sinners were slowly recovering from the excitement of battle, Don Quixote did not waste a second before bolting forth to the woman's side.
Don Quixote	Hark! Art thou— Ah, I must check thy pulse...
Hong Lu	Ooh~ You can check her pulse through her forehead? Didn't know that was possible~
Don Quixote	Mhm! The lady lives!
Heathcliff	Haah... so this lass has the intel we need?
The Sinners one by one began to gather around the woman.
She was dressed in an all-black garb like the Kurokumo Clan members, but her weapon and her outfit were unmistakably distinct.
Dante	<Blade Lineage, huh...>
I looked around at the defeated Kurokumo Clan members, then back at her. The difference became even more apparent.
Don Quixote	…….
Don Quixote slowly and tragically shook her head after checking the pulse on others.
Outis	Executive Manager. I have questioned some Kurokumo Clan members during the battle, but no notable intelligence has been gained.
Dante	<So it's just her, then... I hope my gut feelings prove me right.>
Don Quixote	The lady doth appear to be the sole survivor... We must move her to the bus and administer first aid posthaste. What dost thou say to that?
Dante	<... Yeah. Don't see any other way.>
We don't carry a first aid kit with us and I can't turn the clock to heal her, so...
Dante	<Meursault? Do you mind carrying her back to the bus?>
Meursault	I do not.
Thus we made our way back to the bus, Meursault carrying the dying Blade Lineage member.
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles
Vergilius	I see that you've hauled in another baggage.
... Vergilius didn't seem very happy about this.
Vergilius	Manager... since when did bringing in unauthorized, unverified 'guests' into our bus become such an... acceptable practice?
Dante	<We had no choice... We have to save her first if we're going to get any answers out of her.>
Faust	Dante explains that this individual will be of no use to us deceased. If she carries the intel we need, then we must first ensure that she survives.
Faust	On that, Faust agrees with Dante's decision.
Vergilius	Hm...
Vergilius	Hah, what's done is done. However, do be mindful of bringing in strangers onto this bus from now on, Dante.
I had a feeling that Vergilius had much more to say than that, but he simply sighed and dropped the subject.
Dante	<... Welp.>
Don Quixote	I-I believe that Manager Esquire hath made a decision most just.
Dante	<Mmh, thanks...>
Just as I was starting to dread that this bus was doomed to be eternally uncomfortable, Yi Sang emerged from the Backdoor with a good news.
Yi Sang	I have done what I can. Now—
And before he even finished his sentence...
???	Mmh...
... the woman was awake.

Episode: 4
Location: Inside Mephistopheles
???	Where...?
Ryoshu	T.B.
Hong Lu	Welcome to the bus~ And oh, we are—
???	An Odachi...?! Hah!
The Blade Lineage woman sprang from her prone position, grabbing the sword next to her. She held the grip of her blade, ready to draw it at any moment.
???	Identify yourselves! Are you with the Kurokumo Clan?!
Ryoshu	No.
Sinclair	Uh, so, we're—
???	Then why does that woman wield an Odachi?!
Ryoshu	Tsk. She will not listen. We should kill her.
Dante	<Ryōshū!>
Ryoshu	She pisses me off for two reasons.
Ryoshu	One. She refused to listen, making this conversation longer than it needed to be.
Ryoshu	Two. She dared to compare their... scrap metals to my blade.
Ryoshu	Is there any reason for me *not* to proceed with her O.O.F, Clock?
Dante	<Yeah, there is! She can't tell us anything if she's dead.>
Ryoshu	...Tsk.
Ryōshū often shows bursts of emotion in the most unexpected times... but at least she listens when I ask her to. Which is a relief.
???	I-I suppose your blade is not exactly like theirs... Your uniform is certainly different.
???	And you... who might you be? You certainly wear a rather loud timepiece... Are you unable to communicate otherwise?
Yi Sang	They are our manager. Their vocalizations will not reach your ears.
???	... Hm.
???	... I recognize the scent your voice carries. It's... familiar.
Yi Sang	Even in the Districts that I have resided in have I not met fellows who speak as I do...
???	Speak as you do, indeed. Yet I sense familiarity in your choice of verbiage.
???	You must be from District 19... S Corp., are you?
Yi Sang	... Though I have fled, that is where I hail from.
???	I see... so you have also left your home behind.
???	My compatriots oft share the same fate as we do.
Perhaps meeting someone from the same home District helped; the woman visibly relaxed before slumping down on a nearby chair. Her breathing was labored.
Yi Sang	My name is Yi Sang. I have operated on the wounds you have suffered.
???	Ah... So I have acted with such brutishness despite your kindness—please, accept my apologies.
Aeng-du	Call me Aeng-du. I am a Salsu from the Lineage that deals in Blades.
Rodion	Ooh... Dante, maybe we can leave the talking to Yi Sang this time?
Dante	<Mhm, looks like we can sit back and let him handle this.>
I nodded, replying quickly to Rodya's whispers.
Aeng-du	If you are from District 19, S Corp. territory... then you must be aware of who we are.
Yi Sang	I am somewhat aware, though I am far from acquainted with tales from the streets.
Yi Sang	I have heard that the Blade Lineage is bound to no master, no land; yet whence do you flee?
Aeng-du	It is a tale far too long to be shared in full. All I may divulge is that we had no choice but to seek a territory for us to thrive in.
Yi Sang	Perhaps there is aught that we could do to assist, should you deign to impart us the particulars of your pursuers.
Aeng-du	…….
Aeng-du shot a sweeping glance at all of us. Her eyes appeared heavy with crushing exhaustion.
Aeng-du	Mm, if you and your fellows were skilled enough to defeat this group of foes... then all of you must be quite capable.
Aeng-du	Kurokumo Clan has put a bounty on our heads. Our mentor, my fellows... all of us.
Heathcliff	Hold on, this ain't just any other strife, then...? That sounds more personal than your usual turf war.
Aeng-du	... As it has always been, District 19 is fraught with corruption and disturbance to the lives of the public.
Aeng-du	There is very little that us men and women of the blade, who seek naught else but to train and walk the path of martial arts, can do to change the Wing now known as 'Salpippyeo Agroindustries'... or S Corp.
Aeng-du	As the old saying goes... what other choice does a monk who abhors his temple have but to leave it behind? Thus we have departed from our home.
Yi Sang	So the people of S Corp. suffer still.
Aeng-du	We had departed in search of a new home... yet it was no easy journey.
Aeng-du	Most territories have already been made home by others; in order for us to settle, conflict was unavoidable.
Aeng-du	In the midst of those conflicts, I have the memory of our mentor bringing us an... 'invitation'. An invitation to enter a 'Library' of sorts.
Vergilius	…….
Vergilius, who had been sitting quietly with one leg over the other on a chair far from the rest of us, visibly reacted.
I think I remember that the word 'Library' always got a genuine reaction out of Vergilius.
Yi Sang	You 'have the memory'... Quite an odd way to phrase your own recollections.
Aeng-du	Mm. We arrived at the Library, hoping to escape the Kurokumo Clan's clutches...
Aeng-du	... but all we had done was to lead ourselves into just another field of battle. We were handily defeated.
Aeng-du	Then, all of a sudden, we found ourselves stranded in the Backstreets of T Corp. upon our waking. The bizarreness of such an experience can only be described by an expression just as odd.
Aeng-du	... Ah! Mentor Bamboo-hatted Kim!
Her eyes suddenly widened mid-sentence. Aeng-du leaped from her seat.
Aeng-du	I believe that our mentor remains there still...! We must make haste to Yong-jin Building!
Yi Sang	Be not so hasty! Such wild movements may tear the wounds that I have—
Aeng-du	Kagh...
Rodion	Huhh?! W-what the heck! Is she dead?
Faust	It is no surprise that a sudden rise in blood pressure in lieu of blood supply would cause one to faint. She has merely lost her consciousness.
Rodion	Phew...
Ishmael	You were right, manager. She did have some useful intel for us.
Outis	Yong-jin Building... I suppose we have some business there, then.
Dante	<Mmm... Maybe, but I'm not sure. I don't know what this has to do with our mission, if any.>
Or maybe it's that 'Library' that we should—
Charon	Danger, danger.
Charon	Bunch of people in Mephi's way. Swinging swords around. Black clothes.
Charon	Passengers, move out. Protect Mephi.
Outis	Hm... Executive Manager, they appear to be Kurokumo Clan's reinforcements.
Dante	<Well, what can we do...>
We'll have to think about this later. For now, let's take care of the reinforcements.

Episode: 5
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles
We returned to the bus after dispatching the Kurokumo Clan members that attacked the bus...
???	…….
Only to be greeted by an unfamiliar face. There was a woman sitting in the frontmost seat of our bus.
Outis	Interesting, guide.
Outis	I believe that we've both made it quite clear that no guests are to board the bus without prior consultation. That discussion was not even an hour ago, in fact.
Vergilius	Yes, we did. No 'outsiders', to be exact.
Vergilius	Isn't it clear as day as to who she is?
I noticed that she was wearing a dark blue uniform with the logo 'CLEAR' emblazoned on her chest.
Dante	<Are you from the LCCB...?>
???	LCCA. The After Team, manager Clock.
Right... I could see that she was wearing a red emblem on her shoulder.
Ishmael	Huh? Wait, can she hear what you're saying?
???	No. Don't have any talent in tick-tock interpretation, either. But it was pretty easy to tell with that blank, stupid look they were giving me.
Ishmael	Don't you even have the common decency to mince your—
Ishmael scowled, about to tell the woman off... until she coughed and collected herself. Maybe she suddenly recalled her old attitude.
Caiman	I am Team Leader Caiman. Limbus Company Clearance After Team, Normal Operations Unit 2.
Dante	<I don't think I've ever seen anyone from the After Team in person.>
Heathcliff	Hah, of course not. All that them blokes do is sweeping in to pick up the spoils after we've done all the hard work.
Caiman	Let me set some things straight, Backstreets mutt.
Heathcliff	What...?
Caiman	The After Team is charged with cleaning up the mess you ungrateful wastes of lives leave behind. Sweeping in to pick up the spoils? No, we do the very difficult work of sweeping your stinking shit under the rug.
Ishmael	Wastes of lives...? Is that how you guys see us?
Caiman	Oh, that's not all. Wastes of lives, bumper cars, the most expensive bus in the world, meat shields, maniacs with more luck than they deserve, and then some. Doesn't seem like the most relevant conversation topic for now, though.
Heathcliff	You little... You better change your tone. Now.
Caiman	If you give me one reason to, then I will. Unfortunately, it is my personal philosophy to be stubbornly set in my ways unless I'm given a good reason to change.
Caiman	Sure, it's your job to collect the Golden Boughs no matter what. But I'm having a lot of trouble scrounging up even an ounce of respect for a group of halfwit idiots who don't give a damn about people who have to clean up after them.
Vergilius	That's enough, Team Leader Caiman.
Caiman	Hm, very well. I wasn't sent here to reprimand them.
Caiman	I'm here to relay the orders from the head office.
Caiman produced an envelope, opened it, and pulled out a paper from within. She began to read it out loud.
Caiman	'LCB: Additional mission assignment prior to T Corp. Golden Bough retrieval operation.'
Caiman	'1. Eliminate and/or secure the Distortion in the area.'
Caiman	'2. Recover the 'Monolith', an artifact in the shape of a black stele, from the same site.'
Dante	<A 'Monolith'? What's this now...?>
Sinclair	Distortion...? Are you saying that they've already Distorted?
Caiman	I don't know. Limbus Company Clearance is not a part of this extra operation. I was merely ordered to relay this information to you as I happened to be taking care of some other job at T Corp.
Outis	I believe that our one and only mission was to recover the Golden Boughs. Since when did it become our job to play errand boy Fixers?
Caiman	Since now. Besides, I don't see what the difference is between an average errand boy and your team. All you ever do is picking up and delivering the Golden Boughs, no?
Rodion	... Riiight, I guess the After Team is full of grouches like you, huh~?
Rodion grumbled like she was imagining a department full of Caimans.
Caiman quietly took a sweeping look at the complaining Sinners, then approached me.
Caiman	... Manager Clock.
Dante	<... Yes?>
Caiman	Can't hear what you're saying anyway, so just listen.
Caiman	Allow me to kindly explain some things for you and your minions, since all of you appear to be so out of the loop.
Caiman crossed her arms and leaned against the bus seat as though she was about to start a lecture.
Caiman	LCB's primary objective is to retrieve the Golden Boughs, yes. Can't deny that.
Caiman	But parading around, telling everyone that Limbus Company specializes in 'retrieving the Golden Boughs' would be... stupid, don't you agree?
Caiman	And it's not exactly the most lucrative business. If at all.
Ishmael	I suppose so. I've been wondering about the company's finances for a while. Where do we even get our funding from?
Caiman	Well, there is no need for you to concern yourself with the company's finances. We have much more than enough capital to do what we want. What the company really lacks, however...
Caiman	... is public standing and a 'cause'.
Dante	<A cause...>
Caiman	Limbus Company decided to find our cause in 'Distortions'. No significant organization has yet taken charge of managing instances of the Distortion phenomenon.
Faust told me some time ago that it hasn't been long since the Distortions began appearing in the City...
Caiman	Limbus Company is building our reputation as a professional Distortion prevention & control company that doubles as a research center for the Distortion phenomena. Which means that we need to produce real results. In more ways than one, that is.
Hong Lu	I did hear that this epidemic of Distortion pheomena can be pretty annoying to deal with~
Caiman	No one has properly defined what these 'Distortions' truly are. This means that not many are willing to jump into dealing with this new phenomenon blind.
Caiman	We did hear that some are preparing to launch an Association primarily dealing with Distortions, but that's all it is: an Association. We intend to deal with it on a corporate level.
Heathcliff	Right, but how's any of that our business? What reason do we have to go out of our way to tussle with those Distortions?
Caiman	Here's how it's your business: the order came all the way from the top. The highest authority of our company. Don't they teach you how to follow orders in the slums?
Heathcliff	... Hah, that does it. You're not leaving this bus alive.
Caiman	Manager.
Caiman ignored Heathcliff, who was visibly fuming, and turned to face me.
Caiman	My attitude toward your minions... and the company's attitude toward them...
Caiman	It all depends on the choices you make. And your leadership.
With that, she produced an envelope from under her arm and handed it over.
Caiman	At the end of the day, though, the choice is yours.
Caiman	Your men aren't completely wrong; if you would like to focus solely on your primary mission, the Golden Boughs, then fine. It's not like the company is going to kick you and your meat shields out.
Caiman	... But do understand that the Company's treatment of the Sinners may change depending on what you decide to do here.
Dante	<…….>
Vergilius listens quietly, his eyes shut.
Caiman	Now, then. Red Gaze, I'll be taking my leave now. Until next time.
Vergilius	Fine. But next time... I'd prefer it if you would watch your language.
Vergilius	These 'meat shields' are still under my guidance. So try not to... disturb me as well, hmm?
Caiman	Well... that depends on what the manager does, doesn't it?
Caiman	Excuse me.
She left, leaving nothing but the awkward silence behind.
Heathcliff	... Is she gone? Bloody prick...
After that brief moment of quiet, everyone began sighing and complaining as though they'd just been ungagged.
Gregor	... Almost burst a blood vessel listening to all that. Haah~ I thought I'd softened my temper with age.
Dante	<Still... good work keeping things nonviolent, guys.>
Hong Lu	Mm~ I don't think she said anything wrong, though.
Meursault	I found her manner of speech quite convenient. There was no need to unnecessarily read between the lines. I had little trouble understanding her and organizing my thoughts accordingly.
Ishmael	... Huh, I guess that's one way of looking at things.
Ishmael	Anyway, she's right that we really don't have much say in the matter. If the company asks us to do our jobs, we do our jobs.
Outis	I don't have anything to add myself; I have no issues with following orders.
Dante	<Yeah, I agree with you guys...>
I tried my best to cheer up the Sinners as I opened the envelope she left behind.
Not much of note was in there. One old-fashioned walkie-talkie, a bunch of signed and stamped paperwork...
And...
Dante	<Huh?>
Mission location...
... Yong-jin Building.
Vergilius	Let's go, Charon.
Charon	Yong... Jin? Right, Verg? Got it. I'm feeling it. Bzzt bzzt.
Charon	Here we go. Vroom-vroom.
Judging by their lack of surprise, both Charon and Vergilius already knew where to go...
And the bus took off.

Episode: 6
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles
Something continued to nag at the back of my mind during the frequent stops and combat encounters. There was this one thing I just could not understand.
This is pretty much expected from Vergilius at this point, but...
Dante	<... If he already knew where we were going, and why... would it hurt to tell us for once?>
I muttered to myself while looking toward the back of the bus where Aeng-du slept. She was still out cold.
Dante	<Come on, Faust. I legitimately think that this is something we have to talk about. Can you please relay my question to Vergilius...?>
Faust	... Mm.
Outis	Hah, if you won't do it, then I will. A journey can't always be sunshine and rainbows—some friction is necessary. You there, guide!
Outis relayed my question, then began to share some of her own grievances with Vergilius.
... A LOT of her own grievances.
Vergilius	... Haah, are you finished?
Vergilius	Well, you're not wrong. I did hear most of the details through the radio.
Vergilius	And here's why I didn't tell you in advance.
Vergilius	It's because you're the kind of people who never learn until the 'problem' crashes through your front door. Would you have done anything differently if you knew in advance? It'll only serve to give you an excuse to whine about it.
Vergilius	So there it is. What now, manager? Will you refuse this mission?
Dante	<... How could I? They're already treating us like dirt. If I refuse this, I can't imagine how much worse it'll get.>
Vergilius	I'm sure you're thinking 'How could I?'. And you'd be right.
I can tell from the way he's looking at me that he already knew what I was going to say.
I'm starting to wonder if he really can't hear me.
Vergilius	Ah, our guest is awake.
Vergilius	You should go and ask her for directions, manager. Charon's intuition can only take us so far.
Again, this would have gone much smoother if we had been told where we were going from the start. But like always, Vergilius felt the need to add comments like that before shutting me down and turning away. He'd already closed his eyes.
Yi Sang	Hm, ahm. Allow me to explicate our present circumstances to her.
Yi Sang got up with an awkward smile in an attempt to clear the air.
After some time...
Yi Sang seemed to have successfully explained our circumstance to Aeng-du; she was standing next to Charon, trying to give her proper directions.
She had also told us that, as long as we assisted her with her mission, she wouldn't mind us taking the black stele for ourselves.
Aeng-du	Ah, turn to the right there— Ah...!
Aeng-du	They've already set up camp there...!
People dressed in Kurokumo Clan's garbs were wandering around the building, standing guard before its entrance.
Aeng-du	I have to...! Agh, mentor Bamboo-hatted Kim...!
Faust	Delaying further will only allow the Distortion to grow more powerful. We must enter the building as soon as possible.
Aeng-du had already leaped out of the bus and was rushing in with her weapon drawn. We quickly followed suit.

Episode: 7
Location: Yong-jin Building Entrance
Defeated Henchman	Ach... Damn it!
Aeng-du	Looks like this was the last one of them.
Ryoshu	Ah, the aroma of blood... Some splattered fresh, some old and growing viscous...
Ryoshu	Heh, I can already tell that there will be a collage of different blood splatters waiting for me in there. I am excited to see this collection for myself.
Aeng-du	... This one expresses brutal thoughts with such nonchalance as one muses about their next meal.
Aeng-du	Ahm, whichever may be the case... The way is open! We must move with haste!
Aeng-du did not hesitate for a second before disappearing into the building's entrance.
Gregor	Man, I'm impressed by her energy. Wasn't she knocked out cold just a few minutes ago?
Outis	It is sheer willpower that moves her. What other choice does she have when her superior is captured?
Hong Lu	Huh... from the name alone I expected Yong-jin Building to be much taller than just 6 floors. 'Building' and all.
Faust	It is a common naming convention in the Backstreets.
I looked up toward the rooftop of the building Hong Lu was looking at... and suddenly grew curious.
Dante	<Uh... What time is it right now?>
Rodion	Need a mirror?
Dante	<... My head doesn't actually tell time, you know.>
Faust	It is 2:10 in the afternoon.
2 in the afternoon... It's not midday, but it's not supposed to be this dark, is it?
Dante	<How is it this gloomy and dark at 2 in the afternoon? I'm starting to lose my sense of time in here.>
Gregor	Seems particularly darker around this area we're in. ... Well, compared to the Smoke War days, it's still bright as a sunny day.
Outis	Hm... I suppose that's true.
Faust	The Backstreets of T Corp. are known to be in a perpetual state of murkiness.
Faust	Their machines ceaselessly discharge heavy plumes of smoke which cloud the skies. That, and the constant color drainage keeps the Backstreets of T Corp. dark and dreary.
Faust	Of course, I must also inform you that the conditions have improved somewhat after the Smoke War due to the various extenuating, prohibitive conditions introduced by the outcome of that war that limits the production of smoke. Before the war—
Aeng-du	We have no time for idle chatter! Come now!
We hurried toward Aeng-du's urgent cries.
Location: Yong-jin Building 1F
Defeated Henchman	Agh... There were more Blade Lineague bastards left...?
Heathcliff	What the... The lass took 'em all out already.
Aeng-du	They were nothing but mewling minions.
Aeng-du	The size of their bravado ill-matched their immature skills. They foolishly decided to stand their ground instead of retreating upstairs.
Tzzt.
An electric buzz of sorts played from the radio I had stashed in my clothes.
Dante	<Is someone calling this radio...?>
The sound became much clearer when I unfolded the antenna from the radio.
Radio	LCD here, LCD here! Can you hear me? Acknowledge! C'mon~
The voice coming from the other end of the radio was... upbeat, to put it mildly. And very chaotic.
O-okay, I just have to press this button, right...?
Dante	<W-well, I'll talk. But it's not like you can hear—>
Radio	Ahahaha! They actually tick-tock!
Radio	Oh right, I called you for a reason. I'm just calling to relay a message, so don't bother responding! Yeah?
Dante	<O-okay...>
Radio	We don't have much time, so lemme keep it short!
Radio	Remember that black stele you guys were sent to retrieve? The Monolith?
Radio	I'm picking up a super huge bump in the Monolith signal in the area near you! That signal can force people to Distort, for your information!
Ishmael	Force people to Distort...?
Radio	We HAVE to contain it before that seeping signal goes completely out of control, okay?!
Radio	Agh, what the heck is this?!
Radio	Oh, my bad! I've got some stuff going on over here too, y'know? Anyway, I gotta keep this short, so lemme just emphasize that time is of the essence here! Over and out!
Dante	<…….>
The call dropped before any of us even had the chance to say anything.
Dante	<... She's uh, pretty lively, huh.>
Heathcliff	We don't have time to sit around dumbfounded, Clockhead. Let's crack on.
Sinclair	Um, everyone... I think the elevator's broken.
Aeng-du	I see that you and your fellows now also have a reason to hurry.
Aeng-du	I say that we break through their lines and rise through the stairwell. What say you?
Dante	<We don't have a choice... Come on, let's go!>
I put the radio back in my pocket and began running up the stairs.

Episode: 8
Location: Yong-jin Building 2F
Gregor	Gah, haah, oh man...
Rodion	Whew... seriously, the stairwell is the real challenge, isn't it? Not the Kurokumo Clan guys.
Aeng-du	Curious... is it not?
Heathcliff	Huh? What is?
Aeng-du	That they filled the stairwell full of weaklings who clearly don't know what they're doing.
Aeng-du	Perhaps they weren't trying to stop us from going upstairs. Perhaps they were afraid of retreating upstairs...
Aeng-du	... No, it can't be.
Aeng-du's expression darkened.
Maybe she had an inkling of a bad omen...
Don Quixote	Dost thou... worry for thy mentor?
Don Quixote carefully sidled to Aeng-du's side with a sympathetic expression.
Aeng-du	... How could I not?
Sinclair	What kind of person was Mr... Uh, Bamboo-hatted Kim?
Aeng-du appeared conflicted, as though she was having trouble organizing her own thoughts. She shook her head and sighed.
Aeng-du	He was... a steadfast man.
Aeng-du	Protected what needed protecting, killed what needed killing.
Aeng-du	He was always one of the Blade Lineage's finest. I daresay that he was one of the most skilled swordsmen within the Lineage.
Aeng-du	A man of few words who always sought to take good care of those under his wings.
Aeng-du	... If only he hadn't made that decision...
Aeng-du	... my fellows would not have met such a terrible fate...
Sinclair	Oh...
Sinclair half-opened his mouth, apparently curious about what that 'decision' might have been,
but he soon realized that this was probably not the time to pry and quietly closed his mouth.
Aeng-du	Whichever may be the case, I have no choice but to make haste...
Then... we have no choice but to make haste with her.

Episode: 9
Location: Yong-jin Building 4F
Dante	<... Did we just fight the Peccatula?>
Faust	Yes.
Yi Sang	Their appearances are rather dissimilar from what we have encountered afore. They appear to have grown more... acute...
Faust	They are evolutions of each Peccatula.
Faust	The kind of Peccatula one transforms into depends on the types of Sin that one has embodied in life, so it is no surprise that there may be variations to them.
Sinclair	But... we've never encountered anything like them before.
Faust	Collecting the Golden Boughs could have expedited the Peccatula growth process.
Rodion	Those boughs... they really have something to do with everything, huh? Our job is starting to look a lot more serious...
Gregor	Right, that reminds me. These 'Peccatula' are each supposed to represent some kinda 'Sin', right?
Dante	<Sin...>
My thoughts grow distant all of a sudden.
... No. The Sinners grow distant while my thoughts draw nearer. Their voices grow muffled.
The word 'Sin' feels oddly unfamiliar today.
Yi Sang	It appears that they have lost their sense of self; their original forms now forgotten to oblivion.
Self...
Gregor	Aren't Distortions kinda similar to that?
Sinclair	Hmm... some people become Distortions, and some people become Peccatula... I wonder what the difference is?
I think... I think I know...
Dante	<... Planted in the hearts of all are seeds with ever-present potential to bloom.>
Outis	Executive Manager?
Rodion	What'dya say? Fau talked over ya, so I couldn't hear...
Faust	... If you would allow me to continue... Maintaining the self even at times of extreme stress could cause one to evolve into a Distortion, and—
Dante	<When the light of that day descends upon the hearts of every human, blooming the seeds buried deep within...>
Ishmael	... Manager?
Dante	<If one's ■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■■■■, devoured by their sins, they are reborn in the form of the ■■■■■■■■■, their image reflecting the ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■ dreamt by those who are nothing.>
Faust	Dante.
Yi Sang	Dante! What is—
Dante	<If one withstands ■■■ ■■■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■, yet ■■■■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■■ ■■ their sins, the heart ■■■■■■■■...>
Heathcliff	W-what the hell... Clockhead, what in the bloody hell are you talking about?
Aeng-du	I ill like the sound of that... Has something gone awry with their prosthetic head...?
Dante	<Yet if one seeks to bear the ■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■, the ■■■ shall ■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ of their original hearts...>
Yi Sang	E.G.O? Is that what you are speaking of?
Dante	<And in a world perceived through their own ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■, the ■■■■■■■ shall be unveiled: to ■■■■■ their egos ■■■ ■■■■■■■■... ■■ ■■ melt into ■■■ ■■■■■ by ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■ ■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■ of sin...>
Hong Lu	Huh, they're starting to talk a bit like my grandfa— Huh?! M-manager! Your head!
Outis	Executive Manager! Y-your head is on fire!
Ryoshu	Ooh~ what a blaze.
Sinclair	I-I think they're about to explode!
Dante	<Only those who can define their own ■■■■...>
Heathcliff	Oi! We've got to do something before Clockhead bites it! Got any bright ideas, lass?!
Don Quixote	I-I know not what to do...!
Dante	<Only those who are awakened to their own ■■■■■...>
Don Quixote	Gaaah! 'T-tis scorching! I had thought that Manager Esquire's flaming head was merely for style, for I had not once felt such heat from it...!
Ishmael	Faust! What if they accidentally activated the self-destruct sequence?! Agh, this heat... if we don't douse it now, it's going to melt everything around them...!
Faust	... Yes, the operating principles are the same. Dante is, via the Golden Boughs, connected to the root of the sapling planted in the subterranean area of the headquarters. Which is to say that—
Heathcliff	Who gives a shite about the Boughs?! We've got to douse the flames on their head!
Don Quixote	Water! Doest nay one have water? We must make haste and douse the flames!
Some time later...
Dante	<... Ugh.>
Don Quixote	Pray tell, art thou recover'd?!
My eyes—if I had eyes, that is—opened slowly. I was lying on the ground, surrounded by the Sinners.
Dante	<What... happened?>
Yi Sang	Do you not recall what had transpired?
Dante	<Uh... I guess I don't?>
I do remember walking up the stairs... and suddenly feeling really dizzy.
Outis	Executive Manager. You must visit a workshop to get that looked at as soon as we return...
Dante	<Huh? A workshop? Did I malfunction or something?>
Ishmael	Don't talk about them like you're talking about some machine... Haah, either way, there isn't anything we can do about what just happened. Not here.
Faust	We can discuss this later once we return. What just transpired does not seem to pose any hindrance to our mission.
Dante	<Aeng-du, where is...>
Yi Sang	She has advanced without us. While I remain curious yet concerned about your condition, we must reconvene with her. The situation calls for urgency.
Dante	<Yeah... okay.>
There was a lot I didn't understand, but since we're in the middle of an operation...
... let's deal with this first.

Episode: 10
Location: Yong-jin Building 6F
???	Haah... tsk. Why'd this have to break? Why now...?
There was a nervous-looking man on top of the stairs, on the uppermost floor of the building.
I could immediately tell that this man was unlike any other foe we faced in this building.
???	It better be quiet in there... I hope that thing at least stays put...
He kept looking into his pocket watch as though he was expecting something awful to come out of that door.
Aeng-du	He is...
Meursault	His garb, which highly resembles the Kurokumo Clan's standard outfits, suggests that he is a relevant individual in this case. It is possible to extrapolate from his outfit that he is of higher rank than any foe we have defeated on the course to this location.
Aeng-du	Then...!
Before I even had the chance to suggest waiting for a bit to come up with a strategy, Aeng-du was already charging at the man.
Aeng-du	You must be a Captain of the Kurokumo Clan!
???	What the—?!
Aeng-du	You wish to hunt the Blade Lineage? Very well, here I stand before you! Face my blade!
???	Tsk, I suppose this means that my men are all dead, huh?
???	I'd toss you into that office if I could, but...
???	... the 'merchandise' is still in there... Gah, come on...
???	'Spose I've got no choice but to fight. At least allow me to introduce myself. Then you can tell me who you are.
Jun	Name's Jun. Captain of the boys you killed.
Aeng-du	... Aeng-du. Salsu from the Lineage of Blades. A follower of mentor Bamboo-hatted Kim.
The hallway before the door falls silent. It is as calm as a winter dawn.
The two warriors, blades drawn, begin to take cautious steps. It's as though they are attempting to gauge the distance between each other...
Aeng-du	Hah!
There was a sudden flash. When I came to my senses, the pair had suddenly switched sides, facing away from each other.
The outcome of this clash...
Aeng-du	... Agh.
Jun	C'mon, that's it?! Huh?!
Sinclair	M-miss Aeng-du!
... appears to have been Aeng-du's defeat. She fell to her knees.
Jun	I mean... I was just getting started.
Jun	I'm surprised you even had any energy left for that attack...
Aeng-du	Gah...
Dante	<... She's been fighting the Kurokumo Clan henchmen on the front lines before we even had the chance to catch up. No wonder she's exhausted.>
Outis	I must also remind you that she was on the verge of death not so long ago. She has overexerted herself.
Jun	... What, are the rest of you gonna fight me too? This hardly seems fair, me against all of you...
This 'Jun' rested his blade on his shoulder with an annoyed scowl. I could tell from his single clash against Aeng-du that he wasn't going to go down easily.
Dante	<Well, I don't like that we're all ganging up against this one guy, but...>
Jun	You've got one loud-ass clock for a head. What even is that? Is this some local T Corp. clock-shaped prosthetic fashion or something?
Jun	... It is a clock, right? You there. Is that clock head on time?
Heathcliff	Mate, what do you think? That clock ain't for telling time.
Jun	Huh? Then what'd ya decapitate yourself for? What a useless clock...
Dante	<…….>
Jun	Okay, then. Any of you got a timepiece? A clock... a watch... anyone? My stupid watch broke again.
The Sinners wordlessly begin to surround Jun.
Jun	I guess not. Are any of you even wearing a watch?
Jun	You must all be insane. Sauntering about without a timepiece...
Don Quixote	Even if I did, I would hardly find it within myself to show it to thee!
Jun	You're all really getting on my nerves...!
Jun	You know what? That's it. I'll be in deep shit if I let anyone in there anyway.
Jun	So come and get me! I'll cut you down if it's the last thing I do!

Episode: 11
Location: Yong-jin Building 6F
Aeng-du	Haah... now let us converse for a moment.
Aeng-du seemed to have recovered somewhat as we fought. She bound Jun with a rope before throwing him to the ground.
Jun	Agh...
Aeng-du	I do not expect a mere Captain to know why your organization has put a bounty on our heads.
Aeng-du	But... I cannot quite place the reason you were standing guard before this room. It was as though you were protecting our mentor from us, of all people.
Aeng-du	Wait, it wasn't just you, was it? Every Kurokumo Clan filth we killed on our way up to this floor stood in our path like they were protecting something with their lives.
Jun	Fine. Here's the truth, then.
Jun	... We're the victims here.
Aeng-du	...? Whatever do you mean?
Jun	You guys really have a way of pushing my buttons, huh...
Jun	Haah... we weren't part of the party pursuing you or cutting you down. That was none of my business.
Jun	You're just one of many, many Syndicates or organizations that were unlucky enough to be on the Thumb's shit list. Our run-in was just a coincidence.
Jun	We were ordered by the Thumb to stand guard next to a black stele here, that's all.
Jun	Everyone was on edge because we were supposed to transport it elsewhere pretty soon...
Jun	... and that's when you Blade Lineage bastards appeared out of nowhere.
Aeng-du	... Out of nowhere?
Aeng-du	I see... So this is where our mentor has awakened.
Jun	You... Sounds like you know something that I don't...
Jun	Can't say I've ever heard of a tech that could blip people into existence, just like that. Thought they were using a Singularity or something, tsk.
Jun	Besides... the Blade Lineage never had a chance.
Jun	Our numerical advantage was insurmountable.
Aeng-du	... Of course.
Jun	We had your friends cornered. We had no trouble cutting them down until there were but three of you left standing.
Jun	Then, all of a sudden, your boss' eye suddenly began to glow, and...
Jun	Haah, he cut down everyone around him. It was a one-sided slaughter.
Aeng-du	What...? Then...
Jun	You got that right. Blade Lineage, Kurokumo Clan, it didn't matter. He cut through *everyone*.
Jun	So what the hell was I supposed to do? What were we supposed to do? I'm their Captain—the lives of my men are my responsibility. I had to save them somehow.
Jun	So I stayed behind to guard the door while my men guarded the entrance to this building. What other choice did I have?
Jun	Haah... shit. Delivery deadline's coming up... I'm finished.
Jun	This won't end with me having to cut off a finger or two... Dammit.
Aeng-du	...
Jun	Guh?!
Aeng-du struck the back of Jun's neck with a swift precision and dropped him to the floor.
Don Quixote	Aeng-du?! That man had already been subdued! Wherefore didst thou—
Aeng-du	I have merely put him to sleep. He would have caused us trouble had we attempted to enter that room while he was conscious.
Aeng-du	I... must talk to the mentor. See him with my own eyes.
Heathcliff	Have you gone deaf, lass? Your boss'll cut down anyone who gets too close.
Aeng-du	No. That... cannot be.
Faust	Dante. We can infer from what information we have gathered that...
Dante	<Yeah, I agree... There's a powerful aura coming from behind that door. I can sense it.>
Aeng-du	Our mentor...
Aeng-du's hands tremble as they wrap around the doorknob.
Outis	... We must prepare for battle.
Aeng-du	I know that mentor Bamboo-hatted Kim will do no such thing!
Location: Yong-jin Building 6F Office
She slammed the door open...
... only to come face-to-face with a Distortion.

Episode: 12
Location: Yong-jin Building 6F Office
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	…….
Aeng-du	... Mentor. What is this?
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	…….
Aeng-du	I recognize these wounds. These are your techniques...!
Aeng-du	You... how could you put your blade to our fellows!!
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	…….
Outis	Attempting to communicate seems futile.
Pitch-black flames lingered behind this man she called 'Bamboo-hatted Kim'. Her mentor...
Something had devoured him. There was something in his eyes...
Fiendish Malevolence.
I could definitely sense it. This was a Distortion.
Aeng-du	Cease your beastly howls and talk to me, please! Say someth—
Heathcliff	Oi! Don't get too close...!
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	...!
The Distortion unsheathed its blade in the blink of an eye. It sensed that something had entered its range.
Aeng-du	That stance...! You're really going to kill—
Sinclair	G-get out of the way!
As Aeng-du stood there confused, Sinclair urgently hurled himself in her direction. And in that brief moment, the Distortion's blade descended upon them as though it bisected the very space they inhabited.
Yi Sang	I surmise that Sinclair has entered the Distortion's range as well.
Dante	<We have no choice but to suppress it.>
We tensed up, sensing the changing atmosphere. We slowly raised our weapons.

Episode: 13
Location: Yong-jin Building 6F Office
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	... Haah. Hah.
Bamboo-hatted Kim kneeled and caught his breath. Something began to shimmer behind him.
Faust	This is a dungeon—A Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms.
Gregor	This is just like the Dingdong's Bar & Fryers, huh?
Sinclair	It's 'Eunbong's', Gregor. 'Eunbong's'...
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	…….
Meursault	He has already entered the dungeon.
Heathcliff	Haah... so we've got to follow the bloke, eh?
Dante	<Yeah... we were ordered to secure the Distortion as well. So...>
... An immense, heavy sensation emanates from within that space.
Dante	<That 'Monolith' has to be somewhere in there, too.>
Aeng-du	... Let us follow.
While she was clearly dumbfounded by the turn of events, I could tell that she was determined to see this to the end. We had nothing more to add.
Outis	Advancing.
Location: 심상 거울 던전
Aeng-du	This is...
Yi Sang	This place has taken the likeness of S Corp...
Aeng-du	Not just anywhere in S Corp.
Aeng-du	You call this place the 'fathoms of ego'...? It appears that mentor Bamboo-hatted Kim's memories are... affecting this place.
Yi Sang	Is there aught from his past that you are aware of?
Aeng-du	No... nothing in detail. I don't believe I have the right to divulge a depiction of his past based on hearsay, either.
Yi Sang	... Mm.
Aeng-du continued in a morose tone.
Aeng-du	When he appeared so suddenly at this building...
Aeng-du	... I don't suppose he had much trouble cutting down the Kurokumo Clan henchmen.
Aeng-du	I am certain he was flanked by competent men and women. It would not have mattered how many henchmen they threw against the mentor; nothing short of a Kurokumo Clan officer could have given him any trouble. In fact, I surmise that he would have been able to cut down a hundred of their men on his own.
Aeng-du	But...
Aeng-du	Not all those who accompanied master Bamboo-hatted Kim were as powerful as he. His capabilities lie far beyond our own.
Aeng-du	His fellows must have fallen one by one before the endless onslaught of the Kurokumo Clan henchmen.
Aeng-du	And... I cannot help but imagine that the sight must have reminded him of a rather tragic event in his past.
Aeng-du	An unpleasant event that likely shook mentor Bamboo-hatted Kim to the core.
Faust	That alone fits numerous criteria that make it ripe for a manifestation of a Distortion. He was in a very receptive state to the Monolith's influences as well.
Aeng-du	So that is how... the mentor became beholden to his blade. Like a fiend...
Aeng-du	Yet... still... how could he...
We remained wordless and advanced as Aeng-du despondently muttered to herself.
It was all silent, save for the sound of our shoes lightly pressing into the soft soil beneath our feet.

Episode: 14
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Dante	<So that thing behind him is...>
Faust	Indeed, that is the Monolith. The artifact must have entered his fathoms of ego the moment it imbued Bamboo-hatted Kim with strength.
Aeng-du	This manor must be... where the mentor's last protectee resided before we departed S Corp.
Aeng-du	Ah... such massacre...
Aeng-du	Mentor, was this carnage the memory that has haunted your dreams and your waking hours for so long...?
Aeng-du	Yet... the deaths of our dear fellows...
Tear begins to well in Aeng-du's eyes.
Dante	<...Ah.>
Again, something murmurs in my head.
Is this... Bamboo-hatted Kim's past?
A somber voice, drenched with woe, echoes in my head.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... For a fleeting moment, I once had this thing people call 'honor'.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Vile men, whose hearts are consumed by evil, oft approach virtuous officials to seek harm.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	And I considered it an honorable deed to be a protector of the virtuous, to hew those that sought harm against them.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Yet, to be virtuous in a world of the vicious was to be prey to this merciless world.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	And before such overwhelming might of the vicious, the irrevocably corrupt officials... my strength was inconsequential.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I had little choice but to leave S Corp. cradling my broken spirit alongside my fellows.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I have left my scarred honor behind at the land of my failure.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	We became vagabonds. Lost, wandering, and weary; aimless drifters without a place to call their home.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Even their faith in my decision to leave began to crumble piece by piece. So did my faith in myself.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I began to... fall apart.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I have already failed once. What's there to say that I am not failing my dear fellows once again...?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	The least I could do is to help them lead a stable life...
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Yet that 'invitation' I received... only led them to their demise.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	In the end... I failed my mission. I failed my honor. I failed my dear fellows.
Bamboo-hatted Kim?	Again, I am returned to the land of my failure...
The voice continued to murmur. But... it had devolved into nothing but a low growl, a quiet and incoherent rumbling.
I can't help but feel a bit of sympathy at his suffocatingly painful past...
... but that's exactly why we have to face him. Free him from this Distortion.
Dante	<Guys. We're putting an end to this. Right here, right now.>
Outis	Yes. It appears that we have no choice.
Aeng-du's grown far too agitated to function properly in this battle.
It's... all up to us now.

Episode: 15
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Dante	<Ah, the dungeon...>
After a grueling battle, and as we finally managed to drag Bamboo-hatted Kim to his knees...
Location: Yong-jin Building 6F Office
Like a mirage, the fathoms of ego began to fall apart.
The Monolith had already left the Fathoms of Ego and was back at the center of the office.
Just as the office began to resemble the one we had walked into, the radio I carried began to buzz again.
Radio	Hiya! Can you hear me? If you do, gimme a 'tick-tock'!
Dante	<Tick-tock.>
Ishmael	Very funny, Dante. You know we just barely survived a deadly encounter, right?
Well, she asked me to...
Radio	Perfect! We really don't have much time left. Since it looks like the Monolith's briefly stabilized, lemme teach you how to lock it down.
Radio	Don't take too long, or that Distortion's gonna turn into an Abnormality! Follow my instructions to a T, and don't lag behind! It's all about precision and speed!
Gregor	She seems awfully cheerful for how, uh, dire the situation is...
I followed the radio's instructions and reached out to the Monolith with my palms.
Dante	<Ooh... some light came out of it when I reached out with my fingers.>
The voice coming from the radio was pretty nonchalant about all this, but it almost sounded like she could see exactly what I was looking at.
Radio	Right, straight down from there. Yep, you're doing good. Now move left... take it slow, now.
I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing this right... but I still followed her directions and drew a trail of light with my hand over the Monolith.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Aagh...
Aeng-du	Mentor!
The shimmering black tendrils began to withdraw from Bamboo-hatted Kim's body. Maybe the Distortion is withdrawing, too...?
Radio	Good work! Detective, the levels are stabilizing!
Radio	Ah, I can't seem to stop calling you Detective, huh. Sorry, old habits die hard, y'know...
Sounds like she's reporting to someone else on the other side of this communication.
Radio	Good work, bus dudes! LCA'll be there in a min, so just sit tight!
Dante	<Huh? LCA? Not that rude After Team lady from earlier...?>
Ezra	Well, anyways! Thanks for the assist, everyone! LCD Distortion Task Force Ezra, over and out!
The radio shut off before any of us had the chance to say anything. Again.
And not 5 seconds later...
Rodion	My, my! They're really piling in, huh?
Faust	LCA... the special operations unit.
Reticent Employee	Orders. Commencing secured item retrieval.
Dante	<Uh, right. The item is—>
Brisk Employee	Custody Target T-276 confirmed and secured.
Dante	<Well, looks like our job is done here.>
I didn't even have to say anything (not that they could hear me, anyway) before the uniformed troops marched in and started attaching various tools to the Monolith.
Reticent Employee	Trouble. T-276-01 unconfirmed. Requesting location.
Heathcliff	What are you blathering about?
Reticent Employee	... Rewording. Where is the Distorted individual?
Yi Sang	Ah, I am aware of whom you seek. He sits next to the Monolith—
Don Quixote	Huh? W-where hast he gone?
Meursault	The individual by the name Aeng-du dragged him behind that sofa. Approximate time of event: three minutes ago.
Dante	<... Didn't I ask you to tell us if you notice something important going on in the background...?>
Meursault	... I will make an immediate report should an identical event occur.
That's when I noticed that the LCA agents were growing visibly uneasy.
Reticent Employee	Alert. Abnormal reaction detected from an entity in T-276-01's proximity.
And when that agent ran over and kicked over the sofa...
Aeng-du	Ah... Ahh...!
Yi Sang	Miss Aeng-du!
... There was Aeng-du, her arms tightly wrapped around Bamboo-hatted Kim.
Her hand, holding a blade that dug deep into her mentor's flesh.
Aeng-du	I... know not of your painful past. I cannot possibly know in detail what you have gone through.
Aeng-du	But... But...! That cannot be a just reason, an excuse for cutting down your very own fellows...!
Yi Sang	Miss Aeng-du! That man was not himself!
Aeng-du	If the blade has consumed my mentor, turned him into a fiend... then I will end him myself... it has to be me...
Aeng-du	... No. Not at all.
Aeng-du	It's all... excuses. That's all it is.
Aeng-du	If mentor didn't bring some odd 'invitation' to us...
Aeng-du	If he hadn't caused us to flee S Corp., our home, to begin with...!
Aeng-du	Oh... Yes. I hear you. Your voice is finally... growing clearer...
Reticent Employee	Mutation. Distortion of the subject entity confirmed.
Reticent Employee	Suspicion. Phase 1 of the Monolith reactivation process may have been engaged.
We can't just let her be! She's going to Distort...!
Dante	<Meursault! Knock miss Aeng-du out!>
Meursault	... Hmph!
Aeng-du	Ah...
Meursault struck Aeng-du hard before the LCA agents even had the chance to do anything.
Reticent Employee	... Stabilized. Distortion nullified by the Subject's loss of consciousness.
Reticent Employee	Stab wound confirmed on subject T-276-01. Wound not critical. Will not pose challenge to retrieval and recovery.
Meursault	I have carried out the task as you have ordered.
Dante	<Haah... Thank you.>
Rodion	Woah... What just happened...?
Dante	<Was that caused by the Monolith's influence, too?>
Faust	A plausible explanation. The Monolith was properly sealed, but its lingering influence seems to have seeped into her.
Ezra	Oh! OH! Hey! The levels went bonkers over there just now!
The radio began buzzing all on its own again.
Reticent Employee	Requesting radio. I will receive LCD's message.
Dante	<Uh, okay.>
Reticent Employee	Acknowledged. Please speak.
Ezra	Huh? Oh! You're LCA, aren't you? I'm Ezra from LCD, nice to—
Reticent Employee	Acknowledged. Commencing sitrep.
Ezra	You know what? You're not the only one who knows how to cut people off. I already got your 'sitrep', okay? I don't need it.
Ezra	There are two people there, right? Just bring them both over here.
Reticent Employee	Negative. Exact orders state that retrieval targets are to be—
Ezra	C'mon, loosen up some, huh~?
Reticent Employee	Concern. The Monolith alone will be a difficult subject to contain.
Ezra	Aw~ That's okay. Our very own detecti— I mean, our very own LCD Team Leader said she'll take care of it.
Ezra	Besides, that Monolith? Detective and I have successfully retrieved that before.
Ezra	AND, considering that the two of them are both returnees from the Library... considering that the two of them have both been pulled from the edge of Distortion... it'll definitely help us with our records, don't you think?
Reticent Employee	Understood. However—
Heathcliff	What the hell? Are we kidnapping them for some dodgy human experiments or something?
Ezra	Ookay, so I know that there's been scary rumors of kidnappings in T Corp., but... what we're doing here is completely unrelated, alright? I'd appreciate it if you didn't compare us to the likes of those Backstreets rumors.
Ezra	Sure, you guys can leave them there. But if we don't take them in, they'll Distort and get killed. And who knows? The Kurokumo Clan or even the Thumb could catch wind of this and pick them up instead.
Heathcliff	I suppose you're right...
Ezra	Anyways... Make sure to bring them in! Both. Of. Them. Okay~?
Reticent Employee	... Acknowledged. Retrieving now.
The call dropped. The agents swarmed around the pair, bound them, and disappeared out the door. All of it was done in one, fluid, practiced motion.
I don't know when it happened, but they'd already retrieved the Monolith when that LCA agent picked up LCD's call.
Rodion	Right, so... mission accomplished, huh?
Dante	<I guess so.>
Reticent Employee	Warning. Recommended action for the manager: immediate extraction from the scene. Imminent arrival of the Thumb: highly likely.
Ryoshu	So, after the Middle is the Thumb. Heh, what I wouldn't give to see the look on their stuck-up faces.
Ishmael	I think he's telling us to get out of here before the thumb catches us red-handed...
Reticent Employee	Correction. Limbus Company was already on a crash course against the Thumb the moment we commenced this mission.
Ishmael	... That makes sense. It'll only be a matter of time before they put the pieces together and realize that we're involved in what happened.
Ishmael	Are you sure that we can handle not only the Middle... but also the Thumb?
Reticent Employee	... Irrelevant.
Reticent Employee	A foe is a friend, and a friend is a foe for Limbus Company.
Reticent Employee	Delayed. Extracting scene first.
With that cryptic message, the LCA agent quickly withdrew from the scene.
He knows something, but won't tell us what it is. At least that was the impression I got from the way he spoke.
I came to meet so many departments of the company in such quick succession—the LCA, the LCD, and the LCCA...
An old question arose once again. Something I'd forgotten as we kept ourselves busy with the missions we've carried out so far.
I really don't know much about this company I'm working for.
And there's this mysterious 'Hermann', and the equally puzzling 'Demian'.
Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, I really don't know anything. Maybe what I know amounts to nothing more than a pinch of knowledge available to the powers that be.
I thought we were pretty deep into our journey, but...
I was starting to feel that, in the far future, if I were to look back on the records of this journey... we wouldn't even be ten pages into the book.
I began walking back to the bus with the Sinners, my head further mired in confusion.
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles
Rodion	Whewie, we really ran into a lot of people in such a short time, huh?
Ishmael	Well, I'm pretty happy that I got to know more about the workings of this company.
Once we returned to the bus, the Sinners each began chattering away about what had just happened.
Sinclair	... I wonder what's going to happen to Aeng-du or Bamboo-hatted Kim?
Outis	That does not appear to be information we are privy to. Though we all work under the same company, all that the LCD shared with us was the name of our contact: 'Ezra'.
Don Quixote	T-then, is Limbus Company truly kidnapping people for human experi—
Gregor	... You don't just start experimenting on humans like that. It's not something that just happens. Remember what that LCD woman said? Rumors are just that: rumors.
Gregor furrowed his brows as though some unpleasant memories of the past began flooding in. He dug into his pockets for a cigarette.
Dante	<... There's LCD, but LCA just seems... really out of place. Even when compared to other departments... It's like they're from a completely different company.>
As we made our way back to the bus, I slowly began to organize my thoughts on everything that's happened.
I did know that it wasn't the most productive thing for me to do.
Dante	<... Faust, you're not gonna answer any of my questions, are you?>
Faust	I apologize. At the present moment, it is difficult for me to disclose any information that does not concern the LCB department.
Dante	<Haah...>
Vergilius	It's like impatience is a prerequisite for boarding this bus, manager or Sinner.
Vergilius sighed as he muttered. He must've seen me burying my (clock)head in my palms.
Vergilius	Your journey will inevitably lead to the answers to all of your questions, Dante.
Vergilius	Just follow the path, and it shall all be revealed. You have no reason to rush.
Vergilius	Besides...
Vergilius' gaze fixed, for a brief moment, slightly above my head.
... I wonder if he's looking at my flame.
Vergilius	... It's nothing.
Vergilius	Hah, perhaps your impatience is rubbing off on me. I suppose I shall find out along the way as well.
Vergilius scoffed, muttered something incomprehensible to himself, then turned away from me. It was clear that he had no intention of continuing this exchange.
Vergilius	Let's go, Charon.
Charon	Been waiting for vroom-vroom time.
Charon	Driving to the famous heights of T Corp.
Heathcliff	…….
So...
... the bus took off once again, sometimes bustling, sometimes dead silent.
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