NOVEL NEXT WORLD “We need to eliminate it.”
silence
All eyes in the room turned toward the speaker.
For a moment, the air in the room felt as though it froze in place, trapped in silence.
“We need to eliminate it before another incident like 163-18 occurs. I won’t just sit back and watch that kind of catastrophe unfold again.”
Yet, he seemed unfazed by the surrounding atmosphere or the gazes of others, reiterating his determination once more.
A massive anomaly appeared from a dimension gate, causing widespread disaster.
The previous management office had endured painful losses to stop it.
Fearing a repeat of the past, he was adamantly advocating for the disposal of the newly emerged anomalous entity.
“But, that anomalous entity is currently cooperating with the isolation procedure, isn’t it?”
“So that’s exactly why we need to eliminate it now. There’s no guarantee it won’t suddenly go on a rampage at any moment!”
An elderly woman seated opposite chimed in.
According to the report she received, the anomalous entity that appeared in Base 17 was described as having a rather docile nature, unlike previous entities.
However, to the man who understood the dangers of dimension gates and the anomalies that emerged from them, such details in the report were irrelevant.
Despite the woman’s valid comments, he showed no signs of bending his argument.
“You talk a good game. But do you really know how to eliminate that entity? If you fail, it’ll just end up being a complete disaster.”
Another voice suddenly interrupted the discussion.
Unlike the previous speaker, this voice was much deeper and gruffer.
He seemed displeased with the man’s remarks, yet he brought up past incidents to counter the opposing speaker.
“Have you forgotten what happened last time due to your indecisive attitude?”
“Well, I’m not like some idiots who blow up perfectly functioning projects due to their paranoia.”
“Don’t put that on me—”
The man’s face twisted at the careless jibe that touched on his weaknesses.
He opened his mouth to retort something else, but—
“That’s enough, everyone. We’re not here to fight.”
The voice, carrying a subtle strength, filled the space, causing the small uproar to cease like a lie, and all eyes in the room fell upon its owner.
“…Manager.”
The Manager.
The highest-ranking observer and supreme authority of the Management Office of Abnormal Phenomena.
Even in a gathering of those holding the most important positions within the office, his words were absolute.
The man who had been voicing his opinions just moments ago momentarily fell silent at the Manager’s statement, but soon opened his mouth again to persuade him.
“Manager, you must understand the seriousness of this situation. You know well what kind of havoc those entities from dimension gates have caused in the past.”
“I know. And I’m well aware of how much damage they’ve inflicted.”
The Manager affirmed the man’s words.
In his consciousness, the shadow of significant past events loomed, as he knew all too well what had transpired before the closure of the dimension gate.
Nevertheless, despite this knowledge, the Manager was reluctant to act as the man suggested.
“But I have a different opinion regarding this newly emerged entity. Okto?”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Could you provide the results of the analysis on the video footage you mentioned earlier? If your opinion hasn’t changed, that is.”
As the Manager called out a name, the elderly woman replied.
With several hand gestures toward the desk, a transparent screen emerged before them, and soon the footage of monsters rampaging in Base 17 began to vividly display.
“After compiling the footage with no losses, it seems that the entity that appeared in Base 17 is undoubtedly the previously lost 744th anomaly.
Of course, there were significant differences from what we had known about the 744th before… but considering the mischief that Omega-Minor has caused until now, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“Those cultists again. Did you manage to find any remaining traces?”
“No. Aside from a brief clip of the 321st anomaly entering the isolation room, they left no trace in any video records, just like before.”
“Damn it. Those pesky bastards.”
A clicking of the tongue resonated from the deep voice.
This momentarily halted the woman’s speech, but she carried on unbothered.
“The 744th, merged with the 321st anomaly, immediately went on a killing spree throughout Base 17, slaughtering all visible personnel. In the process, a multitude of replicas were generated, almost reaching a sigma-level threat, but….”
On a blueprint resembling Base 17, countless red dots indicating replicas were marked.
And those red dots began to multiply at an alarming rate—
“…However, the 163-19 anomalous entity has been confirmed to have neutralized all of those anomalies and their replicas.”
Centered around a certain point, the number of replicas decreased at a pace faster than they could replicate, as if being swept away by waves.
“And after reviewing the body cams of agents who were engaged at Base 17, it appears that the 163-19 anomalous entity not only dealt with the 744th anomaly but also seemed to have other specific intentions.”
Another video popped up on the screen.
The previous chaotic monsters filled the view again.
However, rather than the slaughtered people, the footage revealed something smashing the monsters at a speed that was hard to comprehend.
“It almost looked like it was there to rescue people.”
The final image was that of a girl, mercilessly stomping on a monster.
With this, the woman concluded her explanation.
“…It could also be a deception. You never know when it might change its mind.”
“Of course. After all, there have been numerous entities like that in the past. Just recalling the incident caused by the 1084th anomaly still churns my stomach.”
The man still couldn’t shake off his suspicion. The Manager appeared to somewhat agree, recalling a past incident.
“But coming to the conclusion to eliminate the entity just based on ‘what if’ isn’t acceptable. We already have the precedent of 032, don’t we? Surely, you don’t want to repeat that case.”
“That’s… no. That’s not it.”
However, he didn’t want to compare this incident to the past.
Above all, hadn’t something irreparable already happened because of that?
Hasty decisions could potentially turn against them.
He had no intention of partaking in a repeat of the venom he had already swallowed once.
“Then, what do you propose we do from now on? I agree that it has been cooperative so far, but we can’t disregard the possibility of a worst-case scenario.”
The deep voice raised a question.
While he had opposed the man’s endless elimination plans, he could hardly just leave such a powerful anomalous entity unrestrained.
Anomalies were anomalies, after all.
From their perspective of protecting humanity, having a safety mechanism in place to prepare for any unforeseen events was essential.
“You don’t need to worry about that. We have a spacetime-stabilizing immobile device. At least during its use, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
When the Manager replied, the man nodded slightly, as if reassured by that.
Indeed, it wouldn’t be difficult to capture a physically defined entity with that device.
Of course, directly applying it to a rampaging entity would be as tough as tying a bell around a cat’s neck…
However, thinking of the report indicating that the anomalous entity was cooperating with isolation, there shouldn’t be any significant issues in applying it.
“And just earlier, I received a rather promising proposal….”
The Manager cast a sidelong glance at something beside him.
He seemed to weigh his thoughts on it briefly before stating—
“For now, let’s just observe.”
With that remark, he no longer spoke another word.
*
In a dark space.
People clad in anachronistic clothing adorned with modern equipment were gathered.
Their gazes were entirely fixated on one spot.
A video depicting a girl smashing bizarre monsters.
They couldn’t tear their eyes away from the screen streaming that footage, and as a debris flew towards the camera, breaking it, the video suddenly cut off.
Finally, one of them broke the long silence, speaking up.
“…Huh.”
A voice filled with awe emerged from the figure clad in medieval knight armor.
A pure exclamation that didn’t even form complete words.
He thought he had grown fully accustomed to such occurrences.
Yet the image of the girl on the screen was far beyond anything he had imagined.
“Remarkable, isn’t it?”
Another voice resonated from behind him.
It was the monk dressed in a traditional robe with his face completely covered, now layered with tactical gear.
He had recently made an appearance at Base 17.
“I… I never thought something like that could exist.”
The knight in armor murmured in disbelief.
However, he realized what he just said and quickly clarified, his tone hastily attempting to assure he meant no offense.
“I—I didn’t mean to doubt the divine presence! I just thought… there would be a certain level of metaphorical expression—”
“Whoa, it’s alright. Just calm down. I didn’t mean to test your faith, my brother.”
As the knight fumbled, the monk raised his palm, calming him.
While disbelief was a sin, the monk didn’t feel like questioning that sin in this context.
After all, he himself hadn’t fully believed it until he witnessed it firsthand.
“Are you okay with not meeting her? In that chaos, you had every opportunity to make contact.”
“Well, the circumstances weren’t ideal for a first meeting. There wasn’t enough time left.”
“If you wish, we can arrange a meeting at any moment.”
“No, that’s fine. Patience is a vital element that makes fruits sweet. On the contrary, rushing leads to disaster, doesn’t it?”
Even in light of the nun’s repeated suggestions, the monk shook his head.
After all, time was on their side.
Forcing a chance encounter wouldn’t bring about positive results.
He would merely wait patiently for the right moment to arrive.
“For now… let’s just observe.”
After the monk’s words concluded, the screen that had crackled and fizzled out went dark.
Simultaneously, the faint light that had emanated from the screen vanished, leaving behind the echo of silence, as if nothing had ever been there.