Performing the post-mortem report as ordered by the Executive Manager.

The entity was encountered around 1600 hours today… But we failed to immediately recognize its presence as we were in a low-light environment.

Thus, it can be said that our first real encounter was around 1610 hours today.

The entity was positioned next to candles and was furiously writing something down on a large book. It held what looked like a flaming quill pen in its hands.

It was quite dark in there without the properly lit candles, that… we had some trouble recognizing its shape.

I am unsure how it managed to write in that dark or how it continued to write, but… maybe its three eyeballs and the flaming quill pen worked as sort of reading lamps.

I surmise that it would exhibit attack patterns using lights. It would be best that we refrain from going on the offense until we can observe further and identify meaningful behavioral patterns of the entity.

Please consult this guide in your future commands.

Thank You.

→ … How long were we going to ‘refrain from going on the offense’ huh?

→ It has been determined that attacking the entity before lighting the candles around it was a fruitless effort. Our long standby appears to have been meaningless.

→ Misjudgements are common occurrences in battles. I have taken responsibility for my mistake by taking the candles’ attacks. (Some of the letters glisten with what appears to be wax drippings.)

Though the battle progressed in a much different manner than I had initially expected, I will continue to write this report according to my findings.

We engaged with the entity in a meaningful capacity around 2215 hours today.

Its strategies are quite elementary. In a way, it announces its attacks from a mile away—not the most sound strategy in modern warfare, in my opinion.

After some time, or after the Sinners lit the Candles, it will recognize that it is under attack. That is when the entity will engage in a full frontal attack against its enemies.

This means that we have plenty of time to strategize before it shows its full force.

There could be multiple strategies to fight it, yes. But… since we have the numerical advantage, and since the formerly aggressive Candles will no longer be hostile, all we need to do is to not let our guards down.

If it trumps our ally in a contest of strength due to their incompetence, however, it will trigger the entity to commence a wide-ranging attack that could strike all of us at once.

The flames will constantly flicker on and off, so it would be important to keep a close eye on them as we battle.

Concluding the report.

Thank you.

Additional intel has come to light, so I will add an addendum to the report.

I have devised a plan to minimize our losses against this enemy.

Remember, the entity can recognize our presence only when the Candles are lit. Therefore, snuffing out the Candles as the entity was preparing to attack us has proven quite effective.

Once darkness descended, it had much trouble directing its attacks toward us… eventually destroying itself with its own attacks. Foolish.

Oh, and there is an additional addendum I must add to this report.

The book the entity was holding does not seem to be a normal book. Although it did not occur every time, a single glimpse of the book was enough to cause intense headaches and confusion in the Sinners.

Please consult the above information in your future commands.

Concluding the report.

Thank you.

Um… So, that green clam, right?

It reminded me a lot of one of those Trash Crabs. Like the green slime, the ocean smell… you know.

It looked and acted like… a clam. I think. It had these shells that were shut tight.

… Though the Clams I’ve seen before didn’t have arms or legs like this one.

And… they weren't as big as this one.

We decided to wait and see for a bit before attacking, and… its shells would open up.

And in there was some… gurgling, bubbling green liquid that was spilling out of it, and… oh.

Yeah… There were some weird… larva-like things in there, and…

(There is a mark on the page. Something wet dripped here and dried.)

→ Huh? What’s this here? Where’d the lad go without finishing the log?

→ If by ‘lad’ you refer to Sinclair, I witnessed him leaving hurriedly to the deck. I could tell from his pale countenance that he was, like myself, suffering from seasickness…

→ Augh, bloody hell! That’s disgusting!

→ A closer observation of the residue reveals that it is perspiration, not vomit. Do not worry; this will not have a negative effect on the cleanliness of the records.

→ Fau… I didn’t need to hear that either…

Its shell… was too durable.

We could strike at it for ages and it won’t break. It’s like our attacks were doing nothing…

Oh, uh… I did try something, though.

Since my halberd’s pretty long, I thought that maybe I could wedge it between the clam’s shells and try to twist it open by pressing it down…

I learned it in school, uh… what was it again? Like a counterweight on a lever…

Well… it didn’t work, though. All it managed to do was to break my halberd in half.

But I think I learned something from that experiment.

When the thing’s shells are shut, green slime seems to gather around it, making sure that the shells would stay shut.

So while I couldn’t open it… I was able to tear some of the slime off, at least.

Maybe getting rid of those slimes first could help us open it up and attack its softer parts?

→ Hmph, why did you not record the part where you flailed wildly with the broken pieces of your halberd, soldier?

→ H-how is that relevant?!

→ That is pertinent information. Despite your ineffectual attempts at drawing their attention, the larvae from the entity’s effluvia instead opted to attack allies that were in a better state than you were.

→ This was a meaningful discovery. However, your meaningless struggle with an ineffective weapon could have been a part of this record as well.

→ … Meursault… Faust… come on…

There was a pearl inside the Clam.

… I don’t even know if it’s right to call it a pearl. All I saw was that odd, twinkling light inside the bubbling toxin.

But I’m sure that twinkling light… is this Abnormality’s core.

… It’s just a shame that we had to suffer so much before getting the chance to attack its pearl.

I-I guess I’m starting to understand… now. Or maybe I’ve just grown used to it.

We’ve always had to sacrifice ourselves to solve anything, after all…

→ Glad you’re learning something new, kiddo… but how about this? Say… like, not just standing around in an emergency?

→ No need to coddle him about it. Oi, we all died because you were busy celebrating, goin’ “I-I did it!” after getting the clam’s gob open.

→ … Sorry…

Allow me to describe this grand and epic beast!

‘Twas in the form of a pelagic creature, yet ‘twas also levitating where there was no water!

Hm, I am unsure if I could refer to it as its ‘back’. Howbeit, the creature’s back was riddled with lengthy, incandescent, fluorescent light rods.

Their purpose could not be told… yet are they not akin to pretty trinkets? Behold, ‘tis slowly glowing and dimming!

I wished to grow nearer to pet the creature, yet my fellows have held me back with all their might… shame!

Aha! I spy a chance! (The following records are indecipherable, as though they were soaked in water before the ink had the chance to dry)

→ I assigned her the task of recording the larger Abnormalities to prevent similar occurrences such as the one with… the chickens. Yet… unexpected incidents seem to occur regardless of the Abnormality’s size.

→ … I would appreciate it if you could please share with us which Sinner you had chosen to write the records afore our first encounters with the Abnormalities.

→ So this is the first time I’m experiencing the sensation of drowning 12 times. Simultaneously. … Let’s… try not to make this a repeat occurrence. Please…

We had a kerfuffle!

Soon after the kerfuffle began, it immediately flooded the area, submerging not only itself but our fine company as well!

… Ah, I am feeling a terrible bundle of guilt for what the mistake that I have committed out of mine impatience has wrought. Prithee, understand that I had to…

Yet! ‘Twas I! Who hath, earlier than anyone,

… figured out the function of those fluorescent light-sticks!

What may be the function of those light-sticks, you ask? They are none other than tools that allows us to breathe! Using that stick, I was able to breathe underwater!

Though I am yet unaware of the reason, the sticks are rather prone to breaking and shattering! ‘Tis a conundrum indeed… If this be a tool for breathing, then why is it so brittle, one must wonder!

So, I had a thought! If this sea-beast makes us unable to breathe… what if I were to share this stick among us?!

Just as I had thought! Breaking the stick to pieces and sharing them with mine comrades allowed us to breathe!

Forsooth, we may now properly focus on battling the sea-beast…!

‘Tis nothing of much import, yet I shall impart thee a few more words of advice!

Once we were allowed to breathe, there was naught too difficult about the way the sea-beast battled! The moment we are availed air is a moment of our victory, forsooth!

Yet I scribble on, in hopes of reducing the harm it may regardless deliver unto mine allies!

The sticks one may break off the sea-beast are rather sharp.

As I have written afore, its primary means of attack is to body-slam us with its rather sizeable bulk.

Now, combine these two truths together!

I, Don Quixote, hath come across a revelation!

What if we were to shatter the sticks into sharp, pointy pieces and draw the sea-beast’s attention…?

We may foil its charge by placing it between us and the sea-beast! Truly a plan capable of capturing two birds with one stone, is it not?

Outis called it… called it… barry? I believe Outis called it a barry-kate!

A strategy oft used in warfare, indeed.

Let this be a useful guide to thee, dear Manager Esquire!

I once looked up to her.

There was a time when… I wanted to be just like her.

Maybe I didn’t really care about hunting the Whale.

Instead, I was… envious of her. For her ability to focus on something so hard to the point where others considered you insane. Having a reason to live, to have something you can dedicate your entire being to.

Ahab… Yeah. That’s the bait she sank into people’s hearts.

You don’t realize it until she drags you out to the surface with the hook in your mouth. Because through the water, she looked so radiant.

I was lucky.

When she used Stubb like a net to ensnare the entire crew, I managed to stay out of it.

If I hadn’t… I would’ve been one of her Pallidified crew by now.

… But that’s all I did. All I did was staying out of it.

I couldn’t—no. I thought I couldn’t do anything.

All I managed to do was… survive.

And all that’s left in my heart is vengeance. Obsession.

Even now… I’m burning with the desire to squeeze the very life out of her.

I once looked up to her.

There was a time when… I wanted to be just like her.

Maybe I didn’t really care about hunting the Whale.

Instead, I was… envious of her. For her ability to focus on something so hard to the point where others considered you insane. Having a reason to live, to have something you can dedicate your entire being to.

Ahab… Yeah. That’s the bait she sank into people’s hearts.

You don’t realize it until she drags you out to the surface with the hook in your mouth. Because through the water, she looked so radiant.

I was lucky.

When she used Stubb like a net to ensnare the entire crew, I managed to stay out of it.

If I hadn’t… I would’ve been one of her Pallidified crew by now.

… But that’s all I did. All I did was staying out of it.

I couldn’t—no. I thought I couldn’t do anything.

All I managed to do was… survive.

And all that’s left in my heart is vengeance. Obsession.

Even now… I’m burning with the desire to squeeze the very life out of her.

I once looked up to her.

There was a time when… I wanted to be just like her.

Maybe I didn’t really care about hunting the Whale.

Instead, I was… envious of her. For her ability to focus on something so hard to the point where others considered you insane. Having a reason to live, to have something you can dedicate your entire being to.

Ahab… Yeah. That’s the bait she sank into people’s hearts.

You don’t realize it until she drags you out to the surface with the hook in your mouth. Because through the water, she looked so radiant.

I was lucky.

When she used Stubb like a net to ensnare the entire crew, I managed to stay out of it.

If I hadn’t… I would’ve been one of her Pallidified crew by now.

… But that’s all I did. All I did was staying out of it.

I couldn’t—no. I thought I couldn’t do anything.

All I managed to do was… survive.

And all that’s left in my heart is vengeance. Obsession.

Even now… I’m burning with the desire to squeeze the very life out of her.

I never even had a moment of contentment as long as I was here at the manor, but… I at least lived like a human being when Mr. Earnshaw was alive.

Even then, Hindley was always looking for a chance to torture me, but… Mr. Earnshaw would always raise his cane and drag Hindley to his room.

Right. Mr. Earnshaw favored me. I had his affection.

The same affection that would’ve gone to Hindley had I not been there.

I was still a poor child with nothing to my name, but… to this bastard, that affection was what mattered the most.

Expensive augmentation procedures, his inheritance, all the Butlers who were to be in his service… none of that mattered more than his father’s love.

I knew that. Even as a boy, I had a knack for sussing out these things.

So, whenever Hindley would provoke me with my relationship to Catherine, I always shot back at him using his craving for his father’s love.

… That was the only way I could deny the truth that, at least in this manor, I was beneath him.

It must’ve been around then when he started blaming me for every single one of his misfortunes.

The fact that he never got that violin. The fact that his father stopped receiving his morning greetings.

Perhaps… even when he lost the manor to gambling, when he learned that Catherine left nothing for him in her will… he might've blamed me still.

Right. Maybe he did.

I thought something was off when he started talking so boldly at me, not even realizing what a mess he'd become.

Now… it looks like this blighter's just walking himself into hell.

Making himself look large and threatening, swinging his claws about with abandon… but I can see right through this façade.

I see a poor, abandoned dog. Abandoned by Mr. Earnshaw, cast out from Wuthering Heights.

A part of me just thinks he’s pathetic… but I also feel a bit of pity…

Tsk, all of that musing to say nothing in the end. Let’s put him out of his misery first.

Red things seeped from what resembles a rock.

Its nature could not be determined; it very well could be veins, muscle tissue, or aught else that carries blood. Thus the most ideal nomenclature for the fluid, for the moment, would be ‘red things’.

With its every movement, the four smaller rocks held by the red things wavered precariously.

It rolls its eyeball still, yet naught seems enough to stir it; it refuses to even ram us with its body.

Instead, it merely swings with what is in its grasp.

Though it oft lashes with two or so of what is grasped, it swings all four rocks at once, from time to time.

As those numbers must originate from its own conscious decisions… I consider this to be a living being.

In other words, I am, in turn, alive as well still.

I merely find it regrettable that the rock is no longer levitating.

It is quite miraculous that such a thin thing can endure the weight of such a heavy boulder… Yet, as it is attached to the earth, it is self-evident truth that it can no longer be said to be in a state of levitation.

What has once levitated, though bereft of wings, has fallen to the earth.

And the rock vacillates hither to thither, fettered to the swaying red thing with no freedom to call its own.

Though its form has changed, its nature remains that it is a lazy living being.

Yet, it may also be said that such staunch resilience to change may itself be a form of assiduity.

What changes is slothfulness, yet what changes not is diligence.

What an odd sophistry.

Such is all I have to say.

→ I.D.K.W.T.H.H.T.A.

→ C’mon, mate. Even the incomprehensible lass can’t understand what the hell you’re talking about. Write plainly for once, yeah?

→ I believe that this record was composed in quite the luculent incontrovertibility…

→ Lucu— Incontro— Haah. C’mon, Yi Sang. You’re doing this on purpose at this point, aren't ya?

→ … I have naught else to say.

Looks like it’s bloomed a bit more than before, doesn’t it? It looks a bit greener.

I remember it looking completely dried out, like it’s about to wither away… Not that it’s gotten any easier on the eyes, that is.

Now it has three flower heads and stems stretched out like limbs. I think I saw a tail, too… It’s only gotten more unsettling to look at.

Maybe it devoured a human or something. It’s got plenty of blood on its sharp and fearsome teeth that reminds me of a catfish's…

Actually, never mind that. There’s something weird about these things.

The monster snatched us up using its roots… stems… or whatever it is… like arms.

And immediately devoured us like a starving beast.

But… after it devoured us, it immediately spat us back out like it tasted something awful. I suppose this means that it didn’t eat us for nutrients. Not that it could, given that I didn’t see any digestive tracts or any other organs for that purpose.

But it kept trying and trying… to shove something in its maws.

Not because it’s hungry, not because it needs the nutrients…

Knowing that its stomach, if it even exists, can’t be filled.

Maybe, at the end of the day, this monster doesn’t even need to eat.

Maybe it’s all about the desire to devour. And that’s all it’s got.

Like I was myself, not so long ago.

→ Do you still remember the things she said?

→ Well… I doubt I’ll ever forget what that bastard said, but that’s all. I might turn around to look at the path I sailed through… but I’m not going back.

Allow me to describe Sir Heathcliff!

(There used to be records of Don Quixote’s subjective opinions regarding Heathcliff here, but it’s gone now. Erased by Faust, most likely.)

… Allow me to describe Sir Heathcliff, who had transformed into a wolf...

Mayhap it has aught to do with the fact that they are both wolven, yet I saw quite a bit of similarities between Sir Heathcliff and Hindley! The mournful look, for one!

Hmmmmm, howbeit, Sir Heathcliff was much more fierce and wrathful! I sensed much more stubbornness and bullheadedness in him than in Hindley.

The greatest contrast may be the fact that Sir Heathcliff’s eyes were gleaming with violet light, and that he carried a sack attached to his body by a chain!

Indeed, the selfsame sack he swung in battle afore! Whoosh! He doth the very same even in his wolven form!

I had thought that he was swinging with abandon, yet there was method to his madness! Oft did I espy him targeting strategically, as though he was out on a hunt! It appeared that he primarily targeted those who destroyed the chain.

Thus we sought to flank him, hoping that this indicated a frail body… alas! His entire body was ironclad, covered from head to paw with sturdy metal plates!

Hm, ‘twas quite difficult to strike his back thanks to the numerous thorns on his back, and… Ah! Verily, attacking a friend was, in of itself, a difficult task indeed! Prithee, let there be no misunderstanding regarding my stance on the matter!

Well, we still did return Sir Heathcliff back to his usual self with our combined might! Let thee never change again!

Aha! Forsooth, worry not should thee find thyself changed again! We shall beat thee senseless back to thy original form!

→ I-I wish there was a different way to bring people back. It looked like he was in a lot of pain whenever we hit him...

→ Then I shall beat him less painfully!

→ That’s not at all what I’m talking about...

→ We lack the sufficient information regarding Distortions to devise a different plan of action. Even if we were to discover a way, there is no guarantee that it is something universally applicable. Therefore, I conclude that we must prioritize suppression via martial strength. However, if you consider inflicting pain to be an unsavory element in the process, utilizing weaker strikes may be an alternative method.

→ You know what…? Nevermind.

… Haah, an even bigger version of these sods, eh.

It’s grown even bigger than before… like it’s gotten physical augmentations or something.

It stabs with its horn-like hands instead of pecking us with its beaks.

It’s just as irritatin’ when it hits me, but… the red water’s now hot like lava. That’s another layer of difficulty.

When it stabs the ground, pillars of fire burst from the earth. Now I see why the Backstreets blokes say that we should avoid death by fire at all costs.

These bastards, they keep… getting in my way. Glarin’ at me fierce with their blood-red eyes, bursting with flames from the top of its head...

What the hell does it even have to be so mad about?

I’m the one that’s frustrated. This… this awful feeling, like I’m about to burst. Like I’m trapped in.

Look, I don’t even have the time to waste on writing shite like this...

I’ve got to go. Right before me, there’s— (The log continues, but whatever was there is now scorched and illegible.)

The mass of flesh... has only gotten larger.

It was still lifting its upper body, like it's preparing to... pound on something.

The giant... mouth that was almost like its head... split even further, to the point where its entire body seemed to become a vertical maw.

Its flesh is just as awful as before. That unpleasant, rotten fruit-like texture...

Ah, yeah... it still has those hands inside its maw, but...

... they've merged together, their nerves and muscle tissue seemingly... all twisted into one big arm. It's no longer in that weird spiral.

The hand at the end of that arm tried to grab anything it could get a grip on...

Its eye rolling around furiously to find something that could... fill it up.

But the hand was so unwieldy, like it wasn't made to grab things in the first place...

Eventually, when it failed to grab anything properly, it turned into something like... a nail or a stake, and impaled us...

Which means that... the...

Ah... I'm sorry... I'm feeling a bit nauseous. I promise I'll finish this entry next time...

→ Huh? Where's the rest of the report, then?

→ It must've reminded him of that friend from school~

→ If I was the lad, I won't be callin' that girl a 'friend'.

→ I think we have everything we need? Don't worry about coming back to this, Sinclair.

→ Indeed. This appears to be sufficient information to constitute a report.

→ ... Thanks.

Human hands and arms are not only parts of a body, but also indispensable tools of creation.

From creating small trinkets, to simple mechanisms, to the complicated designs of Workshop weaponry.

They are tools given to humans at the moment of birth; tools used to bring humanity to endless heights.

That is why the second Pride has free use of its arms.

Yet, the fact that it remains bound to a wheel must originate from the comfort-seeking part of the freedom availed by the two free, dextrous arms.

Yet Pride will not, as humans have done, use their greatest tools only for creation.

It will thrash and rip with its arms and hands... and inevitably be a part of some destruction.

Its motivation for such violence is simple.

Because it can.

→ It is a tragic thing for an invention to grow distant from the mind that first conceived it. A greater sorrow is that such is true of most creations of men. Including those of my design...

→ Does it have to be tragic? Destruction is but a beautiful part of creation.

→ Such is also not necessarily an incorrect sentiment.

Woah~ Looks like this Abnormality is a hunter with a rose growing on top of his head~

He arrived like the wind, riding a handsome steed with roses blooming from its eyes.

I was so surprised, because when we first met, he greeted me by throwing that lasso at me!

He kept tugging the lasso, which kept pulling me away from everyone... that was a bit troublesome.

It could've been pretty bad if Ryōshū hadn't chopped the lasso.

Good thing it could be cut, because I remember some unbreakable ropes from back home.

I was worried that this might've been the same, but looks like it's not too hard to break Mr. Hunter's ropes!

→ So... the Abnormality didn't hesitate to bind everyone, but... why did he keep whipping me and just me, I wonder?

→ It appears to prefer ensnaring and whipping targets with psychological weaknesses. That must be why its whips focused that much on Sinclair.

→ Ohh~ Well, Sinclair does have very delicate sensibilities, like a sugar sculpture.

→ Thanks for the... compliment...

→ S.S.O.F.T.

The more people he's got bound, the faster Mr. Hunter seems to get.

Shouldn't he get slower if he has that much to carry?

Maybe having so many people lasso'd up like this is making the horse excited.

Or, maybe he has to hurry somewhere with so many people tied to himself?

Hmm, then why might that be, I wonder?

Shouldn't homeward journeys be an opportunity to see more things, to experience as much as possible?

Going too fast with tunnel vision might cause you to miss so many things.

→ Well, can't help gettin' right impatient when goin' back, eh?

→ Agreed, for once. There is no need to dally on a return journey. The faster it is, the better it is.

→ I meant to ask— So what got you so rearing to go back to that manor, Heathcliff?

→ Huh... that's a good question. Yeah, what was up with all the rush back then? Whoever sent the letter wasn't even there at the manor.

→ Oi, you— (Something used to be scribbled here in violent anger, but it's gone now)

→ Let's stop bringing that up, guys.

Mr. Hunter is probably a very Obsessive gentleman.

I couldn't avoid his lasso throws, no matter how much I tried.

He kept throwing more and more lassos, and every time he did... he grew increasingly accurate.

He even started throwing two lassos at the same time, without a single miss, too!

Ah, but he had a hard time avoiding our attacks because he was so focused on throwing his lassos.

That makes me wonder, though. Why didn't he just run off once he had all of us in snares?

Maybe he wasn't exactly looking to capture us?

Then, maybe his purpose was to wear us down as soon as possible so he could leave here.

And if that was his purpose... I wonder what he was trying to capture with that thorny lasso?

I'd like to ask him if we can meet again.

→ It is likely that this entity is in pursuit of the apple, considering the encounter in the Mirror Dungeon.

→ So he must've been desperately searching for something. I've know a few people like that back home, I understand~

→ Oh... didn't your little sister say that... your family was looking for you?

→ They must really miss me. Hehe, I'm glad.

I'm glad this one isn't so gross-looking~

But... uh, doesn't it look a bit... creepy instead?

A teddy bear's gotta look soft, plushy, and cutesy, am I right?

It's got burst seams everywhere, and... a buncha nails protruding in and out of it.

And it's got the gall to ask us for hugs... like, who'd wanna hug this thing?

There's more. Once we played along, it kept getting more aggressive...

Hm? Ohh, I've an idea! How about we just ignore it completely?

Let's not play its games and just press the offensive. Attack, attack, attack.

Y'know what I mean, right? That strat Dante sometimes suggests where we gotta attack 'em, throwin' caution to the wind, goin' down swinging.

I might be wrong, but... hey, it's kinda plausible, right?

Dante, let's try my strat this time. Hm?

→ I wouldn't say that the "goin' down swinging" part is true, but... it's an idea. Let's try it.

→ Mm... its claw attacks are more painful than expected. Let's try a different approach.

→ It can be inferred from this attempt that complete neglect may provoke anger.

→ Darn... Then how about this? Let's all play with it together next time.

Okay... so playing with it all together was not the solution either, huh...

It got rougher and rougher, until it suddenly hugged all of us! Like, like a huge bear hug!

And the nails inside its body started stabbing us in the process, and...

Ugh! Awful, awful stuff. Getting stabbed has got to be the worst sensation.

What now? We can't neglect it, we can't play with it, so...

Hm, maybe it's got something to do with the teddy bear's... mood?

You guys felt it too, right? It's like... y'know, that oddly sad feeling?

Every time we played with it, that 'feeling' seemed to diminish a little.

So here's what we gotta do. Don't play with it too much, but also don't completely neglect it.

Play with it just the right amount.

→ Ill rests my heart at the sight of that faint sorrow, though my head knew well that it is but an Abnormality.

→ Right. So we've just got to... kick its arse just the right amount, then?

→ Just the right amount of entertainment may be permitted, but I will not tolerate a careless approach to battle

→ So... what exactly is 'just the right amount'...?

When it started runnin' at me all aggressive to hug me again, I thought it was gonna be my death # whatever today.

But... it wasn't.

It hugged me so tightly, but I felt so... comfy and warm.

It didn't hurt at all. Even its sharp nails turned cushy and sponge-like.

Maybe it was tryna repay us for playing with it?

Anyways, after that, it just... sat there, not doing anything, like it was satisfied.

Like it was done with the playtime.

We killed it, since it's just an Abnormality that happened to be standing in our way, but...

I didn't like doing it.

... Besides, it was kinda cute, in hindsight.

→ ...Writing stuff that... Faust might come to chastise you about it...

→ I do not 'chastise'. Those comments are only rational warnings against emotional treatment of Abnormalities that does not take into account the definition and the particularities of each Abnormality.

→ C'mon, go easy on me, Fau~ Lemme dote a little on a cute Abno after a series of gross subjects~

→ ... A measure will be put in place to have less... externally grotesque entities assigned for your observation logging duty.

- No meaningful distinguishing features could be identified when comparing this entity to sub-entities of other Abnormalities.

- Their exteriors, while partially hinging on the host's original appearance, share the following commonalities: bodies bound by vines and a flower bloomed upon their heads.

- Upon corrosion of the hosts, the following symptoms could be observed: major loss of rationality and a constant yearning for blood.

- However, another observed aspect of this corroded state is that their consciousness is not completely lost, and a rudimentary level of communication could be established.

- In the case of corroded humans, transformation into a state similar to that of ravenous Bloodfiends could be observed; it was also observed that corroded humans' ability to maintain consciousness was relatively diminished compared to corroded Bloodfiends(however, due to the small sample size, contradictory findings may be present in future research).

- In the case of Bloodfiends, uncorroded subjects have also demonstrated the blood-craving characteristic. It appears that the long period of starvation lowers their ability to rationalize.

- Thus, a deeper level of observation of study is required to determine the distinguishing factors between ravenous Bloodfiends and rose-corroded Bloodfiends.

- Will note new discoveries in a future report.

- Other Sinners have posited that the corroded entities would attack utilizing their roses or briar vines.

- It has been confirmed, however, that they employ the same method of combat prior to their corrosions.

- The entity who wielded a greatsword continued to wield it, and entities wielding umbrellas continued to wield them.

- Their combat capabilities do not appear to have changed in a meaningful metric when compared to themselves prior to corrosion.

- There have been two discoveries of note: all corroded entities were surrounded by lights of unidentified sources, and they have been observed to siphon a portion of blood lost from the Sinners.

- The siphoned blood is used to reconstruct itself, but a part of it seems to be channeled to a separate entity.

- Will note new discoveries in a future report.

→ It is likely that the entity that receives the channeled blood is the Abnormality itself.

- After compiling and referencing all available data that has been gathered through encounters, it can be concluded that these entities are very similar to Bloodbags.

- There is a high probability that siphoned blood is channeled to the source Abnormality that corroded them.

- Sinner #11 made the following query: what happens when a corroded Bloodfiend attempts to create a Kindred or a Bloodbag?

- However, as corroded Bloodfiends have not attempted such activities, no further deductions could be made in that avenue.

- Upon post-mortem inspection of deceased entities, small roses could still be observed on their bodies.

- The roses subsist on the remaining blood on the cadaver; upon exhaustion of such subsistence, it is likely that they will begin to wither.

- No further discoveries are to be made. This observation log is concluded.

→ As the rose is also categorized as an Abnormality, it is reasonable to assume that the entity would not necessarily follow the natural law.

→ Corrections to the report will be made, should we discover a sample disproving my statement.

Grandmother was a very capable person.

Unlike myself, who was only ever a passive witness, she… never let hesitation stop her from planning, judging, and conveying her will to the world.

Even when the prisoners in the depths of Hongyuan were sacrificed in the pursuit of immortality,

even when her warped sense of resentment brought about the annihilation of the Kong family…

... she never hesitated. I don’t suppose she ever felt any remorse about it, either.

Because she would’ve had no doubts about herself, that all she did was for the betterment of Hongyuan and Daguanyuan.

Compassion is a weakness. Emotions are obstacles.

That must be why she deemed my suffering necessary, why she deemed it my destiny.

I suppose, in grandmother's mind, that was... 'what Hongyuan needs'.

An iron rule that wields powerful Boluses and domineering presence of the Heishou Packs.

To inherit the memories of our founder, to follow the elders’ will.

Hongyuan was… a powerful Wing. The sight of these lands was monumental and awe-inspiring.

But I’ve watched the sceneries that lie within over and over again.

A cold, suffocatingly dry land. A devastated land that surrounds you with the sounds of falling… things.

I know it’s futile to look for any semblance of warmth in the City. I’m not naive.

But… I intend to depart this land in the pursuit of that very warmth anyway, futile as it might be.

Are you watching, grandmother? Hongyuan, the land you loved and cared for so much… will not crumble, in spite of your worries.

But… it will change.

I doubt Xichun’ll allow your choices that has wrought inequity and brutality in this land to continue to affect it under her rule.

You probably can’t hear or see me very well anymore, but…

I want to impart my last farewell and share my final, final feelings about everyone.

Goodbye, grandma.

Goodbye, revered elders.

I wish for nothing but the utmost, eternal peace for all of you in the interminable Avīci Naraka.

Thus gathered have the stones to raise a mountain.

Yet where lies the green, its placement so rightful upon the mountains? A glacial cold permeates a corner of heart mine.

Rocks are mired in the grasps of the red thing still.

Unchanged are its motions, swinging and lashing the rocks with abandon—or casting them far away.

Yet, the head that had once wavered so is visible no more.

Nay, the stone is now rooted steadfast into the earth, and the rotund sphere has transfigurated into a deltoidal triangle;

an accurate assessment would state as such—while the head remains still, the wavering has ceased.

What stable form, what stalwart balance it has attained.

Indeed, at the edge of change was evolution found for this entity.

Yet even evolution is no deliverance from torpidity.

The entity’s tranquility, a consequence of electing immobility with stability, is no assiduity at all.

I know not what movement shall it take at the end’s end.

Should its motions cease, so too shall it suspend its sentience.

When, in the end, all comes to cease, it cannot be said any longer that it lives.

How unideal, how odd.

Such is all I have to say.

- The fluid sac has grown large on the previously observed insectoid entity with a translucent body.

- With the increased volume of internal fluid in this entity, it may be distinguished from the previously observed entities by the fact that the outline of its organs are no longer clearly visible.

- For the same aforementioned reason, it has been observed that using its internal fluid as a means of attack, proportionally speaking, no longer shrinks its reserves significantly.

- A new organ that connects its head to its back has been observed. It is reminiscent of scales, waves, or diaphanous veil.

- A new behavioral pattern has been observed in which it consumes an unknown substance from human brains via a passage that may be assumed to be an oral organ.

- It was speculated that the entity was using parts or blood of the said organ as nutrients, but such was not the case. However, increase in its internal fluid has been observed immediately after the consumption.

- The fluid filling its body cannot properly be defined within the confines of chemical compositions. On sight and on touch, the fluid has a distinctive property of strongly stimulating the memories of negative past events.

- … Mental state that may be evaluated as ‘negative’ has been continuing long after contact.

- It still remains unpleasant.

Bloody hell, why’s it gotta be my job to write this report?

I didn’t feel like writing it myself, so I was going to ask someone to do it for me. Had I known this was going to be my responsibility, there’s no way in hell I would’ve accepted bein’ his assistant or whatever.

… Well, what have I got to say? Looks like he’s just as much of a pain in the arse as he was as a human.

His outfit didn’t change much, but his neck got stretched out like some broccoli with eyeballs in its head.

Oh, maybe the outfit did change. There were those shadowy hand-like things stuck all over ‘im.

He’s… putting up quite the challenge. Shootin’ laser beams from his head…

Absorbing something and siphoning our energy…

Oh, and he’s been observing us through the whole mess, too. I guess these habits die hard, even after he's distorted.

And once he observed us for a while… how should I put this? Yeah, his attacks hurt more. As though he’s analyzing our weaknesses.

… And that’s pretty much it for the changes. Bloke’s just as irritatingly eloquent as ever.

You know what, though? He sure is bloody pompous, but I don’t know if he really is that much of a bastard.

I’ve been feeling something familiar goin’ on between the researchers here while I worked as his assistant.

It’s like a bond, of sorts… kinda like… the same family-like solidarity I’ve felt before when I was a part of that Backstreets Syndicate.

And… if we’re being honest here, even you lot don’t ever take my suggestions seriously, do you?

But he does. Whatever dumb suggestion I make, he listens earnestly. Sure, he’ll shut me down, but at least he’ll listen before he does and explain why I'm wrong. He doesn't just look away pretendin’ I didn’t say anything.

He’s not gonna bite it from a Distortion or whatever experiment this is.

So… let’s bring ‘im back.

It’s what we do best, innit?

→ Damn, now that’s unexpected. I thought you two’d be like oil and water. I guess you grew pretty fond of Hohenheim, huh?

→ We’ve all been too hard on him, that’s why… Alright! Heath, if ya need anyone to lend ya an ear, come to me. How’s that?

→ Rodya, aren’t you the one who always 'ignores' Heathcliff's inputs…?

→ W-well, that’s because Dante told me to~

Oi, have I seriously got to write a report *now*?

Hah, well.. I suppose it could come in handy later.

First off, it’s got dark red stuff comin’ out of its body like bloody bones. I don’t think they’re real bones, but…

Used to know some bloke from the pub who worked in the mines. One time, he nicked an unprocessed gemstone or somethin’ and showed it off to everyone. The red stuff reminds me of that gemstone.

The creatures’ got red eyes, by the way.

No, not like they’re bloodshot, more like their eyes are naturally red… Oh, they did attack us like bloodshot, rabid animals, of course.

They also looked a tad… starved?

This is just a stab in the dark, based on my first impressions of ‘em, but they’ve all got the eyes of a… a starving tramp.

Right, so far they’ve all attacked us without any provocation from our side, yeah?

It ain’t like they were particularly hostile against us. It’s more like the smell of blood flowing through our veins drove ‘em barmy.

Beastlike things, in the shape of a human, if you ask me.

What else… Oh, make sure to completely immobilize them before turning your backs to ‘em. These sods regenerate.

Well. Our resident smartarse, Faust, did say that the specific manner of ‘immobilization’ I'm talking about ain't possible on the train, but…

… at least keep their body parts far, far away from one another, and that’ll probably buy us a day or two.

Their sheer aggression can be pretty hard to deal with, but it ain’t nothing we can’t manage.

Also, watch out for the red stuff on their hands. They’re quite prickly.

→ Woah! Like unprocessed gemstones? Hey, we could make a fortune selling them!

→ T-that doesn’t make any sense, Rodya…

→ The crystals are unlikely to be of any significant financial worth. They are simply congealed blood.

→ Aw, darn. What a way to rain on my parade.

Oi, have I seriously got to write a report *now*?

Hah, well.. I suppose it could come in handy later.

First off, it’s got dark red stuff comin’ out of its body like bloody bones. I don’t think they’re real bones, but…

Used to know some bloke from the pub who worked in the mines. One time, he nicked an unprocessed gemstone or somethin’ and showed it off to everyone. The red stuff reminds me of that gemstone.

The creatures’ got red eyes, by the way.

No, not like they’re bloodshot, more like their eyes are naturally red… Oh, they did attack us like bloodshot, rabid animals, of course.

They also looked a tad… starved?

This is just a stab in the dark, based on my first impressions of ‘em, but they’ve all got the eyes of a… a starving tramp.

Right, so far they’ve all attacked us without any provocation from our side, yeah?

It ain’t like they were particularly hostile against us. It’s more like the smell of blood flowing through our veins drove ‘em barmy.

Beastlike things, in the shape of a human, if you ask me.

What else… Oh, make sure to completely immobilize them before turning your backs to ‘em. These sods regenerate.

Well. Our resident smartarse, Faust, did say that the specific manner of ‘immobilization’ I'm talking about ain't possible on the train, but…

… at least keep their body parts far, far away from one another, and that’ll probably buy us a day or two.

Their W Corp.-issued weapons can be a bit tricky to handle, but it’s manageable.

Also, it seems that they’ve retained their combat skills from before they became those monsters. Watch yourselves.

→ Hey, how much dough do ya think those W Corp. weapons will fetch if we pawn them? Ohh, or maybe we can even use ‘em ourselves~!

→ Selling them is probably a bad idea, right…? I don’t know if we should use them, either…

→ … It is my wish that we will not resort to plundering and peddling the weapons of a Wing…

→ Aw, darn. What a way to rain on my parade.

I did think this Fixer was kind of an asshole. Rude, rough… but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that she was a Bloodfiend.

All because she didn’t want to die… honestly, I get it. I really do.

I’ve seen enough folks during the war, surrendering to the enemy for that very same reason.

But surrendering was rarely ever better than continuing to fight. Without someone or something major to back them up, to vouch for them… they’d just get executed.

Maybe… maybe that’s why I can’t bring myself to condemn her choice like Don Quixote does. Because I've seen people like her with my own eyes.

... Of course, that’s that, and this is this.

If it's between her life or my escape, I'll choose to be selfish. Spending thousands of years trapped inside this train, doing nothing? No, that’s such a ridiculous idea that I don’t even want to think about it.

By the way, do you know what else is ridiculous? Suddenly getting woken up in the middle of an active WARP trai— Fine, I’ll move on.

Anyways… though red crystals were poking through her prosthetic body, she continued to function at a decent capacity.

She still uses the same, familiar prosthetic fighting style: suddenly raising her power output or using the prosthetic parts as disposable shields.

And… let’s see… Right. Don’t let her cut you, because you’ll be bleeding from that wound for a while.

I felt her weapons, covered in some serrated, crystallized sawblades, rip my skin apart. But I don’t think there was much more to her than that.

The biggest threat she posed was her ability to regenerate almost infinitely, thanks to the train’s weird environment. But she wasn’t very different from those Bloodbaskets otherwise.

Frau Faust told me that it’s because she’s a newborn Kindred.

→ An obvious, shameful conclusion awaits those who step onto the field of battle with such pathetic, weak-willed minds. They don’t deserve even an iota of respect, and rightly so.

→ Do I seriously have to keep butting heads with you every time we talk about this subject? Don't tell me you've never felt even a tinge of empathy for them.

→ How can I trust someone who defects to the enemy the moment they fear for their lives? I have nothing but contempt for them.

→ … Fine. Maybe on a battlefield. But that’s all in the past. It's over.

→ No, it’s not. It’s not over, none of it is. You only wish that it was.

→ Observation logs are not forums for debate. Please refrain from engaging in one.

→ Also, their designation is ‘Bloodbags’, not ‘Bloodbaskets’. It is regrettable that you continue to fail to refer to often-mentioned subjects by their often-mentioned, correct names.

→ That’s uh… yeah, okay. My bad…

Oi, have I seriously got to write a report *now*?

Hah, well.. I suppose it could come in handy later.

First off, it’s got dark red stuff comin’ out of its body like bloody bones. I don’t think they’re real bones, but…

Used to know some bloke from the pub who worked in the mines. One time, he nicked an unprocessed gemstone or somethin’ and showed it off to everyone. The red stuff reminds me of that gemstone.

The creatures’ got red eyes, by the way.

No, not like they’re bloodshot, more like their eyes are naturally red… Oh, they did attack us like bloodshot, rabid animals, of course.

They also looked a tad… starved?

This is just a stab in the dark, based on my first impressions of ‘em, but they’ve all got the eyes of a… a starving tramp.

Right, so far they’ve all attacked us without any provocation from our side, yeah?

It ain’t like they were particularly hostile against us. It’s more like the smell of blood flowing through our veins drove ‘em barmy.

Beastlike things, in the shape of a human, if you ask me.

What else… Oh, make sure to completely immobilize them before turning your backs to ‘em. These sods regenerate.

Well. Our resident smartarse, Faust, did say that the specific manner of ‘immobilization’ I'm talking about ain't possible on the train, but…

… at least keep their body parts far, far away from one another, and that’ll probably buy us a day or two.

Their prosthetics are still fully functional, so that could pose some trouble for us. But I reckon we’re pretty evenly matched.

And another thing: it ain’t so easy to tell these Bloodbags apart from civvies, so keep your wits about. Look for the red stuff pokin’ outta their shells.

→ Guys. What if we picked up a few of their prosthetics for ourselves?

→ I have wished to speak to you about these comments, Rodya. Please refrain from collecting items aboard the train, as it may interfere with the restoration procedure.

→ Also, maybe they’re watching all of our moves through something? The higher-ups love surveillance, you know~

→ I’m just kiddin’ this time, guys. Just joshin’ ya. Jeez.

→ Wait, you weren’t kidding earlier…?

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

The Bloodfiend who introduced himself as ‘the Sixth Kindred’, or ‘a Kindred of the Sixth Generation’ displays a high degree of psychological instability.

The subject’s speech patterns are fragmentary and highly illogical. The cause of this instability is unclear at present, though it is not without a few possible candidates: a symptom inflicted by the ‘Familia’ the subject has fled from, or the natural outcome of the claustrophobic environment of WARP trains.

However, taking into account the records of [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.], it is likely to be the former.

The subject has a lexical idiosyncrasy of repeatedly vocalizing the following words in his sentences: ‘the Parade’, ‘Mask’, and ‘Prince’. While the possibility that the subject may have held the title of a ‘Prince’ is non-zero, various responses and the records of attempted conversation suggest that the subject was involved in a form of stageplay prior to boarding the WARP train.

Further attempts at communication resulted in a hostile encounter.

During the hostile encounter, the subject used crystallized blood to summon a powerful weapon in his hands. Similar observational records have been identified in ■■■■■, as characteristics of [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.]’s child Kindreds.

In the same vein, the said weapon has been identified to have exceptional levels of hardness, strength, and sharpness. The damages inflicted by this weapon were observed to be significantly more severe than those caused by standard weapons.

This matches the data from [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.], conducted and collected based on observation of ■■■■■.

The subject absorbed blood stored in his Bloodbags. It has been confirmed that, as is the case with other Bloodfiend entities, the subject’s strength grows exponentially with the amount of stored blood.

After what has been subjectively measured as several hours of continuous battle, the following fact could be determined: the subject is, with the combination of naturally rapid regenerative abilities of Bloodfiends and the time moratorium active within the WARP train, functionally immortal.

Because the subject could not be neutralized by any standard means, [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.].

Fortunately, [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.].

However, due to potential risks to [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.], [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.].

In conclusion, the subject was successfully neutralized.

Concluding the report.

→ Fau… ya kinda censored like… most of the report.

→ That is due to the insufficient security level.

→ Hm. And how would one go about raising one’s security level? I believe that the Executive Manager, at the very least, is entitled to this knowledge.

→ To raise one’s security level, [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data].

→ Seriously? You’re hiding that, too? Man…

I've seen how lack of money causes misfortune for many people, but I've also learned what kind of tragedy lack of time can bring.

Mm~ Doesn't mean that Mister Time Ripper didn't do anything wrong, though.

I saw him enable all kinds of things using the time he ripped from others. Speeding up time like the T Corp. employees do, rapidly healing his wounds by accelerating the recovery process...

The most interesting thing in his arsenal, though, was the Time Razor he cut me with at the Clock Tower. It can cut straight through time while leaving the flesh intact. I wonder how that works?

I carefully listened to the Time Rippers talk amongst one another, but I don't think they knew either. I guess I did learn that the deeper they cut, the more time they can take, but that's about it.

Thankfully, the Razor didn't seem to affect me one bit because I was bound to the manager's time. The other Sinners, too~

I don't really understand what it means to be 'bound to the manager's time', but... Mm. Well, I suppose we'll all be okay as long as Dante's safe and sound!

Oh, also... he didn't hoard all that ripped time to himself, either.

After we closed the case, I asked some people in T Corp., and they told me that he embraced the brains of those who agreed with his philosophy. He always shared everything equally among themselves, whether it was the time they ripped or the time they had to spend.

Ohh, that explains why the Rippers were able to move independently from the main body. It looked as though they had fused into a single Distortion... but in truth, they each retained their own intelligence.

And this is just my guess, but maybe his experience in the Yurodiviye influenced how his Distortion manifested?

That makes me wonder if this is a distorted, degraded form of the belief that things should be shared equally...

Well, all in all, it didn't seem to have worked out~ It would've been a much harder fight if they actually managed to divide the time equally amongst one another. I'd say we got lucky!

Though I guess you could also say that they were bound to eventually fall apart, given the fact that they ended up fighting each other towards the end.

→ People like equal share until they have to give up something of theirs. That's just the way most people are.

→ Well, so much for that intimidating moniker, huh? That fella had an impressive power at his disposal, but the person behind that power wasn't anyone special.

→ M.I.D.D.L.I.N.G. (somebody scribbled the following note in the margins: Morality Ignored and Deserted Due to Luxury, Integrity: Naturally Gone.)

→ Yeah~ even the Time Ripper wasn't anyone special. Unlike me, who's... (the text trails off, as though someone hesitated writing further before abandoning the idea)

I've seen how lack of money causes misfortune for many people, but I've also learned what kind of tragedy lack of time can bring.

Mm~ Doesn't mean that Mister Time Ripper didn't do anything wrong, though.

I saw him enable all kinds of things using the time he ripped from others. Speeding up time like the T Corp. employees do, rapidly healing his wounds by accelerating the recovery process...

The most interesting thing in his arsenal, though, was the Time Razor he cut me with at the Clock Tower. It can cut straight through time while leaving the flesh intact. I wonder how that works?

I carefully listened to the Time Rippers talk amongst one another, but I don't think they knew either. I guess I did learn that the deeper they cut, the more time they can take, but that's about it.

Thankfully, the Razor didn't seem to affect me one bit because I was bound to the manager's time. The other Sinners, too~

I don't really understand what it means to be 'bound to the manager's time', but... Mm. Well, I suppose we'll all be okay as long as Dante's safe and sound!

Oh, also... he didn't hoard all that ripped time to himself, either.

After we closed the case, I asked some people in T Corp., and they told me that he embraced the brains of those who agreed with his philosophy. He always shared everything equally among themselves, whether it was the time they ripped or the time they had to spend.

Ohh, that explains why the Rippers were able to move independently from the main body. It looked as though they had fused into a single Distortion... but in truth, they each retained their own intelligence.

And this is just my guess, but maybe his experience in the Yurodiviye influenced how his Distortion manifested?

That makes me wonder if this is a distorted, degraded form of the belief that things should be shared equally...

Well, all in all, it didn't seem to have worked out~ It would've been a much harder fight if they actually managed to divide the time equally amongst one another. I'd say we got lucky!

Though I guess you could also say that they were bound to eventually fall apart, given the fact that they ended up fighting each other towards the end.

→ People like equal share until they have to give up something of theirs. That's just the way most people are.

→ Well, so much for that intimidating moniker, huh? That fella had an impressive power at his disposal, but the person behind that power wasn't anyone special.

→ M.I.D.D.L.I.N.G. (somebody scribbled the following note in the margins: Morality Ignored and Deserted Due to Luxury, Integrity: Naturally Gone.)

→ Yeah~ even the Time Ripper wasn't anyone special. Unlike me, who's... (the text trails off, as though someone hesitated writing further before abandoning the idea)

Eww, more bugs... again...?

Why's it always gotta be bugs, huh? Why?

I remember specifically writing that I hate bugs and critters and stuff!

I'm starting to feel like you're making me write about bugs every chance we get... Seriously, do I really have to closely examine these gross critters? Gosh, I just don't understand...

Bleh, I guess a job is a job... let's see here...

I guess it's um... a bumpy, squishy looking creature that slowly crawls around...

There's some purple liquid sloshing around in there, and...

There's this big vein-like thing on its... head? The front? Anyways, there's something there, and... eww... I hope it doesn't, like, shoot filth out of there or anything.

Oh, right! Didn't Faust say we gotta kill them as soon as possible? That something really bad might happen if we let them live?

Too bad! That's enough observation, I guess!

Let's just squish 'em, that's what we gotta do!

→ This log is completely barren of any pertinent information save for your whining about how gross the bug is. This is one of the most useless reports I've had the displeasure of reading.

→ It could be said that her decision was quite apt; a separate record has been found informing us that, should we allow these entities to survive for too long, they may affect nearby containment units by ending their own lives.

→ H-huh, Gregor's been checking this entry pretty often.

→ ... If, by any chance, you are concerned that a fellow among us may scribble an unsavory jest about bugs, then there is naught for you to worry.

→ Thou must inform me posthaste in case of such rascality! I, Don Quixote, shall impart upon them a stern teaching!

→ But that's not why I— Man, do I never get a say in this...?

It really appeared out of the blue.

You know how, sometimes, it just starts raining out of nowhere? Or how lightning suddenly strikes when the skies are blue?

Like a gift from nature... or from some god... the stele fell right over our heads.

We would've been turned to mush... again... if it weren't for the Physical Intervention Shield Miss Hod shot us with.

Thankfully, it became dead still once it hit the ground, except for its tentacles.

The only threatening thing about the stele, once it fell, was its immense size and its scary tentacles... it seemed pretty docile as long as we didn't get too close to it.

Hm... Makes me wonder, though. How did this stele get here?

I doubt it walked here, so somebody probably dropped it over our heads...

Oh, I just remembered something... this reminds me of a story my parents once told me in my childhood. It was a story about how a desperate wish came true in the worst, unluckiest way possible.

Maybe this stele... is an outcome of that desperate desire...? Just like in that story, you know?

If only I could read what it says there, then I could at least try to figure out the intent.

Umm... I don't know. These characters... I haven't seen anything like it, even back at my school.

Wait, didn't the training manual we saw on the wall say that something really bad might happen when it starts glowing? S-should we start smashing it to pieces?!

→ Its intent will lie past the periphery of our understanding. And in turn, so will this stele fail to understand those beneath it.

→ Ohh~ I think I know. Try as they might to say something with the stele, the employees of this company did not try to read it or understand it; instead, they immediately smashed it to pieces. Whoever sent the stele must've been pretty confused!

→ Are you saying that this is like... a letter, or something? Tsk, I suppose I ain't too chuffed about getting my letters ignored either...

→ Well, it's not like we've got any other options than smashing it to pieces. After all, how would we even begin to understand whoever it is that sent something like this down here?

- This is reminiscent of the previously observed insectoid entity with a translucent body.

- More organs required to maintain a biological organism has been identified inside its body. Some of it has matured further.

- However, no physiological characteristics enough to meet the criteria to constitute a living organism has been identified.

- What appears to be a 'hand' has been identified. It is visible from the outside, and is wielding a round object.

- A close analysis of its behaviors and attack patterns reveals that the round object is a fluid sac of sorts.

- The fluid inside the entity's body appears to be connected with the sac. When the sac inflates, the internal fluid on its main body shrinks.

- Several organs that may constitute a 'leg' or an 'antenna' has been identified. No particular usage outside of offensive use has been found.

- Prolonged observation of this entity remains inadvisable.

- Reminders of the negative past events remain unpleasant.

Oh, it's grown!

Its eyes are more bloodshot, and they're glarin' at me fierce... It's got a tail, too.

I think I can summarize this report with "it got creepier".

Looks like its wee dried squid legs got hydrated and slightly thickened. It's still got that red juice that gives me heartburn.

It's still got that stabby attack... but it certainly diversified its patterns.

Here's the most memorable one. It tried to smack me with its tail! Remember? It couldn't do that before.

Or maybe it could, but its stick-bug legs couldn't support its weight.

Well, it's not really my business.

Oh, here's another thing. The bug learned how to spark fire. Watch out for that burn, yeah?

I suppose I don't need to let it hit me to know that it'll irritate me.

I'll pummel it with my bat before it has the chance to make its move.

Performing the post-mortem report as ordered by the Executive Manager.

Just as I expected, entering the fathoms seems to have intensified the Distortion of this 'Bamboo-hatted Kim'.

Here are a few pieces of evidence supporting that notion: the unidentifiable black tendrils pouring out of his body, further intensified blue glow from his eyes, and the inability to communicate properly via verbal means.

... Though the last part was always true, I suppose.

Even from a quick observation, however, it is obvious that this individual holds great sorrow in his heart.

They call it 'han'... a resentment of sorts. It is a certain kind of resentment born when intense grief turns into wrath. Allowing it to grow would affect its combat capabilities.

If you would allow me to express my opinion... Someone called a 'mentor', presumably someone in a leadership position, should not maintain such an emotional state for a prolonged period of time.

If he has lost his mind as well, then... I suppose he is worthless as a leader of men.

It doesn't matter how famous he used to be, how powerful they say he used to be. We can more than easily handle such a weak-willed commander.

Concluding the report.

Thank you.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states that I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

When first faced with the Sinners, the Abnormality showed no signs of hostility. Instead, it initiated direct communication through the psyche.

Out of all the languages I knew, the Abnormality appeared to use my most commonly spoken one. I did not see any sound-producing organs such as the mouth or vocal cords in motion.

“Bring Snow White.” This is what the Abnormality said. A report on the former L Corp. I analyzed after disengagement suggests that it has a connection with F-04-42.

In addition, I discovered a corpse that seemed to belong to the staff that arrived here before us for preliminary investigation. Their ID confirmed that they were from the Operations Planning department, so we retrieved the remains and left the scene before a battle could break out.

Concluding the report.

Recording the information gained from encountering the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states that I am to designate its risk level as WAW. This is based on the managerial procedures retrieved from the branch facility.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

It attacks using growths of vines. It wraps its vines around itself as well, forming a shape that resembles a dress; it is possible that it believes itself to be a “noble”.

Its vines are used in a variety of ways, such as persistently stabbing one Sinner and rising from the floor to injure multiple Sinners.

In addition, its sturdy exterior made it difficult to damage.

In one battle where many Sinners were lost, we managed to remove one of its arms. (As I could most aptly describe.) I found then that it could no longer perform the attack that targeted every Sinner.

I will record any additional discoveries I observe in future encounters.

Concluding the report.

Recording an additional significant discovery.

We were able to remove its head during an encounter.

While we did not initially consider the head a target as its height was considerably higher than the Sinners’ reach, Heathcliff’s unstoppable advance provided a helpful clue.

We were able to successfully destroy the head. Although Heathcliff’s head was destroyed as well, it should be a negligible loss as it is a renewable asset.

It continued to move and attack despite the lack of a head, but we found that its exterior significantly softened.

Removing its “limbs” became a much more manageable task.

Even though the head grew back after a period of time, the removal of its arms and legs in the meantime freed us from the threat of powerful attacks for the rest of the operation.

Concluding the report.

I was ordered to describe facts about this in detail.

So I observed.

Placed on a wooden pedestal that seemed as though it was woven from fibers of muscles was a large stone plate.

As I approached it, its compartments of bricks began to rattle.

Seized by curiosity, I attempted to step closer for a better look...

Alas, my colleagues strongly discouraged me from doing so, so I turned away.

One thing I can say with confidence is that it was likely a tool for predicting a date of some kind, judging from the many letters carved on the bricks.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Those letters are from an ancient language. If Yi Sang's depiction is correct, that plate is almost certainly a calendar.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

Though it may have been less than pleasant as an observer to see the object of study sustain damage, more discoveries could be had in the behaviors it displayed during battle.

It summoned a number of flesh dolls wearing stone masks made of what I believe is the same mineral as the plate.

By 'offering' these dolls to the plate, I was able to observe a change in its shape.

The rattling bricks gradually widened, and I could see red muscle fibers and strange spatial extensions...or such.

I can't say for sure how drastic the change will be, but an observable trend is that it's becoming more and more ominous.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Why the hell did you put me in instead of those masked blokes? You damned clockhead, I'll #%^&@[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

→ Dante made the right choice. From what I can see, it seems that those flesh dolls, or "clay dolls," can't be offered up while they're alive. The only other option we have is to sacrifice Sinners.

→ And why does that have to be me @(##$[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

I had an opportunity to be offered to this.

I am about to describe the disconcerting, wet, and abnormal experience here.

I took unwavering steps forward as the choice was reasonable. I had no reason to fear, for I would be brought back to life even if I were to perish.

I did not feel the death, so to speak. Though I have experienced death many times in battle, I was not subjected to the sort of pain or flashing disarray that normally accompanies a demise that time. It simply felt as though I was being transported to a different location.

It may be the universe or some other dimension.

My own body and voice couldn't be perceived by my senses. Perhaps my eyes had gone and I became part of that place.

There, I may have seen the end. You could say it was a doomsday I witnessed.

No perhaps I may have been the end and the doomsday I was present at the end but not existent and while it may be misleading to say that it was there but even still I witnessed man and sky and earth tear into thousands of pieces

[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

→ I had Yi Sang talk with the recovery staff from After Team for a moment. His psychological corruption seems rather severe. Dante, I think we should refrain from making our observers directly experience these events from now on.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2, Addendum 3 states I am to categorize it as a subordinate entity of the stone plate Abnormality.

It wore a mask that resembled a crude diver's helmet. It appeared to be made of a stone with high hardness, its exterior well polished.

Correction: rather than polished, it appears to have been "made that way". I was unable to detect any signs of artificial processing.

Its body resembled muscle fibers. The lack of skin or other protective surface makes it appear highly fragile, but a large number of these entities are expected to be more difficult to deal with.

Concluding the report.

I will report findings from a direct confrontation next time.

I encountered the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states I am to designate its risk level as TETH.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

The entities appear to use their thin yet elastic body for quick attacks.

They often charged into Sinners and grabbed their target tight. They were difficult to remove, and a few lives were lost due to their persistence.

As stated in the previous report, the entity appears to be closely related to the stone plate Abnormality. When the entities were killed and 'offered' to the stone plate Abnormality, a change in the plate's shape could be observed.

In addition, the masks of these entities gradually changed accordingly.

Faust is curious. I should make it my next task to study the extent of this transformation.

Concluding the report.

→ Um, hello, aren't you forgetting to mention the part where they hug us and belch fire? One of them burnt all my hair.

→ Hey Faust! Can't we sell these heads to an antique shop? Don't they look pretty pricey?

I observed the full extent of its changes.

Its mask had two forms it could assume.

While not as impressive as the four states the stone plate Abnormality could take, there was an undeniable connection between them.

It seems to be able to generate fire from within the mask. An autopsy after battle revealed no combustible materials stored inside, suggesting that the fire was not created via physical means.

No further discoveries were made.

...A shame, Faust was hoping to learn more things.

→ You made me stand guard for hours while you dissected their bodies, try to be happy with what you got.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2, Addendum 3 states I am to categorize it as a subordinate entity of the stone plate Abnormality.

It wore a mask that resembled a crude diver's helmet. It appeared to be made of a stone with high hardness, its exterior well polished.

Correction: rather than polished, it appears to have been "made that way". I was unable to detect any signs of artificial processing.

Its body resembled muscle fibers. The lack of skin or other protective surface makes it appear highly fragile, but a large number of these entities are expected to be more difficult to deal with.

Concluding the report.

I will report findings from a direct confrontation next time.

I encountered the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states I am to designate its risk level as TETH.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

The entities appear to use their thin yet elastic body for quick attacks.

They often charged into Sinners and grabbed their target tight. They were difficult to remove, and a few lives were lost due to their persistence.

As stated in the previous report, the entity appears to be closely related to the stone plate Abnormality. When the entities were killed and 'offered' to the stone plate Abnormality, a change in the plate's shape could be observed.

In addition, the masks of these entities gradually changed accordingly.

Faust is curious. I should make it my next task to study the extent of this transformation.

Concluding the report.

→ Um, hello, aren't you forgetting to mention the part where they hug us and belch fire? One of them burnt all my hair.

→ Hey Faust! Can't we sell these heads to an antique shop? Don't they look pretty pricey?

I observed the full extent of its changes.

Its mask had two forms it could assume.

While not as impressive as the four states the stone plate Abnormality could take, there was an undeniable connection between them.

It seems to be able to generate fire from within the mask. An autopsy after battle revealed no combustible materials stored inside, suggesting that the fire was not created via physical means.

No further discoveries were made.

...A shame, Faust was hoping to learn more things.

→ You made me stand guard for hours while you dissected their bodies, try to be happy with what you got.

It happened while I was passing by a jungle.

It was a dense green wilderness full of tall flowers and trees, as well as outlandish bees and butterflies.

You can find all kinds of unfathomably strange creatures in a place like that.

For example... That flower.

It's said that a plant can't normally move on its own. One it takes root, it stays there for the rest of its life.

That's what people consider a major difference between plants and animals.

But those "plants" were like a pack of rabid beasts.

A group of them charged at us, raising their teethed flowers like it was their head.

Their roots morphed into limbs that no longer serve the original purpose, and there didn't seem to be any space in their bodies for storing nutrients.

Yet, those scrawny stems were hungrily seeking the missing sustenance.

Continuously shoving things into the mouth, despite being unable to absorb any of it...

What an odd creature that was.

It resembled a rock.

I am uncertain how an object of its mass is able to move. Its appearance could not be any less adherent to laws of science, but when I look back, it might have been an inherently scientific object after all.

It would levitate in the air and stay still.

It rolled its eyeball lodged in the center. And when it felt like it, it would ram into some persons.

I am not yet sure what motivates it to move. Even so, I wonder if it's necessary to learn its reasons at all.

It's possible that this pebble is alive.

No one would call it an organism, but by the same token, I may not be alive if no one refers to me as such.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of laziness.

We were lazy to think that it mustn't be what it thought to be.

That pebble is probably a lazy living being.

And the same could be said of me.

You want me to talk about that pointed thing, aye?

Thing's shaped like a dried tentacle... There was some kind of red liquid in the middle.

Smacked it a couple times with my bat, and the lanky thing was a bit more durable it seemed.

Bigger problem, though... That thing's got a weird way of attacking.

It prods poor sods with its long snout, and... It starts shooting that red water into the body!

It gives me a heartburn like I had some hard stuff on an empty stomach... 's irritating...and suffocating...

A-Anyway, it makes you feel all weird. Makes you mad over wee stuff.

Some even blew up after getting hit by that juice. I really don't want that happening to me.

→ Weren't you always prone to getting mad over the smallest things?

→ Don't piss me off.

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

Hmm... Writing is rather tedious work.

Oh, but I do suppose it's not a bad idea to write down my experiences. I hated when my grandfather scolded and pestered me into keeping a diary, but now, I'm not so averse to the thought.

So, I have to describe the appearance of that Abnormality, right?

Firstly... Its eyes were out of focus. It was drooling from the mouth, too.

Something about the color of the eyes and the saliva was off as well. They were all pink, same as the ribbon wrapped around the body.

Oh, speaking of ribbons, doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to silk?

I think our family kept a similar color of fabric. Though it wasn't the most luxurious... Hm, I do guess it's valuable in its own right.

Right, that's it! We used something like this for decoration on our younger sibling's birthday!

Oh dear, it looks like these used to be employees of this company.

Faust said that their outfits and employee IDs belonged to the former L Corp.

Goodness, I can't possibly imagine looting a corpse myself.

If it came down to me, I would've ordered a servant to handle the task. And I would have looked away from that gross sight and told the servant to explain it with words.

Oh... I wouldn't have taken interest in dead bodies in the first place, now that I think about it.

Could these deceased people be animated by those ribbons, perhaps?

The ribbons that grab us as we fight them...

If they wrap around us when we die, do you think we'll become like them?

Hmm... Writing is rather tedious work.

Oh, but I do suppose it's not a bad idea to write down my experiences. I hated when my grandfather scolded and pestered me into keeping a diary, but now, I'm not so averse to the thought.

So, I have to describe the appearance of that Abnormality, right?

Firstly... Its eyes were out of focus. It was drooling from the mouth, too.

Something about the color of the eyes and the saliva was off as well. They were all pink, same as the ribbon wrapped around the body.

Oh, speaking of ribbons, doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to silk?

I think our family kept a similar color of fabric. Though it wasn't the most luxurious... Hm, I do guess it's valuable in its own right.

Right, that's it! We used something like this for decoration on our younger sibling's birthday!

Oh dear, it looks like these used to be employees of this company.

Faust said that their outfits and employee IDs belonged to the former L Corp.

Goodness, I can't possibly imagine looting a corpse myself.

If it came down to me, I would've ordered a servant to handle the task. And I would have looked away from that gross sight and told the servant to explain it with words.

Oh... I wouldn't have taken interest in dead bodies in the first place, now that I think about it.

Could these deceased people be animated by those ribbons, perhaps?

The ribbons that grab us as we fight them...

If they wrap around us when we die, do you think we'll become like them?

-Composed of machinery, tin, plastic, steel, and circuits.

-Red or pink ribbons are coiled around the body.

-A pair of pink shoes are worn around the parts thought to be feet.

-The feet appear to have been forcibly shoved into the pink shoes.

-Anomalies observed in the color and direction of pupils in all entities.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

→ Damn, that's awful dry.

-Observed the pink ribbons encroach on us in prolonged combat.

-Sinners covered with a large quantity of ribbons were subject to heavily damaging attacks.

-Notable discovery: casualty from the attack caused the entities wearing pink ribbons to reanimate.

-The reanimation is thought to occur after a certain number of casualties.

-I request that the manager analyze the incidence and determine the tactical approach.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

-There is little doubt that this tin entity and those covered in ribbons shared the same state.

-Peer suggested that the ribbons be removed before it poses serious danger.

-I came in direct content with the ribbon while attempting the suggested solution.

-The ribbon did not have the texture of cloth or any other kind of fabric.

-Some resembled withered leaves, while others gave the tactile impression of a strong plant stem.

-One unambiguous conclusion is that the ribbons are alive.

-The ribbon's reaction to removal appeared to depend on the method of handling.

-Removal with force seemed to make the ribbon crumble more easily.

-No further discoveries to be made; the observation log is concluded.

→ I got into a panic and ripped them haphazardly, but it wasn't actually that tricky.

→ I was careful about it, worried that it might go wrong… But then the ribbon expanded all of a sudden and wrapped Hong Lu. Because of me, he…

→ I'm all okay, Sinclair~ It was a unique and fun experience!

-An insect-like entity with a transparent body.

-Unable to identify several physical requirements for maintenance of life; cannot determine it as an organism.

-Its body is filled with water.

-Objects that appear to be organs are observed inside, but they do not appear to function as organs.

-The water does not appear to play any part in biological activities, either.

-The body of liquid appears to be stagnant.

-It has the face of someone lost deep in thought. It could merely be a resemblance to a species of zooplankton.

-Prolonged observation makes my mind sink.

-Sinking… Reminding me of the past.

-…It is not a pleasant feeling.

Those look like awful lumps of flesh...

Has an ugly maw at the front... I thought it was a tongue at first, but what's inside that maw was a hand.

A hand, made from two twisted arms coiling around each other. I saw the eye inside stare into me.

As if that wasn't enough, it looked eager to devour me and nourish its flesh.

Even if I couldn't hear it, I could tell.

...It wasn't the first time I saw that kind of gaze.

The wheel has often been the symbol of technological advancement.

It represents humanity's realization of its ability to think up and actualize things that weren't in the nature.

At the same time, it marks the beginning of humanity's transformation into prideful creatures.

That might be why pride takes the form of a wheel.

The steel circle doesn't ever seem to stop rotating.

It doesn't care if it gashes at flesh or crushes patches of grass.

Because, it can roll…

While others cannot.

Guess it's my turn now.

Figured it'd come sooner or later~ I saw the other guys write stuff down from time to time, and Greg was making notes with a super grumpy face one time, too...

Bah, would it hurt for our guide Mister Color and Faust over there to tell us anything...

Well, a job is a job, I guess.

Hmm... I dunno how to put this to words. It looks like that guy with the pickaxe outside... but with spikes of ice here and there.

Nothing too weird so far. I've seen bigger icicles on someone who slept outside back in my hometown.

The werid thing is... They've got legs that look like they belong to a chicken.

What's...that supposed to mean?

The large pickaxe turned into a big icy scythe.

Like the stuff Grim Reapers from fairy tales carry around… It was all massive and sharp.

The way they wield it didn't really change, though: lift it up and swing it down.

Only, they're mining our skulls instead of ore veins.

And instead of gold or silver, we yield a red liquid…

W-Whoa, just a sec. Kid's head blew up again!

→ To conclude in her stead, Sinclair was properly restored by the manager later.

Guess it's my turn now.

Figured it'd come sooner or later~ I saw the other guys write stuff down from time to time, and Greg was making notes with a super grumpy face one time, too...

Bah, would it hurt for our guide Mister Color and Faust over there to tell us anything...

Well, a job is a job, I guess.

Hmm... I dunno how to put this to words. It looks like that guy with the pickaxe outside... but with spikes of ice here and there.

Nothing too weird so far. I've seen bigger icicles on someone who slept outside back in my hometown.

The werid thing is... They've got legs that look like they belong to a chicken.

What's...that supposed to mean?

The large pickaxe turned into a big icy scythe.

Like the stuff Grim Reapers from fairy tales carry around… It was all massive and sharp.

The way they wield it didn't really change, though: lift it up and swing it down.

Only, they're mining our skulls instead of ore veins.

And instead of gold or silver, we yield a red liquid…

W-Whoa, just a sec. Kid's head blew up again!

→ To conclude in her stead, Sinclair was properly restored by the manager later.

Guess it's my turn now.

Figured it'd come sooner or later~ I saw the other guys write stuff down from time to time, and Greg was making notes with a super grumpy face one time, too...

Bah, would it hurt for our guide Mister Color and Faust over there to tell us anything...

Well, a job is a job, I guess.

Hmm... I dunno how to put this to words. It looks like that guy with the pickaxe outside... but with spikes of ice here and there.

Nothing too weird so far. I've seen bigger icicles on someone who slept outside back in my hometown.

The werid thing is... They've got legs that look like they belong to a chicken.

What's...that supposed to mean?

The large pickaxe turned into a big icy scythe.

Like the stuff Grim Reapers from fairy tales carry around… It was all massive and sharp.

The way they wield it didn't really change, though: lift it up and swing it down.

Only, they're mining our skulls instead of ore veins.

And instead of gold or silver, we yield a red liquid…

W-Whoa, just a sec. Kid's head blew up again!

→ To conclude in her stead, Sinclair was properly restored by the manager later.

Guess it's my turn now.

Figured it'd come sooner or later~ I saw the other guys write stuff down from time to time, and Greg was making notes with a super grumpy face one time, too...

Bah, would it hurt for our guide Mister Color and Faust over there to tell us anything...

Well, a job is a job, I guess.

Hmm... I dunno how to put this to words. It looks like that guy with the pickaxe outside... but with spikes of ice here and there.

Nothing too weird so far. I've seen bigger icicles on someone who slept outside back in my hometown.

The werid thing is... They've got legs that look like they belong to a chicken.

What's...that supposed to mean?

The large pickaxe turned into a big icy scythe.

Like the stuff Grim Reapers from fairy tales carry around… It was all massive and sharp.

The way they wield it didn't really change, though: lift it up and swing it down.

Only, they're mining our skulls instead of ore veins.

And instead of gold or silver, we yield a red liquid…

W-Whoa, just a sec. Kid's head blew up again!

→ To conclude in her stead, Sinclair was properly restored by the manager later.

Not fond of writing, but I can't disobey orders.

Just don't come complaining at me. I can't write anything fancy pleasing to read.

First off... Those buggers look disgusting.

Weird clay-like things are all over their arms and legs... And they've got sodding eyes on 'em, too.

There's also a sharp blade thing―couldn't tell if it's a protrudding bone or a dried slab of that clay.

I guess that's what it uses to prod around, eh?

Oh, right. We've got a bug guy on our side, don't we? Looks kinda like his arm.

Maybe he's got more to tell you.

→ …I don't know where to start. I don't necessarily love my arm, but don't you think comparing it to that clay monster is going too far?

→ Got a problem, say it to my face.

→ Heathcliff. Please refrain from causing trouble. Also, profanities have no place in observation logs.

→ You're forcing me to write all this rubbish, and I can't even write however I like? Get someone else, then.

The white-haired lass keeps bugging me, but I'm writing this my way. These buggers spat on me mood enough in the fight today.

Those goggling eyeballs... Right, those things weren't actually clay.

Muscles... That's got to be it, muscles. Ripping one of those gave me the same feeling as tearing up an unlucky sod.

Seemed like those bundles of muscles sticking to the limbs were what's moving the body, acting like the whole thing belongs to 'em. The eyes on the face never flinched, only the ones on the arms.

Made it a bit tricky to fight 'em. I'm supposed to guess where it'll go next based on where it's looking, but that eye thing kept throwing me off. Well, I don't mind taking a hit too much if I can skelp 'em three times in return.

Another thing… Those things looked like they had feelings. Their muscles quivered each time I hit 'em. Squinted their eyes, too… Like it was getting mad.

Some clatty fruitcake they are.

→ What does a C.F. taste like? Is it artistic? You piqued my interest.

→ That's just a common Backstreets phrase… Meaning something absurd.

→ I know. J.K.

Normally, things like these grow back right as we break 'em, but those muscle lumps don't seem too good at that.

I doggedly bashed the big chunk o' muscles stuck to an arm, and I managed to crush it fine.

That didn't stop it from trying and hitting me, though… It didn't threaten me as much, but that didn't mean not much at all.

Right, I think it no longer did the thing where it gets right fuming and grabs one o' us to tear 'em off.

Yeah, it only makes sense, can't do the stabbing if that big knife's broken.

There are far more appalling and fearsome things out there, but I need to make this clear:

That looks horrifying.

It may look like a wild animal from a distance, but as you get closer, the curiosity turns into disgust, like the feeling you get from beings roaming around the Outskirts.

Bundles of muscle fibers protruded from its skin, covering its body like a coat of fur. And its ribs seem to have flipped upside down and ripped through the back.

Its arms―or should I say legs―definitely had the appearance of human limbs, but their movement wasn't.

That's right; it was a beast.

→ Dost thou speak the truth when you say creatures like that inhabit the Outskirts?!

→ No, you won't find things like that.

→ Well, I never… Then for what reason didst thou use such a description?

→ There were worse things.

Those things are too quick. Their reaction speed is clearly above average human level.

They've got wits, too. Rather than jumping in recklessly...

They use the tactic of striking at the weakest target in the back lines before quickly running away.

It happened in our last encounter with them, too; when you ordered a badly injured Sinner to fall back, those things jumped at them to scratch open an atery and ran off like the wind as if they understood what your command meant.

I'm not sure how they reacted like that to some ticking noises... Oh, I guess it's possible that the Distorted hear it differently.

Even if they charge at us in large numbers, we should stay level-headed.

A Sinner or two might die in the process, but... It's a necessary sacrifice. At least we can revive.

I remember you going through a lot of trouble last time when you tried dealing with all of them at the same time and got us all killed. It's as if they grow stronger the more they're attacked.

Ah, speaking of my death...

It brings me back to the moment when those things chewed up my intestines.

I think I died before I could feel the pain, but somehow... I felt as though I was falling into an endless pit of fire.

It wasn't hot or searing, just...

Being with the fire felt oddly natural.

I guess it's a good thing I was brought back before I experienced more of that. My thanks go to the manager.

Not fond of writing, but I can't disobey orders.

Just don't come complaining at me. I can't write anything fancy pleasing to read.

First off... Those buggers look disgusting.

Weird clay-like things are all over their arms and legs... And they've got sodding eyes on 'em, too.

There's also a sharp blade thing―couldn't tell if it's a protrudding bone or a dried slab of that clay.

I guess that's what it uses to prod around, eh?

Oh, right. We've got a bug guy on our side, don't we? Looks kinda like his arm.

Maybe he's got more to tell you.

→ …I don't know where to start. I don't necessarily love my arm, but don't you think comparing it to that clay monster is going too far?

→ Got a problem, say it to my face.

→ Heathcliff. Please refrain from causing trouble. Also, profanities have no place in observation logs.

→ You're forcing me to write all this rubbish, and I can't even write however I like? Get someone else, then.

The white-haired lass keeps bugging me, but I'm writing this my way. These buggers spat on me mood enough in the fight today.

Those goggling eyeballs... Right, those things weren't actually clay.

Muscles... That's got to be it, muscles. Ripping one of those gave me the same feeling as tearing up an unlucky sod.

Seemed like those bundles of muscles sticking to the limbs were what's moving the body, acting like the whole thing belongs to 'em. The eyes on the face never flinched, only the ones on the arms.

Made it a bit tricky to fight 'em. I'm supposed to guess where it'll go next based on where it's looking, but that eye thing kept throwing me off. Well, I don't mind taking a hit too much if I can skelp 'em three times in return.

Another thing… Those things looked like they had feelings. Their muscles quivered each time I hit 'em. Squinted their eyes, too… Like it was getting mad.

Some clatty fruitcake they are.

→ What does a C.F. taste like? Is it artistic? You piqued my interest.

→ That's just a common Backstreets phrase… Meaning something absurd.

→ I know. J.K.

Normally, things like these grow back right as we break 'em, but those muscle lumps don't seem too good at that.

I doggedly bashed the big chunk o' muscles stuck to an arm, and I managed to crush it fine.

That didn't stop it from trying and hitting me, though… It didn't threaten me as much, but that didn't mean not much at all.

Right, I think it no longer did the thing where it gets right fuming and grabs one o' us to tear 'em off.

Yeah, it only makes sense, can't do the stabbing if that big knife's broken.

There are far more appalling and fearsome things out there, but I need to make this clear:

That looks horrifying.

It may look like a wild animal from a distance, but as you get closer, the curiosity turns into disgust, like the feeling you get from beings roaming around the Outskirts.

Bundles of muscle fibers protruded from its skin, covering its body like a coat of fur. And its ribs seem to have flipped upside down and ripped through the back.

Its arms―or should I say legs―definitely had the appearance of human limbs, but their movement wasn't.

That's right; it was a beast.

→ Dost thou speak the truth when you say creatures like that inhabit the Outskirts?!

→ No, you won't find things like that.

→ Well, I never… Then for what reason didst thou use such a description?

→ There were worse things.

Those things are too quick. Their reaction speed is clearly above average human level.

They've got wits, too. Rather than jumping in recklessly...

They use the tactic of striking at the weakest target in the back lines before quickly running away.

It happened in our last encounter with them, too; when you ordered a badly injured Sinner to fall back, those things jumped at them to scratch open an atery and ran off like the wind as if they understood what your command meant.

I'm not sure how they reacted like that to some ticking noises... Oh, I guess it's possible that the Distorted hear it differently.

Even if they charge at us in large numbers, we should stay level-headed.

A Sinner or two might die in the process, but... It's a necessary sacrifice. At least we can revive.

I remember you going through a lot of trouble last time when you tried dealing with all of them at the same time and got us all killed. It's as if they grow stronger the more they're attacked.

Ah, speaking of my death...

It brings me back to the moment when those things chewed up my intestines.

I think I died before I could feel the pain, but somehow... I felt as though I was falling into an endless pit of fire.

It wasn't hot or searing, just...

Being with the fire felt oddly natural.

I guess it's a good thing I was brought back before I experienced more of that. My thanks go to the manager.

Bleh, you've gotta be kidding... Why do I have to observe this thing and write a log about it?

I hate this kinda stuff~ Reptiles, bugs, and all that kind of critters... I can't stand 'em.

Not you though, Greg, sweetie~

Anyway, we still gotta fight this thing and all, so I did my share of looking.

Umm... First off, there's a whole lotta snakes.

It's got these huge serpents instead of arms, and... Bwegh, they kept flicking their tongues. Are those the "fingers"?

And that's not all. Smaller snakes were poking their heads out of the armor, too.

Isn't the whole suit filled with snakes?

Yipes, I wanna unsee that mental image!

This can't be real, it's gotta be some kinda joke!!

Can you believe it? That serpent for an arm grabbed me!

Pah... I just can't cool down.

That arm... I mean, the huge snake stretched all of a sudden and coiled around me.

When that cold and slimy thing touched me...

I didn't even care that I was about to die, I was so grossed out to even think that!

I was gasping for breath, strangled by those things, and then...

Blegh, all the small snakes hanging from the body started rushing at me!

All those bites and stings and tears... Ugh, what a mess that was.

I don't remember when I died or when I got back...

But I'm never getting that image outta my head for the rest of my life...

Dante, darling, could you please let me stay behind next time we fight these~?

→ While I'm sure I don't need to remind you, Dante, you should be selective about approving requests from Sinners.

→ Are you underestimating our Executive Manager? If they ask that you reposition yourself, you will do so, front or back. Do you understand?

Those snakes... They won't even die.

I could've sworn I finished it, but it was still standing, flicking its tongue.

Is it some kinda last stand or what... Like, don't you have to be alive to show endurance like that?

How do dead things even stand their ground and fight to their "last"?

They creep me out so much, I can't even. Maybe they'd be tolerable if they weren't snakes!

I really don't feel like writing logs...

But I will...if I have to.

I haven't fought Kromer before or seen how N Corp's troops fight... But from what I could tell, she probably knows how to use a sword. She always carried one with her.

As for her looks... Not too different from what I remember, except a little taller...

And, that disorienting laughter...

Unnh, can I stop here?

→ None of this helps.

That bastard, she's killing our Sinners!

She murdered everyone in the back lines...

Blowing that stupid whistle... She came to me, too...

I couldn't do anything... Hearing that sound makes me go all stiff...

I could only watch as Kromer slew the others...

I wanted to crush her skull so dearly... But I couldn't move a muscle.

What should I do... Can you tell me, manager?

I'm...

I'm, still scared of Kromer.

Looking at her face makes my face twitch, and her blade gives me the chills.

Her maniacal eyes remind me of the tragedy on Christmas, and her creepy grin still has my eyes quivering.

But...

But I'm okay now.

I can stand up to her whistles now.

The things she's done are too vile for me to stand by, and I'd be too ashamed to see the Sinners she's killed if I let that bitch go.

I've changed a lot since then.

I've died a lot of deaths, and claimed a lot of lives.

I can go mad all the same now.

So, I will for sure…

I'll skewer her chest with a stake, over and over again.

→ You've got a good mindset. I like that.

→ While the willingness to fight is admirable, this log is for observations rather than decrees of your determination.

→ Sorry… I'll do it right next time.

When I think about it, Kromer always had an obsession with flesh.

And that obsession cumulated into what we're seeing now... A gruesome creature.

At first... I agreed with her. The idea of replacing the flesh with something else was unpleasant to me.

But now I see. What's really unpleasant...is believing that your thought is the only correct one...and letting that thought consume your mind whole.

It has the appearance of a fish.

-Its head has been cut off.

-The cut surface is clean; it appears to have been done with a single-sided edge, such as a knife or a scythe.

-It exhibits motion in spite of the lack of a head. I am aware that whether or not an Abnormality has an intact head is completely irrelevant to its ability to show activity, but I will note this regardless.

-An inflated sack visible around the chest area. Could not make clear observation.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

A silhouette is observed inside the inflated sack around the chest.

-It bears resemblance to a flower, or the central nervous system of a human.

-It expands the sack to use as blunt instrument, and can squeeze it at high speed to expel liquid.

-Overall, the sack is deemed to be a major component of its attacks; quick destruction should prove effective.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of three dark-furred wolves stitched together in a delicate operation. No, there may have been more, as it possessed more than three mouths.

Atop the canine heads was the figure of a person, charred beyond recognition. Though a combustion of that degree normally would have reduced such a figure to ashes, its form was as solid as it could be, its muscles even showing motion.

In addition, a heap of wooden telephone poles are lodged into the wolves' body as stakes would a prisoner. They seem to periodically emit electricity, but I couldn't fathom through what means they were able to do so.

Such is all I have to say.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

It ran at me, galloping in a possessed motion.

Its visage was a far cry from a hound commanded to battle or a beast yearning to feed itself.

Running at me may have been its only choice.

I saw a purple arc of electricity sprint across its back. Which reminded me of animals tested under similar conditions in the laboratory.

Using electric stimuli, those animals were made to move as some other being intended.

It made me wonder if the same is happening to this creature.

While its claws hurt me gravely, I felt an ounce of pity for it as well.

Such is all I have to say.

It had a thunderous roar.

To describe it in more detail, it gathered bolts of lightning as if all the storms and thunders in the world struck it at once, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its roar has a thunderous property.

Naturally, I was able to identify the source of its electricity.

This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself.

Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength;

the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.

While drawing up such thoughts, Miss Faust reminded me that it's not right to have such impressions of Abnormalities.

Thus, I conclude the log here lest it becomes too sentimental.

Bleh, you've gotta be kidding... Why do I have to observe this thing and write a log about it?

I hate this kinda stuff~ Reptiles, bugs, and all that kind of critters... I can't stand 'em.

Not you though, Greg, sweetie~

Anyway, we still gotta fight this thing and all, so I did my share of looking.

Umm... First off, there's a whole lotta snakes.

It's got these huge serpents instead of arms, and... Bwegh, they kept flicking their tongues. Are those the "fingers"?

And that's not all. Smaller snakes were poking their heads out of the armor, too.

Isn't the whole suit filled with snakes?

Yipes, I wanna unsee that mental image!

This can't be real, it's gotta be some kinda joke!!

Can you believe it? That serpent for an arm grabbed me!

Pah... I just can't cool down.

That arm... I mean, the huge snake stretched all of a sudden and coiled around me.

When that cold and slimy thing touched me...

I didn't even care that I was about to die, I was so grossed out to even think that!

I was gasping for breath, strangled by those things, and then...

Blegh, all the small snakes hanging from the body started rushing at me!

All those bites and stings and tears... Ugh, what a mess that was.

I don't remember when I died or when I got back...

But I'm never getting that image outta my head for the rest of my life...

Dante, darling, could you please let me stay behind next time we fight these~?

→ While I'm sure I don't need to remind you, Dante, you should be selective about approving requests from Sinners.

→ Are you underestimating our Executive Manager? If they ask that you reposition yourself, you will do so, front or back. Do you understand?

Those snakes... They won't even die.

I could've sworn I finished it, but it was still standing, flicking its tongue.

Is it some kinda last stand or what... Like, don't you have to be alive to show endurance like that?

How do dead things even stand their ground and fight to their "last"?

They creep me out so much, I can't even. Maybe they'd be tolerable if they weren't snakes!

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states that I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

When first faced with the Sinners, the Abnormality showed no signs of hostility. Instead, it initiated direct communication through the psyche.

Out of all the languages I knew, the Abnormality appeared to use my most commonly spoken one. I did not see any sound-producing organs such as the mouth or vocal cords in motion.

“Bring Snow White.” This is what the Abnormality said. A report on the former L Corp. I analyzed after disengagement suggests that it has a connection with F-04-42.

In addition, I discovered a corpse that seemed to belong to the staff that arrived here before us for preliminary investigation. Their ID confirmed that they were from the Operations Planning department, so we retrieved the remains and left the scene before a battle could break out.

Concluding the report.

Recording the information gained from encountering the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states that I am to designate its risk level as WAW. This is based on the managerial procedures retrieved from the branch facility.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

It attacks using growths of vines. It wraps its vines around itself as well, forming a shape that resembles a dress; it is possible that it believes itself to be a “noble”.

Its vines are used in a variety of ways, such as persistently stabbing one Sinner and rising from the floor to injure multiple Sinners.

In addition, its sturdy exterior made it difficult to damage.

In one battle where many Sinners were lost, we managed to remove one of its arms. (As I could most aptly describe.) I found then that it could no longer perform the attack that targeted every Sinner.

I will record any additional discoveries I observe in future encounters.

Concluding the report.

Recording an additional significant discovery.

We were able to remove its head during an encounter.

While we did not initially consider the head a target as its height was considerably higher than the Sinners’ reach, Heathcliff’s unstoppable advance provided a helpful clue.

We were able to successfully destroy the head. Although Heathcliff’s head was destroyed as well, it should be a negligible loss as it is a renewable asset.

It continued to move and attack despite the lack of a head, but we found that its exterior significantly softened.

Removing its “limbs” became a much more manageable task.

Even though the head grew back after a period of time, the removal of its arms and legs in the meantime freed us from the threat of powerful attacks for the rest of the operation.

Concluding the report.

It has the appearance of a fish.

-Its head has been cut off.

-The cut surface is clean; it appears to have been done with a single-sided edge, such as a knife or a scythe.

-It exhibits motion in spite of the lack of a head. I am aware that whether or not an Abnormality has an intact head is completely irrelevant to its ability to show activity, but I will note this regardless.

-An inflated sack visible around the chest area. Could not make clear observation.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

A silhouette is observed inside the inflated sack around the chest.

-It bears resemblance to a flower, or the central nervous system of a human.

-It expands the sack to use as blunt instrument, and can squeeze it at high speed to expel liquid.

-Overall, the sack is deemed to be a major component of its attacks; quick destruction should prove effective.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of three dark-furred wolves stitched together in a delicate operation. No, there may have been more, as it possessed more than three mouths.

Atop the canine heads was the figure of a person, charred beyond recognition. Though a combustion of that degree normally would have reduced such a figure to ashes, its form was as solid as it could be, its muscles even showing motion.

In addition, a heap of wooden telephone poles are lodged into the wolves' body as stakes would a prisoner. They seem to periodically emit electricity, but I couldn't fathom through what means they were able to do so.

Such is all I have to say.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

It ran at me, galloping in a possessed motion.

Its visage was a far cry from a hound commanded to battle or a beast yearning to feed itself.

Running at me may have been its only choice.

I saw a purple arc of electricity sprint across its back. Which reminded me of animals tested under similar conditions in the laboratory.

Using electric stimuli, those animals were made to move as some other being intended.

It made me wonder if the same is happening to this creature.

While its claws hurt me gravely, I felt an ounce of pity for it as well.

Such is all I have to say.

It had a thunderous roar.

To describe it in more detail, it gathered bolts of lightning as if all the storms and thunders in the world struck it at once, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its roar has a thunderous property.

Naturally, I was able to identify the source of its electricity.

This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself.

Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength;

the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.

While drawing up such thoughts, Miss Faust reminded me that it's not right to have such impressions of Abnormalities.

Thus, I conclude the log here lest it becomes too sentimental.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

Hmm... Writing is rather tedious work.

Oh, but I do suppose it's not a bad idea to write down my experiences. I hated when my grandfather scolded and pestered me into keeping a diary, but now, I'm not so averse to the thought.

So, I have to describe the appearance of that Abnormality, right?

Firstly... Its eyes were out of focus. It was drooling from the mouth, too.

Something about the color of the eyes and the saliva was off as well. They were all pink, same as the ribbon wrapped around the body.

Oh, speaking of ribbons, doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to silk?

I think our family kept a similar color of fabric. Though it wasn't the most luxurious... Hm, I do guess it's valuable in its own right.

Right, that's it! We used something like this for decoration on our younger sibling's birthday!

Oh dear, it looks like these used to be employees of this company.

Faust said that their outfits and employee IDs belonged to the former L Corp.

Goodness, I can't possibly imagine looting a corpse myself.

If it came down to me, I would've ordered a servant to handle the task. And I would have looked away from that gross sight and told the servant to explain it with words.

Oh... I wouldn't have taken interest in dead bodies in the first place, now that I think about it.

Could these deceased people be animated by those ribbons, perhaps?

The ribbons that grab us as we fight them...

If they wrap around us when we die, do you think we'll become like them?

Hmm... Writing is rather tedious work.

Oh, but I do suppose it's not a bad idea to write down my experiences. I hated when my grandfather scolded and pestered me into keeping a diary, but now, I'm not so averse to the thought.

So, I have to describe the appearance of that Abnormality, right?

Firstly... Its eyes were out of focus. It was drooling from the mouth, too.

Something about the color of the eyes and the saliva was off as well. They were all pink, same as the ribbon wrapped around the body.

Oh, speaking of ribbons, doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to silk?

I think our family kept a similar color of fabric. Though it wasn't the most luxurious... Hm, I do guess it's valuable in its own right.

Right, that's it! We used something like this for decoration on our younger sibling's birthday!

Oh dear, it looks like these used to be employees of this company.

Faust said that their outfits and employee IDs belonged to the former L Corp.

Goodness, I can't possibly imagine looting a corpse myself.

If it came down to me, I would've ordered a servant to handle the task. And I would have looked away from that gross sight and told the servant to explain it with words.

Oh... I wouldn't have taken interest in dead bodies in the first place, now that I think about it.

Could these deceased people be animated by those ribbons, perhaps?

The ribbons that grab us as we fight them...

If they wrap around us when we die, do you think we'll become like them?

-Composed of machinery, tin, plastic, steel, and circuits.

-Red or pink ribbons are coiled around the body.

-A pair of pink shoes are worn around the parts thought to be feet.

-The feet appear to have been forcibly shoved into the pink shoes.

-Anomalies observed in the color and direction of pupils in all entities.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

→ Damn, that's awful dry.

-Observed the pink ribbons encroach on us in prolonged combat.

-Sinners covered with a large quantity of ribbons were subject to heavily damaging attacks.

-Notable discovery: casualty from the attack caused the entities wearing pink ribbons to reanimate.

-The reanimation is thought to occur after a certain number of casualties.

-I request that the manager analyze the incidence and determine the tactical approach.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

-There is little doubt that this tin entity and those covered in ribbons shared the same state.

-Peer suggested that the ribbons be removed before it poses serious danger.

-I came in direct content with the ribbon while attempting the suggested solution.

-The ribbon did not have the texture of cloth or any other kind of fabric.

-Some resembled withered leaves, while others gave the tactile impression of a strong plant stem.

-One unambiguous conclusion is that the ribbons are alive.

-The ribbon's reaction to removal appeared to depend on the method of handling.

-Removal with force seemed to make the ribbon crumble more easily.

-No further discoveries to be made; the observation log is concluded.

→ I got into a panic and ripped them haphazardly, but it wasn't actually that tricky.

→ I was careful about it, worried that it might go wrong… But then the ribbon expanded all of a sudden and wrapped Hong Lu. Because of me, he…

→ I'm all okay, Sinclair~ It was a unique and fun experience!

I was ordered to describe facts about this in detail.

So I observed.

Placed on a wooden pedestal that seemed as though it was woven from fibers of muscles was a large stone plate.

As I approached it, its compartments of bricks began to rattle.

Seized by curiosity, I attempted to step closer for a better look...

Alas, my colleagues strongly discouraged me from doing so, so I turned away.

One thing I can say with confidence is that it was likely a tool for predicting a date of some kind, judging from the many letters carved on the bricks.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Those letters are from an ancient language. If Yi Sang's depiction is correct, that plate is almost certainly a calendar.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

Though it may have been less than pleasant as an observer to see the object of study sustain damage, more discoveries could be had in the behaviors it displayed during battle.

It summoned a number of flesh dolls wearing stone masks made of what I believe is the same mineral as the plate.

By 'offering' these dolls to the plate, I was able to observe a change in its shape.

The rattling bricks gradually widened, and I could see red muscle fibers and strange spatial extensions...or such.

I can't say for sure how drastic the change will be, but an observable trend is that it's becoming more and more ominous.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Why the hell did you put me in instead of those masked blokes? You damned clockhead, I'll #%^&@[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

→ Dante made the right choice. From what I can see, it seems that those flesh dolls, or "clay dolls," can't be offered up while they're alive. The only other option we have is to sacrifice Sinners.

→ And why does that have to be me @(##$[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

I had an opportunity to be offered to this.

I am about to describe the disconcerting, wet, and abnormal experience here.

I took unwavering steps forward as the choice was reasonable. I had no reason to fear, for I would be brought back to life even if I were to perish.

I did not feel the death, so to speak. Though I have experienced death many times in battle, I was not subjected to the sort of pain or flashing disarray that normally accompanies a demise that time. It simply felt as though I was being transported to a different location.

It may be the universe or some other dimension.

My own body and voice couldn't be perceived by my senses. Perhaps my eyes had gone and I became part of that place.

There, I may have seen the end. You could say it was a doomsday I witnessed.

No perhaps I may have been the end and the doomsday I was present at the end but not existent and while it may be misleading to say that it was there but even still I witnessed man and sky and earth tear into thousands of pieces

[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

→ I had Yi Sang talk with the recovery staff from After Team for a moment. His psychological corruption seems rather severe. Dante, I think we should refrain from making our observers directly experience these events from now on.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2, Addendum 3 states I am to categorize it as a subordinate entity of the stone plate Abnormality.

It wore a mask that resembled a crude diver's helmet. It appeared to be made of a stone with high hardness, its exterior well polished.

Correction: rather than polished, it appears to have been "made that way". I was unable to detect any signs of artificial processing.

Its body resembled muscle fibers. The lack of skin or other protective surface makes it appear highly fragile, but a large number of these entities are expected to be more difficult to deal with.

Concluding the report.

I will report findings from a direct confrontation next time.

I encountered the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states I am to designate its risk level as TETH.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

The entities appear to use their thin yet elastic body for quick attacks.

They often charged into Sinners and grabbed their target tight. They were difficult to remove, and a few lives were lost due to their persistence.

As stated in the previous report, the entity appears to be closely related to the stone plate Abnormality. When the entities were killed and 'offered' to the stone plate Abnormality, a change in the plate's shape could be observed.

In addition, the masks of these entities gradually changed accordingly.

Faust is curious. I should make it my next task to study the extent of this transformation.

Concluding the report.

→ Um, hello, aren't you forgetting to mention the part where they hug us and belch fire? One of them burnt all my hair.

→ Hey Faust! Can't we sell these heads to an antique shop? Don't they look pretty pricey?

I observed the full extent of its changes.

Its mask had two forms it could assume.

While not as impressive as the four states the stone plate Abnormality could take, there was an undeniable connection between them.

It seems to be able to generate fire from within the mask. An autopsy after battle revealed no combustible materials stored inside, suggesting that the fire was not created via physical means.

No further discoveries were made.

...A shame, Faust was hoping to learn more things.

→ You made me stand guard for hours while you dissected their bodies, try to be happy with what you got.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2, Addendum 3 states I am to categorize it as a subordinate entity of the stone plate Abnormality.

It wore a mask that resembled a crude diver's helmet. It appeared to be made of a stone with high hardness, its exterior well polished.

Correction: rather than polished, it appears to have been "made that way". I was unable to detect any signs of artificial processing.

Its body resembled muscle fibers. The lack of skin or other protective surface makes it appear highly fragile, but a large number of these entities are expected to be more difficult to deal with.

Concluding the report.

I will report findings from a direct confrontation next time.

I encountered the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states I am to designate its risk level as TETH.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

The entities appear to use their thin yet elastic body for quick attacks.

They often charged into Sinners and grabbed their target tight. They were difficult to remove, and a few lives were lost due to their persistence.

As stated in the previous report, the entity appears to be closely related to the stone plate Abnormality. When the entities were killed and 'offered' to the stone plate Abnormality, a change in the plate's shape could be observed.

In addition, the masks of these entities gradually changed accordingly.

Faust is curious. I should make it my next task to study the extent of this transformation.

Concluding the report.

→ Um, hello, aren't you forgetting to mention the part where they hug us and belch fire? One of them burnt all my hair.

→ Hey Faust! Can't we sell these heads to an antique shop? Don't they look pretty pricey?

I observed the full extent of its changes.

Its mask had two forms it could assume.

While not as impressive as the four states the stone plate Abnormality could take, there was an undeniable connection between them.

It seems to be able to generate fire from within the mask. An autopsy after battle revealed no combustible materials stored inside, suggesting that the fire was not created via physical means.

No further discoveries were made.

...A shame, Faust was hoping to learn more things.

→ You made me stand guard for hours while you dissected their bodies, try to be happy with what you got.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states that I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

When first faced with the Sinners, the Abnormality showed no signs of hostility. Instead, it initiated direct communication through the psyche.

Out of all the languages I knew, the Abnormality appeared to use my most commonly spoken one. I did not see any sound-producing organs such as the mouth or vocal cords in motion.

“Bring Snow White.” This is what the Abnormality said. A report on the former L Corp. I analyzed after disengagement suggests that it has a connection with F-04-42.

In addition, I discovered a corpse that seemed to belong to the staff that arrived here before us for preliminary investigation. Their ID confirmed that they were from the Operations Planning department, so we retrieved the remains and left the scene before a battle could break out.

Concluding the report.

Recording the information gained from encountering the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states that I am to designate its risk level as WAW. This is based on the managerial procedures retrieved from the branch facility.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

It attacks using growths of vines. It wraps its vines around itself as well, forming a shape that resembles a dress; it is possible that it believes itself to be a “noble”.

Its vines are used in a variety of ways, such as persistently stabbing one Sinner and rising from the floor to injure multiple Sinners.

In addition, its sturdy exterior made it difficult to damage.

In one battle where many Sinners were lost, we managed to remove one of its arms. (As I could most aptly describe.) I found then that it could no longer perform the attack that targeted every Sinner.

I will record any additional discoveries I observe in future encounters.

Concluding the report.

Recording an additional significant discovery.

We were able to remove its head during an encounter.

While we did not initially consider the head a target as its height was considerably higher than the Sinners’ reach, Heathcliff’s unstoppable advance provided a helpful clue.

We were able to successfully destroy the head. Although Heathcliff’s head was destroyed as well, it should be a negligible loss as it is a renewable asset.

It continued to move and attack despite the lack of a head, but we found that its exterior significantly softened.

Removing its “limbs” became a much more manageable task.

Even though the head grew back after a period of time, the removal of its arms and legs in the meantime freed us from the threat of powerful attacks for the rest of the operation.

Concluding the report.

It has the appearance of a fish.

-Its head has been cut off.

-The cut surface is clean; it appears to have been done with a single-sided edge, such as a knife or a scythe.

-It exhibits motion in spite of the lack of a head. I am aware that whether or not an Abnormality has an intact head is completely irrelevant to its ability to show activity, but I will note this regardless.

-An inflated sack visible around the chest area. Could not make clear observation.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

A silhouette is observed inside the inflated sack around the chest.

-It bears resemblance to a flower, or the central nervous system of a human.

-It expands the sack to use as blunt instrument, and can squeeze it at high speed to expel liquid.

-Overall, the sack is deemed to be a major component of its attacks; quick destruction should prove effective.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of three dark-furred wolves stitched together in a delicate operation. No, there may have been more, as it possessed more than three mouths.

Atop the canine heads was the figure of a person, charred beyond recognition. Though a combustion of that degree normally would have reduced such a figure to ashes, its form was as solid as it could be, its muscles even showing motion.

In addition, a heap of wooden telephone poles are lodged into the wolves' body as stakes would a prisoner. They seem to periodically emit electricity, but I couldn't fathom through what means they were able to do so.

Such is all I have to say.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

It ran at me, galloping in a possessed motion.

Its visage was a far cry from a hound commanded to battle or a beast yearning to feed itself.

Running at me may have been its only choice.

I saw a purple arc of electricity sprint across its back. Which reminded me of animals tested under similar conditions in the laboratory.

Using electric stimuli, those animals were made to move as some other being intended.

It made me wonder if the same is happening to this creature.

While its claws hurt me gravely, I felt an ounce of pity for it as well.

Such is all I have to say.

It had a thunderous roar.

To describe it in more detail, it gathered bolts of lightning as if all the storms and thunders in the world struck it at once, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its roar has a thunderous property.

Naturally, I was able to identify the source of its electricity.

This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself.

Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength;

the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.

While drawing up such thoughts, Miss Faust reminded me that it's not right to have such impressions of Abnormalities.

Thus, I conclude the log here lest it becomes too sentimental.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

A bunch of creeps walked out of that container box.

Wearing tin cans on their heads, torsos made up of some sort of plastic...

It's hard to explain. It was like someone arbitrarily put together pieces of random toys.

On top of unmatching colors, some straight up lacked frames to cover up the mechanisms.

They weren't all machines, either.

Between the parts, I saw bits of flesh and dried blood...

Just what is going on inside that box?

→ Umm... Maybe it's a type of automated prosthetic procedure device? A company my father considered buying was… N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.

→ Abnormalities are not real devices. I recommend against trying to make ties with existing things.

They're tough. These things are way tougher than they look.

I thought they'd be as easy to deal with as children's toys, but I way misjudged... I thought I'd seen my share of extraordinary things throughout my career of unpleasant jobs, but it looks like I still have much to see and learn.

There has to be a human inside… but they acted like broken killing machines. Their upper body rotates all the way round, and their arms moved weirdly, too.

And most of all… It's like they're incapable of feeling pain.

I heard some alleys in the Backstreets provide a surgery that fries pain receptors. Could this be similar?

→ As I repeatedly assert, Abnormalities are entities of their own category. You shouldn't construe them with the City's standards, Ishmael.

→ And yet Abnormalities physically exist in this realm. If the properties of a thing aren't determined by the laws of the space it exists in, can it truly be said to exist?

→ The hell are you yapping on about?

→ I don't believe it's necessary for you to understand, Heathcliff.

→ Huh? Is my name written here somewhere? How'd you know it was me?

→ …Funny. [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.]

I think I have an idea now.

When I approached the fainted tin men, I heard mechanical noises. It sounded like things were being fixed within.

If I had to guess… They seem to be equipped with devices that automatically repair their bodies.

But, the device didn't seem capable of carrying out more than five repairs.

Only trouble is that they grow stronger each time they're fixed up…

We should find a way to deal with them and stop this repair mechanism from getting to work. Until then, we'll have to bear with their five lives…

Oh, by the way:

How do you think the 'human' parts inside are being repaired?

→ Do not question the physics of Abnormalities.

Hmm... Writing is rather tedious work.

Oh, but I do suppose it's not a bad idea to write down my experiences. I hated when my grandfather scolded and pestered me into keeping a diary, but now, I'm not so averse to the thought.

So, I have to describe the appearance of that Abnormality, right?

Firstly... Its eyes were out of focus. It was drooling from the mouth, too.

Something about the color of the eyes and the saliva was off as well. They were all pink, same as the ribbon wrapped around the body.

Oh, speaking of ribbons, doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to silk?

I think our family kept a similar color of fabric. Though it wasn't the most luxurious... Hm, I do guess it's valuable in its own right.

Right, that's it! We used something like this for decoration on our younger sibling's birthday!

Oh dear, it looks like these used to be employees of this company.

Faust said that their outfits and employee IDs belonged to the former L Corp.

Goodness, I can't possibly imagine looting a corpse myself.

If it came down to me, I would've ordered a servant to handle the task. And I would have looked away from that gross sight and told the servant to explain it with words.

Oh... I wouldn't have taken interest in dead bodies in the first place, now that I think about it.

Could these deceased people be animated by those ribbons, perhaps?

The ribbons that grab us as we fight them...

If they wrap around us when we die, do you think we'll become like them?

Hmm... Writing is rather tedious work.

Oh, but I do suppose it's not a bad idea to write down my experiences. I hated when my grandfather scolded and pestered me into keeping a diary, but now, I'm not so averse to the thought.

So, I have to describe the appearance of that Abnormality, right?

Firstly... Its eyes were out of focus. It was drooling from the mouth, too.

Something about the color of the eyes and the saliva was off as well. They were all pink, same as the ribbon wrapped around the body.

Oh, speaking of ribbons, doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to silk?

I think our family kept a similar color of fabric. Though it wasn't the most luxurious... Hm, I do guess it's valuable in its own right.

Right, that's it! We used something like this for decoration on our younger sibling's birthday!

Oh dear, it looks like these used to be employees of this company.

Faust said that their outfits and employee IDs belonged to the former L Corp.

Goodness, I can't possibly imagine looting a corpse myself.

If it came down to me, I would've ordered a servant to handle the task. And I would have looked away from that gross sight and told the servant to explain it with words.

Oh... I wouldn't have taken interest in dead bodies in the first place, now that I think about it.

Could these deceased people be animated by those ribbons, perhaps?

The ribbons that grab us as we fight them...

If they wrap around us when we die, do you think we'll become like them?

-Composed of machinery, tin, plastic, steel, and circuits.

-Red or pink ribbons are coiled around the body.

-A pair of pink shoes are worn around the parts thought to be feet.

-The feet appear to have been forcibly shoved into the pink shoes.

-Anomalies observed in the color and direction of pupils in all entities.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

→ Damn, that's awful dry.

-Observed the pink ribbons encroach on us in prolonged combat.

-Sinners covered with a large quantity of ribbons were subject to heavily damaging attacks.

-Notable discovery: casualty from the attack caused the entities wearing pink ribbons to reanimate.

-The reanimation is thought to occur after a certain number of casualties.

-I request that the manager analyze the incidence and determine the tactical approach.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

-There is little doubt that this tin entity and those covered in ribbons shared the same state.

-Peer suggested that the ribbons be removed before it poses serious danger.

-I came in direct content with the ribbon while attempting the suggested solution.

-The ribbon did not have the texture of cloth or any other kind of fabric.

-Some resembled withered leaves, while others gave the tactile impression of a strong plant stem.

-One unambiguous conclusion is that the ribbons are alive.

-The ribbon's reaction to removal appeared to depend on the method of handling.

-Removal with force seemed to make the ribbon crumble more easily.

-No further discoveries to be made; the observation log is concluded.

→ I got into a panic and ripped them haphazardly, but it wasn't actually that tricky.

→ I was careful about it, worried that it might go wrong… But then the ribbon expanded all of a sudden and wrapped Hong Lu. Because of me, he…

→ I'm all okay, Sinclair~ It was a unique and fun experience!

I was ordered to describe facts about this in detail.

So I observed.

Placed on a wooden pedestal that seemed as though it was woven from fibers of muscles was a large stone plate.

As I approached it, its compartments of bricks began to rattle.

Seized by curiosity, I attempted to step closer for a better look...

Alas, my colleagues strongly discouraged me from doing so, so I turned away.

One thing I can say with confidence is that it was likely a tool for predicting a date of some kind, judging from the many letters carved on the bricks.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Those letters are from an ancient language. If Yi Sang's depiction is correct, that plate is almost certainly a calendar.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

Though it may have been less than pleasant as an observer to see the object of study sustain damage, more discoveries could be had in the behaviors it displayed during battle.

It summoned a number of flesh dolls wearing stone masks made of what I believe is the same mineral as the plate.

By 'offering' these dolls to the plate, I was able to observe a change in its shape.

The rattling bricks gradually widened, and I could see red muscle fibers and strange spatial extensions...or such.

I can't say for sure how drastic the change will be, but an observable trend is that it's becoming more and more ominous.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Why the hell did you put me in instead of those masked blokes? You damned clockhead, I'll #%^&@[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

→ Dante made the right choice. From what I can see, it seems that those flesh dolls, or "clay dolls," can't be offered up while they're alive. The only other option we have is to sacrifice Sinners.

→ And why does that have to be me @(##$[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

I had an opportunity to be offered to this.

I am about to describe the disconcerting, wet, and abnormal experience here.

I took unwavering steps forward as the choice was reasonable. I had no reason to fear, for I would be brought back to life even if I were to perish.

I did not feel the death, so to speak. Though I have experienced death many times in battle, I was not subjected to the sort of pain or flashing disarray that normally accompanies a demise that time. It simply felt as though I was being transported to a different location.

It may be the universe or some other dimension.

My own body and voice couldn't be perceived by my senses. Perhaps my eyes had gone and I became part of that place.

There, I may have seen the end. You could say it was a doomsday I witnessed.

No perhaps I may have been the end and the doomsday I was present at the end but not existent and while it may be misleading to say that it was there but even still I witnessed man and sky and earth tear into thousands of pieces

[The rest is neatly censored with a correction tape.]

→ I had Yi Sang talk with the recovery staff from After Team for a moment. His psychological corruption seems rather severe. Dante, I think we should refrain from making our observers directly experience these events from now on.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2, Addendum 3 states I am to categorize it as a subordinate entity of the stone plate Abnormality.

It wore a mask that resembled a crude diver's helmet. It appeared to be made of a stone with high hardness, its exterior well polished.

Correction: rather than polished, it appears to have been "made that way". I was unable to detect any signs of artificial processing.

Its body resembled muscle fibers. The lack of skin or other protective surface makes it appear highly fragile, but a large number of these entities are expected to be more difficult to deal with.

Concluding the report.

I will report findings from a direct confrontation next time.

I encountered the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states I am to designate its risk level as TETH.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

The entities appear to use their thin yet elastic body for quick attacks.

They often charged into Sinners and grabbed their target tight. They were difficult to remove, and a few lives were lost due to their persistence.

As stated in the previous report, the entity appears to be closely related to the stone plate Abnormality. When the entities were killed and 'offered' to the stone plate Abnormality, a change in the plate's shape could be observed.

In addition, the masks of these entities gradually changed accordingly.

Faust is curious. I should make it my next task to study the extent of this transformation.

Concluding the report.

→ Um, hello, aren't you forgetting to mention the part where they hug us and belch fire? One of them burnt all my hair.

→ Hey Faust! Can't we sell these heads to an antique shop? Don't they look pretty pricey?

I observed the full extent of its changes.

Its mask had two forms it could assume.

While not as impressive as the four states the stone plate Abnormality could take, there was an undeniable connection between them.

It seems to be able to generate fire from within the mask. An autopsy after battle revealed no combustible materials stored inside, suggesting that the fire was not created via physical means.

No further discoveries were made.

...A shame, Faust was hoping to learn more things.

→ You made me stand guard for hours while you dissected their bodies, try to be happy with what you got.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2 states I am to categorize it as an Abnormality.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 2, Addendum 3 states I am to categorize it as a subordinate entity of the stone plate Abnormality.

It wore a mask that resembled a crude diver's helmet. It appeared to be made of a stone with high hardness, its exterior well polished.

Correction: rather than polished, it appears to have been "made that way". I was unable to detect any signs of artificial processing.

Its body resembled muscle fibers. The lack of skin or other protective surface makes it appear highly fragile, but a large number of these entities are expected to be more difficult to deal with.

Concluding the report.

I will report findings from a direct confrontation next time.

I encountered the entity in battle.

<Company Rules> Article 11, Paragraph 3 states I am to designate its risk level as TETH.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

The entities appear to use their thin yet elastic body for quick attacks.

They often charged into Sinners and grabbed their target tight. They were difficult to remove, and a few lives were lost due to their persistence.

As stated in the previous report, the entity appears to be closely related to the stone plate Abnormality. When the entities were killed and 'offered' to the stone plate Abnormality, a change in the plate's shape could be observed.

In addition, the masks of these entities gradually changed accordingly.

Faust is curious. I should make it my next task to study the extent of this transformation.

Concluding the report.

→ Um, hello, aren't you forgetting to mention the part where they hug us and belch fire? One of them burnt all my hair.

→ Hey Faust! Can't we sell these heads to an antique shop? Don't they look pretty pricey?

I observed the full extent of its changes.

Its mask had two forms it could assume.

While not as impressive as the four states the stone plate Abnormality could take, there was an undeniable connection between them.

It seems to be able to generate fire from within the mask. An autopsy after battle revealed no combustible materials stored inside, suggesting that the fire was not created via physical means.

No further discoveries were made.

...A shame, Faust was hoping to learn more things.

→ You made me stand guard for hours while you dissected their bodies, try to be happy with what you got.

I really don't feel like writing logs...

But I will...if I have to.

I haven't fought Kromer before or seen how N Corp's troops fight... But from what I could tell, she probably knows how to use a sword. She always carried one with her.

As for her looks... Not too different from what I remember, except a little taller...

And, that disorienting laughter...

Unnh, can I stop here?

→ None of this helps.

That bastard, she's killing our Sinners!

She murdered everyone in the back lines...

Blowing that stupid whistle... She came to me, too...

I couldn't do anything... Hearing that sound makes me go all stiff...

I could only watch as Kromer slew the others...

I wanted to crush her skull so dearly... But I couldn't move a muscle.

What should I do... Can you tell me, manager?

I'm...

I'm, still scared of Kromer.

Looking at her face makes my face twitch, and her blade gives me the chills.

Her maniacal eyes remind me of the tragedy on Christmas, and her creepy grin still has my eyes quivering.

But...

But I'm okay now.

I can stand up to her whistles now.

The things she's done are too vile for me to stand by, and I'd be too ashamed to see the Sinners she's killed if I let that bitch go.

I've changed a lot since then.

I've died a lot of deaths, and claimed a lot of lives.

I can go mad all the same now.

So, I will for sure…

I'll skewer her chest with a stake, over and over again.

→ You've got a good mindset. I like that.

→ While the willingness to fight is admirable, this log is for observations rather than decrees of your determination.

→ Sorry… I'll do it right next time.

When I think about it, Kromer always had an obsession with flesh.

And that obsession cumulated into what we're seeing now... A gruesome creature.

At first... I agreed with her. The idea of replacing the flesh with something else was unpleasant to me.

But now I see. What's really unpleasant...is believing that your thought is the only correct one...and letting that thought consume your mind whole.

It has the appearance of a fish.

-Its head has been cut off.

-The cut surface is clean; it appears to have been done with a single-sided edge, such as a knife or a scythe.

-It exhibits motion in spite of the lack of a head. I am aware that whether or not an Abnormality has an intact head is completely irrelevant to its ability to show activity, but I will note this regardless.

-An inflated sack visible around the chest area. Could not make clear observation.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

A silhouette is observed inside the inflated sack around the chest.

-It bears resemblance to a flower, or the central nervous system of a human.

-It expands the sack to use as blunt instrument, and can squeeze it at high speed to expel liquid.

-Overall, the sack is deemed to be a major component of its attacks; quick destruction should prove effective.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of three dark-furred wolves stitched together in a delicate operation. No, there may have been more, as it possessed more than three mouths.

Atop the canine heads was the figure of a person, charred beyond recognition. Though a combustion of that degree normally would have reduced such a figure to ashes, its form was as solid as it could be, its muscles even showing motion.

In addition, a heap of wooden telephone poles are lodged into the wolves' body as stakes would a prisoner. They seem to periodically emit electricity, but I couldn't fathom through what means they were able to do so.

Such is all I have to say.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

It ran at me, galloping in a possessed motion.

Its visage was a far cry from a hound commanded to battle or a beast yearning to feed itself.

Running at me may have been its only choice.

I saw a purple arc of electricity sprint across its back. Which reminded me of animals tested under similar conditions in the laboratory.

Using electric stimuli, those animals were made to move as some other being intended.

It made me wonder if the same is happening to this creature.

While its claws hurt me gravely, I felt an ounce of pity for it as well.

Such is all I have to say.

It had a thunderous roar.

To describe it in more detail, it gathered bolts of lightning as if all the storms and thunders in the world struck it at once, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its roar has a thunderous property.

Naturally, I was able to identify the source of its electricity.

This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself.

Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength;

the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.

While drawing up such thoughts, Miss Faust reminded me that it's not right to have such impressions of Abnormalities.

Thus, I conclude the log here lest it becomes too sentimental.

Bleh, you've gotta be kidding... Why do I have to observe this thing and write a log about it?

I hate this kinda stuff~ Reptiles, bugs, and all that kind of critters... I can't stand 'em.

Not you though, Greg, sweetie~

Anyway, we still gotta fight this thing and all, so I did my share of looking.

Umm... First off, there's a whole lotta snakes.

It's got these huge serpents instead of arms, and... Bwegh, they kept flicking their tongues. Are those the "fingers"?

And that's not all. Smaller snakes were poking their heads out of the armor, too.

Isn't the whole suit filled with snakes?

Yipes, I wanna unsee that mental image!

This can't be real, it's gotta be some kinda joke!!

Can you believe it? That serpent for an arm grabbed me!

Pah... I just can't cool down.

That arm... I mean, the huge snake stretched all of a sudden and coiled around me.

When that cold and slimy thing touched me...

I didn't even care that I was about to die, I was so grossed out to even think that!

I was gasping for breath, strangled by those things, and then...

Blegh, all the small snakes hanging from the body started rushing at me!

All those bites and stings and tears... Ugh, what a mess that was.

I don't remember when I died or when I got back...

But I'm never getting that image outta my head for the rest of my life...

Dante, darling, could you please let me stay behind next time we fight these~?

→ While I'm sure I don't need to remind you, Dante, you should be selective about approving requests from Sinners.

→ Are you underestimating our Executive Manager? If they ask that you reposition yourself, you will do so, front or back. Do you understand?

Those snakes... They won't even die.

I could've sworn I finished it, but it was still standing, flicking its tongue.

Is it some kinda last stand or what... Like, don't you have to be alive to show endurance like that?

How do dead things even stand their ground and fight to their "last"?

They creep me out so much, I can't even. Maybe they'd be tolerable if they weren't snakes!

Not fond of writing, but I can't disobey orders.

Just don't come complaining at me. I can't write anything fancy pleasing to read.

First off... Those buggers look disgusting.

Weird clay-like things are all over their arms and legs... And they've got sodding eyes on 'em, too.

There's also a sharp blade thing―couldn't tell if it's a protrudding bone or a dried slab of that clay.

I guess that's what it uses to prod around, eh?

Oh, right. We've got a bug guy on our side, don't we? Looks kinda like his arm.

Maybe he's got more to tell you.

→ …I don't know where to start. I don't necessarily love my arm, but don't you think comparing it to that clay monster is going too far?

→ Got a problem, say it to my face.

→ Heathcliff. Please refrain from causing trouble. Also, profanities have no place in observation logs.

→ You're forcing me to write all this rubbish, and I can't even write however I like? Get someone else, then.

The white-haired lass keeps bugging me, but I'm writing this my way. These buggers spat on me mood enough in the fight today.

Those goggling eyeballs... Right, those things weren't actually clay.

Muscles... That's got to be it, muscles. Ripping one of those gave me the same feeling as tearing up an unlucky sod.

Seemed like those bundles of muscles sticking to the limbs were what's moving the body, acting like the whole thing belongs to 'em. The eyes on the face never flinched, only the ones on the arms.

Made it a bit tricky to fight 'em. I'm supposed to guess where it'll go next based on where it's looking, but that eye thing kept throwing me off. Well, I don't mind taking a hit too much if I can skelp 'em three times in return.

Another thing… Those things looked like they had feelings. Their muscles quivered each time I hit 'em. Squinted their eyes, too… Like it was getting mad.

Some clatty fruitcake they are.

→ What does a C.F. taste like? Is it artistic? You piqued my interest.

→ That's just a common Backstreets phrase… Meaning something absurd.

→ I know. J.K.

Normally, things like these grow back right as we break 'em, but those muscle lumps don't seem too good at that.

I doggedly bashed the big chunk o' muscles stuck to an arm, and I managed to crush it fine.

That didn't stop it from trying and hitting me, though… It didn't threaten me as much, but that didn't mean not much at all.

Right, I think it no longer did the thing where it gets right fuming and grabs one o' us to tear 'em off.

Yeah, it only makes sense, can't do the stabbing if that big knife's broken.

It wasn't the most pleasant encounter.

You might say that this would apply to facing any Abnormality in battle, but this one just...felt unusual, somehow.

It was sitting languidly still and crying strange noises, looking like it had given up on everything.

The protruding blue eyeballs were shifting around with no confidence...

Yeah. It was kinda getting on my nerves. I thought I might go crazy if I had to hear its cry any longer.

I would rather just...

→ Is that the reason you swung your mace against the orders? I find it hardly convincing.

→ Nah, I'm with her. I'd snap too if I kept listening to that bloody croak. 'Sides, we're supposed to beat those Abnormalities or whatever until they're eggs, aye? What's the problem here?

→ I, I thought so, too… I agreed it would've been better off to reduce it to an egg quickly…

→ What's clockface on about now. They're ticking an awful lot.

→ …Executive Manager asks for some respect for salvaging you tools after you gotyourselves killed in an idiotic charge.

I think I've learned one thing.

I don't know how it came to attack its foes with its own eyeballs, but it looks like getting hit by it drains your energy (on top of it being incredibly gross).

…Does it? Gimme a moment.

Hmm… I asked a few other Sinners about this.

In conclusion… The more times you're hit by its tongue, the deadlier the eyeball seems to be.

I couldn't figure out further details, but I think it's safe to plan our tactics around avoiding its tongue, manager.

Which is good. It did not feel good to get hit.

→ Talk about a weirdo. It's not really tough at all, but it makes me feel all weak and drowsy~

→ Really? I, I felt a little different… Doesn't it make you more gloomy than anything?

→ Huh? How?

→ Like… Past memories popping up, or… Wanting to give up and die…

→ …Um, Faustie? Looks like our kiddie needs some mental aid?

The left eye reduces health, and the right eye damages sanity.

So that's how they worked.

Well... Not like this changes the fact that it's best to avoid both.

In any case, we now know why dragging on doesn't do us any favor.

I felt like I was being dragged deeper into the swamp of gloom as the fight went on.

I suggest we make quick work of it with fast and powerful attacks, manager.

P.S. This just occurred to me...

I wonder what would've happened we just waiting until it's finished crying?

No, I'm not saying we should try it. I don't see it being efficient, either.

It's just... I remember someone doing the same for me a long time ago, and it helped me back then.

I dunno a lot about robots or machines like this...

Wait, have I...? I might have seen this one before. It was standing still in a room back then.

Right~ That souvenir robot!

Yeah, it had a panel on its chest where you could write stuff.

This thing looks like it'll chop you in half if you dared touch its chest, though...

Come to think of it, I remember running away from the robot because it tried to take away the thing it gave me. Robot arms came out clanking just like now, too.

Reflecting on it, back in my day…

Hah, guess it goes further back, actually. People much older than me used to work with hunks of metal like that, or so I heard.

If the stories are to be believed, some were modified for combat purposes. That sure takes me back…

→ Old fart.

→ …Who wrote this?

Damn, I didn't expect this of all things to get me nostalgic.

In the Backstreets, you could sometimes find toys from ages ago.

One of them was a toy crane where you grab dolls trapped behind the glass. You move the claw using a joystick from the outside, and send it down to grab whatever's underneath.

It was pretty tight. Yep.

And here I am... Being put in the dolls' shoes after all this time.

I sure as hell didn't see this stupid machine play the crane game with us!

And when it catches something, it saws the prize along the neck…

Ugh, talk about ruined childhood memories.

Alright, I think I figured it out.

This is pretty disturbing, but... When it tried to grab us, we managed to dodge it one time.

After that big robot claw went upwards… Bah, sorry, I thought I got over it.

It came down again, holding some…machine egg thing.

When I got closer… I saw that the mechanical film was pounding to a beat.

Like a heart.

I know, this makes no sense normally. So don't comment stuff like "a heart can't beat outside an organism's systems" or whatever. You saw that thing move too, right?

.

.

.

I have to write what we did about it in full detail, huh…

I mean, what more do I say, really. We chopped that thing off.

The claw was a pretty big bother to get around, but when we cut into that thing somehow, that tin can stopped moving! Haha, that sure gave us a breather.

…Well, it might be because the heart belonged to the robot.

It's creepy, but whatever. It's an Abnormality, yeah?

I didn't get to spare much sympathy for others during the war, and I'm definitely not wasting any on unknown freaks like that.

We've got to live.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

This entity was first identified by the Preliminary Observation of LCC Before Team, and it was to be captured by After Team's Special Ops department.

However, it appears that we encountered it through the mirror before they could perform the task.

With the above-mentioned facts in consideration, I will describe the information gathered from Before Team's observation and our encounter with it in a comprehensive manner.

-The Abnormality is speculated to be a statue created as an idol for worship.

-The Abnormality appears to be floating in the air at all times, and shows no particular movement outside of gesturing with one hand.

-Is ■■■■ with a related Abnormality ■■■■■■; may suggest a connection of some kind, though details are unclear. [Authorization from a higher security level is required to access the data.]

-Similar to how it floats, it attacks by "levitating" objects and sending them flying.

Concluding the report.

→ Those cleaners found it first? I thought it was their job to catch 'em and put 'em away?

→ As explained before, we stand between multiple different possibilities via refractions. After Team may have been late in this possibility, or even nonexistent.

→ (A writing seems to have been scribbled out with a pen.) Alright, I got that loud and clear.

→ Someone is unconvincing.

Recording the information gained from encountering the entity in battle.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

It was always accompanied by a group of followers. Observation suggested that they were under the influence of a type of mind control. The lack of any common factors shared by all followers in terms of attire or other external features added further plausibility to the speculation.

It appears to attack using a khakkhara holding spiritual significance.The staff floated in a similar manner to the Abnormality. It looks as though the staff has its own sentience.

Also, due to an unidentified interference...most attacks proved ineffective.

Attacks to the core will not achieve much until the cause is found.

I will note progress made in a future report.

Concluding the report.

→ Wait, wait. You forgot that weird ring.

→ It…gives a strange feeling. I don't know why it comes to us, but when it sticks to the back, it feels...strange. Like a pressure is weighing down on the mind…

→ You had the time to feel all that? As for me, the hit I took while the ring was attached to me cut me in half by the waist. I can almost still feel it even now.

→ Really…? I, I don't think I got hurt that bad.

→ Hm. That does remind me of the occasion when the airborne ring returned to me at one moment. It may be the case that there is a rule behind its movement.

Recording the reason for the unsuccessful attacks.

Its followers appear to be directly linked to the Abnormality.

The Abnormality will most likely not suffer meaningful damage until all followers have been defeated.

There seems to have been a kind of contractual obligation that requires the followers to protect the Abnormality.

There is another discovery to report.

After its body has been broken and the head has fallen, it started attacking its own followers at random.

Although breaking the body was an arduous task, it proved to be quite effective for its suppression.

Concluding the report.

→ It almost looked angry, the way it moved. I guess… It was lashing out at its minions for failing to protect it?

→ To think it would punish its soldiers on the front lines for errors in the operation. It's hardly surprising that a floating statue makes an incompetent commander.

It has the appearance of a fish.

-Its head has been cut off.

-The cut surface is clean; it appears to have been done with a single-sided edge, such as a knife or a scythe.

-It exhibits motion in spite of the lack of a head. I am aware that whether or not an Abnormality has an intact head is completely irrelevant to its ability to show activity, but I will note this regardless.

-An inflated sack visible around the chest area. Could not make clear observation.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

A silhouette is observed inside the inflated sack around the chest.

-It bears resemblance to a flower, or the central nervous system of a human.

-It expands the sack to use as blunt instrument, and can squeeze it at high speed to expel liquid.

-Overall, the sack is deemed to be a major component of its attacks; quick destruction should prove effective.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of three dark-furred wolves stitched together in a delicate operation. No, there may have been more, as it possessed more than three mouths.

Atop the canine heads was the figure of a person, charred beyond recognition. Though a combustion of that degree normally would have reduced such a figure to ashes, its form was as solid as it could be, its muscles even showing motion.

In addition, a heap of wooden telephone poles are lodged into the wolves' body as stakes would a prisoner. They seem to periodically emit electricity, but I couldn't fathom through what means they were able to do so.

Such is all I have to say.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

It ran at me, galloping in a possessed motion.

Its visage was a far cry from a hound commanded to battle or a beast yearning to feed itself.

Running at me may have been its only choice.

I saw a purple arc of electricity sprint across its back. Which reminded me of animals tested under similar conditions in the laboratory.

Using electric stimuli, those animals were made to move as some other being intended.

It made me wonder if the same is happening to this creature.

While its claws hurt me gravely, I felt an ounce of pity for it as well.

Such is all I have to say.

It had a thunderous roar.

To describe it in more detail, it gathered bolts of lightning as if all the storms and thunders in the world struck it at once, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its roar has a thunderous property.

Naturally, I was able to identify the source of its electricity.

This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself.

Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength;

the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.

While drawing up such thoughts, Miss Faust reminded me that it's not right to have such impressions of Abnormalities.

Thus, I conclude the log here lest it becomes too sentimental.

Not fond of writing, but I can't disobey orders.

Just don't come complaining at me. I can't write anything fancy pleasing to read.

First off... Those buggers look disgusting.

Weird clay-like things are all over their arms and legs... And they've got sodding eyes on 'em, too.

There's also a sharp blade thing―couldn't tell if it's a protrudding bone or a dried slab of that clay.

I guess that's what it uses to prod around, eh?

Oh, right. We've got a bug guy on our side, don't we? Looks kinda like his arm.

Maybe he's got more to tell you.

→ …I don't know where to start. I don't necessarily love my arm, but don't you think comparing it to that clay monster is going too far?

→ Got a problem, say it to my face.

→ Heathcliff. Please refrain from causing trouble. Also, profanities have no place in observation logs.

→ You're forcing me to write all this rubbish, and I can't even write however I like? Get someone else, then.

The white-haired lass keeps bugging me, but I'm writing this my way. These buggers spat on me mood enough in the fight today.

Those goggling eyeballs... Right, those things weren't actually clay.

Muscles... That's got to be it, muscles. Ripping one of those gave me the same feeling as tearing up an unlucky sod.

Seemed like those bundles of muscles sticking to the limbs were what's moving the body, acting like the whole thing belongs to 'em. The eyes on the face never flinched, only the ones on the arms.

Made it a bit tricky to fight 'em. I'm supposed to guess where it'll go next based on where it's looking, but that eye thing kept throwing me off. Well, I don't mind taking a hit too much if I can skelp 'em three times in return.

Another thing… Those things looked like they had feelings. Their muscles quivered each time I hit 'em. Squinted their eyes, too… Like it was getting mad.

Some clatty fruitcake they are.

→ What does a C.F. taste like? Is it artistic? You piqued my interest.

→ That's just a common Backstreets phrase… Meaning something absurd.

→ I know. J.K.

Normally, things like these grow back right as we break 'em, but those muscle lumps don't seem too good at that.

I doggedly bashed the big chunk o' muscles stuck to an arm, and I managed to crush it fine.

That didn't stop it from trying and hitting me, though… It didn't threaten me as much, but that didn't mean not much at all.

Right, I think it no longer did the thing where it gets right fuming and grabs one o' us to tear 'em off.

Yeah, it only makes sense, can't do the stabbing if that big knife's broken.

There are far more appalling and fearsome things out there, but I need to make this clear:

That looks horrifying.

It may look like a wild animal from a distance, but as you get closer, the curiosity turns into disgust, like the feeling you get from beings roaming around the Outskirts.

Bundles of muscle fibers protruded from its skin, covering its body like a coat of fur. And its ribs seem to have flipped upside down and ripped through the back.

Its arms―or should I say legs―definitely had the appearance of human limbs, but their movement wasn't.

That's right; it was a beast.

→ Dost thou speak the truth when you say creatures like that inhabit the Outskirts?!

→ No, you won't find things like that.

→ Well, I never… Then for what reason didst thou use such a description?

→ There were worse things.

Those things are too quick. Their reaction speed is clearly above average human level.

They've got wits, too. Rather than jumping in recklessly...

They use the tactic of striking at the weakest target in the back lines before quickly running away.

It happened in our last encounter with them, too; when you ordered a badly injured Sinner to fall back, those things jumped at them to scratch open an atery and ran off like the wind as if they understood what your command meant.

I'm not sure how they reacted like that to some ticking noises... Oh, I guess it's possible that the Distorted hear it differently.

Even if they charge at us in large numbers, we should stay level-headed.

A Sinner or two might die in the process, but... It's a necessary sacrifice. At least we can revive.

I remember you going through a lot of trouble last time when you tried dealing with all of them at the same time and got us all killed. It's as if they grow stronger the more they're attacked.

Ah, speaking of my death...

It brings me back to the moment when those things chewed up my intestines.

I think I died before I could feel the pain, but somehow... I felt as though I was falling into an endless pit of fire.

It wasn't hot or searing, just...

Being with the fire felt oddly natural.

I guess it's a good thing I was brought back before I experienced more of that. My thanks go to the manager.

I shall now begin to describe those cute yet bewildering things!

They are typically naked!

Awkward though it is to describe those things as entities of note...but nevertheless! Think of them as raw chickens well prepared for cooking, adorned with a pair of round, plump eyes!

Behold their adorable behinds!

Oh, do they reek of sweets and salts when they charge in!

Some taste of spicy seasonings, and some harbor the flavor of soy sauce!

Though the teeth on their maws may prick the mouth, 'tis inconvenience worth enduring!

→ Wait a minute, is that why I saw you mumbling sometimes…? You…took a bite out of 'em…?

→ You…didn't actually eat the raw chicken meat, did you?

→ Poultry may cause infection when consumed uncooked. Please refrain from adding unnecessary strain to the manager outside of battle wounds.

→ Oi! Don Quixote! Don't got anything to say about this?

→ She must think we will not recognize that this log is hers if she doesn't confirm it.

→ Come on, she can't possibly have her head in the sand like that. Who do you think she is, an ostrich?

I shall now begin to describe those cute yet bewildering things!

They are typically naked!

Awkward though it is to describe those things as entities of note...but nevertheless! Think of them as raw chickens well prepared for cooking, adorned with a pair of round, plump eyes!

Behold their adorable behinds!

Oh, do they reek of sweets and salts when they charge in!

Some taste of spicy seasonings, and some harbor the flavor of soy sauce!

The sauce on this one has an excellent sweetness to it!

Though the teeth on their maws may prick the mouth, 'tis inconvenience worth enduring!

→ Wait a minute, is that why I saw you mumbling sometimes…? You…took a bite out of 'em…?

→ You…didn't actually eat the raw chicken meat, did you?

→ Poultry may cause infection when consumed uncooked. Please refrain from adding unnecessary strain to the manager outside of battle wounds.

→ Oi! Don Quixote! Don't got anything to say about this?

→ She must think we will not recognize that this log is hers if she doesn't confirm it.

→ Come on, she can't possibly have her head in the sand like that. Who do you think she is, an ostrich?

I shall now begin to describe those cute yet bewildering things!

They are typically naked!

Awkward though it is to describe those things as entities of note...but nevertheless! Think of them as raw chickens well prepared for cooking, adorned with a pair of round, plump eyes!

Behold their adorable behinds!

Oh, do they reek of sweets and salts when they charge in!

Some taste of spicy seasonings, and some harbor the flavor of soy sauce!

Though the teeth on their maws may prick the mouth, 'tis inconvenience worth enduring!

The deep and salty flavor of the soy sauce is rightly appetizing!

→ Wait a minute, is that why I saw you mumbling sometimes…? You…took a bite out of 'em…?

→ You…didn't actually eat the raw chicken meat, did you?

→ Poultry may cause infection when consumed uncooked. Please refrain from adding unnecessary strain to the manager outside of battle wounds.

→ Oi! Don Quixote! Don't got anything to say about this?

→ She must think we will not recognize that this log is hers if she doesn't confirm it.

→ Come on, she can't possibly have her head in the sand like that. Who do you think she is, an ostrich?

I shall now begin to describe those cute yet bewildering things!

They are typically naked!

Awkward though it is to describe those things as entities of note...but nevertheless! Think of them as raw chickens well prepared for cooking, adorned with a pair of round, plump eyes!

Behold their adorable behinds!

Oh, do they reek of sweets and salts when they charge in!

Some taste of spicy seasonings, and some harbor the flavor of soy sauce!

Though the teeth on their maws may prick the mouth, 'tis inconvenience worth enduring!

This one is much more oily and softer than the others!

→ Wait a minute, is that why I saw you mumbling sometimes…? You…took a bite out of 'em…?

→ You…didn't actually eat the raw chicken meat, did you?

→ Poultry may cause infection when consumed uncooked. Please refrain from adding unnecessary strain to the manager outside of battle wounds.

→ Oi! Don Quixote! Don't got anything to say about this?

→ She must think we will not recognize that this log is hers if she doesn't confirm it.

→ Come on, she can't possibly have her head in the sand like that. Who do you think she is, an ostrich?

Performing the post-mortem report as ordered by the executive manager.

The entity was first encountered around 1720 hours today. According to Faust's report, it is believed to be a 'Distortion', distinct from the Abnormalities we have faced.

As such, I intended to avoid engaging with it and observe the development of the situation, but its continued hostile behavior forced our unit to battle it.

In the encounter, I was able to see that the entity acted as a commander of a kind.

It ordered its chickens...or things resembling the animals to charge at us in succession.

It is assumed that the basket on its back is where they appear from.

In logistics, a crucial plan to victory involves blocking the enemy's supply routes.

I would like to suggest taking this into your consideration for commanding future battles.

Thank you for reading.

→ That's one faithful lieutenant…

→ The document seems efficient enough. Faust is satisfied.

We engaged the entity in actual battle around 0310 hours today. Thus, I am writing this report to let you know of my findings.

The advice I offered earlier worked as predicted. My sincere thanks to you for adopting my suggestion after due consideration.

With the basket damaged, it lost its ability to replenish its chicken-like minions, cutting off further reinforcements.

While it may be obvious (This is of course not directed at your sensibilities, Executive Manager), its combat prowess was considerably lowered with its minions gone.

Though removing the enemy leader directly using asymmetric forces is considered an efficient strategy in most situations, I believe this is one of the cases where concentrated attacks and gradual breakdown of the enemy's defenses will prove wise.

I hereby conclude the report.

Thank you for reading.

→ You think Clockface can make heads or tails out of your military jumble?

→ I have already given an oral explanation to the Executive Manager. Also, do not use such degradatory titles to refer to them.

Performing the post-mortem report as ordered by the executive manager.

The entity was first encountered around 1720 hours today. According to Faust's report, it is believed to be a 'Distortion', distinct from the Abnormalities we have faced.

As such, I intended to avoid engaging with it and observe the development of the situation, but its continued hostile behavior forced our unit to battle it.

In the encounter, I was able to see that the entity acted as a commander of a kind.

It ordered its chickens...or things resembling the animals to charge at us in succession.

It is assumed that the basket on its back is where they appear from.

In logistics, a crucial plan to victory involves blocking the enemy's supply routes.

I would like to suggest taking this into your consideration for commanding future battles.

Thank you for reading.

→ That's one faithful lieutenant…

→ The document seems efficient enough. Faust is satisfied.

We engaged the entity in actual battle around 0310 hours today. Thus, I am writing this report to let you know of my findings.

The advice I offered earlier worked as predicted. My sincere thanks to you for adopting my suggestion after due consideration.

With the basket damaged, it lost its ability to replenish its chicken-like minions, cutting off further reinforcements.

While it may be obvious (This is of course not directed at your sensibilities, Executive Manager), its combat prowess was considerably lowered with its minions gone.

Though removing the enemy leader directly using asymmetric forces is considered an efficient strategy in most situations, I believe this is one of the cases where concentrated attacks and gradual breakdown of the enemy's defenses will prove wise.

I hereby conclude the report.

Thank you for reading.

→ You think Clockface can make heads or tails out of your military jumble?

→ I have already given an oral explanation to the Executive Manager. Also, do not use such degradatory titles to refer to them.

Performing the post-mortem report as ordered by the executive manager.

The entity was first encountered around 2240 hours today. The entity we previously faced appears to have become stronger due to reasons unknown.

One notable difference is its change in form when it is enraged. In addition to the previously seen surge of steam resembling the boiling of chicken soup, an increased amount of smoke could be observed this time.

As such, I intended to avoid engaging with it and observe the development of the situation again, but its continued hostile behavior forced our unit to battle it. I hope you understand.

Nothing else particularly stood out as different in the encounter. It behaved in the same manner as before.

In the encounter, I was able to see that the entity acted as a commander of a kind.

It ordered its chickens...or things resembling the animals to charge at us in succession.

It is assumed that the basket on its back is where they appear from.

In logistics, a crucial plan to victory involves blocking the enemy's supply routes.

Once again, I would like to suggest taking this into your consideration for commanding future battles.

Thank you for reading.

→ That's one faithful lieutenant…

→ The document seems efficient enough. Faust is satisfied.

This encounter was largely the same as before. As such, I have attached a copy of the record from a previous encounter below for reference.

We engaged the entity in actual battle around 0310 hours today. Thus, I am writing this report to let you know of my findings.

The advice I offered earlier worked as predicted. My sincere thanks to you for adopting my suggestion after due consideration.

With the basket damaged, it lost its ability to replenish its chicken-like minions, cutting off further reinforcements.

While it may be obvious (This is of course not directed at your sensibilities, Executive Manager), its combat prowess was considerably lowered with its minions gone.

Though removing the enemy leader directly using asymmetric forces is considered an efficient strategy in most situations, I believe this is one of the cases where concentrated attacks and gradual breakdown of the enemy's defenses will prove wise.

I hereby conclude the report.

Thank you for reading.

→ You think Clockface can make heads or tails out of your military jumble?

→ I have already given an oral explanation to the Executive Manager. Also, do not use such degradatory titles to refer to them.

- Composed of steel plates with bluish rust and marks left by heat.

- Its appearance resembles that of an animal commonly referred to as the bull.

- Though the analysis isn't precise, the material's properties suggest it consists of an alloy of copper and zinc.

- It has another component other than steel plates; there appears to be a humanlike being inside it.

- K Corp's drones are flying around it. They appear to be filming Sinners occasionally.

- Though the reason or principle is unclear, it's thrown into a state of agitation. Because it was expected to make the battle more unfavorable for us as it went on, I suggested to the manager that the drones be destroyed first.

- The being inside constantly had a facial expression one would make while in pain.

- Its movement tends to be erratic and abrupt, possibly due to the pain caused by the heat.

- Its body is assumed to have intense heat. Whenever a Sinner was attacked by it, causalgia and burns could be observed.

- Clouds of gas assumed to be breaths or steam were observed near its head.

- It sometimes raised its body to slam a Sinner with its weight. And other times, from the head...the humanlike being emerged for an attack. Its dizzying cry left a lasting impression.

- When a Sinner was attacked by the humanlike being, they would display serious depression. The mental damage possibly caused them to be immobilized or become reluctant in combat. This effect is expected to be temporary.

- Concerned that it might render Sinners unable to further participate in battle, the manager has ordered to prioritize disabling its head. It is deemed to be an effective approach. The humanlike being could no longer be observed in battle once dealt with.

- No further discoveries to be made; the observation log is concluded.

→ Aah… It suffered for such a long time… Unable to do anything about the raging thirst, the flesh endlessly burning and searing…

→ Oi, kid's still messed up.

→ Faust will take care of it.

Yeah... That centipede-ish thing, right?

They call it that, but I'm not sure if it's the right name for something clad in a big chain of steel armor.

Ah, well… I guess that's what Abnormalities are like.

Alright… Starting with appearance, it looks like a huge series of blue plates of steel connected together. Kinda like a robot.

The eyes were red… and glinted sometimes.

Sometimes… No, was it actually pretty frequent? I saw sparks bounce around its body like electricity was flowing. If it's visible to the naked eye, that's gotta mean the voltage is pretty high... It won't just sting when it touches you, that's for sure.

→ Centipede… To me, it looked more like a snake. It coiled up at kept glaring.

→ Fair point, but… Did snakes have legs where you lived? You can't call that one a snake.

→ They do, though?

→ There are legged snakes.

→ Oh, I saw 'em, too.

→ ...Am I the odd one out?

→ You're so funny, darling~

Haah... Electrocution was not what we should've been worrying about.

I described it as wearing some steel armor, didn't I? I've gotta correct it; rather than armor, it was more like... blades sharpened on all sides covering its body.

Imagine it stabbing, pushing... even coiling around us with that kind of body. It did a number on the Sinners.

We were all bleeding ourselves dry as we fought...

That doesn't mean it had nothing to do with electricity. It looked like it had to stop whatever it was doing and coil itself up in order to shock us.

No wonder it was like that when we first faced it...

Well, I guess that means it has one clear weakness.

Once its head was smashed in, it couldn't coil up any more... That has to mean no more electrocutions, right?

→ Excuse me, Gregor. I trusted you and charged ahead only to be fried to char. What do you have to say about this?

→ I can attest to that. Her discolored hair resembled a spoiled broccoli. I would eat no such thing as an orange broccoli even in battle.

→ ...If you have a problem with my hair, say it directly.

→ W-Whoa, there... Cool it down. Look, I'm sorry about what happened... Who could have thought breaking the head would make electricity flow through its whole body?

Did you know...? Apparently, centipedes' nerves stay active and go wild for a good while even after their heart stops beating.

This one's the same.

Seems to be some kind of final struggle... We got lax, but then the rich buddy got killed.

Faust said, 'Since nerves are activated by electric stimuli, this may be an electric problem.'

Well... She added that 'Although there is no guarantee such logic still stands with Abnormalities.' But I disagree with her there.

When we broke its head last time, I noticed something... At least, this guy has got to be following some laws that make sense. We already saw short circuits and electric currents work with it, right?

If that's the case... If we wait for it to run out of power... It'll go down on its own.

See if I'm right, will ya?

Hmm... How do I put it...

My first impression of it was, pitiful... and poor.

It looked like a huge wolf... no, fox, actually. It looked at us and growled.

On its body... old umbrellas were stuck on it. Not one, several of them.

It doesn't look like they were left by someone trying to attack it... If that were the case, the sharp parts would've been lodged into its body first.

I wonder why the handles of the umbrellas were stuck in it.

It seemed to be extremely wary of us. Not like there were a lot of Abnormalities that didn't show animosity, but... I don't think many of them stayed 'watchful' like this one.

...Mm, I'll stop here for now...

The more umbrellas opened, the fiercer the fox seems to get.

In particular... it sometimes does nothing and waits, but the attack that comes after was especially poweful.

...Huh.

The fox... sometimes cries.

Looking at the sky, howling for long... as if it's laying bare some kind of sorrow into the sky.

It's not like I've talked to it, or learned anything about its past, but... every time I hear that sound, my heart aches so much.

It gets even worse when I break one of the umbrellas on its body... Like my own heart is breaking...

That's how it feels.

→ Sinclar, what you're experiencing is simple loss of sanity during battle. Do not let the Abnormality influence you.

→ But... the fox feels different from the Abnormalities we've fought... I'm sure it wasn't always hostile...

→ Do not refer to it as a fox or a dog. It's nothing more than an Abnormality. You mustn't confuse it for an animal you can find in the City.

→ Get over it, you think that fake fairy with a fat jelly bod was any easier to deal with? All we gotta do is fight and sleep as we're told. You'll end up dead trying to care about nonsense!

Ah... I finally realized it.

The fox was mad at those who only give it meaningless attention before leaving.

Looking at the poor, abandoned thing on the street and giving it nothing but an umbrella...

People who gave it such meager care and think themselves as gracious benefactors for it, feeding their own ego...

That's what the fox was sad and angry about.

I, I see where it's coming from.

We have to take away the worn umbrellas on that poor child, and embrace it ourselves. We-

→ Didn't have a choice here. Seemed like something he could only snap out of after dying. (Trails of blood can be seen on the log.)

→ Although the method was rather extreme... It most certainly wasn't a condition that could be resolved in a short time otherwise.

Well... It's a creepy-looking wood block.

It's got blood all over... and papers, too.

They weren't common, but I did see things like this in the Backstreets from time to time. What were they about, curses...? It was funny to me that some scallies actually believed that tosh.

...Gah, I guess it wasn't a total load of bollocks, seeing that thing with my eyes.

That chop of wood, that thing moves.

Could've sworn it was stiff as wood when we saw it in the mirror dungeons or whatever, like props for a horror film.

The attacks aren't much, but when you see a solid block of wood like that... fly at you at the speed it does, it does scare you a bit.

Feels like one hit could crack a bone or two.

...Well, I'm not about to sit down and let it hit me.

Cor, why is it so bloody sticky... (A substance that seems to be yellow glue are smidged around this part.)

I bet this bugger would've posted flyers in the Backstreets for a living if it were a human... doing nothing but that for years, I guarantee you.

It put several talismans over my body before I could notice. Dammit...

Not sure if it was those creepy pieces of paper pissing me off, but it felt a bit like the bat was working better. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like a bad thing.

Oh, and the talismans on its body moved to my bat, too. Don't know how it works, but... I guess they wrapped around it.

Anyway, this thing bugs me more the more I hit it. Some kinds of stress you gotta relieve by beating things, but this doesn't help.

→ That's something only a thug would say. You really are crude.

→...Huh? How's he holding off his anger when that comment's right up there?

→ Faust deliberately prevented him from looking at this. It would have been a waste to fill the space with useless information.

→ That's our wise bud.

→ By the way... I think I felt myself feeling stronger with more talismans on me, too. Even if they didn't annoy me or make me feel anything.

→ In that case... The talismans themselves might have some kind of effect. What if we tried attaching a lot of them on purpose?

Damn it, why are you telling me to write this separately?

I could just keep writing where I was, you know... What's with the special treatment? It's narking me.

Forget it, I feel great turning that wood block into a pile of firewood, so I'll let it slide this time.

We tried getting a bunch of talismans on us like one of us suggested... but too many talismans actually weighed us down. It's weirdly tiring like some others said.

Instead... That wood block sometimes puts up its guard instead of attacking, you see...?

The little lad swung his halberd right then, and the talismans on that weapon got pulled into the wood block.

Then it turned purple...

Heh, that's when I got it. It couldn't do anything as we kept putting the papers on it, so we turned it into regular firewood.

→ Correction: the Abnormality returned to its ovate form. No experimental activities such as it actually turning into a pile of firewood or being lit on fire took place.

Feels an awful lot like you keep making me do all the awful things... It's just a feeling, right…?

Pah, anyway... I'll write down what I know about that rotten tea-flavor jelly thingy.

If you're asking how I know it in so much detail~

...It's 'cause I got put in that gross maw of his.

I mean, as soon as our eyes met, he flew up, like swoosh~ all of a sudden and then squashed me with the mouth on its belly! Like, splorch, y'know?

It smelled so bad… Ugh, I hate it so much.

Oh... Now that I think about it, the smell itself wasn't all that weird.

It was just too... woefully sweet, I guess? My nose almost got numbed.

Anyway, it felt really weird.

→ Hmm... Was it that foul? As for me, the smell of those... jelly-like pieces bouncing off with each attack was pretty alright.

→ It stimulated me. (Cigarette ash seeped into this segment of the note.)

→ It had strengthening properties and provided an overall mental uplift.

Grr... This guy really ticks me off.

I dunno if it's the wobbly body, but every move of his feels so annoying! Especially when he dodges my attacks.

It's just like dealing with bullies on the streets as a kid. Y'know, how they laugh at you like 'Haha, can't even hit me?'. This is just like that...

Hngh... I guess I got really streesed out. I'm feeling a bit dizzy, too...

I'll stop here for now. Sorry, Dante~

→ Is she drunk?

→ Impossible. There was no situation in which alcohol could have been ingested.

→ ...RIght! W-When we were fighting the Abnormality, didn't she break a huge cup or something like that? I think she's been like this since then...

→ Ah. Now that you mention it, I do remember that fatso dodging her axe and causing it to smash into a glass up.

Sorry~ I was a bit messy with my last log.

I asked Fau if I can erase it and write a new one, but she said I absolutely can't. Isn't she a meanie?

Anyway... It did help with figuring some stuff out, so I hope you'll show some forgivenss.

Here's what I can tell for sure: those bits of jelly that fly around as we fight boost our morale.

And, the boost gets more powerful as the battle goes on.

When someone whose morale is at its highest... I mean, like MAX! Kinda highest... breaks the glass of booze~

Bingo! That person gets super drunk right away!

Once someone got drunk, their attacks would get weaker and miss a lot more easily.

And here's the catch~ The fatty jelly fella gobbled up one of our drunk pals once, right? Then he suddenly got all weird and stumbly!

We took the chance and swept him off the floor~~

See, I was super helpful!

→ If you were just a little faster to grasp it, you certainly would have been.

→ You just gotta say yes at times like this…

[The paragraph below is a 'detailed description' found in a document left in the L Corp. branch facility located in Nest K.]

...An umbrella that may have been used to stop the rain once. Now, it's too old and worn to perform that role well.

This umbrella must have been the compassion for an abandoned somebody. But it might have come across as hollow.

Hypocrisy, vanity, irresponsibility. Those are the emotions the umbrella has harbored now.

Technology liberation alliance... It is said to be a group of former researchers from various firms.

There may yet be members in the City who we haven't met.

Dongbaek seems to have been the leader of a subgroup.

As they forsook the world… the world will have forsaken them in return.

She has always been good at attracting like-minded individuals and encouraging them, so it must have been a breeze for her to gather the abandoned.

How did they accept her offer, then? I might see the answer to that question.

Her hand would have been comparable to an umbrella in a heavy rain with no shelter to be found, a warm gesture of compassion.

An invitation to comfort and warmth.

...Alas, the umbrella must be a holed one, like the one we are seeing now.

Dongbaek may have held an umbrella over them... It was only a means to further her own interests.

She knows it well herself.

Look. See how she is helplessly caught in the falling rain. She must have no intention of avoiding it.

She is simply showering herself and all others in the rain...

Like a rusted umbrella, it would seem she has chosen to be stained in rust along with everything else.

Dongbaek was rather fond of fireworks.

It's an activity of entertainment where gunpowder is launched into the sky and blown up.

Some of us called it an aggressive hobby and teased it.

Some others joked that she might showcase a bomb in a future conference.

Of course, it was all an innocent jest.

However... Dongbaek must have yearned to see something beyond that.

As we all did,

She wished to see stars form a stream in the skies, and flowers blooming across the land.

That was all there was to it.

Now, the old League of Nine Littérateurs has fallen apart.

As I peeked into the course of her life, I saw the world fall apart in a tragedy caused by technology.

She must have been furious.

She must have been consumed with a longing, agony, sorrow, and despair.

As I was.

All of Dongbaek's emotions have now pushed through the flesh, blooming into a mass of petals.

Ahh. Are you stopping at last, Dongbaek?

Only after creating an ideal ruination where no technology remains...

Do you finally effloresce the gorgeous scenery of our hometown with your own body.

I see, now I see.

The reason you bloomed, sowing seeds of nostalgia, was to set your heart upon our new beginning.

Dongbaek... The fireworks you used to love are now being recreated on the soil, as you manage to get the buds to bloom.

...Indeed, it is no wonder you would be fond of them.

Dongrang was fond of animals.

Back home, he would tend to hurt and ailing creatures. That calf...the yellow one was one such animal.

Whenever I visited Dongrang's home, he stood from where he nursed the calf. I remember teasing him in jest that he may be sleeping in the cattle shed instead of his room.

He told me that the yellow calf was born frail. Because of that, it was abandoned by its own mother, or so I heard.

When one friend of his asked what he tended to the calf for...and he would brush the question aside, saying that the calf is cute.

He didn't change after we moved to T Corp's territory. He readily picked up starving animals from the streets to raise them.

I thought that he was perhaps reminded of the calf he left in his hometown, although I did not say it out loud.

However, as the technologies in the League began to be evaluated for material value, he changed little by little.

While Brother Young-ji's glass window attracted the attention of people in higher echelons and the public, and I presented my mirror... The worth of Dongrang's works wasn't regarded as highly. It must have disheartened the fellow.

When T Corp. came to us for our technology, Dongrang's invention was thrown into the concept incinerator as a means to deceive the greedy guests...

I can only think that the fire scorched his heart more ferociously at that moment.

After the League scattered apart, Dongrang became a researcher working in an enviable position, dealing with matters of life as he had always wished.

Alas...

I no longer see the innocent gaze toward life in his eyes.

In consequence, as he unearths memories of the calf he left behind, buried under the thoughts of his technology falling behind...

...I fear that he may have lost track of where to go.

After being cast adrift, it would seem that he now has a clearly set path ahead.

I no longer see the Dongrang who concealed shaky eyes with his usual smile.

I now see a man striding forward and straight...toward claiming his glory and power.

He would have pondered a long time for this.

Between a life of the mind's fruitfulness borne out of tending to living beings, and a life of gluttony where he may escape the shadows of the League and find recognition for his own work.

Dongrang seems to have chosen the latter. Doing so, he must have faced the yellow calf that had been weighing his heart down in his mind...and killed it.

Since he abandoned his hometown and the calf, he appeared hungry at all times.

Hunger for recognition, constant weighing of what he left behind and what he has now, and the infinitesimal weight of his share.

Dongrang...has found a way to lead himself onward through the barley hump, ending this period of famine and swiping what few grains of rice that remain for him to chew on.

And now, he seems intent on killing me as his very first move.

Removing the closest shade of the past before his eyes.

Dongrang walks toward me, one step at a time...

And each time his foot touches the ground, sceneries of all things falling ill and being sacrified hover before my eyes.

It...was like a green, semi-transparent jelly.

It's not my first time seeing things like these... So when I peeped at observation logs, those things were all called fairies. In that case, I bet this thing is a fairy, too. It even has the unusually small wings.

Well, whatever it's called, I guess it's nothing more than an Abnormality at the end of the day.

Anyway... Its left arm was like a long paddle, if I can call it that... Right, it was also like those sticky tapes you sometimes see at Backstreets restaurants.

And on the other hand...it held a giant leaf. A four-leaf clover, was it? It was putting it up like an umbrella.

Huh... An umbrella.

That's right. It looked like it rained in that area all the time.

The rain was unpleasant... It felt muddy and damp. It was like being splashed with the sea water from a breaking wave.

It didn't feel too strong. Well, I'll figure out more as we fight.

Ugh... It sure is an Abnormality. The "fairy" title gave me a bit of fantastical preconception, I'll admit. I was frankly expecting the battle to be more normal than what happened.

Haah... That sticky sundew-like arm stretched out and brushed against us. I didn't think it'd stretch that long, so I couldn't think to block it.

What it did after was just as difficult to respond to. Before I could make any decisions, it retracted its arm. At the tip of that arm...was bits of our flesh.

It shoved those flesh bits into the mouth (not sure if it's the right way to call it, but I can't think of anything else) on its torso and chewed it up like they were tasty cuts of a steak.

Seems like that'show it heals itself up. We should try and stop it from taking our flesh...

But the attack is quick, so we'll want to plan out our course of action.

It would occasionally make this giant clover...tree thing?

Come to think of it, we were rarely hit by the rain while standing under it. And...the fairy seemed like it was doing it on purpose.

The clover it was holding sometimes got torn during battle; when that happened, it looked pretty displeased judging from its reaction. What's more...it seemed to get slower.

"The relish is lost"...? I think it said something along the lines of that. The glare it gave us was intense for sure.

The rain might have actual effects on combat other than just feeling awful to be in.

Aha.

If that's the case, the reason it makes the clover tree to grow...is to keep us from being hit by the harmful rain so that gains more benefits when eating our flesh?

To...make its meals tastier.

Ugh, I really think that thing doesn't deserve to be called a fairy.

It happened while I was passing by a jungle.

It was a dense green wilderness full of tall flowers and trees, as well as outlandish bees and butterflies.

You can find all kinds of unfathomably strange creatures in a place like that.

For example... That flower.

It's said that a plant can't normally move on its own. One it takes root, it stays there for the rest of its life.

That's what people consider a major difference between plants and animals.

But those "plants" were like a pack of rabid beasts.

A group of them charged at us, raising their teethed flowers like it was their head.

Their roots morphed into limbs that no longer serve the original purpose, and there didn't seem to be any space in their bodies for storing nutrients.

Yet, those scrawny stems were hungrily seeking the missing sustenance.

Continuously shoving things into the mouth, despite being unable to absorb any of it...

What an odd creature that was.

It resembled a rock.

I am uncertain how an object of its mass is able to move. Its appearance could not be any less adherent to laws of science, but when I look back, it might have been an inherently scientific object after all.

It would levitate in the air and stay still.

It rolled its eyeball lodged in the center. And when it felt like it, it would ram into some persons.

I am not yet sure what motivates it to move. Even so, I wonder if it's necessary to learn its reasons at all.

It's possible that this pebble is alive.

No one would call it an organism, but by the same token, I may not be alive if no one refers to me as such.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of laziness.

We were lazy to think that it mustn't be what it thought to be.

That pebble is probably a lazy living being.

And the same could be said of me.

You want me to talk about that pointed thing, aye?

Thing's shaped like a dried tentacle... There was some kind of red liquid in the middle.

Smacked it a couple times with my bat, and the lanky thing was a bit more durable it seemed.

Bigger problem, though... That thing's got a weird way of attacking.

It prods poor sods with its long snout, and... It starts shooting that red water into the body!

It gives me a heartburn like I had some hard stuff on an empty stomach... 's irritating...and suffocating...

A-Anyway, it makes you feel all weird. Makes you mad over wee stuff.

Some even blew up after getting hit by that juice. I really don't want that happening to me.

→ Weren't you always prone to getting mad over the smallest things?

→ Don't piss me off.

-An insect-like entity with a transparent body.

-Unable to identify several physical requirements for maintenance of life; cannot determine it as an organism.

-Its body is filled with water.

-Objects that appear to be organs are observed inside, but they do not appear to function as organs.

-The water does not appear to play any part in biological activities, either.

-The body of liquid appears to be stagnant.

-It has the face of someone lost deep in thought. It could merely be a resemblance to a species of zooplankton.

-Prolonged observation makes my mind sink.

-Sinking… Reminding me of the past.

-…It is not a pleasant feeling.

Those look like awful lumps of flesh...

Has an ugly maw at the front... I thought it was a tongue at first, but what's inside that maw was a hand.

A hand, made from two twisted arms coiling around each other. I saw the eye inside stare into me.

As if that wasn't enough, it looked eager to devour me and nourish its flesh.

Even if I couldn't hear it, I could tell.

...It wasn't the first time I saw that kind of gaze.

The wheel has often been the symbol of technological advancement.

It represents humanity's realization of its ability to think up and actualize things that weren't in the nature.

At the same time, it marks the beginning of humanity's transformation into prideful creatures.

That might be why pride takes the form of a wheel.

The steel circle doesn't ever seem to stop rotating.

It doesn't care if it gashes at flesh or crushes patches of grass.

Because, it can roll…

While others cannot.

It wasn't the most pleasant encounter.

You might say that that's just the nature of facing any Abnormalities, but this one just... felt unusual, somehow.

It was sitting languidly still and crying strange noises, as though it had given up on everything.

Its protruding blue eyeballs were shifting around nervously...

Yeah. It was kinda getting on my nerves. I thought I might go crazy if I had to hear its cry any longer.

I would rather just...

→ Is that why you went against the orders and swung your mace? I find that reasoning hardly convincing.

→ Nah, I'm with her. I'd snap too if I had to endure that bloody croak. 'Sides, we're supposed to beat those Abnormalities or whatever until they're eggs, aye? What's the problem here?

→ I, I thought so, too… I agreed it would've been better off to reduce it to an egg quickly…

→ What's clockface on about now. They're ticking an awful lot.

→ …Executive Manager asks for some respect for salvaging you tools after you got yourselves killed in that idiotic charge.

I think I've learned one thing.

I don't know how it came to attack its foes with its own eyeballs, but it looks like getting hit by it drains your energy (on top of it being incredibly gross).

…Does it? Gimme a moment.

Hmm… I asked a few other Sinners about this.

In conclusion… The more times you're hit by its tongue, the deadlier the eyeball becomes to you.

I couldn't figure out further details, but I think it's safe to strategize around avoiding its tongue, manager.

Which is good. It did not feel good to get hit.

→ Talk about a weirdo. It's not really tough at all, but it makes me feel all weak and drowsy~

→ Really? I, I felt a little different… Doesn't it make you more gloomy than anything?

→ Huh? How?

→ Like… Past memories popping up, or… Wanting to give up and die…

→ …Um, Faustie? Looks like our kiddie needs some mental aid?

The left eye reduces health, and the right eye damages sanity.

So that's how they worked.

Well... this doesn't change the fact that it's best to avoid both.

In any case, we now know why dragging the fight didn't do us any favors.

I felt like I was being dragged deeper into the swamp of gloom as the fight went on.

I suggest we make quick work of it with swift and powerful attacks, manager.

P.S. This just occurred to me...

I wonder what would've happened if we just waited until it's finished crying?

No, I'm not saying we should try it. I don't see it being very efficient, either.

It's just... I remember someone doing the same for me a long time ago, and it helped me back then.

I dunno much about robots or machines like this...

Wait, have I...? I might have seen this one before. It was standing still in a room back then.

Right~ That souvenir robot!

Yeah, it had a panel on its chest where you could write stuff.

Now this thing looks like it'll chop you in half if you dared touch it, though...

Come to think of it, I remember running away from the robot because it tried to take away the thing it gave me. Robot arms came out clanking just like now, too.

Reflecting on it, back in my day…

Hah, guess it goes further back, actually. People much older than me used to work with hunks of metal like that, or so I've heard.

If the stories are to be believed, some were modified for combat purposes. That sure takes me back…

→ Old fart.

→ …Who wrote this?

Damn, I didn't expect this of all things to get me nostalgic.

In the Backstreets, you could sometimes find toys from ages past.

One of them was a claw crane toy where you'd grab dolls trapped behind the glass. You move the claw using a joystick from the outside, and send it down to grab whatever was in there.

It was pretty tight. Yep.

And here I am... In the dolls' shoes after all this time.

I sure as hell didn't see this stupid machine playing the crane game with us!

And when it catches something, it saws the prize along the neck…

Ugh, talk about ruined childhood memories.

Alright, I think I figured it out.

This is pretty disturbing, but... There was this one time we dodged it when it tried to grab us.

Then, big robot claw ascended, and… Bah, sorry. I thought I was over it.

It came down again, holding some… machine egg thing.

When I got close to it… I saw that the mechanical film was beating at regular intervals.

Like a heart.

I know, this normally wouldn't make much sense. So don't comment stuff like "a heart can't beat outside an organism's systems" or whatever. You saw that thing move too, right?

.

.

.

Okay, so I have to write everything we did regarding it, huh…

I mean, what's more to say, really. We chopped that thing off.

The claw was a bother to get around, but when we cut into that thing somehow, that tin can stopped moving! Haha, that sure gave us a breather.

…Well, it might be because the heart was the robot's.

It's creepy, but whatever. It's an Abnormality, yeah?

I didn't get to spare much sympathy for others during the war, and I'm definitely not wasting any on unknown freaks like that.

We've got to live.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

This entity was first identified by the Preliminary Observation of LCC Before Team, and it was to be captured by After Team's Special Ops department.

However, it appears that we encountered it through the mirror before they could perform the task.

Considering the above-mentioned facts, I will describe the information gathered from Before Team's observation and our encounter with it in a comprehensive manner.

-The Abnormality is speculated to be a statue created as an idol for worship.

-The Abnormality appears to be suspended in the air at all times, and shows no particular movement outside of making gestures with one hand.

-Is ■■■■ with a related Abnormality ■■■■■■; may suggest a connection of some kind, though details are unclear. [Higher security level authorization required to access the data.]

-Similar to how it floats, it attacks by "levitating" and hurling objects.

Concluding the report.

→ Those cleaners found it first? I thought it was their job to catch 'em and put 'em away?

→ As previously explained, we stand between multiple different possibilities via refractions. In this possibility, After Team may have been late, or may not even exist.

→ (A writing seems to have been scribbled out with a pen.) Alright, I got that loud and clear.

→ Someone is unconvincing.

Recording the information gained from encountering the entity in battle.

I will describe its behavior during combat.

It was always accompanied by a group of followers. Observation suggested that they were under some form of mind control. The lack of any common denominator among the followers in terms of attire or other external features added further plausibility to the speculation.

It appears to attack using a khakkhara of spiritual significance. The staff floated in a similar manner to the Abnormality. It looks as though the staff itself was sentient.

Also, due to an unidentified interference... most of our attacks proved ineffective.

Until this is identified, attacks to the core will not be viable.

I will note progress made in a future report.

Concluding the report.

→ Wait, wait. You forgot that weird ring.

→ It…gives a strange feeling. I don't know why it comes to us, but when it sticks to my back, it feels... strange. Like I'm getting mentally pressured…

→ You had the time to feel all that? As for me, when I took a hit while the ring was attacked to my back, I was cut in half by the waist. I can still feel it, almost.

→ Really…? I, I don't think it was that bad for me.

→ Hm. That does remind me of the occasion when the airborne ring momentarily returned to the foe. It may be the case that there is a rule behind its movement.

Recording the reason for the unsuccessful attacks.

It has been determined that its followers are directly linked to the Abnormality itself.

The Abnormality will most likely not suffer meaningful damage until all of its followers have been defeated.

It seems likely that there is a some kind of a contract that compels the followers to protect the Abnormality.

There is another discovery to report.

Once its body has been broken and the head has fallen, it started indiscriminately attacking its own followers.

Although breaking the body was an arduous task, it proved to be quite the effective suppression method.

Concluding the report.

→ It almost looked furious, the way it moved. I guess… It was lashing out at its minions for failing to protect it?

→ To think it would punish its soldiers on the front lines for its own tactical mistakes. It's hardly surprising that a floating statue makes an incompetent commander.

Recording the information gained from an encounter with the entity.

This record will reflect the following unique elements for these particular group of entities: the recognition of its distinctiveness that it carries from being a part of Walpurgis Night, and the pre-established data from documentation that has been observed from this particular period of time.

These Abnormalities were designated as 'Fairies' according to former L Corp. documentation.

A pair of wings sprouting from their emerald body appear to serve a practical function, giving them access to flight.

It can be said that their appearance resembles those of 'fairies', a group of entities appearing in various folk tales.

Delving further into the history of its records led to the discovery that they were once contained within the former L Corp. headquarters, and were moved to the 'Library' that appeared after an unknown event.

This particular circumstance we find ourselves in appears to be a combat encounter that is a part of an effort to achieve 'Realization' of a certain sector of the Library...

... and the said effort entails suppressing the smaller 'Fairy' entities and the larger 'Fairy' entity.

It seems that, according to the records, the larger Fairy was labeled the 'Fairy Queen'.

That is all the information that is available to me at the moment.

Concluding the report.

→ They're... fairies...? T-that can't be. Fairies are supposed to be beautiful, kind, and, and...

→ Think about it for a second. Think back to those 'Fairies' that we ran into back in the Mirror Dungeons and the Railways.

→ Eugh...

→ Huh, yeah... A bit like them green, mushy sods we saw elsewhere, innit?

→ And those wings, too...

Recording the information gained from encountering the entity in battle.

This report will cover the peculiarities that have been observed in our encounter.

It was repeatedly craving for a source of protein; it was observed to be frequently making requests for unmarred, fresh meat.

Of course, as we did not bring with us any of that... particular meat, we were unable to meet its demands.

There was a fairly lighthearted suggestion of amputating one of the Sinners to provide it with fresh meat, but the proposal was quickly rejected after drawing heavy criticism from the Manager and several other Sinners.

It has been observed that the large entity, the 'Fairy Queen', when it noticed that the smaller Fairies were nearing death, opted to cannibalize them.

It continued to crave fresh meat, even after its momentary satiation.

... A critical issue arose after an extended battle.

Once there were no smaller Fairies to cannibalize, the queen entity became frenzied, unable to find a way to sate its hunger. The destructive power behind its strikes grew by multiple magnitudes as well.

A swift retreat was our only option, as it was determined that we could not recover from that particular blow. It can be determined that a prolonged battle will not be in our favor; we must find a way to suppress the entity quickly.

Concluding the report.

→ Oi, the big one kept chomping down on the smaller ones whenever it looked like it was 'bout to kick the bucket. Any bright ideas on how to stop that rampage?

→ ... Quite. But I don't believe letting the smaller entities live just for the possibility of shortening the battle is much of a sound strategy.

→ Hm hm! Forsooth, I have espied that, after one of its violent meals, the 'queen' appeared to lose quite a bit of its vim!

→ Uh... what, like it fell into a food coma or something?

Recording an additional significant discovery.

Using the strategy identified by the Sinners in our last encounter, we were able to conduct this battle with somewhat greater efficacy. However, we have also identified various additional attack patterns from the entity.

Using the information gathered in the previous encounter, the Sinners did not attack the smaller Fairies, preventing the larger entity from cannibalizing them.

However, repeated use of that strategy invariably led to the queen growing frenzied, clearly unable to withstand its hunger.

Another, previously unidentified element in this battle has also been observed.

As the battle continued, we noticed that smaller Fairy entities would sometimes join the battle. Perhaps this can be attributed to the existence of a colony that we have yet to discover.

Although we were unable to confirm whether they were a permanent addition to the battle, the conclusion remains the same: a prolonged battle will be to our disadvantage. A concrete, calculated strategy is recommended against this entity.

Concluding the report.

I really don't feel like writing logs...

But I will... if I have to.

I haven't fought Kromer before or seen how N Corp's troops fight... But from what I could tell, she probably knows how to use a sword. She always carried one with her.

As for her looks... Not too different from what I remember, except a little taller...

And, that disorienting laughter...

Unnh, can I stop here?

→ None of this helps.

That bastard, she's killing our Sinners!

She murdered everyone in the back lines...

Blowing that stupid whistle... She came to me, too...

I couldn't do anything... Hearing that sound makes me go all stiff...

I could only watch as Kromer slew the others...

I wanted to crush her skull so dearly... But I couldn't move a muscle.

What should I do... Can you tell me, manager?

I'm...

I'm, still scared of Kromer.

Looking at her face makes my face twitch, and her blade gives me the chills.

Her maniacal eyes remind me of the tragedy on Christmas, and her creepy grin still has my eyes quivering.

But...

But I'm okay now.

I can stand up to her whistles now.

The things she's done are too vile for me to stand by, and I'd be too ashamed to see the Sinners she's killed if I let that bitch go.

I've changed a lot since then.

I've died a lot of deaths, and claimed a lot of lives.

I can go mad all the same now.

So, I will for sure…

I'll skewer her chest with a stake, over and over again.

→ You've got a good mindset. I like that.

→ While the willingness to fight is admirable, this log is for observations rather than decrees of your determination.

→ Sorry… I'll do it right next time.

When I think about it, Kromer always had an obsession with flesh.

And that obsession cumulated into what we're seeing now... A gruesome creature.

At first... I agreed with her. The idea of replacing the flesh with something else was unpleasant to me.

But now I see. What's really unpleasant... is believing that your thought is the only correct one... and letting that thought consume your mind whole.

It has the appearance of a fish.

-Its head has been cut off.

-The cut surface is clean; it appears to have been done with a single-sided edge, such as a knife or a scythe.

-It exhibits motion in spite of the lack of a head. I am aware that whether or not an Abnormality has an intact head is completely irrelevant to its ability to show activity, but I will note this regardless.

-An inflated sack visible around the chest area. Could not make clear observation.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

A silhouette is observed inside the inflated sack around the chest.

-It bears resemblance to a flower, or the central nervous system of a human.

-It expands the sack to use as blunt instrument, and can squeeze it at high speed to expel liquid.

-Overall, the sack is deemed to be a major component of its attacks; quick destruction should prove effective.

-Will note new discoveries in a future report.

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of three dark-furred wolves stitched together in a delicate operation. No, there may have been more, as it possessed more than three mouths.

Atop the canine heads was the figure of a person, charred beyond recognition. Though a combustion of that degree normally would have reduced such a figure to ashes, its form was as solid as it could be, its muscles even showing motion.

In addition, a heap of wooden telephone poles are lodged into the wolves' body as stakes would a prisoner. They seem to periodically emit electricity, but I couldn't fathom through what means they were able to do so.

Such is all I have to say.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

It ran at me, galloping in a possessed motion.

Its visage was a far cry from a hound commanded to battle or a beast yearning to feed itself.

Running at me may have been its only choice.

I saw a purple arc of electricity sprint across its back. Which reminded me of animals tested under similar conditions in the laboratory.

Using electric stimuli, those animals were made to move as some other being intended.

It made me wonder if the same is happening to this creature.

While its claws hurt me gravely, I felt an ounce of pity for it as well.

Such is all I have to say.

It had a thunderous roar.

To describe it in more detail, it gathered bolts of lightning as if all the storms and thunders in the world struck it at once, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its roar has a thunderous property.

Naturally, I was able to identify the source of its electricity.

This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself.

Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength;

the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.

While drawing up such thoughts, Miss Faust reminded me that it's not right to have such impressions of Abnormalities.

Thus, I conclude the log here lest it becomes too sentimental.

Yeah... That centipede-ish thing, right?

They call it that, but I'm not sure if it's the right name for something clad in a big chain of steel armor.

Ah, well… I guess that's what Abnormalities are like.

Alright… Starting with appearance, it looks like a huge series of blue plates of steel connected together. Kinda like a robot.

The eyes were red… and glinted sometimes.

Sometimes… No, was it actually pretty frequent? I saw sparks bounce around its body like electricity was flowing. If it's visible to the naked eye, that's gotta mean the voltage is pretty high... It won't just sting when it touches you, that's for sure.

→ Centipede… To me, it looked more like a snake. It coiled up at kept glaring.

→ Fair point, but… Did snakes have legs where you lived? You can't call that one a snake.

→ They do, though?

→ There are legged snakes.

→ Oh, I saw 'em, too.

→ ... Am I the odd one out?

→ You're so funny, darling~

Haah... Electrocution was not what we should've been worrying about.

I described it as wearing some steel armor, didn't I? I've gotta correct it; rather than armor, it was more like... blades sharpened on all sides covering its body.

Imagine it stabbing, pushing... even coiling around us with that kind of body. It did a number on the Sinners.

We were all bleeding ourselves dry as we fought...

That doesn't mean it had nothing to do with electricity. It looked like it had to stop whatever it was doing and coil itself up in order to shock us.

No wonder it was like that when we first faced it...

Well, I guess that means it has one clear weakness.

Once its head was smashed in, it couldn't coil up any more... That has to mean no more electrocutions, right?

→ Excuse me, Gregor. I trusted you and charged ahead only to be fried to char. What do you have to say about this?

→ I can attest to that. Her discolored hair resembled a spoiled broccoli. I would eat no such thing as an orange broccoli even in battle.

→ ... If you have a problem with my hair, say it directly.

→ W-Whoa, there... Cool it down. Look, I'm sorry about what happened... Who could have thought breaking the head would make electricity flow through its whole body?

Did you know...? Apparently, centipedes' nerves stay active and go wild for a good while even after their heart stops beating.

This one's the same.

Seems to be some kind of final struggle... We got lax, but then the rich buddy got killed.

Faust said, 'Since nerves are activated by electric stimuli, this may be an electric problem.'

Well... She added that 'Although there is no guarantee such logic still stands with Abnormalities.' But I disagree with her there.

When we broke its head last time, I noticed something... At least, this guy has got to be following some laws that make sense. We already saw short circuits and electric currents work with it, right?

If that's the case... If we wait for it to run out of power... It'll go down on its own.

See if I'm right, will ya?

Hmm... How do I put it...

My first impression of it was, pitiful... and poor.

It looked like a huge wolf... no, fox, actually. It looked at us and growled.

On its body... old umbrellas were stuck on it. Not one, several of them.

It doesn't look like they were left by someone trying to attack it... If that were the case, the sharp parts would've been lodged into its body first.

I wonder why the handles of the umbrellas were stuck in it.

It seemed to be extremely wary of us. Not like there were a lot of Abnormalities that didn't show animosity, but... I don't think many of them stayed 'watchful' like this one.

... Mm, I'll stop here for now...

The more umbrellas opened, the fiercer the fox seems to get.

In particular... it sometimes does nothing and waits, but the attack that comes after was especially poweful.

...Huh.

The fox... sometimes cries.

Looking at the sky, howling for long... as if it's laying bare some kind of sorrow into the sky.

It's not like I've talked to it, or learned anything about its past, but... every time I hear that sound, my heart aches so much.

It gets even worse when I break one of the umbrellas on its body... Like my own heart is breaking...

That's how it feels.

→ Sinclar, what you're experiencing is simple loss of sanity during battle. Do not let the Abnormality influence you.

→ But... the fox feels different from the Abnormalities we've fought... I'm sure it wasn't always hostile...

→ Do not refer to it as a fox or a dog. It's nothing more than an Abnormality. You mustn't confuse it for an animal you can find in the City.

→ Get over it, you think that fake fairy with a fat jelly bod was any easier to deal with? All we gotta do is fight and sleep as we're told. You'll end up dead trying to care about nonsense!

Ah... I finally realized it.

The fox was mad at those who only give it meaningless attention before leaving.

Looking at the poor, abandoned thing on the street and giving it nothing but an umbrella...

People who gave it such meager care and think themselves as gracious benefactors for it, feeding their own ego...

That's what the fox was sad and angry about.

I, I see where it's coming from.

We have to take away the worn umbrellas on that poor child, and embrace it ourselves. We-

→ Didn't have a choice here. Seemed like something he could only snap out of after dying. (Trails of blood can be seen on the log.)

→ Although the method was rather extreme... It most certainly wasn't a condition that could be resolved in a short time otherwise.

Well... It's a creepy-looking wood block.

It's got blood all over... and papers, too.

They weren't common, but I did see things like this in the Backstreets from time to time. What were they about, curses...? It was funny to me that some scallies actually believed that tosh.

...Gah, I guess it wasn't a total load of bollocks, seeing that thing with my eyes.

That chop of wood, that thing moves.

Could've sworn it was stiff as wood when we saw it in the mirror dungeons or whatever, like props for a horror film.

The attacks aren't much, but when you see a solid block of wood like that... fly at you at the speed it does, it does scare you a bit.

Feels like one hit could crack a bone or two.

...Well, I'm not about to sit down and let it hit me.

Cor, why is it so bloody sticky... (A substance that seems to be yellow glue are smidged around this part.)

I bet this bugger would've posted flyers in the Backstreets for a living if it were a human... doing nothing but that for years, I guarantee you.

It put several talismans over my body before I could notice. Dammit...

Not sure if it was those creepy pieces of paper pissing me off, but it felt a bit like the bat was working better. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like a bad thing.

Oh, and the talismans on its body moved to my bat, too. Don't know how it works, but... I guess they wrapped around it.

Anyway, this thing bugs me more the more I hit it. Some kinds of stress you gotta relieve by beating things, but this doesn't help.

→ That's something only a thug would say. You really are crude.

→...Huh? How's he holding off his anger when that comment's right up there?

→ Faust deliberately prevented him from looking at this. It would have been a waste to fill the space with useless information.

→ That's our wise bud.

→ By the way... I think I felt myself feeling stronger with more talismans on me, too. Even if they didn't annoy me or make me feel anything.

→ In that case... The talismans themselves might have some kind of effect. What if we tried attaching a lot of them on purpose?

Damn it, why are you telling me to write this separately?

I could just keep writing where I was, you know... What's with the special treatment? It's narking me.

Forget it, I feel great turning that wood block into a pile of firewood, so I'll let it slide this time.

We tried getting a bunch of talismans on us like one of us suggested... but too many talismans actually weighed us down. It's weirdly tiring like some others said.

Instead... That wood block sometimes puts up its guard instead of attacking, you see...?

The little lad swung his halberd right then, and the talismans on that weapon got pulled into the wood block.

Then it turned purple...

Heh, that's when I got it. It couldn't do anything as we kept putting the papers on it, so we turned it into regular firewood.

→ Correction: the Abnormality returned to its ovate form. No experimental activities such as it actually turning into a pile of firewood or being lit on fire took place.

Feels an awful lot like you keep making me do all the awful things... It's just a feeling, right…?

Pah, anyway... I'll write down what I know about that rotten tea-flavor jelly thingy.

If you're asking how I know it in so much detail~

...It's 'cause I got put in that gross maw of his.

I mean, as soon as our eyes met, he flew up, like swoosh~ all of a sudden and then squashed me with the mouth on its belly! Like, splorch, y'know?

It smelled so bad… Ugh, I hate it so much.

Oh... Now that I think about it, the smell itself wasn't all that weird.

It was just too... woefully sweet, I guess? My nose almost got numbed.

Anyway, it felt really weird.

→ Hmm... Was it that foul? As for me, the smell of those... jelly-like pieces bouncing off with each attack was pretty alright.

→ It stimulated me. (Cigarette ash seeped into this segment of the note.)

→ It had strengthening properties and provided an overall mental uplift.

Grr... This guy really ticks me off.

I dunno if it's the wobbly body, but every move of his feels so annoying! Especially when he dodges my attacks.

It's just like dealing with bullies on the streets as a kid. Y'know, how they laugh at you like 'Haha, can't even hit me?'. This is just like that...

Hngh... I guess I got really streesed out. I'm feeling a bit dizzy, too...

I'll stop here for now. Sorry, Dante~

→ Is she drunk?

→ Impossible. There was no situation in which alcohol could have been ingested.

→ ...RIght! W-When we were fighting the Abnormality, didn't she break a huge cup or something like that? I think she's been like this since then...

→ Ah. Now that you mention it, I do remember that fatso dodging her axe and causing it to smash into a glass up.

Sorry~ I was a bit messy with my last log.

I asked Fau if I can erase it and write a new one, but she said I absolutely can't. Isn't she a meanie?

Anyway... It did help with figuring some stuff out, so I hope you'll show some forgivenss.

Here's what I can tell for sure: those bits of jelly that fly around as we fight boost our morale.

And, the boost gets more powerful as the battle goes on.

When someone whose morale is at its highest... I mean, like MAX! Kinda highest... breaks the glass of booze~

Bingo! That person gets super drunk right away!

Once someone got drunk, their attacks would get weaker and miss a lot more easily.

And here's the catch~ The fatty jelly fella gobbled up one of our drunk pals once, right? Then he suddenly got all weird and stumbly!

We took the chance and swept him off the floor~~

See, I was super helpful!

→ If you were just a little faster to grasp it, you certainly would have been.

→ You just gotta say yes at times like this…

It... was like a green, semi-transparent jelly.

It's not my first time seeing things like these... So when I peeped at observation logs, those things were all called fairies. In that case, I bet this thing is a fairy, too. It even has the unusually small wings.

Well, whatever it's called, I guess it's nothing more than an Abnormality at the end of the day.

Anyway... Its left arm was like a long paddle, if I can call it that... Right, it was also like those sticky tapes you sometimes see at Backstreets restaurants.

And on the other hand... it held a giant leaf. A four-leaf clover, was it? It was putting it up like an umbrella.

Huh... An umbrella.

That's right. It looked like it rained in that area all the time.

The rain was unpleasant... It felt muddy and damp. It was like being splashed with the sea water from a breaking wave.

It didn't feel too strong. Well, I'll figure out more as we fight.

Ugh... It sure is an Abnormality. The "fairy" title gave me a bit of fantastical preconception, I'll admit. I was frankly expecting the battle to be more normal than what happened.

Haah... That sticky sundew-like arm stretched out and brushed against us. I didn't think it'd stretch that long, so I couldn't think to block it.

What it did after was just as difficult to respond to. Before I could make any decisions, it retracted its arm. At the tip of that arm...was bits of our flesh.

It shoved those flesh bits into the mouth (not sure if it's the right way to call it, but I can't think of anything else) on its torso and chewed it up like they were tasty cuts of a steak.

Seems like that'show it heals itself up. We should try and stop it from taking our flesh...

But the attack is quick, so we'll want to plan out our course of action.

It would occasionally make this giant clover...tree thing?

Come to think of it, we were rarely hit by the rain while standing under it. And...the fairy seemed like it was doing it on purpose.

The clover it was holding sometimes got torn during battle; when that happened, it looked pretty displeased judging from its reaction. What's more...it seemed to get slower.

"The relish is lost"...? I think it said something along the lines of that. The glare it gave us was intense for sure.

The rain might have actual effects on combat other than just feeling awful to be in.

Aha.

If that's the case, the reason it makes the clover tree to grow...is to keep us from being hit by the harmful rain so that gains more benefits when eating our flesh?

To...make its meals tastier.

Ugh, I really think that thing doesn't deserve to be called a fairy.

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

Last time I wrote an observation log, I was a kid, so I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but...

I guess orders are orders.

So, uhh... Start with describing its appearance?

Hm, alright. That was an apple.

A huge, grotesque apple with limbs.

Personally speaking, doesn't it freak you out when a food item gets all massive or starts walking on its own? Is it just me?

I went off-topic there. Anyway, that apple was golden. Definitely not something out of your average orchard. Mmm, right. It's what you call an Abnormality, yeah?

Then yeah, that apple Abnormality was strutting all by itself.

So I... I was getting a growing urge to chop that apple. It was almost magnetic. Hard to explain.

...Well, you won't find a lot of people who hate apples as much as I do. I guess that's on my unusual past.

We decided to fall back for now since we had too little intel to try and fight.

We'll probably take on it at some point, so I'll write down more when that time comes.

→ How disorganized. Were your reports as terrible during your military service?

→ Vergilius instructed us to write these however we wanted. Dante agreed with that, too.

→ …If Executive Manager is fine with it, I won't object.

→ [A cigarette burn is left on the paper.] S.P.C.

→ Seriously, some petty complaint that was.

Man, that was tiring.

It kept healing itself or whatever, it just wouldn't fall after we sliced, tore, smashed, and did all kinds of damage to it.

Fighting it was pretty simple... Well, it's not like all of us got out unscathed, though. What it does is run into us for a body slam. Not too hard to deal with once you're used to it.

I think I get its schtick after fighting it a few times. You see, it's got a golden aura floating around it, yeah?

But the aura was gone after the apple recovered several times.

Maybe that's its threshold of regeneration.

I'll let manager bud know about this. It might be what helps end this tedious struggle.

…[What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]. This is why you put me in charge of the observation?

Did you know this crap would happen and…

Yeah, no. There's no way you could have…

None of us could, this was our first time.

Gah… When I blew that golden apple up, it split open.

Then some [What appears to be foul words are scribbled out.]ed branches popped out of the crack, and… That thing, that bastard…

It took Yuri…

And with that new nutrient, a swarm of maggots piled up inside…

"Metamorphosing" into a hideous face.

Haha, funny, isn't it. I was feeling a sense of kinship with that crawler. I guess it's because we were both pests…

Realizing that, I just couldn't stay calm. I had to tear that detestable face apart to find peace.

And then, and then...

→ Gregor was struggling to maintain his cool in his writing, so I relieved him of his pen. He didn't have much else to offer in terms of information, anyway.

→ Those maggots squirmed harder than I expected when I scorched 'em with my cigarette. Does this count as intel?

- Composed of steel plates with bluish rust and marks left by heat.

- Its appearance resembles that of an animal commonly referred to as the bull.

- Though the analysis isn't precise, the material's properties suggest it consists of an alloy of copper and zinc.

- It has another component other than steel plates; there appears to be a humanlike being inside it.

- K Corp's drones are flying around it. They appear to be filming Sinners occasionally.

- Though the reason or principle is unclear, it's thrown into a state of agitation. Because it was expected to make the battle more unfavorable for us as it went on, I suggested to the manager that the drones be destroyed first.

- The being inside constantly had a facial expression one would make while in pain.

- Its movement tends to be erratic and abrupt, possibly due to the pain caused by the heat.

- Its body is assumed to have intense heat. Whenever a Sinner was attacked by it, causalgia and burns could be observed.

- Clouds of gas assumed to be breaths or steam were observed near its head.

- It sometimes raised its body to slam a Sinner with its weight. And other times, from the head...the humanlike being emerged for an attack. Its dizzying cry left a lasting impression.

- When a Sinner was attacked by the humanlike being, they would display serious depression. The mental damage possibly caused them to be immobilized or become reluctant in combat. This effect is expected to be temporary.

- Concerned that it might render Sinners unable to further participate in battle, the manager has ordered to prioritize disabling its head. It is deemed to be an effective approach. The humanlike being could no longer be observed in battle once dealt with.

- No further discoveries to be made; the observation log is concluded.

→ Aah… It suffered for such a long time… Unable to do anything about the raging thirst, the flesh endlessly burning and searing…

→ Oi, kid's still messed up.

→ Faust will take care of it.

Hmm... How do I put it...

My first impression of it was, pitiful... and poor.

It looked like a huge wolf... no, fox, actually. It looked at us and growled.

On its body... old umbrellas were stuck on it. Not one, several of them.

It doesn't look like they were left by someone trying to attack it... If that were the case, the sharp parts would've been lodged into its body first.

I wonder why the handles of the umbrellas were stuck in it.

It seemed to be extremely wary of us. Not like there were a lot of Abnormalities that didn't show animosity, but... I don't think many of them stayed 'watchful' like this one.

... Mm, I'll stop here for now...

The more umbrellas opened, the fiercer the fox seems to get.

In particular... it sometimes does nothing and waits, but the attack that comes after was especially poweful.

...Huh.

The fox... sometimes cries.

Looking at the sky, howling for long... as if it's laying bare some kind of sorrow into the sky.

It's not like I've talked to it, or learned anything about its past, but... every time I hear that sound, my heart aches so much.

It gets even worse when I break one of the umbrellas on its body... Like my own heart is breaking...

That's how it feels.

→ Sinclar, what you're experiencing is simple loss of sanity during battle. Do not let the Abnormality influence you.

→ But... the fox feels different from the Abnormalities we've fought... I'm sure it wasn't always hostile...

→ Do not refer to it as a fox or a dog. It's nothing more than an Abnormality. You mustn't confuse it for an animal you can find in the City.

→ Get over it, you think that fake fairy with a fat jelly bod was any easier to deal with? All we gotta do is fight and sleep as we're told. You'll end up dead trying to care about nonsense!

Ah... I finally realized it.

The fox was mad at those who only give it meaningless attention before leaving.

Looking at the poor, abandoned thing on the street and giving it nothing but an umbrella...

People who gave it such meager care and think themselves as gracious benefactors for it, feeding their own ego...

That's what the fox was sad and angry about.

I, I see where it's coming from.

We have to take away the worn umbrellas on that poor child, and embrace it ourselves. We-

→ Didn't have a choice here. Seemed like something he could only snap out of after dying. (Trails of blood can be seen on the log.)

→ Although the method was rather extreme... It most certainly wasn't a condition that could be resolved in a short time otherwise.

Well... It's a creepy-looking wood block.

It's got blood all over... and papers, too.

They weren't common, but I did see things like this in the Backstreets from time to time. What were they about, curses...? It was funny to me that some scallies actually believed that tosh.

...Gah, I guess it wasn't a total load of bollocks, seeing that thing with my eyes.

That chop of wood, that thing moves.

Could've sworn it was stiff as wood when we saw it in the mirror dungeons or whatever, like props for a horror film.

The attacks aren't much, but when you see a solid block of wood like that... fly at you at the speed it does, it does scare you a bit.

Feels like one hit could crack a bone or two.

...Well, I'm not about to sit down and let it hit me.

Cor, why is it so bloody sticky... (A substance that seems to be yellow glue are smidged around this part.)

I bet this bugger would've posted flyers in the Backstreets for a living if it were a human... doing nothing but that for years, I guarantee you.

It put several talismans over my body before I could notice. Dammit...

Not sure if it was those creepy pieces of paper pissing me off, but it felt a bit like the bat was working better. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like a bad thing.

Oh, and the talismans on its body moved to my bat, too. Don't know how it works, but... I guess they wrapped around it.

Anyway, this thing bugs me more the more I hit it. Some kinds of stress you gotta relieve by beating things, but this doesn't help.

→ That's something only a thug would say. You really are crude.

→...Huh? How's he holding off his anger when that comment's right up there?

→ Faust deliberately prevented him from looking at this. It would have been a waste to fill the space with useless information.

→ That's our wise bud.

→ By the way... I think I felt myself feeling stronger with more talismans on me, too. Even if they didn't annoy me or make me feel anything.

→ In that case... The talismans themselves might have some kind of effect. What if we tried attaching a lot of them on purpose?

Damn it, why are you telling me to write this separately?

I could just keep writing where I was, you know... What's with the special treatment? It's narking me.

Forget it, I feel great turning that wood block into a pile of firewood, so I'll let it slide this time.

We tried getting a bunch of talismans on us like one of us suggested... but too many talismans actually weighed us down. It's weirdly tiring like some others said.

Instead... That wood block sometimes puts up its guard instead of attacking, you see...?

The little lad swung his halberd right then, and the talismans on that weapon got pulled into the wood block.

Then it turned purple...

Heh, that's when I got it. It couldn't do anything as we kept putting the papers on it, so we turned it into regular firewood.

→ Correction: the Abnormality returned to its ovate form. No experimental activities such as it actually turning into a pile of firewood or being lit on fire took place.

Feels an awful lot like you keep making me do all the awful things... It's just a feeling, right…?

Pah, anyway... I'll write down what I know about that rotten tea-flavor jelly thingy.

If you're asking how I know it in so much detail~

...It's 'cause I got put in that gross maw of his.

I mean, as soon as our eyes met, he flew up, like swoosh~ all of a sudden and then squashed me with the mouth on its belly! Like, splorch, y'know?

It smelled so bad… Ugh, I hate it so much.

Oh... Now that I think about it, the smell itself wasn't all that weird.

It was just too... woefully sweet, I guess? My nose almost got numbed.

Anyway, it felt really weird.

→ Hmm... Was it that foul? As for me, the smell of those... jelly-like pieces bouncing off with each attack was pretty alright.

→ It stimulated me. (Cigarette ash seeped into this segment of the note.)

→ It had strengthening properties and provided an overall mental uplift.

Grr... This guy really ticks me off.

I dunno if it's the wobbly body, but every move of his feels so annoying! Especially when he dodges my attacks.

It's just like dealing with bullies on the streets as a kid. Y'know, how they laugh at you like 'Haha, can't even hit me?'. This is just like that...

Hngh... I guess I got really streesed out. I'm feeling a bit dizzy, too...

I'll stop here for now. Sorry, Dante~

→ Is she drunk?

→ Impossible. There was no situation in which alcohol could have been ingested.

→ ...RIght! W-When we were fighting the Abnormality, didn't she break a huge cup or something like that? I think she's been like this since then...

→ Ah. Now that you mention it, I do remember that fatso dodging her axe and causing it to smash into a glass up.

Sorry~ I was a bit messy with my last log.

I asked Fau if I can erase it and write a new one, but she said I absolutely can't. Isn't she a meanie?

Anyway... It did help with figuring some stuff out, so I hope you'll show some forgivenss.

Here's what I can tell for sure: those bits of jelly that fly around as we fight boost our morale.

And, the boost gets more powerful as the battle goes on.

When someone whose morale is at its highest... I mean, like MAX! Kinda highest... breaks the glass of booze~

Bingo! That person gets super drunk right away!

Once someone got drunk, their attacks would get weaker and miss a lot more easily.

And here's the catch~ The fatty jelly fella gobbled up one of our drunk pals once, right? Then he suddenly got all weird and stumbly!

We took the chance and swept him off the floor~~

See, I was super helpful!

→ If you were just a little faster to grasp it, you certainly would have been.

→ You just gotta say yes at times like this…

Feels an awful lot like you keep making me do all the awful things... It's just a feeling, right…?

Pah, anyway... I'll write down what I know about that rotten tea-flavor jelly thingy.

If you're asking how I know it in so much detail~

...It's 'cause I got put in that gross maw of his.

I mean, as soon as our eyes met, he flew up, like swoosh~ all of a sudden and then squashed me with the mouth on its belly! Like, splorch, y'know?

It smelled so bad… Ugh, I hate it so much.

Oh... Now that I think about it, the smell itself wasn't all that weird.

It was just too... woefully sweet, I guess? My nose almost got numbed.

Anyway, it felt really weird.

→ Hmm... Was it that foul? As for me, the smell of those... jelly-like pieces bouncing off with each attack was pretty alright.

→ It stimulated me. (Cigarette ash seeped into this segment of the note.)

→ It had strengthening properties and provided an overall mental uplift.

Grr... This guy really ticks me off.

I dunno if it's the wobbly body, but every move of his feels so annoying! Especially when he dodges my attacks.

It's just like dealing with bullies on the streets as a kid. Y'know, how they laugh at you like 'Haha, can't even hit me?'. This is just like that...

Hngh... I guess I got really streesed out. I'm feeling a bit dizzy, too...

I'll stop here for now. Sorry, Dante~

→ Is she drunk?

→ Impossible. There was no situation in which alcohol could have been ingested.

→ ...RIght! W-When we were fighting the Abnormality, didn't she break a huge cup or something like that? I think she's been like this since then...

→ Ah. Now that you mention it, I do remember that fatso dodging her axe and causing it to smash into a glass up.

Sorry~ I was a bit messy with my last log.

I asked Fau if I can erase it and write a new one, but she said I absolutely can't. Isn't she a meanie?

Anyway... It did help with figuring some stuff out, so I hope you'll show some forgivenss.

Here's what I can tell for sure: those bits of jelly that fly around as we fight boost our morale.

And, the boost gets more powerful as the battle goes on.

When someone whose morale is at its highest... I mean, like MAX! Kinda highest... breaks the glass of booze~

Bingo! That person gets super drunk right away!

Once someone got drunk, their attacks would get weaker and miss a lot more easily.

And here's the catch~ The fatty jelly fella gobbled up one of our drunk pals once, right? Then he suddenly got all weird and stumbly!

We took the chance and swept him off the floor~~

See, I was super helpful!

→ If you were just a little faster to grasp it, you certainly would have been.

→ You just gotta say yes at times like this…

It... was like a green, semi-transparent jelly.

It's not my first time seeing things like these... So when I peeped at observation logs, those things were all called fairies. In that case, I bet this thing is a fairy, too. It even has the unusually small wings.

Well, whatever it's called, I guess it's nothing more than an Abnormality at the end of the day.

Anyway... Its left arm was like a long paddle, if I can call it that... Right, it was also like those sticky tapes you sometimes see at Backstreets restaurants.

And on the other hand... it held a giant leaf. A four-leaf clover, was it? It was putting it up like an umbrella.

Huh... An umbrella.

That's right. It looked like it rained in that area all the time.

The rain was unpleasant... It felt muddy and damp. It was like being splashed with the sea water from a breaking wave.

It didn't feel too strong. Well, I'll figure out more as we fight.

Ugh... It sure is an Abnormality. The "fairy" title gave me a bit of fantastical preconception, I'll admit. I was frankly expecting the battle to be more normal than what happened.

Haah... That sticky sundew-like arm stretched out and brushed against us. I didn't think it'd stretch that long, so I couldn't think to block it.

What it did after was just as difficult to respond to. Before I could make any decisions, it retracted its arm. At the tip of that arm...was bits of our flesh.

It shoved those flesh bits into the mouth (not sure if it's the right way to call it, but I can't think of anything else) on its torso and chewed it up like they were tasty cuts of a steak.

Seems like that'show it heals itself up. We should try and stop it from taking our flesh...

But the attack is quick, so we'll want to plan out our course of action.

It would occasionally make this giant clover...tree thing?

Come to think of it, we were rarely hit by the rain while standing under it. And...the fairy seemed like it was doing it on purpose.

The clover it was holding sometimes got torn during battle; when that happened, it looked pretty displeased judging from its reaction. What's more...it seemed to get slower.

"The relish is lost"...? I think it said something along the lines of that. The glare it gave us was intense for sure.

The rain might have actual effects on combat other than just feeling awful to be in.

Aha.

If that's the case, the reason it makes the clover tree to grow...is to keep us from being hit by the harmful rain so that gains more benefits when eating our flesh?

To...make its meals tastier.

Ugh, I really think that thing doesn't deserve to be called a fairy.

Performing the post-mortem report as ordered by the Executive Manager.

The entity was encountered around 1440 hours today. To elaborate, that is the precise time when we identified it as an enemy and prepared for battle.

Its appearance is akin to a hideous, ancient tree. I estimate its age to be easily over 100 years old. I raise its broad wrinkles and wide pillar as supporting evidence.

What was odd, however, was that its height was far too stocky despite its aforementioned traits.

Its twisting branches all point to a singular direction, and clues indicate that its roots are broad and deep-reaching…

After a thorough observation of the blue fairy(I’m unsure if this is an appropriate designation for it, but I was unable to find another suitable name), which hangs from the tip of one of the branches and radiates a bright light,

I concluded that this is a trap contingent on deception.

Such deceptive traps were often used in numerous battles I have participated in. Install something to draw the attention of your enemies and ambush them from where they least expect… It’s a rather rudimentary trap.

I have ordered the Sinners to halt their advance and await the Executive Manager’s orders.

Please consult this guide in your future commands.

Thank you.

→ Wow… I guess you’re not a veteran for nothing, huh? Didn’t know you were this good~

→ I’ve both encountered and installed many similar traps. Even a civilian could identify such an obvious trap if they have even a modicum of perceptiveness.

→ Right~? Even a MODICUM(This word appears to have been bolded for emphasis) of perceptiveness, that is~

→ …Shut up.

We engaged with the entity in a meaningful capacity around 1900 hours today. Thus I report the following findings.

Just as I expected, it immediately attacked us from the ground as soon as one of us advanced into its proximity.

We suffered some losses, but considering that the said personnel decided to charge the enemy in spite of my warnings, I don’t suppose he would have been of much use in the battle anyway.

However, the intel we’ve gathered through the involuntary decoy was rather valuable. Now we know why its height betrays its apparent age.

The majority of its bulk, its main body, is buried underground.

Countless roots, long enough to make measurement of their individual lengths difficult, burst out of the ground to impale us. Still, we were able to identify that this opponent’s main mode of attack involves luring its victims toward its main body to guarantee a strike.

Sometimes it focused on a single Sinner, but there were also instances in which it targeted multiple of us at once.

I also identified the blue fairy swaying from side to side, as though to seduce its victims.

Though it may be difficult to engage this opponent while evading its numerous roots, because we are currently unaware of the magnitude of its main body, I believe that continued collection of intel through repeated encounters is necessary to prepare the appropriate countermeasures. Some losses are to be expected, however.

Concluding the report.

Thank you.

→ Seriously, Heathcliff! Why the hell would you walk out there AFTER we specifically told you not to? AGAIN?

→ Haah, dammit… I don’t know. Something about how that happened was uncanny. It’s not like I wanted to walk there…

→ It appears that the fairy has the power to charm its victims. Perhaps it would be preferable that we focus our attacks on the fairy in our next encounter.

I write to inform you that further intel has been gathered during our encounter with the entity around 0920 hours today.

Dispatching the blue fairy seems to have been the key to drawing out its main body.

Once the blue fairy was defeated, a part of its main body emerged from the ground, giving us a significant offensive advantage.

Of course, I presume there is more to its subterranean body, but I concluded that what we have gathered so far is enough to give us an edge in this encounter. Considering the estimated losses we would suffer in the process, I don’t believe that there is any further intel that would outweigh the potential costs.

Concluding the report.

Thank you.

- It is difficult to say that this entity is, while bipedal, a humanoid.

- Weapons made of unrefined energy can be observed protruding from both of its wrists.

- A large cavity runs down the middle of its torso. It is reminiscent of the maws of a beast.

- No skin tissue is observed on its upper body. Its muscle tissues, some torn and in various states of mutilation, are clearly visible.

- Its lower body is covered by cloth material and can not be observed.

- One may extrapolate from the color and style of the clothing that this entity holds a certain connection to W Corp.

- Further reports will be made with additional observations.

- It uses its energy-based wrist weapons to tear between spaces and appear at different locations.

- Distancing is irrelevant against this entity; it can tear between spaces and catch any Sinner, no matter their distance, from behind.

- It can also exist in spaces imperceptible to our eyes.

- It is capable of making entrances to not only that particular space but also various other spaces.

- The entity opened doors to numerous spaces during our encounter. Upon closer inspection of the spaces, it was revealed that each open space was composed of unique colors.

- Certain inexpressible scents or aura could be detected from those spaces. Each was of differing temperatures and air currents.

- Further reports will be made with additional observations.

- Applying sufficient physical force to the said ‘spaces’ will close them.

- Closing the spaces also eliminates the aforementioned auras. Its exact mechanisms are unclear.

- There are four different ‘spaces’. Once they are opened the entity will, without fail, proceed to hide in one of them and become protected from our offensive maneuvers.

- The entity appears to receive beneficial effects as long as the spaces remain open.

- It does not receive the said effects when the spaces are closed.

- Because this entity is inclined to appear and disappear frequently, closing as many spaces as possible before it emerges would be advantageous.

- Only through repeated combat can we determine the effects of each space it opens.

- Below are other Sinners' observations.

- The entity grew more aggressive when the red space opened.

- Green one seemed to make it more resilient to our attacks…

- The yellow space! Forsooth, it appeared to hasten the beast!

- When the blue one opened… Something about it made it harder for us to match its strength.

- No further discoveries are to be made. This observation log is concluded.

Allow me to describe this steam—discharging machine!

‘Tis a gargantuan metal beast, nigh threefold mine height!

I observed four lamps of sorts, each displaying certain numbers in the middle of its body. ‘Tis called a ‘vacuum tube’, if my memory serves me right!

Though I spied naught else of note, closer scrutiny revealed that this machine is filled with remarkably elaborate bits!

Huge gears are attached to its arms and legs, and atop its torso are chimneys ceaselessly discharging steam!

‘Tis akin to a colossal factory given life and mobility, is it not? Quite the fetching specimen, if I do say so myself!

→ …? We’re letting the lass write this report? Are we okay with this?

→ I doubt she will attempt to ingest this entity. This will not be like the incident with the chickens. There is no need for concern.

We had a kerfuffle with the machine!

Its approach was, as expected, to pound us using its large and hefty body!

Alas, there was one little aspect which I have failed to foresee…

Its assault of hot steam, exploding from its arm—chimneys!

High-pressure steam bombarded us, like water from a fireman’s water hose. ‘Twas hot enough that mine own eyeballs were thoroughly boiled to blindness!

Ah… and another detail to call thine attention to!

I believe its steam escalated in strength and heat the higher the numbers on its torso rose. I recall it vividly, as the time it took for mine eyeballs to thoroughly cook varied depending on the number!

→ I think the numbers represent the time we took to get here… The number on the machine was the same as the one we saw on the train.

→ Interesting… We’ll have to hurry if we want to get out of this station.

→ Guys? Are we just going to ignore how the kid said it cooked her eyeballs off like it was nothing? Guys?

I scribble on, for I have further findings to share!

I witnessed the machine repair itself, though I understand not its exact workings.

Ah, and the number on its torso changed also!

Hohmm… ‘twasn’t that it released tiny machines to repair itself; it was as though it un—did the damages that had already transpired.

Ah! ‘Tis similar to how Manager Esquire revives us, is it not? Mayhaps I must inquire them to learn further!

→ Ohh… Is that why you requested a meeting? Sorry, but I don’t exactly know how my rewinding works, either…

→ We do not have enough data to determine if any links exist between these two regeneration methodologies. I am unable to draw a conclusion at this time.

→ Shattering its vacuum tubes seemed to prove effective against this entity. It was unable to reconstruct itself once they were destroyed.

Okay, let’s see~

So I gotta write about the weird, messy, rose—infested wooden planks?

My, my. I’ve not seen a more slapdash flower arrangement work in my entire life. Whoever made that thing should feel lucky they don’t work for my family.

Well… I guess every gardener has different standards of beauty. But from what I can see, I don’t really get what kind of beauty they were going for?

Like, the… the thing? Object? They hung in the middle of the wooden planks. I think it has eyes, or something.

Maybe they were trying to say something with this work. Like ‘Surveillance and Bondage’, or something?

Anyway, I don’t really enjoy artworks that are this hideous~

→ It’s all sunshine and rainbows with you, innit? Gardener? Piece of art? What is wrong with you? It’s a monster that skewers people!

→ Disagreed. T.I.A. (Someone scribbled ”I think she’s saying ‘This Is Art’!” here.) From grotesqueries rises artistic merit. I’m surprised that you caught on.

Its attack patterns…

I think it’s pretty similar to the apple—headed thing... oh, or the tree with aggressive roots that we met earlier in this train trip.

Oh, but I don’t think we’ve ever been slapped by a plank of wood that falls from the sky. I guess that’s what’s so special about this ugly thing.

As soon as we encounetered them, they tied us down here, like they were trying to stop us from going any further.

I had no idea… that getting wrapped up in those rose brambles could hurt that much.

Back home, I saw some people get roped up and made to kneel for their wrongdoings… I never realized how merciful my family was. We used plain ropes for that.

And those thorns… it was like they were draining my blood. Like it was hungry for nutrients.

And there’s more. You know how we sometimes… die, during these fights?

Bodies weren’t the only things falling—people’s resolve did, too. Oh, it’s not like being stressed or psychologically pressured. It’s completely different. It was like some… emotion in me was getting snapped in half.

And the way they died was also unusual. Its vines crawled up their legs, binding them… Soon blooming with Roses.

Oh, and... the color of those roses changed as well. Everyone told me that it was as though the bottled—up feelings inside them were melting away. And so did I.

And when we killed it… Everyone who fell in the battle exploded along with it.

Leaving behind nothing but… petals.

Yeah... That centipede-ish thing, right?

They call it that, but I'm not sure if it's the right name for something clad in a big chain of steel armor.

Ah, well… I guess that's what Abnormalities are like.

Alright… Starting with appearance, it looks like a huge series of blue plates of steel connected together. Kinda like a robot.

The eyes were red… and glinted sometimes.

Sometimes… No, was it actually pretty frequent? I saw sparks bounce around its body like electricity was flowing. If it's visible to the naked eye, that's gotta mean the voltage is pretty high... It won't just sting when it touches you, that's for sure.

→ Centipede… To me, it looked more like a snake. It coiled up at kept glaring.

→ Fair point, but… Did snakes have legs where you lived? You can't call that one a snake.

→ They do, though?

→ There are legged snakes.

→ Oh, I saw 'em, too.

→ ... Am I the odd one out?

→ You're so funny, darling~

Haah... Electrocution was not what we should've been worrying about.

I described it as wearing some steel armor, didn't I? I've gotta correct it; rather than armor, it was more like... blades sharpened on all sides covering its body.

Imagine it stabbing, pushing... even coiling around us with that kind of body. It did a number on the Sinners.

We were all bleeding ourselves dry as we fought...

That doesn't mean it had nothing to do with electricity. It looked like it had to stop whatever it was doing and coil itself up in order to shock us.

No wonder it was like that when we first faced it...

Well, I guess that means it has one clear weakness.

Once its head was smashed in, it couldn't coil up any more... That has to mean no more electrocutions, right?

→ Excuse me, Gregor. I trusted you and charged ahead only to be fried to char. What do you have to say about this?

→ I can attest to that. Her discolored hair resembled a spoiled broccoli. I would eat no such thing as an orange broccoli even in battle.

→ ... If you have a problem with my hair, say it directly.

→ W-Whoa, there... Cool it down. Look, I'm sorry about what happened... Who could have thought breaking the head would make electricity flow through its whole body?

Did you know...? Apparently, centipedes' nerves stay active and go wild for a good while even after their heart stops beating.

This one's the same.

Seems to be some kind of final struggle... We got lax, but then the rich buddy got killed.

Faust said, 'Since nerves are activated by electric stimuli, this may be an electric problem.'

Well... She added that 'Although there is no guarantee such logic still stands with Abnormalities.' But I disagree with her there.

When we broke its head last time, I noticed something... At least, this guy has got to be following some laws that make sense. We already saw short circuits and electric currents work with it, right?

If that's the case... If we wait for it to run out of power... It'll go down on its own.

See if I'm right, will ya?

I will describe my impressions of the encounter with this.

It has the appearance of a butterfly—a moth, perhaps—set aflame.

Nay, allow me to rearticulate. It would be more evocative to say that the flame itself has taken the form of such an insect.

It is surrounded by a crowd of red, fiery sparks.

This brings to mind memories from my youth. Oft did I collect twigs only to set them ablaze to watch as the fire consumed them.

The very same embers that disappeared into the night sky can be observed from this entity.

Watching the little bonfire, watching the twigs turn into bright red lanterns, then into black soot—I could not help but reach out to appreciate its warmth.

Many share this sentiment, no? We need not touch the fire to know that it blisters our skin and burns our bones. Yet we still yearn for its heat, to grow nearer to it.

Perhaps I had mused as such as its blaze danced and flickered so gently before us.

Such is all I have to say.

→ Right, mate, but fancy speech doesn’t explain why you decided to stroll right under its nose and burn yourself to a crisp, does it?

→ We have garnered a piece of useful intelligence from his death, however. The ‘embers’ Yi Sang brought back could spread to others under certain circumstances.

→ … And it spread right onto you and burned your skin. Most people I know would have a little more intense reaction to getting burned alive.

→ Well, yes. But the pain was relatively manageable.

I had an opportunity to engage it in combat.

We have learned that, with my last approach, its embers may latch onto our bodies and spread to others under particular circumstances.

It was a shard of information gained only by chance, but it will still aid us as we carefully work out a strategy against this foe. (This does not indicate self-absolution of responsibility. I apologize for acting without much discussion among us.)

Allow its wings to touch us, and it will impart its embers upon our bodies.

From my brush with it, I came to realize that its strength grew the more ember it held.

Thus, it follows that breaking its wings would allow us to take the offensive in this battle.

I propose that we welcome the embers from its wings to our embrace.

These flames… they do not burn; they only bring us warmth. Perhaps accepting them may be of benefit to us.

However, the burns that my fellows have suffered afore… I must wonder what has caused it to inflict such pain upon them.

I know not enough information to comment further.

Such is all I have to say.

I may have ascertained the method in which it ‘sparks’ the embers.

In hindsight, the answer was quite patently obvious.

To awaken the dying embers, to revive its flames, one must fan it until it rises.

There is a moment in which it flutters its wings with such strength that it creates a gust of wind.

Every ember near it explodes in size and assaults us as the unrelenting gust summoned in that instance makes it appear like a giant ball of flame.

The giant ball of flame, in turn, spreads the embers upon us, growing into a greater flame.

The embers then ‘ignite’, burning my fellows near me.

The more embers it has, the greater its strength grows. Perchance it would be to our benefit that we embrace the warmth…

… but do mind that allowing its gust to overwhelm us could be devastating.

Then, such is all I have to say.

Oi! I’ve got a few things to say about this bastard before I get to the report.

Where the hell are these… good for nothing… cottonhead… gossypium shite comin’ from?

Well… not that I expect these Abnormalities to ever be helpful.

But the things they give us from time to time… they’re supposed to be ‘gifts’ no?

What kind of ‘gifts’ help our enemies keep their balance no matter what? They must be takin’ the piss out of us.

Sorry, had to vent a little here. You understand, yeah?

… Hm. Anyway.

It just looks like a tree with a massive bundle of cotton on it. Appearance wise, it doesn't look any different from the last time we ran into it. Waving, luring us to approach... Same shite, different day, eh?

And its center… is red. Like it’s sucking up blood instead of water.

On its sides it’s got… wriggling stems? Roots? Whichever it is, it’s bloody creepy.

Pretty obvious ploy, innit? I'm sure those vines are there to poke holes in us like straws and suck the blood out of our veins.

Let’s tear’em to shreds before they can do anything like that.

If you knew that the vines can’t be cut, then why didn’t you— Haah, nevermind.

Don’t seem like we can stop these vines by cutting ‘em, Clockhead. Not sure if we can even cut them, in fact.

Can’t help it. There’s no way to avoid getting punctured by these annoying things.

Damn it, this chilling sensation of getting my blood sucked right out of my veins… it ain’t pleasant.

Not to mention that this thing begins to turn red after it’s sucked enough blood out of us…