Digital Edition Bonus: Her Encounter
When the Debris invasion, once confined to certain regions, began to spread worldwide, the so-called Apex Species started to appear—entities so incomprehensible they defied understanding.
These Apex Species were on a whole different level from the Lesser or Pure breeds we’d fought before. Humanity, barely clinging to its last scraps of decency, had no choice but to cross a line to take them down.
If we didn’t act, humanity would be extinct. No question.
The United Nations Forces started rounding up people from across the globe for DOD—Dozification.
I couldn’t help but give a bitter smirk.
What’s even left after this war ends?
Struggling to survive is noble. Facing a natural enemy to preserve the species is only natural.
But no matter how much your head gets it, humans have emotions. Those emotions instinctively reject DOD.
Speaking as someone who’s already been modified beyond return, let me tell you: surviving this hell only leads to another hell. I learned that the hard way this past year.
For the sake of duty, for faith in the mission, for self-sacrifice, all I got was this body that’s no longer human and a trampled sense of pride.
Now the UN Forces are planning to churn out hollowed-out humans like me on a global scale. The absurdity of it all just makes me laugh.
Humanity’s probably going to fall as far as it can go.
To stay human, we’re throwing away every ounce of humanity we have.
Or maybe I’m just cynical. Maybe winning this war will justify it all.
I don’t know…
All I feel is a faint loneliness at the thought of more people sharing my fate.
Two months after the UN Forces issued their massive conscription call, soldiers started pouring into the Winnipeg Air Force Base, where a Type-B Bayonetta Apex Species had been spotted.
I’d heard they were gathering hundreds of thousands from around the world, but… looking around, there’s maybe two hundred people here.
What the hell? This is nowhere near enough to take on a Bayonetta Apex Species. It’s pure madness.
Have we finally been abandoned…? As I approach the arriving soldiers, I notice something off.
They’re all heavily DOD-modified. Some of the mech-soldiers are equipped with weapons I’ve never even seen.
And there are a few special bio-soldiers too—not quite at my level, but close.
How many lives did the UN Forces sacrifice to assemble this kind of firepower? The desperation behind this conscription hits me like a ton of bricks.
“Hic… N-Nee-sama… hic… Emily’s body… hic… Emily’s body…!”
“It’s okay, Emily… Rio will… Rio will protect you…”
My gaze shifts to a pair of crying twin women.
Early twenties, maybe? They’re trembling, clutching their limbs.
Probably overwhelmed by the DOD procedure. Emily, the one sobbing hysterically, must feel something wrong with her limbs.
I’m used to it by now, but for a normal person, that’s how it’d be.
They’ve likely undergone mechanization—limbs severed and replaced with Debris-based weaponry.
No one with a shred of normalcy would agree to “We’re cutting off your arms for prosthetics.” They were forced into it.
My chest aches.
Looking around, it’s nothing but despair. Everyone’s like these sisters, unable to process their mangled bodies.
Men, women, young, old—all drowned in hopelessness. It’s like staring into the depths of hell.
I grit my teeth, searing the scene into my memory.
I’ve lost everything. Abandoned by those I swore to protect.
At the very least, I want to protect these comrades who’ve fallen into the same fate. That’s the last mission I have left—or so I tell myself.
As I commit each face to memory, one guy stands out.
Amid the sobbing, there’s a kid wandering around with a book titled Master English in a Week!
Around my age, black hair, black eyes—probably Japanese, judging by the book’s cover.
He’s throwing out shaky “Hello, nice to meet you” lines in English. In this bleak atmosphere, he’s absurdly carefree.
No… he’s too out of place. What’s with this guy…?
Before I know it, I’m calling out to him.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh? Uh… ‘What are you doing’ means… what, again…?”
He frantically flips through his book.
Yup, Japanese. I can speak Japanese.
“Are you Japanese? I speak it too, so let’s stick to that.”
“Whoa, for real? You speak Japanese? Awesome, I’ve got someone to talk to~!”
He snaps the book shut and faces me.
That unfiltered grin catches me off guard, and my face twists. His carefree vibe feels so out of touch, it’s almost infuriating.
Or… maybe he’s broken too. Maybe he’s acting cheery to avoid facing reality.
“Hey, if it’s cool, could you teach me some English? My skills aren’t cutting it for talking to people.”
“Talking…? We might not even be alive tomorrow, and you’re worried about that? Do you even get your situation?”
“I get it. But knowing English would help me get along with everyone, right? So, teach me.”
Scratch that. This guy’s just an idiot.
He’s got no clue about the battlefield. He’s so clueless, I almost feel sorry for him.
As I shoot him a pitying look, he doesn’t notice and flashes a huge smile.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
He sticks out his hand for a shake.
“I’m Takashi Shibuzaki. Nice to meet ya!”
“Natalie Turquoise Pinkstar. Well, nice to meet you… until we die, I guess.”
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