[While Joseph was resting, the other expedition mbers were talking, but Joseph, perhaps due to his illness, couldn't make out a single word. No matter what he did, he couldn't hear them clearly.]
[By the sixth day, Joseph finally recovered, and they continued toward the Antarctic Bug. But once again, the Bug seed even farther away. The team decided that no matter what, they would keep moving and try to figure out how the Antarctic Bug was moving.]
[Strangely, along the way, Joseph kept hearing odd voices, as if soone was calling out to them. Yet the others heard nothing.]
[The weirdness escalated. At so point, Joseph realized he was no longer with the team—he had completely lost sight of his companions and was proceeding alone.]
[As ti passed, Joseph noticed that the distance between himself and the Antarctic Bug never seed to decrease. He also couldn't find his way back, and the strange whispers never stopped, completely baffling him.]
[It dawned on Joseph that he was likely trapped in so kind of death loop, unable to ever leave. Desperate, he decided to write in his journal, leaving behind a warning:]
["Whoever you are, if you see this creature, leave imdiately. Do not approach!"]
[Looking at the words he'd written, Joseph felt an eerie sense of déjà vu. It was as if he'd seen this exact journal before, but his mory was too foggy to recall. He brushed it off for the mont.]
[Joseph had no idea how long he'd been walking. Ti had lost all aning. His mory was fading—he couldn't even rember why he had co here, or even his own na.]
[Before he knew it, he had reached the Antarctic Bug. When he snapped back to reality, one of the Bug's tentacles struck him, knocking him over.]
[That mont was the breaking point. Joseph's ntal state had been on edge—his companions had vanished, his mind was in disarray, the endless whiteness left him lost, and the isolation gnawed at him. The re touch from the Bug triggered his rage.]
["AAAAAAHHH!!"]
[Joseph lost it, furiously hacking at the tentacles. He slashed at everything he could see, cutting off tentacle after tentacle. When he finally stopped, he was stunned to find that the Antarctic Bug had vanished without a trace. Only the severed tentacles littering the ground remained, proof that it had been there.]
[He collected samples—flesh, blood, and tissue—and analyzed them. To his shock, they were human tissue. Which ant… the tentacles he'd been cutting apart had been people.]
[The revelation left Joseph utterly shaken. He clearly rembered attacking tentacles—how had they beco human?]
[Terrified, Joseph ran, desperate to retrace his steps and escape. He didn't care how far away he was—he just wanted to get out of there.]
[But after running for a while, he saw a group of people approaching. Desperately, he scread at them, warning them not to co closer. But no matter how loud he yelled, they seed completely deaf, unable to hear him.]
[To Joseph's horror, the group began to blur and rge into a single figure. That figure gradually approached him.]
[Before Joseph could react, the figure collided with him, knocking him down. Joseph rushed to help them up—only to discover that the person looked exactly like him.]
[Suddenly, the other Joseph went berserk, pulled out a knife, and stabbed Joseph to death without rcy. Joseph had no ti to fight back—he was killed on the spot.]
At this point, the video of the Antarctic Bug paused.
Everyone watching had different reactions on their faces.
But the broadcast continued.
["After many casualties, the Foundation concluded the Antarctic Bug's anomalous traits: It possesses powerful cognitive distortion and ti-space manipulation abilities. When soone approaches, its anomaly activates. Everyone perceives it as moving farther away, but it's actually the space around it that's distorted. The Bug itself never moves."]
["The longer soone remains near it, the more their cognition deteriorates. They begin losing mories, lose track of ti, and can't distinguish directions, eventually becoming separated from their companions."]
["The final stage is the worst: The victim encounters another tiline's version of themselves and is killed by that self. This process repeats indefinitely—an endless loop of self-slaughter, as long as that tiline exists."]
["We tried everything to contain the Antarctic Bug, but all thods failed. Even long-range attacks couldn't harm it in the slightest."]
["Fortunately, the Bug seems stationary for now. As long as we keep people away from it, we can prevent further incidents. But if it ever leaves its current location, we'll have to find it again—or find a permanent containnt thod."]
After the introduction of the Antarctic Bug, everyone couldn't help but react.
The Ancient One: What an incomprehensible creature… Clearly, this thing controls ti and space. Anyone who tries to get close is as good as dead.
Strange: But why doesn't it move?
Steve Rogers: Maybe it hasn't had enough to eat? It's too weak to move?
Son Goku: This thing looks tough, but is it really invincible? Can't we just hit it hard enough?
The Ancient One: Unless you can control ti and space as well, you can't even touch it, let alone harm it.
Arthur: That's impossible, then! So we just have to stare at it from a distance, making sure it doesn't escape?
Loki: Fools. If you can't even touch it, how do you think you're going to stop it from leaving?
Arthur: Who are you calling a fool?! You're the one acting all smug!
Loki: Hmph.
i: That thing looks disgusting… I really hope I never encounter it.
As everyone chattered, the screen displayed a prediction for the Antarctic Bug's next appearance.
[Prediction: The Antarctic Bug will appear in the Saint Seiya LC Universe.]
As the broadcast voice finished, a massive, multi-legged, tentacled insect—hundreds of ters tall—suddenly materialized in the Antarctic region of the Saint Seiya LC world!
(End of Chapter)
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