《I Am A Hero: Sheer Heart Attack》


 Chapter 1

    This story was supposed to come out a long time ago and for that me and my friend need to apologise for the delay. Still, the next part to the story is here and we hope it is sufficiently responsible. Update will be weekly. Enjoy!


    1.1


    A less than warm welcome


    Eons ago, there was chaos, pain and suffering. Until the Divines came and liberated this land for us. But they couldn''t have done it without the help of those who have given their life. The town Saragarhi, resting place of one such hero, invite all those with a fire in their heart, burning with the desire to serve Eden and the Divines. Come join us in this glorious celebration, where we can test our mettle and rise up in this time of turbulence.


    Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!


    Johann von Brandt crushed the poster in his hand, energy coursing through shredding the piece of paper into pieces.


    "Blasphemy, for them to organise this without permission"


    "Well, I don''t remember there is any rule forbidding them to do so~" Interjected Alva, who cackled at him for being, in her own word, ''overly serious'' "I want to see it, this festival. It would be lovely"


    "Lovely? I won''t allow it to go on!"


    "Ah, don''t spoil the people fun like that, Jo~ Come on, you tell him, Cas"


    Before Johann could object, their final member Cassian, stepped in "She is right, this is tough time and I am sure the people of Saragarhi know it. This would be a good opportunity for them to build confidence alongside neighbouring towns"


    "I¡­ guess you are right"


    As usual, Johann stepped down in front of his best friend. He could never talk back to Cassian, that curly haired gentlemen.


    "That was fast" Said Alva, pouting.


    "Shut up, we have business to attend to"


    Johann snapped at Alva, who sighed and continued on in silent. Yes, they were here on an important errand, assigned to him by mother directly. The three of them needed to fetch travellers from another dimension, summoned here to aid Eden in her time of need.


    Ridiculous.


    The nation was at stake and mother decided to seek help from a useless bunch who probably couldn''t even wield mana properly. Even though she had her children, Johann and his siblings (maybe not Willow), whom she could rely on. If push came to shove, mother could call back the Remnants, all powerful fighters that once fought for Eden.


    Why even went out of her way to call upon these people.


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t Johann''s jobs to challenge her.


    The trio proceeded to an oversized tree of dubious origin. Bulges ran along the brown body, making the plant nothing but obnoxious to look at. So here was where they would set camp, waiting for the people which may or may not be summoned here.


    Alva, however, had no intention of doing that "This is strange" The girl commented and hurried toward the repulsive tree.


    What a strange sight, Alva being serious about something. Despite growing up together, Johann couldn''t remember her being this proper. The girl was wearing pants instead of dress for once, even her twin tails were tied together.


    As Alva approached the grotesque tree something plunged down at the girl.


    Before she could realise what was going on Johann was already by her side. Cassian followed and quickly dragged Alva out as the young man swung his pole arm upward.


    Sparks flew as the steels clashed.


    The ambusher pushed at Johann''s polearm to fling himself back, landing gently on the ground. He donned robe with malas around his neck, but most strikingly was a smooth white mask fitted perfectly around his face.


    "A Fallen!" Exclaimed Cassian.


    "Be careful, they always come in group of three!" Alva yelled at Johann.


    Just when she finished, the ground busted open to reveal two other Fallens, hiding there all along. The young man readied his polearm, a naginata, for battle.


    His direct opponent seemed to have no desire to fight though. The Monk spun his spear around jokingly before sitting down with a thump. He motioned his aides to come, ''let''s see what the child of the Divine can do''.


    "So you are a Captain" Johann commented and the Monk nodded.


    The Fallen always came in a squad of three. Their leader better than his aides in every way, he was also the only one who retained a certain amount of identity.


    Johann turned around to face the two aides motioning toward him.


    He gazed at Cassian, his own aide would know what to do. Alva, meanwhile, could just stay away. Breathing deeply, the young man suddenly did a backflip, striking at the Monk sitting behind him. Johann had no time to deal with the small fries, no he would cut off the head of the snake first.


    The Monk simply hopped up over the young man blade, taunting him.


    Mana coursing throughout Johann''s blood vessels in an instant, his body toughened, the young man threw out a series of lighting fast stabs downward all the while remaining on the air. The Monk, however, weaved through the attacks like an eel.


    By the time Johann''s foot touched the ground again he had thrown out more a dozen stabs, all with deadly force. His opponent was unharmed, except for his clothe, and still had no intention of retaliating. Behind the young man the aides were approaching fast, Johann was surrounded.


    "NO!" Alva reached out but is stopped by Cassian, he could see what his childhood friend was planning.


    "Too simple"


    Johann muttered, having heard so many stories about these Fallen, he had expected them to be more of a challenge. All of the blows aimed downwards weren''t without purpose. No, they served to plant his mana onto the ground.


    With just a click, ethereal naginatas sprouted from the seeds, blossoming around Johann.


    His opponents fell to the ground. These translucent polearms were very much deadly.


    "It''s¡­ beautiful" The girl commented, seeing this attack for the first time. Cassian looked on with pride on his face. Now that was the prowess of a von Brandt.


    But there was no time to spare, however, as the bulges on the tree started to move and fell off. The layer of balk broke immediately. Inside those were¡­ people, the summoned.


    Despite knowing it was rude to set expectation, Cassian couldn''t help but feel excited for the arrival of these supposed heroes. But the real thing couldn''t really live up to fantasy, no matter how low you set the bar.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    In front of the trio were seven individuals. At least the person closest to Johann seemed promising, a mercenary of considerable statue. He immediately jumped onto his feet, holding a zweihander, a giant sword.


    What about the others, they didn''t seem like the heroes Eden needed. One was a man in ragged and chains, his face covered by a steel helmet. Near him was a young woman holding a small bag, looking around in confusion. Then there was a bald man with sunglasses, wearing a white suit and colourful tie.


    The final three was an old lady with one leg. A teen in some sort of blue costume with holes, something was wrong though, he seemed to be in great pain. The final summoned was a boy in rag, impossibly malnourished, his limbs like twigs, ready to snap in the wind.


    "wHaT a DIsaPpoInTmENt"


    A voice rang out around Johann. The young man looked around, it came from the Fallen, the same voice on all three. That was when he notices something crucial, there was no blood on the ground.


    The three Fallen leaped back to their feet, the Monk with an extra step of flair.


    "SUrpriSe?"


    To made matter worse, from behind the great tree then came another group of Fallen. Their Captain in chainmail and white cloth, holding a kite shield and sword, the Crusader was ready to kill for any cause remotely justifiable.


    "Alva, leads them away now!"


    Johann beckoned as the Monk aides jumped at him, one holding a curve sword, another a rapier. The two attacked furiously, pushing the young warrior back. He could definitely take them on one on one, but this was too much.


    The Crusader and his aides stormed the ground only to face with the man in chains. Not a big deal, he thought to himself. To the Captain surprise, the man leaped forward without hesitation toward the aides. They tried to struck him down to no avail. The man used the chain that bind his arm to wrap around an aide''s halberd and spun it, taking the weapon for himself.


    ''This guy''s trouble. I need to cut him down quick''


    Taking that halberd back was priority right now, the Crusader charged toward only to be stopped by an invisible wall.


    "I haven''t been sitting around doing nothing!"


    Cassian declared. Like his friend, he could throw out clusters of mana. But his seeds condensed the air around them instead, forming invisible defensive shields. For now, he had isolated the Crusader who, as a Captain, was a dangerous target. As much as he wanted to help Johann, Cassian needed to evacuate the summoned.


    The Monk, however, finally decided to do something. The Captain leisurely bounced toward his target with frightening speed. Cassian tried to set up another wall but the Monk wasn''t going to have any of that. From the way dusts were blown and condensed he could see where the walls were forming.


    He jumped up gleefully on an incomplete wall and bounced up higher with his enhanced strength. Totally unnecessary seeing that he could just squeeze through the gaps before they closed but this way was more enjoyable. Being this high, the Monk could feel the wind blowing past his face.


    The Captain plunged his spear down at the nearest target which turned out to be the one-legged lady. What a shame, but a job was still a job.


    Cassian sprinted at the old lady but he was simply too far and he already spent most of his mana already. From the edge of his eyes, the young man could see someone. It was the bald man, coming to the rescue. But there wasn''t enough time to carry her out.


    The Monk found his new target, at least this guy who wanted to play hero would be more tasteful than a disabled elderly. So how would you accept this spear.


    The answer was with flashing white rows of teeth!


    In a move no one could predict, the bald man bit at the tip of the spear. A¡­ bold move but the force was too much, no matter how many time this person brushed his teeth. Realising that, the bald man immediately parted his feet from the ground to let his head fell down along with the spear.


    Interesting reply but this wouldn''t last a single second, the Monk knew what would happen next but he still waited for the unexpected and his expectation was soon rewarded.


    The bald man extended his legs forward while his right arm swung down to touch the ground. But he hadn''t prop himself up just yet, that would mean a spear through the head. Oh no, the man bended his arm and as his elbow soon to approach the ground, he knows it was now or never.


    With his right arm on the ground, the bald man spun his head also to the right along with the whole body. Of course, the head must also move to the left at the same time or the spear would just cut through his cheek.


    A baffling move but it paid off. The spear was let go safely to plunge at the ground.


    But that was not all, with the way his body is already moving, the bald man could deliver a kick straight to the Monk head. As soon as the spearhead touched the ground the Captain used it to swing himself away but couldn''t fully avoid the kick. The tip of the bald man shoe was aimed straight at his neck, but the Monk moved his face down to let the mask took the blow in time.


    Using the momentum of the spin, the bald man flipped back onto his feet with only some dirt on his sleeve. Meanwhile, his opponent was sent flying away tumbling on the ground.


    Of course, all of that happens in less than a second and so Cassian couldn''t even fully register what actually happened. Maybe these people weren''t too bad after all¡­ The young man noticed that something had fallen on the ground.


    The bald man, during his mid-air spin, had dropped a magazine in his suit. The pages flipped open to reveal¡­ poster of a girl cladded in bikinis cupping her chest suggestively.


    The old lady next to him picked up the magazine and handed it back to its owner silently.


    Cassian was having more doubts than ever.


    His mind soon returned to the evacuation. The young man picked up the agonising teen while Alva took the malnourished boy in her arms.


    "Go! I will hold these guys back!" Johann yelled at them.


    "Please, follow me"


    Alva called out in English, she was instructed to use this setting for first contact. It seemed like most of the summoned would understand it.


    The bald man looked back with the intention of assisting Johann who was being overwhelmed fast. But the mercenary with zweihander motioned him to stop and pointed at the old lady. Despite being centuries and countless miles apart, the bald man knew what he had to do. He held the old lady up and evacuate as well.


    The man in chain remained, however, seeing that the Crusade had finally broken Cassian''s walls. But in that time, one of his aide was already slain, the other heavily injured. Despite being bound, that man had somehow managed to defeat two warriors with superior strength and speed. The Crusader couldn''t even fathom what that man would be like without chains. But he didn''t intend to let that ever happens, this summoned must be cut down.


    Meanwhile, Johann was now battered, luckily, the enemies couldn''t damage his leather attire. But the young warrior was at his limit. As the aide with rapier jumped in for the kill, he was pushed back by a powerful swing, it was the man with the zweihander.


    "Need help! I am willing, with a price of course" The mercenary asked politely.


    Judging from the weapon, Johann could guess what language this person speaks "No" He replied "I will buy you time, just run"


    "Excuse me but you don''t look very well"


    "It''s my duty, I will manage!"


    Johann yelled out and threw out an attack but something was wrong, it was too slow. Oh right, he had expended most of his mana, now his body was severely weaker compared to the Fallen. One of them immediately dashed in before he could retract his naginata.


    Before the curve blade could lobe off Johann head, the mercenary swooped in and parry the blow with his massive weapon. It was followed up with a devastating attack parting the aide of both his arms. His friend jumped in, his rapier out for blood.


    The mercenary simply grinned and dodged, threw in the occasional deflects with his sword.


    Johann couldn''t believe what was going on. How could this man possible be¡­ winning! The Fallen was stronger and faster, his weapon well suited for lighting stabs. And yet such a huge man with such cumbersome weapon could keep up so easily.


    No, it wasn''t about speed, the mercenary could see through the flurry of attacks such a childishly simple pattern. His opponent was skilled no doubt but something was wrong, as if the masked man had no battle sense anymore. He fought like a machine, devoid of improvisation and on the spot strategy. The mercenary could see an opening coming up soon as there it was as predicted.


    With one fatal swing the aide stagger back, his head cut off.


    "That is going to cost you boy, a Doppels?ldner like me ain''t cheap"


    "I am not a boy!"


    "So you are a girl, pardon me miss"


    "NO!"


    The mercenary laughed at the frustrated Johann, but out of nowhere, a sword pierced through him from behind. It was the Crusader, with his second sidekick finally bit the dust, he wanted to deny his opponent the aide''s sword, which would be much more useful than a cumbersome halberd. And so, he threw his own to injure a distant opponent who also seemed rather formidable while retrieving the aide''s weapon for himself.


    The mercenary immediately pulled the blade out and threw it onto the ground. He quickly pulled out some bandage to wrap around the wound in second. The man looked at Johann.


    "Run"


    "That again, I am not going anywhere. I am here to protect you!"


    "Run" The mercenary stood up and said one last time. Johann was breathless in front of the towering figure. Such a presence, out of nowhere, was simply overwhelming. The young man bit his teeth and turned away to find his way blocked by the Monk.


    "Hey" The mercenary called out "Check this out!"


    The man spun his immense weapon around a few times before pointing it at the Monk.


    "You are not like those two, I could see it. You can still feel it, no, you want it right, a good fight! WELL HERE I AM!"


    Despite not understanding a single word, the Monk could sense what the man was saying. And well, the mercenary wasn''t wrong. The Captain raised his spear, completely ignoring Johann. Leaving himself completely opened to the young man attack.


    Johann was certainly tempted but eventually rationality caught up to him. If he even tried, then the Divine would no doubt be deprived of one heir.


    And so, the young warrior, silently dragged his battered body away, blood dripped as he bit deep into his own lip. But even the pain couldn''t overwhelm the shame and frustration within him.


    "It''s my job to protect you, darn it¡­"


    Beneath this very tree a century ago, the Divines were cornered here. They survived, of course, thanks to one nameless soldier who held back the enemies to the bitter end. Oh, how history tended to repeat itself.


    Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!

 Chapter 2

    1.2


    The summons of Saragarhi


    If anything happen, they were supposed to retreat back to Saragarhi. But to Johann surprise, he could see a tent not too far away. Outside stood the bald man, leaning at a tree keeping watch. He raised a hand at Johann, speaking in broken English.


    ¡°Hello¡±


    The man looked around before shooting his arm out, catching something out of the air. The hand opened and Johann can see a fly very much still alive flying out. The young warrior gave a single nod and entered the tent, he needed to know what was going on. Inside was a grisly sight indeed.


    A makeshift table was propped up, on it was the teen, his costume folded nearby, with blood all over. Over him were the old lady and Alva, nervously holding up a torch. Despite not knowing what was going on, Johann realised he shouldn¡¯t interrupt the two.


    Fortunately, they were done here. The old lady finally took out a small piece of metal drenched in blood. She put it in a small tray full of similar items.


    ¡°That should be the last¡±


    Before Johann could open his mouth, Alva looked at him.


    ¡°The others have gone to Saragarhi already but he is too injured to be moved¡±


    ¡°I kind of guessed that¡±


    ¡°Are the two summoned with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No¡±


    ¡°I see, then we must move now before they catch up. Just leave the tent behind. Jo, help me carry him please¡±


    The normally carefree Alva had seemingly taken charge, not that Johann mind. He carried the teen over his shoulder and left. The bald man propped up the old lady and away they went.


    ¡°Alva, why didn¡¯t you heal the guy¡±


    ¡°I tried, the normal method didn¡¯t work¡±


    ¡°What about Ayurveda?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I have never used it on a live subject before, I didn¡¯t want to risk it. Luckily, Mrs. Singer here is familiar with the wounds¡± She turned to the old lady ¡°Apparently it is caused by something called ¡®gun¡¯¡±


    ¡°Ohh, ¡®gun¡¯, pew pew pew right¡±


    The bald man interjected with his broken English. He made his free hand into a curious shape with two fingers sticking out. Johann took out a translator out of his pocket and threw it at the man. He looked at it for a bit before putting it in.


    ¡°What language do you speak?¡± Johann asked, still in English.


    ¡°Me? Japanese, I¡¯m Japanese¡±


    ¡°Like this right?¡±


    ¡°Wah, you are really fluent¡±


    ¡°In what?¡± The old lady asked curiously.


    ¡°In Japanese, what else¡±


    ¡°But he had been speaking in English all along, and why does your English has become so good all of a sudden¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡± She reached for her ear, Alva had already given her an earbud ¡°This can translate in real time¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± The bald man seemed excited about this as well ¡°Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°Good grief¡± Commented the young warrior ¡°Oh, we are Johann and Alva von Brandt, the rest I will explain when we get to safety¡±


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t had an introduction with you yet, I am Eikichi Kira. Nice to meet you¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Mara Singer¡±


    That was it for introduction, the group then hurried up for Saragarhi. Although from the look of it, they weren¡¯t being followed, or that was what Johann thought.


    ___


    The townsfolks were of course cooperative. The fours were directed to a big house on the edge of the town which Cassian and the rest were. It also served as the clinic for the local healer.


    As soon as they opened the door, Johann was greeted with the pointy end of a rusty katana. The wielder soon recognised them as not being a threat and back off though. It was the woman with her small bag, she was still clutching the sword, trembling slightly.


    Eikichi walked up and disarmed it easily.


    ¡°A genuine article, where did you find it?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ It was on the ground near me at the tree¡±


    The woman seemed rather relief to have the weapon taken away, she soon handed Eikichi the wooden sheath as well.


    ¡°This must have come with that boy, he seems Japanese. Come to think of it, where is he¡±


    ¡°The doctor takes him further in for some check ups¡±


    ¡°I see. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t we have been properly introduced yet¡±


    ¡°Oh right, my bad¡±


    ¡°Um, it isn¡¯t exactly a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Fleur Guillard but you can just call me Fleur¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A beautiful woman no doubt with short and wavy brown hair. She was still scared and very much confused about what was going on. Her clothes seemed to be around the era of Eikichi and Mara. According to the old lady, the woman was apparently conservative but fashionable.


    The rest also introduced themselves, except for the unconscious teen of course. They were later joined by Cassian who informed them of the condition of the final summoned. The boy was, as he looked, malnourished, on the verge of dying of starvation even. The local healer was tending to him, however, and his situation was sure to improve.


    Now was the time for them to recoup as well, or not. Eikichi looked around and suddenly declared.


    ¡°We were followed¡±


    ¡°What! By who¡± Questioned Johann.


    ¡°Dunno¡±


    ¡°How do you even know we were tailed¡± The young man was sure that there was no one behind them. The Fallen also avoided normal citizens as well so they tended to stay away from residential areas like this.


    ¡°I just know, I can feel it in my gut. Maybe it is one of the masked dudes, I am sure that guy in here with us¡± Eikichi was confident about this.


    Before Johann could shot that idea out, Cassian jumped in ¡°Well, maybe we could look around¡± And as usual, the young man couldn¡¯t turn down his childhood friend. He begrudgingly agreed. The girls stayed back as the three went snooping around.


    ¡°Why did you even humour that guy¡± Johann asked as Eikichi walked out of sight.


    ¡°Just my gut I guess¡±


    Unlike his friend, Cassian had quite a high opinion of the bald man in tacky suit. After all, he did witness it, that insane stunt. To divert a spear with one¡¯s teeth, now that was absurd.


    The search came up blank, however, there was no sign of any intruder.


    ¡°Now that was a waste of time¡±


    In the living room, Fleur seemed to be much more comfortable. She was showing Alva a bunch of items for make-up. Apparently, before coming here, she was a beautician. Truly, how could one be expected to save the world without looking fabulous.


    ¡°This is strange, I am sure there is someone¡± Mused Eikichi, who was standing in the corner.


    Johann was too tired to say anything back. Today had been a taxing day for him, both physically and mentally. He had left two summoned behind, such a failure.


    Meanwhile, Mara decided to join the girls ¡°I can¡¯t remember the last time I put on make-up, it¡¯s just too troublesome¡±


    ¡°How about some light powder and lipstick, I¡¯m sure you would look great!¡±


    ¡°Hm, might as well¡±


    ¡°Jo, what do you think~¡±


    Alva jumped up in front of Johann. The girl was already a beauty, as befitting a von Brandt. But the make-up had turned her into someone truly stunning. The girlish pink cheek, that glossy red lips. Well, it was not like Johann cared much.


    ¡°Well, you look good¡±


    ¡°That was dry¡­ Oh well, what do I even expect from you¡±


    ¡°You look lovely, Alva¡± Cassian commented.


    ¡°Oh my, thank you Cas. You could at least learn some manner from him, ignoring your fianc¨¦ like that!¡±


    ¡°Eh, you two are engaged!¡± That attracted Fleur attention.


    ¡°Yup~¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why you are both von Brandt, I thought you two are relatives¡±


    ¡°Well, we are¡± Said Alva ¡°Jo here is my uncle¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Fleur went quiet, her mind was running the numbers. Even Eikichi, who had been quiet, let out a ¡°Dayum!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong about that?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ in our place, relatives marrying isn¡¯t really common¡­ Different culture I guess, heh¡­ heh¡± The woman turned back to finish Mara make-up ¡°Done, you can take a look now, Mrs. Singer¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Ms¡± The old lady took a mirror and looked at herself ¡°Oh my, you have done a lovely job, thank you dear¡±


    Johann was on the verge of leaving to have some rest before noticing a big grin on Eikichi¡¯s face. The man mumbled to himself ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I SEE! How could I have been so stupid!¡±


    ¡°Um, what¡¯s wrong¡± Questioned Fleur, who was incredibly confused.


    ¡°We are all from different time, how could I let that slide for so long!¡±


    ¡°Well, your fashion sense is certainly straight from the 80s¡± The beautician muttered.


    ¡°I am, what¡¯s wrong with it¡± Eikichi replied ¡°From that, I could guess that you and Singer-san and me aren¡¯t that far apart. But that guy with the giant sword must be ancient¡±


    ¡°Just cut to the chase!¡± Johann stepped in, he had enough with Eikichi¡¯s antic.


    ¡°Nothing really, I just realise what happen if there is another of us. Someone from such a different time that I didn¡¯t even realise, maybe from the far future!¡±


    With that, the man suddenly pounced at the air behind Mara, grabbing on to something. Then to everyone surprise, an ¡®ouch¡¯ rang out from empty space.


    ¡°You can decloak now¡±


    Eikichi said confidently and he did receive a reply.


    ¡°And you can let go of me now, pervert old man!¡±


    From the of it, the man was slapped by someone invisible, that person soon revealed herself. It was a female wearing a hoodie and short pants, the rest of her legs were covered by boots and stocking. The face was opened, underneath was a teenager with red lipstick, red eyeliner, red hair and red eyes as well for that matter. She also had three small piercings under her mouth.


    ¡°First of all, I am not a pervert! And secondly, I am still young!¡± Eikichi retorted.


    ¡°First of all, you look like a hipster in his thirties! And secondly, you touched my chest!¡±


    Johann could hear Fleur mutters ¡°Yep¡± for the first part.


    ¡°No way, I didn¡¯t feel anything at all!¡±


    ¡°AHHH!¡±


    The girl twisted her body and delivered a kick straight at Eikichi¡¯s crotch but the man immediately closed his legs, locking her own leg.


    ¡°Now that isn¡¯t nice, young lady¡±


    ¡°How about this for being nice!¡±


    The girl raised her hand and from the wrist, four tiny darts shoot out, her bracelet had a built in taser. Eikichi simply grabbed them mid-flight. Just like with the fly earlier, Johann thought, such speed and accuracy.


    "What kind of freak are you¡­¡±


    ¡°One who is going to teach you about manner¡±


    Before the girl could react Eikichi dashed behind and grabbed his arms around her. He then bended back sending her straight to the ground.


    ¡°NOOOO!¡±


    The girl in red yelled out but finds her head barely stopped before touching the ground. Eikichi had put down an arm to stop the throw.


    ¡°You really think I am going to suplex a girl¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at yourself then!¡± The girl broke away from him.


    ¡°Still so feisty, I give up. Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself then¡±


    ¡°Why should I!¡±


    ¡°Or else I will give you a nickname¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡±


    ¡°Alright, Doraemon it is then¡± After no time spent thinking at all, Eikichi settled on that.


    ¡°Wait, what¡± It seemed like she cared after all.


    ¡°Well, you are from the future and that hoodie has cat ears so I figure¡±


    ¡°What is a Doraemon even!¡±


    ¡°Huh, you don¡¯t know ¡®konna koto ii na, dekitara ii na, anna yume konna yume ippai aru kedo~¡¯¡± Eikichi ran a tune, the language foreign.


    ¡°What are you singing even¡­¡±


    ¡°Your theme song, Doraemon!¡±


    ¡°I told you already, I don¡¯t know what this Doraemon is!¡±


    The rest watched on as the girl exploded in frustration and anger. Johann had to admit, it was quite an entertaining scene. He looked to side to see Alva staring at him with a wide grin on her face.


    ¡°What¡¯s your deal¡± He asked, irritated.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just rare to see you smile like this, Jo~¡±


    ¡°Tch, go mind your own business¡± Johann waved the girl away.


    ¡°Sure, sure~¡±


    Cassian felt relived seeing his companion this relaxed. It had been a tough day for both of them. The young man could feel someone pulling on his sleeve though. It was Mara.


    ¡°Um, can I ask you something¡±


    ¡°Of course¡± Cassian, being himself, tried to be as helpful as possible.


    ¡°How come when Mr. Kira sang, it isn¡¯t translated¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the earbud is set to keep singing in the original language¡±


    ¡°Then how does this earbud even differentiate between singing and talking expressively?¡±


    ¡°Now that you say it¡­ I have no idea¡± The young man wondered.


    Meanwhile, the girl had drawn out a butterfly knife and was stabbing at Eikichi with surprising speed and accuracy. The man was completely unconcerned; however, he simply dodged all of them while continuing with his song.


    ¡°An an an, tottemo daisuki, Doraemon!¡±


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the scene, well except Mara. The fact that a young girl was actively trying to kill a senior hadn¡¯t escaped the old lady, all the stabs were aimed at vital. For someone this age so ready to kill. At least this blatant attempt at murder didn¡¯t succeed¡­ comically.

 Chapter 3

    1.3


    Ah ah ah, I love you very much, Doraemon~


    The smell, it was simply maddening. The small Amish village, drenched in blood, with no one left alive. The girl huddled in a corner, waiting the inevitable, surrounded by the stench of death. Then from the fog arrived the devil, a being so evil it couldn¡¯t be human. It reached out toward the girl, the red right hand placed on her head.


    You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape from the Killer Queen.


    ¡°Aghhh¡± The girl was violently woken up by the nightmare, the memory. It had been years but the sights, the stenches of corpses still lingered.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    The old lady, Mara, was still awake. She doesn¡¯t reply, outside it was still night. Her watch showed 2pm, which was obviously wrong.


    ¡°You want some tea, Doraemon¡± Mara asked.


    ¡°Ugh¡±


    So the name stuck after all, curse that guy. The girl had intended to turn it down but then she caught a glimpse of Mara¡¯s worried expression. Doraemon accepted the cup of tea and held it with both her hands, blowing on it gently.


    Life was sure full of surprise. Just yesterday, the girl was partying in the seedy alleys of London and now, she was in some sort of fantasy land.


    Of course, Doraemon had entertained the thought that this was some sort of VR experience. That the real her was sitting somewhere drooling like an idiot. She sure hoped that wasn¡¯t the case. Though being here to ¡®save the world¡¯ didn¡¯t help to dispel that theory. Huh, what kind of idiot would still write a script like that.


    Doraemon took a sip and found herself stunted as the taste sunk in.


    How long had it been since she last has tea? No not the kind spiked with all kind of boosts that the youth drunk. The kind made out of genuine tea leaves and all that. The answer was years ago, when she was in that Amish village.


    So that explained it, the smell of tea must have given her the nightmare. That and a spreading sensation, was that thing here as well, Killer Queen! No, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case, but she couldn¡¯t help but wait in fear. The girl felt like it could appear at any moment.


    Suddenly, a pair of hands gently clapped over Doraemon¡¯s own and in that moment, she could feel peace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    The girl immediately swatted the concerned old lady¡¯s hand away. The tea cup fell to the ground and broke into pieces. Mara simply sighed slightly and kneeled down to clean up the mess. It took her quite a bit of effort with that missing leg.


    Nevertheless, Doraemon stormed out, leaving the old lady and a still-sleeping Fleur behind.


    Outside the wind was blowing strong, the girl could feel her face¡¯s freezing. How long had a hoodie been a thing and no one had figured out how to keep one¡¯s front from cold. At least she could change its pattern with ease. After some contemplation, she finally decided to settle on a new design. A wave ran down the hoodie, filling its surface with the Union Jack.


    After even more thinking, Doraemon had decided to keep the ears.


    ¡°Now that is convenient¡±


    A voice rang out, it was Eikichi, who had been near for god know how long.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you move somewhere else, I am enjoying the view here¡±


    Doraemon really didn¡¯t want to put up with this guy at this moment. Right now, her heart was starting to tighten, her breathes becoming shallow. This attack came every time after a nightmare, which meant quite frequent.


    The girl tried to hold it back, not wanting Eikichi to notice. Luckily, he didn¡¯t seem to see it, or did he. The guy, despite his attempt of making a mockery out of himself, was frighteningly competent.


    In the end, not wanting to be near Eikichi any longer, the girl returned back inside. Mara was still trying to pick up all the pieces for the broken cup.


    ¡°Good grief¡±


    Doraemon decided to give the old lady a hand. She really didn¡¯t want to but there was nothing else to do. Going off by oneself didn¡¯t seem like the best idea and that Eikichi was lurking outside.


    Mara looked at the girl and said ¡°Thank you¡± Her voice filled with gratitude.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Ugh, those eyes. Doraemon looked away, the girl couldn¡¯t look back into those genuine eyes.


    Oh well, at least this Mara didn¡¯t seem to ask questions.


    Meanwhile, there was that beautician, still sleeping somehow. As the two finished sweeping the floor, they could hear a faint knock on the door. It was one of the locals who had founded them, Alva. She was here for Doraemon specifically but Mara could tag along. The beautician, meanwhile, could continue being oblivious.


    The old woman grabbed a makeshift crutch and Alva propped her up. Doraemon looked at the two, the girl felt annoyed, by what she couldn¡¯t tell.


    They arrived at the dinning room where Alva¡¯s companions were eating noodle.


    ¡°So what do you need for me for¡± Doraemon asked coldly, not wanting to be around any more than she had to.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys sit down and have some as well, this is good¡±


    Cassian beckoned and Mara and Alva agreed. The girl sighed, it seemed like whatever matter will have to wait. Maybe in the meantime, having some noodle might be prudent.


    ¡°This is amazing, it is as good as the soba in the capital¡±


    So these people had heard of soba before. Not that surprising, the Divines, were apparently from Doraemon¡¯s world as well. Still, this was miles better than the girl had ever expected. She looked up to see Eikichi leaning at the door with a pink apron wrapped around his sizable frame.


    ¡°Liking the soba?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Until you arrive that is¡± Doraemon answered.


    ¡°That hurt, this took me a while to make you know!¡±


    Wait, this oaf actually made this delicate treat.


    ¡°I even make dessert if anyone wants some¡±


    He brought in a tray full of small chocolate cupcakes. They were freshly baked, the smell was enough to make any connoisseur drooled. As much as Doraemon didn¡¯t want to admit it, these were some good cupcakes.


    ___


    After the light meal, it was time to talk business, or not. Johann was strictly against talking when the table was still a mess. And so Doraemon had to sit around for some more as the others cleaned the place up, which included the kitchen as well. Mara tried to help but she was turned down for obvious reason, the old lady sat back at the table, looking a bit dejected.


    ¡®What a busybody, so this is the ¡®hero¡¯ these people are relying on. What a riot¡¯ Doraemon thought to herself, looking at Mara.


    Finally, after much delays, it was time to talk business.


    ¡°So now what, are you going to teach us magic or something¡± Eikichi asked.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s for later¡± Johann replied.


    ¡°So we will be learning magic then¡±


    ¡°You can say it like that, just talk to Alva, she can relay the basic¡±


    As he finished that, his fianc¨¦e waved at everyone cheerfully. Johann immediately glared at her to stop, this was serious business.


    ¡°We are currently in Saragarhi, the biggest town in the area. Some time before, a nearby settlement called for help as their place was being threatened by a monster¡±


    ¡°So we are minster-slayer now¡± Said Doraemon mockingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I could be of help¡± Mara muttered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, the beast was vanquished and that is the problem. Us three are the only detachment here that are capable of such task. No, the monster was killed by a group of travellers from another town altogether. Using their victory, those guys urge the people of Saragarhi to host this little festival¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are the masked guys¡± Eikichi mused.


    ¡°No, those Fallen can not converse. But yesterday they spoke to me, all of them with the same voice riddled with distortion. So the people above those Fallen have finally shown themselves. They maybe the one to fell the beast, but what for, I have no idea. One thing we are sure of is that those people want you all dead¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just great¡±


    ¡°Hm, and here I think we are in hot water here, Doraemon¡± Said Eikichi.


    ¡°That was sarcasm, you dimwit¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Johann slammed at the table ¡°To be frank, the situation is dire. We can sure that these new enemies can use mana, the thing you people still have no idea of. It is possible that they organised this festival to flood Saragarhi with people so that strangers can blend in and strike when we let our guard down. That is why I asked you specifically to come¡±


    That last part was directed toward Doraemon.


    ¡°So, what do you need, dear prince¡±


    Her attempted to get a rise of him fell flat. Johann just looked at her intensely ¡°It is not possible for us to depart just yet, out in the open, we will be slaughtered. But eventually they will get to us here. No, we need to root these people out, your cloaking ability maybe useful for that purpose. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t object, seeing that your life is also on the line here¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, hillbilly prince!¡±


    ¡°Why is he ¡®hillbilly¡¯?¡± Questioned Eikichi.


    Doraemon proceeded to ignore the man ¡°¡­ Anyway, I want to help you as well but this, I will sit out of this. I know next to nothing about this world, how am I supposed to find anything out of the ordinary. Besides, you seem to have no idea as well what these people are capable of yourself. What if they have some crazy spell set up to detect, I don¡¯t know, an invisible net, that wouldn¡¯t be funny¡±


    Come to think of it, she still had no idea how Eikichi found her out. Talk about that guy, he was raising his hand like an eager snotty student trying to impress the teacher ¡°Oh me me!¡±. Johann let him speak.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we set a bait then, one of us could go out while Doraemon here could shadow that person¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too risky¡± Cassian immediately objected ¡°What if they strike that person down faster than she could alert us!¡±


    Eikichi suddenly turned around and pinched at Doraemon cheek before she could react. The girl jumped back while hurling razors at him. The man simply catched all the small blade without fail, including the ones aiming at his crotch.


    ¡°For that duty, I volunteer¡±


    Johann was going to say something but was interrupted as Eikichi flung one of the razor straight pass him. The young warrior couldn¡¯t even react, the blade was too thin to even see. And yet, this bald man in white vest and a stupid tie managed to catch five of the things. Cassian seemed to trust this person ability, Johann could start to see why.


    This plan was still too rushed, the meeting here was supposed to be more of a discussion to draft up a better one. But somehow, in Johann there was a small ember of hope lighting up.


    ¡°Maybe this could work¡±


    ¡°Bollock!¡± Doraemon immediately reacted ¡°If that is the case, then I can handle this by myself¡±


    And with that, she stormed off. Eikichi whistled ¡°What a tsundere¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Mara asked.


    ¡°Well, people like her¡± The man also took his leave, he was stopped by the old lady though.


    ¡°Earlier, that girl¡­ she was shaking. Please look after her, Mr. Kira¡±


    ¡°Anything for you miss, and please, call me Eikichi¡±


    With that, the bald man left, leaving behind a worried Mara.

 Chapter 4

    <div>


    <div>


    1.4


    With air boosters hidden in her boots, Doraemon could hop from roof to roof with ease. The cold wind of night manages to cool her head somewhat. It was unlike her to flare up right up, or is it? Asides, from that thing, no other man has touched the girl without her consent or knowledge. The last guy who try to do that got his fingers sliced off.


    But even with her eyes implant, she couldn''t stop that cheek pinch. But she reacted not out of fear but unfamiliarity, its intention was¡­ simple without a much motive.


    She lands at a roof, stopping and decloaking herself before turning back.


    "How are you even following me, baldie"


    Behind her is Eikichi, who is struggling to keep up. In fact, the man is hanging onto the edge of the roof right now. He says with some difficulty.


    "Well, you are kicking up an awful lot amount of dirt"


    That''s not what she meant, of course Doraemon knew that. For someone to be able to keep up with her running, now that''s surprising, especially someone this size.


    It reminds her of that faceless thing.


    "Just stop following me already, I can do this on my own"


    "Welp, too bad because I have no intention of doing that"


    Yes, even his tenacity serves as a grim reminder. And yet, Doraemon doesn''t find herself hating the man. Perhaps unlike the thing, he actually communicates with her.


    "Why are you doing this even, why do you have to keep on following me"


    "You really want to know, then I will tell you" Eikichi finally managed to climb on the roof proper "You are from the future, having all those gadgets. Pattern changing hoodie, some kind of jumping boots and even camouflage. We are all stranded here and you are no doubt a valuable asset. It would be a shame for you to perish under some unknown threat¡­"


    That''s¡­ surprisingly reasonable.


    "¡­ Well, that''s what you would probably want to hear. But that''s not why I am doing this"


    Wait what. Eikichi looks at the girl and removes his sunglasses.


    "I don''t want to see someone I know getting hurt, that''s all"


    "Hah, what kind of ridiculous reason is that!" Despite her effort, Doraemon flared up again "Look at me, I am more than capable of handling anything! I don''t need help from some washed up baldie like you"


    "That may be true, but all it takes is one, just one mistake is enough. I''m sure someone like you would know that well"


    Those words hit the girl directly. How many times she could have gotten away from that thing. Only for one small mistake to cost it all, one mistake for a trip to the chains once again. But then what could she do, who could Doraemon even rely on. Countless brave souls and even special forces are torn apart by that thing. That''s the fate of all those who dare to help the girl for one reason or another, all reduced to nothingness.


    But¡­ that thing isn''t here¡­ Doraemon could feel something burning but she snuffs it out.


    "We just met earlier today, that can''t even be called casual acquaintance"


    "Hm, looks around you, do you think I know anyone here"


    "Eh"


    "We are all strangers here, all so far from home. But at least you we have fought, you have yelled at me, multiple times even. That''s more than I get from the people I knew. So yes, you are the person I know the most here"


    "That''s just¡­ absurd"


    "Well, it''s not like I want to see anyone get hurt. After all, a life is so easy to snuff." Those words were cold and callous, it sent a chill down the girl''s spine "It would be a waste for all those memories, all those experiences, all those connections, all those emotions to just be gone like that"


    "¡­ Oh well, you can follow if you want. But don''t compromise my position and I won''t wait for your pudgy arse"


    "Of course" Eikichi puts his sunglasses back on, it''s time to move again.


    What an ominous place, the girl concluded as she lands on another building. While there is still some time left till sunrise, the streets are completely empty, and that doesn''t apply to only people. The town is completely devoid of any trash or sign of life or that matter.


    Of course, if you take look inside, it is still possible to see Saragarhi''s citizens sleeping soundly. But for Doraemon, this quiet empty night is somewhat unbearable.


    From Russia to America to England, there are always people on the streets no matter how late. From the trucks drivers to naughtier youths like Doraemon dolling out pain and suffering. The town is always alive.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But here, it seems like a ghost town, even though the place was so bursting with people.


    Behind her, Eikichi is climbing up "So, did you find anything, Doraemon"


    The girl never has a fixed name, so she has gotten used to this one.


    "Well, a competition is ongoing, that much is clear. But that brat von Brandt seems to be very against this. I can''t really see any harm"


    It''s just a contest like many others, to choose people who are the most athletic, most capable to fight for this ''Eden''. What a name, Doraemon thought, straight out of some dystopia stories. At least the people here seem genuinely happy.


    What kind of damage can some marathons or lift weighting can do. Eikichi seems to be searching for something in his suit. It''s a written poster.


    "I found this in everyone home. It seems like tomorrow will be the start of some ''final event''. There is no mention of what is it here though, but there is a location"


    "Let''s go there then"


    It''s a place Doraemon has been to before, an enclosed field probably used for competition. There is probably nothing here but something feel off. Her instinct is tingling and after many hardships, the girl has learnt to trust it.


    And so, she looks around some more with Eikichi.


    "Ah" "Ah" They both exclaimed at the same time, having found something.


    "You go first" Said Eikichi.


    "Ok, it''s about the¡­"


    "Wait" The man cut in "And here I thought you were going to go ''no, you go first'' then we will back and forth like that for a bit before settling down"


    "Where did you even get that from¡­ Anyway, the earth around this area is dug out recently. This enclosure was built very recently"


    "Yeah, that''s what I am thinking as well" Eikichi nodded up and down in agreement.


    "Really?"


    "What, are you doubting me now"


    "Maybe a bit"


    "Well, I work construction part-time so I can tell my dirt"


    "That''s true"


    The reinforced wall is around four-meter-high and the spectator seats are pretty far back around the field. Something is wrong here.


    Doraemon goes the big entrance and notices that the road out is recently dug as well, straight into a nearby building. The duo goes inside to investigate and to their surprise, the door is the only one in the whole town to be lock.


    Fortunately, Doraemon always has her lockpicking tools on hand. The mechanism is outdated for her time but still the girl cracks it in no time. The two sneak in but not before relocking the door.


    It''s a storage room with a huge slope directly in front of the door. It is also built recently, along with the massive basement underneath.


    What they encounter down there is certainly a sight.


    There are countless mighty cages lining all over the place. They are all inhabited by horrible monstrosity, mashups of different animals. All these Chimeras are sleeping but they are no doubt deadly.


    "So that''s why they need such a strong wall" Eikichi mumbled.


    Doraemon also realises it, the final event is these creatures. The participants will probably have to face them. But how are these beast even captured in the first place and what is keeping them all sedated.


    "We need to report this to Johann-san"


    The girl nods in agreement but before the two could leave, they could hear the lock clicking. Is this a coincident or has they been compromised? Whatever the reason, they need to hide now. Doraemon reluctantly peels open the outer layer of her hoodie and put it over her and Eikichi. With great difficulty the thing manages to wrap around them both. The camouflage kicks in as footsteps going down the slope.


    Darn it, they are stuck here and their vision is obstructed by a cage. But Doraemon could still make out the people to be one male and one female, quite young.


    "See, I told you, there is nothing down here" The male said.


    "I swore I could see something moving, the air was definitely distorting near the arena"


    That female must have seen a cloaked Doraemon. But still, it is quite dark and yet she could spot such slight distortion, such fearsome eyesight. But as long as they aren''t moving, the two should be completely invisible.


    That female couldn''t see Eikichi though, the man made sure to always move in shades and hiding spots. Doraemon is sure that he is trained for espionage and maybe more, that could explain his unusual prowess and reflex.


    The male continues.


    "Maybe it''s just your eyes, anyway, let''s go, I want to have a nap"


    "You lazy bastard"


    With that, the two leave just as sudden as their arrival. Doraemon waits for a bit before throwing open the cover. Or at least that''s her intention, the girl is stopped by Eikichi.


    "Shhhh" The man told her to be quiet.


    But for what, those two are already gone. She continues to lie there for nothing. Being pressed against a back of a man like this is highly comfortable for her. Before Doraemon forces her way out of annoyance something enters her view.


    A pair of boots jump straight to the bottom of the slope. It''s the male, he did that so no one could see him coming down, the landing was also completely silent. What are these people. He seems to look around some more before deciding to leave, all without making a single sound.


    Doraemon and Eikichi continue to remain under the cover for an unbearable amount of time. Finally, the man deems it''s safe to come out.


    "It seems like they are finally gone"


    "I sure hope so" Commented Doraemon, she is all sweaty, Eikichi is completely dry though. He definitely has military training the girl concluded.


    "That guy, I recognise his voice"


    "Where did you hear it?"


    "When we first arrived, I could hear a voice coming out of all the masked guys toward Johann-san. That was distorted but I am sure it is this guy"


    Hm, Doraemon heard that as well but she was too occupied with gaining a bearing on her new environment to care. But if she heard the distorted voice again, the girl could still recognise it "I have recorded their exchanges, when we return I could try to remix it"


    "Sound good, now the problem is getting back, they are definitely still out there"


    True, those two were more cautious than Doraemon had expected, especially the guy. Their conversation was probably just a way to make any intruders let their guard down.


    Now to get out, luckily, Eikichi has a plan that might just work.


    He pulls out a mirror then wrap himself with the camouflage cover. The man then sneaks the mirror, which is now invisible, out under the door gap to look out. After some great difficulty, Eikichi concluded that while there may be hostiles outside, they are situated in a way that they can''t see directly at the door. Probably so as not to be seen by snake cam like this.


    Now for the big gamble. The door is opened just enough for Doraemon and Eikichi to squeeze out while both wrapped in the camo cover. It is absolutely suffocating but they somehow manage it.


    After looking around, Eikichi retreats out to a hiding spot while Doraemon, now can finally breath normally, goes to lock the door again. The way back is treacherous and has more open space than they thought, which includes a long stretch back. For that, the two have to share the camo cover again.


    There is a knock on the door, Alva opens it to find no one but she could feel an invisible person stumbling in. Well, more like people. As the door is closed, Eikichi and Doraemon burst out all sweaty and out of breath.


    "Water please, Alva-san!"


    "Water, now!"

 Chapter 5

    1.5


    The sin of Jim Cross


    ''Thou shalt not murder'' ¨C The Sixth Commandment.


    Everything had gone horrible wrong for Jim Cross, born 1940 in a suburb in the US of A, this year the teenager turned 15. Here he was holding a kid hostage while wearing a Major America costume, completed with a cardboard shield and a revolver hidden under it. He was surrounded by the police who all had their weapons aimed at the house.


    Thinking back, what led him here to this crazy situation¡­


    His high school life had started out satisfactory enough. Aloof and fashionably quiet by nature, he was destined to be popular. The teenager was also blessed with a built body and a face enough to make any girl swoon.


    And so, Jim was always loved by his fellow schoolmates who admired his individuality. The girls loved him, the boys respected him. It was all well and good.


    That was until his long-time friend, the shy and quiet Jane Crawford, blew her brain out with a double barrel in the school yard. It was an accident, no, Jane Crawford killed herself in an explosive fashion and she wanted everyone to witness it, including Jim.


    But what could have led her to that horrid decision?


    The girl was raised a loving father, a devout Christian. And while her long-time friendship with Jim had made the girl subject of jealousy before, it never crossed any line.


    The rumours started to surface, after all, wasn''t it strange for a boy and girl to be friends for so long without anything happened between them? Then it just escalated from there. Hunger for an explanation for such a sin was endless. After all, what was suicide but a murder of your own self, both physically and mentally.


    Soon, Jim was isolated, the blame for Jane Crawford''s suicide pinned on him. The teenager, of course, had no idea why she would do such a thing. The girl was always following him around and since she was never a bother, he didn''t care much.


    In the people eyes, Jim Cross was a deviant, a most disgusting pervert. What horror did he inflict on that poor girl behind close door, enough for her to commit such a sin.


    He was a sinner, his soul forever tainted, nothing else matter.


    Now, there was only one road left for Jim Cross. The teenager surrendered, and the kid was let go, he was reluctant but after some convincing, he finally went out to the police and his father.


    It was Jim''s turn, he walked out slowly, the bright sun shone on his face. It was blinding but strangely comforting. He raised the shield up and walked toward his father, the sheriff. Of course, the gun was still hidden in his hand.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The teenager wondered, why was he doing all this, he wanted everything to end right now. But there was still one last trial.


    The police started to relax. They all knew this boy after all, surely nothing bad would happen. As the sheriff approached his son, he mentally prepared a furious lecture for his son, but there would be no need for that.


    Jim Cross dropped the shield to reveal the small revolver, sparkling under the fresh sun light. At that moment, time seemed to just stop as the teenager took aim and fire.


    As blood and bits of brain spilled out of the bullet hole, Jim Cross knew his job was done.


    The sheriff''s plea fell to deaf ears as bullets riddled his own son. He rushed to the him, but it was to late, the wounds were fatal. He could see a single tear ran down the teenager''s face.


    But that tear wasn''t out of pain, oh no. As Jim Cross saw the sheriff star on his father shirt one last time, he could see something or someone, it was poor Jane Crawford. Then it finally dawned on him, why did the girl decide to release herself from this world.


    And so, he shed a tear for her, his heart filled with nothing but regret.


    "I''m sorry"


    Jim Cross wanted to say that a bullet had destroyed his throat. The teenager convulsed violently and finally breathed his last in this world.


    Jim Cross opened his eyes to find himself in a bedroom of sort, decked out of wood, the place was rather cosy. What was going on, he was supposed to be dead.


    Was this heaven? No, a sinner like him wouldn''t be allowed to set foot there.


    That left only one answer, this place was hell. Perhaps this was just a last moment peace, as a reminder of what comfort was like before chucking him into a boiling cauldron. Jim braced himself but nothing happened.


    The wait was so excruciating it might as well be a punishment.


    The walls around him, just a moment ago felt so warm was suddenly oppressive, pressing down upon him. The darkness started to become suffocating.


    Soon, the teenager was stunted by a jolt of violent pains. They emitted from where he was shot, burning him from inside like hellfire. But the moment Jim held onto his chest, the pain suddenly disappeared, as sudden as its entrance. The teenager was confused, he couldn''t even tell if his agony a second ago was real or not. Petrified with the fear of smite, he wanted to just cower and hide away.


    But that wasn''t an option, an idle hand was the devil''s workshop.


    Finally, having gathered enough courage, Jim staggered out to search for answer. As the teenager approached the door, he could hear a voice repeating again and again, each time slightly more distorted.


    "seE, I TOlD yOu, THeRe is NotHIng doWn hERe"


    "SEe, I tOLd YoU, tHEre iS noTHiNg dOwn herE"


    "see, i ToLd YOu, TheRE Is NotHing DOwn heRe"


    The sound itself was perverted, unnatural and somewhat horrifying. Was it the devil?


    "That''s voice, it''s him" Another voice said calmly.


    "Whoa, Doraemon, how many gadgets do you even have?"


    "Hpm, more than you can imagine, and I made all of them"


    What was going on here, this didn''t seem to be hell. But then what kind of twisted dimension was this place then, what was that corrupted voice.


    Fear flooded over Jim like a powerful wave but the teenager withstood it. He would find out what was going on. Gritting his teeth, he opened the door to a corridor of a wooden building. At the end of the hallway Jim could see three individuals. A bald man in a white suit and an intense looking person around''s Jim age with a halberd on his back.


    Then there was the girl in the middle, who was simply otherworldly. Her bright red hair seemed to glow in the dim light and so was her lush red lips and ruby eyes. The girl sat on the chair with both legs on it, holding onto a metal pad of sort, her nails were also of course coated in that bright passionate red.


    Emerging from the dark, Jim Cross was faced with such a vibrant figure. But it was no angel for the red of blood and fire shone bright.


    The girl looked straight at him, in her clear eyes were small white incomplete circles, rotating endlessly. She looked at him and with a sly smile, said.


    "It seems like the sleeping beauty is finally awake"

 Chapter 6

    1.6


    Here Jim sits, in this room surrounded by strangers from all walks of life. While the teenager is still in his rebellious phrase, he still understands that it may be best to know what is going on. And so, he listens attentively to a young man called Cassian, reciting the long-winded explanation that he had memorised.


    ¡°So I am called here to save your world?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the gist of it¡±


    Cassian seems happy that the message comes across, as if the teenager is just a na?ve child. Seeing that condescending smile gets on Jim nerve. Especially after what he had just been through, to be thrown into something like this.


    ¡°Is this some kind of joke!¡± Jim snide dismissively.


    The teenager stands up and leaves. Where he doesn¡¯t even know but definitely not here. As he is walking, however, a voice smothered in mockery rings out.


    ¡°Look at big boy over here, acting all cool¡±


    It¡¯s the girl bathed in red, she looks at him with great amusement. Now that he has taken a closer look and the mystery has been dampened, the girl looks just like a low-life punk. But she isn¡¯t the only one here.


    ¡°What, I thought that costume was cool¡± Said the bald man sincerely.


    ¡°I am not talking about that you mongrel¡±


    Is that guy talking about the Major America costume that he was wearing? It was humiliating to put that on and the thing no doubt led to his painful death.


    But Jim Cross has no regret about that.


    Meanwhile, the two strangers are still bickering, it is pretty one-sided though seeing that only the girl in red is getting worked up.


    The teenager makes his way to the window. Outside, the sun has risen, and he can sees the people of a bustling olden town busying themselves with their daily routine.


    The girl in red finally stops as an old lady enter the room.


    ¡°Oh dear, you are awake, how are you feeling now?¡±


    That was directed at Jim, but the teenager remains silent. He continues to observe the world outside of the window. The old lady then reminds everyone gently.


    ¡°Breakfast is ready, Alva asked me to tell you all¡± The old lady turn back to Jim ¡°Do you want some hot food?¡±


    ¡°No¡±


    ¡°¡­ I see¡±


    With that, everyone leaves. Only he remains in this room, his mind still swirling with questions. That Cassian reminds him of a local priest, who kept on preaching endlessly about how youths like him are heading like hell. Both of their lines are so rehearsed they are practically placid.


    Now looks at him, he was undoubtedly dead, but this place doesn¡¯t look like hell at all.


    ¡°Excuse me¡±


    It¡¯s the old lady again, here with a tray of hot food for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great then, that¡¯s mean you don¡¯t have to finish this¡±


    As the tray is laid upon the table, the aroma spreads all throughout the room.


    ¡°This is something new I made, maybe you could give me some feedback then¡±


    Then with a gentle smile, she leaves to join with the others. Jim sighs and sits down, veggie soup isn¡¯t really his favourite. The cuts are also horribly uneven, age must have shaken her hands quite a bit.


    After some contemplation, the teenager decides to take a sip. It is nothing special, painfully mediocre. Jim finishes the whole thing anyway.


    ___


    After the meal, everyone returns to the main room where Johann has something to inform them all. Apparently, there are monsters hidden in this town, more than a dozen.


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t we here to eliminate them somehow¡± Fleur said with a shaken tone.


    ¡°Not like this of course¡± Cassian tried to assure her ¡°You all need to learn how to use mana first¡±


    That doesn¡¯t help Fleur at all, obviously, she would rather not having to fight any sort of monstrosity at all be it just a tiny roach. Jim can¡¯t help but feel annoyed. He hates people like this, those who preach and practice goodness without truly looking.


    But still, he is a stranger here. Jim looks out of the window, that¡¯s when he spots something peculiar. A bug scampering away from the house, but suddenly without a trace, it disappears into thin air. What is this phenomenon, Jim think to himself? Is he just hallucinating or is this just normal occurrence here? Either way, he decides to keep it to himself anyway, if he can¡­.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The old lady, Mara, asked him.


    ¡°Nothing¡­ I thought I saw something strange, that¡¯s all¡±


    ¡°What is it¡± Johann immediately fixed his attention at Jim.


    ¡°Ugh, a bug just somehow disappears, probably just me though¡±


    ¡°How did it disappear, was it instantly or section by section or did it just fade away. Don¡¯t stop with such a half-hearted reply¡±


    Johann eyes are intense, drilling straight at Jim. The teenager stumbles a bit ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®what¡¯ me, I need the details now¡±


    ¡°You bastard, who do you think you are, ordering me around like that!¡±


    Despite being the guest, Jim won¡¯t stand for such attitude, especially from a stranger. Before any further heat could starts, Eikichi steps in.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we test thing for ourselves¡±


    The man opens the window and throws a pen away, it flies though the air then disappears just like the bug. But upon taking a closer look, one could see that it was seemingly swallowed by some unseen force.


    Seeing that, Eikichi immediately leaps out of the window with Johann right behind, the rest was told to stay put. Jim, however, driven by curiosity and not wanting to follow Johann¡¯s order, jumps out after them.


    The three passes can feel a thin veil and behind it is a town filled with people.


    ¡°Even during the previous days of the competition, it wasn¡¯t this crowded¡±


    ¡°Unless it is time for the main event¡± Eikichi said grimly.


    The man and Johann rush forward with Jim behind, trying to catch up with them. What is going on, he has always been proud of his physical capability. But the teenager can¡¯t even keep up with those two and when they start to weave into the crowd, he can¡¯t even see them anymore.


    Still, Jim Cross pushes on forward, he just need to reach the centre of this crowd. Fortunately, everyone makes way for him instantly and the teenager reaches an arena of sort, dug into the ground.


    Inside are two civilians, one male one female, backing away from a horrifying sight.


    Even Jim himself are frozen by the beast in front of him. An affront to nature in the form of a giant kangaroo with rhino head and skin. The thing is frothing in anger, ready to lash out at anything in front of him. Which conveniently are the two foolish contestants.


    From the look of it, the volunteers only fate is doom. They will die at this rate.


    I need to have them, a voice rings inside Jim head which is quickly drown out. Those two will die anyway, there is no way he can do anything, even if he tries¡­ The image of Jane Crawford flashes in front of him.


    No, this is pure madness.


    Jim looks away as the beast charges at the poor souls. But a resounding grasps from the audience brings his view back instinctively.


    The sun shines of Eikichi¡¯s bald head as he flies across the air like a majestic¡­ something. With the tip of his shoe aimed straight the creature eyes, the man delivers a devastating kick. Blood spurts out as the monster¡¯s eye is crushed violently. But unfortunately, it isn¡¯t enough to reach its brain. Eikichi wishes he had brought his special dance shoes but no crying over spilt milk.


    Despite there being a giant monster in front of his eyes, this shocks Jim likes never before. How could he do something like that, how could he move like that.


    Definitely by not standing around, as the image of Jane flashes in front of his eyes one last time. The teenager clenches his teeth and vaults over the railing as well. He has been contented for too long. This world, this life is a second chance and Jim Cross won¡¯t waste it, he won¡¯t let any injustice slips by, ever again.


    Of course, he is immediately confronted by fear as the monster¡¯s true scale finally dawns on him. It is too late now, Jim¡¯s second life will be a short one but he won¡¯t leave with regret.


    ¡°Ho, that¡¯s a nice landing there¡± Commented Eikichi.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit scared¡± Jim asked.


    ¡°Of course, lucky I already took a leak already¡±


    Even after saying that, Eikichi still stands tall, unlike Jim whose legs are shaking.


    The creature meanwhile is still thrashing around on the ground, getting up doesn¡¯t seem to be its strong point, but it is getting there. Eikichi calls up to Johann, who is still standing in the crowd.


    ¡°Oi, this thing, does it also uses your mana thingy¡±


    ¡°No, doesn¡¯t seem so¡±


    That¡¯s surprising, Jim had though someone like Johann would jump down without as well. But his refusal is understandable.


    Understandable but not necessary true. Of course, the young warrior won¡¯t back down from this, as children of the Divine, he will protect every of Eden¡¯s citizen to the death, every one of them. But here he is, with a small knife behind reaching its way to his heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move¡±


    Or else he is dead, that part can be reasonable deduced. Johann recognises that voice, however, it is the female that Doraemon managed to record.


    The young warrior can¡¯t help but remember the mercenary, for him to stand around as others risking their lives like this again. This is unacceptable, but Johann can¡¯t find a way out of this. Any sudden movement and his heart will have a nice deep cut.


    It seems like Eikichi and Jim won¡¯t be on their own though as someone also jumps in to join in the fray. It¡¯s Doraemon.


    ¡°Do you need a diaper over there, boy¡± She sneered at Jim then turns to Eikichi ¡°For you to be asking that, I guess you already have a plan¡±


    ¡°Of course¡± The man reply, he then slowly unbuttons his white suit then walks over to hand it to Jim ¡°Can you hold onto this, it would be great¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ alright¡±


    ¡°And maybe you can look after those two as well, thanks¡±


    After that, Eikichi returns to Doraemon¡¯s side. Leaving Jim with the two civilians eyes wide with amazement. Meanwhile, the monster seems to finally realises its giant arms maybe a viable method of propping itself up, but even that seems to be a struggle somehow.


    ¡°I guess you also know what to do¡± Said Eikichi.


    ¡°Of course¡±


    Doraemon¡¯s hoodie slowly turns into a bright red to match Eikichi¡¯s shirt, though a lot more vibrant though just like her cosmetics.


    ¡°You looks just like a popsicle¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mutter another word¡±


    The girl then pulls out a small syringe and plugs it into a port in the back of her neck on the hoodie. As the content is injected into her body instantly, Doraemon shivers slightly. Her legs get weakened as the ecstasy overcomes the girl momentary.


    A smile most erotic yet equally sadistic appears on Doraemon¡¯s face.


    Unlike the stuffs flooding the street of England, the pure product is another league of its own. Although, for it to has this side effect, that¡¯s probably why the military hasn¡¯t sanction its use yet. Months of undercover in London were worth it¡­ Opps, shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusion that easily, Doraemon still need to see if it truly works.


    The girl looks around in delight¡­ that¡¯s it until she reaches Eikichi who is pouting.


    ¡°What the hell¡± Talk about killing one¡¯s buzz.


    ¡°Doraemon doesn¡¯t take drug! Drug is bad!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, what with this Doraemon thing anyway!¡±


    Um, what are those two doing, Jim can only wonder as the monster has been standing over them for a bit now. And the thing is absolutely furious. It strikes down in a flash, the teenager doesn¡¯t even have enough time to muster a word of warning.


    There is no need to worry though as the two easily leap out of the way like it is nothing.


    ¡°Come to think of it, Doraemon doesn¡¯t have ears, maybe you don¡¯t suit that name after all¡±


    ¡°Whatever, I don¡¯t care¡±


    Jim watches on, he doesn¡¯t even know what to feel anymore.

 Chapter 7

    1.7


    Number 6


    Jim didn''t really know what he had expected but certainly not this.


    "Here, you ugly bastard"


    Yelled Eikichi as he narrowly slid under a swipe, luckily it took the beast a few moments to realise there was nothing in its fist. The thing maybe a horrible monstrosity that could rip a person in half but it seemed to lacks even basic hand-eyes coordination.


    "Oi, over here"


    It was Doraemon turn to attract the creature attention and once again it failed to do anything, not out of a lack of trying though.


    Eikichi''s level of instinct and reflex were unlike anything Jim had seen before, but even then he struggled sometimes to dodge the thing. Doraemon, on the other hand, was another story. The girl pretty much pranced around the arena, leaving the lumbering beast behind as she chuckled manically.


    That syringe must have contained a serious enhancement drug. Although it was quite clear having a physical boost wasn''t its only feature, Doraemon was high as a kite.


    "What''s wrong, ya eunuch jelly"


    She was hurling insults that Jim couldn''t even understand. The girl also couldn''t seem to stop laughing as she looked on the helpless creature. The futility of its action fueled her more and more.


    It was certainly strange to describe that thing as helpless but it applied here somehow. The two weren''t even engaging with it, no they just led the thing on an endless chase.


    Of course, the creature wasn''t exactly pleased about this either and the gashing wound didn''t help. It just kept on raging, desperately trying to catch the people who were provoking it, who hurt it. But that was simply futile.


    That reality of what was happening had pierce the creature mind''s sometimes ago now. But driven by instinct, it was forced to keep on raging on.


    At least it made for good entertainment for the crowd.


    This whole event was to pick out individuals to serve this Eden world anyway. And in front of them were two very capable candidates. Although Doraemon unhinged behaviour didn''t seem to trigger an alarm in anyone at all¡­


    What kind of world was this, Jim Cross asked nothing but himself.


    He looked on silently as the creature finally had enough, or more like its body had ran out. The beast crumpled into a mess on the floor, completely exhausted and drained. Eikichi and Doraemon''s prediction was correct, whatever food that thing had eaten couldn''t sustain such a massive body for too long.


    Now the creature once so threatening were lying uselessly on the floor, panting painfully. Apparently air intake was also a problem as well. That exercise had heavily scarred the creature lungs now.


    Eikichi himself wasn''t really pleased about this result, though. He still felt bad for the thing but the man had his priorities. Doraemon, however, was revelling in seeing the creature in pain, the girl hugged herself slightly and gritted her teeth with a smirk. As the side effect seemed to wear off, she held back the smile, returning to her calmer self.


    There was almost a trace of disappointment in Doraemon''s eyes, aimed at herself no less. To lose herself like that, unacceptable. Her hoodie''s turned back to featuring the Union Jack as she looked back.


    "Let''s go, we are done here"


    "But I haven''t spent enough time being the middle of attention yet" Answered Eikichi.


    "And here I thought with that getup you would have plenty of attention already"


    "Well, this is positive attention for once"


    Doraemon''s first remark was drenched in sarcasm, but Eikichi''s reply was as straight as always. It was not what she was used to but the girl didn''t exactly hate it.


    As the trio turned back to the creature, however, there was someone standing in front. It was one of the original contenders, a very well-built man. He seemed to be whispering to the creature something softly.


    "I wouldn''t mind having what that guy is having" Said Doraemon.


    The man slowly pulled his arm back then forms a loose fist. After an uncomfortable of time his grip tightened and he punched the creature straight at its head. There was no injury, or at least one immediately presented itself.


    The contender turned back to the trio then clapped slowly.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Congratulation, you have far surpassed my expectation"


    As he finished his sentence, the creature remaining eye started to bulge. Blood gushed out of all of its orifices and as the eye flew away the thing collapsed in its own gore, dead. As if it was exploded from the inside out.


    "What the¡­" Doraemon exclaimed out loud.


    Before the girl could do anything, however, the man was already in front of her. Did he just teleport! His fist followed shortly afterward straight to her stomach.


    Doraemon staggered backward then looked at herself in disbelief. It was a powerful blow no doubt and yet the girl didn''t even feel anything. But she knew what will come next, Doraemon looked at the dead creature.


    Soon enough, it happened. A milky white fluid ran down from her left eye, then all hell break loose. The liquid busted out of her ears, her mouth, her nose, eyes, everywhere. Jim rushed in to catch Doraemon as she fell into his arms. The teenager could feel the strange milk-like substance running onto him. At least the girl kept her eyes.


    "I was wondering how you could handle such a high dosage of the Ladder" The candidate said "Still, I have never seen anyone that comes close to you in bionic body modification. Hm, strengthen muscle, bone made of alloys, conductive blood and it seems like artificial skin as well. Isn''t that a bit too excessive?"


    "Ah¡­ How¡­ ah¡­"


    Doraemon couldn''t even speak anymore as the white blood was flooding her throat. What kind of punch was that, a normal person would have all of their internal organs completely crushed. Still, most of her important parts weren''t damaged. But the girl had never been this hurt before, and from one blow no less.


    Jim couldn''t help but feel slightly repulsed by the ''girl'' in front of him. The white fluid emitted a strange unnatural smell and one of her eye was glitching, rotating around. The feel of her hoodie was also so smooth it was alien.


    But then the teenager could also feel something, coming through his arms. Doraemon was¡­ trembling. Her remaining eye was filled with a nebulous fear, not out of being injured. Oh no, being driven to such a condition so suddenly had awakened dark memories within her and with the side effect still lingering on, those images were as vivid as the most cutting edge VR.


    Doraemon could see light and in it¡­ the Killer Queen. No, anything but that!


    To see such a figure reduced to such a state was strangely karmic. But it wasn''t Jim''s place to judge, the teenager tried to hold onto her shaking hands.


    He looked on to see that Eikichi had approached the contestant.


    "You haven''t introduced yourselves yet, my name is Eikichi by the way"


    "Oh right" The man scratched his head "I was being so rude, my name is Six"


    "Strange name you have there"


    "Yeah, it''s not like we can choose our names"


    After all that, how could Eikichi still talked to that guy so casually. Jim was puzzled but there was nothing he could do. The bald man, finally, turned to him and the damaged Doraemon.


    "Still, that isn''t really a nice thing to do"


    "My bad"


    The two laughed then suddenly, in a blink of an eyes. Their fists were flying straight toward the others'' face. Both narrowly dodged it, but suddenly Six seemed to realise something and once again teleported back away.


    Turn out, Eikichi''s blow had grazed the man forehead slightly. It was just a small cut though, nothing significant. Well, not for Six. Tears started to well up within his eyes.


    "Sorry, huh" He was having a hiccup "I have been huh sleeping huh for like century huh now, my huh body huh isn''t used huh to pain huh yet"


    Six pulled out a handkerchief clumsily and took a huge sneeze.


    "I''m alright now, so, I will be killing now, alright" The man started to form a loose fist.


    "That wouldn''t be a bad idea" Said Eikichi in his usual tone before the bald man readied himself again. His stance loose but steady as a rock. Asides from his abilities, Six was a highly trained operative.


    This was supposed to fist fight but somehow it had turned into a stand-off as the two stared at each other. One blow from Six was enough to end his opponent. This was when Jim noticed something unsettling, the silence. The teenager looked around to find rows of seats filled with people with thin white featureless masks, all looking at him. Among them was Johann who was still thankfully normal, he hadn''t moved from his spot though.


    When Jim turned back to look at the fight, it was already over. He could see a bloodied hand going through Eikichi back.


    In fact, Six couldn''t teleport but the man could move with such speed that it could be perceived to be near instant. And with his enhanced strength and super speed, the fist easily went through an entire person body, but not without a price.


    Jim could see something bloody in Eikichi hand and as Six emerged in front of him, he realised what that item was. It was an eye, or more specifically, one of Six''s eye.


    Knowing full well that he couldn''t possibly dodge an attack of such speed, Eikichi went all in. The bald man charged forward straight into his enemy''s punch. But the surprise advance could only get him so far. And so, Eikichi went for the throat and the eye, only the later succeed. The bald man looked at the item, it was artificial.


    But to Six, for him to be injured so badly by a newcomer.


    "Fantastic" He looked up to Johann "It seems like a lucky harvest for you"


    "What do you want" The young warrior asked coldly.


    "Now? I just want to introduce myself. My two mates are too shy to come out though so that will be it for today" Tears started to well up in Six''s eyes "Oh, it seems like I am finally processing the pain now. OH IT HURTS! Anyway, be seeing you around"


    Before he could leave though, Six could hear someone call for him. It was Eikichi, who was somehow still standing with quite a hole in his stomach.


    "You forgot this" He handed over the eye.


    "Thank mate, be seeing you around"


    The knife was also retrieved from Johann''s back, he immediately jumped down to join the others. Eikichi meanwhile made his way over to Jim, who was still holding onto the white suit.


    "Hm, can you get me a cig¡­ Oh wait, I don''t smoke"


    "Then why do you even want one" Asked Jim.


    "Well, I figure it would look cool¡­ Ouch, this actually really hurt"


    "I¡­ I don''t doubt that"


    Jim replied. It finally sunk into him and the summoned here. They were in a complete new world now. There were giant monsters, magic and people with absurd powers. And as Eikichi looked down at the new airhole he has, the man knew deep down, they would need to change if they wanted to survive here.


    Sound fun. It had been a long time since he was this amused.


    The four left the arena and as soon as they reach the outskirt of town, all the white masks were dropped then simply disintegrate. The townsfolks of Saragarhi and its many visitors continued their schedule like nothing had happened. This festival, this competition would go on. Fortunately, no more battles with dangerous monsters so at least something good happened.

 Chapter 8

    <div>


    <div>


    2.1


    Mara ''Hela'' Singer reporting


    Mara Singer had lived a life with many ups and downs, she had seen all this turbulence world had to offer. But still, standing here like this was a special kind of satisfying.


    "This is amazing"


    The old lady had to back from smiling so much as she was showered with praises. It was well-earned, she did put a lot of effort into this dish. Although to be fair, unlike the other housewives here in this class, Mara had a lot of time on her hand.


    "I''m sure your son will love it!"


    "I hope so, he can be very picky"


    Christmas was right around the corner and her boy would finally return after his years long trip. As a war journalist, he had been away for so many summer now. Last time they had a meal together was embarrassing. Mara could still smell that burnt steak. But now, she had improved exponentially.


    Finally, she could treat him to something good that was not made by Chang''s takeaway.


    Mara wrapped the remaining food with tin foil to bring it home, this would be a delightful dinner. The road was cold and the wind rattled her old bones. Seeing the street draped in the most cheerful red, the old lady couldn''t help but feel festive. She tapped her shoes loudly on the pavement floor and pranced home.


    The destination, however, certainly dampened her mood. Mara never really like to stay home, it was too spacious, too empty for her. But now that wasn''t the case. The lock was still there but she could tell, after living here for so long, someone had broken in.


    Taking a deep breath, Mara opened the door and walked in.


    In the living room was good old Charles, pouring himself a glass of wine. The old man took a sip then stop.


    "Hideous, you sure have a lousy taste for wine as always, Ms. Singer"


    "You can ask my neighbour for that, it was a gift for them"


    "Oh right, you don''t drink" This wasn''t the first time they had this conversation, but it was something familiar "I will send you something proper later"


    "I will just leave it there to rot"


    "Ms. Singer, wine doesn''t ''rot''. If you don''t want it, I''m sure your neighbour would be delighted to be educated on what constituted as drinkable"


    Charles, despite his greatest effort, was not a sophisticated man. He sure wanted to be one and the man sure had the knowledge to be one. But it never gel but he still tried anyway.


    Putting the tinfoil-warped dinner on the table, Mara questioned her old acquaintance.


    "Why are you here, Charles"


    The old man put down the glass and sighed. Despite having done this countless times, this still broke his heart any time. And while him and Mara were only passing acquaintance, he still knew her longer than anyone else.


    "Gabriel Denardo was captured and executed by the People Liberation Front''s leader, Abayomi Agrinya this morning"


    "I see"


    That was it, that was the purpose of this trip. Charles took his hat and left in silence. He glimpsed at the old lady face to find it calm as expected.


    As the lock was turned Mara took a seat on her soft sofa. The news didn''t really come as a surprise. Being a war journalist could be dangerous, Gabriel knew it and he signed up for it anyway. Now he was gone, leaving his dear mother all alone in this world.


    Still, Mara Singer didn''t shed a single tear. The old lady was now used to loss. In the garage the tattered car still lied, undisturbed for years after young Lucy and Gabriel Denardo Sr last ride.


    Today, the last of the Denardo had died and along with them Mara Denardo.


    The old lady poured herself a drink with the glass that Charles had taken out for her. A sip for her was already enough, she could never understand how people could drink this thing.


    It was just too¡­ bitter.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Cassian was looking like there was fire under him and Alva wasn''t doing much better. Apparently, a giant field of illusion was as foreign to them as the summoned. Even so, an order was an order, they were to remain here for Johann to return.


    "I made some refreshment if anyone wants some"


    Mara managed to find some tea and it appeared normal at least. She knew that Cassian and Alva were just too ''polite'' to refuse, so at least they could sit down and relax for a bit.


    Meanwhile, Fleur was also dead worry. Being stuck in a strange land, the danger was starting to feel real to her. Magic? Giant monsters? What else were out there trying to rip the poor woman to shred. The tea seemed to work and Fleur started to calm down.


    "Thank you, Madame Singer"


    The four sat there, enjoying a moment of tranquillity. Yes, there were only four here, Doraemon had snuck out before but the other didn''t seem to notice it. Despite being lit up like a walking billboard, the girl sure knew how to blend in, Mara thought to herself.


    Their moment of peace was soon interrupted by a man charging through the door. It was the local healer and owner of this building.


    "The boy, he has woken up"


    With the happiest smile, he announced the news. There was nothing more pleasing to a healer than to see a patient recovered. The art of healing was among the most difficult, and so only those whose made it their purpose to heal others could practice it. Asides from just a few exceptions of course, like being the protegee for one of the most brilliant mind. The healer remembered a girl at the academy following the Heretic around, Caron was it?


    Still, despite his enthusiasm, Mara and the others couldn''t help but noticed a huge bump on his head "What happened". Questioned Alva.


    "Oh, I forgot about this¡­ Wait a bit"


    The healer ran away for a few seconds before returning, this time with another bump. Oh, that boy was throwing a tantrum in there, he was throwing a lot of stuffs around.


    Despite the wooden look, this place was excellent at keeping sound contained, Mara thought.


    "Why is he throwing this tantrum"


    "Oh¡­ I don''t really know"


    The healer ran away again. After all, it was his job, his purpose to heal people not to listen or actually care about them. This time it took him even less time. The healer returned with another bump excited to deliver the news.


    "That boy wants his sword back!"


    As soon as the healer finished his sentence, the door behind him busted open and the now more-nourished young boy jumped in. He looked around hysterically.


    "My sword, my sword, where is it! Where is it!"


    Cassian approached to try and calmed the boy down but it only made things worse.


    "He is probably referring to that old katana" Said Mara.


    "Oh that" Fleur exclaimed. She was the one to pick it up "What should we do then"


    "Just give it to him, that thing to too rusted to actually cut anything anyway"


    Alva wanted to object out of principle but maybe giving the boy what he wanted would be more prudent. Knocking him out wouldn''t work forever. And so Fleur scurried away to find where Eikichi had put the thing. Meanwhile, Mara and Alva would try to calm the boy down.


    Meanwhile, Cassian was sent away to sit in the corner while the healer left merrily to handle other matters.


    "Don''t worry, you will have it soon. Why don''t you have some tea?" Mara asked gently, an offer the young boy accepted. That was also a cue for him to introduce himself but that completely flew over his head.


    "This¡­ I never have tea this good before¡­"


    The boy muttered in amazement. Mara could kind of guess as much, his condition was pretty telling. Meanwhile, Alva had to interfere before he chugged the entire pot.


    "You seem to really treasure your sword" Mara tried to strike a conversation to divert his attention away from the tea pot.


    "Of course, it was passed down to me by the greatest swordsman, he who the title of Unrivalled Under The Heaven!"


    "Really, that''s amazing, what''s his name" Mara did hear of a Japanese swordsman with that title, one Musas¡­


    "He is Shin Ito!"


    Wait, that didn''t seem right. Mara couldn''t remember anyone with that name¡­ Oh well, even though she had an amazing memory, the old lady was never into Japanese history. Maybe that guy was some big shot, who knew.


    "And you, what is your name"


    "Me? I am Haruka Sato"


    "And I am Mara Singer, it''s nice to meet you"


    The old woman extended her arm. This was something she read about in a book, children hated being treated like children so a handshake like an equal would work well. That was if that kid even knew what a handshake was.


    It took a while but Haruka finally reached out and grabbed her hand. At least the intended effect worked.


    Alva watched the two, it seemed like she wouldn''t have to do anything after all. And yet, there was something about this scene that didn''t bode well with her. The girl stretched her mouth to form a smile.


    The friendly atmosphere didn''t last, however, as Fleur timidly entered the room, clutching the sword.


    "Ah, my sword!" The boy yelled out.


    "I''m¡­ I''m sorry, I''m so sorry" Something was wrong thought, Fleur couldn''t stop apologising. She hung her head low "I''m sorry"


    "What, why are you saying sorry! What did you do!" The boy looked like he was about to explode.


    The woman handed over the weapon and the clanking sound of metal could be heard. But that didn''t happen, unless¡­


    "I dropped it in a rush, the sword, it broke into two"


    "You did what!" It took a moment for that to finally sink onto the young boy. Mara tried to calm him down but it was to avail "I won''t, I will never forgive you"


    The young boy jumped onto the apologetic woman. He kept on hitting her but with his strength, Fleur wasn''t really hurt.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry"


    Fleur repeated herself again and again. Alva also tried to intervene but her effort was somehow half-hearted. But why, the girl couldn''t understand, it was as if she didn''t want that wholesome scene that came before.


    But still, there must be a way to stop this. Alva tried to think, maybe something significant enough for this not to explode any further.


    And fortunately, a distraction soon arrived. But unfortunately, it wasn''t something one would want to witness. It was the party that left!


    It was Johann, trying to prop up Eikichi who had quite a hole in his stomach. The wound was covered by a messy black sooth, trying to hold back the bleeding. Nevertheless, the bald man was already covered in blood.


    Then came Jim carrying an unconscious Doraemon. The girl looked broken, her limbs twitching unnaturally and she was drenched in a milky fluid.


    "What happened!" Alva exclaimed.


    Johann answers "What happened was that we finally met them, the ''enemy''"

 Chapter 9

    2.2


    The lone Valkyrie


    Mara squeezed the wet blanket to put it over Doraemon¡¯s head. The girl was in some sort of nightmarish fever, her body reconstructing itself and the old lady had no idea whether that process was going well or not. Nevertheless, she still tried to be here anyway.


    Meanwhile, Doraemon seemed to have calmed down, the nightmare was over. Mara couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of life the ¡®girl¡¯ had led, that was if she was just a ¡®young girl¡¯ at all. The amount of augmentations on her body was staggering, even her entire skin was artificial. Back in her work, the term ¡®super soldier¡¯ was thrown around a lot, augmented by drugs or cybernetic. While the latter saw little to no progress, it was still entertained. But even the most maniacal general couldn¡¯t imagine this level of modifications. No that was what the public did best, fantasizing.


    But in the far-flung future, was this kind of augmentation normal?


    ¡°Ha, I just remember something¡± Mara said to the unconscious girl ¡°I once asked Eikichi about where the name Doraemon comes from. He told me it was a comic character, a futuristic robot cat sent by a boy to help his good for nothing ancestor using a bunch of gadgets¡±


    The old lady paused for a bit then looked at the girl ¡°You also come from the future, at least for me. You also have so many gadgets that I can¡¯t comprehend. Actually, I can¡¯t even understand how you could fit them in that hoodie of your. Thinking about that name, I can¡¯t help but feel like you were sent here for something¡­ maybe for me. Did you know, I once study to be a nurse but I actually have only taken care of one sick person¡±


    It was during a holiday. A young farm boy had fallen ill and the doctor wasn¡¯t there to treat him. And so, they called up the young Mara Singer. The patient was Gabriel Dernado, who would then one day become her husband.


    ¡°But that was it, after then I never tend to anyone anymore. I was always too busy with life, with work, with my own personal issues. I was never there for my families, those who I deemed precious and before I knew it, I was all alone¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The young Lucy and Gabriel Jr grew up, only knowing the warm hands of their father. It was their father who sang their lullaby, it was their father who nursed them when they were ill, it was their father who cook for them, it was their father who took them to school. Yes it was their father, Gabriel Senior, it was him and him alone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel like you were sent here for me. Taking care of you like this, no, to take care of someone, I never knew how much I wanted it. You know, I was always sceptical. With all these modifications, who can tell whether you are an old geezer or not. But the way you threw your tantrum, the way you snapped at others, the way you tried to distance yourself. I can¡¯t help but see you as just a teenager, a lost child. Oh my, I sure say ¡®I can¡¯t help it¡¯ a lot do I¡­ But what do I know, I have never seen a struggling kid before, I never cared enough to look¡±


    Mara caressed the young girl hair, her face filled with sadness. But it was not out of her own past, but of her current situation, of the person she had become.


    ¡°I am such a horrible person. Here I am, using you for my own personal fantasy¡±


    The old lady stood up and went into the washroom for a bit, leaving Doraemon behinds. The girl peaked around the room. There they were, her gears on that table over there. At least she now knew where they are, that was one less thing to worry about.


    Of course, there was nothing stopping the girl from just getting up. There was nothing chaining her down to this bed. The girl thought to herself.


    That old woman, she was deathly sharp but sure rambled a lot. What kind of idiot spewed all of their life to a complete stranger like this. But here Doraemon was, still lying here. Then there was her fantasy, so this was what old people are like. So pathetic, and yet, the girl didn¡¯t mind, indulging in that fantasy for just a bit more.


    Doing nothing was making Doraemon tired again, maybe she would sleep again. It was not like anything will happen.


    By the time Mara returned, the old lady was delighted to see the girl so soundly asleep. Maybe her story was too boring. But now was the perfect time to finish up her business. That body under Doraemon bed wasn¡¯t going to dispose itself.


    What was inside? Oh it was a Fallen unarmed spy unit. Why did one venture all the way in here for Doraemon the old lady had no idea. But it was too much of a risk, letting a stealthy unit like that ran amok.


    With a shiv to the neck, the thing said goodbye to its life without even seeing anything, hearing anything or feeling anything.


    That was the easy part, cleaning up was the problem. But Mara Singer was also an expert cleaner. The woman took another gaze at the now sleeping girl. Under her breaths, the old lady whispered softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you from the future, this old bone can take care of herself. Not just that, I will also try my best to look out for you, for all of you¡±


    And that she had already, with the way Mara ¡®Hela¡¯ Singer knew best.

 Chapter 10

    2.3


    To be hopelessly outclassed


    The naginata was elegantly swung through the air, cutting the wooden pole cleanly in exactly half. Or not, the proportion was slightly off. Johann was finally slipping after hours of non-stop training under the blazing sun. His grip was also foreign, loosing two fingers wasn¡¯t a laughing matter.


    ¡°Woah¡±


    Eikichi, who had been watching for a while along with Alva, applauded. A gesture which greatly annoyed Johann, although it wasn¡¯t directed at the bald man.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s only a bit off but that is still a good cut¡±


    That was the reason. Despite being quite a distance away, Eikichi could tell the two parts were slightly different, all the while wearing sunglasses. When it came to mechanical skill, intuition and experience the bald man far surpassed Johann. And so, the praise rang hollow.


    ¡°I see you have recovered enough to walk around¡±


    ¡°Well, Alva sure can work miracle. Although my stomach still feels a bit empty¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you¡± Alva smiled


    There weren¡¯t simply enough pieces of guts to fill into the wound. While it was patched they still need more time to grow enough flesh to graft in there.


    ¡°What are you so pleased about, that¡¯s your job¡± Johann stared the girl down then turned to the bald man ¡°I know you haven¡¯t been in bed the past few day doing nothing¡±


    ¡°Well, I only have a bit of practice¡±


    Eikichi held onto a bottle which immediately fell into pieces then recovered in an instant. After the encounter with Six, Johann immediately issued to the order for Alva to teach the summoned how to use mana. The plan excluded Doraemon and Eikichi who were bedridden, but that didn¡¯t stop the bald man.


    Oh no, he became the first to successfully manifests mastery over mana but in a curious way. Normally, a practitioner in mana had to go through many steps and stages before finally learning any sort of specialisation.


    And yet, Eikichi manifested his power in a strangely specific way and so was Mara in a lesser extent.


    Alva speculated that since unlike Eden¡¯s citizens, the summoned already had very defined values and way of thinking. And what was mana but a manifestation of ones¡¯ mind. For that reason, these people would be able to use power that may take other years to master but only in a very defined constraint.


    That would make more sense, why the Divines would want to call upon these people.


    For now, Mara could concentrate mana into a physical object like Cassian. But she could only make small pieces of mirror that were too brittle for any purpose.


    Meanwhile, Eikichi exhibited the ability to put simple object back together after being broken. It didn¡¯t heal the object, however, the moment the power was cancelled, the object would fall apart again. It also only worked if he got a hold of the object before it was taken apart and the man must hold onto one part. Also, if the pieces were too small then he would lost control of it. That was why the bottle he was holding had chips all over.


    ¡°So how are you feeling now¡± Johann asked.


    ¡°Well, fine I guess¡±


    ¡°Good, then fight me¡±


    That certainly came out of nowhere. Before Eikichi could say anything, Alva jumped in.


    ¡°What are you talking about, he literally just got out of sickbed¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that for him to decide¡± Johann answered, he didn¡¯t even bother looking at his fianc¨¦e.


    Alva looked at Eikichi nervously. The bald man seemed amused by the sudden offer. Oh well, he never turned down a challenge. He gave his white suit to the girl.


    ¡°Can you hold onto this for me then¡±


    Alva was greatly against this idea but there was nothing she could do. Those inside the house was also starting to take notice of what was going on. Jim, Haruka and the others looked out of the window.


    ¡°What¡­ what is going on?¡± Asked Fleur as she gazed at Johann, the young warrior looked like he was ready to kill. Her question was ignored by current company.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    And so, out of nowhere, the two faced off. They immediately charged at one another. Johann held onto the weapon tightly right near the blade and jabbed repeatedly at Eikichi. The man simply hopped back to avoid them.


    ¡°What, why is he holding the weapon like that¡± Questioned Haruka.


    The naginata was a halberd, a tool with great reach. And yet, Johann grip was near the blade, negating most of his own range. Of course, the young warrior was no idiot. It was tempting to use this weapon for its intended range. But against an opponent as formidable as Eikichi, that would mean an easy disarm.


    That didn¡¯t escape the bald man¡¯s attention, who seemed pleasantly surprise. He raised his knee up and from it, sprung up a devastating kick straight at Johann ribcage. The young warrior tried to defence against the incoming only for it to divert in a crescent shape, connecting with his stomach instead.


    Wasting no time, Eikichi bounced up and straightforwardly jabbed at his opponent. Johann, still unbalanced from the kick swung his naginata back in an attempt to meet the punch. The bald man curved his arm up to avoid the blade, his fist barely reached Johann. Not wasting this opportunity, his fingers shot out at the young warrior throat. Johann recoiled back coughing.


    ¡°Huh, so that actually work¡± Eikichi mused.


    Johann finally regained his breath ¡°You could have ended the fight¡±


    ¡°Well, why end it right there, for you to challenge me like this. There is something you want to know right?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, it wasn¡¯t like Johann to be this spontaneous. But the young warrior had already found the answer. Ever since the summoned arrived, he had questioned his own capability. The conclusion Johann reached was that he was still woefully inadequate.


    And yet, there was still this niggling thought in his mind. He was a child of the Divine, raised and trained by the great von Brandt himself.


    A part of Johann believed that it was just the circumstances that were unfavourable, that he was perfectly capable. A dangerous idea to entertain, and the young warrior couldn¡¯t have it there. Now here he was, bested so easily by a fish out of water. Now there was no longer doubt about his own inadequacy, now his entire mind and body could fully commit to improvement.


    Johann wanted to see, how he was like when pushed to the limit. And there was no other better candidate than the man in front of him.


    The young warrior gripped his weapon tightly, mana coursing through his body.


    ¡°Thanks for your courtesy, I will repay in kind¡± Johann raised his weapon.


    ¡°Oh, I look forward to it¡±


    The young warrior lunged at his opponent, overwhelming him with pure speed and power. With his naginata fully extended, Eikichi couldn¡¯t get close enough for the counter attack.


    This seemed like a lost battle, but the bald man still had a card up his sleeve. One he truly didn¡¯t expect to use, maybe there was something to the young man in front of him after all. Eikichi extended his arm far out and¡­ snapped his finger as loud as he can.


    ¡°What the¡± Johann exclaimed then suddenly a realisation hit him.


    Eikichi had somehow disappear right in front of the young warrior eyes.


    How! Had Eikichi somehow developed another ability behind their back? Maybe he used Doraemon¡¯s camouflage cover? No, none of those made sense. Johann had made sure to keep his opponent in view at all time!


    For those outside watching, what happens was simply too fast for them to compute, well, most of them anyway. The moment the bald man¡¯s fingers clicked loudly, he lowered his body, nearly touching the ground. Then from that position Eikichi dashed to the side, out of Johann cone of vision, all in complete silent.


    Coming up from behind, Eikichi chopped at the young warrior¡¯s exposed neck only to have him dodged it at the last moment.


    It wasn¡¯t a conscious moment, for Johann at least. Inside of him, an instinct he never knew he had somehow awaken, in this friendly contest. The young warrior countered with a swing of his naginata, which was met by a flimsy stick that was immediately cut in half.


    Eikichi thrusted the remaining part straight at Johann¡¯s eyes. The young warrior easily dodged it but he was now in great trouble. He was now caught in the bald man tempo, his initiative and range lost.


    But this was something Johann had prepared for. When the fight began, his first swing had brushed the ground and he hadn¡¯t moved from there since.


    Naginatas, made beautifully by concentrated mana sprouts from the ground around Johann. Eikichi rushed backward just managed to narrowly avoid the attack. But the young warrior was there to capitalise on this. Rushing through the field of halberd, he thrusted his naginata forward at his defenceless opponent.


    His attack was simply met with¡­ a stick, one that Eikichi was holding up. Then, Johann realised, that was not just a simple stick, no, it was a broken stick.


    Pain coursed through the young warrior body as the part, broken of earlier, pierced through his stomach. Just like the broken bottle, the bloodied piece returned to Eikichi.


    ¡°Ah, so it can be used like that¡±


    The bald man stepped forward in an instance, his body barely moving. Before Johann could react he was met with a flurry of blows. The speed and ferocity unmatched. Eikichi wasn¡¯t moving this fast before, no, this was a display of power. To show the tremendous gulf between the two. Even without using his power, Eikichi would have been able to beat Johann.


    Even when using his full power, the young warrior was bested. But that was to be expected. Up until now, his vision had been narrow. But there was still time for him and for the summoned as well. Johann bowed in defeat.


    ¡°That was a good fight, thank you for abiding to my selfish request¡±


    ¡°Oi, there is no need for that. I accepted that challenge fair and square¡±


    Johann looked at the naginatas ridden on the ground, finally disappearing. So this was what Eikichi considered ¡®fair and square¡¯.


    Alva rushed to Johann¡¯s side. She was going to have a dig at him for this, but the girl was surprised by what she saw. Seeing her face full of surprise, Johann asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡±


    ¡°I have to ask you that. I can¡¯t remember you looking¡­ that relaxed before¡±


    Really? Perhaps that was the case, that was Johann first time truly immersed in a fight. For a short while there, the fate of Eden, the Divine and everything didn¡¯t matter. No, the young warrior was only looking at himself, his own limitation.


    Johann darted back to when he avoided Eikichi¡¯s surprise attack. The instinct he displayed then, had it always been there?

 Chapter 11

    2.4


    ¡°Wake me up before you go-go, don''t leave me hanging on like a yo-yo~¡±


    Doraemon finally decides to get out of her sickbed. The girl enters the kitchen to find and Eikichi wearing a pink apron singing to a pan. He certainly seems to be in a spirited mood. Although this isn¡¯t something the girl wants to see first thing after recovering.


    ¡°Wake me up before you go-go, I don''t want to miss it when you hit that high~¡±


    The bald man, realising the girl is here, put the pan in front of her face. She has to hold back trying to bite his hand.


    ¡°What is this for¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m sure you know the lyric¡±


    The girl simply brushes his pan away. She is not in the mood for singing, what she is more interested in are the pancakes still fresh. The texture looks simply mouth-watering, unlike most of the food made in this house. Somehow, Eikichi is the best cook in the place, a fact that greatly annoys Doraemon


    The girl makes a beeline for that food. She is absolutely starved. Just as she reaches for the delicious pancake, it is snatches away by Eikichi, his feet still bouncing to the music in his head.


    ¡°Give me a line then you can eat~¡±


    ¡°No, hand that over before you get hurt¡±


    ¡°Wake me up before you go-go, ''cause I''m not plannin'' on going solo~ Come on, just a line!¡±


    Saying nothing, showing nothing, Doraemon foot immediately shoots for the man¡¯s shin. Of course, Eikichi hops over the swipe like it is nothing. The girl then just jumps at him, fist and claw all there. The bald man simply brushes them aside while juggling the plate of pancake.


    When the girl turns around, she can see Haruka and Fleur looking at her. Their expression indecipherable. From behind them, Mara walks past waving at her.


    Doraemon gives up, she hums begrudgingly.


    ¡°Ugh, Wake me up before you go-go, take me dancing tonight~¡±


    ¡°That sound like a plan. Get your best suit on, we are going into town. I wanna hit that high, yeah, yeah~¡±


    ¡°What is that guy on¡± Questioned Haruka.


    ¡°Dunno¡± Doraemon scuttles away with her newfound pancake obtained with shame.


    The girl runs straight into Johann who is entering the kitchen.


    ¡°Why are all of you blocking the door?¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t want to get close to that¡± Haruka answered pointing at Eikichi.


    The bald man is still bopping to his music, although he has now moved to something Doraemon doesn¡¯t recogniser. He keeps spewing rapidly gibberish ¡°Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub, yo da dub dub~¡±


    After finishing with the cleaning, Eikichi makes good on his passing previous comment. It¡¯s time for them all to finally get out of this place onto the street. Surprisingly, Johann doesn¡¯t object. The festival of Saragarhi is going to end soon, might as well take a look.


    To finally escape from the building is liberating for most. Fleur and Haruka are especially delighted, they haven¡¯t gotten out not even once, Mara doesn¡¯t seem to mind.


    The competitions are all over, now it¡¯s the time for celebration. Stall of delicious and exotic from all over the world are displayed. Curiously, this means ¡®all over the world¡¯ for the summoned. Apparently, all the ingredients and recipes are provided by the Divine. That does beg the question of what did the people of Eden eat before their arrival?


    Such a question doesn¡¯t bother Haruka at all. There are more food here than what the kid has had his entire life. And all of them are simply masterpiece of cuisine. All of them, no exception is at least three-star level of cooking.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Jim walks around cautiously, his eyes darting everywhere. After the meeting with Six, the teenager has become somewhat paranoid. He is immediately interrupted by Eikichi who shoves a bundle of freshly baked potato into his arms.


    ¡°Hot, hot, hot!¡±


    Haruka, smelling food turn around ¡°Let me have some of that¡± The kid grabs one piece, a bad idea if there is one. Soon enough, the potato is being juggled ¡°Hot, hot, hot!¡±


    The potato falls from his hands, luckily, it is caught by Fleur.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t play around with food¡±


    Haruka, however, is no longer listening as a cart of chocolate fountain is passing by. The beautician looks around to find everyone minding their business. After some contemplation, she decides to take a bite.


    ¡°Is it good?¡±


    A voice suddenly rang out behind, sending shiver up Fleur¡¯s spine. It¡¯s just the old lady, Mara. Despite the prosthetic leg, she can be very quiet.


    ¡°Are you going to finish all of that¡± Mara asked.


    ¡°No¡­ of course not¡±


    ¡°Then can I have half then¡±


    Digging her nail into the hot food, Fleur splits the potato into half. The two then sit down on the bench, enjoying their treat while people watching. Something Fleur did while she was off her shift. But the woman can¡¯t shake of a strange uncanny feeling looking at all these people filled with joy.


    Their face full of emotion and yet their eyes aren¡¯t truly looking at anything. Remind her of Cassian, who is blending in perfectly with the crowd. At the fountain, Alva is having to take care of Haruka, whose malnourish body can¡¯t handle all the sudden intake of food.


    Jim is dragged by Eikichi to an attraction of sort. One that could be found in all sort of festivals, a strength tester.


    ¡°Come on, people, can anyone hit the perfect score of 100 today¡± Announced the announcer. On the board next to him is a number 75 with a lone name.


    ¡°That look fun, why don¡¯t you give it a try, Jimmy¡± Said Eikichi.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Jimmy¡± The teenager replied grumpily, crackling his knuckles. Even though he is raised with the virtue of being humble, Jim still believes that he is stronger than most around his age. And he isn¡¯t one to turn down a challenge.


    ¡°Oh, we have a contender, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Jim, Jim Cross¡±


    The teenager grabs the sledgehammer, which is heavier than he had expected. But that isn¡¯t going to be a problem. Jim concentrates his strength; his body and heart are as still as a calm pond.


    The entire crowd turns silent, they have never seen such a raw display as this before. Such stillness, what a build-up. Then with a thunderous swing, the hammer hits the target. It shoots up to display a school of¡­ 44.


    Turn out I am just hot garbage, the thought runs throughout Jim¡¯s mind as he walks away in a calmly manner.


    ¡°I will give it a try then¡± Johann comes in ¡°And Jim, you can stop walking into that wall now¡±


    The teenager sits dejected as Johann prepares himself. The young warrior lifts the sledgehammer like its nothing and gently check the handle. His stature and care are certainly evocative, truly a child of the Divine¡­ too bad it is of a serene maiden.


    With an elegant swing as light as a feather, the target shoots up to 72.


    ¡°Oh, a respectable number, ladies and gentlemen. Envoy from the capital sure is a different league, he hasn¡¯t even used mana yet!¡±


    Johann walks to Jim and puts a hand on the teenager shoulder ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this competition allows the use of mana, you still did well¡±


    For ¡®some¡¯ reason, Jim isn¡¯t really happy hearing that from someone who got 72. At least his feeling of shattered pride now shifts into something else, indifferent. Why is he even comparing himself to the people of this world¡­


    ¡°Oh my Divine, 78! 78! 78! We finally have a new record!¡±


    ¡°Hm, this is harder than I thought¡± Commented Eikichi casually as he returns the sledgehammer without breaking a single sweat.


    Never mind then, Jim is back to shattered pride mood.


    Johann takes another turn, this time he will try to use his power. Mana coursing through his vein, the young warrior smashes the target elegantly for an impressive 89. Still not enough to break the 90 barriers but the crowd still breaks into grasp of amazement anyway.


    ¡°Hm, decent¡± Johann puts down the sledgehammer, pleased with the result.


    Jim looks up to see a shadow walking past the young warrior. It¡¯s Doraemon but there is something strange about the girl. There is a sultry look on her face as she licks her soft lips. It is certainly reminiscing of the time at the arena. Don¡¯t tell me.


    Her fingers coiling around the handle, Doraemon breaths in with an ecstatic expression. The girl then opens her eyes and slams the hammer straight into the target. The target bursts up to easily hit 100.


    ¡°Piece of cake¡±


    Doraemon looks back into the crowd, only to find Eikichi busy talking to Johann about something. The expression of satisfaction disappears from the girl face. It is replaced by one that Jim can¡¯t determine if it is frowning or puffing.


    ¡°Did you just dope up¡­¡±


    Before the teenager could finish his sentence, Doraemon glares dagger at him. If he continues, she will probably carve him a few more holes to breath from. Well, that is what he thinks up and Jim know that Doraemon has a much better imagination than him. Better keep that mouth zipped tight.


    He nearly jumps, however, as Eikichi suddenly swings his arm around the teenager shoulder.


    ¡°Heya, I am going to grab some drink, you are old enough right?¡±


    Waiting for no answer, the bald man drags him along anyway. With them are Fleur who also misses herself some alcohol and Johann. They follow the young warrior leads to where there is supposed to be the promise of booze, a bar of sort.


    Behind them is Doraemon, who follows ¡®begrudgingly¡¯.

 Chapter 12

    2.5


    ¡°Excuse me¡±


    Eikichi opens the door to find a normal looking establishment. He then enters and sit down on the stool at the counter casually. When the man looks out everyone is still outside, on edge. Johann has his hand on the naginata, ready to strike.


    ¡°Hm, what¡¯s wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they have more common sense than you, mate¡±


    Answered the stranger sitting next to him, who stands out like a sore thumb compare to the rest. A person of considerable stature, the man is cladded in black modern body armour with the flag on his shoulder ripped out. His entire head is covered by a cloth hood completed with an Avon S10 gas mask, although the eyes are complete darkness.


    ¡°Talk about common sense, how are you going to drink like that¡±


    ¡°Well, ya better keep yer eyes peeled then¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing that¡± Eikichi looks at the shot brought in front of him. The bald man emptied the glass without a second thought. When he turns back, the stranger has finishes his shot. The remaining summoned and Johann can¡¯t even see when he did that.


    The stranger flips down his glass, musing ¡°I heard a lot of good thing about you from Six¡± He then turns to the rest ¡°C¡¯mon in, stop lollygagging about¡±


    Frowning, Johann enters the building and sit on the other side of the stranger. Not wanting to show her hesitation, Doraemon waltz in through Eikichi. Without even batting her eyelid, the girl drives a six-inch blade straight into the stranger nape. The man head falls onto the shot glass, breaking it into pieces.


    With her face still as stone, the girl swipes the body onto the floor and sits in his place. She gazes at the place owner who is only slightly surprise, as if he and every other guests here can¡¯t comprehend what has transpired.


    ¡°A shot, please¡±


    Hearing those word makes the gear in the owner turns again and in a few seconds, a new glass is slide her way.


    Everyone returns to their business, none of them really understand what it is to be killed or to die. To the citizen of Eden, there is only expiring when their 50 years are up. The man on the floor? He will probably get up soon, perhaps the festival has gotten to him?


    Meanwhile, Fleur and Jim look on in horror. They don¡¯t know which is more repulsive, the fact a girl they know killed with less effort than wiping a slight stain, or if nobody here acts as if there is a man murdered in this establishment. They are pushed in by other customers who have been waiting for long enough. Fleur nearly even trips on the body.


    ¡°What is that for¡± Said Johann, the only other person to acknowledge what has transpired


    ¡°That guy shouldn¡¯t have act so suspicious¡± The girl answered callously.


    Of course, Doraemon takes pride in being above her primitive members of the Beast of England. Unlike them, the girl kills with more reason than looking at her wrong¡­ depend on the mood.


    Doraemon finds herself not thinking about that guy at all, which isn¡¯t out of the ordinary. But her mind is filled with other questions that are wholly foreign. They are of Eikichi¡¯s reaction, or more like the lack of one. A simple sigh, that¡¯s all. And no, that stranger wasn¡¯t totally killed to incite any sort of reaction from the bald man at all.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Perhaps, that guy is still alive somehow, Doraemon darts her eyes back.


    Lo and behold, he is really sitting up, crackling his neck. But for some reason, Eikichi seems surprise about that. Doraemon is so confused that the girl completely ignores the fact that someone she killed came back to life.


    ¡°Oi, that hurt, ya know¡± The stranger said grumpily as he stands back up, crackling his neck.


    He walks to Doraemon and sits down¡­ Wait, the girl is shocked to find the stranger sitting where she was supposed to be. But now she is next to him with Johann even further away. Inside her head, the numbers are run through a small computer. The distance she had walked, the size of this building the number of stools and space between them. There is a discrepancy.


    This guy uses illusion, he is probably the one that created the dome around their dwelling.


    But how does he apply his power? From his get-up it can be seen that the power is manifest through hallucinogenic gas, but it doesn¡¯t add-up. His gas mask is one that was discontinued by the British way before Doraemon is even born and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any sign of jury-rigging. The girl nose, meanwhile, is state of the art. It took her quite a bit of effort to imprison and force one of the world leading military designer to make the thing. Her nose can filter better than any gas mask, especially the kind of vintage the stranger is wearing.


    Hm, the dome, which Doraemon isn¡¯t sure a product of this stranger¡­


    Her thought is interrupted by a single word, magic.


    This world runs on logic that she, infuriatingly, hasn¡¯t fully grasped yet. What a cop out. Still, from what she has seen, there is order in the system. All it takes is a crafty mind.


    ¡°Anyway, back to business¡± A shot glass seemingly appear in his hand ¡°I am simply a passer-by, you can call me¡­ hmm¡­ how about Lock. That sound about right¡±


    ¡°Then what business do you with us then, Lock¡± Said Johann as he flips over his empty glass.


    ¡°Straight to the point eh, I like that. Well, me and Six and many others are soldiers under what you call the False Shephards. Our job, is to overthrow the Divines¡± Lock said most casually.


    Contrary to Doraemon¡¯s belief, Johann doesn¡¯t immediately flip the bar over then jumps on the stranger. But she can see that he is trying to hold back from doing just that.


    ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t know yet¡± The young warrior replied. Doraemon is now really regretting sitting in between the two now. Lock looks past her straight at Johann eyes, or at least that what it seems like. Who can tell what is going on behind the black glasses.


    In a blink of an eyes, Doraemon finds herself staring at nothing. Lock put down his empty shot next to Johann. The young warrior turns to find a combat knife on the bar right next to his hand. The stranger picks up the weapon, spinning it around in his hand.


    ¡°I guess there is no need to explain how easy it is to put ya¡¯ll under the ground. That¡¯s what I would have done, but the thing is, Six is different, he is nice lad you see. So he has an ultimatum for you, lucky!¡±


    ¡°Speak¡±


    ¡°If you can give me your word that none of you will hinder our activity in any way. Then Six¡¯s team won¡¯t even touch a strand of your hair. That¡¯s it, he believes you are man of your word, are you, Johann von Brandt?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t see you, Lock, mentioned in that deal¡±


    ¡°Hm, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not my mission to terminate you, I am just a messenger. In fact, I will be leaving Saragarhi very soon. So, what do you say about this?¡±


    Without a single moment of contemplation, a single moment for though. Johann answers loud and clear ¡°I humbly decline¡±


    ¡°Wait a bit!¡± Fleur, who has been listening in, interject ¡°Doesn¡¯t this concern all of us. Maybe we should¡­ talk about this a bit¡±


    ¡°No¡± Johann answered coldly ¡°If you are not happy about this, death will send you back to wherever you come from. I can give a hand if you want to¡±


    Fleur slowly sits back down. Jim was going to say something, but he remains silent. If he is sent back then all that await a sinner like him is hellfire.


    Lock stands back up and prepares to leave ¡°Ah, Six won¡¯t be happy about all the bloodshed that is to come. Anyway, since this will be the last time we meet I bid you all adieu¡± But before he leaves, the stranger turns to Doraemon ¡°Oh and about you Ms. Rita, oh wait it¡¯s Doraemon now, geez you have too many names. I just want to say I am a big fan of your series. Too bad the movies are all bollock, hah¡±


    Hearing that sends a slight shock through Doraemon¡¯s body. It¡¯s uncanny suddenly having someone referenced a part of her life like that. And for that guy to know she is the ghost-writer called Rita.


    Lock outfit is no longer used by the SAS when Doraemon was born. But the girl can¡¯t focus on the stranger origin. No a tingling fear return, one that has been hidden all this time but still present nonetheless. Now here it is, whispering into her ears words of despair.


    The girl downs her shot. It will be alright, it is just this guy, just him and nothing else¡­


    That wasn¡¯t a reassurance, it¡¯s was more of a prayer.


    Meanwhile, Johann prepares to leave as well. It is only prudent to inform the others that they are now at war with a simply superior force.

 Chapter 13

    2.6


    Legends come and go


    The walk back was simply excruciating for Jim Cross. The teenager could not help but be suspicious with every single passer-by. Always on edge, his heart felt like it could burst any moment now. And his paranoia wasn¡¯t unfounded.


    Mi-Young Park was watching the group closely as they exited the bar. The woman could see the teenager darting his eyes all around, but it was no use. A part of the 707<sup>th</sup> Special Mission Battalion, Mi-Young was a master of blending in. Now serving under Six in an asymmetrical conflict that used magic, the woman had developed even more elaborate method of disguise.


    Despite this being her first mission after being thawed out, the century spent encased in ice hadn¡¯t dulled Mi-Young¡¯s skill at all. This operation would be a success.


    At least that was what she had expected. Something was wrong, the go signal that she had been waiting was not there. The woman watched as the group distanced from her, it seemed like the mission was a bust.


    But how, her colleague was also an expert with numerous successful field operations back in their world. And Six¡­


    Whatever the reason, Mi-Young packed up and left. The woman took an extra number of detours before returning to the base.


    Back in the hidden bunker, Mi-Young could finally remove the face mask. Good riddance, that thing was itchier than she had remembered. Now in the concrete walls, the woman felt rather relaxed. She had been undercover ever since the summoned arrive. Mi-Young quickly dismissed that feeling of relief. A soldier never let their guard down.


    Descending into the inner chamber. She was greeted by a grieving Six, who was wearing his uniform. On his shoulder was the Canadian flag, a reminder of the old world. on the table in front was a body with a white cloth over his face. It was Clancy, the other aide beside Mi-Young.


    ¡°What happened?¡± The woman asked, sounding as neutral as she could.


    Six, on the other hand, despite being a better soldier than Mi-Young could ever dream of, always wore his emotions on his sleeves. Well, while the man was not on mission of course.


    ¡°When I didn¡¯t receive confirmation from Clancy, I went to check to find him slumped over a chair, already cold¡± Six was shattered, to see a brother in arm like this was heart-breaking.


    An accomplished CIA agent, the man known as Clancy was a legend of the Cold War. To work with such a person was an honour for Mi-Young and Six. Despite coming from the future after Clancy, the woman was soon surpassed by him and rightfully so. The ability to reinvent oneself was one of the reason why he was one of the few who could die of natural cause during such time of turbulence.


    But here, in this world that was not his. A precise incision from the crowd had completely paralyzed the agent. He was then sat down by an unknown figure with another stab from the back.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Then there Clancy was to spend the last of his time. Helpless as blood streamed out of his punctured heart, filling his body. His many accomplishments and legacies flashed in front of the agent¡¯s eyes. Like the time where neutralised the Red General with a toothbrush. Or the numerous times he had prevented another World War. Ah, he could still feel the warm Cuban sun, the rum was simply divine. Then there were the decades he spent in this world. His life was truly glorious, snuffed out in silence.


    Clancy passed away like many of his fellow agents, far from home by an unknown hand.


    ¡°This handiwork, it¡¯s definitely Eagle¡± Six said, his head hung low.


    Mi-Young could feel chill down her spine, now his decision all those time ago made much more sense now. It was a no-brainer assaulting and taking out Johann and his entourage, especially after the fight at the arena. Two of their most capable members, Eikichi and Doraemon, were down and Johann was a push-over. Clancy was the one to put the knife to his back then, it was too easy.


    The woman suggested a quick attack, shock and awe. But Six, their commanding officer was vehemently against that idea and so was Clancy. All because of the two unknowns, Eagle and Falcon.


    Every single masked agent they sent never returned. Most simply vanished, even their body couldn¡¯t be found. All the bugs planted were disposed of as well. The person who presumably did all this was dubbed Eagle.


    Only one body was retrieved, or at least what remained. That masked agent was reduced to ash, no evidence could be found. Mi-Young believed that to be a threat from Eagle. But Clancy disagreed, it was too sloppy, he dubbed the culprit behind the burnt corpse, Falcon.


    And so, no assault into the enemy territory was planned. Six could handle them all but he didn¡¯t want to lose his aides, since they couldn¡¯t be remade. Heck, the man pained every time one of the disposal masked perished, but he would still do his job.


    In truth, Mi-Young never took Eagle or Falcon to be much of a threat. But after Clancy death, it was different now.


    To make matter worse, the unknowns might not even be among the summoned. Johann wasn¡¯t sent by his father; the man was in no condition to do that. The young warrior was sent by his mother and that woman was too crafty to send only her son and his entourage. No, he maybe just a bait, there must be someone else, hidden in the crowd, was it Eagle or Falcon or both.


    Then there was the final summoned of Saragarhi. The masked men assault only managed to take down one, a medieval mercenary. Another summoned stayed behind and despite being badly wounded, he managed to escape and was currently in hiding.


    What with the summoned this time. Mi-Young could remember back in the day before the Divines. People were brought into this world by the dozens, to be slaughtered, it was simply a meat grinder. Then in the last batch, the Divines banded the surviving summoned and allied with the locals to create Eden. Mi-Young and the rest were flash frozen for a century.


    But this time, the amount of people summoned were curiously small. There was also a strange number of Japanese. Was it related to the one who sent out the call this time?


    ¡°The other group of summoned would be arriving soon, that mean Victor. We will have to assault Johann¡¯s group soon¡± Six stood up again ¡°But now, let¡¯s bury Clancy properly. He deserves it at least¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡±


    They prepared the most respectable funeral they could for Clancy. As Mi-Young saluted the legend for the last time, she could feel herself shaking with anger.


    An agent must never be overwhelmed by emotions, especially with the thoughts of vengeance. That ideal was drilled into Mi-Young. But in this world, she had served with this man for decades, longer than any attachment back in their realm. The woman couldn¡¯t help but feel the rage, repressed from years of training, bubbling up.


    Meanwhile, Six was simply solemn. The man never faulted the enemies for his comrades¡¯ death. To kill or to be killed, that was nature to be expected. It was better to spend one¡¯s emotion on remembering the dead than hating the living.


    But a mission was still a mission, and Six was out to exterminate with great prejudice.

 Chapter 14

    2.7


    The Peacekeeper


    Six wasn¡¯t the only agent back in action. While most them hadn¡¯t fully recovered from being frozen yet, the numbered elites were all on standby. And asides from the Canadian agent, Three and Four were also on the fields. Their objectives? The death of the Divines.


    Only one of her aide was available, the Japanese agent, Four, was deployed anyway. But her mission came to a halt when the stars aligned and they encountered one of the Divine himself on the road, Silas Greaves.


    ¡°Do you an eye on the target?¡± Four asked her aide.


    ¡°No, but he is definitely up there, on that rock¡± Sparrow answered, his good eye still fixated on the scope.


    In this world, the construction of guns were simply impossible. The natural energy flow diffused all non-mana caused ignition and high velocity moment. And so, an aide like Sparrow whose power could be harnessed into a long-range rifle, was invaluable.


    ¡°Good, if you catch glimpse of him, feel free to put him in the ground¡±


    ¡°My pleasure¡± Sparrow channelled his power into the rifle. This was needed every few seconds to maintain the velocity required for a clean shot. Even for a professional like Sparrow, this was still highly inconvenience. But this time, maybe his rifle wouldn¡¯t even be necessary, because their target was alone and Four was ready.


    The agent walked out, towering over 2 meters in height with a rather lanky figure, Four was something straight out of an urban legend. A fact that she fully embraced. Donning black combat gear outfitted with metallic armours, her featureless white ballistic mask certainly stood out. But unlike the masked ones, Four mask had a crudely painted mouth that were way too wide.


    Back in the old world, the legend of Kuchisake-onna (slit-mouth woman) was fresh in any budding terrorist cells on Japanese soil.


    Here in this land now called Eden, it was said that the False Sheppard based the white mask used by the Fallen on this operative. Perhaps that may dampen Four¡¯s impact, but it didn¡¯t make the woman any less dangerous.


    Taking a deep breath, Four briefly analyzed the environment before dashing of with frightening speed. A bullet immediately whizzed past her face.


    Asides from Sparrow, there was another individual in this world that use gun-like weapon, the Divine Silas himself. The sniper himself learnt that the painful way. The bullet had been left embedded in his damaged eye as a reminder. But now, it was loaded within the sniper rifle. One good thing about mana-powered gun, they could fire any caliber.


    Four once again dodged the same bullet as it flew back at her. Silas could control the trajectory of his projectiles at will, it seemed like the turning was much tighter than a century ago. But it wasn¡¯t something Four couldn¡¯t handle. To her surprise, another bullet was heading straight at her. The woman evaded the shot only to find a third bullet hidden behind the previous one.


    Luckily, Four shifted her body in time for the projectile to slide past her metallic protection. Silas fired a smaller bullet with lower velocity and penetration than Sparrow, but it was enough to pierce Four ballistic weaves.


    So that rascal could control three different projectiles now. That still wawsn¡¯t much, at least for this stretch.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The woman easily reached the gigantic rock next to the river which was probably raised by an Edict. Now the problem was to scale this thing. Climbing it was not that difficult but her maneuverability would be severely affected, easy prey for those pesky homing bullets. Or at least that was what Silas had planned.


    So predictable, Four thought to herself.


    The agent activated the switch hidden in her gauntlet. In an instant, a high dosage of the Ladder was immediately injected into Four¡¯s bloodstream.


    Gritting her teeth, the woman dug her hands and feet into the rock and started to scale the thing. With her already monstrous strength even further enhanced, Four could easily dodge the bullets even while climbing. It took her about a second to scale the rock. Face to face with the Divine, once again after a century.


    Silas was now no longer the bumbling boy of old. The man was simply sitting there smoking his newly rolled cigarette, the gunslinger duster fluttering in the wind.


    ¡°Hm? You are here just in time, star gazing is always better with a lady¡± Silas Greaves took a swig off his own brewed alcohol and flashed a smile ¡°Why don¡¯t you take off that scary mask, I would love to admire your beauty¡±


    After concluding that there was no trap laid in the area, Four immediately charged at the man.


    ¡°It seems like you aren¡¯t in the mood, that¡¯s too bad¡±


    If there was any witness, they would swear up and down that in this encounter under the starry sky in the middle of the Eden¡¯s wilderness, the Divine drew his revolver with speed faster than light itself. And it took him equally as quick to unload the remaining three shots. And that his bullets flew artfully through the air, circling his opponent. It seemed like Four was in a swell trouble now.


    The agent, however, had no time for Silas nonsense. Despite having facing each other a century prior, the Divine had never seen her power.


    Four dodged and deflected the bullets, but eventually they would find the mark. But the agent didn¡¯t intend that to happen. She carefully observed the trajectory, where they were heading. Eventually, three of them line the way Four wanted to and that was all she needs.


    Unleashing her power, a field of electricity surrounded Four, negating the Divine power. No longer bounded, the bullets flew straight. And three of them was pointing at Silas himself.


    ¡°Oh dear¡±


    The Divine grabbed the alcohol bottled and easily rolled out of the way.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice light show there, is there anything else you want to show me?¡±


    Four didn¡¯t care for single words coming out of his mouth as her mission here was done. The woman didn¡¯t need to take down the Divine himself, oh no, she just needed to displace him.


    Scoped trained on the target¡¯s head, Sparrow fired the perfect shot.


    The bullet whizzed through the air and¡­ broke Silas bottle.


    ¡°What the¡± How could this be, had the century spent encased in ice dampened Sparrow¡¯s skill somehow. That was impossible.


    At that moment, the sniper could feel a familiar chill running through his back. He had experienced it not that long ago, hot behind the Divine¡¯s trail. Sparrow was dumbfounded as the chill remained, then it finally dawned on him.


    All these time, the mana flew around them wasn¡¯t natural and his body picked up on it. No, they had entered the domain of the Divine a long time ago.


    He could only watch as the bullet fired from his gun took a sharp turn and punctured Four¡¯s stomach. It didn¡¯t hit any vital as the woman realized what had happened in time.


    Sparrow¡¯s bullet was fired with much greater velocity and yet for it to make such a turn. All six rounds that Silas had fired sprung back to life as they made instantaneous turn, surrounding the agent. The Divine had been hiding his true strength.


    Puffing his cigarette, Silas drew out another revolver from under his duster and fanned the hammer.


    With thirteen bullets homed onto Four like vultures, no amount of agility could save her now. The agent was soon riddled with holes. The woman staggered back and fell into the cold river under the starry sky.


    And what about Sparrow, a single bullet flew back destroying his scope, stopping right in front of the sniper remaining eye. It was one he was so used to, one that had been lodged into him for a century.


    But not all was old, no the bullet was now coated with blood of the one he swore to protect.


    That wasn¡¯t something new. Sparrow remembered his family back home. He failed to protect them too. Then there was his country, everyone he knew. The weary sniper closed his eye one last time.


    Silas Greaves sighed and gazes at the sky. Such a scene, all it needed was some alcohol. He brought the bottle to his lips to find it empty. Oh right, he shot it earlier to show off.


    What a shame. What a shame.

 Chapter 15

    3.1


    A rest for the weary warrior


    "Hey, can I tell you a secret"


    Johann opened his eyes to see himself lying in the living room with Alva who was silently reading a book, one of Silas''s novel. The young warrior remembered training but what happened. Outside, it was raining cat and dog. Not waiting for the question, Alva answered his question.


    "You fainted while training"


    "Tch" Johann is ashamed about himself "What a disgrace"


    "Hey, there is no need for that, Jo. You have been overexerting yourself these past few days already, this is bound to happen" Alva said but she knew he was not listening, letting out a sigh, the girl continued "Eikichi sent word to me, he said that you shouldn''t train too hard. We may be attacked at any time, you don''t want to get caught while exhausted, don''t you"


    "That''s¡­ right. I''m sorry, I have been irresponsible" In a drive to improve himself, Johann had overlooked his mission.


    The young warrior turned around to find the girl pouting at him.


    "What''s that for?"


    "Nothing"


    Alva continued to read her book. It really wasn''t much but it was still amusing to see Johann confused. Still, she felt rather put off. The two had been engaged ever since they were born and they had been together ever since. And yet, to see him value the word of Eikichi so much more. Well, not like it was that big of a problem, the bald man was always right anyway.


    It was just a bit¡­ frustrating.


    Her fianc¨¦e meanwhile, seemed to be thinking about something. Johann was trying to remember what was it that he dreamt of before waking up.


    "Hey, can I tell you a secret"


    Oh right, it was the conversation he once had with father, the great Divine himself. That was after a particularly tough session. Johann, who was just a young boy then, stayed silent as he endured the harsh training laid out by mother.


    But he had hit a rut, a wall he couldn''t climb over. The young Johann kept getting beaten by his fianc¨¦e, a fact mother considered inexcusable. His¡­ tendency wasn''t tolerated either.


    And so the boy spent all of day training. He wasn''t allowed to sleep on his bed or talk with his best friend, Cassian. Even his only toy, the small wooden robot Sam, was confiscated. It was days after days of training. He even involved big brother, who secretly smuggled the suffering Johann some sweet.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But then he was found out by mother. She was furious, her eyes filled with the usual cold look of contempt. Sam was crushed under her foot mercilessly and big brother was punished for his action. What about little Johann, nothing happened to him. He wasn''t beaten, he wasn''t berated, but he was made to sit and looked at his big brother, punished for having taken pity for his own kin.


    But that went too far. In an action that surprised all of Johann and his siblings, father stepped in. Even his big brother, who had lived for decades, had his mouth agape as for the first time, they saw father¡­ angry.


    It was a strange anger, however, the emotion wasn''t directed at his wife or their children. No, somehow, in a way Johann could never understand, father was angry at himself.


    Afterward, Johann and big brother were let off the hook.


    The Divine himself then sat with his youngest son, cuddling the sleeping Willow. Even now, Johann could still remember their conversation.


    "Hey, can I tell you a secret"


    "Of course, father"


    "In truth, I wasn''t that great of a swordsman"


    "Um¡­ Ah, I am sorry but I didn''t get your joke"


    "Ha ha, no son, it was no joke. In Eden, I maybe the strongest swordsman, but back where came from, that was simply untrue"


    "How? I can''t see anyone that can be better than you?"


    "To be fair, I was considered a genius back home. But even then, my father was still a better fighter. Then there is my brother, that guy¡­ I wonder if he ever managed to figure out why our father stopped teaching him"


    "Why?"


    "Well, he simply surpassed the old man already, and me of course. Well, that isn''t the point¡­ How do I say this? Back then, to me, everything was full of uncertainty. But then I got brought here to Eden. It was simply chaos and I was unsure whether my blade could stand up to the test or not"


    "But you succeeded"


    "Yes, but I wasn''t alone, there were many by my side. Fighting alongside my comrades brought gave me a purpose. It was then that I truly earned the title of the best swordsman. So don''t worry about your skill now, you are so much better than me when I first came to this world. Later on, when you find your purpose then everything will become clear. And don''t worry about mother, I promise I won''t let this happen again. As your father, I was weak and I failed you. For that, I offer my sincerest apology"


    Hearing those words made Johann even more determined than ever. The young warrior trained by himself even harder and he hadn''t looked back since.


    Father also gave him item, one that he still had in his side pouch till this day.


    Johann sunk his head back down the pillow and gazed at the raindrops outside the window. The faint sounds of Alva humming, luring him to sleep. The young warrior closed his eyes¡­


    No, Johann stood up. The enemies might come at any moment. There would be plenty of time later, after this was all over. He would either perish battle or return victorious. Then, maybe he would his request finally heeded, his long-time purpose, finally over.


    Alva looked on as her fianc¨¦e returned to duty. She wanted to whack him in the head but held back from doing so. It was just like Johann, the silent one, to be earliest to rise and the latest to lie down. The girl returned to her book, she couldn''t really remember where she left off in the tales of Silas.


    All this time, Cassian just sat there, completely oblivious of the highs and lows his companions were going through. Well, it was not like he had the capacity for that anyway.

 Chapter 16

    3.2


    A new home, a new world


    Despite the threat facing them, none of the summoned decided to return, at least not just yet. A fact that greatly intrigued Jim. Of course, the dead couldn¡¯t return and he could see why Haruka wouldn¡¯t want to either, considering the conditions the kid arrived in. Doraemon and Eikichi, meanwhile were more than capable to take care of themselves.


    That left Fleur and Mara, and they had been cagey about their decision. But the beautician was always on edge, looking like she would break down any time soon. Perhaps the situation back home for her was preferable to the threat of death.


    Thinking back reminded Jim of the girl that blew her brain out.


    Doraemon paced into the room. The girl had been restless lately, especially after the meeting with the stranger. Mara looked at her worryingly.


    ¡°Come, sit with me for a bit, these cookies won¡¯t eat themselves¡±


    Contrary to what Jim expected, Doraemon begrudgingly accepted the offer. As she took a bite, a strange expression appeared on her face ¡°Who made these?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was mostly Fleur, but I think that one is mine¡± Mara admitted.


    It was rather painfully clear as the beautician¡¯s cookies were all neat circle while¡­ well, let¡¯s just say baking wasn¡¯t Mara strong suit. Then there was Eikichi, who was on another league, but this time they weren¡¯t graced by his talent.


    ¡°Well, this is¡­ good¡± Doraemon finished the cookie.


    Jim wondered if the girl was actually being nice for once.


    ¡°So¡­ how is your day¡± Fleur tried to strike a conversation.


    ¡°None of your business¡± Doraemon answered coldly. Her kind streak stopped there.


    The four just sat there eating cookies silently as they watched the raindrops beating on the glass windows. Normally Jim would find a moment like this calming but not today. He couldn¡¯t help but think how the rain was going to mask the enemies approach.


    The teenager wanted to help, perhaps he could stand guard or something. But Eikichi shot that down immediately.


    ¡°If they managed to sneak in without me noticing then you won¡¯t be able to do anything. Just kick back and relax, until you hear the alarm that is¡±


    That was reasonable, but it was also so cold.


    Jim could feel himself starting to wallow in his own emotions and the teenager would rather that not to happen. Luckily, Fleur hadn¡¯t given up on her wanting to strike a conversation yet. After visibly racking her brain for a topic that would interest the punk of the future, it looked like a light bulb appeared on her head.


    ¡°Doraemon, so you write book right¡±


    The girl immediately glared at Fleur, her gaze full of murderous intent. But as she peaked at Mara, Doraemon seemed to let that slide. But Fleur, either being braver than Jim had given her credit for, or simply ignorant, continued ¡°So, what is it about?¡±


    ¡°You want to know huh¡± Doraemon sunk into the sofa ¡°Well, it¡¯s about a girl journey around the world to avoid a stalker¡±


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t expect you would write about something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, a woman named I once knew called Rita first wrote that series. But after her, heh, ¡®unfortunate¡¯ passing, I took over the work anonymously. For some reason, it was a big success¡± Doraemon words were full of murderous intent, aimed straight at Fleur.


    ¡°Enough to be turn into a movie?¡± The beautician continued, ignoring all the alerts.


    ¡°Yeh, but it was absolutely garbage¡±


    ¡°I guess they have to cut out a lot of details to fit into a feature movie¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡± Doraemon leaned back, gazing at the empty roof ¡°They simply added their own nonsense in, like how the two are somehow in love but circumstances and all that sort of craps. Can¡¯t blame them really, that¡¯s a popular interpretation¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ How did that even come about?¡±


    ¡°I wonder, well maybe because the stalker is a murderous monopolizing bastard. That thing would obliterate anything between him and his target and sometimes it includes some unsavoury elements. But what do I know, perhaps all the brainless idiots who read the book find his ¡®dedication¡¯ endearing¡­ Good on them¡±


    Doraemon tried to contain it, but the bitterness in her voice was still loud and clear.


    ¡°I will make another round¡± The girl said and left with a cookie still in her mouth.


    Jim was also feeling rather restless, maybe he would also patrol around for a bit. While it was useless at least he would feel better about himself¡­ Let¡¯s not think about that, what if he encountered something? He would never know just by sitting around doing around.


    With that thinking, Jim tried to find anything suspicious and that he managed.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    There was someone in the attic, the teenager could hear a light footstep. Was it the enemies? Probably not, from how much they were hyped up by Eikichi, they wouldn¡¯t be heard this easily. But what if one of them slipped up and Jim might be the hero of the day?


    In case like this, the teenager should call for Eikichi. But that would mean he would be off from his patrolling, what if the enemies used that opportunity to sneak in?


    ¡­ Why was he thinking as if the bald man himself was the only the bulwark against the enemies. Jim wanted to find a reason for that not be the case, but he didn¡¯t come up with anything. That Johann guy was always so serious, a reliable sort. And yet, he seemed to resign with the fact that Eikichi was simply superior.


    Even Doraemon, who was from the future. She could turn invisible, enhanced her strength to ludicrous level with nefarious substance. And yet, her fascination for the bald man in white suit was clear as day.


    ¡­ you won¡¯t be able to do anything¡­


    Jim opened the attic trap door as quietly as he could. The teenager didn¡¯t know if he wanted the enemies to be up here or not.


    Up there was Haruka, who immediately hid something behind his back.


    ¡°Um, what are you doing up here?¡± Asked Jim.


    ¡°No¡­ nothing¡± Haruka answered as his eyes looked to the side.


    Could it be more obvious than this¡­ Jim climbed up and looked around the attic which was completely empty. Maybe it was better that the enemies weren¡¯t here after all. The teenager still wanted to keep his life, this one at least.


    He pretended to look around for a bit and immediately took the item behind Haruka¡¯s back. Only to receive a bite to his hand. The kid did drop the item and it was a book.


    Or not¡­ there was an image of a young woman in bikini displayed on the two-page spread.


    ¡°Um¡­ it seems like I am interrupting you there¡­ Sorry¡± Jim retreated.


    ¡°What! Is there a problem with a girl to look at these things!¡±


    ¡°You are still too¡­ wait what did you say?¡± Something wasn¡¯t right here.


    ¡°Is there a problem for me to look at this¡± Haruka replied confused.


    ¡°No, the part before that¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is there a problem with a girl¡­¡± The ¡®boy¡¯ said without a hint of deception.


    ¡°You are a girl!¡± Jim reacted appropriately, that meant quite loudly.


    That seemed to touch on some nerve, Haruka started to pout ¡°Of course, is there a problem¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem per se¡­ Anyway, why are you looking at that thing anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am just wondering¡± The kid was still pouting.


    ¡°About what¡±


    ¡°Here, let me show you¡± Haruka picked up the magazine and shoved it at the teenager face.


    While Jim was no way a conservative, to be suddenly confronted by a voluptuous figure so suddenly nearly caused him to jump back. Maybe this was actually the afterlife and it was testing him¡­ Just a thought.


    He pushed the magazine away, trying to hold back¡­ well he was a teenager.


    ¡°So what are you wondering about then¡­ It¡¯s just a scantily dressed woman¡±


    ¡°Well, not just that, this belongs to Eikichi. And all of these women are Japanese¡±


    ¡°I am sure the standard about decency of your time is different¡­¡±


    Still, was this normal, to have a magazine filled with what amounted to softcore porn. This world was truly a vast place¡­ Not this world really, the place where they came from¡­


    ¡°No, I am just wondering, what do they eat to all look so plum. Here look¡±


    Haruka shoved a particularly ¡®meaty¡¯ image in front of Jim. It was of a rather curvaceous young woman, showing as much skin as possible.


    ¡°Um¡­ what is going here¡±


    Jim turned around to see Fleur looking at them her mouth agape. From the woman angle everything was laid bare.


    ¡°I can explain¡± Jim said with a straight face.


    ¡°Well, Ji¡­ Mr. Cross, there is wrong about you doing something like this. But you shouldn¡¯t drag little Haruka into this¡±


    ¡°Hey, she was the one who found this thing!¡± Jim tried to defend himself.


    ¡°Wel¡­ wait, ¡®she¡¯?¡±


    It was mildly surprising that no pronoun about Haruka was ever used. But then she was never a hot topic and the kid was always too busy eating and constipating to notice anything.


    ¡­ There was an awkward silent as Haruka looked like she was ready to slice all of them open with the broken katana. Instead, the kid pulled down her pants ¡°I am a girl!¡±


    Fleur immediately turned Jim head, he never knew the timid woman could be that fast.


    ¡°We get it, Haruka, please pull your pants back on¡± The beautician pleaded.


    Jim, meanwhile, was rather amazed at how firm Fleur¡¯s hold was. Actually, this was surprisingly strong for her figure. Now that he thought about it, none of the women he had seen here could be called curvaceous. The locals were very well built, actually there was no variance in their builds at all¡­


    Meanwhile, Mara was¡­ Jim didn¡¯t really want his mind to go there. The others were all rather on the thin side. Then there was Haruka being anorexic. The kid had probably never seen anyone like the models for that magazine.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Jim realised Fleur is looking at him staring at her body ¡°Sorry¡±


    The woman let him go and scurried away. But for just a moment, Jim felt like she was trying to crush his skull there.


    At least Haruka had her pants back on now, but the girl was now on a crusade. Grabbing the teenager by his sleeve, the kid rushed down to the living room where Mara was enjoying her not hand-made tea.


    ¡°Do you know that I am a girl!¡± Haruka immediately asked.


    ¡°Of course¡± Mara answered casually.


    From behind the door, Fleur peeked out ¡°Wait you know? Then why did you keep calling her ¡®him¡¯?¡±


    Jim could see Mara freeze for a split moment, the old lady continued to sip her tea ¡°Well, I just find it funny that you thought Haruka was a gi¡­ a boy¡±


    The suddenly inquisitive kid pouted and moved on to bother Johann and Alva. The beautician seemed to disappear into thin air again but not before looking at Jim with cautious eyes. The teenager couldn¡¯t even tell what she saw him as anymore.


    His train of thought was interrupted by the front door opening.


    At that moment, all of Jim paranoia returned only to find it to be Eikichi in a raincoat. The man was holding a giant sword.


    ¡°Wait isn¡¯t this¡­¡± Asked Mara.


    ¡°From where we first got summoned yes. I decided to see if there are any weapon we can use. None of the masked guys and their gears are left. But I did find this and the owner body. After the immediate threat is gone, I will give him a proper burial later¡±


    Eikichi held up the blade, the edges were all chipped.


    ¡°Well, this won¡¯t be useful, too unwieldy¡± Or not.


    Jim was not even looking at the sword. There was something that had been bothering him. The teenager couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore.


    ¡°Eikichi, did you tell anyone about this, you going back there¡±


    ¡°No¡± The bald man answered without any hesitation and left to put the sword away.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t make much difference at all¡­ Not at all.


    Mara wanted to say something, but the teenager ignored her and retreated to his room. Why was he even here, why was he given another chance¡­ Jim opened the door to be greeted by something truly unexpected.


    It was Doraemon in his room, absolutely drenched, her head hung low. She definitely didn¡¯t go with Eikichi, the man disappeared way before that. The girl must have chased after him later. And what was she doing here.


    Before the teenager could ask any question, the girl grabbed him by the collar violently. His mouth sealed by her soft lips over it. Jim could feel her tongue intruding into his mouth, the taste was simply intoxicating.


    Doraemon fell onto her back, pulling the teenager down with her, his mind was empty. If this was a test, Jim Cross had failed spectacularly.


    Outside, the rain seemed to only be getting stronger, washing away everything, even traces of a rejection.

 Chapter 17

    3.3


    The red string of fate


    Water trailed on the floor as Doraemon made her way along the hallway. The warmth she had just a few moment ago was now gone. She had once abused that sensation and now it only lasted for a flash like a shooting star. Why was she feeling like this, the girl was supposed to be happy, to be free. That thing was not here.


    ¡°Hey¡± Mara called out from behind ¡°I just prepared a bath if you want it¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, this body can¡¯t get cold¡±


    ¡°I just cleaned that hallway you know, just hop on in, I insist¡±


    Doraemon turned back and looked at Mara. She wanted to say no but her head nodded instead.


    ___


    Submerging herself in the hot water, the heat penetrated the synthetic skin, spreading warmth around the girl body. Maybe this wasn¡¯t a bad idea after all. She lazily focused on the oxygen display on her vision which slowly ticked down at a calming rate.


    As the reserves ran low, Doraemon reluctantly broke surface for more air.


    The bathroom was certainly spacious with some sort of heating permanently on. In the corner was Mara, trying to wash Doraemon¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°And here I thought you have drown in that bathtub¡± The old lady jest.


    ¡°As if¡±


    ¡°So what has been on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter¡­ it¡¯s not like I bother anyone¡±


    ¡°What about that boy then?¡±


    ¡°¡­ He didn¡¯t refuse¡±


    Doraemon leered at Mara, who was looking at her with a firm disapproving gaze. The girl busted out laughing.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you, or more like that look. I see that a lot on shows, you just need to put your fists on your hips and it would be complete¡± The girl sunk back into the tub ¡°I never seen that in real life though, much less directed at me¡±


    Mara sighed, if her hands weren¡¯t all wet she would have actually done that.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I found this in the cupboard earlier¡±


    The old lady approached the tub and dropped a yellow inflatable duck in. Doraemon, with half her face underwater, looked at the thing. Now this was something she has only seen on the shows. The real thing, however, was rather harrowing as its empty black eyes seemed to stare into her soul.


    Doraemon turned the duck around and squeezed it a few times. That was¡­ surprisingly satisfying.


    ¡°You seem to be enjoying that¡±


    The girl had half her head underwater, bubbling ¡°It¡¯s no¡­ yes, so what¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡± Mara laughed back ¡°It¡¯s nothing at all¡±


    Slightly annoyed, Doraemon splashed a bit of water at the old lady. But something was wrong, Mara wasn¡¯t responding at all. She simply sat there with her back to the bathtub, unmoving.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tell me you have a stroke over there¡±


    No answer. Mara still sat there hunching over. Doraemon bit her lips, a fear rising in her heart. The girl didn¡¯t even realise she was worrying for someone else, now that was something that was so foreign to her now.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Doraemon exited the water and ate a splash of water into her face.


    ¡°Gotcha¡± Mara smiled as she held onto the cup.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of that, I am already taking a bath here¡± Mumbled Doraemon.


    ¡°True, true¡± Said Mara as she focused on finishing the washing.


    The old lady could hear the faint sound of water droplets as Doraemon exited the tub. The girl walked up to the senior¡¯s back. Mara expected a bucket over her head but instead of that, she received a hug instead, a particularly wet one.


    ¡°Doraemon?¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t answer, her faces dug into the old lady¡¯s back. Her arms were trembling.


    Years of being on the run had jaded Doraemon. Each year the girl sunk to new low she hadn¡¯t thought possible. And for someone to survive at that depth, one must never, in any circumstance, showed their weakness.


    But here she was, wet and naked, trembling and clutching onto another¡¯s back.


    This wasn¡¯t like her. But this wasn¡¯t her world either, the clear air wasn¡¯t one she used to breath. The companies weren¡¯t one she is used to. To be able to sleep soundly, to have those around who would look out for her, to be safe, they weren¡¯t what she was used to either.


    That was why it was most terrifying for all of it to be torn down.


    The next moment, she may wake up from a long dream, a particularly powerful trip, a believable virtual reality.


    Mara suddenly found a glowing red string tied around her pinkie finger.


    ¡°It¡¯s my power¡± Said Doraemon, but Mara didn¡¯t feel the girl mouth moving ¡°You can only see it, feel it because I allow you to. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the extend of this power but at least it can transmit my thought¡±


    ¡°I see¡± Said Mara ¡°But can you hear mine?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, when I connected to others all I received was silent. Although all of them was unaware of that¡± All but one, Doraemon gave one her string with his full knowledge in the rain. The girl didn¡¯t know what she expected but the ensuring silent was absolutely crushing.


    ¡°Check check, can you hear me?¡± A voice rang out in the girl head, awaken her from the sadness ¡°So this thing can work both way, Doraemon, can you say something¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Doraemon was speechless, how was it working now?


    ¡°Doraemon, can you hear me? I guess this doesn¡¯t work¡­¡±


    ¡°NO NO, it works fine. I can hear you loud and clear, I can hear you¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear¡­ Do you still say ¡®hear¡¯ if it is in your head?¡± The old lady wondered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it still is¡±


    Suddenly, Doraemon was overwhelmed by strange sensations, foreign emotions coursing throughout her. Images flashed in front of her. Then it all stopped. Judging from Mara reaction, the woman just had the same attack.


    ¡°Guess this can show more than just thought¡±


    Mara said, the guesses were shared. When the wall between them broken down for a moment there, everything was spilt over. Memories, experiences, knowledge, emotions, everything was copied across, but their brains could only process little.


    ¡°So what did you see¡± Asked Mara.


    Doraemon tried to remember ¡°I could see¡­ a funeral, no funerals¡± A little girl at an empty table. A little girl with a washed up woman, her mother, whose arm had a hole all discoloured from drug abuse. Then it skipped to a senior sitting at an empty table, all alone. The feeling of loneliness, of helplessness was simply overwhelming.


    But what with that blank between them, those memories were hidden but it was there in Doraemon mind.


    The girl tried and there they are, all laid bare. The tubes, the needles and everything was painted a red so dark it might as well be black. Wait, her current experience was still connected to Mara. The sound of helicopter blared in her mind. Outside was the greenery of a tropical jungle. Then came the Ride of the Valkyrie.


    Doraemon looked up to be greeted with a face devoid of empathy, cold as ice.


    That image soon washed away to reveal a face with the warmest smile. Mara embraced Doraemon and the girl could feel only love.


    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve seen everything, how embarrassing¡± Mara blushed a bit, now that was something she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time ¡°But please keep this a secret, I don¡¯t want to kill you!¡± The joke was loving but grim.


    ¡°Of course, and I would ask the same. You have seen everything, right?¡± Including the Killer Queen and her eternal struggle.


    ¡°Yes, I have seen¡­ felt it all. Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have to be afraid of me letting your real age slips¡±


    ¡°I will kill you if that is the case¡± Doraemon thought lovingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will. But still, I had suspected you to be older but not¡­ around my age¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem with that, I am still a youth at heart¡± A joke that Doraemon ever expected her to ever make.


    ¡°Well, you still look the part¡± On the other hand, Mara was younger than she looked.


    ¡°Welcome to the future!¡±


    How long had it been for the both of them since they last laughed this genuine? Since they were last connected to someone else. To understand and to be understood, there was nothing more satisfying.


    But of course, nothing last forever. Outside, the clearing rain hid the most effective operative the JTF2 had ever known, one that was called Six.


    The sky was clear now but a most terrible storm awaited, the final battle of Saragarhi.

 Chapter 18

    3.4


    Before the storm


    The news came as a surprise. The summoned found out that one of their own, Jim Cross, had been abducted. Perhaps it wouldn''t have gone down like that if two of the more capable members weren''t too occupied with a hot bath.


    The timing for this kidnapping was not coincident. A surprise envoy was heading for Saragarhi, their arrival unplanned, even Johann was only notified by their arrival just now. They were supposed to find the final summoned brought to the seaside town of Llandudno.


    Unlike what happened at Saragarhi, Johann''s sister didn''t arrive in time to greet the summoned there. And so, they scattered and while most had rendezvoused, one remained. Trapped in a world that was wholly alien, this summoned had been staying on the run. Fortunately, his or her path happened to run near Saragarhi.


    And so, for the envoy to arrive here was supposed total coincident.


    But for Six to strike the day of their arrival. The envoy must have been trailed, that or there was a traitor among their ranks.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Six sighed, everything was falling apart. For that rain to be cleared so suddenly, not many can do that. It meant that the envoy was here in Saragarhi. And losing the cover of darkness, he made a gamble and breached. Time was of the essence and they would take every victory possible. And once again, Six pulled of the impossible. He managed to spirited away one of the summoned.


    But for the envoy to arrive here without any warning and the news of their arrival to reach Johann. Which meant his sister in arm, Four, had failed her mission. Six was trained to expect the worst, but in his heart, there was still a lingering hope that she was alright.


    Now, he mustn''t be distracted as another gamble must be made. The summoned must now be evacuated. But Johann wouldn''t leave on of them behind.


    So either Six could evacuate as well with the prisoner in tow, or he could expect Johann to believe so. If that was the case, the prince would no doubt mount a quick rescue where more valuable targets could be acquire. But if Johann believed Six to hunker down, he could simply wait a bit more and mount an attack with the envoy.


    After a great deal of consideration, Six had decided on a course of action, they would stay, or more like Mi-Young would.


    The operative, meanwhile, would try and sabotage the evacuation as much as possible. Considering a particular member of the arriving group, the lone Six wasn''t expected to cause much trouble. But he would try to raise a presence, enough for the envoy to be busy. Then Six would have to loop back and take care of the rescue party.


    There were still too many unknowns for his liking.


    Nevertheless, Six made his choice and the man won''t back down no matter what.

 Chapter 19

    4.1


    Sheer Heart Attack: Go go Major America


    ¡®This is ridiculous¡¯, Jim Cross thought to himself. While the teenager didn¡¯t have any plan this summer, helping out his uncle at the store was the last thing he wanted. The old man was now retired, he ran a small book shop. To celebrate the opening of the new comic book section, Jim had to stand here in a full body suit pretending to be some bozo.


    The teenager sighed, perhaps this wasn¡¯t too bad. Since his face was completely covered and he didn¡¯t have to open his mouth, no one recognised him.


    A stupid costume was way better than being looked down by everyone he came across. Jim sat in the resting and pulled out something he found in uncle¡¯s cabinet. A revolver, fully loaded. As son of the sheriff, the teenager wasn¡¯t a stranger to this particularly weapon. But in absence of anything that he deemed more interesting, fidgeting with this wasn¡¯t too bad of a way to pass the time.


    Hearing light footsteps, the teenager put the weapon away. The door slowly opened to reveal a young boy. The kid¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at Jim Cross.


    ¡°Are you, Major America?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please don¡¯t tell anyone I am here as I am on a secret mission¡± Feeling particularly bored, Jim decided to stay in character.


    ¡°Woah, are you spying on the Snake!¡±


    Oh right, apparently Major America major enemy was an evil organisation called Snake. Jim smiled and said ¡°Of course, so can you keep this a secret¡±


    The young boy nodded and left in silence. Gosh, Jim never thought he would meet a child this dense. The costume was some bargain bin¡¯s deal and his ¡®iconic¡¯ shield was simply a painted piece of cardboard box. How could anyone mistake him for the real deal? How could anyone even believe Major America was real. Perhaps kids these days were just dumb.


    The next day, the teenager could see the same boy walking past. He seemed to be trying to hold back his excitement, remembering that this was supposed to be a secret.


    Maybe this particularly kid was simply retarded. All the others were snarkier than anything about this cheap costume. Come to think of it, his clothing was quite dirty. He was probably from some dumpster of a place that some people lived in.


    The third day and was also the final one where Jim had to wear this ridiculous costume. The teenager snuck to the back in hope having a smoke only to meet a familiar face.


    It was the boy, but he was wearing an old dress while clutching a crumpled Major America comic. Seeing Jim, the boy ran at him, holding the teenager¡¯s leg. Now this had gone a bit too far, but he tried to keep his cool.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jim asked, and why were you even in a dress.


    ¡°Please help me, Major, my father, he hurts me¡±


    Talk about mundane, Jim didn¡¯t remember breaking down crying like this after receiving a beating when he was younger. But maybe this kid father was more abusive than normal. But even then¡­


    ¡°If that is the case, come to the police, they will help you¡±


    ¡°I¡­ did, but they just led me back to him, none of them believed me¡±


    What was so unbelievable about a drunk beating kids. Come to think of it, for this kid to mistake him for the real Major America, maybe this boy¡¯s imagination was a bit too active.


    ¡°I will take you to the police, if your beat you then they will deal with it. Don¡¯t worry, they will at least listen to me, Major America¡± Or more like the son of the sheriff. Jim wondered how his father¡¯s guys would treat him, after all the rumours.


    ¡°But, father doesn¡¯t just beat me¡­¡±


    What now, Jim was really not in the mood of listening to a little brat complaining.


    ¡°Ever since mother went away, father, he didn¡¯t act right¡± The boy said, his voice trembling ¡°He was sad, he kept on holding her picture all day¡±


    That was it¡­ what was wrong with that. Jim just wanted to remove the mask and revealed who he was. But would the kid recognise him, the supposed deviant. Thinking about that made the teenager hesitates. The young boy, after trembling some more, finally continued.


    ¡°Father, hic, he would then dress me up in her clothes and talk to me as if I am mother. He would then kiss me like he did with mother¡± The boy shuddered ¡°Then I wasn¡¯t allowed to sleep in my room anymore¡­ I¡­ didn¡¯t mind the pain, father was in so much more pain than me. But this time, hic, it hurts too much¡±


    Jim looked down and to his horror, lines of dried blood ran along the inside of the boy legs.


    But most horrifying was that the blood had always been there. And yet, Jim didn¡¯t see it, or more like didn¡¯t care to see it. Now that his eyes cannot avert from the truth anymore, what would the teenager do.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    This was enough evident for the police, right! Father, he would act on this, right!


    Could they even be asked to handle a case for this boy from the dump like this? The question appeared in his mind. And deep down, the teenager knew that the reason he asked that was because he was the son of the sheriff¡­


    In his mind was a small figure, a little girl, pleading something at the station.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡± Jim held the boy ¡°I, Major America, I won¡¯t let him do anything to you¡±


    The teenager had made up his mind and on this final day of his life, Jim Cross the deviant had become Jim Cross the kidnapper, Jim Cross the murderer, the sinner.


    ¡®Thou shalt not murder¡¯ ¨C The Sixth Commandment.


    ___


    Jim Cross was woken up violently by a cold splash of water. Oh right, he was captured by Six, right in his own room. Chained to a chair, next to him was a tray full of normal looking tools ranging from tweezers to scalpel. Standing in front of the teenager was a woman of oriental descent. It didn¡¯t take a rocket scientist to figure out what would happen next.


    Perhaps this was his punishment, for being tempted by the red devil.


    ¡°I will ask you questions, and you will answer¡±


    The woman said coldly holding up the tweezer.


    ¡°Ugh¡± Jim gritted his teeth as a nail was pulled from his finger.


    ¡°Or else that won¡¯t be the last¡± The interrogator. The contempt in her voice was as clear as day ¡°Are we clear¡±


    The teenager breathed heavily, the sharp pain nearly driven him mad. Something wasn¡¯t right, his senses were so much more acute. Was he just imagining it or was there some sort of injection to enhance his sensitivity. Twisted bastard.


    ¡°Think back about the final day of the festival. Was there anything out of the ordinary¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t just contempt, but a searing hatred. Jim could understand why this could happen, him being tortured like this, he was a weak link after all. But why the hatred, what did he do to earn that much ire.


    Of course, how could someone like him achieve anything noteworthy enough to match this much hatred. No, Jim was an outlet, something inconsequential to be later forgotten. Just like the night spent with Doraemon.


    The thought filled the teenager with bitterness ¡°¡­¡± He whispered.


    ¡°What did you say¡± The woman held up his head with the tweezer.


    Jim Cross looked his interrogator, there was a subdue and clinical beauty to her, it would be a shame if something was to happen to it. Without any hesitation, the teenager spitted straight into her face.


    ¡°I thought you would be smarter than this¡±


    Holding his hand, the woman pulled out another nail with ease. Then came the next pull but this time wasn¡¯t that easy. No, she dragged the tweezer left and right, up and down before making a pull.


    The pain was simply unbearable and yet Jim didn¡¯t let out a single sound.


    Sensing his torturer mounting frustration was somehow satisfying. The teenager held onto that feeling, it helped ease the pain somewhat.


    Wasn¡¯t it petty of him. It would be better to vent it all, he didn¡¯t know anything at all. And yet, the teenager was putting himself through all this. Could this be considered childish. Funny, Jim was always the cool guy, the one who never did anything stupid, the mature one.


    Was it a stretch to equate resisting torture to childishness? The teenager wondered.


    Meanwhile, the woman had realised her method hadn¡¯t been working out. Time for something more drastic measure. She pulled out a long needle.


    Jim¡¯s mind raced with cruel suggestions of how that would be used. But to his surprise, the woman plunged it into a gauntlet around her wrist. While most the thing was hidden by the long sleeve, it was unmistakable, that needle was now inside her arm. The woman raised her hand and the metallic item shot out with a strange glow around its tip.


    ¡®This wasn¡¯t the time for question anymore, Eagle and Falcon, even Eikichi and Doraemon would never let someone like this onto anything anyway¡¯ Mi-Young thought. The woman knew Six would object to this torture but the rage within her was burning strong.


    The needle pierced Jim¡¯s shoulder, strangely enough, there was no pain, for now. In a quiet second, the teenager underwent the most excruciating experience of his life. His muscle felt like they were contracting, tearing itself apart. The pain was not a constant high either, no, it throbbed like mad, like his flesh was being ripped apart slowly.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH¡±


    There was no containing this scream. The moment he opened his mouth or moved any other muscles, the pain was amplified. The teenager couldn¡¯t help but scream and it only made the experience even more horrid.


    The pain only lasted for seconds but it felt like millennia. Jim looked up to see the needle pointing straight at his forehead. It seemed he was in a bind here, hah.


    Jim could see his life flashing before his eyes, but the teenager soon tore it all down. This wasn¡¯t the time for that, no, he wouldn¡¯t give this woman the satisfaction of his pain! His mind searched for a way to get out of this situation and it arrived at only one conclusion, Eikichi.


    That man always had a solution for everything, a reply to even the most absurd of situation.


    In this situation, what would Eikichi do¡­


    The answer was¡­ blank. Of course, Jim couldn¡¯t think like Eikichi. But the teenager knew one that separated a waste of space like him and that man, asides from the gulf of experience and skill between them that was. Whatever the plan, whatever the situation, from facing a giant raging monster to a supernatural enemy, Eikichi always acted without any hesitation.


    Gritting his teeth, Jim headbutted the needle.


    Well, the teenager wasn¡¯t that stupid. He tried to turn his head sideway, maybe the needle would slide along his skull instead or it might just pierce his brain.


    Surprisingly, that somehow knocked the woman to her back. Jim found himself free of his bound, a newfound energy swelling within him. Wasting no time, the teenager did the first idea that came to his mind. Running.


    Jim legged it for the door. That¡¯s strange, his head wasn¡¯t even hurt and how did those bound even break? Did he actually perish in that attempt and this was just a final dream?


    The teenager could feel his legs getting weaker and weaker, soon he couldn¡¯t even feel them anymore. Nevertheless, he trudged on, making his way along the hallway, reaching for that door at the end.


    As it busted open, Jim could see light, he was outside the outskirt of Saragarhi.


    Behind him was the woman, who had caught up effortlessly. She was furious, no, insulted by his escape attempt. Huh, Jim smirked, the teenager sure was more petty than he thought.


    His mind blank, he accepted his fate, but something caught his ears. It was music, played straight out of a device of sort, more specifically a helmet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back. Don¡¯t look back. It¡¯s a rip-off~¡±


    In front of the two stood a man cladded black jeans and leather jacket clothing. He turned away to show the back with a white skull with red roses, underneath were two big letters in cursive.


    Killer Queen


    The man also wore a black helmet, he turned around to reveal a front glass that cover the whole face, drenching it in darkness, saved for a red light in the middle. He turned his whole body back with his hip to the side, striking a rather effeminate pose.


    The biker flicked his hand pointing at the interrogator, who was as surprised as Jim. The recording continued to play, signalling a cacophony of carnage that was to come.


    ¡°Flick of the wrist and you''re dead baby~¡±

 Chapter 20

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    4.2


    Sheer Heart Attack: Diamond is Unbreakable


    Ba-dum, ba-dum¡­


    Six could feel his heart beating faster and faster. Was he already at his limit? The man took a quick injection and returned to normal. The envoy had proven to be more vigilant than he thought. It took Six a great deal of effort to create a sufficient distraction. Constantly moving from bushes to bushes, trees to trees, making them feel surrounded by a phantom army.


    But the rapid continuous movements had proved to be strenuous. To make matter worse, to achieve such mobility, extra dosage of the Ladder must be pumped straight to the bloodstream. His heart felt like exploding, how Four could constantly overcharge herself like this Six had no idea.


    Ah, the injection was taking effect, breaking down the vile poison in his blood. In a few seconds of meditation, Six was combat ready again.


    Now to make his way back to Mi-Young, the rescue party, which consisted of Doraemon and Eikichi, should have arrived by now. He had been gone longer than expected but she should be able to hold them back long enough.


    The man was surprised when a voice started to ring out in his head.


    It was from headquarter, but how, all form of long-range communication was knocked out already. They must have diverted a great deal of resources to build a makeshift relay. But Six knew they were already running low, this must be a call of utmost importance.


    "Six here, I''ve seen things you people wouldn''t believe"


    "Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, this is One" The old man himself "I have a new mission for you, void all previous order"


    "Roger"


    "The last summoned at Llandudno has been identified, he is here in Saragarhi. Black biker jacket with helmet, can''t miss him"


    That would explain why the envoy was here. But why was this guy here, a coincident. If that was the case, One wouldn''t have called directly to inform him. The old man continued.


    "Your primary target is now to capture the one from the future and her only, everything is permitted. If you encounter the biker, do not engage, avoid him at all cost"


    "Yes, sir"


    As soon as the words of confirmation was muttered, the line went dead. The newfound information was nothing but confusing. With great worry, Six made his way back to his only remaining comrade.


    Under the pressure, Jim blinked once only to see a spray of red when he opened his eyes again. The biker pounced on Mi-Young, a red pipe wrench in his hand. The woman was no stranger to hand to hand combat but it all happened too fast.


    With his free hand, the biker grabbed Mi-Young''s hand, twisting and tearing it off with ease. The woman staggered back only to find the pipe wrench connecting with her knee. A dry crackling noise rang out.


    Jim Cross watched as his interrogator got put down with such speed. This was it, his chance to escape. Another crackling sound invaded the teenager''s ears, ringing inside his head.


    The bike mercilessly stomped onto the woman leg, crushing it like dry branches.


    "He''s taken an arm and taken a leg~"


    The music played and it was here to stay. Sounds of crushing bones and flesh tearing filled the air. Jim turned the corner and collapses, his body exhausted. But at least he could rest now, that woman wouldn''t be able to hurt him anymore, she wouldn''t be able to hurt anyone anymore.


    The teenager couldn''t hear anything but the sound of music playing on.


    "Prostitute yourself he says. Castrate your human pride~"


    Calm down, calm down, he was safe now. And yet, his heart wouldn''t stop beating, was it because of some drug. Or something within him calling out.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Jim Cross closed his eyes, once again she came to him, Jane Crawford.


    One day out of the blue, she came up to him and just never left his side. But that wasn''t the first time they met oh no.


    His mind drifted back to where it left of earlier, their first encounter. Oh right, the young Jim came to the station with his father and he saw her, a lone girl trying to say something. But the policemen, they laughed her off.


    ''She was just in her rebellious phrase''


    ''How could someone so devoted to good, to God, could do such a thing''


    ''Such accusations are serious, young lady. Never uttered them again''


    Just like that boy, Jane tried to call out for help, only to be silenced. Her screamed drown out by ridicules. That was when she saw her last chance, the son of the sheriff.


    But the girl knew her words held no weight. But perhaps, if that boy noticed something strange, something suspicious. Maybe he could then tell that to his father, then maybe she could be free from the torment.


    At last that was what Jane Crawford wanted, a dream that never came true.


    "Sacrifice your leisure days. Let me squeeze you till you''ve dried~"


    In the end, the wait was too much. She was too used up, both mine and body. Having nothing left, Jane ended her pitiful existent with two cold barrels.


    Jim knew it all, but he refused to look. Of course, something was strange with that girl. All the bruises, the shivers, the puking. Everything was now painfully clear to him, it had been for a while now. The naysayers were right, he killed her, he killed Jane Crawford.


    "Don''t look back. Don''t look back~"


    Wasn''t that why he sacrificed himself for that boy.


    Did he expect his blood would cleanse the sin, or did he want to be a better person, to see the world around him and the miseries within?


    The answer was painfully obvious, it was the former.


    But his life didn''t end there, no, God had given him another chance to live. His sin may never be washed away, but it wasn''t too late yet. The image of Jane and the little boy, clutching a Major America comic, flashed in his mind.


    "STOP" The teenager screamed out with all of his might. The biker turned to him, head titling to the side "That''s enough, leave her alone!"


    The interrogator lied there, her arm gone her leg crushed. The needle was now digging into her stomach. But despite all that, she didn''t utter a single sound. Not a scream of pain, a desperate begging. Jim couldn''t help but admire such tenacity.


    Even though she had caused him much pain, the teenager didn''t wish her any harm.


    In truth, Jim''s mind was still fuzzy. The woman was an enemy, but one things he knew was that the teenager didn''t want to see suffering in others, he wouldn''t miss injustice ever again.


    The biker head pointed at Jim, the music was gone, all there was silence. With great deliberation, he grabbed the needle and swirled it around the wound.


    "AHHHHHH"


    Wasting no time, Jim charged at the biker. A jab immediately connected to the side of the teenager''s head. And yet, there was no pain. Jim tackled the biker as another jab hit his chin, but once again, he felt nothing.


    "Flick of the wrist and you''re dead baby~"


    The music continued as Jim was knocked back with extreme force, it was as he was hit by a truck. And yet, the teenager stood up, he couldn''t feel any pain, fear was seemingly purged from his mind.


    Mi-Young tried to sit up, her body still screaming out in pain. That boy, it was the same from when he headbutted her. The needle simply slid along his forehead. The woman took a closer look. The teenager was seemingly¡­ glowing!


    No, his skin had somehow crystallised, becoming unbreakable, by her needle at least.


    "Blow him a kiss and you''re mad, ooh ooh ooh ooh~"


    The biker thrusted his hand at Jim''s stomach, focusing on a single point. With a loud crack, his hand broke through, entering the teenager stomach.


    "Gotcha" Jim muttered.


    The wound immediately closed and crystallises rapidly. Inside, even the ingestion, the innards were hardening, locking the biker arm in place.


    Jim never expected to beat a monster like this. No, he would just have to make sure that this thing wouldn''t be hurting anyone. The teenager grabbed the biker, his arms hardened even further. Soon, Jim could no longer control his hands and soon his limbs anymore.


    But it didn''t matter, he would lock this bastard up no matter what.


    Jim looked at his grips glistening in the sun, so this was his power. It didn''t befit a soul as ugly as him. The teenager could feel his body fading away as it crystalized, turning into diamond.


    The biker thrashed but he was held in place the diamond grips, his hand still locked in Jim''s stomach. With his remaining hand, the biker grabbed his pipe wrench and smashed the teenager, blows after blows.


    Jim held on, trying not to fade away completely. Then, a small crack started to appear.


    The teenager had reached his limit, the mana within him almost depleted. Seeing weakness, the biker pounded on his restraint with great vigour.


    "Flick of the wrist, he''ll eat your heart out~"


    What would happen if he was completely spent, would he just crumbled, his consciousness faded away for good. Jim tried not to think about it, he mustn''t let fear get the better of him. The teenager tried to turn to his interrogator. His lips, all crystallised, move with great difficulty.


    "Run"


    "A dig in the ribs and then a kick in the head~"


    The cracks started to spread, so diamond could break after all.


    "He''s taken an arm, and taken a leg~"


    Finally, his arms shattered into tiny pieces, his stomach broke open. Jim Cross fell to the ground, exhausted.


    "All this time honey. Baby you''ve been had~"


    This was his limit now. But Jim took heart. The teenager tried to turn his head and there he saw it. That white suit, that bald head shinning in the sun.


    There Eikichi stood, the man looked at Jim.


    "You did good, now rest"


    The biker, meanwhile, was looking at something else entirely. Yes, how long had it been since he had seen it, that face of horror on that girl''s face.

 Chapter 21

    4.3


    Sheer Heart Attack: The enemy of my enemy


    "Doraemon, are you alright" Asked Eikichi.


    The girl couldn''t answer as the fear soon overcame her. The smell of blood and metal chains flared up within her mind. How could this be, she was now in another world altogether, no trace of the archaic one she left behind. This place was governed by magic, by complete order in spite of identity.


    Yet there he was, in front of her, his existent a blight. The biker, Killer Queen.


    For years she had been pushed on the run. Her body modified beyond recognition. All her life was spent living in fear. And she would never be free from it.


    But didn''t she know that already, that was why she seek out the Ladder. Doraemon was willing to earn her freedom whatever the cost. And yet, the time spent here had soften her resolve. Or maybe it never truly existed to begin with.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry"


    Doraemon muttered and cloaked herself. Once again, she ran away. But within her, there was a familiar hope. It was Eikichi, maybe he could pull it off, maybe he could end this scourge once and for all. Of course, she was aware this wasn''t the first time she felt this way. But maybe this time, this time¡­ ''It''s Eikichi''


    The bald man turned back to the biker. For Doraemon to be that shaken, the man had drawn two conclusions. First that this wasn''t a nice person in front of him, second, he was probably no pushover either.


    "Hey, how are you doing" The bald man said.


    "Happy little day~" The music played "Happy little day, Jimmy went away. Met his little Jenny on a public holiday. A happy pair they made, so decorously laid~"


    Eikichi looked at the two bodies strewing over the floor.


    "Hah, that''s funny, because his name is Jim. I don''t know what that one is called though" The man jested, the smile on his face soon disappeared "You sure did a number on them"


    "It''s so good to know there''s still a little magic in the air. I''ll weave my spell~"


    The biker threw out his chain aimed straight at Eikichi''s face. The man dodged effortlessly. Well, diplomacy had failed. It was not like it was ever an option anyway.


    His head twitching, the biker stepped forward, the wrench in his hand. Then suddenly, he sped up straight to Eikichi. The bald man moved just in time to dodge the strike, which broke the wall behind him with ease.


    He knew that the buildings here were studier than they look, for it to crumble so easily.


    The biker turned to his target, the red light gazed on ominously "Jenny will you stay - tarry with me pray~" He continued his onslaught only to receive a devastating kick to the helmet.


    Eikichi followed that with another kick, this one straight to the torso.


    The biker flew back, landing on his back. It lied there for a moment before bouncing up again. He looked at his hand to find it empty, the wrench had somehow been disarmed. Then it could hear someone behind.


    There Six kneeled over Mi-Young, having injected something to her veins. The woman injuries were too great for her to be moved. The drug would help but it wouldn''t kick in right now.


    "Forgive me this time, One" He whispered before standing up to face the biker.


    Never left your comrades behind, that something One had taught him. The old man would understand. Six prepared for a fight, stance ready.


    The biker looked at the operative, then back to Eikichi.


    "O Rock of Ages, do not crumble, love is breathing still~"


    The bald man was the first to move, throwing a crescent kick. But before his foot could reach the biker, Eikichi grounded himself feinting the kick. Then, in extreme close quarter, thrusting his palm straight at the opponent chin.


    Dodging back, the biker was met with Six with his near instantaneous movement.


    The operative threw out his deadly punch, enough to kill any creature inside out. But with beastly movement, the biker turned while directing Six blow straight to Eikichi.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But the bald man wasn''t done yet, narrowing dodging Six blow, he kicked high straight at the helmet. The operative, knowing that he needed to be crafty to catch his opponent, punched quickly in hope of catching the biker trying to avoid the kick. The two attacks synchronised perfectly.


    Their attempt once again end in failure as the biker slipped out with inhume reflexes.


    "Geez, how come every person here is Ultraman, making me feel so inadequate" Eikichi joked, but his mind was being pushed to the limit like usual.


    The biker flicked dust out of his jacket mockingly, his head tilted to the side.


    "Here I stand~"


    Eikichi and Six looked at each other. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, for now at least. Nodding, the two charged at the biker, splitting to two radical side. Using his superior speed, Six also moved around his target looking for an opening. The, both of them pounced in, both aiming for a perceived weak spot.


    But alas, the biker jumped back with an extra bounce.


    "Look around around around around around. But you won''t see me~"


    Of course, such mocking didn''t dampen the fighters spirit at all. They continue weaving through each other attack, sooner or later, there wouldn''t be anywhere left to dodge.


    Cornered, the biker raised his hands up to the air, seemingly surrendering. Titling his head to the side, he seemed to contemplate that idea before smashing the wall behind him instead as Eikichi approached.


    Behind the wall, however, was Six who had blinked in through the window. The operative delivered a direct hit straight to the biker back.


    With Six power, the kinetic residue of his blinks was stored then unleased through physical contact. That force then swirled within a target, decimating them from inside out. Feedback from such an attack also allowed him to learn of the enemy anatomy. Most of the time, that ability wasn''t relevant, until he met Doraemon and the biker.


    The kinetic travelled through the leather jacket to a soft layer behind which immediately harden, neutralising the force.


    This technology! It was state of the art even from his time!


    Body armour that could harden upon impact is not new. However, one that could effectively spread out force this effectively was still only experimental. But there was something more, not all of the punch was absorbed by the armour, but as the force was completely neutralised, Six received no feedback.


    What being was exactly lurking underneath, could it even be deemed human!


    "Talk about tactical advantage"


    A comment flashed in Six''s mind, the voice belonged to Eikichi. Somehow, they were connected telepathically. This must be the work of someone''s power.


    "That''s right, look at your hand, your left to be precise"


    Six took a glimpse to see a red string tying around his pinkie finger. Weightless, the thing floated freely through the air glowing ethereally. This had always been here and yet he only saw it now. It was because the man was now aware.


    "It was given to me by Doraemon" Said Eikichi.


    "And why would you tell me that"


    "Because apparently it only works on mutual consent. Somehow, you trust me enough to share your thought even, so I ought to make effort on my side"


    By showing such a power and even naming the user. It may sound idiotic at a glance but Eikichi wasn''t one to mess around like this.


    No, this connection had been feeding both sides information. Of where the other was going to advance, how were they going to attack, how were they going to complement each other move. With an enemy like this, such coordination was absolutely important.


    Eikichi hiding the origin of this power would only obfuscate this connection, their doubt would ruin the synergy possible to corner a target like this.


    From the string, Six could feel Eikichi''s approval of his interpretation.


    Of course, the operative wondered whether critical information had been extracted. But if that was the case, it was now too late to do anything about it. No, Six would make the most out of this situation.


    "So chief, since you are familiar with this, how are we going to break through this guy''s defence?" Eikichi asked with jest even while dancing with death, a rare feat.


    "All incoming attack would be absorbed, but the armour has to react individually to each blow. A constant barrage of powerful attacks would eventually cause it to break down"


    He had seen it all in action. Soldiers, thought to be invincible, strolled though hail of lead only to suddenly melted. But whether the two of them could equal to high calibre tank buster ammunition firing rapidly? No, but Six still believed, he always did.


    The operative pushed aggressively, locking down both of the biker''s arms. They held monstrous power which could crush Six''s limbs in a second.


    It was a risky bet and it pays off. Such an advance opened up the enemy''s back, which Eikichi exploited in a flash with¡­ blinking. Completed with a kinetic punch enough to stagger the biker. Even Eikichi was surprised by that, his body moved automatically as if it had done this so many times before.


    Those were Six''s power, those were his knowledge, his instinct. This was his trust.


    The biker violently replied, thrashing back at Six only for his blows to miss. The broken wall under him was grafted back, throwing off the biker''s aim. But the force that held the pieces couldn''t be achieved by Eikichi, whose body was still not used to mana manipulation.


    No, this was the fruit of Six''s trust, he gave and received in return.


    The biker tried to break free only to receive blows after blows, the destructive force pulsing throughout his body. The broken wall constantly regenerated with great power, interrupting his attempts at retaliation. Pressure from both Six and Eikichi from all sides kept him in place.


    But this wasn''t the end. Oh no it was not the end. The biker, with his monstrous strength jumped up. The force of this shattered the roof, making the ground trembled. Escaping up, the biker flung himself through the air. Six moved in to intercept the landing but his attempt was stopped by a violent swing of the wrench.


    Eikichi meanwhile, lagged behind as his body cannot coped with the newfound blink ability.


    "Now I''m here. Now I''m there~"


    The biker landed and looked at his opponents, or was it opponent, his head tilting.


    "I''m just a. Just a new man. Yes you made me live again, wow~"


    The light on his helmet continued to shine and the music, the music would never die.

 Chapter 22

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    4.4


    Sheer Heart Attack: Number Six


    "Pull out the knife, you will die alone" The voice never ceased.


    Eikichi staggered back as the biker attack brushed against his bald head. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of the man. But before he could be finishes, Six intervened driving his fist into the biker side. Recovered, Eikichi retaliated and his fist aimed true.


    Six smashed a plank over the biker''s head. The wood pieces flew out before stopping mid air, forming back around the thing neck, halting its movements. Unlike Eikichi, the operative could revert an object just by remembering.


    Dirt on the ground, wood chips, stones, all broken and shifted and reassembled with varying speed and power. The biker couldn''t land a single hit with such disruption.


    The thing was surrounded, its body constantly battered by superpowered blows after blows, its enemies seemingly teleporting all around.


    With a devastating hit to the head, pulsing through the helmet, the biker fell to its knees.


    It wondered what that was in that girl''s head right now. She had run away again but the biker knew she was still out there somewhere, watching. That girl would always try to believe that maybe it would be the end. But alas, their decades long game of catch and mouse continued. The girl watched on as her hopes had their ribcages crushed, their skulls bashed in. A few brave souls? A lynch mobs? A squad of elites? An army? All met their end as the girl watched on.


    It drove her to such radical measures. That girl pushed her body to the limits with all kind of augmentations. She even found the Ladder. If no one could take care of the Killer Queen, she would do it herself, or at least that was what the girl told herself.


    Now, she was nowhere to be found, she ran and hid away like always.


    But this time, it was different. The biker was cornered, battered, beaten and the girl was no doubt watching this. And all of her augmentations, they were still there.


    At this moment, was that girl feeling¡­ happiness? The thought ran through the biker mind.


    Now that was simply unacceptable.


    The biker leapt onto its feet, wrench swinging at the first thing it saw. Which turned into nothingness as Six blinked away. With a strange calmness, the biker thrashed around, swinging its wrench at everything that came by its view.


    Was this a final desperate act, Eikichi thought, it sure looked so. It was hard to know seeing that the biker''s helmet was unchanging and seemingly indestructible.


    Their effort was also paying off, the biker armour was becoming more and more unresponsive. Its defence would soon fall. And yet, it still continued to thrash around, seemingly aimlessly. Or not.


    Despite possessing unrivalled combat sense, Eikichi was running on another''s power, another''s instinct. This power, these movements weren''t exactly his.


    Six, meanwhile, finally realised what the biker is up to, it was forcing them to be moving, blinking constantly.


    0.2 seconds and 0.5 seconds, those were the minimum cooldown between the operative and Eikichi''s blink respectively. The distances that the two could traverse, how much could one curve his movement. How long did it take for the force to be applied after their punches. Underneath that neon light amidst the dark mask, no details were too trivial, none were unimportant. And now, the opportunity had come for a final gamble.


    A thick dark liquid ran out of the biker sleeves, his jeans. It was the armour, finally broken down, leaving him vulnerable for the first time since decades.


    Seizing the moment, Eikichi moved in for the kill with great speed, too great. By the time he could hear Six''s warning it was all too late. The slows and sultry music played out.


    "Dynamite with a laser beam. Guaranteed to blow your mind~"


    Reading him like a book, the biker wrench was there, ready to intercept Eikichi. By the time he could blink again, the cold steel would have already make contact with his skull. And there was no way he could avoid the biker with his own physical prowess. A fatal mistake and one he could have fully avoided.


    Eikichi messed up.


    At what seemed like the final moment of his life, the bald man could hear the voice, the gurgle of a dying man, his father, clearer than ever. It had never sounded more prophetic.


    "Pull out the knife, you will die alone"


    Suddenly, shadow casted over Eikichi''s eyes as a figure appeared right in front of him. Steel met bones, crushing the later mercilessly.


    Eikichi watched on as Six fell to the side, having taken the full force of the biker straight to his back. The bald man looked at his just a moment ago enemy lying there, motionless. Such a strange decision, if Eikichi would to fall there, the operative could have finished off the biker. Wouldn''t that be two birds in one stone, Six?


    "Cooking classes? Are you seriously trying to make us like you?" Voices from his past returned, plaguing Eikichi mind.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ''How could I ever hear your thought in the first place. Was Doraemon wrong about her own power, or did you really¡­ Just because we had the same enemy, just because we had to fight side by side''


    "It was all your fault, give me back my son!"


    ''Come to think of it, what are you even doing here. What were you trying to achieve here. Did you come back, put yourself at risk just for her, your comrade. Why did you even let me go that day at the arena'' Eikichi couldn''t seem to understand why.


    "You will never understand, you monster"


    It didn''t make any sort of sense at all. Not at all. Not at all.


    "You monster"


    And the voices, they never ceased.


    Eikichi could feel his eyes clouded, he removed the sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. The biker, meanwhile, stood there titling its head to the side in silence, curious of what to come.


    The bald man dropped his glasses, he reached down to pick it up but stop, his hand formed into a fist. Eikichi looked up, how long had it been, since he last looked at someone with these bare eyes of his. Bloodshot and sharp like razor, the man''s eyes were of a murderer, filled with rage.


    Eikichi kicked at the ground, making a thunderous sound. Blinking through the air, he punched straight at the biker, only to have his attack blocked. In less than 0.5 seconds, the biker retaliated, only to find nothingness.


    From behind, Eikichi struck his elbow at the thing back but it was also blocked. Once again, the bald man escaped from its grasp and struck again, but once again his effort was null.


    He blinked again only to trip and slid along the ground painfully, his white suit tainted with blood and dirt. It had left him, the knowledge on how to blink, how to deliver force punches. Now he had to face a opponent so much superior, all on his own.


    Truly a time for despair and Eikichi nearly did just that, but then his eyes caught glimpse of a figure, still lying there on the ground, lifelessly.


    Eikichi stood up again gritting his teeth ''Why did you take that blow for me!''


    The biker slowly walked up, music continued to play callously.


    "Recommended at the price. Insatiable an appetite. Wanna try~?


    Hearing that tune, suddenly everything went dark, nothing really matter anymore. Overcame by an inexplicable rage. Eikichi lunged with the biker. There was no flair, no grand plan nor strategy, no technique, just pure hatred.


    Eikichi punched and punched mindlessly like a beast.


    His spirit burned like fire and mana flooded inside him, drawn by light, fuelling the flame. Eikichi continued to punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch and punch¡­


    Each was stronger and faster than the last.


    The force flayed his weary arms, tearing every muscle off but his power held them all in place. His heart, his veins, his whole body on the verge of implosion. And yet, the man still went on. The same power that boosted Eikichi''s strength also fuelled his power. But it was not forming anything back but himself, continuously.


    His bones were shattered, his meat torn apart and yet they were still kept together by the man''s power.


    Eikichi couldn''t even see anything but the flurries of fists obscuring even his view. But from behind, the music continued to play mockingly. If that as the case then he could only be more relentless, he shall silence it all, the music, the voices.


    The man screamed from the top of his bursting lungs to drown it all out.


    "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"


    The air around was warped as mana was drawn to fuel the raging man, ascending him. Even the lights were seemingly sucked into the vortex of primitive punches. Every blow was deadly, exploding in the air like bombs.


    But then something within Eikichi snapped. His body remembered it belonged to a mortal, not befitting of all this power. The punches came to a halt as the man looked at his arms. All the skin and meat were long stripped away, the exposed muscles red from friction, threatening to burst into flame without a moment notice.


    In front of him was the biker, seemingly unscathed.


    "She''s a Killer Queen. Gunpowder, gelatin~"


    The music, the voices were back.


    Eikichi flailed at the biker hopelessly. But his fists were flaccid, they simply brushed against the target gently. The supposed punches became desperate grasps.


    Just a little bit more, he could do it, if this body wasn''t enough then he would ascend¡­


    Eikichi tried to ignite the flame in his spirit again only to feel like something was tugging at him. It was just a slight pull, but the sensation had brought him back before his self-destruction irreversible. The destination, what Eikichi would ''ascend'' into, would only be the void, death.


    The man found where the sensation came from, it was his pinkie. A final tug from the red string as the other end loosened and drifted aimlessly.


    ''Even in death¡­ You still¡­ Why¡­''


    Tears running from his eyes, Eikichi could feel his body finally drained. He had failed to silence the music, the voices.


    "Pull out the knife, you will die alone" His father final words rang out once again.


    But as the man fell to his back, something broke his descend. A shoulder pressed at his back, a broken crystal arm trying to prop him up.


    Behind was Jim Cross, the near shattered Jim Cross. Just like Major America, who would always stand up after every defeat. The teenager stepped up.


    "What''s wrong, aren''t you supposed to be able to do pretty much everything" The teenager jested tiredly "Don''t worry, I will try to help out, if that mean anything"


    "Why¡­" That was the only word coming out of Eikichi.


    "Heh, how could possible continues to lie there after seeing all of that. And I am not the only one here"


    The teenager painfully turned Eikichi head''s around. Coming up behind them was¡­ Haruka holding her broken katana. Johann pulled her back, of course, his entourage was also here. And so were Mara and Fleur even, the latter had a look of resolute which seems rather out of character, but in her eyes, the fire was true.


    Then there were others, whom he couldn''t recognise. A girl next to Johann also in leather armour but padded with metallic. At the back was a youth in white holding a cane. A normal looking office worker next to a Fallen with cracked mask.


    Eikichi could hear a soft footstep in front of him.


    Looking forward, there was someone between him and the biker. A girl from a future, Doraemon, shaken with fear but there she stood nevertheless.


    A black smoke blew past them all, bringing someone in front of them all. A man in armour, holding a long sword. He put a hand quickly on his shoulder before entering a stance, ready for battle.


    The smoke came back to Eikichi and Jim''s side, it formed into an old man.


    "You two have done well, it will be alright" His voice soothing and gentle.


    Doraemon turned back to Eikichi, she nearly grabbed him before realising that metallic claws wouldn''t go well with exposed muscles. Haruka and the others were also there, they had all seen his light and here they were, by his side.


    Eikichi could feel his mind slipping away. He tried to think, how could the biker survived his barrage. Blinded by emotion, all of his attacks were powerful but utterly predictable. Perhaps if he had been more level-headed, maybe it would be different, maybe he would be the victor. But then would the power come to him like that¡­


    Everything started to blur as Eikichi became¡­ sleepy for the first time since, when he couldn''t remember.


    As the smoke engulfed his wounds, smothering the pain, Eikichi closed his eyes. The man fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by warmth in silence.

 Chapter 23

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    4.5


    A prayer for the fallen


    Eikichi opened his eyes wearily.


    He found himself back in the guest room of the youth centre he once called home. Oh right, he was visiting before falling asleep.


    Before Eikichi was admitted to this place, it was threatened to be closed down. There wasn''t enough funding they said. Then came a strange old foreign woman with seemingly bottomless purse. Soon, the city council sure changed their tune after presented with a suitcase full of cash.


    The place was renovated and expanded into an orphanage as well. And Eikichi was the first orphan to be admitted here.


    The man opened the door to find one of the youth waiting out for him, in the middle of the night no less. It was Toru, who was acting mighty suspicious.


    "What are you doing scuttling around like that" Eikichi asked.


    "Well" The boy looked around "I wonder if, you know¡­"


    "Oh right, how can I forget" The bald man reached inside his suit and pulled out the softcore porn mag "Here you go"


    On Toru face was a look of genuine surprise "I¡­ didn''t expect you to keep your words"


    "A true man never breaks his promise" And besides, that thing would be found out and confiscated soon anyway.


    Eikichi left as the boy snuck the good away. He made his way to the old lady''s office and knocked at the door.


    "Come on in"


    He made his way inside a room that was so familiar. During his youth at this place, how many times had he been into this room. Inside was the same old lady as always, now probably approaching her 90s and yet she was still no less dull.


    "So you didn''t lie to me at all" Eikichi said, sitting down on the sofa "Your cooking sure was horrible back then"


    "Now that is a strange hello, Eikichi" Said Mara Singer.


    "Talk about strange, I just had the most surreal dream" The man looked at his arm, still with skin and flesh.


    Mara continued with her paperwork, ignoring him. On her lips were a slight smile, however. The two continued to sit in silence, not for long though as Eikichi didn''t intend to spend all day here. The man looked around, this room hadn''t changed at all.


    The children dreaded being sent here. Not surprising, no one liked to be reprimanded.


    But Eikichi was different, he spent an awful lot of his childhood here. The lady was always cold and foreign, but maybe that was why he didn''t mind spending time with her.


    Like her, Eikichi was something so foreign as well. The fact that he murdered his own father didn''t help either. And so Eikichi spent his time here. Over time, the old lady took notice of him¡­ She sure had taught him well.


    "So I was wondering, if I were to continue that dream, what should I do. Do you have any idea, you always know everything right?"


    "Hm, I have this trick" Mara said without looking up "Say Rosebud before going to sleep and think of the dream, it always works for me"


    Wait, wasn''t that a word in the movie Mara always watched and occasionally made him sat through it as well. Eikichi tried to dispose of the disc so many times but it kept on returning. Even now, it was still on the bookcase, tauntingly.


    Eikichi stood up but sat down again, then stood up and sat down again. Being here made him felt like a kid again.


    "What is it now" Mara sighed and asked, a faint smile still on her face.


    "No, I am wondering about something, but don''t know whether to ask it or not"


    "Just fire away"


    "Everything you did¡­ picking me up and all the trainings. Was it because of the dream"


    "Yes" Mara answered with no hesitation, the woman removed her reading glasses "Do you regret them now?"


    "Nope, not at all" Eikichi stood up, a smile on his face "Thank you, for everything you have done for me"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He looked at Mara to see her already back with her paper work again. It was time for him to leave, but before he closed the door, Eikichi had one last question.


    "Hey, do you still dream now"


    The old lady looked up "What did you say?"


    "Nah, it''s nothing" He had known her enough to recognise that cue.


    It seemed like he didn''t sleep at all, no time passed between him lying down and waking up again either. So he would have to actually fall sleep again, what a pain.


    Eikichi lied down on the bed, trying to sleep¡­ or not.


    "Rosebud" He whispered.


    Eikichi opened his eyes wearily.


    There he was in his room back in Saragarhi, so they didn''t leave the town after all. He sat up and raised his arms groggily, too groggily. They still looked normal but what was this foreign feeling.


    "That doctor guys cut it off, your original arms" Doraemon said as she slowly decloaked, the girl was sitting in the corner.


    "How long has you been sitting here?" Eikichi asked.


    "I just said your arms were replaced and that was the first thing you ask¡­"


    "Well, I can kind of guess as much"


    The man held up has new limbs, their movement rigid, for now.


    Suddenly, the door opened, and Jim poked his head in.


    "Oh so you are awake, I thought I heard something" The teenager looked at Doraemon "So this is where you are, Alva is looking for you all day now"


    The girl grumbled and left reluctantly. Jim came in "How are you feeling now"


    "Fine"


    "That''s¡­ descriptive, come one, put on your clothes, there is something I need to show you"


    On a nearby drawer, Eikichi attire was all fixed up and cleaned. The sunglasses lied neatly on the folded clothing. The man put them on again in a blink of an eye, an useless routine he had mastered.


    He went downstairs and met with Jim, the place was devoid of people. The doctor predicted that Eikichi would wake up today so everyone had gone on first to set up for a long journey up ahead. Haruka and Fleur wanted to stay behind but Johann declared that only one could remain and wait for Eikichi, that person was Jim¡­ not Doraemon.


    "So, are you ready to set out" Said Jim.


    There was something different about the boy, Eikichi thought. The man couldn''t seem to say what though. Maybe he was just imagining it.


    "Always" Eikichi replied before spotting something in his peripheral vision, a fly.


    The bald man immediately snapped and grabbed at the creature with his fist. As he opened his hand, the fly had been crushed.


    "What a shame" He muttered, it may take more time than he had expected to get use to the new limbs. Oh well, nothing he couldn''t handle. Eikichi departed with the waiting Jim.


    The teenager was supposed to take him to where they were meeting, but there was a detour. They were heading back into the town. Jim walked on in silence. The street was also devoid of people, they were all at the farm, working.


    As soon as the festival was over, the people of Saragarhi went back to their daily routine like clockwork.


    The two arrived at the memorial, dedicated to the hero that laid here so long ago. Eikichi did drop by here during the festival once, but there was something different.


    In front of the monument was a sword of considerable size, a zweihander. It was no doubt belonged to that mercenary who paid his life to buy time for them. Rather unnecessary, Eikichi thought, too bad that man was competent. The bald man wondered what had happened to the summoned in chains. Apparently, he was nowhere to be found.


    Talking about the summoned, there was one Eikichi is rather curious about.


    "That guy with the helmet, what happened to him?"


    "What did you think" Jim said.


    "Hmm, seeing that we are still alive I guessed that he was overwhelmed by the reinforcement" Eikichi concluded "There were quite a number of people back there"


    "You think so" Jim smirked, there was something bitter about the teenager expression though "No, that guy was beaten, by one person"


    Eikichi was then told what happened. After he fell unconscious, the biker attacked the knight with his monstrous strength and speed. Jim couldn''t see what happened next at all, it all went by in a flash. The biker staggered, a milky white liquid streamed out of the ghastly cut through his body. Sensing his imminent doom, the Killer Queen took off, even injured his speed was still frightening and impossible to catch up to.


    One slash, it took the knight one slash to end it. And that knight was also a summoned but from that other group. You know, the one without powers like them


    "One damn attack" Jim muttered bitterly.


    Eikichi didn''t know what to make of that. The bald man felt like he could understand where Jim''s bitterness came from.


    But why, Eikichi wondered.


    Soon enough, the answer came to him. There are two more names added to the monument itself. Martin Kobyla and Sebastian Martel ¨C Six.


    ¡­ Eikichi approached the monument and got on his knees. Clapping his shaking hands together, the man prayed in silence, in gratitude.


    Behind him, Jim retreated away to give Eikichi a moment to himself. The teenager spotted a fly buzzing around. He snapped and tried to grab it, only to miss completely.


    "You still a long way to go" Said Doraemon sarcastically as she decloaked next to him.


    "Why are you still hanging around here for. I thought I told you to go to Alva"


    The girl ignored his words completely.


    Of course, Jim knew why the girl was here. He wasn''t stupid or ignorant. The teenager just wanted to leave her to it, and yet he couldn''t. His mind casted back to the Killer Queen. In a moment, Jim had a flash of brilliance, but it would soon be nothing.


    There he lied, broken literally. His power flared up only to be extinguished. That thing was a flood, snubbing everything out. Only to be defeated by a stranger, a knight from ancient time.


    Jim was bitter, yes, but there was nothing he could do about it.


    "You did good, now rest" Eikichi said those words to the teenager. But Jim knew, the man wasn''t looking at him at all. Those weren''t words of kindness, no, they were simply a routine. It was easy to be fooled by the illusion. But Eikichi wasn''t a kind man, no, he was simply a man of routine.


    "You know he doesn''t care for us at all, right" Jim said.


    "¡­ I know"


    Doraemon reply didn''t surprise Jim at all. The girl had realised this way before him. The teenager remembered that rainy day when she came to him, it must be then.


    Jim returned to Eikichi''s side, it was time for them to leave.


    The man stood up and walk away, seemingly unfazed. The two made their way to the others. Jim turned back one last time, however, to the monument, to Saragarhi. There was a long journey ahead of him. Maybe one day he could be as courageous as those remembered there. From this distance, the teenager could only make out a line on that monument.


    Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!

 Chapter 24

    ¡­


    16th Century, Kingdom of Bohemia


    Today was once again a calming day for Martin Kobyla, who sat idly on his porch basking in the sunlight. The forge should be heated soon but the man had no drive to do so yet. In the front yard, his daughter Theresa was practicing with a rather cumbersome practice sword, yet she swung it with better discipline than most.


    A most unorthodox sight which caught the eyes of a visiting lord, who took a detour to meet the girl. Behind him, the castle lord decided to attend to his own business.


    "A zweihander, curious choice indeed" The visitor said "Especially for a lady like you"


    Theresa was surprised by that remark. Normally people would raise their eyebrow over her picking up a weapon in the first place, not the choice.


    "Such a unwieldy tool, yet you are quite proficient with it" The visitor remarked.


    "¡­ Thank you?" Theresa was even more confused by the compliment.


    The visitor then proceeded to Martin still sitting on his porch.


    "Isn''t it about time you get to work, the sun is already so high up"


    "I am thinking about taking today off" Said Martin "What about you, Henry, what brought you to this place"


    "Well, I happened to be near and a little bird told me one Martin Kobyla has settled down nearby, I have to see for myself"


    "Hm, why don''t you come in and look around some more"


    Taking on the offer, the lord Henry and Martin sat down for a drink. They had only met each other once but it was a memorable encounter. Two drunkards duking it out only to pass out on the spot. The next day Martin was informed that he was fighting a lord and Henry was informed that he was sparring against the legendary mercenary.


    The two went for a drink after that and had quite a talk.


    "A tidy forge you have there" Commented Henry.


    "Yeh, the local blacksmith moved to Sasau and was kind enough to leave me his tools"


    And the local lord was also kind enough to let him stay.


    "Still, I didn''t think you would put down the sword" Henry said "Although I didn''t know you have a family either"


    "Well, I haven''t been right with them, always fighting. Now that I have made a tidy sum, might as well retire and pay my due, haha"


    "You sure have overpaid your due friend, surely your daughter didn''t need all those training"


    "Nah, I barely taught her anything, that girl picked up the sword and practice on her own accord"


    "You jest" Henry replied in amazement.


    A woman wielding sword was not the most common, one holding a zweihander was unheard of. And her skill was considerable. Not the most elegant or easy to use, the two hander was mostly used to break pikes on the frontline and charging foes. But Martin mastery over the weapon was nothing but mythical, under his hands, such a lump of steel could flow like water.


    While certainly struggling, the girl surely showed great potential, hint of her father greatness. But what could she possibly achieve with that skill. What a waste, Henry thought to himself.


    "So, why did you decide to retire" The lord asked.


    "Didn''t I already tell you, I wanted to spend more time with my¡­"


    "Nah" Henry cut the mercenary off "I want to know the real reason. The Martin I know wouldn''t put down his sword something like that"


    They had only talked once but alcohol had certainly loosened Henry tongue for him to make such a brash remark. Luckily, Martin was in a talkative mode himself, bored to death by a normal life.


    "I was being honest, that is the reason¡­ or more like part of the reason"


    "And what could the other part be?"


    "Hmmm¡­ how to put it. You could say I died"


    "Obviously not"


    "Well, to be more precise, I dreamt that I died"


    Henry put down the cup and looked at the man in front of him. After a pregnant pause, the lord busted out laughing for a few solid seconds. After noticing that his drinking partner was serious about that remark, Henry stopped for Martin to continue his story.


    "It was a strange dream¡­ but so real. I woke up under a strange trees, surrounded by all sort of strange folks. They all seemed as confused and out of place as me. It seems like our arrival was expected, however, there were people there waiting. But then we were all attacked by a bunch of fighters all with white masks"


    "You sure have a vivid imagination"


    "I highly doubt that, my dream is normally mundane, but this one, it''s different" Martin paused slightly, looking at the drink "Anyway, where was I. Yes, we were attacked by guys with white masks. They weren''t normal, their strength were of several men and one of them even jumped higher than this building"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "And they killed you" Henry was rather interested in this story now.


    "No, or more like not yet. Despite their strength and speed, the two masked men I fought were not much of a challenge. They moved like rehearsing, all too predictable like dolls. Although our escorts were beaten. So I decided to hold the white masked back. My next opponent was the one that leapt high earlier. But this one is different, unlike the previous two he seemed¡­ human"


    "And that guy beat you"


    "Pretty much yes, although I was injured by a sword thrown by another masked man. I wondered how I would fare without that. But that was pretty much when I was killed"


    "Now that''s a strange dream you had there friend, although I still can''t see why you decided to retire because of it"


    "I told you, that dream was so real it was like reality. I could still remember the wind, the distinct smell that it carried. When the sword pierced me, the pain was real. I felt it all, even my death"


    "¡­" Henry looked at Martin, mouth slightly agape.


    "You see, at that moment, I knew death and there is no glory in it my friend, no god nor devil. There is only a never-ending darkness. Afterward, I could no longer find any meaning in swinging a sword around anymore"


    Never in a million year would Henry ever think that the mercenary was a coward. No, Martin had simply seen a sight he had never even imagined.


    "Let''s cheer for death then" Henry raised his cup "May we be able to continue to elude it"


    The two finished their drink and looked at each other. Feeling the effect of all the alcohol, the two were being rather restless. But not enough for Henry to suggest a duel just yet. Maybe it was time for a tale of his own.


    "Come to think of it, I have been hearing about something unbelievable" The lord said "Or more like someone, an unbeatable swordsman. Apparently, he has been going around humiliating the masters all over the Empire"


    "¡­"


    "Apparently he also takes jobs to fund his travel. I have heard story of this man clearing out dens of fully armed bandits all himself. Fighting a dozen at once, crazy"


    "And why are you telling me this?" Martin asked with a wryly smile.


    "Well, every source seems to confirm that he has a very particular gesture, that man would place his right hand to his left shoulder every time before a fight. I seem to recall someone also like to do that salute"


    It was a flair of Martin.


    "I may know who you are talking about"


    "A student of your" Asked Henry curiously, while the details were murky it seemed like this mythical swordsman was rather young.


    "No no, I met him a two years ago, he ran with our company a few time since our jobs collided. A nice kid, a bit quiet though"


    "Did you fight him" Henry asked straight.


    "Yes, and before you asked, he defeated me"


    "What a riot" The lord bellowed "So not only this person exists he also managed to beat the great Martin Kobyla, now I want to meet this fellow¡­ Still, why did he use your flair, where did this guy come from and why is he going around challenging all the masters"


    "I only have a mild guest for the last question"


    "Let me hear it then"


    "Well, he was incredible but rather aimless. So I said maybe he should go around challenging everyone, then maybe he would find something he wants to do. So that kid is still at it"


    Then, at that moment, Theresa entered the room to inform of a strange guest. Seeing that it was time to leave as well, Henry went out with Martin. They were met with a man in rusted chainmail and helmet with a longsword to his side. He was still on his horse which was exhausted. This guest seemed to be in a rush.


    "Speak of the devil" Martin said "It''s the swordsman you were talking about!"


    Henry looked at the stranger. What kind of coincident was this, was Martin just joking. From the look of it, the retired mercenary was as surprise about this as Henry.


    Such an encounter, it was as if this was a sign from God himself.


    Feeling energised, spurred by alcohol, Henry stepped up to the stranger.


    "I had wanted to meet you, fight me!"


    The guest stepped down from his exhausted mount and took a training sword from the luggage. Henry grinned, he wasn''t usually this eager for a fight but the timing for this encounter was nothing but miraculous. The man wasn''t going to waste this moment.


    "Girl, bring me something to spar with this gentleman!"


    This was a confusing day for Theresa, the girl quickly handed the lord a training sword she had left lying around. From the look of her father, this stranger was someone he knew. Wait, maybe it was that swordsman that he talked about, the only to have ever bested him.


    Her intuition told Theresa that this was indeed the man. The girl could feel a desire burning inside to try and cross blade with him. But this was the lord turn and besides, who would ever duel with a woman.


    Henry faced the stranger, even the alcohol couldn''t dampen his sense which was even sharper than usual. The man had never felt better before.


    Then, the fight came to an end.


    The dull tip of the training sword rested right in front of Henry throat. Everyone watched in silent, they had never seen something like this before, even Martin. How could this fight end in a flash like this! Did this stranger move with some sort of inhuman speed!


    The answer was no. Every of his movements were simply precise. The distance of his step, the way his body move, the way the sword was swung, they were all carried out with no wasted momentum, no wasted movement. These concepts weren''t foreign to a master to Henry, that was what mastering the sword mean.


    But the stranger''s precision was simply inhuman, out of this world.


    Henry dropped his sword in silent, even though the blade was dull the lord felt like his throat was cut. He had to hold his neck to see if it was intact. For the first time, he felt fear but not toward a fellow man. No, the being in front of him simply uncanny. Now Henry could understand what Martin meant as for a moment, there, he caught glimpse of that abyss.


    The lord staggered back. Theresa was also frozen, all the thought about challenging the stranger had vanished from her mind.


    Martin waded though the two with ease. The retired mercenary put his hand on the stranger helmet with care.


    "That seems stuffy, you can remove it you know"


    The stranger looked up a bit before removing his helmet. Underneath was a surprisingly young man with weary unchanging eyes.


    "Long time no see, Conrad, it seems like you have come a long way, why don''t you take a seat" Martin turned to Theresa "Call your mother and bring this poor horse something to eat"


    Henry took his leave, having recovered after seeing the guest''s face. Still, he shuddered to think about that movement. This Conrad had been challenging masters all over and that was bound to refine himself. But there was no one he could fight to gain such skill, just what kind of frontier did this man used to hone his blade.


    The lord shook his head, he would need more drink after this. And a new shirt as well as this one was now drenched with sweat.


    Meanwhile, Martin and Conrad sat down on the porch, resting. After a long silence did the vagabond finally muttered a word.


    "Hello" He said meekly.


    "Hah, you certainly haven''t changed at all" Martin said "So what brought you here"


    Conrad looked down, processing the answer "I wanted to see how you are doing"


    "For you to find me, you must have known that I have retired, so why the hurry"


    Knowing Conrad, there was going to be another long silence before the answer. But to Martin surprises, the vagabond replied immediately.


    "I arrived¡­ dreamt a dream, in it you were dead, so¡­"


    The vagabond didn''t seem to be able to find what to say next. He seemed to be struggling in fact. So the journey did change him. Somehow, Martin found himself proud of that, like what a father felt when his children finally grew up. The retired mercenary simply pat him on the shoulder which surprisingly surprised the man.


    "Well, I am fine, you want some food" Martin asked.


    Conrad nodded, his mouth curved slightly into a smile.