Concept: World - Chapter 3: Eclipse (3)

The ride back felt completely different from the journey out.

"Nice work, kid!"

"You stayed calm during that retreat—steady as a toad sitting in a pond."

"What kind of comparison is that?! Hahaha!"

Quate burst into laughter at Tyr's ridiculous description.

"Oh, right. We never introduced ourselves."

"I'm Quate."

Number One suddenly remembered and hurriedly introduced himself.

"I'm Michael."

"I'm Tyr."

Number Two and Number Three followed suit.

"But seriously, kid, thanks."

"If you hadn't warned me, that spring would've blasted me straight into the sky."

Quate offered his sincere gratitude.

Ethel smiled. He was glad that he'd managed to contribute during his very first operation.

"That said..."

"About half of your calls during the retreat weren't really necessary."

"And in a few situations, it actually would've been better not to dodge."

Even while thanking him, Quate couldn't resist offering some advice.

"Overall, though..."

"I'd give you seventy-five points."

"That's a pretty high score."

"You should be proud."

With that final compliment, Quate grinned, bringing his evaluation to an end.

"So..."

"Is this how you usually fight?"

The smiles immediately disappeared from the other three men's faces.

"Not even close."

"How long did this one take?"

"About five minutes?"

Tyr glanced toward Soth.

"Seven."

"It took us seven minutes to bait that demon into using its Concept."

"Is that considered fast?"

"Depends."

"Some types reveal their Concepts right away."

"Some activate them the instant combat begins."

"And then there are the sneaky ones."

"They wait until halfway through the fight before finally using them."

"Those are the worst."

"Exactly."

"Damn things."

Tyr muttered bitterly, prompting the others to voice their agreement.

He sighed before continuing.

"Do you know how long that third type usually takes before revealing its Concept?"

"Seven minutes?"

"Ten."

"That's the average."

"But normally, we only get three."

"Once three minutes are up, whether we've drawn out the Concept or not, Tia immediately takes over."

"Today, she only let us keep going because of you."

"Who knows how Oenone managed to convince her."

"Once Tia takes over, we're only allowed to provide long-range support."

"At most, Sefer can bombard it with his spheres."

"But getting close is strictly forbidden."

"Couldn't she just reduce everything to ashes every time like she did today?"

Watching Tia's Concept Release had left a deep impression on Ethel.

He couldn't imagine anything surviving that terrifying power.

"Hmph."

"Are you an idiot?"

Soth finally spoke.

The moment he opened his mouth, Ethel realized he'd completely reverted to his usual unpleasant self.

"Concepts come in every imaginable form."

"Plenty of them can defend against attacks like that—or even counter them."

"Why do you think we bother figuring out a demon's Concept first?"

"And do you have any idea how much strain a Concept Release puts on a Perfected?"

"You think they can activate it whenever they feel like it?"

"What happens if the demon survives?"

"You taking responsibility?"

"Ethel."

"Ignore the way he says it."

Quate quickly stepped in.

"Soth does have a point."

"Only Perfected truly understand how taxing a Concept Release really is."

Seeing Quate's signal, the other two hurriedly changed the subject before Soth could continue.

"There are Commanders from other cities who could actually survive Tia's Supernova."

"Who was it again...?"

Tyr looked toward Michael.

The other two followed his gaze.

"The Commander of Flash Stride City."

"He couldn't block it..."

"But escaping its range shouldn't be a problem."

"And the Commander of Seal Sanctuary."

"Though his case works a little differently."

"You forgot King!"

"Oh, come on."

"He doesn't count."

"I don't think there's a single Concept he can't deal with."

As Michael and Tyr began arguing, Ethel turned toward Quate.

"The people you mentioned..."

"They're from the other cities?"

"Yeah."

"If you're curious, ask Sefer."

"He's the vice-captain."

"He knows more than the rest of us."

Everyone in Sun Blaze City knew at least something about the city's Concept Users.

Not everyone paid attention to the Lost Ones, but the three Perfected Commanders were household names.

The other cities, however, were another matter entirely.

Most people couldn't even name more than one or two of them.

Sefer had been quietly listening while driving.

When he noticed Ethel leaning forward, he finally spoke.

"Come sit in the passenger seat."

"I'll explain."

Without taking his eyes off the road, he motioned Ethel over while keeping both hands on the steering wheel.

Once Ethel had settled into the front seat, Sefer continued.

"How much do you know about the other cities?"

"Only that there are Seven Great Cities."

"And Sun Blaze City is one of them."

"There are actually more than seven."

"But yes, those are the major ones."

"Never heard of any of the smaller settlements?"

"Maybe."

"But I don't really remember."

Perhaps his father had mentioned them years ago.

If he had, Ethel no longer remembered.

"Besides Sun Blaze City, the other six are..."

"King Empire."

"Seal Sanctuary."

"Flash Stride City."

"Yin-Yang Summit."

"Slash Palace."

"And Union Congregation."

"King... Seal... Flash?"

"So you noticed."

"I thought only our city named itself that way."

"No."

"It's a tradition shared by every city."

"No one remembers who started it."

"But every city takes its name from the Concept of its Commander."

"So their names change too?"

"They do."

Sun Blaze City hadn't always been called Sun Blaze City.

The name had only been adopted a little over three years earlier, when Tia became Commander.

Before that, it had been Foam Glide City, during Oenone's tenure as acting commander.

And before that...

It had been Hero City.

"So the other Commanders have the Concepts King, Seal, Flash, Yin, Slash, and Union?"

"Yin-Yang Summit is a little different."

"But yes."

"That's basically it."

"So what do those Concepts actually do?"

"No one really knows what King's Concept does."

"He's the one those two are still arguing about."

"But he's defended King Empire by himself for over forty years."

"People call it the undefeated Concept."

"And Flash is famous."

"You'll find out sooner or later."

"The same goes for Seal."

"After all..."

"Seal Sanctuary is the second-largest city, just ahead of Sun Blaze City."

"Cities have rankings too?"

"They do."

"We're third."

As Sefer spoke, he turned the vehicle left. They had already re-entered Sun Blaze City and were heading back toward Central Headquarters.

"Concept Users from different cities occasionally spar with one another."

"Fighting demons isn't the only thing that matters."

"Knowing how to fight people is just as important."

"How come I've never heard about this before?"

"Because it's classified."

"Level Four."

"Everyone in the combat divisions knows."

"But we don't publicize it."

"We don't want it turning into some kind of sporting event."

"After all, everyone's original purpose is to protect their own city."

Sefer leaned out the window so the guard could verify his identity before driving into the underground garage.

"As for your earlier question..."

"Yes."

"I know what the other Commanders' Concepts do."

"But now isn't the time to tell you."

"Someday you might be invited to spar with them yourself."

"Learning to identify an opponent's Concept on the spot and develop a strategy is an important skill."

"I don't want to rob you of that opportunity."

"Alright."

"We're here."

Before Ethel realized it, the vehicle had already stopped.

Everyone climbed out.

"You're back!"

A familiar figure stood up from the corner.

It was Oenone.

"Oenone?"

"You've been waiting here this whole time?"

Sefer looked genuinely surprised.

"I have."

"I was worried."

She smiled warmly before turning toward Ethel.

"You made it back safely."

"Congratulations on surviving your first extermination mission."

She bent down and pinched his cheeks.

"We're leaving him with you, Oenone."

"Got it."

She looked toward Tia.

"How are you feeling?"

"My opinion hasn't changed."

"I still think the old way was better."

"What a stubborn child..."

Oenone muttered quietly to herself.

She never noticed that the Ethel she had pulled tightly against her chest was rapidly running out of air.

"Don't forget to send his information to Epro."

"And..."

"He's about to suffocate."

Tia pointed calmly at Ethel.

"Oh!"

"I'm so sorry."

"I didn't notice."

"I-I'm... fine..."

Ethel gasped desperately for air.

One by one, the members of the First Division said their goodbyes before leaving.

Only then did Ethel realize he wasn't going with them.

"I'm not leaving with the First Division?"

"You're a special case."

"You'll deploy with them."

"But your day-to-day training belongs to the Third Division."

"Why separate them?"

"Because the First Division's training..."

"...is hell."

"It's still far too early for you."

At first Ethel assumed she was joking.

But Oenone's expression was completely serious.

The last member of the First Division to leave was Soth.

"Captain Soth!"

"What?"

Soth answered impatiently without turning around.

"Thank you..."

"For protecting me today."

"Hmph."

"If it weren't an order, I'd have dumped deadweight like you ages ago."

"So quit bothering me."

Without another glance, Soth walked away.

"He was specifically assigned to protect you."

"His Concept is especially suited for it."

"It couldn't be more different from his personality."

Oenone laughed.

"That's a very long story."

"Come on."

"You should get some rest."

Back on the fourteenth floor, Oenone led Ethel into the residential wing.

As a Lost One, he had been assigned a private suite.

The few belongings he had brought with him had already been placed neatly on the desk.

The moment he returned to a room of his own, the adrenaline faded.

Along with it went the excitement of surviving his first extermination mission.

Why won't you listen to me?

The familiar voice echoed inside his mind once more.

During the battle, the tension had been enough to suppress it.

Now that everything had quieted down, it returned without restraint.

Ethel ignored it.

Partly because he had already decided to resist it...

But mostly because he was simply exhausted.

Right now, all he wanted was sleep.

After washing up, he collapsed onto the bed.

Sleep claimed him almost instantly.

But the voice had no intention of letting him rest so easily.

Ethel dreamed.

He was backed against a wall.

There was nowhere left to run.

Within the darkness ahead, a blurred figure slowly emerged.

The light was too dim to make out its face.

All he could tell was that it was coming closer.

Why...

The voice repeated itself over and over.

As the figure approached, more of it became visible.

A skeletal hand.

So thin it barely looked human.

Its skin was covered in scars.

It gripped a bloodstained knife.

Step by step, it advanced toward Ethel.

Why did you go...?

Why didn't you listen to me...?

I loved you so much...

WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY—!!

The voice twisted into a shrill, inhuman scream.

The figure lunged forward.

The bloody knife plunged straight into Ethel's chest.

Ethel shot upright in bed.

The sensation of being stabbed had felt horrifyingly real.

Panicking, he frantically checked his body.

"...Why..."

"...won't you let me go...?"

Alone in the darkness, Ethel whispered those words to himself.

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