Chapter 59: The Heroic Pair
"In human terms, I need to regenerate the liver, pancreas, ribs, pelvis, and lungs to a functional minimum. Stop the general bleeding and restore the lungs almost entirely. The liver doesn't need its detox functions yet, and keep the ribs strictly functional just so she can move."
"Marking the positions of the broken ribs. Pancreas goes here. Remaining time until the target acts—! Here it comes!!"
"This time, I won't miss."
With a casual swing of an arm, everything from steel beams to bolts rained down, possessed by the intent of a killer yet devoid of any malice of their own.
"Guh!"
I threw myself over the two girls mid-surgery. I knew I'd likely be pierced through without even fulfilling my duty as a meat shield, but if I could preserve even a sliver of hope...!
Everything moved in slow motion. Memories from my birth to the present flashed by. It was strange; despite living for nearly twenty years, the memories of the single month I'd spent with these Phantasm Girls felt longer and more vivid than all of them combined.
"I have to protect them...! To bridge the gap to the future Scarlet, Blues, and Yellow are fighting for!!"
To repay my comrades who were still out there, believing in us and fighting on.
"To make sure the friendship of King, Lancelot, and Noise doesn't end here—these two are—!!"
Thump!
Something slammed into my chest, forcefully tearing me away from the pair.
"What... Asu—!!?"
K-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
"Asuna! Alter!!"
They took the hit head-on—!?
"Oh, look at that. Still kicking."
"Naturally. Striking at that exact angle and force was the future with the highest survival rate for Commander Amane. And—"
A white cylindrical stick was held out from atop the rubble.
I think... we aren't going to lose anymore. I can't even imagine losing!
"If we stay right here, we’re guaranteed to avoid every piece of falling debris."
"I see. So you're still not dead. But this is the end. You all should have died just now—"
"Since you don't seem to know, let me give you a personal lesson, Mr. White. Alter can see the future. She saw the one where your attack didn't hit!!"
"What... that’s impossible. It was a guaranteed hit—"
"As the assistant teacher, allow me to add something. My calculation speed is equivalent to thirty Phantasm Girls. By integrating the legacies, my performance has far surpassed what any normal being can achieve. To put it in numbers, my speed is roughly 441.80 PFLOPS—nearly on par with the fastest supercomputer in Japan. Simulating where things will fall is as easy for us as a Phantasm Girl bending a spoon."
I cut off Hypnos, pouring everything I had into explaining the phenomenon that had just occurred.
"Damn it!!"
"Are you ready for this, Asuna?"
"Yeah. Looks like I’ve finally figured it out. You synchronized with me perfectly, even though I didn't say a word."
"That is because I understand you."
A white flash, a mysterious eyepatch, purple smoke drifting from the lips, and... an overwhelming presence, accented by a sword at the waist that looked entirely out of place in this world.
The scene I had witnessed before played back in my mind. Back then, I couldn't even stand beside them, but now, my feet were planted firmly on the ground.
And there was one more thing that was different.
Before, everything had been blurred as if covered in ash. But not now. Just as Cinderella put on her shoes to meet her destiny, and boarded her carriage to move forward...
"Heheh."
The two of them laughed in unison. With faces so similar they could be mistaken for sisters, they wore identical smirks and let out the same cynical chuckle.
"Whew..."
Asuna took a drag of the cigarette Newbie had lit for her. She filled her lungs with purple smoke until every cell was saturated, then exhaled through pursed lips.
"Cough... hack!"
Alter, her membranes irritated by the secondhand smoke, let out two sharp coughs to soothe her stinging throat.
"I guess you still haven't gotten used to the smoke, huh?"
They repeated the rhythm of inhaling and exhaling.
"I still don't really get the taste... but..."
I think I’m finally starting to understand, old man.
The surface world—where every inch of soil had been contaminated by World War III. Paradiso—the nation created in search of a peace that would never again be threatened.
Escalating discrimination, food shortages, and a daily accumulation of discontent.
The government announced the development of "Phantasm Girls"—weapons that functioned using young girls as a medium.
At the pinnacle of that hierarchy stood the S-Class Slayers. Monsters capable of ending a war single-handedly. And now, three of them stood in this very spot.
"This is an uprising, Senior Slayer! The younger generation has quite a bite these days, so consider this your fair warning!!"
Author's Note
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.