Chapter 10
Sacred Dawn
Disclaimers: Read the earlier chapters.
I'm currently reclining on my futon in my pre-Gensokyo clothing, deeply thinking. I just bought an extra summoning slot for my Stand for 50,000 AP, but I wanted to test my Hamon, but I don't have anyone I can use it on. Remilia and Flandre are special cases; killing them would grant me instant death by time manipulation, or eternal torment by... well I don't know what, but I know they'll be utterly painful.
"System, do you have any way around this problem?"
[Searching...]
[Results found.]
[Dungeon Room]
[The room allows the User to create a Dungeon, a place where they can fight and train themselves while being completely isolated from the rest of the world. Time within the Dungeon will be comparably slower than the outside.]
[Cost: 10,000 IP. Confirm?]
Very interesting, I'll admit. "How many types of Dungeons does it have?"
[There are countless types of Dungeons, User.]
"That... doesn't really answer my question, System. Regardless, I accept. Put the room underground."
[Affirmative, User.]
There was some time before the System notified me of the room's completion. Using 「Strength」, I went through the floor and subsequently entered the underground room.
It was a large room, with stark white walls, ceiling and flooring. The floor was also smooth, as if the entire floor was one big side of a rectangle. Besides that, it was devoid of any other descriptive traits.
"System, give me the hardest Dungeon you can procure for someone of my level."
[Searching...]
[Dungeon: Left 4 Dead]
[Stage: Cityscape Ruins – Dusk]
[Exactly as its name says, this entire Dungeon is filled with various kinds of Infected from the Left 4 Dead franchise. The Dungeon takes place in a massive yet ruined city during the sunset.]
[Rewards: 20,000 Points.]
[Are you sure to continue?]
"Yes I am."
[5* Sudden Quest – In Progress]
[Sometime Left 2 Die]
[Survive the zombie hordes and reach the "Evacuation Point" before the Timer ends.]
[Note #1: The User will not be infected by the Green Flu. However, wounds sustained within the Dungeon will be brought back into the real world as long as it is nonlethal.]
[Note #2: Due to the User's original desire to train his Hamon, the Infected will be made to be susceptible to Hamon-based attacks.]
[Note #3: The Infected will be allowed to harm Stands.]
[Note #4: The User's Stands will be depowered accordingly (ex: The World's natural strength and Time Stop period is reduced).]
[Rewards: 1 Item Roll]
[Time Limit: 6:00:00 Remaining.]
As soon as the notification appears in my mind, the room quickly changes shape, and I find myself in a street of an actual, if desolate, cityscape. The place reeked of death; blood splatters everywhere, corpses littered the ground, broken cars and trucks and other vehicles lie on the streets (and some are still burning brightly), buildings sported cracks or broken walls and windows, and some are even nothing but rubble. The sky is a dull red, the sun setting over the horizon, but I just know it wouldn't set.
Yeah, I feel that this setting is perfect.
"「Emperor」!" I materialized Hol Horse's Stand in my hands. And just for good measure, 「The World」 as well. The System notified me of the general location of the "Evac Point", but I don't know which one building is the "Evac Point". But second off, "System, get me a kickass song to listen while I fuck the undead up."
[Start BGM: Touhou LoLK OST: Pierrot of the Star-Spangled Banner]
Clownpiece's theme...? Why?
*Creepy Sound SFX*
"That's the Horde alert, zombies incoming." I said to myself. My grip tightened as I looked around in full alert, and even DIO's Stand is also tense as all hell.
Then I heard a moaning sound from a nearby deli to my front-left side, and from its door bursts forth a zombie. I pelted it with tens of Stand bullets, taking it down quickly enough. Then another zombie ran towards me from the opposite direction, and Za Warudo smashed him through a wall. Of course, as a result a lot of zombies poured out of the damn hole.
I glared at the Stand, and it seemed that it noticed my annoyance, if its shrug was any indication.
We both ran away (or flew away in 「The World」's case) to find a better place to shoo-
I suddenly took flight and was dropped on a roof. Oh, apparently 「The World」 had discovered a nice spot for me to snipe at the zombies. And it seems while we were running, there were enough zombies to fill the entire damn street. And they're coming from everywhere; the hole, that deli, other streets and some random buildings I don't care what they were for.
*Bang*
*Bang*
Regardless, I started bombing them into oblivion with 「Emperor」's grenades. Fuck Hamon training, I don't wanna get anywhere near those amount of zombies.
"WRRRAAAAHH!" Zombies roared behind me, and 「The World」 took care of them in a jiffy. Meanwhile, after whipping my head around to face the distraction, I went back to the job of sniping down the zombie horde.
...this was hard? System, were you thinking I was incapable of-
*BOOM*
I found 「The World」 being violently thrown out of the roof and disappearing. I turned my back to see the perpetrator...
*BOOM*
...And end up with a faceful of calloused 'roided up muscle, being thrown like a ragdoll. Suffice to say, it was a painful experience. And to make things worse, I find myself smashing through a wall from the sheer force. Karmic, much?
My Stand summoned 「The World」 again, and it immediately used its Time Stop. A good thing, as a Hunter had almost reached me. The Holy Diver then immediately pummeled the zombie to true death. I looked around, and found myself surrounded by zombies on three sides, with the exception being the back which was my entry point (and only exit at the moment). I proceed to shoot several grenades before jumping out, landing on a broken trailer on the streets.
The greyscale world turned colorful, as the Time Stop is lifted from reaching its limit.
*KABOOM*
I can even see the blast from down here. I take that as a sign that the zombies there are eradicated. A zombie climbed up the trailer, about to swing his claws at me before 「The World」 picked him up and threw him on the horde, tearing the zombie apart as well as cleaving through scores of others of his kind in a single stroke. Just like what Dio did to the policemen during Phantom Blood. I landed on the streets and ran again, before stopping in front of the one Infected which would haunt every nightmares I have after playing Left 4 Dead. It towered over me, and I could see the horde running over the trailer and towards here.
The Tank. And I assume it's the one responsible for my fall.
"ROOOOOOAAAAARR!" It charged at me, and I ran towards it as well, if only to get 「The World」 in range. The Tank threw a rubble my way, which 「The World」 deftly destroyed. The Tank then jumped, raising its hands as if it was the Incredible Hulk (or a zombified human gorilla), and the golden Stand lunged at the falling Tank. The Stand was brought down to the ground before it wrestled the overgrown zombie, add in some punches and kicks for the Stand and you're set. I'm honestly quite amazed that the Infected can take so much punishment from a Stand with an A rank in Power and Speed, even if it was depowered. I, meanwhile, was running away. 10 meters out and I can already feel the Tank running back at me since 「The World」 is gone (too far to materialize and all). I kited the Tank with 「Emperor」's grenades, which seemed to do well enough against it.
I noticed that a zombie is in my way. "Sendo Wave Kick!" I yelled one of Will Zeppeli's moves. The zombie lost its head as the result of the Hamon-infused attack.
I kept running away and kiting the Tank until it dies. But before that could happen, I was then met with a very unpleasant surprise; a giant-armed Charger. I was hit by it, about to be smashed into a wall, and by God I would've died or be crippled from that due to the kinetic force being violently imparted to me if it wasn't for the convenience of Time Stop.
*THUUUUUUUMMMM*
*TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK*
I slinked under the arm and immediately went back into the task of running away to reach the "Safe Zone"...
...Why didn't I think of this sooner?
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
I shot something close to a thousand grenades to each of the two special zombies and fled again. As I ran, time resumed and my bullets struck true.
*KABOOM*
I stopped and looked back, just to see a scene of utter carnage. Charred infected flesh, blood and organs were everywhere. "Wow. I definitely had killed them."
*Creepy Sound SFX*
"Guhh... on the run again." I said as the horde had found me and charged at me again. Changing from 「The World」 to 「Hierophant Green」, I ordered Kakyoin's Stand to unleash some Emerald Splashes in addition to my gunshots and grenades. It's working so far, as the zombies are dying in droves. And while I was kiting the horde, I went into an alleyway (to get up on the rooftops to avoid the zombies) and smashed into a zombie. What rotten luck do I have?
...Apparently I have an EX rank in Misfortune it seems. For I have encountered a Witch out of all the Infected.
"「The World」! Time Stop!" I commanded, swapping Kakyoin's for DIO's Stand.
*THUUUUUUUMMM*
*TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK*
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
I destroyed the head, the chest and the legs of the ugly motherfucker, and immediately ran away again. Time resumed, and the damage actually occurred.
I found a steel stairway, and immediately went that way. The horde was catching up, unsurprisingly. I almost reached the top when yet another Tank ripped the stairs from the building, forcing me to piggyback on 「The World」. I successfully reached the rooftop and immediately rained some grenades down upon the zombies. Some Hunters managed to climb up, but either I spotted them and shot them down or 「The World」 punched them to death. A Smoker tried to lash their tongue at me, but 「The World」 took it at the last second, pulling the Smoker instead and immediately donutting his torso.
*Bang*
*Bang*
Those weren't from my gun... I looked at my back and found a rapidly stretching steel door. "Of course, I can't catch a break now, can't I? Considering this is bloody L4D after all." I said with a tormented sigh. I aimed at the door, waiting for it to be ripped apart by the Infected. "How much time do I have left to survive, System?"
[Time Limit: 3:14:42 Remaining.]
3 hours and 14 minutes remaining and counting down... "This is ridiculous."
'It's kind of your fault for asking it.' I mentally said to myself.
'Well, I needed some difficult stuff to fight, and this is the most difficult stuff they have right now. So shut up, I need to fully concentrate to win this.'
'For that matter, if you say this Quest needs your utmost focus, why are you talking to me?'
'Fuck you.' I mentally hung up, just in time for the door to blast open and the zombies to pour in. Add to that all the smartasses down there who tried to lash their tongues at me, spit acid, or parkour jump all the way to the top, and you get a recipe for a normal Tuesday for the Left 4 Dead crew. I really wonder how they haven't gone utterly bonkers yet... wait, they might already have.
I kept up the bullet hell, the zombies biting the dust one after the other. The numbers are dwindling, that I can see. I sighed, wondering how long until I could get away from here.
In a brief surge of irritation, I shot a grenade at a Hazmat zombie (CDI zombie? CBI? ZPCI? I don't fucking remember and I don't care) and destroyed the floor, giving the zombies below a makeshift ramp that led directly to my location. I clicked my tongue in further irritation before shooting them down as well.
~o0o~
This is getting mind-numbing. I am not a fan of murder, dammit! Sure, I had killed youkai here and there, but I only killed when there are no other ways. Killing is wasteful unless they really deserve it. Especially if my life is on the line, sure I won't get killed, but possibly getting crippled permanently is something more horrible than death for me.
Ah, what am I ranting on about? "Get me somewhere else." 「The World」 obeyed; taking a hold of me, jumping from wall to wall and brought me somewhere else, somewhere... relatively more peaceful. I inhaled and exhaled deeply and repeated the motion over and over. I'm currently inside of a skyscraper (on what floor I do not know), though it isn't tall compared to other skyscrapers in sight. Regardless, I have arrived at the destination... or somewhere close to it more likely. After spending some time sitting down and smoking two cigars (I am a newbie after all) in order to calm myself, I entered the building. I don't think any zombie in this place would be much of a troub-
*Kaboom*
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!"
-le. Fucking hell, Boomer bile right on my face just as I entered, which also put out my cig. And a Horde is on its merry way here. God damn it.
I raised 「Emperor」, and slowly walked through the hallway. "How much time is left on the clock?"
[Time Limit: 3:01:58 Remaining.]
"Still too long for my tastes." I said as I took another cigarette and lighting it up with a 500 IP lighter, and breathed. "Those guys were right all along, cigarettes do calm your nerves. At the cost of a shit pair of lungs, but who cares? Nothing some good old Hamon can't fix. Besides, it makes me look badass and I can't really say no to that."
I managed to clear the floor, and now was halfway through the one right above, but I've run out of cigs. Am I developing an addiction this early? Anyway, I entered a ruined bathroom (much to my disgust, for I can't stand unclean bathrooms) to stay away from the zeds as I buy more cigarettes. "System, buy me two more packs."
[Cigarette Pack (10 Cigarettes) x2 = 1,000 IP. Confirm?]
"Just do it already." Two cigarette packs appeared out of thin air, and I took one before putting the packs in my pockets. I lit it up and put it on my mouth. "How long again?" I just wanna be sure.
[Time Limit: 2:21:27 Remaining.]
"Aw, son of a-"
...I heard a low moaning sound. I saturated all the bathroom stalls with 「Emperor」's bullets in retaliation. One stall opened its door and the dead body of an Infected fell down from it. I didn't hear any moaning after that. I sighed in relief. Then, I took a red bag; the med-pack item in Left 4 Dead. I've wasted all my vitality pills trying to heal myself, and I am currently hurt to the yellow, if this was an actual L4D game. I opened it up and immediately went to work patching myself up. For some reason, the med-kit vanished when I touched its open form and I find myself all healed up with faint scars.
[User is healed using First Aid Kit (Left 4 Dead)]
That explains things. I saw a cabinet nearby and opened it, revealing three painkillers (why are there painkillers in a bathroom?) and one EpiPen (*shudder*). I took all of them. "Welp, business like usual then." I say as I walked out of the bathroom ruins.
It's been one hour. The floor is almost cleared.
Currently, I am in a large room (possibly a conference room). And I'm fighting two Spitters and a Smoker, with some normal zombies joining the fray. I was in a corner, taking cover. Why? It's just a matter of pride as I thought I'm overusing 「The World」's ability. Anyway, I killed the acid giraffes and the tongue guy. I breathed deeply (not the normal one), and jumped, summoning 「Hermit Purple」. As the vines gripped a zombie, "Hermit Purple Overdrive!" I yelled. The zombie turned into a fine film of dust, and I whipped the Hamon-infused vines, melting the other zombies. I pulled the vine Stand back and breathed deeply. "Well, that should do it. Now to wait for-"
Of course, something pounced on my head and started clawing my head. It's pulling me everywhere! Is this a Jockey?!
*Crunch*
"Dammit!" A still surviving zombie crawled up to me and bit my leg, and chewed at it.
"Muda!" 「The World」 punched the clingy zombie off my head, and I used Hamon to kill the survivor.
"Son of a bitch, my leg hurts like hell." Yeah, both my leg and my head are definitely bleeding. I used up a painkiller and some Hamon energy to heal myself for the time being, though it didn't repair the wounds as well as I hoped. "Annoying little bastards they are." Anyway... "How much time on the clock is left?" I inquired the System as I took off from the room and looked for the stairs.
[Time Limit: 1:39:16 Remaining.]
*Creepy Sound SFX*
"Well, I guess I have to survive for one and half an hour. That's good news." I said as yet another zombie horde appeared.
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
The System notified me that the floor above is the rooftop of the building, the designated "Evacuation Point". I scoured rooms and found myself with a med-kit and six more painkillers. It would be suitable for my current situation, IF I CAN HEAL MYSELF. For I am currently pinned down from all sides in a room where I scavenged two painkillers. A Hunter pounced at me and slashed my chest, then a Spitter hit my damn left arm, and then some unknown zombie mangled my legs badly enough that I can't stand upright. Thank God for the extra Stand summoning slot, or I would be dead by now (or much, much earlier).
「The World」 is currently being occupied brawling with three Chargers all at once (right after killing a random unexpected Tank breaking through a wall), and I'm just shooting down zombies left and right, occasionally using a grenade in case there are too much of them.
"Smoker tongue, duck!" I stated the obvious before I ducked, raised 「Emperor」 up, and blasted the zombie's head to smithereens. I raised my head up the table and find that I've killed a random zombie instead of the Smoker and I promptly shot the Special Infected dead. A Spitter's acid spit flew by me, thanks to a last minute neck tilt. I shot the Spitter and it exploded into an acidic cesspool. "Good grief, what a pain." I swapped 「Emperor」 for 「Hierophant Green」, and the emerald Stand covered me as I took my time to administer first aid. When I was done, I ran towards the stairs upward, the Stands of DIO and Kakyoin following behind me covering my back.
I reached the rooftop, and sure enough, there were some zombies up here. Not much, but definitely high in number. Too tired and content with staying back, I let loose 「The World」 and 「Hierophant Green」 upon the zombies. I continued watching them delivering the beatdown upon the zombies, and I did get tagged on rare occasions, but I managed to survive until the time limit ends.
[Time Limit: 0:00:00 Remaining.]
[The User has reached the checkpoint within the given duration. Initiating Gauntlet Crescendo Event...]
Crescendo Event?
[Survive the Horde until rescue arrives.]
Ugh. Fucking A.
~o0o~
After some minutes of battle, I heard the sounds of beating helicopter blades, and sure enough, a chopper had appeared. I noticed the zombies are getting far too numerous even for the two Stands, and after hitting myself with an adrenaline shot (*girly mental shrieking*), I ran right towards the heli – barreling through a few zombies and jumped inside. A metaphysical bell rung, and the zombies stopped as if frozen in time.
Slowly, the zombies and the city disappeared, turning into a large stark white room; the Dungeon Room. And it seems that I am still bruised, scarred and bleeding, so the System was actually truthful in that statement that I'll be carrying back my wounds to the real world. Oh well, I brought this upon myself after all, so I'd better suck it up.
[5* Sudden Quest – Complete]
[Sometime Left 2 Die]
[Survive the zombie hordes and reach the "Evacuation Point" before the Timer ends.]
[Rewards: 20,000 Points, 1 Item Roll]
[Error! Miscalculation error detected.]
Wait, what?! The System can malfunction!? This was WAY out of the left field!
[Recalculating...]
[Recalculation complete.]
[Lv. 25 - Lv. 29]
Uh... what? What happened?
[We made a calculation error when you leveled up. It was too high by a total of 2.]
Ooooookaaaayy... "So, uh, roll the wheel of fate then."
[Rolling the Wheel of Fortune...]
[Item Obtained!]
[Soul Calibur]
[From the Soulcalibur series. Soul Calibur is the spirit sword created to combat Soul Edge. Algol, the king that once wielded Soul Edge and lost his son because of the demonic sword, vowed to create a holy sword from the purified shards of Soul Edge that would oppose the evil sword, being its equal in strength and opposite in intent. After many failed attempts, the holy sword was born when Algol sacrificed himself to complete the ritual. Alas, the sword that was created was far from good due to Algol's thirst for power, and it was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge. Nonetheless, the tribe that was tasked with guarding the sword slowly purified it to the point that it could be considered a holy weapon.]
[Abilities: Rejuvenation (Healing Factor+Stamina Regeneration+Mana Regeneration), Weapon Form Modification, Sentient Consciousness, Spirit Form, User Telepathy, Automatic Reparation, Holy Power, Ice Enchantment.]
...You are kidding me right?
An ice blue, crystalline sword lodged itself in front of me. It had a two-pronged blade, a crystal hilt and guard. I can even feel its power... luck has sided with Joseph Bernstein again it seems. I crawled and tried to touch it, and was promptly pushed away by an unknown force. A sign that showed either I am unworthy to wield it, or my heart is too corrupt to wield it.
Well, so much for luck, I guess.
*Sigh*
I proceeded to buy a 2,000 IP health potion and healed myself up to "max HP" if this was a game. As I drank the sour-tasting potion, I gained a brilliant idea. If I can't use a conventional method, who says I can't cheat? "System, can you bind the weapon to my soul?"
[Binding: Soul Calibur to Joseph Bernstein's Soul]
[Cost: 30,000 IP. Confirm?]
"Uh... why the high cost, System?"
[The Binding process would bind the User's soul with the spirit the sword housed as well as the sword itself, practically giving the two of you each other's powers and a telepathic link to each other.]
"Does that mean I can wield Soul Calibur, heal wounds and both physical or mental fatigue, can use holy 'magic' as well as ice powers, and as the cherry on top, allowing me to access to the realm of pure energy known as the Astral Chaos due to the binding?" That is overpowered. Algol managed to "master" the Astral Chaos and he's now practically a god within the Soulcaliburverse.
[As long as the spirit agrees to the User's use of said abilities without being forced to. The User can always use the bare minimum of these powers however. As a side note, the Binding will awaken the dormant spirit in a short time span, so it is best to prepare yourself for its arrival.]
"Well, good to know I won't be wiping the floor with everyone I fought. And thanks for the warning as well." I thought about it for some seconds and clapped my hands. I had an idea to pacify Elysium. "System, can I borrow 「Heaven's Door」, the Stand of Rohan Kishibe?" I asked.
[You can, User. Be warned that loaning Heaven's Door (Stand) will permanently increase the cost of the Stand for future purchases. The User is allowed to loan the desired subject for one hour.]
[Heaven's Door (Stand) = 200,000 IP – 500,000 AP. Confirm?]
"That's quite pricey in case of a future purchase, but I accept. Confirm." I was notified of my borrowing, and quickly went into business. I turned the blade of the holy sword into a book, and using 「The World」, I wrote down the commands I wanted into the papers.
To Elysium, the Spirit of Soul Calibur:
1. You must obey my commands and betray me never.
2. As an addition to Rule #1, you are allowed to question my commands though you will act upon them regardless.
3. You will forget every memory you have of your history and world of origin unless I allow you to remember.
4. As an addition to Rule #3, you can remember any past skills and/or knowledge you may have learned over your lifetime as long as I allow it.
"Hm... what else can I add? Oh yes."
5. You cannot access the Astral Chaos without a code, this being "Fourteen Phrases: Spiral Staircase, Rhinoceros Beetle, Ruined Street, Fig Tart, Rhinoceros Beetle, Via Dolorosa, Rhinoceros Beetle, Singularity Point, Giotto, Angel, Hydrangea, Rhinoceros Beetle, Singularity Point, Secret Emperor" said in exactly that order with no mistakes.
6. You will be oblivious to my commands written using 「Heaven's Door」, and justify that they came from your own self.
7. These commands must never be removed.
8. Whatever happens, you will trust me above all.
9. You will try your best to act like a human despite your power and origins.
10. You must be able to differentiate the real me from any sort of imposter.
"I think that's all." I paused as I thought of an idea. "System, any chance I can turn Elysium into a human?" A holy sword that can talk is good, but a human being that is imbued with holy power is better. Since they would be a human being, and not a simple tool for war after all.
[Yes, it can happen, but we must warn you, User, that such an action will subtract from your levels. Your points and any purchased abilities will be unaffected, but your other assets will be. Are you sure?]
"Can't you just fuse Soul Calibur with a human's body – that is healthy but not alive as well as being a 10 year old, for the record – and have the holy blade's Rejuvenation revive and let the spirit occupy the body? Its evil counterpart certainly managed for quite some time with just a suit of armor from its past host, who knows how long it could survive with a recently deceased corpse?"
[Sending User Request.]
[It could happen.]
[Human Body (Minor, Deceased)]
[Fusing: Soul Calibur to Human Body (Minor, Deceased)]
[Cost: 28,000 IP. Confirm?]
I smiled. "Now we're talking. Confirm all purchases."
Why am I using a child's body as Elysium's host? It's because of the memory loss as well as her inhumanity in general. Amnesiacs (and sometimes even eldritch abominations) often acted like a child, y'know. And, well, I just liked children. I am not a pedophile, just so you know. And no, I am not lying, I am indeed not a lolicon.
A flash of light, and a body appeared. It was a girl's body with grey eyes and grey hair with long locks adorning their head, and seemingly older than ten. And they're STARK-NAKED.
"God dammit, System! A naked girl!? Give me some fabric and a sewing machine, why don't you!?"
~o0o~
After spending 18,000 in clothing and some time in stopped time, I created her outfit. I realized I could just buy her what I wanted from the System (and promptly groaning) mid-way my tailoring. Since I didn't want to waste these, I decided to complete my work.
The outfit consists of a plain black knee-length yukata with a light blue obi, and a white buttoned hooded jacket with a light blue line running across it's bottom part.
I put the jacket on the body, covering her modesty. Then the process began. It went exactly like I had imagined; the body and the spirit sword both glowed and fused with the dead body, and then I felt a strange sensation washing over my body, and after that basically everything's going normal. It's quite funny how indescribably weird the entire scenario was, so much so that that's all I could explain it as without coming off as incomprehensible.
Elysium's hand twitched. "She's waking up." I said to myself.
Elysium awakened and sat on the floor with a long grunt of pain in between. "Wh-what? Where am I?" Ah, English. This makes my job a whole much easier.
I decided it's time to greet her. "Greetings child, you are currently in my residence. My name is Joseph Bernstein, may I know yours?" I said with the most polite and warm smile I can muster. I know it's half-assed, but I don't really care.
Elysium shook her head, before answering. "I-I don't know. I-I can't seem to remember it, or anything else for that matter."
"Oh dear, that must be painful. I'm sorry for your loss. Can you remember anything else? Say, your parents or guardians maybe?"
"No, as I said, it seemed that I can't remember anything."
I paused for some seconds. "If that's the case, then you can stay here for the time being. What should I call you for the time being then?"
Elysium was silent for a minute before saying something. "You can choose it yourself."
What? "Eh? You want me to give you a name?"
"I seem to have forgotten, and I can't think of anything good." She shrugged.
WHAT? "Hm, if that's the case, may I call you..." What's a good name for her? "Sanra Shirami?" I wanted a more impressive name for someone of her power level, but regardless this would do. And besides, I can make a pun due to that name; "Sanra" to "Sunrise (Sanra-ise)". Eh? Eh?
'Don't explain the joke, you dumbfuck.'
Elysium seemed to think about it before answering. "Yes, that would do." I nodded in response.
"Would you like something to eat?" I asked, maintaining my friendly façade.
"Yes please." I nodded again and went to the kitchen, before she made an offhand comment. "The name was Japanese, wasn't it?" I stopped and whipped my head abruptly to face her when she said that.
"What?"
"Strange... I seem to remember Japan, and everything about it. I wonder why am I remembering things such as these... say, Mr. Bernstein, are we in Japan?"
I hesitated from my surprise before answering. "Yes, we are in Japan, Sanra-chan."
"Can you tell me where exactly? Is it Kyushu? Shikoku?"
"I'll tell you specifically where after I get us some food, alright?"
"Okay!" As I exited my room and went down to the kitchen, I heard her mumbling. "Does this mean I was Japanese? And should I call Mr. Bernstein as Bernstein-san from now on? And on what island are we in?" And she muttered even more questions and statements, before her sounds were muted due to distance and the sound barriers.
After a moment of deciding on what to eat, I took a pack of snack cakes from the fridge and shared them with the now-human soul of the holy blade, who ate them ravenously, leaving somewhat of a mess behind both to my chagrin and amusement.
Heh, old me wouldn't even imagine this sort of thing even happening. Then again, I never knew the existence of the Pioneer Program until now. I certainly do welcome this nice little addition to my otherwise easily attainable and monotonous peaceful life...
[Achievement Alert!]
[Make an eldritch being as your servant.]
[Rewards: 30,000 Points.]
[ TO BE CONTINUED |\|]
Author's Note: Cue Roundabout by Yes.
This is a rewrite of Chapter 11. And by God this filler chapter is poorly done. Suffice to say, I'm not satisfied writing this chapter and more than once I feel like dumping it. But I don't know what else to write to justify the gain of Soul Calibur, before trading it off for a subordinate. Oh well, everything has ups and downs after all. Anyways, the chapter after this one is the penultimate filler chapter of the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil arc.
Now you might be wondering, why did I make the System able to malfunction despite knowing Ligoya stated that the Creator is basically Deus ex Machina?
Well, I'm of the mindset that NOTHING is PERFECT. That everything in existence has a FLAW. No matter how hard you try to improve shit, there will ALWAYS be a flaw. Hell, I also believe pure PERFECTION is a flaw in itself.
On Sanra/Elysium, I really felt like Joseph needed someone he could use as a subordinate (a requirement for villain-ish characters), so I decided to add her. I also think this Heaven's Door-ed Soul Calibur suffers writing issues (especially when you look at the next chapter), so any suggestions on how should I use this brainwashed mature-ish eldritch-yet-human child within the story is appreciated!
Now, the reviews.
ThatOneGuyUpstairs: 1. Huh. Never thought of it that way.
2. *Cue Avalon* ... And uh, no. Beyond is a godlike entity, not a Stand. I think so, at least. I really don't make much research into JORGE JOESTAR, so I'm not knowledgeable about that.
3. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~! BIG DADDY COMING THRU~!
This... This idea is a fucking golden experience. It deserves an Oscar or something, dipped in platinum made in heaven, carried over heaven in a chariot decorated in diamonds, the best one in the world. Then blessed by the God Emperor of Mankind, echoes of angels in the background.
4. *Incessant Giggling*
superpierce: Maybe... :3
KRKing: I don't know. Dio is dead, though, so no GioGio.
Kamencolin: 1. Yup.
2. He isn't one to serve under anyone.
3. Well he doesn't want to die.
4. It's a direct quote of Dio's, and so it's a JoJo reference.
Since I have nothing else to say, I'll bid you adieu.