"It's kind of disgusting..."
It was more than kind of disgusting. Even looking at it once felt dirty.
After just one glance, Hoshino was one thousand percent certain that this thing had come from the Deep.
Only that hellish place could produce such arbitrary flesh, unable to set foot on land. The moment it touched the earth, it would wither and die, able to remain only where there was water.
Wait, water?
Hoshino looked up at the dark clouds.
Lead-gray clouds slowly gathered. Amid the gale, the pale streetlights swayed, and tens of millions of tons of water silently converged, pouring the majestic force of heaven and earth down upon the ground.
Rain fell in torrents, washing away filth.
What a coincidence.
It was practically some kind of conspiracy.
As Hoshino lowered her head in thought, the mottled turtle-shell-like iron casing filled with water, and the withered branch-like body gradually plumped up. Slender branches transformed into tentacles, as though some unknown life force was descending into this body. Hoshino stepped forward with her blade, its tip piercing the neural center and strangling every twitch in the cradle.
"What are you looking at?"
She asked oddly, turning back toward Exusiai. Her blade pointed downward as water gathered and ran along it onto the ground, washing away filth.
"Nothing. I just thought you were really practiced at this."
"I trained with the Abyssal Hunters for a while. It's hard to say whether I counted as an apprentice or a disciple, but I know the basic Deep-cleansing protocols. This really isn't anything unusual."
Hoshino flicked her blade.
Besides the rain, scattered pink cherry blossom petals drifted down as well.
"First, don't try to reason with them. The weapon in your hand is the greatest reason."
"..."
Exusiai wanted to say something, then stopped.