Grey: Monsters

Earlier,

Carrying the injured woman on his back, Nagato sped through the area, trying his best to avoid getting involved in the fierce battle between the two towering Nephilim.

The lab base, where they had rescued the young women, was now in sight. Given that the woman had been in pain the entire time he had been running, Nagato decided to take a break there and tend to her injury before heading to the South Gate. Though not entirely wise, it was the only action he could take to ease her pain.

Nagato laid her gently on the ground and examined her injury. Her ankle had been hit—not too badly, but the torn flesh and slightly fractured bone would undoubtedly cause discomfort.

He tore a strip from the woman's tattered clothes and wrapped it around her leg, massaging the injury a little and stretching and twisting her leg. She screamed in pain, but after that, they continued their journey.

Nagato lifted her back onto his shoulders and took off again; this time, she wasn't in as much pain.

Finally, they arrived. The journey from the other gate had been a total of seven kilometers.

Like the North Gate, the South Gate wasn't functioning due to the system jam caused by the initial horde attack, hinting at a deliberate sabotage.

Nagato approached the elevator and pressed the button. Fortunately, it was working. They entered, and it took them to the top of the wall, where he gently laid her down.

"It will be… alright," Nagato murmured in his usual low, soft voice.

The young woman looked at him and nodded. "Thank you."

Nagato turned his gaze toward the battle between Xeno and Wolot. It felt like it was reaching its end, and he suspected it was. His mind swirled with questions; he was certain that taking down Xeno would answer most of them.

"I'll be going back now… I'll tell them to rescue you… when the helicopters get here," Nagato said, and she nodded. He then took the elevator back down to the base and set off toward the battle site.

After a long run, as expected, he arrived to find the fight had already concluded, with Wolot apparently the victor.

Nagato's eyes landed on Ryuma, lying lifeless on the ground. He wondered why Ryuma had been in the midst of the Nephilim battle. What had he been looking for here?

Wolot reached out, about to grab Ryuma.

Nagato unstrapped his quincy, which merged with his suit to form a long blade. He kicked forward, slicing through the air, and severed Wolot's hand, then stood protectively over Ryuma, pointing his blade at Wolot.

"Another human? Your kind doesn't learn quickly, does it?" Wolot mocked.

By now, seeing Nephilim speaking human languages wasn't surprising to them anymore.

The severed hand transformed into a clone and carried Ryuma away. By the time Nagato realized it, it was almost too late, but he leapt into the air, reaching to free Ryuma, only to be caught in Wolot's grip.

Wolot's grasp tightened, nearly crushing Nagato. Nagato transformed his quincy into a gun and fired from within, obliterating Wolot's hand.

Wolot stared in amazement.

Nagato landed on the ground, aimed the gun at the clone holding Ryuma, and shot it, blowing the clone's head into pieces. He quickly grabbed Ryuma before he fell to the ground.

Though he appeared to be handling the situation, Nagato was already at his limit. He had been running since he rescued the woman, with barely any time to rest, and now had to fight a battle-model Nephilim while protecting someone.

"You humans are all the same. Weak and fragile, barely managing strength thanks to the suits you wear. Without them, you're nothing. The only human who made my battle worthwhile was that woman, she was the only true fighter among you. Well then, I must reduce my size to take you on since you're the only one standing in my way."

As he spoke, Wolot shrank but retained his Nephilim form.

Nagato was taken aback but concealed his shock, focusing on finding an opening to escape with Ryuma. Getting Ryuma to safety was now his priority.

"Well then."

Wolot charged forward, appearing in front of Nagato, ready to punch. Nagato shifted his quincy to counter, swinging it downward, but Wolot disappeared, reappearing at Nagato's side, and kicked him, sending him crashing into a building.

Wolot didn't let up, closing in on him with a barrage of punches. Nagato managed to block some with his quincy, but others landed cleanly on his face.

Nagato reverted his Quincy to a blade and swung it sideways, but Wolot leaped back, evading the strike.

"I'm in a hurry. Cooperate, and I'll make your death quick and painless; resist, and I might leave you to what's coming next, and trust me, you'll wish I were the one to end your life. So, what's it going to be, human? Will you cooperate and let me kill you, or resist and take your chances?"

Nagato charged at Wolot, as if he hadn't heard a word, swinging his blade swiftly and severing Wolot's hand. It seemed Wolot had offered it willingly. As Nagato prepared to deliver the final blow, the severed hand transformed and struck him away.

Nagato crashed into a wall and coughed up blood. That last hit was brutal, so much so that he struggled to stand. But he did.

"Let me guess, you came to rescue the hybrid. So, what will happen if he dies here and now?"

Wolot picked up a long metal rod with a sharp end and approached Ryuma, who was still unconscious, unaware of everything happening.

Wolot raised the rod to stab Ryuma, but Nagato lunged forward, dodging the clone and raising his blade to strike Wolot.

"There it is."

Wolot smirked, twisting his body to dodge Nagato's blade, then appearing behind him and driving the rod into Nagato's gut from behind.

Nagato staggered forward and sank to his knees, staring at the sharp metal protruding from his abdomen as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Wolot's stoic face.

"I was told that emotions make us alive. We KI know nothing of emotions. We only understand them by observing other species and seeing how they react to certain events. I imagine you hate me now. I'll never understand how you feel; I'll never understand hate. To be honest, I was never angry, never felt hatred toward Xeno. His actions only left me… confused. Why? I wanted to understand why he did what he did…"

Wolot glanced at Ryuma, then back at Nagato.

"…I guess I'll never understand how emotions truly work."

Wolot pulled the rod out of Nagato and raised it again.

"Nnrrggh!"

Nagato groaned, raised his blade, and leapt up to strike Wolot. But before he could, another rod pierced him from behind. It was from the clone.

Wolot then drove his own blade into Nagato's chest, forcing him to his knees.

Nagato's breathing grew shallow and labored, blood spilling from the three punctures in his body, each one aimed at a vital organ.

"I tried to make it painless," Wolot said.

Nagato reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of his sister, tears slipping from his eyes as he caressed it before exhaling his last breath.

"Nn!... Where the fuck am I?"

Ryuma had just woken up, stretching and yawning like someone coming out of a deep sleep. He scanned the area, his gaze landing on Nagato, with two metal rods pierced through him, and Wolot standing firmly before him.

"What the fuck happened here?"