Unexpected Foe (after battle)
... Wait!
A shout cuts across the battlefield, just as the sudden appearance of Ricardo was making things incredibly more difficult for us.
Wahah! Ahahahaha!!!
Huh...? Didn't that guy split? What's he doing here, laughing his butt off...?
You've finally lost the plot, eh? Failed plan after failed plan takes a toll, I suppose.
Ahahahaha... Ahahhh... oh. Maybe that was too much.
But, I mean, how could I not laugh, right? When, after all that, everything comes together perfectly according to my plan!
You hear this too, don't you...? The sound of the City... the sound of the Backstreets!
Do you hear the sound of crashing waves?!
... Waves?
When the sound of battle came to a stop with Shi Yihua's sudden shout, we all began to notice the low, crawling sound of omen that had been swirling under the commotion.
Something's melting, regurgitating, or... perhaps, boiling over...
If not, it's seeping, it's siphoning, it's a trace that was at once living and dead.
Crashing and breaking, devoid of any recognizable stops, the lines between where it begins and ends blurred - yes, like waves.
Current time is 0321 hours... then it's too late.
The Night in the Backstreets... we've never been outside the bus at this hour, have we...?
It was past four in the morning when we briefly set foot in the Outskirts. So no, we have. This would be our second time.
Though it must be noted that the time of day was not a matter of concern then, as we were in the Outskirts.
Kehehehe... They're finally getting all swept away like trash.
Oh, how I've waited for this moment!
... What's he on about?
You can't possibly be thinking that the Sweepers'll somehow break the Taboo to help you.
Still missing the point, botched purple dye job.
Zilu, let us leave to the promised location.
…….
... Huh? Did he actually scamper all the way here just to gloat at us and run away?
Indeed, Shi Yihua gloated at us with a confident boast as though he was finally ready to face us... only to turn tail again with an unmistakable look of relief.
I don't get it... Does he actually believe that the Sweepers will help him?
<Faust.>
Indeed. Sweepers do not invade residential areas. However...
<... What if where we're standing isn't actually a residential area...?>
What are ya talking about? Look, this place has got walls, beds, beddings, and...
I guess the walls felt weirdly mushy, and...
... mel... ty...?
It wasn't just Rodya who realized what was going on; the other Sinners all began to look around in confusion as well.
The walls of the kezhan had all but melted away, leaving nothing behind.
As though the place we slept the night in was but a house in a painting.
Our realization came too late, as the wavelike noise from earlier had already encroached right up to where we were...
... and unlike the other times, when they'd simply part around the bus, they were cutting straight into the remnants of our lodging.
3333333…
45124111… 555232200?
3335114…9541723.
Ahhhh?! W-what's going on?! Why, why, whywhywhywhywhy?!
...! They're...!
This... is ridiculous...!
Sweepers...! How dare they break the Taboo so brazenly...?!
Heh. Looks like I'll be facing the waves tonight.
W-why do you sound excited about this?! I-I mean, we've got to -
Let's make some things clear.
... It's clear that...
... if we do nothing but stand around, they'll sweep us all away.
4151929…
772…
Dammit... we have to make our stand here.