The girl's body stopped twitching.
Color vanished from her completely dilated pupils. The corners of her mouth, which often smiled, grew stiff. Her nimble fingers hit the floor limply.
Lin just watched her. His breathing seemed to have stopped.
He heard "Him" laughing—a laugh that pierced and ravaged his consciousness, pouncing from all directions.
Tearing him apart, cutting him down, crushing him.
Quite incredible, isn't it?
"Traitor No. 2, MSA-999, has been neutralized. Death confirmed. Traitor No. 1, MSA-079, vital signs are critical, lost mobility. Preparing for emergency disposal."
Some "voices" appeared in Lin ears.
Some kind of error was occurring.
He heard the friction of his own stiff, decaying bones. An incredible strength allowed him to lift his head. He saw a "person" standing by Chiaki's body, holding a pistol. After confirming Chiaki's death, the figure turned to look at him.
Prometheus.
"Why..."
Why was all of this happening?
Where did the collapse begin?
The mechanical girl was as indifferent as ever. She raised her gun to prevent a counterattack from Lin.
"Because you are the traitor."
I... am... the... traitor?
I am the traitor...
No... the traitor is clearly Kevin...
In Lin chaotic pupils, no light could be seen. He reached out a finger toward Prometheus meaninglessly.
But she only took a step back.
"September 12th, 3:17 AM. You infiltrated the database, copying and destroying data from WM-I to WM-IV. Someone assisted you in interfering with the surveillance equipment."
Lin eyes widened.
Something absurd yet real climbed into his heart.
"September 12th, 5:40 AM. You murdered Dr. Vil-V."
Bang!
Something exploded by his ear—multi-colored, dizzying, dazzling...
Screams, roars, wails.
After her conversation with Lin, Vil-V prepared to leave the Spiral Workshop. Even though she was skeptical of Lin words, she decided to hide for a while and try to find the mastermind Lin spoke of, just to be safe.
At that moment, a slight, barely perceptible sound came from the door.
Click.
The door to the Spiral Workshop was pushed open.
Vil-V turned abruptly, the expression on her usually calm face changing instantly.
"It's you—"
He wasn't wearing his helmet.
A strange smile was hanging on his face.
The one who had left and returned... Lin.
The moment Vil-V saw the smile on his face, the alarm in her heart blared. Without hesitation, she reached for the Soul Steel long sword under the table—an experimental product for a Divine Key. Even as an experiment, Soul Steel granted it extraordinary power.
But before she could grip the hilt, another hand grabbed it faster than her.
The man drew the blade. Vil-V's vision blurred, and a chill flashed across her neck.
She fell to the ground in a daze.
Following that, warm blood flowed from the sliced wound.
"You... actually... consciousness..."
Vil-V's pupils dilated. Her mouth opened and closed as she whispered, but she couldn't form a complete sentence.
Lin didn't give her another look. Holding the sword, he turned and walked out of the Spiral Workshop at an unhurried pace.
"September 12th, 7:08 PM. You and MSA-999 hacked into the surveillance center, destroyed part of the evidence, and created the illusion of being attacked to frame others."
Lin drew his pistol and aimed at the dark space ahead. He pulled the trigger directly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bullets hit the floor, ricocheting at a bizarre angle. He sliced two of the bullets without care and took the last one with his body.
As he fell, he used unbelievable speed to swap his empty magazine for one with only three bullets, then naturally tossed the spent casings forward.
"Lin?" Chiaki asked worriedly.
"...Yeah."
A distorted smile flashed across his lips.
"September 15th. You approached Kevin and informed him that Dr. Einstein might be the traitor. But at that time, Dr. Einstein had already returned to the headquarters and was performing a global upgrade of the Armed Puppets."
"After Dr. Einstein confirmed with Kevin, your suspicion was initially established. It was decided that Kevin would keep you under 'protection.'"
"September 18th. MSA-999 attacked the Fire Moth main system and uploaded virtual surveillance footage, distracting the headquarters."
"You went to Dr. Einstein's room and murdered her."
Lin pushed the door open easily. Inside, Einstein's eyes widened in surprise the moment she saw him. Before she could shout, Lin was in front of her in an instant, thrusting the long sword forward.
Shing!
Terrifying strength easily pierced Einstein's neck, pinning her into the wall. She was stuck on the blade, feet dangling, looking at the smiling Lin in despair.
He slowly picked up his helmet and put it on his head, hiding his expression.
Einstein's final struggle vanished, insignificant, in the reflection of his visor.
Drip.
Amidst the sound of dripping blood, he walked out and pulled the door shut behind him.
Then, a familiar sound of footsteps rang out. Lin shuddered. Kevin walked around the corner behind him.
Lin turned and met Kevin's eyes.
Then, he pushed the door open, revealing Einstein's corpse to Kevin.
"Then I guess I'll be the villain."
"What is your helmet actually for?"
"It's not just for combat; you wear it in daily life too, and you haven't made any lightweight modifications to it. So, is it for the functionality of hiding your appearance?"
"Hmm, very good, Lin."
"Especially your expression."
A young girl's voice echoed in his ears. Lin stiff gaze fell once again on the face of the cold corpse nearby.
"And you need a 'villain' to accompany you, so I can play the part of a villain. That way, it's not bad for anyone, is it?"
"Hahahaha... haha..."
The complex look she had always unknowingly revealed.
She knew all along?
Even so, she stayed with him? Disguised herself as a villain to accompany him?
So he was the traitor? He was the murderer? He was the one whose consciousness had been eroded?
"Don't believe, Lin."
That voice appeared again. This time, Lin knew its meaning.
It had explained it the first time it appeared.
It wasn't a warning for him to "not believe," but to "not believe Lin."
So that's how it was?
His consciousness had long since become diseased, yet he hadn't noticed?
From the moment he entered the Herrscher Core, had his consciousness already begun to transform into that of a Herrscher?
The laughter grew louder.
And Lin finally heard clearly where it was coming from.
It was himself.
He was laughing.
Beneath the broken helmet, the man was laughing.
Amidst infinite malice, tragedy, and pressure, it was perfectly normal for an eroded consciousness to undergo irreversible changes.
The precision machine named "human" had encountered an error.
Then who was he?
A "bug" born within this precision machine. The human Millennium Bug.