Sealed Artifact "2049"

Sealed Artifact "2-049"

A group of Nighthawks, some in trench coats and some with jackets draped over their shoulders—only Nighthawks could have appeared here—emerged from the corridor. All of them raised either their left or right arms, bending and extending them in a shared rhythm as though lifting invisible dumbbells, working out against the clock.

Even as they performed those strange movements, the Nighthawks did not stop walking. Their synchronized arm movements inevitably matched their strides, and they approached Angel in lockstep.

That bizarre, rhythmic behavior reminded her of an Eastern robotic dance troupe she had seen before her transmigration. They had dressed strangely too, moved mechanically, and paraded through the streets.

Only when the group drew closer did Angel recognize the leader as Dunn Smith, the Nighthawk captain who had been upstairs in the office just moments ago. Behind him followed Leonard Mitchell, the calm-faced "Midnight Poet," and Klein Moretti, the hesitant "Diviner," whose bent arm seemed unsure whether to extend.

The three of them surrounded two unfamiliar Nighthawks. One was a stern-faced man whose unbent arm carried a black iron case engraved with the Crimson Moon representing the Goddess of the Night.

The Nighthawk walking beside him was a woman around thirty years old, with attractive features. Like Angel, she wore a masculine-style shirt and trousers, though the strange bent-arm motion ruined that androgynous charm.

Just as Angel was observing them, the female Nighthawk's moving arm paused, and her footsteps slowed. Then, like a robot whose switch had been flipped off, she stopped moving entirely. Her expression went blank, her eyes unfocused, and she fell behind the robotic dance troupe.

Leonard, who had been walking past her, changed expression slightly. He stopped, turned sideways, and gently pushed the woman's shoulder.

As though awakened from a dream, she resumed moving smoothly and quickened her pace to catch up with the group.

The others seemed long accustomed to this and showed neither surprise nor panic.

What was going on?

As the group gradually approached her, Angel felt her scalp tingle and her heartbeat accelerate. She had an urge to get away from them.

"I was just about to come find you. Looks like that saves us some trouble."

The robotic dance troupe stopped about five meters from Angel. Dunn Smith, at the front, continued repeatedly bending and extending his right arm as he spoke.

"Another member originally scheduled to participate in the operation had an urgent matter and left Tingen. Get ready and join the team for the upcoming... operation..."

Before he could finish, Dunn displayed the same condition as the female Nighthawk from before. His raised right forearm froze in midair as though jammed, and the words still in his mouth halted as well.

Klein, standing behind him, froze for a moment and prepared to pat his captain's shoulder. However, the unfamiliar Nighthawk with the cold expression moved first and gently pushed Dunn's back.

That light push seemed to oil Dunn's rusted machine-like body, making his movements smooth again. The final word flowed from his mouth: "...operation."

Angel finally understood. This group seemed to be affected by some mysterious force that occasionally left them stiff and unable to speak. They kept swinging their arms so that nearby teammates could immediately notice when someone fell into that bizarre state.

And as long as someone else lightly touched the unlucky victim, they would quickly return to normal.

As for the source of that mysterious force...

Angel's gaze swiftly swept over the two unfamiliar Nighthawks before settling on the iron case in the male Nighthawk's hand. Sensing her gaze, he looked back with yellow-brown eyes sharp as blades. Only then did Angel notice the scar on his face.

None of the three Tingen City Nighthawks she knew possessed such an ability. The woman had empty hands, so the thing affecting them was most likely the item carried by the last man...

Having figured that out, she shifted her feet and quietly moved farther away from the iron case before cautiously asking, "What's going on with you?"

"Time is tight. We'll talk as we walk." Dunn pointed at the case carried by the scarred man. "What Borgia is carrying is a special mystical item, Sealed Artifact '2-049.' It affects the people around it, prioritizing targets within five meters and causing the same... 'sluggishness' that Loretta and I just experienced..." His finger shifted toward the female Nighthawk who had stiffened earlier. "...As long as a companion nearby lightly touches you, the effect will be removed."

"Fortunately, 2-049 only affects a range of five meters and only one person at a time. The three people closest to it are also the most likely to be chosen as targets. From now until the mission ends, follow us in doing these arm-bending exercises without stopping. If you're affected by 2-049, we'll wake you in time. Likewise, if any of us are affected, we'll need your help."

Angel nodded to show that she understood. Copying their movements, she raised her left arm and bent and extended it at the same frequency as everyone else, joining the robotic dance troupe as its sixth member.

The group then resumed walking, moving toward the basement exit in pairs.

Angel had joined the Nighthawks more than half a month ago. During her free time, she had also learned quite a bit of mysticism from Old Neil and gained some understanding of "Sealed Artifacts"—items with certain negative effects that had to be stored and controlled by the Church.

Most of them were formed when the Extraordinary Characteristics of deceased Beyonders fused with certain items. Others were mutated parts of a Beyonder's body. Once the Church judged an item to be too dangerous or burdened with excessively powerful negative effects, it would "seal" it and assign it a corresponding code.

"2-049" was this Sealed Artifact's internal code within the Night Church. The first digit represented its danger level, from 0 to 3, with lower numbers indicating greater danger. "2" meant that its danger level was not especially high. There were likely several such items even behind Tingen City's Chanis Gate.

But low danger did not mean no danger. Judging from how several of them had been affected in succession, "2-049" had to be carried by a team. Once its bearer was alone, this Sealed Artifact would reveal its danger.

Angel did not know what would happen if the negative effect of bodily stiffness went unresolved, but even a few seconds of sluggishness would be fatal in battle.

Thinking of that, she understood why Dunn Smith needed her to join the operation.

The negative effects of this Sealed Artifact were so obvious, yet they were bringing it along. They clearly intended to make use of some property it possessed, perhaps for combat or perhaps to find a person or object. But the chances of encountering combat or some other danger along the way were high.

Once someone fell into the sluggish state caused by "2-049," a teammate had to wake them immediately. Otherwise, that person would become a stationary target standing helplessly in place.

According to Dunn, the Sealed Artifact would prioritize the three people closest to it. Therefore, a group of three had to be responsible for protecting it in battle, or more distant teammates would become targets instead.

Under those circumstances, the more people they had available to fight, the better. After the person originally assigned to the operation left for some reason, Dunn had come to Angel to fill the vacancy.

"Leonard, go upstairs first and have Rosanne and the others avoid the third floor. Tell them not to approach the reception room for now. Then bring the carriage to the entrance. You'll drive later, and let Caesar go home to rest first." As they neared the spiral staircase, Dunn gave his instructions.

Leonard Mitchell nodded. Taking the stairs two at a time, he passed the group and climbed out of sight. Even in such a hurry, he did not forget to swing his arms comically.

What are you laughing at? I'll be doing the same thing in a moment... Angel forcibly suppressed her smile and looked back. Everyone wore solemn expressions while making the same movements, yet they looked utterly ridiculous. Thinking of how they would soon be walking down the street like that, subjected to the gazes of passersby, gave her a headache.

The group followed the stairs back to the second floor of Blackthorn Security Company and entered the reception room in a single line. Rosanne, who had been waiting there, was nowhere to be seen. She had likely gone upstairs to avoid them. Only the coffee cups on the table remained, still steaming.

"We'll go straight down to the first floor and take the carriage to Riel Bieber's house. We should be able to obtain further clues there."

Dunn issued the next instruction. The others nodded silently, keeping their arms repeatedly bending and extending as they went around the reception room sofa toward the front door.

The instant the formation shifted, Borgia, carrying "2-049" in front of Angel, suddenly began moving slowly. Though he continued walking forward and lifting his bent elbow, he looked like slowed-down footage, rapidly approaching a complete halt.

That unlucky bastard...

Angel prepared to push him, only to realize that her own movements would not obey her. Her bent right arm refused to straighten no matter what she did, let alone reach Borgia ahead of her. Her legs felt as though they had been filled with lead and could not move. Her thoughts became sluggish, while the footsteps around her and the bustle from the street outside the window grew increasingly muffled.

Could it be...

Klein entered her field of vision, his movements changing frame by frame like stop-motion animation as he approached and reached out to push her shoulder.

Klein and Borgia's movements immediately became smooth again. The sounds around her returned to their normal frequency, and only then did her arm, which she had been trying to straighten, lift forward.

So it wasn't Borgia who had been affected just now. It was me!

Only then did Angel's newly quickened thoughts catch up.

This was the terrifying effect of "2-049"!

When she had watched Loretta, the female Nighthawk, and Captain Dunn fall victim one after another, their slowed, broken-robot-like movements had merely seemed a little ridiculous to her. But when it happened to her, the feeling of her movements and thoughts instantly becoming sluggish was simply terrifying.

Angel could not imagine how long that state would have lasted if no one had awakened her, or whether it would have progressed further until all movement and thought completely stopped, leaving her as nothing more than a statue.

At that thought, she felt the clothes on her back soaked through with cold sweat.