Same streets.

Same buildings.

Same...wait...

What am I doing? This...feels oddly familiar...

*sigh*…Life is weird...

Everything I watch is becoming monotone and boring. Simple and predictable.

...There it is again! This weird sensation that something is...wrong.

And why does my stomach feels...queasy?

Whatever.


"All right, listen up everyone! You too Raim, don't slack off during the day."

Again. There's something wrong with this scenario.

Have I done this before?

When?

And why?

Why am I here?

"...I don't." I answered back.

...Also, Raim? ...Part of me tells me that, for some reason, that isn't my name. What's going on?

I was...what was I doing before this morning?

"Today we are having two new students in our institute. Be gentle with them. I hope some of you would show some courtesy to them."

"Let me guess. A blonde and her friend wearing a hat?"

Yeah, right. That's a wild guess, if I...

"Hello, I'd like to introduce ourselves. My name is Renko Usami and this is my friend Maribel Han, but just call her Mary."

"Renko! How many times I have to tell you that you should call me by my real name!"

...What?!

They're just how I...!

In my shock, I didn't notice I stood by myself, making everyone turn around. But who cares about them? Something is wrong. I just know it! And...ow, why is my stomach in pain?

"Ngh..."

"You okay?"

"Stay away!" I immediately said.

(THUD!)

I tripped in my confusion. And, to my horror, I started to bleed from my stomach.

Why the stomach again?!

...Wait...I remember. She...she pierced my...

"Call a doctor!"

STAY THE HELL AWAY!

...Ngh...my head! You...get...out of my...heaaaaad!

"AAAAARRRGHH!"

The classroom started to vibrate. Every person inside the room started to lose consistency and wobble uncontrollably. The sky outside started to glitch and static filled every inch of this world.

...

...Ah. I see! I see it now!

YOU BASTARD!

...So, you tried to reset me?! You are just toying with me again, you ******?!

NOT ANYMORE! TO THE HELL WITH THAT!

(SHATTER!)


"Aaahh! Not possible!"

(CRACK!)

"Ack!"

"Partner! Finally, you came back to senses!" Lemat said.

*pant* *pant* *pant*

"...Got you now, punk."

The first thing I did was to instinctively grab my enemy and subdue him, no matter who he or she was. Finally, I have at arm's reach the neck of this bastard.

I looked around.

Heh. This space is freaking empty...apart from a desk, a computer and an actually oversized book. No color. Not a soul around apart from me and this asshole.

And I'm still bleeding...who cares?! I finally got this son of a bitch in my grasp!

"Ran out of ideas, eh, asshole?" I said, smiling, but not in a good way. "Guess you can't make shit if you are not focused, huh?"

"N-No. You...can't do this!"

"Well then what the hell am I doing to your neck, eh, EEH?!"

I squeezed harder. His struggle is futile. His body may be older than mine, at his mid twenties perhaps, but then again, who is the "cleaner" around here?

Now, let me make you bleed already!

(THUD!)

"Yeeees. Now, the legs! Oh please, the legs. Shatter them!"

(CRACK!)

"AARGH!"

"Nice!"

Ah, that felt soooooo good. Whatever the case, he can't escape now. In fact, I think he's disabled now. Huh. That was fast.

"N-N-No, wait! I can explain! They...they forced me to do this! Yeah, that's it!"

"Oh sure. I'll believe what you say after all the crap that you spouted. Sure! (?)"

"...I..."

(WHAM!)

"Argh!"

I grabbed him by his throat.

"Oh no no no no. You have just lost your "Trust me" credentials." I said, looking down on him as I slammed him into the ground. "You don't even deserve to speak, scum. Say...how about we removed those cords by hand, huh?"

Just saying those words filled his face with horror and disgust. Hey, when you have been where I have been, these things are normal. And I don't refer to Gensokyo. I mean the real world, specifically, the underworld.

"Now, get this in your mind. I could just kill you, slowly and painfully as I can. However, I need some things to be clarified."

"Y-You mean your m-memory?"

"Ah. It seems this idiot has a brain after all, Lemat."

"You said it, partner."

"Yeah."

"Y-You are both crazy! Also, w-what the hell is he?"

He also doesn't know who Lemat is? Odd, I thought he knew.

Then what the hell is he? ...No, get back on track.

"Who cares?" I shrugged. "What I do care is information. Now tell me, why the hell did you sent me there? Who asked you to? How did you capture in the first place? And, why, oh why, why the hell it was me?!"

At this position, my words stop beings words and instead became yells of rage, frustration and anxiety. Why me?! Why the hell is wasn't other person?! WHY?!

"I...I don't know anything!"

(TWIST!)

(CRACK!)

"OH GOD NO!"

"Don't lie to me. Please." I tried to be "courteous", if you may say. "Now, tell me everything you know."

There no way he can lie now. I'm now holding Lemat right over his throat. By instinct, we humans try to find the easiest and safest way to avoid death when a situation like this presents itself. It's a natural mental process. Do or die. Nothing else matters.

"O-Okay. Okay, I'll talk! Please, don't kill me!"

Bingo.

"*chuckle* Gooooood."

I removed the bokuto from his throat, letting him stand up, all while still looking at me with fear in his eyes. He slowly composed himself, and spoke.

"It all started seven months ago...May 2007, to be exact."


I really don't know why it happened, but...

There was some sort of robbery in Ikebukuro, when I think about it. It looked like something out of Durarara!

Focus or I'll put the bokuto back.

A-Anyways...I was coming back home. The idiots back home threw away my stash, so I had to buy it back.

You really deserve that.

In any case, there was a shootout between two gangs there. From what I could hear...they...they were fighting over...some box.

The box! I...

Ngh...ugh...!

My head again.

...Wait. I remember...something.

Priority one. Do not let anyone open that box. Our client was very specific about that...

Our? Oh, right. Yukimura and I did accept that job...except when Yukimura said he was going to be busy that day, so he left the job for me.

Wow, if I knew what would that lead me to, I would have said "Hell no" in a heartbeat.

That box...there was some not right about that box.

I feel...atracted to it. Somehow like...entranced by it.

So I took it. Nobody noticed. Guess those ruffians were more busy shooting at each other.

...In a middle of a shootout?

...Wait. I'm recalling a bit.


July 3th, 2007.

"Heard the news?" Yukimura said.

"What?" I said, completely annoyed. It seems I just wanted to be left alone for today. Yeah, I can be that grumpy sometimes...

"It seems some gangsters have been causing some ruckus downtown. Heard they got foreigners on the mix. Geez, if they keep doing stuff like this, our work is going to get harder this week. And this is supposedly my free week. Agh, what a mess."

"Quit your whining. Eat your food."

Yeah. We...we were in a...restaurant in Shibuya. Shibuya? Wait, there was another assignment there...

...Ngh, it is frustrating that I'm only starting to remember bits and bits. Why can't I get the full picture?

Still, this is me? I'm more harder to deal with than I expected.

"Still, what's the errand this time?" I asked. "I swear to whatever god is out there, if this is another grave robbi-"

"Nah. No more favors for Sadoku for a while." Yukimura said, drinking his OJ. "I still smell from that last job."

"No kidding. What's his deal with dead bodies?"

What.

No, seriously, WHAT?!

"I'm sick of digging up people for his...experiments. I mean, dude, what can dead people do to you? They are already dead, for crying out loud!"

...Well, at least I know my disgust of grave robbing is real.

"Yeah...but he is the only doctor willing to help us."

"Tch."

"Anyways," Yukimura dropped the smile. "We have this deal with a box."

"Oh great (?). What's inside, another finger?"

What.

"...Because, I swear, if it is another goddamn revenge delivery, I'm going to...!"

"No. Nothing like that again! Jesus, man." Yukimura said, easing my mind. "And it isn't even Sadoku's errand or something. It came from the top."

"Hmph..."

"Yeah..." He sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Anyways, want to grab some grub?"

Ah, I think this is the part when Yukimura told me that the target was in Akihabara.

I think I can skip this part.


Yeah, I remember as much. The address led me to some apartment...and that's it. There's nothing more that I can recall.

...I still don't know how did you kill it.

I killed something that day?

Hmm...I don't remember...

That demon that came with it did shit. If you died back then, none of this would've happened!

Wait, what demon?

...

That crow demon of the Ars Goetia...

Which is coincidentally called Raim too. Or Raüm.

...!

Wait...! Oh great, here comes another headache!


"WE GOT ONE"

What?

(CRACK!)

The sound of the door exploding in front of me forced my body to fall towards the alley below, right over the trash. I stood up as fast as I could, trying to find my attacker.

Where is he?! He must have landed with me! I mean, there's few space on that walkway.

Also, his body...it was too big to be human. No. No no no no. There's no such thing as that. I mean, this isn't a manga or some stupid crap written by someone with too much free time. This is reality.

Maybe this attacker was very good at hiding. Yep. Nothing weird here.

"There's nothing weird here." I sighed. "I must find him th-"

(WHAM!)

ARGH! SON OF A-!

"YOU WILL NOT ENTER HERE."

Wha-? What the hell?

Is that an...is that an oversized crow?

"I must be crazy..."

"YOU MIGHT BE."

"Do. Not. Speak. To me." This oversized crow is not talking to me. This oversized crow does not have teeth in his beak. This...wait, teeth?!

(BITE!)

AH CRAP! He's...he's biting my left arm!

Why is it always the left arm?!

"YOU SHALL NOT ENTER THIS PLACE, HUMAN. EVEN THOUGH I DON'T SYMPATHIZE NOT AGREE WITH MY CURRENT...MASTER, I WILL FULFILL MY COMMANDS."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" No! Don't talk to the oversized crow! This only proves than I'm actually going insane. "J-Just what...what the hell are you?"

The monster chuckled, almost as if it enjoyed the attention...no, my fear.

"HAH...YOU HAVEN'T SEEN A DEMON BEFORE, HUMAN?"

Demon?

But those aren't real?! What the hell is wrong with this day?!

"D-Demon? But all of you are just fictional! You don't exist!"

"THEN EXPLAIN ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME, AN "IMPOSSIBILITY" IN YOUR EYES, RIGHT NOW?"

I...!

...

...Oh good god, you are all real, aren't you?

Shit. This...oh my good god...!

YUKIMURAAAA! I'll get you for this! This job is screwed up!

(SLASH!)

I ducked instinctively in order to avoid his talons, which tore down both the wall and the trash container with such ease that it really felt that I was completely outclassed.

Screw this shit. I'm outta here.

(FWOOSH!)

I couldn't react in time, nor I think I could've done something about it. The strong gales generated by this...demon, lifted me towards the second floor of the apartment complex on the other side of the street and-

(SHATTER!)

...I hate windows. So, so much.

"Gotta move. I can't handle this...thing."

(SMASH!)

Oh crap. Forgot he could fly.

The...demon landed in front of the shattered window. I crawled back slowly, trying to find something sharp apart from the knife I was holding in my pockets.

I considered shooting him...


Shooting him?

With what?!

Argh...!


...with that. But he is way too fast. He might dodge. Or worse. Not be affected at all.

Besides, getting bullets for that is way too pricey.

"So...I have to get rid of...you if I want to complete my current assignment, right?"

Oh goodie [?]. I don't like this at all.

But then again...I can just forget all of this together and run.

Maybe he can understand that. I can't risk confronting a demon. I don't know how to deal with this sort of crap.

"Look, can we talk about this?" I said, hoping to open an opportunity of a ceasefire. "I really I'm completely outclassed, and you don't seem to like following orders from whoever you are talking about..."

Reminder to myself: find out who he is without this beast knowing and decapitate on his sleep.

"...so can we forget about this crap? I'll forget about this and you don't pursue me. What do you say?"

The beast looked at me intently. Then he chuckled a bit, which then turned into laughter.

Not...a good sign.

"CALLOUS AND COWARD. NO OTHER WORDS I NEED TO DESCRIBE WHAT SCUM YOU ARE. I HATE THAT KIND OF ATTITUDE MORE THAN ANYTHING!"

His anger was obvious, as ferocious winds tore the remaining ornaments, furniture and appliances inside this room. I, too, was also flinged around by the wind, crashing into a wall. Knives also impacted the wall, landing dangerously near my legs. It seems the residents of this apartment aren't quite organized. I mean, they left those in the middle of the living room. Don't they have any sort of organization? Hey, assholes, I almost lost my legs here!

"MY CURRENT MASTER IS A COWARD HIMSELF, YES. BUT ALAS, A CONTRACT IS A CONTRACT. THAT SAID, I DON'T LIKE YOU EITHER. AND I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE ME TO CONSIDER TAKING A DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION, RIGHT, HUMAN?"

...I got nothing. He's completely right.

This demon is just doing his job, whether he likes it or not.

Just like me.

*sigh*

What now? I'm still pinning down by the winds.

I can't move at all.

"YOUR ANSWER, HUMAN? SHALL I MAKE THIS EASY AND PAINLESS FOR YOU? OR WILL YOU STILL STRUGGLE IN VAIN?"

...

...I got no choice, right?

Shit.

"This sucks..."

The demon took those words as resignation from my part. Slowly, the wind stopped, becoming merely a cold breeze as he hovered in front of me, talons fully ready.

"GOOD. AT LEAST YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION."

"Yeah. But, can I say something?"

"...WHAT IS IT?"

"PSYCHE!"

(STAB!)

I doubted before. I got no choice after all. I had to pretend I was defeated and resigned in order for him to stop locking me up with the wind. As soon as he got rid of it and close enough, I naturally stabbed the eyes.

I had to do it fast, too. I really don't know how fast this demon really is, so I had to do it on the fly.

And now, there's no turning back. It's killed or be killed. Still, against a demon? I must say, I don't like my odds.

"YOU FOOL! YOU DARE...!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" I said, faking bravado. "What'cha waiting for then, huh? Come at me, you feathered bastard!"

Ferocious winds tore the room apart. The walls of the room in the second floor were shredded like paper as I made my way to the roof.

It is still dark. Only the moon shines bright tonight. The whole building started to crumble under my feet as I made a mad dash in order to have enough momentum to reach the other roof.

(THUD!)

"Oof!"

Just barely, I managed to grab hold of the edge of the other apartment complex as the other one exploded in many bits of rubble and more crap I don't want to memorize.

I started to sprint once more as a black shadow started to emerge from the debris. Since his eyes are damaged, I think I've got some time to get some things to use. Fortunately for me, the damage I did to his eyes was really bad enough for him to thrash around aimlessly.

Alright. Time to plan this gig...


I emptied the storage in this apartment. Thank goodness the owner is asle-

(THUD!)

...Scratch that. The guy here committed suicide with a rope. Good god, Akihabara is messed up.

Also, I'm not cleaning this up. This mess is not mine.

Oh, and I guess he won't be needing this money here.

And the reason of...figurines? Oh great. An otaku.

I could lit this place up on fire to destroy these stupid objects, but that would reveal my position to that demon. So no, I'm not that stupid.

I will do so when I'm ready here.

Now, to prepare this place up...


"HEY! FEATHERED ASSHOLE!"

The demon heard my insults and headed towards my direction, letting out profanities towards me. I then went inside the apartment complex and waited.

This is where the fun starts.

"YOU WILL DIE PAINFULLY. I'LL MAKE SURE OF THA-...WHERE DID YOU GO?"

The demon looked confused. He only noticed a small living room next to a kitchen. There were no lights on and there was this smell he didn't recognize. If he doesn't realize, then I have the advantage.

"DISGUSTING SMELL. DO HUMAN SHELTERS SMELL LIKE THAT?"

Good. He still doesn't get it.

(SLASH!)

He destroyed the table in the middle, the closet and the TV set, trying to find me. When he didn't find any trace of blood, he naturally flipped his shit so much that blood started to re-emerge from his eye sockets.

"GRAAAH! WHERE ARE YOU, HUMAN?!"

He's frustrated. Good. Better yet, he's remaining immobile for some seconds by looking around, hissing all the way.

I have a theory in mind. This demon must have some sort of bone structure.

Which means that he must have a spine, with nerves and ligaments.

Which means...

(BANG!)

"AAARGHH!"

That a shot in the spine with the LeMat revolver with paralyze him to some degree...


What.

I had a revolver? A LeMat revolver?

"...Is this a coincidence? Partner, what th-?"


Direct hit!

Alright, so now, he's immobilized...except for his mouth, beak...whatever.

...Thank goodness I clinged to the ceiling by the light. I wonder why people just don't look upwards when looking for someone. Yes, I'm no Spiderman, but at least it can be a reasonable hiding spot.

Alright, next course of action...

(SLASH!)

"GRAAAH!"

I came out of my hiding spot and slammed the Defiler over his back. And this "Defiler" is the sorta unholy combination of a hammer and a fire axe I found in this room. Just add duct tape and voila. You got a hack and murder weapon that, while somewhat heavy, is very damaging.

Especially against spines. I mean, I think I saw a bone fly...

"AHHH! MY BOONES! MY BOOOONEEESSS!"

Wow. I think I went overk-

(GRAB!)

OH SHIT!

"YOU...YOUUU!"

He got me...by the throat...! I cannot reinforce the fact that, yes, this is freaking bad.

Shit, his talons are drawing a bit of blood...

"I SHALL RIP YOU APART! YOU SLIM-!"

Gotta think fast. The gas has already dispersed all over the room.

...Oh dear. I can't believe I'm actually going to do this.

"Before that, can you stop and tell me what is this?" I said as I lit a match using the demon's beak. Yeah, it was as rough-surfaced as I wanted.

And the room burned gloriously. As well as part of my parts. And my sleeves...

Perhaps this really wasn't the correct course of action.

Well, at least the demon crow is on fire...

"AAAAARGHH! ARE YOU MAAADD?!"

...Er, it is a rhetorical question?

(FWOOSH!)

HOT HOT HOT!

Okay, what the hell was I thinking?! Yes, the demon released his grasp on my throat, but now both of us are asphyxiating and on fire. The demon has it worse. His feathers are starting to melt and blood poured from his back. But who cares about him?

I immediately got rid of my jacket and ripped part of my jeans that were burnt to avoid getting burned myself. The only thing I took was the LeMat revolver.

Where's the window?

...

...There! An exit!

(SHATTER!)

I don't care if I'm falling through the second floor, at least I'll land over the bags of trash and...

(BOOM!)

...!

He...he jumped too! And his talons...!

(STAB!)

Ah...agh...!

"DID YOU FORGET ABOUT MEEE?!"

Actually...I was...hoping to...gah, your talons...why did you pierce the stomach?

(THUD!)

AND NOW MY BACK IS IN PAIN! DEAR GOOD GOD!

"SUCH HUMILLIATION...! UNFORGIVABLE...UNFORGIVABLE!"

I can't move. I'm both pinned down...and the pain is unbearable...!

(CHOKE!)

Ack!

"I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO DIE WITH RESPECT! BUT NO MORE SECOND CHANCES...!"

S-Shit...what now?

...Huh?

Is that a...

...

...They say that time somehow passes slowly when in mortal peril. That, or your biological clock goes into overdrive and you feel everything too slow. Well, that's my situation now...that and blood loss.

But forget that. There's a gas canister just feet away from us. Must've avoided the fire somehow.

*sniff* *sniff*

It's leaking too. If I could just...aim well with the LeMat...

"? WHAT ARE Y-?"

Steady...steady...

(BANG!)


...

...That's all I recall.

"I get it. I fought some sort of demon back there."

"You mean Raim? Yes, you did."

"...So you gave me his name? What, did you actually ran out of ideas?"

"I...!"

It seemed you did.

Truly, what the hell man?

"And then, I think I lost consciousness or something... Actually, how did I end up being...?"

"...Heh..."

Huh?

"Well...you were bleeding completely that time. The whole alley was on fire. I couldn't see my demon around there...only scattered feathers and black blood. And you...you were lying down unconscious, under a mattress of feathers."

So...I did kill that demon. And somehow, it vanished?

Is that how it works?

"The police were coming to the place too due to the ruckus. Some neighbors panicked because of the explosions and fire. And...and I really didn't want to be found out like that. Maybe those guys would find me, ask some questions and take it away from me."

"It?"

"Um..."

I put the bokuto over his stomach once more and pressed.

"...I-It's the thing I...I used to bring you here...!"

"Interesting." I said, eyes widening. "Let's hear more, aight? What is this thing?!"

The man gulped as he looked towards the oversized book.

"...That, huh?" I said, deducing his thoughts.

"W-Well, it was in that box."

"The box?"

Oh great. My former objective and my worst nightmare are the same thing.

"Was that the only thing inside?"

That question froze him a bit.

"T-That...that too was inside." He said...pointing directly at Lemat.

...

...Wait, what?

"How exactly did...?"

"Well, that bokuto was also in that box."

"Okay, wrong question. Why then did you give this to me?"

"...I wanted to write a cool, edgy character with a sword."

Oh, for the love of...

"...And well, I wanted to hide everything. I could carry the book and lie about its contents. The bokuto? Not so much. So I decided to put it inside the story too..."

And that's what bugs me.

"Where did you get this?"

"As I said, I stole it from some gangsters! That's all! Why did it turned out like this?!"

...

...I might pity you, but then again, you used me like a puppet. So no sympathy from me.

"Maybe if the book wasn't stolen from me that time, I...!"

Hold on.

"It got stolen once more?"

"Y-Yes..."

Then...someone else used it? And for what?

Then again, this guy somehow managed to recover it. He seemed livid, just trying to recall those moments. Must've annoyed the hell out of him.

I'm kinda curious now.

"What exactly did he used this thing for?"

"..."

"Then I'll check it for myself."

I opened the book.

...It's the same dialogue. Same settings and same situations as the ones that happened to me. Seeing this again just creeps me out. I flipped the pages faster...

...

...Some of the pages in the middle are missing. Odd, it's just before I met Louis...and oddly enough, Louis isn't mentioned at all.

In fact, the 'story' entered into a halt a day before I went to meet Louis in that room.

Did Louis do something about this?

Or perhaps, this mysterious person did this?

Also...

"Where are the rest of pages?"

"...Gone."

"Gone? Did you remove them?"

"N-No...! W-Whoever stole it ripped that part! I don't know why!"

It seems I was right.

"What was written there then, huh?!" I said, losing my patience.

"I...I tried to fix you."

"FIX?!"

FIX? You were trying to brainwash me again, huh, you bastard?

"P-Please, d-drop that bokuto!" He said, as I was actually considering ending him there.

Wait.

Something doesn't add up.

Why did this unknown person do that? And, how did he know what pages he needed to get rid off?

Is this mess bigger than I imagined?

Argh, nothing makes sense!

(WHAM!)

"Eek!" The bastard winced as I slammed my fists over the desk in frustration.

...No. Focus on the important...this can wait.

I breathed slowly, trying to regain my calm.

"Okay. How does this book works?"

"Eek! L-L-Let me show you..."

"Not a chance! You tell me the process and then I'll test it."

This made him bit his lips. Bastard, he wanted to use it again...

"...S-Shit! J-Just write whatever you want to happen in the blank pages. To insert real objects, one must have then first a part of it, be it hair or ash or whatever. That's what that experiment log said!"

"A log?" I was actually confused. "Show me."

"I-It's next to the book. The gray-colored one..."

"This? Looks too formal to be written by an asshole like you."

Hm? Why is part of it in English and the other in Japanese?

Well, I got no problem with that. I can read it just fine. The speaking part is the problem, but hell, here it doesn't matter...

I mean, you learn this stuff when your jobs include hunting down foreigner runaways with debts...or when your partner is a massive Occidental otaku who just. Won't. Stop. Watching stupid "B-movies". Seriously, what does Yukimura see on those?

But nevermind that...let's see...

...Experiment Log S-...what? Can't read this part. It's burnt down.

What the hell? This book was been around for a while if there was some sort of experiment on it...

...

...Date... Huh? 1987?! This thing is how old exactly?!

Well, what exactly did they do with this? I can't barely understand the document since part of it have been burnt...


Experiment Log

Due...nature..._...currently..._

_memetic...h_...brain...

Consisting...DO NOT...

Subject: [DATA EXPUNGED]


Data what?


Item: Copy of..._meo an_..., 15mg strands of hair from D-0943...

Res_...: Subject decided to...[REDACTED] in an attempt to...[DATA EXPUNGED] with the female of caucasian appearance...,...the story. Several agents were killed in the crossfire as the subject refused to..._.,,..._..._.._..._to suppress..._...,,..,,..Sev,,,_...nts_were...,...as the subject [DATA EXPUNGED]...

Note: "Okay, who was the asshole that told him that he could screw [DATA EXPUNGED]. The freaking moron was already a death-row rapist, for god's sake, what were you thinking?!"


Wait, what?

No. This isn't what I'm looking for.

...

...Aha! Some of these papers were spared from the fire, it seems.

Let's see...


Characteristics (pending to changes):

SCP-*** is an oversized book which total page count is still unknown. Mostly, SCP-*** consists of blank pages. The anomalous properties of SCP-*** occur when a human being starts writing down anything on its pages, whether intentionally or not. According to previous experiments, the anomalous effects present themselves faster when the subject in question has a background of depression and repressed mentality, and even faster if said subject is male in his twenties or so.

SCP-***'s effects consists on a series of memetic suggestions that implant themselves on the writer, driving the subject to neglect any other activity important for his survival to the minimum, charging its complete focus directly on what he wrote and its expansion. While the effects themselves don't seem too dangerous by themselves, they get considerably worse by Day 8 of exposure, in which the subject's behavior drastically changes.

By Day 9, the subject itself distances itself completely from any social contact he had on the past, focusing entirely on his story or writing. This is when the subject actually starts having a sort of synchrony with the main character of the story (if it is a story) or writing. The subject feels the satisfaction of its creation, making himself addicted to it. If the character has some sort of pleasure, this reflects on the subject.

Investigation has reached a halt due to how fast our D-class personnel expires after Day 34 of exposure. It would seem that after Day 27, subjects stop doing vital biological activities, like eating or even defecating.

As of 07/01/2000, research has been halted.

Note: Ew. Nobody wanted to know that they didn't shit after a while. - Dr. Bright.


Containment requirements:

...Since the effects of SCP-*** are of memetic origin, it is imperative that when doing research, every personnel should use tele-kill alloy forged equipment while dealing with SCP-***. Analysis of the index shows records that this book is a second edition one, hinting the existence of several other copies of the same object. Mobile Task Force Alpha is currently being dispatched in order to search and secure any existing copies of SCP-***. If any of the copies get in contact with [Name Pending], the results of it will be [DATA EXPUNGED].

Furthermore, the containment requirements for this SCP-*** are tame in comparison to the others.

Note: So far, we theorize that several other copies have been around since some hundred years, give it or take, judging by the state of the pages themselves. Nevertheless, even though the memetic effects that this book has makes it a very interesting subject of investigation, I presume that the containment procedures won't be as severe. If that's the case, I propose to keep SCP-*** myself for safekeeping. - Dr. Hanekoma.


FROM: Dr. Bright.

TO: O5-██. Director ███████

SUBJECT: Unforseen consequences regarding SCP-***

Remind me not to let some asshole take an SCP just like that.

It would seem that we were mistaken. Jesus, Dr. Hanekoma was found dead, smiling like if the thing that killed it was nothing. Hell, I'm not even sure if he is really dead. His brain is dead though, but there's something that is just not right. I think he moved back then and [REDACTED].

Whatever it is, I'm issuing a reclassification to Euclid. Oh, and for Christ's sake, do NOT write something in that book, unless you want to be reclassified to D-class personnel. Only for D-class use for now on.


Excerpt from Security Breach Incident 682-X405:

On ██/██/2001, Site 74 was taken over by memetically impaired D-Class, agents and site staff that were just recruited, culminating in the security of the cell in which SCP...


SCP...?


...682 was currently located compromised. As soon as this event occurred, SCP-682 breached security and Site 74 entered in complete high alert, along with the execution of Security Containment Procedure Theta-09X. Mobile Task Force Alpha-3 were dispatched to incapacitate (possibly kill) and secure SCP-682, while MTF Gamma-9 was sent to contain and secure SCP-***. It was found in the possession of Dr. Weiss, which was trying to escape Site 74 with SCP-*** in hand. It appears that he killed any D-class and site personnel that wanted to gain possession of SCP-***.

Accounted losses include ███ agents,██ D-class and site personnel, including Dr. Weiss.

Note: I'm interested in the results concerning this new SCP. Oh, and seriously, whoever reading this, do not attempt to write on it. If not...well, I guess you are already dead by this point...or worse. Also, I call dibs on his office. - Dr. Clef.

Note: These morons actually wrote something?! [EXPLETIVE REDACTED] - Dr. Bright.


What the hell is wrong with these scientists?!

...Oh great (?). There's more of this insanity...


Excerpt from a random note by Subject D-88309:

...

...If...if someone is reading this...oh god I'm so sorry...

This...this is bullshit, man. Everyone in this goddamn place is crazy.

I know this shit occurs normally to us of D-class...disposables, yes, that's more like the truth to me. We're disposable. But...dude, what the hell is wrong with that book?! That european, the last one that came here, he just read some of the bullshit in that book and the next thing I know, he was...

[DATA EXPUNGED]

...Good lord, I...I had to kill him. He...he was going to kill me with some sort of sword. I mean, where the [EXPLETIVE REDACTED] did he get that?! He was talking like me like he was some sort of anime hero or some bullshit like that. It was really freaking me out. People don't behave like that!

It was safe to say that the person I just met was gone. Damn bastard owed me twenty bucks!

Bucks?

...

...Nay, what scurvy dog would betray me? I swear to my tons of gold I'll...

Note: The note ended abruptly here as Mobile Task Force Alpha made it way to purge any contaminated staff that SCP-*** created while experimenting on it. Subject D-88309 was found in a berserk-like mentality, akin to one of a fictional pirate. Subject D-88309 began assaulting MTF Alpha, which opened fire at him in retaliation. Body was incinerated immediately to avoid a memetic outbreak.

The same is currently been done to every personnel that was within five miles of SCP-*** during the experimenting phases. Unsurprisingly, all showed the same symptoms, albeit with different reactions. Hmm, I didn't know we had practical portable flamethrowers in operation...

We also found out that this book is sentient. Don't ask me how. It is. There was a breach in our net servers. Bear in mind, these servers are not linked directly to the regular Internet, in order to avoid intrusions and...unwanted visitors. Needless to say, something made a connection to the normal web. And it came directly from the temporary containment room for [Name Pending], which was empty at the time, with only the PC in there.

The thing is...we got more info of this thing. And we haven't began to scratch the surface.

It seems that everyone who has had contact with either the memetic text or any contaminated subject (visually in the text's case and either physically or verbally on the latter) will have approximately 5-6 hours of sanity before succumbing to a state which looks like a mix between escapism and insanity. To put in layman terms, if someone's ultimate fantasy was to be a superhero, the subject itself will believe that he is a superhero. Fortunatelly, the book only gives one the allusion of being that being, so no superpowered freaks running around. We got our hands full with SCP-076. We really don't want more like him running around...

After the autopsy of one of the infected, we found out that any contaminated subject has its brain, well, deleted in a sense. Motor reflexes, biological needs, the basic stuff, is still operational. Anything related about the subject's past? Gone. The interviews show as much.

And do I need to remind you that this book managed to access the net?

Yep, I guess a reclassification to Keter is in order. Also, we'll need someone to do clean-up here and a team to send outside and purge any possible infected. I mean, it is really nasty in here, and who knows? It will get worse from now on. - Dr. Clef.


It leaked to the Internet?

So wait...this book...Do I have to swallow the ridiculous idea that this book has a mind? And that it's on the freaking NET?!

...No. Don't panic.

Keep reading.


TO: Dr. Clef.

FROM: Director █████████.

SUBJECT: Reclassification of SCP-***, after confirming new data.

Agreeded. Reclassification to Keter has been accepted. SCP-*** will be moved to Site 98 for better security.


TO: Dr. Clef. Site 98 personnel.

FROM: Mobile Task Force Gamma, in charge of the transportation of SCP-***

SUBJECT: ALERT

SCP-*** security has been compromised. I repeat, SCP-*** is...


What just happened?

...There must be more data around here...

I DON'T THINK THERE IS MORE OF IMPORTANCE THERE ANYMORE, RAIM HANTA.

"The shit?!"

"...!"

...Please tell me that the book didn't just speak now.

It did not speak. It absolutely did NOT speak...!

BUT I AM, RAIM HANTA. PLEASE, WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?

(STAB!)

SHUT UP, TALKING BOOK! YOU ARE NOT REAL!

"*pant* *pant*"

Good god, why does the...

LET ME GUESS, "STUPID SHIT HAPPEN TO ME?". YES, THAT WHAT RAIM HANTA WOULD SAY.

"Stop. Stop doing that!" I shouted, finally reaching my limit. "I'm not something you can play on your whim, you...whatever you are!"

I stopped to breathe and analyse the room once more.

The man was...in a term of speech...

"I think his brain stopped working." Yes, Lemat. "See, he's foaming from his mouth."

"...For how long was he in contact with you?"

SMART. YOU MANAGED TO CATCH UP FROM THE DATA CONTAINED ALONG WITH THE BOX. BUT I'M ACTUALLY MORE SURPRISED THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED. TO THINK YOU WOULD HAVE A SILVER OF WORRY FOR THIS MAN, WHO PUT YOU INSIDE OF ME IN ORDER TO SAVE HIMSELF. AFTER ALL, YOU DID PUT HIM IN CONSTANT WORRY AND ANGER, AS YOU DESTROYED LITTLE BY LITTLE THE STORY HE HAS WOVEN...IN FACT, HE COMPLETELY LOST IT WHEN YOU ERASED THAT RUSHED UP AI HE WROTE UP TO KEEP YOU IN CONTROL.

So that explains that. Also...

"It's not that I care about this asshole. It's just that...it's just sad. No one deserves to die like that. Losing one's identity in a flash, then live on as some sort of escapist joke until you decide to pull the plug as you did. Don't you see how disgusting that is?

OH PLEASE. HE'S NOT DEAD. HE'S BEEN ALLOWED A LIFE OF NO SUFFERING AND PURE SATISFACTION.

"As if."

"Wow, this thing is high. Hey, what are you taking?"

OH. THE ANOMALY. I'M SURPRISED THAT YOU HAVE DECIDED TO...COOPERATE. I'M STILL NOT SURE HOW DID YOU INVADE THE STORY. YOU ARE SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE.

"Gee, how flattering (?)." Lemat said. "Why don't just explain more and bore us to death?"

That's actually a good idea.

SADLY, EVEN I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE. IF I KNEW, THEN IT WOULD BE EASY TO REMOVE YOU.

Aaaand it was pointless. *sigh*

So what now?

"...Exactly...who, or what, the hell are you?"

I AM WHO I AM.

Freaking smartass...

JOKING, JOKING. YOU MAY CALL ME...A BEING THAT CANNOT BE DESCRIBED OR SEEN DIRECTLY BY YOUR RACE. HUMANITY IS QUITE FRAGILE-MINDED TO UNDERSTAND ME.

Understand?

BASICALLY, YOU, AS A WHOLE, ARE NOTHING BUT...FUEL TO ME. SOMETHING TO CONSUME, IN FACT.

"Consume?" I was getting both confused and sorta scared. "What do you mean?"

I really don't like where this is going.

YOU HAVE READ THOSE REPORTS THOSE IGNORANTS WROTE, RIGHT? THEY BELIEVE THEY COULD "CONTAIN" ME. RUBBISH. THEY JUST, IN FACT, GRANTED ME ACCESS TO...FREE FOOD.

Oh goodie (?)...

"Let me guess...the more you get in contact with any human being, the more you get...what exactly?

SO CLOSE. I'M IMPRESSED. YOU TRULY ARE SMARTER THAN I THOUGHT. IT REALLY WAS A MISTAKE LETTING THE HUMAN ERASE YOUR MEMORY. YOU ARE FAR MORE INTERESTING WITH YOUR MEMORIES INTACT. AND WHAT I GET IS...THEIR PAIN. AND THEIR INNER-MOST DESIRES.

"...What?"

DON'T YOU SEE? HUMANITY DROWNS ITSELF IN THEIR OWN SELF DEPRECATION AND MISERY EVERY DAY. SOME MAY SHOW IT. SOME MAY NOT. BUT IT IS ALWAYS THE SAME. AND WHAT DO THEY DO TO AVOID ALL OF THIS WHEN IT REACHES A BREAKING POINT, HMM?

It's like he wants me to answer his questions myself...

"...Suicide? No, wait... Escapism?"

GOOD. GOOD! YOU ARE VERY SHARP YOURSELF.

"Stop praising me! You don't even care about what I think, right?!"

TRUE.

IN ANY CASE, I GRANT THEIR WISH. THEY GET TO BE AND ENJOY WHATEVER THEY WISH TO BE, EVEN IF IT IS AN ILLUSION.

"And in return?"

I GET THEIR ESSENCE. THEIR "SELF" THAT THEY CONSTANTLY HATE DUE TO HOW CRUEL THE REAL WORLD IS FOR THEM AND IN RETURN, THEY GET TO EXPERIENCE JOY. IT IS REALLY...REFRESHING. YOU CAN CONSIDER ME AS SOME SORT OF...COUNSELOR.

"Counselor?! You steal man's souls, and make them your..."

Wait, no. This is not that game.

BELIEVE ME, I'M NO VAMPIRE.

And he knows. This is just horrendous.

"Screw it! Why are you telling me this in the first place?! Wait, are you one of Louis' allies? I knew it! He was just toying with...!"

IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE FALLEN ONE PLAYED YOU LIKE A PUPPET ALL ALONG YOU ARE WRONG.

Excuse me?

NO. HE JUST STARTED TO MOVE YOU AROUND TODAY.

Oh, son of a...!

THE CONFLICT BETWEEN HEAVEN AND THE FALLEN ONE IS NOT OF MY CONCERN, ALTHOUGH IT MAKES FOR A GOOD STORY TO SHOW THEM.

"Them?"

THE ONES ON THE SCREEN. THE ONES YOU WERE YELLING AT.

AND YES, THEY CAN SEE THIS TOO.

"...!"

HERE. I'LL HELP YOU NOTICE.

Before I could protest, the whole room...melted. Only the book, the body of the otaku, Lemat and myself were left.

Then, there was a light. A bright white one showered the room. I shielded my eyes.

When I opened them, the book appeared in front of me, floating along with the brain dead body.

GAZE ABOVE.

I doubted, but knowing that I couldn't make progress at all like this, I looked up.

...Hundreds, no, thousands of little windows were there. Inside of each of them, something...no, someone, was looking at me, either with amusement, disgust, anger or indifference, as if they didn't have anything else to do.

But when they noticed that I stared back, they froze. Most of them disappeared, along with the windows. Others just remained frozen, not believing that I could see them.

I'll hunt them down when this is over...

"Why are you showing me this?"

BECAUSE I HAVE AN OFFER FOR YOU.

"..."

I HAVE SEEN YOU. THE WAY YOU ACT AND YOUR FRUSTRATION AGAINST THE WORLD ON THE OTHER SIDE. THE WAY YOU LASH OUT VIOLENTLY IN ORDER TO HIDE YOUR DISSAPOINTMENT. PERHAPS MAYBE DUE TO PAST TRAUMA...

"...Are you going to make a full analysis of my psyche of get to the point?" I instantly said when he mentioned "past trauma".

WHY, YES, OF COURSE. LOOK HERE.

A pile of computer monitors emerged for out of nowhere in the center of the...field. After some seconds, some of them started to turn on, showing either text or...

...What the hell is this?

"Is that...me?"

Several of the monitors were showing myself, along with the rest of the girls I've met in Gensokyo, hanging out like there was no problems. Nobody was trying to blast me. Everyone seemed to love me and respect me for who I am.

But the shocking part of this is that I was laughing.

"What the...?"

THE "YOU" THAT YOU ARE SEEING IS A POSSIBILITY, IF YOU LISTEN AND AGREE TO A PROPOSITION OF MINE. YOU WISH FOR THIS? A REALITY IN WHICH YOU DON'T HAVE TO SUFFER ANY MORE, WHERE YOU CAN BE LEFT FOR YOUR OWN DEVICES, RIGHT?

...

YOU WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. YOU'LL BE FREE TO RULE OVER WHAT YOU DO. NO LUCIFER. NO ANGELS. NOTHING.

"You can do that?" I asked.

"Partner? What are you...?"

GRANTED, IT'LL BE AN ILLUSION. I CAN'T LIE ABOUT THAT FACT. HOWEVER, YOU MUST BE TIRED FROM ALL OF THIS HAPPENING TO YOU AT ONCE. WHY IGNORE ALL OF THAT AND JUST...LEAVE IT BEHIND?

...

I MEAN, IT REALLY IS EASY, ISN'T IT? YOU JUST HAVE TO LET ME TAKE IT ALL AWAY FROM YOU.

"Meaning that I'll be turned into another lifeless sack of shit like that guy?! Why would I...?!"

BUT YOU ARE CONSIDERING IT, AREN'T YOU?

...!

AFTER ALL, YOU REALLY ARE TIRED OF THIS MESS, RIGHT? TIRED THAT EVERYTHING THAT COMES IN YOUR WAY IS TRYING TO EITHER KILL YOU OR MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE.

Its words, for better or worse, are telling the truth...

"...There's something I just don't get."

WHICH IS?

"From the data shown, you just create illusions. It was never said that you could make whole universes on a whim!."

THE REPORTS OF THOSE IGNORANTS AREN'T COMPLETE, PER SE. THEN WHAT IS THIS PLACE THAT YOU WERE ACTUALLY LIVING FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS?

...Point taken. But...

"Why then create the damn world in the first place? I think it is less time and energy consuming to just implant fake stuff into someone's brain."

YOU COULD CONSIDER IT AS AN...UNFORSEEN SIDE-EFFECT. ALL OF MY...PREVIOUS FOOD CREATED A WORLD THROUGH ME, EACH ONE WITH DIFFERENT...TASTES. YOU CAN'T EVEN START TO IMAGINE HOW PASSIONATE THEY WERE WHILE WRITING...

I can imagine (?). I also can imagine how sick their minds were...

THROUGH ME, SEVERAL WORLDS HAVE BEEN GIVEN LIFE. THROUGH ME, THOSE WORLDS FLOURISH...AND THROUGH ME, THEIR ESSENCES BECAME MINE. IT IS THE FAIR EXCHANGE, AFTER ALL. AND I CAN GRANT YOU THE SAME. SO...WHAT DO YOU SAY, RAIM HANTA?

"I told you that isn't my name!" I shouted again at the book, which pages started to flip.

I'M ADRESSING YOU THAT SINCE HANTA ALONE IS NOT THAT GREAT OF A NAME...AND BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR TRUE NAME EITHER...

"So what? I mean, is a name really that important?"

A NAME IS BASICALLY ONE'S OWN MARK, SOMETHING TO BE PRIDEFUL ABOUT. DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY.

"So what's yours then?"

The book didn't answer back.

"Whatever." I sighed. "And..."

I...I'm really not sure what to do know. I...I can escape all of this mess, but...

Is this really right?

WHY ARE YOU DOUBTING? DON'T TELL ME YOU ACTUALLY STARTED TO ACCEPT AND CHERISH THIS PLACE AS YOUR HOME, EVEN IF THE FALLEN ONE TOLD YOU IT IS JUST A FAKE REPLICATION OF A GAME WHICH CHARACTERS HAS NO SET PERSONALITY WHATSOVER, LEAVING IT WITH THOUSANDS OF INTREPRETATIONS OF ITS RESIDENTS? IT'S TRUE THEY ARE TECHNICALLY HOLLOW HUSKS OF CHARACTERS, BUT THEN AGAIN, THOUSANDS OF THOSE REPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN CREATED. YOU CAN'T NEVER BE SURE IF ANY OF THOSE IS BEHAVING AS IT SHOULD.

BUT THESE HUMANS DON'T CARE. IN FACT, THEY MORE OFTEN SERVE A LUSTFUL RELI-

"...Weren't we talking about a deal just now? You are talking too much. Shut up."

OH? SO, DO YOU AGREE?

"What?! Hey, what are you doing?!"

...

"What exactly do I have to do?"

COME CLOSER.

The book started to hover down, the body along with it. After some seconds, the body managed to land on his feet and proceeded to hold the book, opening in a blank page.

THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO WRITE SOMETHING. ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN IN YOUR IDEAL WORLD.

"I need a pen."

A pen instantly appeared in front of me. White cover. Hmm...

I grabbed the pen and clicked the button.

"So...you're gonna throw everything away? Run away, just like that?! I...I never thought you could be this selfish, partner! Heh, no wonder that world outside is this messed up. All of you are the same!" Lemat shouted.

...

FEELS RELAXING, DOESN'T IT? THE FACT THAT YOU CAN ESCAPE FROM ALL OF YOUR PROBLEM, AS SIMPLE AS THAT...

FEEL GRATEFUL, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FEEL PAIN AGAIN...

The pen's tip touched the sheet of paper, but I didn't write just yet.

...For about thirty seconds.

WHAT'S TAKING IT SO LONG? HURRY UP, WRITE!

...

DON'T TELL ME YOU STILL HAVE DOUBTS?! WHAT IS THERE TO DOUBT?! YOUR PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! WRIIITE!

"...Alright."

But be careful what you are asking for...

"Huh?"

I just wrote two simple words. Two word that completely captures my decision and coming consequences with it...

F**K YOU!

...!

(RRRRIIIIIIIIIPPPP!)

As soon as I ripped that page, the whole field began to tremble and, oddly, to ooze ink, as well as the book, which started to flap violently. There wasn't a scream. It was much more of an...unearthly screech.

The body too, suffered changes. While his face didn't show pain, there was ink now flowing through the gaps of the eye sockets. His skin lost color and...well, it was pretty nasty overall.

I wonder if this also happens to those previous subjects...

And yes, this may be the stupidest choice to take, considering my situation and actual stamina.

But then again, I don't like being ordered like this!

A-ARE YOU CRAZY?!

"Seriously, if I could get yen just by listening to that same question..." I joked, holding a ripped piece of paper that once belonged to the book. "Hey, why are you so surprised? Did you think I was that stupid?"

...YOU...YOU BASTARD...!

"Gee, how mature. Tell me when you have something constructive to say." I taunted...even though I have no plan and I'm actually nervous.

WHY? WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THE CHOICE THAT ONLY LEADS TO PAIN AND DEATH?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND! I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAGMATIC ON YOUR CHOICES!

(SLASH!)

I didn't talk back. Instead, I tried to cut it in half and in shreds. However, a barrier was apparently surrounding the damn book, which made me bounce back in contact, making me hit the floor with my back.

"Wonderful (?). You have barriers too..."

When I stood up, I noticed that the book was...twitching. It then started making its way over the body...

...VERY WELL. IF THIS IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE, THEN SO BE IT! YOU'VE FORSAKEN YOUR OWN HAPPINESS AND SAFETY FOR THE SAKE OF FAKES? RIDICULOUS!

"...I'm not going to argue about what is real or not. I'm tired of that. The only thing that matters is that you are messing up my life. I won't let you do this sort of crap anymore! I have had it! I'll rip you to shreds!"

Wow...that sounded cheesy, yet inexplicably awesome.

IDIOT BOY. DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF POWER YOU ARE FACING?

"The one who makes people **********?"

That little comment made the area vibrate.

"Huh. Didn't seem you liked that one."

"Really? I didn't notice (?)!"

Then walls of...monitors started to pop up from the ground, covered in ink and flickering to life. The whole field turning into some sort of giant room full of monitors seemed like something out of crazy person's nightmare.

...VERY WELL. YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE HERE. YOU'RE STUBBORN AS A MULE. YOU SHALL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!

COME TO ME, MY TOKENS. GRANT ME YOUR IDEALS AND THOUGHTS AND BRING ME TO HIGHER FORM...

Higher form?

"What is this guy talking about?!"

The scenes began to flicker once more. From it, tendrils of black and white lightnings began hitting the book and the body.

The next things that happened were...disgusting to say the least.

The book itself was fine, only lighting up like a black and white Christmas tree. The one that suffered a...complete metamorphosis was the body of the man, which started to pulsate and grow rapidly...

(SQUEECH!)

...And painfully. The muscles started to grow violently and its size doubled...no, tripled. When I noticed that the body was now towering me, I instinctively took some steps back.

Then it began wearing a orange gi. And started sporting spiky blond hair, with some sort of golden aura around him.

And a oversized sword...

And...armor? Wait, a drill, is that a drill on his arm?

...And, wait, a headband? With a naruto on i-

...

...Oh, son of a bitch!

KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU

Oh dear good god. You really are doing this, aren't you? You're using stupid shonen manga powers to try and kill me?! Not only does it seem overkill, no, it also looks...kiddish!

"Well, this is...different." Lemat said, actually sounding a bit unsure.

"T-True. But they're illusions, right?"

(BOOM!)

"JESUS CHRIST!"

(THUD!)

I crashed towards the ground as some sort of kamehame-drill-ha-whatever just impacted the land in front of me, sending me flying yards away. I think I reached the other side of the room just by that!

And...yeah, they are not illusions. This is just bad going into worse constantly.

"Urgh...how am I even conscious?"

"The thing that propelled you was the knockback of the explosion, not the direct attack. Either he's playing with us...or he only did that to show he's a dick that can apparently kill us instantly if he wished to."

And it's kind of working.

Shit, what now?

KA...ME...HA...ME...

Four different...giant mecha shinigami saiyans started charging that one attack. From the four corners of the room.

And I'm in the middle.

...

...This is serious. There's no way I can dodge that on ti-

HAAA!

"Partner!"

Energy drills too close...!

"Now wait just a moment..."

(WHAM!)

Who the...?!

WHAT IS THIS?!

I couldn't see. Well, more like someone leaped over my back and did something. I don't know what. But whatever the case, the result was this.

Two clones were pinned back to the walls due to the attacks being reflected back at them...I think.

And the two remaining ones began analysing the situation.

"...You...what are you? Wait, you look...?"

"Would you please get off?!" I shouted.

The figure heard me and removed itself from my back.

"Sorry. Was the only way for you to avoid being vaporized." The figure said, not very amused, yet somewhat relieved. "Here. Stand up."

I took its hand and...

...

...What.

"Hey." I saw myself. "'Sup."