Chapter 151 29.5 Utility?

SHIZU

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The revelry that Shizu felt spurred her into a frenzy as she plowed through enemy after enemy. Her fists sang with righteous fury as every Vestygian she felled meant more blood was paid for the distress they caused to her nation.

"Die, heathens!"

These... people didn't know what they were messing with. The [Eld] didn't take kindly to their world being destroyed for human greed. Even if Guidance didn't show it, the sorrow that the goddess showed every time she tried to fix the world around them resonated with her. Even if her [Code Watcher] no longer helped the goddess, she was sure to make sure that she still remained useful. There was no way that the numbers no longer meant anything.

She was sure of it.

"Hah!" Maruki cheered beside her, his sword stained with blood as he cut through the chaff. "These heathens are nothing to the might of the Empire!"

"Agreed!" Shizu laughed, her fists raised up high as she shook off some of the blood. "If this is any indication of what they're capable of, I can't see why we haven't beaten them yet!"

Contrary to what others might think, Shizu wasn't naive. Well, too naive, at least. She could admit that she was laughably uninformed about the wider world of the Deep. She didn't know what Marquean technology could really do, and it didn't sit well with her that even their [Rig] was riddled with heathen technology. Still, she kept her mouth shut. She knew that despite all its power and natural resources, Kattleyna was woefully inept in innovation. Just the fact that their researchers refused to study what she now knew were anomalies in this world was a testament to their poor thinking, and it was only natural that they'd inevitably... use enemy technology just to keep up.

"I'm moving ahead," she called out, her eyes pointing towards the bridge. "I'm gonna go clean house up on the bridge."

"Of course, my Pr- Shizu!"

Letting out a small chuckle, she let the slip-up slide as she wound up her legs. Looking for a path, she let off a smirk before she shot forward, dashing through enemies before jumping up the [Rig] itself. From there, she went from ledge to ledge, precariously climbing her way to the windows of the bridge.

"W-What the-"

"Enemy Somatic!"

"Hello!~"

"Call for sir Red!"

[*SHATTER!*]

Winding up her right fist, Shizu greeted the heathens with a wide smile before crashing her fist through the glass window. Bits of glass flew into the dimly-lit bridge, the princess stepping inside before casually blitzing through the enemy forces.

[*SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT*]

With each punch, crimson blood splattered itself across the metal walls, her golden eyes flashing through the darkness as she flew across the bridge. She showed no mercy, her nationalistic fervor overpowering the small hint of pity that began growing in her chest the more she heard their pleas for mercy.

"N-No!-"

"I-I don't wanna!-"

[*SPLAT SPLAT*]

"They're heathens," Shizu reminded herself, her closing her eyes with each punch more to avoid seeing the terror in her enemy's eyes. "They'll desecrate nature..."

Taking a deep breath, she cleared out the room. Eventually, they finally decided to run away, leaving her alone in a blood-soaked room filled with nothing but human remains. Shizu stood alone in the center, her gaze glazing over as she took in the carnage that she wrought.

"This... This doesn't feel right..."

"Indeed."

Hearing the foreign voice, the princess's eyes quickly sharpened themselves once more, her bloody fists raised at the ready as a bearded man with a cap walked in. Wielding what looked to be a monstrous abomination of a mechanical halberd, the man was obviously of a different breed than the rest of the heathens she had killed.

No... He surely had a [Manifest] on him...

"You and your fellow Imperial Somatics have decimated my crew," the man began. "You've massacred my men, destroyed a Republic [Rig], and is now threatening to have us all sink down the hot waters of the Deep."

Shizu took in a deep breath. Controlling herself, she channeled the Imperial princess in her as she spoke, "We're only enforcing Imperial sovereignty of these waters. You are violating our territorial naval space by encroaching with an armed [Rig]. You are in the wrong."

"Perhaps," the man coolly breathed out, his left hand touching the brim of his hat as he spoke. "However, we are also enforcing the Republic's claims by sailing what is rightfully for every living person throughout the Deep. We are at war, Somatic. It is only natural that we ignore any sort of territorial rights you Forest Lovers have."

Shizu clicked her tongue. "So you're just planning on walking into Imperial waters with a fully-armed [Rig]? You're all planning on attacking Kattleyna, aren't you?"

The man chuckled, his hat glowing as a dull glow washed over him. Shizu kept herself tense, like a coiled spring waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"What else?" the man scoffed. "This is war. With Marquee proving to be nothing more than a nuisance to the Republic, the onus of our attention would inevitably go to your precious Empire. Scouting out the enemy is only natural."

The princess hissed through her teeth. A part of her wanted to know more about why Vestyge had sent a [Rig] this deep into Imperial waters. And while she knew that she should just kill him and be done with it, her curiosity got the better of her as she asked yet another question.

"What are Vestyge's goals?"

It was the one thing that she didn't truly understand. Beyond claiming that all the world should be used for the betterment of all people, Vestyge's actions dictated anything but. She was sure that their warmongering had destroyed precious natural resources, and their message of equality only led to remote colonies being subjugated and destroyed without even putting up a fight.

Surely, there was more to this.

"You're awfully smarter than most of the Imperial mooks that we've come across, at least," the man snorted. "Do you really want to know why?"

Shizu intrepidly responded, "Yes."

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