Wv2dTT9z

1Episode 11
2
3Hunter vs Hunted: Awakening
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6To some, fear may have been viewed as a weak emotion and generally frowned upon. Others may simply view it as an inconvenience to deal with from time to time,  but in actuality, fear was valuable emotion, perhaps more so than the others.
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8Fear was the natural phenomena of warning living creatures of an impending threat to their lives. As such, small animals would run and conceal themselves from the larger animals that may wish to feed upon them. For that same reason, humans were more advanced than any creature on the planet, yet that basic instinct still remained within them.
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10With the instinct of fear and their intelligence, humans can avoid danger or stop it entirely in better and more efficient ways than an animal of the wild ever could.
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12However, there are instances where that fear was so strong and intense, that the decision-making functions of the brain would come to a grinding halt. The person or animal would be entered into a frozen state where they cannot decide on weather they should run or fight. This type of fear is what would usually kill a person in those intense moments.
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14What Tsukamoto Shizuki was feeling was very similar to this. Only it wasn't just his life that was in danger.
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16There was a girl who was in an even worse situation.
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18Shizuki stood in front of the large dilapidated castle (or Mansion) where that girl was supposedly being held.  He stood just inches away from the two doors that would lead into it, but he could not move due to a strong fear taking hold of him.
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20("Get a grip, Shizuki... you came here to save Compa-san remember? Like hell you can just hesitate after making it this far!")
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22Were the circumstances and details of this situation different, he would not have any hesitation about barging in and rescuing his friend.
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24In fact, he could hear voices speaking on the other side of that door, both of which he recognized, so he knew that she was still alive.
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26The problem laid in the person he wanted to save her from.
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28("I'll admit it... That guy scares me, probably more than anything, but it's even worse when he's holding one of the most important people to me hostage like this.")
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30A man called the Jaeger was after him in order to obtain the Gem of Sephira and deliver it to his superiors. During his crusade, the Jaeger had been indirectly involved with the L.I.C.S incident, demolished an apartment building with people still inside, had his associates try to kill people he knew, carried out multiple terrorist attacks and made a televised broadcast demanding his surrender.
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32And he had also encountered the man in person. Just from that alone was enough to chill him to his core.
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34But at the same time, he was also angry.
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36It was bad enough that he had killed scores of people already, but the idea that it was all because of him made him furious. Not just at the Jaeger for his heinous actions, but at himself for being the cause of it all.
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38And someone dear to him was captured by that man.
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40("But that's all the more reason why I have to go in there! I don't know if I can do anything that will result in both of us leaving this mess unscathed, but I'll be damned if I'm letting that guy lay a finger on her! So c'mon! Let's end this already and reach the optimal outcome!")
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42With the fire in his heart burning away some of the fear, Tsukamoto Shizuki stepped forward.
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44He swung open the doors that led into the entrance hall of the building. When he looked in, he was greeted by the figure of that robed man in a metallic skull mask and a certain pink haired girl who was currently sitting on the floor with her hands tied with some worn down rope. Both of them automatically looked in his direction when the door opened and one of them spoke.
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46"Well, well... the main star finally appears."
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48Shizuki's shoulders nearly stiffened when he heard that voice speak to him once more, however now that he was here, he could not let pointless fear overtake him.
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50So, using the fire that was currently burning within him, Tsukamoto responded in an oddly low and dangerous tone of voice.
51
52"Get the hell away from her.... you goddamn monster."
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54"Heh. That's a dangerous look on you. It's good, but not enough. I can tell you are just trying to hide your fear with bravado."
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56"Shut the hell up. I came here to get my friend out of this mess. I'm the one you're after right? Then stop dragging unnecessary people into this!"
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58"Unnecessary?" The Jaeger scoffed as if he just heard a terrible punchline. "That girl was already involved the moment she came into contact with you. You understand, right? If you had remained on earth in your little residential area on that island nation of the east, this would not be happening. That man over there would still be alive, this woman would not be in peril, and those attacks would never occur. This world would be thriving if you never came here in the first place."
59
60"...."
61
62"But your fate would be unclear even if you stayed back home. G.H.Q would have found you anyway and taken you into custody. It isn't an ideal fate, but at the very least, this world would still have its peace. A pity that's going to fall apart now..."
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64The Jaeger's words stabbed into his chest like daggers. What he was saying was indeed true. Had Tsukamoto Shizuki remained back on earth, the current disaster brought by the secret conflict would not have taken place. People would still be alive, homes would still stand, and peace would still be upheld.
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66He knew it.
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68He knew it all to well.
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70Just as he troubled everyone back home, he caused even greater trouble here. Any hopes of him having a future here was virtually gone now. It was all over.
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72But....
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74"....You don't think I already know that?"
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76His voice sounded oddly low as he practically spat the words out.
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78"I know... I already know that this whole mess is because of me. Because of the thing that you people are after. But that doesn't give you people the right to pull the crap you've been pulling! You people think you're so high and mighty that you treat everything, even honest, innocent lives like a goddamn joke with zero regard for anything but your own self serving interests!!"
79
80"...."
81
82"You think you'll be praised as heroes for doing all of this? You really think people will just support what you're doing because you said you were stopping a threat? Hell no! If they really knew what was going on, they wouldn't agree with your actions one bit! They'll just see you as a bunch of thugs, acting like the terrorists you people claim to hate!"
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84His emotions were boiling to the surface. He had had enough of this man and everything he and his organization stood for and was on the verge of just breaking out into a sprint and punching the daylights out of him, but his sense of reason was not overclouded by his rage and knew full well that any reckless moves could get him and the girl he wanted to save killed.
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86So he continued to speak.
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88"I know I'm the cause of this, and I know that not a good person myself. But... the ones I will bow my head to isn't going to be you."
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90"Tch, you really are a bigger piece of work than I originally gave you credit for. I thought that you were just some kid that would whimper away from conflict, so I'm pleased to see that my prey has some backbone at least. It will make killing you a lot more enjoyable."
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92"I've already made up my mind. I'm not turning the Gem of Sephira over to you, but I'm also not letting this ridiculous hunt continue anymore. I don't care how skilled or trained you are, somehow, I am going to knock you on your ass, save Compa-san, and return to our home!"
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94He had no plan.
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96He had no weapon he could use to fight back.
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98But even so, he would defeat this man, even if he lost his arms and legs, he would bite him until the man was defeated.
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100He had to either way, otherwise, it would all be over.
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102In response to Tsukamoto's declaration, a small laugh escaped the Jaeger's throat and a smirk formed on his face, though it could not be seen.
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104"Ha ha, I pity you for thinking that you could easily overpower me and get out of this unscathed. But there's a fire I see in you that I cannot help but feel just a tinge of respect for. It is admirable, but severely mistaken."
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106The Jaeger started to walk away from where Compa was sitting and headed over to the newcomer. In just a few seconds, the two males were about 7 meters away from one another.
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108"I could easily kill you boy. I could grab you with by cybernetic hand and crush your neck like a piece of paper. I could take out my gun and shoot you in a fatal spot, and I could draw my sword and lop your head off. What can you do? You are a person who has not had the years of experience needed to stand before me like this. You have no weapons, no training, yet you came here knowing that the odds were stacked up against you. Tell me something, Tsukamoto Shizuki, what drives you? Why are you here?"
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110The Jaeger wanted to know what the driving factor behind his opponent was. For as long as he had been a mercenary, people like the youth - with no training and has lived a life without bloodshed, would have fled at the sight of him.
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112When he first encountered Shizuki, he had shown some obvious fear towards the Jaeger. Now, that fear was being crushed by an intense flame he came across once in a blue moon.
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114It was obvious he came there to rescue the girl he had kidnapped, but there was more to it than that.
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116He could have been trying to be a Hero of Justice.
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118He could have been trying to prove himself by taking on someone he had little hope of defeating.
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120But the truth was unexpectedly simplistic.
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122Tsukamoto Shizuki gave his answer.
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124"I just wanted to keep my new everyday life here."
125
126"..."
127
128"From the beginning, I never wanted to have this power. I had no intention of getting involved in some secret war between two shady organizations. I just wanted one thing; to live a peaceful everyday life surrounded by people I love. That's been my only wish for as long as I can remember... it truly was something wasn't it? Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my wish would come true, getting sent to another world and everything. Hell, I still don't know the details about how or what I ended up here for. But I'm grateful. Because of that random and mysterious occurrence, I was able to see new things, meet all sorts of people, and form bonds with those said people. Sure, some incidents happened here and there, but I really enjoyed my time here."
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130Shizuki spoke while having the expression of a person who was looking through an old yearbook, reminiscing their high school years.
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132Then that expression grew into something that looked like someone who recalled a bitter memory that they could not let go of no matter what.
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134"But... you people came out of nowhere and messed that all up. You people from that world I left behind came here and ruined everything! Blowing up my friend's apartment building with all her neighbors still inside, sending your goons to try to kill them, and turning this whole world against me by staging attacks at random places! I was just in the process of starting my life over from zero, and you completely ruined everything! And worst yet, you've taken one of those people I've formed a strong bond with, use her as a hostage and threaten to kill her! How the hell am I supposed to take this without doing a damn thing about it?!"
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136He clenched his fists as hard as he could, so much so that little drops of blood for falling down from it.
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138"G.H.Q? Die Walkure? I don't care about any of you guys. Both of you people are just unnecessary invaders that suddenly popped into my life. Only one of you is worst and I can definitely confirm as evil. Feel free to have your war, but do it elsewhere! Don't drag me and this world into it!"
139
140"..."
141
142"If you want the Gem of Sephira, try and take it. Shoot holes in my body, crush my organs and beat me til' I'm black and blue all over.... but if you think you can just get away with intruding on something I was building up, then I'll tear that messed up conception of yours apart! Right here, right now!!"
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144That was the truth.
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146He did not fight for the sake of the world itself, and did not fight to save something as exaggerated as “the human race”. But at the same time, he did not fight for power, influence wealth, religion, or an ideology.
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148Instead, he simply fought for a life he was getting accustomed and the small group of people that made up his inner circle. It was a selfish, vague, simplistic wish of a boy who simply wanted to find his place in life.
149
150And yet...
151
152"....I see."  The Jaeger replied in a dead even tone. "You are a person I cannot stand in normal circumstances."
153
154"...?"
155
156"Along side terrorists, and people who take the peace they have for granted, there is another type or person that I can't tolerate." The Jaeger spoke, narrowing his eyes underneath his mask. "To some, your wish may seem somewhat noble and simple, however, beyond that is cowardice. Instead of facing your problems head on, you chose to run away and pretend that the last fifteen or so years of your life on earth did not happen and chose to abandon it all; your neighbors, your classmates, your own family, just because you were not satisfied with how certain things in your life were going. Nothing irritates me more than people who cowardly abandon their own for selfish reasons... and you abandoned your entire world for a selfish wish. For that, I will enjoy killing you personally."
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158The Jaeger began to crack his knuckles with his bionic right hand. He then used that same hand to grip the cloth of his robes and threw it off his person. What was revealed underneath the cloak was a black tactical outfit worn over the Jaeger's well built frame, along with a belt that held some of his equipment including a holster for his gun and sword. His outfit did not have sleeves, however, grey bandages were wrapped around his arm that was completely flesh and blood, while the other arm was fully cybernetic with the G.H.Q insignia plastered on its shoulder.
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160Tsukamoto tensed up a bit. It was not because of his appearance, or even his actions, but the words he had said to him earlier.
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162("Of course a guy like him wouldn't understand... he's too busy focusing on the bigger picture to carefully look at the smaller issues. It was stupid of me to expect anything else from him.")
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164Both of his hands were tightened into fists as he prepared for his enemy's next move.
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166("Call it whatever you like... but at the end of the day, that place stopped being my home six years ago.  If pursuing my own happiness elsewhere is a crime, then I'll accept being the villain just this once.")
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168"I have heard that the weapon in your body grants you an ability to heal from your wounds, but I bet there is a way around that. There are a multitude of ways that I could end your life without that thing's power getting in the way, but for now I am going to enjoy taking my time with this. You aren't the kind of person worth going through all that effort to kill, therefore, I will take a more simplistic approach in your execution."
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170The masked man crouched down into a combat stance.
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172"A simple duel to the death with only our fists. This would make things fair and once I land a hit on a vital spot, it will all be over. Nothing more will be needed beyond that."
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174Shizuki got into a stance of his own and prepared himself for his enemy's advance. If one could tell who was in experienced based on their stances alone, the obvious answer would be Shizuki. He was not a skilled martial artist, and he just barely qualified as a decent street fighter.
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176But even so, he would fight. That was what he came there to do, and he would use every ounce of his being to bring down the wall that was the Jaeger.
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178If he wanted to return to that everyday life with Compa, he had to knock down that wall.  He didn't know how he would do it, but somehow he would manage.
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180The two combatants engaged each other in the brutal fight to the death, and the sole female silently watched on, hoping for a miracle to occur.
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183※※※※※
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185
186Somewhere else, an open clearing near a local forest had been turned into a forest of its own, only it was not a forest of trees and grass.
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188It was a forest of living creatures.
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190To be more specific, it was a large horde of Grimm.
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192While looking for a certain boy, IF and Kurosaki Kojiro had been attacked by one of these creatures which was enhanced by deadly serum called Extremis and a large battle ensued.  The creature was eventually put down thanks to one of Kurosaki's trump cards and it was assumed that the battle was over.
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194But it was not the end.
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196In fact, that was merely a prelude.
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198Within seconds, a number of Grimm so large, they could not be counted accurately had suddenly poured in from the surrounding trees and surrounded the pair almost instantaneously. They could not escape and they did not try to at first, as any reckless actions could have the entire horde closing in to tear them apart.
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200All of the Grimm took the forms of various animals and life forms, even extinct ones, and if one looked well enough, they could see a few that looked humanoid in appearance.
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202One of those humanoid figures stood out from the other Grimm.
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204And it wasn't a Grimm either.
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206It was their controller, Arfoire the Deity of Sin.
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208IF looked to be somewhat surprised by the old foe's sudden appearance, but as she thought over what had happened the last week or so, it was starting to make since.
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210"...It all makes sense," muttered the girl in blue. "The Gleam Eyes, the stuff with that underling and everything else. Rosalia was just another fake persona created by you, wasn't it?"
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212"Hah, I'm glad to see your deductive skills haven't completely eroded, though I'm a bit surprised it took this long to figure out." Arfoire scoffed, standing in an opening of Grimm. "Yes, everything that's happened so far has been entirely of my design."
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214"But why? I thought you were locked up somewhere.."
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216"Obviously I escaped, though I did have help in doing that from those outsiders. Once they set me free, I took on the 'Rosalia' personality and has been living among you, gathering a competent group of followers, and worked as huntress in public while working on my plans for revenge in secret."
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218As Arfoire explained her actions, she took out something that looked like a small box. It was a cube that was completely black with some glowing red lining running across its surface.
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220IF and Kojiro could feel an oppressive aura coming from it. It felt like something that should not exist in the current world at all and looking into its contents will undoubtedly lead one to an unknown darkness.
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222Arfoire continued to speak.
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224"After I was defeated by the Goddesses, I spent my time in that dark cell craving revenge, but most of my original power was gone. In order to obtain my wish, I had to use something else to carry it out. When those people freed me from my prison, they came up with the means necessary to wipe out the CPUs once and for all. That was of course, a weapon specifically designed to kill goddesses."
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226IF felt a light chill run down her spine, then she recalled something.
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228During the L.I.C.S fiasco, chaos energy crystals were used in Linda's battle with the Candidates. When Nashorn suit had grounded the crystals into a powder and sprayed it onto them, they quickly lost their power and became weak.
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230She already saw its effects before then, but it only reminded her just how dangerous those crystals were.
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232And now Arfoire wanted a weapon to eliminate the CPUs?
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234"So that's what those crystals were for.."
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236"Of course, though those people had already mined enough of it to be fully weaponized. I simply gave some of it to that underling for her cause. The rest of it shall be used  to forge a weapon that will easily slay the CPUs. After that, I will send my Grimm Armies to reduce the four lands into nothing but ash! Soon, the whole world shall know the terrifying might of Arfoire!"
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238Arfoire gave a haughty laugh like a villainous boss, something which she had a habit of doing whenever she thought she would triumph.
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240"But first, there's the matter of settling the current score with you. You see Wind Walker, I haven't forgotten what you did to me that night. The mere thought of being beaten by some measly human angers me to no end! Therefore, I will thoroughly enjoy annihilating you!"
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242"Heh, maybe it hadn't occurred to you that you might be getting too old for this kind of thing." IF replied mockingly. "If you went ahead and retired like a good granny, you might still have some dignity left."
243
244"You little... you must have some nerve you brat! So be it. I was simply planning on utterly annihilating you, but you just lost the privilage of having a quick and painless demise! Instead, I will have my minions slowly tear you apart so you may come to regret your impudence!"
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246The Black Cube in her hand started to glow a dark red color. Following that, the surrounding Grimm had their eyes totally focused on the pair.
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248They were preparing to attack.
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250With the feeling of killing intent surrounding them, Kurosaki spoke in almost a whisper.
251
252"What should we do?"
253
254"..."
255
256IF looked at the surrounding monsters. There was too many. There was no way those two were going to fight all of those Grimm at once. If they tried, they would be swallowed up the instant they did.
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258And if the Grimm attacked first, it would all be over.
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260Either way, they had to act soon.
261
262"...Close your eyes for a sec."
263
264"?"
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266He was slightly confused as to what she was planning, but he complied with her request anyway. In that moment, IF took out a small, yet glowing white object and threw it where a large group of Grimm were practically huddled on top of each other.
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268A bright flash exploded out, followed by the cries coming from all sorts of creatures.
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270"Now!"
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272IF and Kojirou opened their eyes and ran into the direction where the explosion had taken place. Apparently, those Grimm that had been occupying that space were eliminated and that created an opening the pair needed to escape.
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274Arfoire and most of the other Grimm had been blinded by strange bomb, causing them to growl in both confusion and irritation.
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276When their vision cleared, the two were of course, no where to be seen, yet the Deity of Sin already had an idea of which direction they went.
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278"What are you dwataling around for? After them you fools!"
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280Obeying their master's wishes, the Grimm took off in pursuit in the direction she pointed at.
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285
286Kurosaki and IF had used their respective enhancement abilities to gain a good enough distance away from the Grimm, but they could not relax. Even as they ran, they could hear thousands of footsteps chasing after them from behind along with demonic cries.
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288"This is not good." Started Kojiro. "At this rate, they will catch up. We need a plan to effectively deal with these creatures."
289
290"Working on it..!"
291
292IF took out another one of those 'bombs' and threw it behind her as they ran. When the monsters ran to where it had been thrown, another bright flash exploded, taking out and blinding more of the creatures. She kept doing this at 20 second intervals while they kept running.
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294This was only meant to slow the creatures down in their pursuit, not to stop them all together. But they couldn't keep this up forever. IF would eventually run out of those explosives and they would run out of stamina if they kept running for longer-than-nessecary periods.
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296She started to consider all the options they had on the table.
297
298Splitting up was a terrible decision. It may have worked against an singular enemy they both couldn't defeat head on like that Minotaur, but their enemy this times was an entire army. If they split up, the army would also split up in response. If they wanted a proper means of defeating these creatures, they had to stick together.
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300Her thoughts had suddenly ground to a halt when she saw what laid beyond the horizon.
301
302"...You can't be serious."
303
304There was a town there.
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306IF seemed to recall that Compa had gone over to a nearby town to search for Shizuki there. If this was indeed the place where she had gone to and if both of them were there, then this would be a problem.  Not only would those two be in danger, but the people living there will especially be put at risk. She could not let that happen.
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308IF came to a stop and turned in the direction of where the beasts were heading.
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310"Change of plans, Kojiro.. we can't let those monsters into the city. We'll have to hold them off here."
311
312"I agree. We cannot let anyone else get involved in this."
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314They had no choice but to face the horde of beasts head on. If they didn't want any innocent bystanders to get caught up in Arfoire's madness, they had to make a final stand here.
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316They doubted they would be able to kill them all, but they were not ready to go down without a fight.
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318An avalanche of black white and red rushed towards the pair with no signs of stopping any time soon. gathering strength in their nerves, IF and Kurosaki Kojirou tightly gripped their respective weapons.
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320They stared at that horde head on, and when they steeled themselves for the inevitable clash, they rushed forward into that horde.
321
322And so a battle between two humans and an army of demons and their queen had commenced.
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326※※※※※
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328
329The Jaeger kicked himself off the ground and ran straight towards him, closing the seven meter gap within seconds. The man was simply too fast to accurately prepare for an attack, so Tsukamoto Shizuki lowered his stance and fixed his eyes on his chest area.
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331His enemy wore a metal mask that protected his face. Striking him there wouldn't do much and if anything, he may hurt his fist in the process.
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333"Haaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
334
335Shizuki swung his fist in full force at a speed that can't possibly be avoided, however...
336
337The fist swings through nothing but the air in front of him and a powerful impact slams into his body like a tidal wave.
338
339"Guh..?!"
340
341The Jaeger was nowhere to be seen. The enemy that had charged directly at him had vanished from Shizuki's line of sight in an instant. He soon discovered that he was crouched down at his left side and slammed his palm into his stomach. Following that, the masked man sent a powerful kick with his lightning fast legs to send his body flying into the air.
342
343"Bggh?!"
344
345The strike was so powerful, Tsukamoto almost lost consciousness when he flew up, only coming back to reality when his back landed on the stone cold floor of the dark room they were in.
346
347"Shizu-kun..!"
348
349"Ah...Ah..."
350
351He could hear someone call out to  him, but he was still somewhat dazed from that hit to direct his attention to. He had no idea how many meters he was kicked up. The impact was so powerful, it could have torn off his head if it had struck him there.
352
353But if he had to talk about impacts, the second blow to his stomach was enough to completely destroy his organs.
354
355"A....Are you serious? Chinese martial arts?"
356
357And it seemed as though he was quite good at it. If he had to be called the most dangerous man alive, he was certainly deserving of that title if he was capable of this much.
358
359"How astute you are. But I am afraid this is nothing more than a mimicry of taolu without much behind it. I really only use it when I've either exhausted all of my arsenal, or if my enemy is someone not worth using a weapon against. Thankfully, this seems to be good enough against an amateur like you."
360
361The Jaeger explained as though he were giving a lecture on a subject he had little interest in.
362
363"...!"
364
365He proceeded to continue his assault. Using all the power he had in his body, Tsukamoto forced his joints to bend and stood up.
366
367"I think I will enjoy this. I will teach you a lesson in which cowardice always has a price. You think you can just abandon your people without paying for the consequences? Allow me to correct that notion."
368
369"......!"
370
371Despite the man's thorny words, Shizuki continued to face his enemy head on. Despite the man's tremendous skill and strength, he refused to turn away.
372
373("There's only one thing I have to do. I have to be faster than before. I have to punch faster even if he dodges it. Reject his words, and strike with all the power you can muster...!")
374
375The one he had to defeat was right in front of him. He did not care about some decades old war between two factions and divided world he came from. For Tsukamoto Shizuki, tearing down the wall called the Jaeger was his only path to ensuring that his every day life with the others can continue.
376
377The Jaeger rushes forward and slams his palm against him.
378
379These attacks were not meant to destroy his outer body. It was instead designed to damage the inside of his body rather than the outside, so the attacks pierces straight through him without mercy.
380
381"Tch...!!"
382
383Shizuki rushed forward again throwing punches as fast as his human body would allow him, but every time, they were parried, blocked, deflected and dodged, and in response, he would receive another blow to his body that sends him sliding back again.
384
385Every time he was hit, his vision would flicker for just a second. His body could heal itself, so his power would take care of the damage he received from his enemy's blows.
386
387A fist lunges straight for his head at lightning speed. Thankfully, Tsukamoto was quick enough to raise his right arm and block the coming attack, though he felt a sharp pain in his wrist when  it received the blow instead.
388
389But he could not allow any attack to strike his head. if he was hit there, it was all over. With this in mine, Shizuki had to prioritize protecting his head more than delivering a a clean strike on him.
390
391"Damn..!"
392
393A powerful kick strikes his abdomen, sending him up in the air and back onto the ground. He stood up once more, letting the Gem of Sephira repair the damage to his body.
394
395A fist of flesh strikes his side, sending an intense wave of pain to his brain.
396
397A fist of metal strikes his other side, causing more pain to be felt.
398
399Tsukamoto did his best to block these attacks, but his strength was too much. each fist would some how make it past some of his defenses through a blind spot and mercilessly slam into his person.
400
401"K...Kuh..?!"
402
403More fists hit his body. His vision starts to turn white. He was unsure how long he could keep this up. 
404
405If he had to compare all the times he had been punched, the beating he received from those delinquents that night felt tame compared to this. The Jaeger's fists felt more like someone repeatedly hitting his body with a sledge hammer.
406
407As his body is repeatedly destroyed, the energy of the Gem rewrites the damage in order to heal it and keep it functioning. In exchange, his mind continues to be torn away.
408
409("I... can't fall here. There's someone here I have to save, and there's still a lot we haven't done yet!")
410
411He tried to focus on that fact as his mind was in chaos from the blows he received.
412
413The Jaeger continued his assault with an attack to his face, however, Shizuki was quick enough and managed to dodge that fatal attack and swung his right fist in retaliation.
414
415The attack was repelled, just like all the others, and a powerful jolt runs through his left rib, sending another painful sensation to wash over him.
416
417("I can still move... as long as I can move my body, I can still keep u─")
418
419The fist of the bionic arm collided with his abdomen. His vision had turned completely white after that last hit.
420
421"A...Ah."
422
423That strike hurt him a bit more than the others did. His body should have had its pain receptors numbed out at this point, but it was about to cry out from it.
424
425As though he were a rag-doll, Tsukamoto's body flung back, hitting the ground as he rolled about.
426
427"Ah...gah."
428
429Shizuki could not move. He tried his best to pour strength into his body, but the best he could move was a finger.
430
431It was over.
432
433In the end, his body would repair itself, but he himself would burn out, unable to bear the pain. But he could not fall asleep just yet.
434
435If he clocked out here, it would not end well....
436
437And what the Jaeger said next was enough to reinforce that.
438
439"So this is all you have, is it? Then I will proceed to eliminate the unnecessary elements here after claiming my prize. Once I am finished with you, this woman here will perish."
440
441"...?!"
442
443Compa, who was sitting on the ground just twelve meters away, gave a slight jump when she heard those words. The enemy had now turned his red eyes back over to her before focusing on the youth before him.
444
445"........."
446
447Time seemed to stop for Shizuki.
448
449He couldn't find the words to describe it, but something inside him was shaken. The foundation of his inner world was rocked when he had heard those words.
450
451She was going to die.
452
453If he fell here, she would die and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
454
455He didn't want to lose her. Preventing that awful ending from occurring was the entire basis for his coming there to face that man. And now he was going to fail.
456
457("Damn it...!")
458
459The enemy drew closer in his slow yet strong footsteps.
460
461He thought back to the first time he met her. Back then, he was battered and bruised from a group of guys from his former life, and had fallen from a light in the sky into their world. She could have ignored it and continue on about her life, but she didn't.  she instead recovered him from the landing site, brought him to her home and cared for him until he woke up, despite being a complete stranger.
462
463Since then, he was absolutely sure that he could call her his friend. He had known her for at best two weeks, but to him that connection felt as though it was formed years ago.
464
465And now that connection was in danger of being destroyed.
466
467Originally, he found the idea of people saying they could not live without someone else, was only exaggeration, but now he was starting to understand what it was like. Right now, he couldn't even bear the thought of her disappearing from his life.
468
469("Get up...")
470
471He could not let that happen.
472
473("Get up!!!!")
474
475It was simply unacceptable to him.
476
477He did not know what this man's personal goal in life was, but if it involved killing people left and right and causing wanton destruction everywhere, then it wasn't a real goal he could support.
478
479But he has one.
480
481Tsukamoto Shizuki has a goal that was worth beating that monster over, a reason why he had to assure his victory.
482
483How much did he make that person worry?
484
485How much did he make that person cry when he did something stupid or got hurt?
486
487He could not find the answer to that, and to be honest, he did not want to. All that mattered to him was making things right. Right now, beating this man, bowing his head and apology to that person, and returning home with her was his only purpose in life.
488
489And so...
490
491"Ah.... Ahhhhhh!"
492
493Power returned to his limbs. Grasping onto the very Concept of his wish, Tsukamoto Shizuki rose to his feet once more and bellowed out with every fiber of his soul.
494
495"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
496
497And with his right fist clenched, he drove it straight into the man's abdomen with the force of a meteor.
498
499"Guh...nu?!"
500
501"AH, AHHHHH!!!!"
502
503With everything he had, he began to punch his foe in the face despite it being protected by a mask.
504
505"Tch... so you still have enough in you!"
506
507"YOU GODDAMN MONSTERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!"
508
509One blow.
510
511Two blows.
512
513Three blows.
514
515Four blows.
516
517Five blows.
518
519Six blows.
520
521Seven blows!
522
523A relentless assault struck the Jaeger with all his power put into them.
524
525He could do it.
526
527He could win.
528
529if he could get a little bit more in to knock him out, the battle will end, and he and Compa can return to their lives.
530
531But that illusion was quickly shattered.
532
533"Nhgh...ahh!!"
534
535With a blow to his stomach he was blown away once again. The jaeger had deflected Shizuki's attack and retaliated with a hard shot.
536
537"Ah...gah...guh!"
538
539("Shit! I know! I know he wouldn't let me punch him that easily! No matter how you look at it, he's many times stronger than me, so he can just fend off my attacks and come finish me off like it's no problem at all...!")
540
541He tried to take in as much oxygen as he could, since it was getting difficult for him to breath from all those hits.
542
543He should have known this would be the outcome. The difference in their powers was like night and day, and those differences won't change.
544
545This was not like a Shounen Manga where things would conveniently go right for him in this situation. This was reality, and no matter how hard he tried,  that fact won't change.
546
547He realized the self evident truth of the matter.
548
549Like it or not, he would lose.
550
551("But even so, my body can still move! As long as I can move, I still have a chance at beating him! This is──")
552
553Shizuki's train of thought ground to a halt.
554
555The space between them was a little over five steps.
556
557The masked mercenary took a slight step forward, shortening this seemingly safe distance. This step, which sneaked toward the enemy without announcing its speed, was called ‘the moving stance’. It was also one of the dangerous secret skills of Baji Quan.
558
559Tsukamoto shuddered, as the tall figure glided forward. The Jaeger reached Baji Quan's optimum distance, and his fist drove toward the boy with the power to reach infinity in all eight directions.
560
561("Oh crap! He's too fast!")
562
563The Jaeger stepped forward.
564
565The concrete floor boomed under the impact, and the heavily planted forward fist slammed into Shizuki’s chest like a rock. Using the ‘Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards’ style, the sheer force of the Jaeger’s strike was like a grenade exploding in Shizuki's chest.
566
567Shizuki’s body, which took the full force of the blow, flew through the air like a strand of hay, and slammed into the support pillars that crowded the room. He never had the chance to defend himself. His thoracic cavity crumpled beneath the Jaeger’s iron fist, and his lung and heart were pounded into a mash of meat.
568
569This time, it was really over.
570
571That single strike was all it took to end the confrontation. The Jaeger let out a sigh, fist still outstretched with the feel of death on his hand. Even this fight to the death, in which every second mattered, had taken only a moment to decide the victor.
572
573"N..No.."
574
575The girl who that boy had fought to save stared on in total disbelief over what she had just witnessed. Her brain refused to accept it, yet the reality before her told her otherwise.
576
577"Noooooooooooo..!!"
578
579 Tsukamoto Shizuki was truly, seriously dead.
580
581
582※※※※※
583
584The entire scene could only be described as total chaos. Guns were fired, swords were drawn, creature after creature had fallen to the ground and crumbled, yet the chaos never ended. More and more creatures would appear in their place to carry out the attack once more.
585
586The teeth and curved claws of the monsters have attack powers equal to swords, and strength that was well beyond that of a normal human's. If anyone else were in this situation, they would have died to these creatures long ago.
587
588With the quick strokes of his sword, Kurosaki Kojiro struck down any creature that was within his line of sight after parrying and evading every attack that came his way. The Grimm may have been formidable creatures, but the lot of them did not possess a warrior's intuition or the skill needed to survive against a skilled human. They were simply too primitive for such complex thinking.
589
590IF was alternating between her hand guns and her blades. She used her guns to take out most of the monsters in her line of sight, sometimes using explosive rounds, but when they got too close, she could swap out her guns for her blades to cut down cut down the Grimm that were within arm's reach of her.
591
592She was fast, so she was able to take down the bigger ones with greater ease than the smaller ones.
593
594A Grimm that was over ten feet in height had the body of a scorpion. Its tail moved at the speed of lightning as it tried to impale the girl in blue with its stinger, but the attack was avoided each time.
595
596"....!"
597
598After evading the last strike from its tail, IF drove her blade into the creature's cranium, resulting in the body not moving and crumbling into a dark mist. At the same time, a Grimm that resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex  Bellowed out and spat a fire ball where she stood.
599
600She of course evaded it and swapped one of her blades for a gun. She pulled the trigger, shooting the behemoth of a creature down with explosive bullets.
601
602Kojiro was facing three different kinds of Grimm. One resembled a jaguar, the other one was a bipedal wolf-like creature, and the last one had a humanoid appearance with a tall long body of eight feet, a small head, and large hands with ridiculously long claws.
603
604The Jaguar attacked first.
605
606faced with an attack that was meant to gouge out his throat, Kojiro quickly stepped to the right before raising his sword to cut the monster in half vertically. The Jaguar had fallen to the ground and dissipated from existence.
607
608The Wolf ran at him at the spread closest to sound and tried to grab him, but the Black Swordsman leaped a few meters back, evading each attack. A lightning fast kick was delivered to the creature's abdomen to stun it, allowing him to easily drive the Katana through its chest.
609
610"...."
611
612Once that was taken care of, the humanoid lunged at him and repeatedly slashed at him with his claws.
613
614("This one is quite trouble some.")
615
616Kurosaki repealed the humanoid's attacks with his sword, but whenever he tried to attack, the creature would dodge and repel. It became apparent that this creature had some degree of awareness as it was not falling to his blade as easily as the others before it. Its claws were sharp enough to withstand clashes with his weapon, so he had to take this entity more seriously than he did with the previous hordes he fought and dealt with.
617
618With a deadly attack from both sides, Kojiro jumped backwards to avoid having an X slashed across his body and took out three razor sharp disks. These weapons in particular were called Qua'tars, weapons that boast great power and a high difficulty to master.
619
620With three fierce throws, Kurosaki launched them at the humanoid, which parried one, but was struck in the chest by the second one, and his head being lopped off with the third.
621
622The battle was over but the war still raged on. Taking out four more Quatars, he threw them all at the same time in the spaces behind him, striking down the four different Grimm monsters that were closing in on him from those blind spots.
623
624Multiple hordes of Grimm were starting to close in on IF from all sides. She could not kill them all with just her blades, so she swapped them out for her pistols yet again and leaped into the air after a giant badger-like Grimm lunged at her with its claws.
625
626While she was above them, she fired her semi-automatic pistols with explosive rounds on the entities below her and dealt them a swift end. Landing on the ground, she spun about 360 degrees, mowing down any creature that was around her. After the majority of them had been taken care of, she swapped one of her guns for a short blade that she threw at the bear-like Grimm that was coming for her.
627
628"This isn't getting us anywhere.."
629
630"I agree. There is simply no end to this horde of monstrosities."
631
632The two combatants had their backs against the other once more as the Grimm horde closed in on them. Their arsenal and the continuously summoned and materializing monsters were in a situation where their powers were completely equal to each other. This means Arfoire holds the reins for this battle. That deity of sin wasn’t trying to get a quick victory but moved step by step, maneuvering just enough forces needed to combat IF and Kojiro, and got the battle into a deadlock.
633
634It seems like Arfoire planned to fight a drawn-out battle. She wanted to tire the pair out, exhaust all their energy, and then finish them off with one blow.
635
636"Damn that hag..! At this rate, we'll be cornered."
637
638"There must be a weak spot within that woman's defense..."
639
640Kojiro had sensed the enemy’s intentions after he defeated three monsters.
641
642He didn’t yet know the reason. However, the various types of monsters and Arfoire’s unnatural degree of confidence triggered his instinctive alarm.
643
644After defeating ten, Kojiro finally confirmed the reason for this unsettledness.
645
646The amount of enemies didn’t decrease. No matter how many he defeats, new enemies would emerge. Arfoire’s summoning magecraft (?) continuously called for reinforcements from other worlds.
647
648Even so, it didn’t matter; Kojiro silently steeled himself. No matter how big the number of enemies may swell into, all he has to do is to defeat them twice as fast here.
649
650After thirty, because the enemies didn’t decrease a single bit, a flash of anxiety passed over their hearts.
651
652When fifty were defeated, it became pointless to count anymore.
653
654They realized that new demonic monsters were born from the mist of the defeated entities.  It was as if the defeated demonic monsters are able to be reborn indefinitely.
655
656If so, then this is a competition concerning the amount of energy.
657
658"....."
659
660Arfoire's energy should be definite. Repeatedly summoning and resurrecting familiars would eventually exhaust her energy. The question is whether IF and Kurosaki could be able to last until then.
661
662("Could it be...")
663
664Although it was a most pessimistic guess, but it probably shouldn’t be wrong.
665
666It was summoning magecraft that summoned these countless demonic monsters, resurrected them, and urged them to relentlessly rush towards the pair. And the one reciting the spell was none other except that cube of magecraft.
667
668As he was a Magus, Kurosaki had developed an eye for these things, though that cube was nothing he had ever seen before. Magic worked a bit differently on other worlds, so he could not use his encounters with magi from his world as a reference point.
669
670"That cube is continuously summoning those beasts and using the remains to create new ones.... It is probably a prana furnace with an incredible capacity, a ‘monster’ that can use magecraft just by its own power."
671
672"You figured something out..?"
673
674"It's the cube. As long as that thing remains active, our situation will not improve."
675
676"I see, so that’s what it is.."  IF gave a slightly depressed sighs after hearing Kurosaki's words. "But how are we going to get to Arfoire? If we try to rush her, these monsters will keep blocking us."
677
678As the Grimm grouped together and approached them slowly, a loud laugh was heard.
679
680"What's the matter brats? Feeling overwhelmed are we? Since you are about to die here, I shall share a little secret with you."
681
682The cube in her hand pulsed with an oppressive prana surge which took on the form of a black mist.
683
684"This artifact is called the Grimm Cube. It was a device created directly by the Great Daemon Lord Mollem so he could continuously conjure any and all Grimm sealed away in a certain dimension. A human like yourselves can't possibly hope to utilize its full power as its dark power would consume you, but someone like me who has divine origins and has fallen to 'the dark side' if you will,  I can last a lot longer and continue to control the Demon Lord's forces as my own minions!"
685
686More Grimm formed a wall between her and the two. What they had to do became obvious.  The Cube of Grimm was the only thing that was keeping them from obtaining certain victory.
687
688"....I think I got a idea."
689
690"Are you perhaps thinking of..."
691
692"Yup, " IF took out a silver pistol. Unlike her other weapons, this one had special properties which allowed her to negate various phenomena including magic. "And thankfully I've got a lot more bullets this time around."
693
694"I see. Then I will open up the way for you to land the decisive hit."
695
696Despite the vagueness of their words, they both apparently understood what the other wanted to do. Arfoire narrowed her eyes slightly as she remembered that gun. That weapon had been directly responsible for her humiliating defeat that other night, and was still in the process of looking for a counter to it. She did not want to suffer a repeat of that night, so she ordered her demonic hordes to attack once again.
697
698The Black Swordsman of Die Walkure and the Wind Walker of Gamindustri moved forward to carry out their plan against the fallen goddess.
699
700
701※※※※※
702
703
704A certain boy's eyes opened.
705
706He had no idea how much time had passed, but he had apparently been in a state of unconsciousness while he was standing up.
707
708"......."
709
710As his eyes started to focus, he realized that his vision was still white. There was nothing wrong with his eyes, as he initially thought, but everything around him was odd to put it lightly. There was nothing but white surrounding him.
711
712The ground was perfectly flat. It was even more level and free of defect than the silicon wafer for a semiconductor. From where he stood to the horizon, the ground did not rise or fall by even a micron.
713
714“Where am I...?”
715
716Despite the previous use of the word, it was unclear whether the term “horizon” even applied. Both the ground and the sky were colored pure white, so it was impossible to distinguish between them.
717
718He turned around a full 360 degrees, but the scenery did not change. He stopped at the spot he thought he had started at, but he was not even sure that was correct. With nothing to use as a landmark, he could not be sure.
719
720However, a strange sound entered his ears. To be more clear, that sound was a voice, mixed in with countless others clamoring about. The voices weren't loud, they were softer in volume, but were still loud enough to be heard.
721
722The boy wondered where those voices were coming from, but then he looked around and saw that multiple figures had manifested out of nowhere and were walking past him as if he were not there at all.
723
724"....."
725
726The figures were black in color and all of them were completely featureless. There was no discernible difference in height, and even their genders and ages could not be ascertained.  The boy could not feel anything like hostile intent from those featureless figures walking by. In fact.... he couldn't feel anything from them. That vague emptiness kind of gave him a chill.
727
728"Hi there."
729
730"Wha─"
731
732Surprised by the sudden voice, the boy turned around and took a step back.
733
734It was a young girl who looked about seven years younger than he was ── a mere child. She had short blond hair with curly edges, and eyes that shone the same color as her hair. Her clothes was a long sleeveless white dress with a yellow crystal embedded on the chest area. As the boy looked at her, she looked like someone he knew, except younger, but he couldn't quite place his finger on who it was. Perhaps if her hair and eyes were a certain color, he may be able to recall something, but at the moment, he was drawing a blank.
735
736Seeing the boy's confused expression, the girl in white giggled.
737
738"Hehe, oh goodness, did I startle you? I do apologize about that."
739
740"....Am I dead?"
741
742The youth asked in somewhat of a daze. He remembered fighting someone and taking a dangerous blow to his chest, but that was all he remembered. The next thing that came after that was waking up in this place.
743
744"That entirely depends on your definition of the word," The girl answered. Her soprano voice and the topic she was discussing made this experience feel surreal. "Your definition of being dead is based on what those in the mortal world think being dead is. Your physical body was damaged and you no longer move in that world, but in my view, as long as the soul remains, one can never truly be dead."
745
746"What is this place...?"
747
748"This is the Soul Dimension. The dimension that exists within the Gem of Sephira. As you are the current owner of the gem, you are the only one who could easily access this realm... but it seems as though circumstances sent you here rather than your own power..."
749
750The girl frowned a bit as she looked at the supposed owner of the Gem. It seemed as though she was confused about something but she did not give any comments on it.
751
752"And who exactly are you supposed to be? Don't tell me you're the welcoming committee or something..."
753
754"Heehee, well that assessment isn't totally wrong, but you could say that I am the sentient will of the Gem of Sephira, or to be more accurate, the sentient will of the Gem of Sephira's core. It's a pleasure to finally meet my owner like this, though since I've been with you for many years, I know quite a lot about you. Even parts of your history that are blocked off from your memory!★"
755
756"You know... about my past?"
757
758"I sure do! But it wouldn't be right for me to tell you everything you know? Besides, isn't there something more pressing that needs to be taken care of?"
759
760The youth tried to recall what she was referring to. Then it all started to come back to him. he remembered how he was fighting a man called the Jaeger to save a friend of his named Compa. He had lost that fight and was apparently dead from what he could make out of this situation.
761
762"Is it all starting to come back to you now★?"
763
764"Yeah... I remember! I have to get back. Someone I──" The youth caught himself for a moment before choosing his words carefully and continued. "A good friend of mine is in danger of being killed... I have to go back and save her before that guy hurts her! How do I get out of here?"
765
766The boy's voice had grew more urgent as he remembered everything. It seemed like he no longer cared about his surroundings or the apparent mysteries of his past, and only wanted to save a certain person from meeting an awful fate.
767
768Despite this, the Will of the Gem of Sephira's Core maintained her gentle composure.
769
770"What will you do then? If I do send you back, you'll just end up back here again. It would seem kind of a waste to send you back unprepared..."
771
772"Please," he started in a quiet voice. "That person means a lot to me... if something happened to her because of me, I don't even know what I would do... I know I failed in stopping that guy, but I want to try again! I wasn't properly prepared the last time, so please, just send me back and let me try again! I know you're probably some ancient force that predates my own world and that my worries probably mean nothing to you, but please... just find it somewhere in your heart to let me go. I... I want to save Compa-san."
773
774He was fully aware of what was at stake. He knew what he wanted and how far he was willing to obtain it. Even if it was unsightly and made him look pathetic, the boy would get down on his hands and knees and beg the Will of Sephira for her to let him do what he needed to do. If he needed to, he would find his way back through force.
775
776But despite this, the Will simply smiled gently and placed a hand on her wielder's cheek.
777
778"Silly boy, I never said I was against letting you go back to save your friend. I was just voicing my worries over sending you back unprepared."
779
780".....?"
781
782"I may be as old as creation itself, but I'm not one of those beings who are completely ignorant to the feelings of human beings. My element is Soul after all! It's also worth mentioning that I have been a part of you for a long time, so I already know of whatever feelings you may have for that person you want to save."
783
784"You mean..."
785
786"Mhm! Keeping you here won't really serve me any purpose beyond having someone to converse with like this, so I'm going to return you back to the mortal world so you can do what needs to be done. But first, take this with you."
787
788The Will of Sephira spread open her hands as a glowing white orb manifested in front of her. The orb then hovered about a foot or so above the youth who desperately wanted to save the one person dear to him.
789
790"What's that?"
791
792"Call it a gift if you like. It's a tool that will take the form of whatever you desire once you manifest it in the mortal world. Use it not with shame, but with pride. There is no need for you to be ashamed of your gifts, Tsukamoto Shizuki. Embrace them, and you will be able to protect that which you hold dear."
793
794Her words had a great weight to them, but not in the way that will crush him. If anything, those words had unlocked a seal on his heart that was holding him back in some form or another.
795
796He was ready.
797
798He stretched his hand up to grab hold of that orb that was the embodiment of his desires. He would grasp it tightly and never let it go.
799
800His desire may have been selfish, and he may have been running away from something that was trivial in the grand scheme of things.
801
802But he simply could not abandon that desire.
803
804He could not let go.
805
806"Now go, and make sure you don't come back this time★!"
807
808"Yeah, I got it. This time, I'll definitely kick that guy's ass and return us to our everyday life."
809
810From that point onward, Tsukamoto Shizuki had awakened to take his place in the vast world.