Chapter 2: Placenta City——Living City, Unborn Machine God

Allow me to tell you the story behind the “Steel Giant”.

No, I am not referring to a myth or a fairy tale. What I am about to share involves a human being in the flesh, yet it is about a modern giant who has left his mark on the world map.

The United States of America, to which he belonged——a nation that continued to grow for more than a century since its founding—reached its completion by constructing continuous intercontinental railroads before the dawn of the new century. The land and its people, nearly fragmented due to the deep wounds inflicted by the Civil War, were once again strongly united through the iron roads that dominated distribution and communication.

This monumental endeavor was, in reality, the achievement of one man.

He possessed the “power” to accomplish it. The wealth he garnered through intelligence and determination, power buttressed by his financial means, and the authority to command military force——no, what he truly conquered was not just some intangible force but the foundation of all of them, which could be called the rationale of this world. In other words, he mastered the structures and functions of the economy, society, and the world itself, extracting desired outcomes as though he were operating a steam engine.

He has been labeled a “superman”, and described as a “titanic force of vitality”; the name of that man, who was even said to “stand as an individual equal to a nation”, is “Hadou Kouzou”.

In the golden country of Japan, where his ancestors hailed from, “Kouzou” means “the one who works with steel”, and “Hadou” signifies “the path of hegemony”.

I am currently aboard the Santa Fe Railroad heading eastbound across the continent from Los Angeles.

By early afternoon, the train had crossed the Colorado River and entered the Arizona Territory. Weathered sandstone mountains dotted the wilderness stretching as far as the eye could see, revealing wafer-like strata on their reddish-brown flanks.

This Arizona wilderness is not only an original American landscape but also the starting point of Hadou Kouzou’s legendary tale. While the veracity of this story is yet to be confirmed, about twenty years ago, a foreign young man aimlessly arrived in this land during the Gold Rush——that man was Hadou Kouzou in his early years, who had discovered the “last gold mine” and made a triumphant return to the east. The story remains well-known to this day.

“He came without a penny, built a railroad, and returned to his hometown”; these local proverbs are often used to extol his monumental success. ——However, this is not entirely accurate. The time when he established the Santa Fe Railroad was a decade after his Arizona days. The transition from being merely a “lucky man” to becoming the “Oil Tycoon, Iron Magnate, Trade Emperor, and Grand Railroad Monarch who owns 70% of America’s rail networks” was the result of his dynamic investment activities in the New York market.

After that, along with the completion of his planned Arkham railroad, Hadou shifted the base of his operations to his hometown, Arkham, in the state of Massachusetts. Starting from Arkham City, the railway linked the major cities on the east coast. From there, it crossed the Appalachian Mountains and extended through Canadian territory in the north to connect with the previously established transcontinental railroads he had developed or purchased. As a result, the isolated old town of Arkham was opened up to the entirety of America.

A system was simultaneously established that allowed wealth, human resources, and vitality to flow into Arkham from all over America and, additionally, from around the world. In fact, shortly after this development, Arkham, once just a deserted country town, underwent unprecedented growth to become the world’s largest city——the birth of the “Hadou Kouzou Empire” and the “Capital of the World”.

From Arizona to Arkham, two iron roads cut through the uninhabited wilderness, and lead to the other side of the horizon——the Empire of Hadou.

This is the path of the unwavering conqueror, marking the footsteps of the “Steel Giant”, Hadou Kouzou.

 

“‘Steel Giant’, right……? Hmm.”

Ada could hear the sigh over the thunderous roar of the locomotive with her sharp ears.

“Ah, you laughed! You even sneered just now! That’s rude!”

Ada pouted as she received the bundle of draft papers from Nyala’s hands and began to reread them.

“……Is there anything wrong with them?”

“I think the expression might be a bit too exaggerated.”

Said Nyala.

“Basically, what you have written here reads like this: [Mr. Hadou Kouzou is rich enough to buy the entire USA]. See? It ends in one sentence.”

“That won’t do at all.”

“Why not?”

“[The Steel Giant——Hadou Kouzou, and his unknown face (tentative)] will be my first book to ever be submitted to the public, so there should be a certain level of style or charm in it——Ah, you’re laughing again! Enough!”

Ada curled the manuscripts into crumpled papers with both hands, throwing them aside before heading to the typewriter she had carried inside the train while folding her sleeves.

“Alright, time to rewrite it!”

“Before that, milady——would you like some ice cream?”

Ada quickly turned around.

“I’d be happy to partake.”

Nyala took out an ice cream can from a container filled with ice and handed it to Ada.

“……Instead of attempting to write something dramatic from the get-go, why don’t you start with writing down what has happened so far in an easy-to-understand order? If that doesn’t suit you, you can edit them later.”

“Hmm, that’s very reasonable advice ——oh my, it’s delicious!”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Saying that, Nyala picked up the notes thrown on the floor, carefully straightened their wrinkles and added dates before putting them into a file.

“Just throw them away, please.”

“Well, you see, you’ll obviously make a big fuss later by saying things like, ‘As I thought, the sentences I wrote yesterday were much better’.”

“I won’t make a fuss over it.”

Ada instantly turned sideways, still holding the spoon in her mouth.

“From now on, I will write something even better.”

“Yes, yes.”

Nyala began to organize the luggage, and Ada’s typewriter started making a rhythmical sound.

Before long,

“……Hey, Nyala.”

Ada suddenly stopped typing and looked back at her.

“Between ‘I dedicated this to my dearest friend, Nyala’ and ‘To my sister and teacher, Nyala’, what kind of dedication do you prefer?”

Without even looking up from the ice cream can she was cleaning, Nyala replied.

“Well, pick whichever feels better for you.”

 

Well then, for the time being, let me get all the facts straight.

Currently——it is December 18^th, 189X, about half a year after our meeting in London. I, Augusta Ada Derleth, and my servant, Nyala, are accompanied by Mr. Hadou Kouzou across the North American continent via a special express train of the Santa Fe Railroad, Arkham.

Our final destination is Arkham City, America’s largest city as well as the headquarters of Hadou Enterprise.

The journey from London to Arkham would generally require a regular route between Liverpool and New York——to the west of the Atlantic Ocean, however, the circumstances are a little bit different this time. Mr. Hadou proposed an “Eastwards” travel plan——instead of crossing the Atlantic Ocean——we would take a detour around the oceanic areas excluding that.

“I have a few other places to visit.”

That’s what Mr. Hadou said——but labeling them “a few” was simply ludicrous. It was an incredible mega trip well beyond my wildest imagination!

Firstly, just the major cities that we visited for inspections and business discussions alone included Paris, Prague, Rome, Cairo, Mumbai, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Yokohama, Manila, and Sydney——we mainly used rail transport as well as steamships to travel between those cities. All of them had received a considerable amount of investment from the Hadou Enterprise, and they would not hesitate to prepare special rides for Hadou Kouzou. I personally observed that the transportation and communication networks of not only America but the entire globe were being completed on his behalf. It could be said that this was the web of reason that Kadou Kouzou, the greatest rationalist in history, was using to control the world.

However, the mesh does not encompass everything in this world. During our trip from one city to another, we rushed through the gaps in the web, using every possible transportation method, from the latest scientific products, such as automobiles, airships, and submarines (underwater cruising vessels are named that way!), to pre-modern means like horses, camels, elephants, and even dog sleds. Sometimes, we exchanged goods with unknown, uncivilized tribes; another time, we claimed natural resources in the middle of nature where no one had ever tread or untouched by human hands, and——

We visited a number of strange ruins in regions that have yet to be officially investigated. These were not “adventures” or “expeditions", rather they should be referred to as “inspections”. A group of giant stone statues hidden in a cavern in the Pyrenees mountains^[1], a sculpture of a Faceless God buried in the sand on the outskirts of Cairo^[2], an abandoned city in the Persian desert^[3], and megalithic architecture in Western Australia^[4]——each site already had camps set up for the said “Special Collections Department”, and dedicated staff were conducting ongoing research activities. Mr. Hadou would visit each location to receive progress reports and issue detailed instructions on how to proceed. The precision and care taken was like handling a barrel full of nitroglycerin.

Of particular note are the underwater ruins of a city beneath the South Pacific Ocean^[5], and the huge stone buildings in the frigid Antarctic continent^[6]. If the fact that Mr. Hadou can easily traverse these “untrodden” frontiers by use of airships and submarines is astounding, the “ruins” that exist beyond them are the epitome of mystery.

Massive structures that have existed since ancient times in the lands uninhabitable by humans. Who built them, how, and for what purpose? One could say these are extremely intriguing matters of academic interest, but whenever I asked Mr. Hadou about them, he would only give me an enigmatic smile as usual and say, “Your answers are waiting in Arkham.”

——And now, I am on the Santa Fe Railroad train heading to Arkham City. For half a year, I have literally traveled across the world, riding on the shoulders of giants——at last, the most exciting days of my lifetime are about to come to an end. The greatest secret that makes Hadou Kouzou the man he is lies in that land, or so he said, but just what is…

 

*Thud*——

“Kyaah!?”

The entire car trembled due to a sudden impact.

Installed in a section of the freight car, the interior of the passenger cabin was lined with heavy cushioning, while luggage and typewriters were fixed by metal fittings. Nyala quickly grabbed hold of the handrail, and Ada, who had clumsily fallen off her chair, rolled past her.

“——Please excuse me.”

The entrance door slid open and Hadou Kouzou’s butler, Crawford, quickly walked in. He picked up Ada, who had rolled to his feet, with both hands like a doll, sat her in her seat, and briskly walked to the window.

At that moment,

CRASH!

Something broke through the window glass and jumped into the car. It was the snout of a huge reptile. It seemed to be big enough to devour a person in one bite, but the window frame acted like a bit which prevented it from opening its mouth.

“Hmph!”

Crawford took a large step forward and unleashed a rock-like punch. The nose was shoved away from the window frame as if it was hit by a giant hammer, and disappeared outside the window.

The one the snout belonged to——a bipedal carnivorous dinosaur running beside the train—stumbled back and fell, increasing the distance between it and the train. However, several similar carnivorous dinosaurs jumped over its body as they chased after them.

“Are you alright, young lady!?”

Hadou Kouzou’s voice came from outside the window. Apparently he was climbing onto the roof of the locomotive.

“I’M FINE!”

As Ada shouted towards the roof, Hadou voiced his reply

“That’s good news! ——By the way, Crawford, I’m sorry, but I need your help here!”

What came next were mechanical gunshots, irregular detonations, and the roars from the beasts.

“Yes, sir, at your service.”

Crawford answered as he leaned his body forward from the window, then beat the damaged window frame two or three times back into shape with his fists before pulling down the metal bars.

“Umm, is there anything I can help you with?”

When Ada asked, Crawford slightly opened his one eye,

“No need to, milady.”

Saying that, he quickly cleaned the broken glass pieces and left the guest cabin.

Shortly after, a cry of “Hmph!” joined the gunfire and howls that could be heard from the window.

“Milady.”

Nyala called Ada, who was heading to the typewriter. As Ada turned around, Nyala looked through the iron bars, and said.

“——I think it is better for us to write the whole thing down this way.”

BAM——

The train shook violently again, either due to an explosion or a dinosaur’s body slamming into it.

“No, this is more than enough.”

Ada planted her feet in place while she stubbornly continued typing.

“I’m simply describing the economic and cultural impact of Mr. Hadou’s activities. Occult, beastmen, or scuffles——they have no need here!”

 

+

 

During their six-month long journey, they had been attacked by hordes of beastmen dozens of times. They were the hunting dogs of a secret society called “D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn)”.

[Cult of the Darkness Dawn]. It was said in the early days of its founding that this mystical secret society was no more than a cultural club of dilettantes.

But everything changed when Loveday appeared.

Raoul Loveday. His age and history were a mystery. He was said to be an old man when he joined the cult in the 1880s, and he quickly took over this society. His goal was not amateur witchcraft for entertainment but the money, authority, and connection of those members, including those from the upper class.

Loveday had also prescribed psychotropic drugs and mystic arts from the East and West, which bound the souls of his members. Anyone who opposed his actions died in horrible incidents; even those loyal to him vanished, leaving their fortunes to Loveday.

Before long, D∴D∴ was ruled by Loveday and the beastmen of unknown origin. Now that D∴D∴ was Loveday himself, the beastmen under his command were his powerful limbs.

They worshiped an ancient god by the name of “Zs-awia”. It was a forgotten Evil God from a forbidden scripture discovered by Loveday.

They gathered powerful Grimoires and magical artifacts from everywhere to dominate the world with their unholy knowledge. Amongst them, the “Manaus Statue”, taken from the Great British Museum by Hadou Kouzou, was the core of their evil cult’s belief, and they desired it with insane determination.

And that applied even now.

BRRRRRR——

The Gatling gun mounted on the roof of the freight train began firing with a systematic noise akin to a factory machine. One by one, the defeated dinosaurs fell, raising a plume of blood in their wake.

The machine gun operator was Hadou Kouzou. He controlled the six-barrel gun mounted on the turret with his left hand, and turned the firing handle with his right——every now and then he pulled a stick of dynamite out from his belt, lit the fuse with his cigar, and threw them into a crowded section of the herd. Clouds of dust would rise as the torn bodies of the dinosaurs melted into the air, scattering into a dark crimson rain.

Meanwhile, agile carnivorous dinosaurs would leap on the train from the ground to directly attack Hadou. Crawford, who was carrying ammunition boxes, would place the boxes at his feet and shout “Humph!” as he knocked out the murderous lizards bigger than him with a single blow from each of his iron fist.

The train soon picked up speed and began to leave the horde behind.

A bridge was visible a few hundred meters ahead. It was a large iron bridge crossing a gorge about a hundred meters wide. Strangely, this bridge had a drawbridge structure like those that crossed great rivers in urban areas. It was built under the order of Hadou for situations like this. Once the train has crossed by raising the bridge, the herd of dinosaurs’ pursuit would be blocked.

But——at that moment, there was a pause in the wild land under the sunlight. Three pterosaurs passed over the train.

Each of the pterosaurs carried a small package in its hind legs; they dropped those on the bridge as they passed the train.

“Not good——stop the train!”

A large fire pillar rose in front of them at the same moment Hadou shouted. The explosives carried by the pterosaurs had destroyed the bridge.

The bolts holding the steel frame popped, the wires snapped, and the bridge girders slowly collapsed. The locomotive slammed onto its brakes, but despite the sparks flying from its wheels, the momentum pushed it forward until it eventually plunged into the ravine from the cut track. If they crashed into the valley floor several hundred meters below, the train would be completely destroyed, and Hadou and the others aboard would perish instantly.

At that moment,

GOO——!

Together with a lashing gust of wind, a giant black bird rushed in from far away on the opposite shore.

It was Aeon, the Deus Machina of the magus Azrad.

The blade-like wings scattered the three pterosaurs like rotten fruits.

But the train was already descending slowly in a parabolic line. Even the God of Steel, possessing paranormal power, could not undo this event——yet.

Aeon instantly halted in midair and swung the “Scimitar of Barzai”. Glowing commandments(codes) overflowed from its surface, then their light concentrated on the blade of the Scimitar.

As soon as the Scimitar was thrown below, the giant of steel disintegrated like a bouncing ball.

Meanwhile, the giant magic blade, embedded with transcendent magic power, pierced the ground and also disintegrated. The unleashed commandments(codes) on the ground surface rushed across two rails like lightning.

In the end, the collapsing bridge——or as it was supposed to be——regenerated as though time had been rewound. The composition spell that maintained Aeon was rewritten, and the bridge was reassembled in the blink of an eye. The train that was thrown into the air was also put on the rail as part of the bridge, crossing the ravine in a few seconds.

Right after the spell dissipated, the bridge once again collapsed. The pursuing bipedal dinosaurs fell into the ravine as they were engulfed by the collapsing steel frame.

“——That’s what I’m talking about!”

Hadou shouted as he looked up at the sky.

From the edge of his view, something descended——no, it fell on top of the train. It was the magus, Azrad. His Magius Style unraveled the moment he crashed onto the coal car with great force. Azrad, still clad in his coat, crawled on all fours on the mountain of coal while violently vomiting.

“You really saved us there, ‘Master of Necronomicon’. But——”

Hadou lifted his hand and chuckled.

“Your stunt a second ago was about as reckless as performing the ‘Machine God Summoning’ repeatedly. You need to learn how to use your power more efficiently.”

“——For whom do you think he needed to commit such a reckless act?”

The Grimoire [Al Azif] took the form of a girl by Azrad’s side and glared at Hadou.

Hadou answered without hesitation.

“Of course, it was my fault——still, I’m trying to tell him he should be doing that for an even greater battle.”

“Enough with your crap.”

Her jade-colored eyes bore a threatening air.

“Where is the statue?”

Leaving the “Manaus Statue” that was sought after by his nemesis, Raoul Loveday, to Hadou Kouzou——that was Azrad’s decision. It was his hope that Hadou’s resourcefulness would trick Loveday.

And in the past six months following Hadou’s trace, Azrad and Al Azif have come in contact with D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn) many times, fighting battles like the one previously. While that was what Azrad had in mind, it also quickly exhausted his body and soul.

Al Azif glanced at her master. Azrad was holding his chest and enduring the pain coursing through his body. He was already at his limit——and she had to put an end to this situation immediately.

Al Azif's hands were thick with dense magical power and malice, and they were aimed at Hadou.

“……Hand over the statue!”

Seeing the small palm that held the power of certain death, Hadou shrugged.

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that right now. Because…… The ‘Manaus Statue’ was transferred to Arkham a few months ago.”

“What did you say?”

“I found it in London by chance. That’s why I was able to keep their eyes away from this railroad, like how a magician draws the attention of the audience to the hand without the coin.”

“You’re saying…… you were bait, Hadou Kouzou?”

Azrad finally steadied his breathing and stood up using multiple layers of magic to adjust his physical condition.

“Indeed.”

Hadou nodded.

“This railroad has always been my Achilles’ heel. Even the power of Hadou Enterprise cannot conceal a 5000-kilometer railroad with barrier devices. However, for half a year, while we were attracting the D∴D∴ gang, this railroad was able to deliver an important package.”

“Package, you said……?”

At that moment, Azrad’s mind recalled the first time he met Hadou.

——The fist of steel came out of the cargo train.

“That package——”

SLAM——!

The trapdoor to the roof of the freight train opened, and a sulky Augusta Ada Derleth climbed halfway onto the roof.

“Everyone, my apologies, but can you all please quiet down a little bit!? There are so many distractions that I can’t get my ideas in order!”

+

The oldest, yet the newest city in the United States, Arkham.

This British-style old city, which had existed since the very beginning of the North American continent’s colonization, was being renewed into the world’s largest ultra-modern city all thanks to the hands of the revolutionary hero born to his generation, Hadou Kouzou.

Looking at the map on hand, one could see new residential, industrial, and commercial areas expanded eastward from the old town, laid out in a grid pattern, annexing the old port town of Kingsport^[7], and developing even further. The way the old streets of gabled houses^[8] were surrounded and swallowed by newer high-rise buildings seemed to symbolize the history of Arkham City.

——24 hours after the assault of the dinosaur herd, the train passed through New York and Providence to arrive at Arkham City.

Arkham was bustling with activity. Even from the limited view of the train car’s window, many towering buildings could be seen lined up and undergoing construction, and amongst the crowd of horse-drawn carriages beneath them, men and women of vastly diverse clothes and skin tones were restlessly going about their work.

Since the start of redevelopment by the Hadou Enterprise, the sound of construction hammers never ceased in Arkham, with new homes, new jobs, and new opportunities regularly coming up. As a result, just like coal is transported by trolley, immigrants of all kinds, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, or gender, flock to the city from all over the world on steamships. The city and its people as a whole formed a single gigantic living entity.

As Hadou Kouzou alighted at Arkham Central Station, a crowd of dozens of people immediately gathered around him.

Notable figures such as major investors of the New York market, city and state government personnel, and supervisors of Hadou Enterprise’s main fields, namely the trading, mining, and construction industries, ran to Hadou Kouzou to request his autograph and personal comments.

Hadou Kouzou tended them as he walked at a quick pace. The scene of gentlemen in formal suits following Hadou as though they were simple bumpkins was somewhat comical, yet evinced the extraordinary vitality of the man known as Hadou Kouzou.

Walking behind Hadou, Ada shouted as if she was overcome with emotion.

“Look at that, Nyala! It’s truly the ‘Eye of the Storm’! This city, no, the entire world right now is centering on a man named Hadou Kouzou, kyaah!?”

Ada spun round and round as she was caught in the whirlpool of people, but a man in a coat behind her——the magus, Azrad—supported her before she fell.

“……Watch where you’re going.”

“Thanks, how nice of you.”

Ada said dismissively, then Azrad fixed his top hat low over his eyes and started walking as if nothing had happened.

“Geh, what’s with that attitude of his!?”

Putting both hands on her hips, Ada pouted.

“Oh well, I guess I was wrong to ask for Western manners from men who grew up in the desert; nonetheless, even if all they mimicked were only the attires of British gentlemen but with no substance, it’s counterproductive. Hey Nyala, don’t you agree too-kyaaargh!?”

When Ada turned her head to face Nyala once again, she was tossed around by the wave of people.

——Then, at that moment.

“Please make way!”

Hadou Kouzou’s voice echoed clearly throughout the station.

“I don’t want to deal with any reports about minor problems! My apologies, but before turning your issues to me, please review them carefully in advance to see whether they need my time or not. There’s a saying that ‘Time is money’, but the rate of Hadou Kouzou’s time is particularly high!”

——Dear Lord! Even though it was related to his business, it was hard to believe those were the words that came from a person who had been traveling around the world for six months.

But the “voice of Hadou” had a tremendous effect.

Like the Red Sea parting before Moses’ eyes, the sea of people opened a huge path before and behind Hadou, and Ada suddenly lost her pressure on both sides, and fell on her backside atop the bricks.

With the help from Nyala, who rushed over to pick her up, Ada jogged after Hadou, Crawford, and Azrad.

Ada strode along, her chest puffed up with triumphant pride as she looked over the people, speechless and oppressed by the majesty of Hadou Kouzou, each with their own ulterior motives. This was the path of the ruler itself——and nothing could stand in Hadou Kouzou’s way!

Then——Azrad suddenly stopped in front of Ada, who bumped into his back with her nose.

“Ugh…… What’s your problem this time!?”

Azrad stopped because Hadou in front of him stopped himself.

A man dressed in a suit stood in front of Hadou. He was the man who commanded the airship squad of the “Miskatonic University’s Special Collections Department” that appeared in London.

“Howdy, Armitage.”

As Hadou lifted his hat, the man opened his mouth without even a word of greeting.

“Mr. Hadou, I’m ready to file a report regarding the ‘Manaus Statue’.”

“Good, let’s hear what you got.”

Armitage glanced behind Hadou at his immediate response.

Ada noticed his gaze with her sharp eyes and said,

“If it’s an important discussion, wouldn't it be a hindrance to have outsiders present?”

She lifted her chin as she asked. In this situation, the only “outsider” was Azrad himself, with a journalist like herself being an exception.

However, Hadou turned to look at both Ada and Azrad as he spoke.

“No, this is also an important matter for both of you.”

+

 

Hadou and the others split into two cars and headed to the Hadou Mansion from Arkham Central Station.

Located in a newly developed area to the east, this Hadou Mansion was a bit away from the center of the city. The area had a circular shape of three kilometers in diameter and was listed as an oddly blank area on the official map. A careful map reader would realize that this void, this hole in the middle of this metropolis, was the true center of Arkham City. The radial urban railroads, circular boulevards, and other municipal facilities were built with the plan of connecting to the Hadou Mansion.

This outcome was natural considering that the Hadou Mansion was not merely the private manor of a wealthy man but also served as the hub for Hadou Enterprise to control the world’s economy, and this Arkham was also built as a city meant for Hadou from the start.

All roads lead to Arkham. And all roads within Arkham City led to the Hadou Mansion. In short, all the vitality of the tangible and intangible planes on this Earth were flowing into this “hole”.

And one of those currents——the car drove through the main streets of the city center and entered the Hadou Mansion, surrounded by high walls,

“——Oh my?”

Ada muttered.

“What’s the matter, milady?”

Nyala, who was sitting beside her, spoke while Armitage, who was in the driver’s seat, turned around.

“Is there a problem, Miss Derleth?”

“Umm, just now——sorry, it’s nothing at all.”

The moment she passed through the gate, there was a strange sensation. As though she passed through an invisible wall…… but that impression, that leap in intuition, was rejected by her rationalism.

Concurrently, in the car that was heading forward,

“——Is this a barrier?”

Azrad muttered, and the voice of a young girl from his chest continued.

(Yes…… Still, it is rare to see something this powerful and on this scale. Instead of an artificial barrier, this is more of a geological “Holy Ground”.)

“Yes, this is an application of Feng Shui Art^[9] from the East.”

Hadou explained from their side.

“In addition to the geological features of the Miskatonic River basin that have great spiritual potential, we have the urban infrastructure of Arkham City——in short, various transportation systems, water and sewer services, gas pipes, telegraph networks, and other public welfare facilities——as well as the flow and vitality of those who live and gather in this city. Through arranging all of these, a powerful, flexible, and living barrier is generated. In layman’s terms, the city maintains its magical independence within its walls by always absorbing the vortex of ritualistic vitality in Arkham City. Ordinary monsters wouldn’t be able to infiltrate one hundred kilometers around Arkham, let alone this Hadou Mansion.”

“——For what purpose, Hadou?”

Azrad asked. There was a hint of irritation in his quiet tone.

He was an Avenger, a being of darkness. Hence, he had always lived a life that drew its border at the world of light. However, in contrast, Hadou Kouzou easily traversed the boundary between light and dark and used millions of innocent civilians——wouldn’t this man be classified as a monster?

“……What exactly are you trying this hard to protect?”

“Well——”

Hadou smiled mysteriously as always.

Eventually, the car stopped.

Hadou Mansion’s main complex, a magnificent four-story building with large wings stretching left and right, was reminiscent of a nation’s palace, yet it was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg. Leaving Crawford and Nyala on the surface, the remaining four——Hadou, Armitage, Azrad, and Ada—descended to the underground via a steam-powered elevator.

After a long descent lasting for several minutes, the elevator cage stopped, and the group stepped into a dark passage that resembled a mine. As they walked, the passage came to a dead end before long, and Hadou moved to the wall and muttered to himself.

“——I am Providence^[10].”

Hadou turned around and chuckled when he saw the puzzled looks on Azrad and Ada’s faces.

“[I am Providence]. That is the password to open the gate.”

Behind Hadou, the wall of steel glowed with magic crests and lifted up with a heavy driving sound.

What leaked from the widening gap between the floor and the door were a dim light, a snarling sound, and a dense presence akin to a rotten smell.

“What exactly am I going this far to protect…… you asked me that a while ago, Azrad.”

With the dim light as his back, Hadou said.

“What I’m trying so hard to protect is this world.”

 

+

 

“Magic Research Institute”——

This underground facility, which went by that name for convenience, was a laboratory affiliated with Miskatonic University and funded with the financial support of Hadou Enterprise——in spite of this, the truth was that the university authorities, who found cursed objects beyond their comprehension, such as Grimoires, entrusted their management to Hadou Kouzou.

——Armitage, who explained this himself, was a member of Miskatonic University, but also served as Hadou’s right-hand man.

“Right now, Grimoires, artifacts, relics of Evil Gods, and many items of different kinds——the worst among magical items collected from all over the world by us, the ‘Special Collections Department’—those that couldn’t be placed even within the Miskatonic University’s Secret Library are housed here.”

“……Wow.”

Ada looked around.

It was truly a scene painted by the worst of all evils.

A skeletal specimen that resembled an old and twisted tree. An oddly speckled leather instrument that echoed a strange sound similar to a curse. Sophisticated pictographs never seen before were engraved in spiral patterns on a shattered tablet. A disorienting painting of colors not belonging to this world beckoned the mind. Putting aside how to use them, these tools (or what they looked like) did not even seem to be made by humans either. ……Even so, while there were artifacts of modern civilization such as radios and fountain pens——the way these solid metal objects were stretched out like models of clay or covered in skin tumors was indeed otherworldly.

These mysterious items were placed in either a thick glass case or suspended in the center of magic formations carved on the floor——the sinister life-draining feeling of oppression that permeated the entire facility likely originated from these very objects.

“Umm, what are these things——”

“As you can see.”

Hadou tapped on the head of the totem pole nearby. Upon doing that, the waist-tall object simultaneously bared its fangs on all three faces carved on it, howling like a monstrous bird.

“Kyaah!!?”

Ada instinctively jumped sideways and bumped into Azrad.

“So-Sorry.”

She said with composed look, and from the breast pocket of the emotionless Azrad,

(……Humph.)

It was the voice of a young girl.

As the totem pole rattled with such force that nearly broke its restraints, Hadou hit it once more and then shrugged.

“You see, just by carelessly forgetting to lock down this institute, the world could have been destroyed ten times.”

Azrad said,

“So, the barrier on this land was not meant to protect, but to seal these sources of disaster…… right?”

“It does function like that, but that’s not the whole picture——you know the legend of ‘Pandora’s Box’?”

Hadou spread both of his arms wide upon saying that.

“Inside the box, alongside every disaster in this world, there is a small hope.”

“Hope……?”

Ada, who had been carefully distancing herself from the objects surrounding her, lifted her head. A word like “hope” seemed completely inappropriate here.

“Yes, it is humanity’s last——”

Armitage, holding a pocket watch in his hands, interrupted Hadou’s words.

“Mr. Hadou. First, we need to verify the situation.”

Armitage gave his report to Hadou as they quickly walked to the corridor.

“Regarding the ‘Manaus Statue’, during these four months, we have been performing raw experiments and internal inspections using X-ray, acoustic, and spiritual vision.”

“Isn’t spiritual vision too early?”

Armitage nodded.

“The medium in charge is dead. It was due to my carelessness in giving the order.”

“It’s fine; I should have been more careful——what about the corpse?”

“In the span of a dozen seconds until death, skin sores from high fever and tumor tissue mutations appeared on the body. The autopsy report revealed that symptoms were particularly prominent in the eyes and brain——it’s a condition similar to those who came in contact with Yog-Sothoth.”

“I see…… it means there’s a ‘Heart of Infinity’ inside the statue.”

“Heart……?”

The Grimoire [Al Azif] responded to Azrad’s mutter.

(“Heart of Infinity”——a form of the “Shadow of Yog-Sothoth”. It is the core of large-scale ritual magic and a magical structure that can change the spatial foundation of the surrounding area. In terms of functionality, it is extremely close to the core of Aeon, the “Lamp of Alhazred”.)

Hadou continued the words of the Grimoire.

“However, while the influence of the ‘Lamp of Alhazred’ is defined by the limit of a magus’ spiritual power, the ‘Heart of Infinity’ can open gates connecting to alternate worlds and bring, in theory, an infinite amount of energy to this world. A single one alone can destroy the Earth, truly befitting the power source of gods.”

Armitage nodded and continued further.

“In order to prevent any accidental discharge of its power, it is currently placed inside the ‘Keeper Engine’ for experimental purposes. Still——what’s the matter, Miss Derleth?”

Armitage asked when he noticed that Ada had been silent for a while now.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Ada said as she smiled.

“It’s just that ‘tis quite an interesting topic.”

Armitage nodded slightly and continued with his report.

“However, we cannot verify how effective it would be for those who aren’t magi. It is essential for us to speed up the distribution of counter-procedures(manuals) as much as possible, but any other method except relying on the talents of Mr. Hadou and a few selected individuals at the moment is——”

Ada fell silent again, raising her eyebrows as she listened to Armitage.

——Aside from Azrad, the Self-Proclaimed Magus and the young girl (?) accompanying him, there were indeed many irrational and superstitious elements within Hadou Kouzou and his subordinates’ activities. She could tell as much given her experience from the past six months; besides, she also gave herself the role of inspecting this tangled chain of mysteries, cutting them down with the blade of rationality, yet…… it was impossible for her to clear the clouds in a situation where words like “barrier” or “power of god” are the norm.

 

+

 

The path led the group to a large hall like a cathedral.

Armitage explained that this was a laboratory of sorts——and also the “Keeper Engine” device itself.

The ceiling was shrouded in darkness, so it was unclear how tall the hall was. This also applied to the size of the floor, but at least they could see it had the shape of a circle. There was no other equipment except for lighting devices. This place was just a vast space with intricate magic patterns that covered the metallic floor.

——No, in the center of this space, there was only one structure in what seemed to be the middle of the floor.

It was a circular table(pedestal) one meter high and three meters wide.

A familiar object was enshrined on its top.

It was the artifact that Hadou Kouzou stole from the British Museum, the aim of D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn), secretly transported here by Armitage: the “Manaus Statue”.

At the moment they saw its ominous presence,

——THUMP——

Ada had an incomprehensible sensation that the space around her had warped. Just like when she saw the statue back in the museum——no, that strange impression was strengthened by the mysterious atmosphere inside the laboratory.

“I’ll release the ‘Heart of Infinity’ at this moment and seal it again.”

Hadou made them stand near the wall, where a part of the pattern on the floor formed a circle. It was a protective circle strengthened by special magical defenses in this place.

“Are you ready? ——Then, let’s start.”

Armitage gave his instructions as he faced a transmission tube set up on the wall.

“Deploy booster.”

Then——together with a heavy mechanical sound—several metal pillars rose up above the table. They were elongated, rectangular prisms constructed by smooth planes and blade-like edges. The way they rose up in succession reminded one of people seated at a round table taking turns to stand.

Soon, all the metal pillars grew to the height of two meters. Standing as if surrounding the “Manaus Statue”, they looked like aligned stones left by ancient people and the teeth of a huge gear.

“Alignment of stars is set to the first day of the eighth month.”

Several metal pillars stretched and contracted, and a portion of the floor carved with patterns rotated like constellation plates, then stopped at a specific position.

Hadou opened the Grimoire [Machine Language Manuscript] with his left hand as his right turned over the surface of its pages. He read out the contents written on the punch cards as if they were in Braille^[11].

 

O Thou that dwelleth in the darkness of the Outer Void, come forth unto the Earth once more I entreat thee.

O Thou who abideth beyond the Spheres of Time, hear my supplication.

The ominous presence within the room increased in density as Hadou chanted, and the patterns on the exterior of the floor, the pedestal, and metal pillars began to glow in a bluish-white light.

“Activate the machine. Clockwise, rotation number 15.”

The circumference of the pedestal started rotating around the pillars the moment Armitage ordered it to. The rate it moved at was extremely slow, about one rotation per four seconds around the perimeter.

As it rotated, the height of each pillar would change with a unique rhythm. The patterns on their exterior were also being overwritten each moment. Coupled with the orderly sound of movement, this scenery was more like the strange dance of an otherworldly giant.

O Thou who art the “Gate” and the “Key”, the “Way” and the “Opener of Way”.

“Rotation number 30.”

The rotation rate of the pedestal doubled.

And apart from the moving sound of the engine, a roaring sound resonated. The metal pillars echoed like a tuning fork.

BUMP——

A bubble-like substance began to ooze out from around the chest of the “Manaus Statue”.

It hovered above the head of the statue, emerging like a soap bubble while emitting mysterious rainbow-colored light.

EZPHARES, OLYARAM, IRION-ESYTION, ERYONA^[12]——

“60.”

Following that, a second and a third “bubble” emerged.

Their number was seven, thirteen…… no, they were innumerable.

The bubbles pulsated and swelled like living beings, rapidly increasing in number and size. The spheres, metal pillars, and electrical lines running between them altogether were like a giant power generator(dynamo).

“Wha…… What is this?”

Ada looked around. Hadou and Armitage were focusing on their task. So after some hesitation, she gently held onto the sleeve of Azrad’s coat.

OREA, ORASYM, MOZIM.

“120——”

The rapidly spinning colonnade looked like nothing more than a cylinder of light.

A strange being materialized above the cylinder.

Their overall height seemed to have topped twenty meters. There were large and small bubbles that swirled, writhed, pulsed, rotated, split, merged, and changed their color and brightness every second. Otherworldly-shaped bubbles were overflowing into the air from the pipes.

Each bubble was a dimensional gate that connected to alternate worlds. Some were scorching hot, others were extremely cold or poisonous, and countless more were connected to terrifying worlds impossible to describe with words.

The heartbeat of the incomprehensibly-shaped god vibrated the large interior, as though the central device and the entire room had become a giant heart.

The heartbeat accelerated, and the surface of the innumerable bubbles began to emit flames, cold, miasma, roars, laughter, and even spiritual vibrations——all kinds of things that did not belong to this world.

“Hadou——?”

(Hadou Kouzou, finish the ritual! Any more than this is dangerous!)

Yet Hadou did not avert his eyes from their existence and recited his chant.

Thou art the All-in-One and the One-in-All, the All that Leads to “Infinity”!

Space collapsed.

Muddy, alien worlds fiercely rushed out from the dimensional rifts. One layer, two layers, and three layers——seven-layered magic circles drawn on the floor—were bursting from inside as though they could not endure the load any longer.

“Kyaaah!?”

Azrad took a step forward to shield Ada, who was still clinging to him. He changed the stick in his right hand into the “Scimitar of Barzai”, and cast a defensive spell on the blade.

At the same time, a wave of pages from the Grimoire [Al Azif] came out of his chest, and in the blink of an eye they assumed the form of a young girl that took a defensive stance alongside Azrad.

On the other hand, Hadou and Armitage did not move. Armitage wore a calm expression, while Hadou even showed a fearless smile.

“Hadou——!?”

Fourth layer, fifth layer, sixth layer——and the moment the outermost layer burst, Hadou swung his right arm forward and shouted towards the tsunami-like chaos.

CALDULECH——DALMALEY——CADAT!!

The wild chaos stopped moving instantly, as if it was a creature with a will of its own.

Then,

“Contra-rotating(Counter)^[13]!”

The direction of the pedestal’s rotation reversed at Armitage’s command. The intense pressure emitted from the spheres in the air vanished——no, it became a sudden decomposition as if it was being absorbed. The force that was drawn outwards by the spinning pillars reversed.

With tremendous pressure being exerted upon them, the spheres instantly emitted a brilliant light like a swarm of suns, then burst and vanished, which released the heat, light, sound, and countless other chaotic components that were sucked into the rotating pillars.

BAM——

The pedestal’s rotation halted, and the colonnades were pulled into it all at once.

The “Manaus Statue” sat in the center of the pedestal as though nothing had ever happened.

However——the presence of the wildly enormous existence lingered in darkness and silence for a moment, accompanied by the smell of smoldering metal.

“Good, it is complete.”

Hadou took a deep breath and looked back. Sweat shone on his forehead.

“The ‘Keeper Engine’ can endure the release up to the seventh level. Even if the ‘Heart of Infinity’ suddenly manifests, we can respond with mundane sealing rituals.”

“That’s relieving to hear.”

Armitage spoke with his usual relaxed tone, but there was a slight relaxation of his shoulders. After all, during these six months, this man had to handle and oversee the bomb called the “Manaus Statue” entrusted to him by Hadou Kouzou through all manner of trials and errors.

“……Even I was a bit surprised.”

Al Azif nodded from Azrad’s side.

“Yeah…… apparently the power of the ‘Heart of Infinity’ is comparable to that of Aeon.”

“That’s not the problem here. It was amazing for Hadou Kouzou to suppress the ‘gate’ that grew to that size. The spell he employed is no different from what is recorded in me. He should have been driven mad in that situation.”

Azrad looked at the pedestal.

“So you’re saying that mechanical altar has some sort of special power?”

“——Indeed.”

Hadou interrupted the conversation between the magus and his Grimoire.

“‘Keeper of the Silver Key^[14]’. A device designed to make ritual magic unmanned and accelerated. It’s still in the experimental stage, but when fully mechanized, it can literally control infinite power without being restricted by the caster’s limitations.”

“Impossible…… Those who play with the ‘Key of the God Who Is the Gate’ shall meet a tragic end.”

“It might be foolish, but this risk is necessary to accomplish my goal.”

“‘Goal’!”

Ada, who was petrified with dread and clinging to the hem of Azrad’s coat, nimbly jumped to her feet.

“The basis of Hadou Kouzou’s activities is the most important subject and the focus of this interview! Then——may I ask about your purpose?”

“Seeing is believing.”

Hadou gave her a meaningful smile and turned on his heel.

“Let’s go. Next up is the most important attraction.”

 

+

 

It was located in the deepest level of the Hadou Mansion, even deeper underground than the Magic Research Institute. The enormous factory, reminiscent of a shipyard, was hundreds of times larger than the previous “laboratory”, and it stood in its center.

“What is that……?”

Ada looked upward with her mouth open.

What stood before her eyes was——a corpse of steel.

It was strange to call something without life a “corpse”, but there was a reason that Ada felt that way.

Perhaps it would be as tall as a ten-storey skyscraper if it stood upright. The thing with a giant humanoid figure was suspended from the ceiling by cranes, with several points from its neck to its back acting as fulcrums. Its head was slumped, its back was hunched, and its limbs hung limply——likely a natural posture for a structure modeled after a human body when “exhausted”, but such a posture gave a bizarre impression, like a mixture of a fetus and a dead body.

What gave out the impression of “death” wasn’t its posture alone. Though much of its body was covered in thick steel plates, roughly 70% of its entirety was made up of bare human-like frame and complex mechanical devices, as though it was a human specimen with exposed internal tissues.

Furthermore, on the working scaffolding around the steel giant, the tiny humans——no, it was too big for them——were replacing and inspecting parts throughout its body. This scene was like a group of ants or maggots lurking around a dead animal’s carcass.

Overall, this thing brought the eerie impression of an object that expressed death and decay through inorganic matter.

“……Just what is this?”

Ada frowned as she looked around.

“As I expected…… a Deus Machina, huh? So that’s what you’d transported from Arizona.”

Ada frowned more when she heard Azrad’s mutter beside her.

——So this thing was also one of them.

Thinking about it, this strange dying giant was similar to that giant “Aeon” controlled by the “Self-Proclaimed Magus” Azrad. Either way, this was no joke.

“Hmm. Allow me to introduce you, young lady.”

Hadou, seemingly unconcerned by Ada’s expression, extended his right hand wide towards the “corpse”.

“This is the Deus Machina ‘Demonbane’.”

GOOH——

The air inside the factory trembled.

The “corpse” with that name shook its body as if responding to Hadou’s call.

The busy workers all jumped back at once.

The chains and scaffolding supporting the giant creaked as a faint wave of light ran across its steel body from an engine(boiler)-shaped part located where a heart would be, before fading away as it reached the end of its limbs.

“It’s…… alive!?”

Hadou nodded to Ada, who blurted out an unscientific comment.

“He’s not been born yet. ……He is the very final hope of humanity, the child of Arkham, and also the protector of the world——and my ‘goal’. Arkham City and the Hadou Enterprise—everything exists for him.”

“……‘The One that Smites Evil(DEMONBANE)’, eh? A brave name, indeed.”

Al Azif said as she looked up at the giant, which hung limp again.

“However, it is quite strange for you…… to build a Deus Machina in a factory.”

Judging by the look of the premises, this same work had been ongoing for at least the past few months. In a normal situation, a Deus Machina would be assembled by the spell of “Machine God Summoning” and instantly disassembled when the spell is released, but here they had spent months——perhaps even years to come, on its physical assembly. What was the reason for all of this?

Hadou answered Al Azif’s question.

“Strictly speaking, Demonbane is not a Deus Machina created by magic; rather, it is more of a Mechanical Figure(Automaton) modeled after the image of a Deus Machina. Although we used alchemy to procure some of the material, the individual parts are made of purely ordinary matter. Also, its power source is the otherworldly heat pumped mechanically by the new ‘Keeper of the Silver Key’ built into its chest——you know what this means?”

“Eh? W-Well……”

Ada was flustered by the sudden question directed at her, so Azrad answered in her place.

“You mean…… this Deus Machina can exist and operate without relying on a magus’ spiritual power.”

“Yes, although it requires a magus’ ability to control the machine, it doesn’t drain away the life force of a magus——rather, it reinforces that life, allowing the unit to operate for hours, days, or, in theory, semi-permanently.”

“A Deus Machina that can operate for eternity……!?”

Al Azif raised her eyebrows.

“Impossible…… that is like a god itself. If such a thing existed, it would certainly distort the foundation of the world.”

“The world is already distorted.”

Hadou said.

“Al Azif, you should have been aware already. Your conflict with the activities of D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn) is but the smallest part of strange phenomena on a global scale. For the past couple of decades, the frequency of mysterious incidents, the movement of many magic societies, and the spike in otherworldly servants——they are all omens. Soon…… maybe even within the next thirty years, the world will experience a decisive change. The wall separating this world from the other side will collapse; the incomprehensible chaos will trample the human world, marking the beginning of the ‘Strange Century’.”

“Fighting alone without anyone’s knowledge, sacrificing yourself to save the world in the process——right? Such a noble tale.”

Hadou shrugged sarcastically.

As Al Azif leaned forward, Azrad held her shoulders back. Hadou continued speaking.

“That would have been fine if nothing changed. However, the power of a lone human is limited. Maybe you would have no problem when dealing with servants of lesser gods or small dimensional breakdowns, but if you were to face a ‘Great Old One’, even the human soul would burn to ash instantly.”

“That sort of thing……”

“I’m aware of such things already.”

Azrad spoke in place of the faltering Al Azif.

“——It was already in the contract with the Grimoire.”

“However, that doesn’t mean it’s okay for a magus of incomparable talents to waste their lives.”

“What……!?”

Al Azif’s eyes took on a threatening look.

“I will make this clear. Your Deus Machina, Aeon, cannot fight for another hundred years. What we need right now is an invincible and eternal artificial god that can fight through this never-ending battle.”

“Hmph, you talk big.”

Al Azif pointed her chin in Demonbane’s direction.

“……You’re saying this imitation is that good?”

“It can because it’s an imitation.”

Hadou answered.

“In the first place, The Deus Machina was not created for the sake of humanity. Their essence is a manifestation of inhuman logic; a magus must also become an inhuman existence to adapt to this fact, or they would suffer from exhaustion and wither until death. Your Aeon is the same in that regard. ——But Demonbane is different. It is truly the only Deus Machina created for the sake of humanity in this world.”

“Hmph, what nonsense——”

“——Amazing!”

Ada, who had been listening to the story obediently until now, suddenly clapped her hands.

“You mean the duty of this giant is to confront and exterminate all monsters and strange phenomena like what we have encountered so far, right!?”

Ada put her hands on her hips and looked up at the steel giant.

——A “Giant of Science” that uses its mechanical power to cleanse evil. Thinking like that, the strangeness of her first impression faded away, and its frighteningly huge skeletal corpse now seemed reliable instead. In addition, it can technically recreate the function of that suspicious flying giant of the “Self-Proclaimed Magus” duo, and possessed power even greater than it——just those points alone made it appear extraordinary.

“Hmm…… somehow, I can think of things others didn’t. Moreover, its skeletal face seems pretty handsome when looking closely. Ahh, I can picture Mr. Hadou piloting this giant of bravery and wisdom to kick the hell out of problematic stuff like T-Rexes and sorcerers.”

Ada was breathing wildly, folding her arms, and nodding to herself in approval of what she had said, but Azrad ignored her and spoke to Hadou.

“Even if this Deus Machina is exactly what you say it is, it has nothing to do with me. ……I will simply fight my own battles.”

“It does, Azrad. You have the duty to fight evil, and here exists the only way to do it. So there is only one path you must take.”

With Demonbane behind him, Hadou spreads his arms left and right.

“Protect this ‘Fetus of God’—Arkham City with us…… and ride the completed Demonbane into battle.”

“Eh?”

“What did you just say……?”

Both Ada and Al Azif raised their voices, while Azrad remained silent with a doubtful look on his face.

“Piloting Demonbane requires a magus. The more brilliant they are, the better. In that regard, a ‘Master of Necronomicon’ would be perfect for the role.”

Hadou looked directly at Azrad, his expression more serious than usual.

“Azrad, please protect the world.”

“——I refuse.”

Azrad replied flatly.

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

“Why——is it because of your own vengeance?”

Hadou frowned.

"But you shouldn’t waste your power on such things. You, of all people, should know that very well.”

“……I just don’t like your methods. That’s all.”

Azrad said as he glanced at Ada.

“W-What’s the matter?”

Azrad did not answer to that,

“I guess the show is over…… Let’s leave then.”

Having said that, he turned on his heel.

Al Azif ran after the back of his coat, turned into a loose bundle of papers, and fitted into Azrad’s hand in the form of a Grimoire.

Armitage read Hadou’s face, nodded slightly, and followed after Azrad.

“Let me guide you back to the surface.”

Hadou gazed upon Demonbane for a minute, but when he could no longer hear Azrad’s footsteps, he unintentionally sighed deeply. For just a moment, his body appeared to shrink by one size.

“……Seriously, what is wrong with that person!?”

Ada, who had watched Azrad leave through the doorway, straightened her shoulders and snorted.

“Mr. Hadou, you need not fear rejection from guys like him! When I, Augusta Ada Derleth, publish the article [The Steel Giant——Hadou Kouzou, and his Marvelous Mission (tentative)], the entire world will understand your work and offer their collaboration without hesitation. If that happens, um…… magus, I believe? Whatever, I’m saying hundreds, maybe thousands, as many people as you like will come!”

“No…… what he said was right.”

“Yes, yes, of course. First and foremost, those who behaved as lone wolves like that are just pretentious individuals at heart. What the hell is ‘I just don’t like your methods’? In fact, I’d prefer using this giant, mighty, and attractive (after I get used to it) Demonbane just a bit more rather than that weird crow-looking thing despite being——Eh, ‘What he said was right’?”

“Actually, there’s a problem with my way of doing things. I’ll reflect on it myself.”

Hadou kept facing backwards, scratched his head, and looked up at Demonbane again.

“Young lady, our interview is over. Please go back to London.”

“……Huh?”

+

As the sun went down, rain began to fall.

Darkness and mist rapidly blurred the scenery, the flow of people changed at a quick pace, stores started to close, furthermore, gas lights began to light up on some streets, and Miskatonic River’s watergates were adjusted…… Their movements influenced each other in a complex manner and subtly changed the spiritual aspect of the city.

By combining climate, time, formation of the stars, and many other elements, the entire city’s spiritual defense was constantly sustained at its maximum condition. I see——Hadou’s words were not a lie in that regard.

Azrad was amazed as he looked down the main street, yet at the same time he also felt annoyed by Hadou’s tactic of allocating him to the top floor of a hotel so he could confirm it.

(Hadou Kouzou’s offer…… it wasn’t all that bad.)

Al Azif muttered from his pocket.

(“Demonbane”, he said——even as an imitation, that Deus Machina definitely has power. And there is no doubt about the talents of Hadou Kouzou and his subordinates.)

“It has nothing to do with me.”

(I’m not interested in working with others either. But you need someone to watch your back.)

“I don’t want to protect nor be protected.”

(……You care about others too much.)

Al Azif said bitterly.

(I also don’t wish for anyone to get involved in my affair. However, the power of magic is fundamentally unnatural. If you keep embracing that distortion all by yourself, you will meet your doom sooner than anyone else.)

“Al Azif, you’re the one who shouldn’t be worrying about trivial things.”

Azrad said quietly.

“I’ll just pursue and kill Raoul Loveday. That’s all. I have no interest in anything else.”

(……I guess so.)

After that, Al Azif fell into silence.

Azrad returned to the middle of the room from next to the window and lit up a lamp.

Materials about the magus Raoul Loveday, gathered by Armitage’s “Special Collections Department”, were spread out on the table. The contents also included information that Azrad already knew. However, the fact that he was able to comprehensively compile the information acquired and systemize it over the years was more than enough to show him Hadou’s organizational prowess.

——Before leaving, Armitage handed the file to Azrad and said.

“Mr. Hadou has a message for you. ‘Time is of the essence. Make sure to get your jobs done quickly’.”

It was a silly joke, even more so when it was spoken in Armitage’s professional tone.

Azrad nodded silently and received the file. But no matter what, he could not imagine——even upon assumption——how his so-called time would turn out after he exacts his revenge.

Azrad lowered his eyes to the pages he was reading.

They were the past memoirs of a scholar that were found during an investigation following the origin of the “Manaus Statue”.

 

July 3^rd, 188X——

Traveling far up one of the Amazon River’s tributaries from Manaus, we finally reached the land named “Forest of the Divine Howl” in the local language. It might be some kind of air hole or natural phenomenon causing the low growling sound that gave this area its name.

I joined this team as a specialist in communicating with locals, but at least to my knowledge, no human has ever ventured this far into the “forest”.

The mixed-race natives(Caboclos)^[15] that we hired as porters from Manaus also seemed to harbor some sort of fear of this land. As they were praying to the Catholic God, they said, “There is ‘another god’ in this forest.”

The sponsor of this expedition group, Master Raoul Loveday, scoffed at their behavior, calling it “Superstition”. “God in the Bible, native god, either side is equally superstitious,” he said. He’s an atheist occultist affiliated with a society called [Cult of the Darkness Dawn].

July 7^th——

“Even if you advance further, you'll find nothing.”

Master Loveday rejected my suggestion to turn back. He still seemed to have some sort of conviction.

As the sun set, we saw a huge shadow moving towards the distant forest. The Caboclos were whispering anxiously to each other.

July 9^th——

At midnight, something attacked our camp; we lost three porters along with most of our luggage.

Around the scattered, ravaged corpses were huge footprints. They resembled those of a crocodile.

Within that day, all the remaining porters had fled.

No, the only one that remained was a young Caboclo named Estevão^[16]. Due to his fluency in both English as well as Spanish, Master Loveday and I found favor in him; he’d often say his catchphrase, “I'm the chosen one,” which brought antipathy from his companions, resulting in them leaving him behind.

“I’m not frustrated, because I was chosen.”

The moment he said that, I was impressed by the way his sulky expression changed into a mixture of servitude and pomposity.

July 11^th——

The expedition team, consisting of only three individuals, advanced through the forest with shortened food supplies.

During the night, we took turns to watch over the fire, but the lack of sleep and constant stress was a bit too much for someone over fifty like me.

Nonetheless, Master Loveday must be at least ten years older than me. Even the young Estevão started to show signs of fatigue, but despite that, his vitality was boundless as he strode through the forest without hesitation.

By the way, during the day, a creature that resembled a crocodile walking upright——no, like that of a carnivorous dinosaur restored from a fossil itself—passed by us just a dozen meters ahead.

When I held my breath and prepared my rifle, it seemed to notice us, yet it walked away immediately, probably because it wasn’t hungry. We were lucky that we survived.

July 12^th——

We encountered an unknown tribe——I was surprised that humans could settle on land like this!

However…… I could not decide if they belonged to the same “human race” as us. They had bulky builds with ebony skin and bald heads, similar to a combination of an ape and a reptile. They might be a species equivalent to the “hybrid(missing link)” that those evolutionists spoke of.

They appeared to have little to no language other than a few words and a unique vocalization that has a lasting effect akin to singing. After we attempted to communicate with them through gestures, they were proven to be very friendly and provided us with food and a temporary shelter.

Loveday said.

“Let’s teach them language. It may be useful.”

I felt a little disgusted by his tone; it was like he intended to teach an animal tricks, but his arrogance was the flip side of his character’s strengths, namely his extraordinary drive and charisma. In this unexplored——excuse me, inhabited——land, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the importance of such qualities themselves.

July 15^th——

The day before yesterday, Estevão disappeared. We looked for him throughout yesterday until sunset, but were unable to find him until this morning; we discovered his corpse was eaten. They said they believed it was the work of a leopard, yet strangely, we couldn’t locate the head of his corpse.

The locals didn’t seem to have any burial custom, but under Loveday’s order, they dug a hole on the outskirts of their village and buried his corpse——or rather, his remains——there.

It was a tragic event, but we’ve made great progress on interacting with the indigenous people during our time here.

I should apologize here because while I was criticizing Master Loveday’s attitude the other day, I was the one who despised them as a savage tribe. After exchanging some words combined with gestures for a few days, they had mastered elementary English.

Their minds were terrifyingly sharp——when I said so in an agitated tone, Master Loveday laughed mysteriously and said, “Oh, I was trying to come up with some bait.”

With the new language they learned, they called themselves “Servants of Zs-awia”.

“Zs-awia” was the name of the god in their belief. Strictly speaking, they pronounced it alongside making a complex sound between their teeth and in the back of their throats (which I couldn’t mimic), but for the sake of convenience here, I will transcribe it as “Zs-awia”.

“We are…… chosen…… by…… Zs-awia.”

“Chosen”.

The words they pronounced, as though the dead Estevão had taught them, carried the very intonation of his catchphrase.

 

July 18^th——

After the “servants” discussed something with Master Loveday, they guided us to a certain structure.

It was a simple, yet majestic stone temple. At the central altar, a circle of stone pillars roughly two meters in height, were lined up. As I was excited about this newly grand discovery, Master Loveday cast a cynical glance at me and muttered.

“As I suspected——this is the temple of ‘Dripping Darkness’.”

He knew of the existence of this temple.

No, the temple that the “servants” worshipped was a thing he had been seeking as an occultist for a long time, and the goal of his current expedition. That being the case, this circumstance should be called a huge success.

“Let’s ask for their help to return to Manaus for now.”

I suggested it. However——

“And then, put the ‘servants’ who were our guidance in a cage and ship them to your home country, is that what you’re trying to say?”

Hearing this, I became speechless.

It would be a lie if I ever said that I never had such thoughts in my mind. Regardless of whether I’d put them into a cage or not, they were great discoveries for ethnology, historical archaeology, and linguistics. If only I could bring a “living specimen” to my home country——

When I felt ashamed that he had seen right through my selfish ambition, Master Loveday murmured.

“Right now, we have a more important job to do.”

“Important job……?”

“Sooner or later, I will return to the world of man——not as a slave to them, but as a ruler.”

I could feel something terribly evil in his delivery along with his cruel smile, so I just kept my mouth shut.

 

July 24^th——

Master Loveday was rapidly increasing his influence over the “servants”.

They were submissive by nature——or “servile”, as said by Master Loveday, but I believed it was more like religious service——going by that, they were naturally obedient to those who were strong-willed.

Taking advantage of that, Master Loveday stepped into a custom temple——the most religious ceremonial place for the “servants”, and he was actively in charge of the ritual there.

He laughed at my concern——that if we would accidentally bump into their peculiar taboo,

“What, I know how to do it better than you,” he grumbled.

“——Ia! Ia! Loveday!”

The “servants” surrounded the primal stone altar and praised Master Loveday. Standing on the altar while wearing flashy plumes, it was like Master Loveday himself had become their god or something.

 

July 30^th——

Master Loveday is dead.

In the midst of their ritual——I didn’t even have the chance to stop him from being swallowed by the excited “servants”——as I could only see him being ripped apart from a distance. Alas, the pastor from a foreign land was turned into a sacrifice.

After that, I saw his corpse before it was buried (ironically enough, a custom also taught by Master Loveday). I never saw the arrogant laugh of Master Loveday again. His face on the verge of death was entrenched in horror and astonishment. There was a fist-sized hole in his skull, and——oh God, that’s right! His brain was completely removed!

“Why did you kill him?”

I seized and questioned one of the “servants”, but he only gave me a bizarre answer.

“……Loveday, we killed. A ‘servant’, we won’t let. Loveday, we won’t let.”

“Weren’t you all praising Loveday?”

“Loveday, we praise…… Ia!”

At that moment, I felt an abnormal sensation. It was perhaps the instinctive wariness that we, as humans, feel towards species fundamentally different from us as living beings.

Those “servants” might have the same five parts of the body as us, but the souls inside them are completely inhuman.

Now, I am the only human being remaining on this land.

As of now, I have tried my best to avoid direct contact with the “servants” (at the very least, I don’t see them holding any active hostility towards me), but I am surrounded by an endless forest. There is very little hope for me to return to the civilized world. Will my brain, too, eventually be offered to their ritual?

 

August 1^st——

Master Loveday appeared in front of me.

He looked at my horrified face with his usual arrogant expression——no, his expression now has a presence similar to those “servants”.

“You should’ve already died——I saw your corpse!”

“And I was resurrected——by the power of God!”

Master Loveday answered casually. It was terribly uncomfortable for me to hear the word “God” from him.

“But you…… never believed in God.”

“Only to the God-in-name-only that directs mankind from above Heaven,” said Master Loveday. “But the God residing beneath this land, a true almighty God, is another story.”

Master Loveday grinned. It was a terribly sinister smile that made my skin crawl.

 

August 9^th——

At least they are not evil creatures——since good and evil are merely standard values only applicable to human actions. These beings survived simply by their own logic on this land isolated by the jungle.

Yet, evil has been brought to this land.

Their daily rituals, under the commands of Master Loveday, are being intensified every second. You could tell from their inhuman forms that they were walking on four legs and howling, rampaging like beasts, leaping above the height of their heads, and screaming like strange birds.

On a certain day——horrifying offerings were brought to the temple at the climax of madness.

At a glance, I thought those were just piles of rotting fruit. Yet, that was not the true story.

They were “heads”. The heads of all large animals living in the vicinity——leopards, crocodiles, serpents, and several species of dinosaurs—were piled and carried out on top of the palanquin.

What came next was an extremely nauseating scene. They each took the freshly decapitated heads of various animals and cracked open the skulls with sharp teeth as though they were eating melons. Then, they began to sip on the brain inside like coconut milk.

Next, another more shocking, or rather, nightmarish phenomenon occurred. The bodies of each person underwent a bizarre transformation. Their physique twisted, their muscles swelled——and soon they morphed into entirely different living creatures. Those who ate the head of a leopard became a leopard, and those who ate the head of a crocodile became a crocodile. In short——they ate the brains of different living beings and took their place!

Their god, “Zs-awia”, moaned from the bottom of the earth. The horde of black wild beasts, akin to a sea of tar, surged and sang along with it.

By some logic beyond my understanding, the “servants” were bound to this land by the god that was their master. They might be powerful beings, but they were unable to overcome their circumstances due to a lack of active intelligence.

And Raoul Loveday filled that gap.

The ritual for worshipping the Evil God progressed because of his powerful will.

The moment that ritual finished, their god would be released, and they could also obtain their freedom. An invisible cage was opened, and the horde of insane wild beasts—no, something even more terrifying and sinister, something that could be called the enemy of humanity—would be released into our world.

It might be the end of the world.

Ah, the Age of Humans is going to end with the existence of a lone man.

 

August 15^th——

I wondered why I did that. Driven by fear——it was the only reason I could come up with.

I exploited a gap in their security and stole the statue from the altar.

This statue itself is the ritual core of the dreadful worship ritual of “Zs-awia”. The ritual would come to a halt without the statue. I could delay the arrival of the apocalypse, even to some extent. ——That thought echoed in my maddening mind.

Before I could run really far, the “servants” noticed and started a terrifying pursuit. Apes, leopards, serpents, and carnivorous dinosaurs——a pack consisting of hundreds of such wild beasts—were chasing me as though they were a legion from Hell!

Everything was blank. I kept on running and running recklessly with all I had through the dense jungle——I never knew where or how I got away, and by the time I noticed, I had collapsed on the outskirts of Manaus with my arms still holding the statue.

Limping around with the look of a survivor, I went to the inn that I used as a base for this research trip. The innkeeper recalled my face and the good payment I brought, so he graciously agreed to rent me a room while I was writing a letter to my country and waiting for help to arrive.

It is in this room that I’m currently writing this memoir——which is likely to be my final one——. I sincerely hope that this article will be seen by the right people and serve as a warning about the danger lurking in the dense jungle.

I had hidden the statue in another place. I won’t write the details here.

I’m afraid I might read this again.

Come to think about it——why was a man, who is old enough to be regarded as an elder like myself, able to run through a dense forest that reached tens of kilometers while carrying a statue the size of a child? Why was I able to shake off the fearsome beastmen coming at me? And why is there something with thick fingers and dark skin holding this pen?

I don’t have the confidence to hold on to my ego.

I can hear a melodic voice riding along the distant wind. I can decipher its meaning now. It is a call, a call to the brethren who have run away, and also, to herald their time—the Era of Darkness——

 

Armitage’s note——

The above is a copy of the memoir, which appears to be left by anthropologist Professor Edward Morgan, retrieved from the landlord of the old hotel “Vitória-Régia^[17]” in Manaus.

According to the landlord of “Vitória-Régia”, the previous owner was referred to by his nickname, “Old Man Crocodile”. ——For he would always repeat the tale of a “Man-eating Crocodile” whenever he got drunk.

He said, “Then I saw it. I definitely saw one pitch-black crocodile escaping from the professor’s room,” and he added, “The crocodile was wearing the professor’s clothes and walking unevenly on its two hind legs.”

 

Azrad placed the file down.

Although such information collected by Hadou supported what Azrad had gathered, they did not give him any new perspective. There was no denying the effectiveness of Hadou’s intelligence network, but the magus, Loveday, was not a being to get snared in the net of rationality.

For the past five years, Azrad had relentlessly chased the magus Raoul Loveday. He sensed his aura disappear into darkness, followed his vague footprints left in the alley, and sometimes managed to confront him face-to-face——but in every encounter, Loveday would slip through Azrad’s grasp, leaving a sneer as he fled. His existence was as slippery as tar, yet at the same time, carried a viscosity that he could never get rid of.

——Who was Raoul Loveday in the first place?

Was he an old magus who gained the power of an Evil God, or was he a nameless demon who stole the personality of a sorcerer, or a mysterious monster that was neither of those? The more he knew about him, the less clear his true identity became.

If one must insist, he also felt the same way about himself. Azrad had turned himself into a vengeful machine in his pursuit of Loveday, and now he was unsure how much of his original self from birth remained. Perhaps there was no such thing as his “original self” from the beginning——even he could not help but feel that way.

As if checking the emptiness nesting in his body, Azrad firmly closed his eyes. The vitality of Arkham City was conveyed through a faint sign as it echoed through his hollow spirit. A city where evil is driven away by the power of man. Then, at the very least, by him being in this place, does that mean he has yet to become some sort of vengeful ghost or a “walking deadman”?

——I guess I will stay in this city for the time being…….

A huge Pandora’s box made by Hadou Kouzou——even though Loveday could not directly enter this Arkham City, he had no choice but to be involved with this place to obtain the “Manaus Statue”. This was where Azrad’s next move would come into play.

Hadou was still in the lead of the game.

As much as he did not enjoy it, he had no other options but to take advantage of his power in this situation.

 

+

The night train departed from Arkham and headed south towards New York. From there, they would board a steamship to cross Liverpool and then to London by railroad——the return trip from the grand journey, which lasted half a year, was expected to take only three days.

The first-class guest cabin assigned for Ada and Nyala was wider and more comfortable than Hadou Kouzou’s private car, but it couldn’t erase the miserable feeling she had.

Their “special trip” had finally ended.

——D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn)’s ability to gather information was below amateur. They wouldn’t be tracked as long as they traveled and blended in with the general public. That was Hadou’s conclusion.

“The magus Raoul Loveday——he has no luck regarding his underlings.”

Hadou said in the underground workshop.

“In truth, the enemy is only one individual called Loveday. The rest are no more than puppets or slaves, and without Loveday’s commands, these guys can’t even tie their shoelaces by themselves. And Loveday also won’t have any choice but to be obsessed over me, like what he has been doing so far. ——In other words, so long as you don’t get involved with me, Hadou Kouzou, it’s extremely unlikely that there would be any harm to you.”

Hadou put his hand on Ada’s shoulder.

“Please return to London. From now on, don’t poke your nose into anything too suspicious. ……If anything, being normal is for the best.”

“Sure. Eh, um…… but why all of a sudden?”

"Because I’ve finished with my business.”

Hadou looked upon the giant of steel.

“For half a year, until the dissection and transportation of this Demonbane was completed, I needed to draw Loveday out of hiding and use ‘Master of Necronomicon’ Azrad as my guard. How do you think I managed to move that churlish man?”

“Eh…… I’m not sure?”

“It’s you.”

Hadou laughed with a somewhat self-deprecating look.

“That man strangely has a sincere side to him. He absolutely hates involving normal people in the world of darkness. So, I requested you accompany me, hoping to see his chivalrous spirit. He would fight to protect you, who didn’t know anything at that time——that’s literally how things went——in short, you were bait to lure him out.”

“……How could……”

“Actually, I wanted to press him further to make him pilot Demonbane, but it seems that I was asking too much after all. ……Well, whatever. For now, his role is done, and so is yours.”

Hadou shrugged his shoulders.

“So, young lady. If you want to tour around Arkham City, I’ll let Crawford guide you. What’s your choice?”

“……You don’t have to do that.”

Ada replied as she tried her best to look calm.

“I-I have to return soon and prepare for the publication of my [Steel Giant (Tentative)]……”

“——Ah, sorry, but that book will never see the light of day.”

“What?”

“There are many things about my activities that should be kept secret. I shall buy your manuscript.”

“Eh, but………… it can’t be!?”

Ada looked up at Hadou as if she was pleading.

“Then, Mr. Hadou, was this your intention from the start, by any chance……!?”

Hadou said nothing. That was his answer.

Ada dropped her shoulders and hung her head.

“…………I understand…… But…… allow me to just say one thing……”

Suddenly Ada raised her face, which had turned bright red, and she slapped Hadou across his cheek.

“I HATE YOU!”

Hadou looked down on Ada unwaveringly. His attitude was like that of a cold and heavy steel statue.

“……Satisfied yet?”

He said and turned over his heels.

“Then leave now. I’m a busy man.”

——And back to the present.

“……That man is really a ‘Giant’.”

Ada said on the verge of tears as she covered herself with the blanket on her bed as she yielded to the swaying of the passenger car.

“So, normal people like us are like ants or something, and no one would notice when we get stomped under their feet. Ah, it seems like my heart was crushed by sadness and frustration. No, it’d be truly great if I was crushed to death. It’s so cruel to have to live in a body that’s as good as an empty shell even after my soul has been trampled upon and lost. Hey, Nyala, don’t you think so?”

“Yes yes, you’re quite right.”

“But if I die from indignation here, that would be a defeat of journalism. One day, I will uncover Hadou Kouzou, Arkham City, and what the hell the ‘Giant of Science’ is with my pen, and make it into an international best seller!”

Although she was bold about her statement, being wrapped up in her blanket was nothing short of lacking in persuasion. And Nyala rubbed more salt in her wound.

“I see, but is there any bookstore that would stock books that Sir Hadou does not approve of?”

“Then, we better print it on flyers and spread them from the air!”

“Oh my, so you are giving up on [Making a splendid book with a leather cover]?”

Ada’s head popped out of the blanket’s lump.

“Please don’t make fun of me! For I am carrying my journalism in the name of social significance………… Ugggh!”

When Ada wrapped herself and curled back up under her blanket again, Nyala gently patted her back.

“Social significance is indeed a challenging thing to do, isn’t it?”

“Urgh~~……”

Ada fell silent, and for a moment only the vibrations of the train rang through the cabin.

Eventually, a white hand reached out from within the blanket and grasped the black one.

“……Hey, Nyala…… You are on my side, right?”

“Of course I am.”

“……You are not going to trick me or disappear into thin air, right?”

“I won’t.”

“……Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Really………… it’s a promise……”

Before long, Ada began to sleep soundly, still holding Nyala’s hand.

 

+

——The street in her dream was always the same.

There was a place marked in Ada’s mental map of the city that had an indelible stain of blood.

It was an unusually humid night in London. The sky was cloudy, and the damp smell of impending rain began to drift about.

Two people, the father and the daughter, were on their way home from the theatre together——Ada pulled her father’s large hand with her whole body as her adorable singing voice reverberated in the moonless, dark street.

“[Ice cream! Ice cream! Better eat it before it melts!].”

“……Shhh.”

Her father kindly said and put his finger to his lips.

“Be quiet. The townspeople are all sleeping now.”

Ada shrugged her shoulders and held her mouth with her hand.

Then, she looked around and said it as if it was a secret story.

(…………I-c-e, cream……!)

At that moment, a shadow suddenly dashed out from the alley.

She saw a blank, white face emerge from within the dark.

Its eyes and nose were done up with make-up, forming a terrifying smile.

Ada screamed.

As if responding to her voice, something shiny was thrust out into her father’s body.

The white-faced monster turned back and ran into darkness.

It was a humid night.

Melted ice cream was flowing out of a paper bag that had fallen on the stone paving.

There was an astonishing amount of blood coming out of her father’s body.

The handle of a knife stuck out beside his heart.

White cream and red blood mixed together as they poured into the cracks between the cobblestones.

“Father!?”

Little Ada shook her father’s back with both hands.

“Father…… Father!!”

She couldn’t fathom what just happened but only cried out on the spot.

……But Ada already knew.

Now that she’s an adult, Ada already knew.

That was no “monster”. It was a street performer in a jester costume who always performed a quick flip-flop whenever he saw Ada in front of the park.

In the few days leading up to that fateful day, his income was low, and he didn’t have enough money to buy medicine or bread for his sick son. Once the sun had set, no one would throw even a penny at the jester. He was at a loss in a corner of an alley without taking off his make-up, then——

——He threatened a rich man with a knife to get some bells from him.

After he committed his desperate act, he became startled by the girl’s scream and lost control of his grip.

Ada knew.

It was neither a “monster” nor a poor man that killed her father. The causes were the poverty planted in society and the darkness of night lurking at every corner of the city.

If only, on that day, there had been just one streetlight on the road where they encountered him——

The man would realize who the familiar girl accompanied by a wealthy gentleman was.

“Oh, mister!”

The girl would have noticed his presence and run up to him, waving her hand.

“Father, this person is amazing! Hey, mister, please! Show my father your usual spinning!”

He would have put a smile on his exhausted face with all his might and lived up to their expectations. When the generous Lord Derleth became aware of his distress, he would have paid sovereign^[18] gold coins as a one-time viewing fee for his somersault. Likewise, the little Ada would have given her most delicious ice cream to his sick child.

The daughter would have respected her father, the father would have felt proud of his daughter, and the jester would have felt a deep gratitude to them, as everyone headed for their homes with warm feelings.

If there was just one streetlight.

But “now”——

The girl crouched on the asphalt, shaking her father’s back.

The clouds were becoming increasingly lower, and a damp gust was starting to blow.

Among the jet-black, towering cityscape, the girl felt the silent “death” alone.

The darkness of the night was looming over her small figure.

(I’m going now!)

Ada shouted in an inaudible voice.

(I will…… illuminate that place!)

Putting on her motor suit, carrying the storage batteries and arc lights on her back——

With the roar of electric motors rising from her whole body, the balloon’s buoyancy enabled her to take great leaps and dash like the wind.

However…… even when she sprinted with the force of a demon god, the distance between her and “that place” still never shrank. Rather, it slowly became more distant as she ran faster.

(I’m coming to you right now…… now………… now……!)

Ada eagerly tried to reach for the girl’s tiny back floating in the dark.

Yet her hand could never touch her.

Soon, the viewing window of her helmet was blurred out by steam as sweat dripped from her forehead and entered her eyes.

It was hot.

It was hard to breathe.

Ada gasped for breath like bellows, inhaling as much of the thin air as possible.

Her limbs went numb, and the sensation under her feet became hazy.

Feeling dizzy from the heat and lack of oxygen, Ada desperately advanced.

But her breathing was no longer——

 

+

“It hurts——get this helmet——off me!”

Taking a rough breath, Ada pushed the blanket away.

“Haah, haah……………… huh?”

The cold air touched her sweaty cheeks. Because she had been sleeping while covered with a blanket from head-to-toe, she had a dream of being suffocated.

Inside the guest cabin was so dark that she could not see her own hands. The rumbling vibrations of the railroad spread through her bed.

Ada took a slow and deep breath.

She hated the dark, and it was normal for Nyala to also turn off the bedroom lamp after Ada fell asleep.

“Nyala…… Turn on the light, please.”

Ada called out to her in the darkness.

But there was no answer.

“……Nyala?”

Ada tried to listen closely. From the beginning, the noise of the train was too loud for her to detect even the slightest presence, but she couldn’t sense anything like the smell or body heat of a human being in the same room.

Perhaps she had left the cabin to run some errands…… but right at midnight?

Ada pulled the blanket closer and squeezed herself tightly. She disliked the dark.

“Nyala…… Are you there?”

Ada said in a low voice——as if trying not to be heard by something lurking in the dark——though if it was under the light, she would declare, “There is no such thing”.

Then——

(……Yes yes, milady.)

From beyond the dark, Nyala answered. Her voice was strangely distant; could it be through the door in the passageway?

“What…… If you’re there, then answer me quickly.”

As soon as Ada took a long sigh, she half-reassuringly complained.

Nyala said, mixed with a bitter smile.

(I’d been away from my seat for a moment.)

“……Just where did you go?”

(……I was inviting them to pick you up, more or less.)

“‘Pick me up’……?”

They planned to travel as normal tourists to return to London unnoticed. There won’t be anything like a pickup and drop-off from the Hadou Enterprise. ——From the start, where did she go to call someone from the running train?

Though Ada felt suspicious, she said to Nyala.

“Whatever, just come inside.”

At that moment, moonlight shone in the guest room through the curtains, from the direction of Nyala’s voice, where Ada thought it was the hallway.

——Ada was talking to a person outside the car’s window.

“Nyala!?”

Ada ran to the window and unfolded the curtains, then she had her breath taken away.

Under the moonlight, dozens of carnivorous dinosaurs ran alongside the train. In the sky, among the several gigantic pterosaurs, there was a lone woman’s figure soaring with expanded crimson wings.

But there was something more that made this scene truly a nightmarish one.

A colossal monster that could probably close in on the train in a single stride was running at a terrifying speed on its three thick, pillar-like legs. It elasticized its clawed arms and tossed its tentacle-like head towards the heavens——the tip, which resembled that of an elephant’s nose, approached the window where Ada was peeking through. There was the face of a dark-skinned woman putting on glasses with hair blowing in the wind, like a giant serpent with a human face.

“Come, we’re here to escort you, milady.”

Saying that, it grinned.

 

+

“……I wonder if she’s arrived in New York by now.”

In his office, Hadou mumbled, flipping over a heavy bundle of typed sheets.

Crawford put down a cup of coffee before Hadou and answered.

“I see. If you were that worried, you should have gone at least partway with her.”

“If I went with her, she would be in danger instead. Besides……”

Hadou added like he was coming up with an excuse.

“……I’m busy with something.”

Crawford slightly raised his right eyebrow.

“——You mean those records are the top priority of pending issues.”

Ahead of his one-eyed gaze was the stack of documents in Hadou’s hand. Hadou smiled wryly as he placed the sheaf of papers——the manuscripts that he confiscated from Ada—on his desk.

“Oh my, she really got me on this. She wrote about me like I was a hero or a demigod. I’m sure you must be very disappointed, young lady.”

"Well, sir, I believe you are qualified enough to be called a hero.”

“Give me a break. I’m a powerless man. I lost the biggest gamble^[19] 20 years ago.”

“According to my experience——”

Crawford held both of his fists before his chest.

“The one that stands up even after being knocked down can never be ‘lost’.”

“Hmm. It’s a matter of how you put it. For me, my mood prefers continuing to stretch on the ground comfortably.”

Just as Hadou said so, a faint female voice interrupted them.

(——No no, that would be no fun at all. You still need to do your best, Sir Hadou.)

“Who’s there!?”

Hadou shouted, and Crawford put himself on guard.

“My my, you don’t have to raise your voice like that.”

What easily opened and entered the door that was supposed to be locked was a dark-skinned, glasses-wearing woman in her early thirties——

“Nyala? Weren’t you going with Mistress Ada……!?”

“……Wait, Crawford!”

Hadou stopped Crawford from trying to step up to Nyala. In his right hand he grasped a revolver that he pulled out from his desk.

“Yes, I was simply accompanying her until very recently, however.”

Nyala tightly lifted the corners of her mouth and laughed, not intimidated by Hadou’s menacing attitude. Her smile was somewhat inhuman.

“I see…… It was you all along. How utterly foolish I was to be deceived for six months.”

Hadou said with a bitter look,

“Hmph, don’t mind it too much.”

Nyala put her hands on her waist and thrust her head forward.

“Unlike everyone else, I’m truly a human the moment I assume a human form. It’s no wonder you failed to notice that.”

“Hence, you could enter this barricaded city as a human…… Am I right?”

“Sir——”

Crawford took a step forward to protect his master from danger. However——

“……No, Crawford. This woman is not from D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn). Her nature is far worse, but she won’t directly bring us any harm.”

“Yes yes, I’m not involved in any of it. All I do is show up here and there little by little, and set up the stage so that the game becomes more interesting……”

“‘Set up’? You mean ‘stirring things up’?”

Nyala shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, feel free to interpret it to your liking.”

Watching their expressions, Nyala continued her words.

“Then, I suppose it is time for me to slightly stir things up again…… because my young lady had been kidnapped by D∴D∴ just now.”

“Mistress Ada!?”

“……So you’ve handed her over to them?”

“Indeed, I also mentioned that Sir Hadou surprisingly had a little soft spot for my young lady. ——Master Loveday over there said he would love to exchange her for the ‘Manaus Statue’. Consequently, he requested you to bring the statue to Red Hook Pier in Brooklyn tomorrow night at 12 o’clock and——ah yes, please be sure that you’re coming alone, Sir Hadou. In all honesty, they are unfamiliar with this sort of thing, so I have to be careful.”

“Is Ada alright?”

“Who knows, if not, there won’t be any trade at all, though…… since they’re ill-informed about these kinds of things, after all.”

Nyala put her hand around her mouth and burst into laughter.

“Just imagining my adorable young lady having her bottom devoured by some ill-behaved beasts…… heheh………… ahahahaha!”

“Had enough with your chattering yet?”

“Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!”

Nyala only looked up towards the heavens and hysterically laughed out loud.

Hadou pointed the muzzle at her head and said.

“If you’re done, then scram——Nyarlathotep!!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH——!”

As she was invoked by the name close to her essence, the existence of Nyala transformed. Her three-lobed burning eye^[20] opened wide, with huge black wings that spread out across the entire chamber; what’s more, tentacles, claws, and undefined lumps of meat popped out from all over her body——

BOOM——!!

The monster was annihilated, accompanied by a bang.

The “field” that enveloped Arkham City and Hadou Mansion, which did not tolerate the presence of evil, expelled it into an alternate space-time continuum.

Only an evil aura like a rotten smell and the echo of mockery remained inside the room.

+

Red Hook, Brooklyn borough, New York City.

Located near the west side of Rhode Island and opposite Governors Island, the area was bordered by the estuary of the East River.

Syrians, Italians, Spaniards, Blacks——a chaotic air that resulted from a mixture and flow of various races stagnated everywhere, in a solid yet jumbled brickwork townscape. Of course, this was a perfect place for the beastmen of D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn) to hide.

Hadou came out of the seafront street from the slum and arrived at his appointed destination, the outskirts of the oil-stained dock. During the day, this neighborhood would be filled with the clatter of unloading work and steam whistles of sailing steamships, but due to the late hour, it came to a halt in silence.

Standing near the edge of the pier, he took out a cigarette and had a smoke; shortly after, dozens of wild beasts slowly emerged from behind the storage house. They surrounded the entrance of the bridge in a semicircle shape to server Hadou’s escape route with his back against the New York Bay.

From among the herd of wild beasts, a woman clad in crimson Magius Style——the magus Raoul Loveday—walked out.

“Hadou Kouzou.”

Even in the dark, the husky voice of an old man came out of her bewitching red lips.

“……It seems that you definitely came here alone.”

Loveday cautiously looked up to the sky. Three pterosaurs were circling soundlessly. In this way, Hadou’s airship troops would not be able to approach.

“Do you have the statue?”

“Yes.”

When Hadou unwrapped the package he was holding, the “Manaus Statue” was revealed.

“Hand it over.”

“Before that, would you mind giving Ms. Derleth back? ……Well, I don’t have anywhere to run. Isn’t it better to finish our business in advance?”

Hadou took out a cylindrical object from his pocket——it was dynamite.

“——If you refuse, I will blow the statue into pieces right here.”

“……Very well.”

Loveday turned around, and two big apes roughly dragged Ada forth from behind him, each holding on to one arm on both sides. She looked haggard but seemed uninjured.

“……Mr. Hadou!”

“Young lady——”

Hadou said to Ada.

“I’m sorry, but as usual, could you address me by something friendlier…… like ‘Steely Goldie’?”

“Yes, Mr. Goldie!”

Ada was released and ran up to Hadou.

“Hmm…… very good.”

Hadou opened the [Machine Language Manuscript] that he had pulled out unnoticed with his left hand and recited a chant before pressing his right on Ada’s forehead with a knitted Seal of Evil-Slaying.

Then——

With a screeching voice, the thing that was mimicking Ada splattered into a mass of dark red mucus.

“At least, it appears that her brain has yet to be eaten.”

Hadou grinned at Loveday.

“This time, I want the real one.”

Loveday waved his hand with a displeased look on his face.

Just like earlier——this time, another Ada was dragged out, but limp and unconscious. She was laid down a few meters away from him. Hadou dropped the statue and advanced to Ada as he carefully examined her body,

“……She’s real.”

After saying that, he finally took a breath.

“Our deal is done.”

Hadou said as he lifted Ada.

“I will leave the statue there. Now, clear the path.”

“Oh, but that’s not necessary.”

Loveday’s face turned into a ghastly look.

“You’re not getting out of here alive.”

Hadou shrugged when the horde of wild beasts ahead slowly drew closer to him.

“……Good grief. This is why amateurs like you are such a pain in the ass.”

“What did you say……?”

“For starters, the basis in business is ‘sincerity’. And——always be prepared to deal with the other party’s ‘faithlessness’.”

At that moment, seawater suddenly swelled behind Hadou, and a gigantic metal snout popped up. It was the “submarine” owned by Hadou Enterprise.

While the scattering and splashing water poured down like a torrential rain, the round windows on the flank of the submarine simultaneously opened, and loads of rifle barrels pointed at them.

“Wha!?”

Concurrently——

A black meteor came flying in, tearing through the darkness of the night.

It was Azrad in his Magius Style. He slipped through the pterosaurs guarding the air from an extreme altitude and landed on the ground.

“——Aeon!!”

BAM——!!

The scorching fist of steel flew from an alternate dimension and slammed Raoul Loveday with “Partial Summoning”.

Loveday dodged the direct hit with a breath, but the blow, akin to a large cannonball, smashed the middle of the pier.

The “Manaus Statue” tumbled to the side from the top of the tilted pier.

“Good——retreat, Azrad!!”

Hadou shouted as he picked up Ada in his arms.

“Get the statue!”

But——

Azrad lost his self-control when he saw the chance for revenge before him.

“Ooh——!!”

He summoned another arm of steel and grabbed Loveday with two hands.

Exploiting that opening, the apes of D∴D∴ jumped over the broken section of the pier, picked up the statue, and threw it to their comrades from below.

On the other side, Loveday, who managed to escape into the air, saw Hadou with Ada on his back as they climbed onto the deck of the submarine.

“You bastards——die, Hadou……!!”

Loveday shot burning projectiles.

At that moment, Azrad hesitated.

——Attack Loveday, or protect Hadou and others. He was unsure which of the two choices to give priority to.

That hesitation became an opening.

“——!”

Azrad turned the spiritual energy dwelling inside Aeon’s arms into his Wings of the Sorcerer(Magius Wings), then rapidly accelerated for a brief moment, standing between Hadou and Loveday as he assumed a defensive stance——however, his timing was not good.

Three projectiles gouged Azrad’s flesh——on his shoulder, thigh, and side.

Loveday swung his arm in the air one more time.

Yet——

“——Fire!!”

A storm of small bullets rained on Loveday at Hadou’s command.

“……Tch!”

In that instant, as Loveday fled the scene, Crawford jumped out of the submarine’s access hatch and carried both Ada and Azrad inside the ship. The submarine hastily dived when Hadou entered at the last moment.

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1 The Pyrenees are a mountain range in Europe that stretches across the border between France and Spain. Here, the description is a reference to Frank Belknap Long’s novel “The Horror from the Hills”. ↩

2 Taken from Robert Albert Bloch’s novel “The Faceless God”. ↩

3 Refers to Irem, the City of Pillars, from H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Nameless City”. ↩

4 Refers to the city of Pnakotus built by the Great Race of Yith from H. P. Lovecraft’s novella “The Shadow out of Time”. ↩

5 Refers to the underwater city of R’lyeh, where Great Old One Cthulhu lies dreaming deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. It is from H. P. Lovecraft’s most iconic short story, “The Call of Cthulhu”. ↩

6 Refers to the ancient stone city in Antarctica built by the Elder Things from H. P. Lovecraft’s novel “At the Mountain of Madness”. ↩

7 Kingsport is a fictional old seaside village located in Massachusetts that first appeared in H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Terrible Old Man”. It is one of the primary locations in Lovecraft Country. ↩

8 The gambrel roof is an architectural feature that was once common in old American houses from the 17^th–18^th century. In Cthulhu Mythos, its characteristics are often described as the main architectural style of Arkham to signify the town’s ancient and conservative atmosphere. ↩

9 Feng Shui is a name that refers to ancient Chinese geomancy, which involves arranging objects in living places to create a perfect balance and harmony with the natural environment through the flow of cosmic energy called Qi. The word “Feng Shui” literally means “Wind Water” in Chinese. In their culture, these two elements are associated with good health, so the Feng Shui art is used to bring good fortune. ↩

10 “I am Providence” is a phrase engraved on H. P. Lovecraft’s tombstone from a letter that he wrote to his close friend, James Ferdinand Morton Jr., on 16^th May 1926. It is also the title of the first chapter of Deus Machina Demonbane. The phrase itself has a double meaning: Providence means “Will of God, Law of God” and is the name of Lovecraft’s hometown, the capital of Rhode Island. Therefore, it can be interpreted as either “I am a citizen of Providence” or “I am the divine providence”. ↩

11 Braille is a writing system for people who are visually impaired, using a series of raised dots displayed in cells. Its format is the same as a punch card. ↩

12 The entire incantation with capitalized Latin names is directly taken from the chapter “To Conjure of Ye Globes” in Necronomicon, which is used to summon the thirteen globes of Yog-Sothoth (in Demonbane, their number goes up to uncountable). The first two verses recited different names of Yog-Sothoth in order to control their essence, and the third verse was to seal them away. Of course, many specific details were omitted here. Yog-Sothoth’s iridescent spheres were mentioned in H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Horror in the Museum”, and August Derleth’s novel “The Lurker at the Threshold”, based on Lovecraft’s fragmented notes and outlines. ↩

13 A contra-rotating, or counter-rotating, is a technique where mechanical parts rotate in reverse directions about a common axis to minimize the effect of torque. ↩

14 The Silver Key is a magical artifact that appeared in two of H. P. Lovecraft’s short stories: “The Silver Key” and “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”. It was used by Randolph Carter to open the Ultimate Gate guarded by ‘Umr At-Twil, an incarnation of Yog-Sothoth, and reach the Dreamlands. The name of Demonbane’s Heart of Infinity, “Keeper of the Silver Key”, is a synthesis of the said artifact and August Derleth’s short story “The Keeper of the Key” from his series “The Trail of Cthulhu”. ↩

15 Refers to indigenous Brazilians with European ancestry. ↩

16 A Portuguese male given name derived from the Greek name “Stéphanos”, which means “wealth” or “crown”. Its English equivalent is Steven and Stephen. ↩

17 The name of a native flowering plant in tropical South America, alternatively known as Giant Water Lily or Royal Water Lily. ↩

18 A British gold coin that is worth one pound sterling from the 19^th century. Although it was phased out of circulation after World War I and replaced by paper money, the United Kingdom continues to recognize it as legal tender. ↩

19 Refers to the ending of Ruri’s route in the first game. If you had played it, you’d know what he was talking about. ↩

20 The “three-lobed burning eye” is a specific trait from one of the avatars of the Outer God Nyarlathotep, who first appeared in H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Haunter of the Dark”. ↩