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After leaving Sazaki, Chumie headed for the Fourth Street in the southern part of the Grand City. Although it was not within the range of the First to Third Streets, which were the Central Street where the upper class of the Grand City gathered, it was a relatively quiet suburb of the Central Street.
Chumie glanced at the appearance of the stone-built church situated in the center of a spacious plot. The surrounding area was an empty space, devoid of any visible figures or sense of bustling crowds.
On the triangular roof, one could see black dust particles naturally gathering and flowing smoothly. Although it was Chumie's first visit to this place, they were aware of the existence of the Dust Orthodox Church.
Touching the relief of the goddess carved on the door, Chumie felt the cold, hard sensation of the stone statue through their leather gloves.
--
There are many religions that worship dust particles, but among them, the Dust Orthodox Church has a long history. The image of the goddess who scatters dust particles from her palm onto the Earth is a symbol of this religion. The multi-eyed woman with eyes even on her forehead embodies the idea that she is a being beyond human comprehension.
In other words, it signifies that a being beyond human comprehension bestowed upon humanity dust particles, a substance also beyond human understanding.
The appearance of dust particles in this world dates back several hundred years from now. The impact of this mysterious substance, believed to have come from space, on humanity can be categorized into two main effects: destruction and regeneration.
There are not many documents left about the catastrophe known as the "Dust Calamity," which caused the collapse of the old civilization. It has been passed down to future generations like a fairy tale, understood by people living today as a narrative whose truth cannot be verified.
It is said that over ninety percent of humanity at that time perished, either because dust particles corroded human bodies as harmful substances, or because interference with radio waves of mechanical communication systems upon which the previous civilization relied caused a great depression.
However, the main reason for the end of the old civilization was more simple.
It was the dust ability... Dust particles, which resemble black marbles and reside in the cervical organs of the human body, allowed individuals to wield unknown abilities by absorbing dust particles locally.
Also known as the "universal substance," dust particles are considered to be an aggregate of special molecules with a four-dimensional structure. Dust ability refers to the individual qualities that can draw out specific effects from this universal substance, varying from person to person.
In modern times, the term "talent" directly refers to the content of the dust ability that each person possesses. Before the appearance of dust particles, the difference in abilities among humans was simply minor differences in physical performance or cognitive processing speed, marking a stark difference between past and present.
In the common sense of the old civilization, the impact when those who were previously weak or malicious suddenly gained powerful abilities through the dust ability could easily be imagined.
Chumie remembers many times reading picture books about the Dust Disaster, depicting a man causing a tsunami with immense dust ability on the cover.
Thus, the appearance of dust particles caused great chaos and led to the complete collapse of the past civilization. As a result, humanity entered a dark age where ethics and common sense no longer applied, but eventually, after a long time, they rebuilt civilization.
In contrast to the past, the current civilization depends almost entirely on the benefits brought by dust particles. The majority of the infrastructure of the grand capital and city is supported by dust abilities. Of course, this includes culture and religion as well.
Dust particles of destruction and regeneration have become objects of awe and respect for many people in daily life, serving as sacred objects.
The Dust Orthodox Church is a religion that prohibits the use of dust particles with abilities that exceed human understanding for trivial human emotions.
Therefore, there are precepts denying the existence of equipment that artificially utilizes dust particles. Even the use of essential items such as injectors that ingest dust particles into the body without oral intake, or dust eliminators emitting artificial radio waves to make dust particles disappear, has been strictly regulated.
For Chumie, who lacks faith, such precepts as removing the mask and using dust particles after accepting the toxins of dust particles seem absurd. Perhaps that's why many priests of the Dust Orthodox Church suffer from dust disorders, causing mental and physical damage due to dust particles' toxicity.
(Well, it's up to others what to believe and how to act...)
The problem is that according to Sazaki's information, the members of this Dust Orthodox Church are engaged in kidnapping while hiding under the guise of priests.
--
Chumie adjusted the position of the mask and once again glanced around. There were no guards, only silence spreading out. Chumie checked around the outer wall of the building and confirmed that there were no back entrances or the like.
Returning to the entrance, Chumie placed their hand on the double doors and pushed them open. The cold air inside the church stimulated their skin through the bodysuit. Since the lights were off, they couldn't even peek a little ahead down the long corridor.
Remembering the joke about adding a light function to the mask from the informant, Chumie took a step forward.
Suddenly, he heard a splash.
Looking down, Chumie had stepped into a pool of blood. A gust of wind blew towards the nearly closed entrance, carrying a faint smell of warm blood.
Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the inside of the church was enveloped in an deathly atmosphere.
"It seems I'm late..." Chumie muttered under his breath.
There were rows of bodies lying face down in the hallway. These were the distorted bodies of priests who had died.
Chumie squatted down and examined the bodies. Upon removing the simple masks with circular dust particles painted on it, which were designated by the Dust Orthodox Church's precepts, they saw the deathly appearance of a young man who seemed to have stiffened while screaming his last breath.
Carefully and hastily, Chumie glanced at about ten bodies as they moved along the corridor. They reached a heavy door.
Opening it revealed a large, circular chapel room. Originally beautiful, the interior was now tragically half-destroyed.
There were shattered wooden benches, a half-broken Dust Orthodox goddess statue, an altar that had been smashed, and a body with a head that had hit the wall.
Judging by the number of bodies, it seemed like a massacre, combined with those in the hallway, totaling about fifteen people.
Each body had died in an unnatural manner. There were even bodies that had been twisted violently.
Chumie took out a photo received from Sazaki from their leg pouch.
Bishop, Rowno Babels, 36 years old, male.
A criminal who had made a deal with Smiley and concealed his position as a priest was staring expressionlessly at them.
According to Sazaki's information, it inevitably meant that information about Smiley had leaked from within. The motive behind this massacre was most likely revenge.
At that moment, moonlight shone through the skylight in the ceiling, casting a soft light over the entire chapel.
Chumie noticed a strange pattern on the tiled floor and knelt down to examine it.
He found peculiar footprints. These were unusually large footprints scattered irregularly, far beyond the size of human feet, even when Chumie aligned both hands side by side.
It was the first time Chumie had found a clue at the scene. He then traced the edge of the bloody footprint with their finger and stood up to continue exploring the inside of the church.
Although it was a large church, the interior had a simple structure. Besides the single-line corridor and the chapel exterior, there was only a ladder descending from a small room at the back to the basement.
Descending to the basement, Chumie found the body of an armed priest lying near a door that seemed to have been forcibly pried open.
The basement room seemed to be a confinement room for victims of kidnapping, covered in soundproofing materials on the walls. There were large quantities of preserved food on shelves and cabinets containing clothing.
Chumie searched for the item they were looking for: the list called "Smiley's List," which supposedly existed from previous tracking activities. It was said to contain information about the whereabouts of the kidnapped targets that Smiley handed over.
After searching for a while, Chumie sighed deeply under their mask.
According to Sazaki, this incident was supposed to be live information unlike before, but it seemed to have hit a dead end in the end.
"Once again, I thought I was getting closer..."
Reflecting on it, Chumie couldn't help but feel the dark emotions they usually suppressed surfacing.
Chumie gently touched his neck. It had been a long time since they last activated the injector. They now almost nostalgically felt even the pain caused by that local injection. Chumie maintained his posture for a while, waiting for the smoldering emotions to calm down.
At that moment, a "clang" sound was heard.
Reacting almost like a snapped spring, he realized that the sound came from the ground floor chapel, where bodies were piled up.
Chumie swiftly moved and stared at the dim upper floor above the ladder.
He considered whether it might be the perpetrator of the murders, but that line of thought seemed improbable. It was unlikely that someone would return to their own crime scene unless they were a cheap arsonist. Whether this would confirm or refute the idea, it was necessary to see it with their own eyes.
Chumie came out from under the floor and looked at the chapel intently through the glass door of the small room.
There he saw an abnormally tall man standing in the middle of the chapel. He was well over two meters tall, and he was carrying an oversized coffin with a cross carved on it, which he had chained to his body.
The most distinctive feature was that he was wearing an exaggeratedly large pumpkin-shaped dust mask, one of the kinds you would see at some festivals.
(That guy is...) Chumie held his breath. (Bocchi Thaidalla a Purge Officer...?) in his mind.
On the chest of the robe that covered Bocchi's entire body, an emblem indicating the organization he belonged to, emitted a strange light.
The public agency responsible for maintaining order within the Grand City, the Grand City Central Alliance.
The elite group they train from childhood is generally called the Purge Officers.
The Purge Officers are a group of violent organizations that make a living by purifying the interior of the Grand City and eliminating criminals.
They are feared by everyone, meaning not only by the gangs, but also by ordinary citizens.
For people like Chumie who live in the dark side of the Grand City, the Purge Officers are the most undesirable opponents.
Among them, the Purge Officer named Bocchi Thaidalla is a well-know figure in the Grand City. He is not only famous for his flamboyant appearance, but also for his ability to create dust and the nickname derived from his ability.
The nickname "Fire Scene Bocchi" comes from the rumor that Bocchi's sand power is 'flame'. It is said that it is not just that he controls the sannd particles, but all places where he fights will cause fire, but he can move calmly in the fire, and he is a man like a monster.
The Dust Orthodox Church is located outside of the Fourth Street, in a building with no residents nearby.
Even if a massacre occured here, it is unlikely that anyone would call the police. Assuming that someone did call the police, it is unlikely that someone like Bocchi would come to the scene.
That is to say..
(The Central Alliance is also tracking down Smiley huh...)
This is normal. Although there is still a lot of room for speculation, Chumie stopped thinking.
In any case, the immediate issue was how to avoid the executioner. If I were seen here, I would inevitably be accused of the crime, even if I could prove that this scene was not my doing. Moreover, even if they could prove that I'm not responsible for this scene, Chumie's status as a target for execution would not change.
According to the Grand City Law, which is a law issued by the Central Alliance and is commonly known as the "Grand City Law", only regular citizens with household registration are protected.
If those people without a citizen ID like Chumie is discovered by the Purge Officer, he will be arrested and executed immediately.
Chumie once again confirmed the internal structure of the small room he was hiding in. This was a dead end with nothing but a small bookshelf filled with scriptures and a basket filled with old vestments.
There was no other exit, so he could only return the same way.
Chumie hid his breath and continue to spy on Bocchi.
Bocchi stood alone in the dim chapel. With his strange appearance, he looked like a non-human creature.
He did not show any intention of searching the surroundings, but just stared straight into the void.
The way he stood there looked like a machine that had lost power.
Chumie was dumbfounded for a while, he then finally moved without any warning.
Bocchi looked around the chapel.
His pumpkin head looked at the collapsed altar, the half-destroyed goddess statue, the broken benches, the corpses, the pool of blood, the strange footprints, and finally looked at the small room where Chumie was hiding.
He stretched his hand towards his neck, and there was a "click" sound. The dust concentration in the air shown by the dust meter began to rise in an instant.
(What......!?)
Seeing this unexpected action, Chumie reflexively grasped the hilt of the knife.
After activating the syringe, sand particles rustled out from around Bocchi's body. The red sand particles controlled by Bocchi gathered tightly around him.
Bocchi, who was ready for battle, suddenly strode towards the small room. He stepped over the body lying beside him without hesitation, stretched out the sleeve under his robe, and pointed his left hand towards this side.
Bocchi kept his posture and said, "The guy hiding there.... I know you're there. Come out!"
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T/N: Hi good day to everyone who's reading this. I will only publish 3 chapters every week. Hope you understand!
Please support me guyss!
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