2 years ago (April 10, 2013), I have started writing the Chosen One series. Well, whatever, I'll keep it short - thanks to everyone who supported me during these two years!
Chapter 31 – The Face of Evil
So today is the day we'll be tackling an Alpha Hive yet again… But I guess this will be different than that lot of small saucers… With every neuron in my body I feel they'll draw the heavy artillery… And we can't just raid the Core like before, we have to destroy the outer layer of the Core… Sure, Aganaimaru, Oblivion Lost, and Aimaru can even cut through time, but shit… After experiencing all the hubbub in Kye's world, I suspect that I'll yet see shit hitting the fan and spraying all over me... There's always a bigger fish… Even in this world, there's probably somebody or something more powerful, some kind of ancient monster from the depths of Earth or from outer space…. I cannot under any circumstance rest on my laurels… I will protect Yoshika and the rest even if it kills me… Again, heh…
Toshiro felt as his right hand was being squeezed. He turned his eyes towards Yoshika on his right.
"I feel you're getting tense, Toshiro."
"Wouldn't you be, in my current position?"
"I probably would sit in the corner and suck my thumb if I found myself on your place right now. That's why you are where you are now."
"The right man on the right place?"
"Heh… Yes, exactly. I guess you're thinking about the upcoming battle all the time?"
"Yeah…"
"I was thinking a bit too…"
"Conclusions?"
"Fourteen against one thousand at best. And I doubt the Neuroi will send those shitty saucers now."
"You really inherited my smarts…" Toshiro patted her on the head.
"We should take a ton of ammo, Toshiro."
"Yeah. The jets surely will increase the load capacity of the girls. I already see this, Trude with the NS-45, the 88 and two MG 42V's."
"Heehee, and half a ton of ammo!" Yoshika cheered.
"We should split loads evenly, but I feel a bit guilty, you know…"
"That we have to travel… light so to speak? Yes…"
"Well we could take half of the supplies from our hangar, but that shit would soon hit every roof in Prague."
"Or the outskirts…"
"Yeah…"
"So, I'll go and make breakfast, and you stay and ponder, kay?"
"Sure, Sweetie. Make us a good breakfast, so we have energy for some pounding!"
Yoshika chuckled with a wry smile.
"Oh you…" Toshiro sighed.
Yoshika went out, and Livy appeared.
"You're awfully tense, Master…" she said as she stroked his entire body with his hand. "Can I try to relieve you of the stress?"
"You can try, but only in a conventional way…"
"I understand, Master, no cheating…" she smiled, turned him over, and started slowly massaging his back.
"Mmmmhhhmmm… Yes, this is good, Livy… Very good… Are you sure you aren't cheating?"
"Perish the thought, Master... The only cheat would be acquiring the knowledge through… alternative means…"
"Ah, okay then…"
"You need to relax, Master… This is a battle you, the Mistress, and the 501st can win easily, but only if you, the commander, will maintain a clear head."
"Yeah but… I'm the commander after all… All the responsibility falls on me…" he sighed deeply and turned around on his back.
"I'll leave you to yourself then, Master," Livy said and kissed him on the forehead. "Remember to use me in the battle."
"Don't worry, I will," he smiled, and she disappeared.
Livy, Livy, Livy… You have it easy… You're an Elder God, you don't even have to participate in my life… Eh…
Toshiro pondered on a few more minutes in his bed, and then he went down and sat at the table.
"Oh, Toshiro, is everything okay?" Lynne asked.
"Yeah…" he mumbled. "Nothing to be worried with…"
He tried to put on his usual face and waited for the rest. The first one to pop up was Mio.
"Hi, Toshiro."
"Hi, Mio."
"Slept well?"
"Yeah, good even. How about you?"
"A warrior should know when to sleep, and that was the time."
"Heh… Yeah… I hope everyone caught their forty winks, or we'll be fucked…"
"Is it that bad?"
"Wait for the briefing like everyone."
"Oh come on, tell me something."
"Uncle will see the sky going brown over Prague from Buenos Aires when the battle starts."
"Oooooh… I'm anxious… Heheheh…" she made a devilish smile.
The rest of the girls tumbled in in their own tempo, and they ate breakfast.
"Ladies, to the briefing room," Toshiro said after everyone ate.
When everybody took their seats, Toshiro started.
"As you know, today is the time for Operation Bohemia, which will commence at 1200 local time. The objective is to destroy the Hive over the city of Prague."
The girls smiled wryly.
"I see your smiles. You probably think, "Meh, Toshiro and Yoshika will make sukiyaki out of the Hive in five minutes". Well hell no. The Hive we're after is an Alpha Hive, the same type we fought over Venezia a few good months ago."
A murmur went through the gathered and heads started turning. Trude's hand shot in the air.
"Yes, Trudy?"
"Will we have ANY support?"
"Not a damned soul to help us."
"Then how are we going to breach the outer layer of the Core?"
"Our swords that can't cut each other and a few other weapons, but they can cut anything else just by their own weight. Since Yoshika and I are the Core assault team, we'll be pondering on how to crack that shit open. Use of brute force is imminent."
"Predicted enemy count?" Mio asked.
"Three digits are the smallest penalty we'll receive, THUS, we need to arm ourselves appropriately. Everyone take as much damn ammunition as they can. Who can take more - take more. If you can take ammo for a friend, take it. I pray that Yoshika and I will eviscerate that Core before we all run out of ammo."
"And what IF that happens?" Erica asked and everyone heads turned towards her. "What? It IS a possibility."
"Then we have two options. We all run, with the two of us stalling the Neuroi, or you all stay and try to fend for yourself with your shields until we rip apart the Core. But I have to tell you one thing. If we manage to succeed in subduing the enemy, the gates to Berlin will be wide open! The liberation of Karlsland will be at hand! We will be ONE operation away from the victory over the Neuroi in this part of Europe… From there, we could rip apart the Neuroi in Orussia, Ostmark, the east of Gallia… You name it! A whole nation in exile could return… This is what we're fighting for here…"
Toshiro's last words rang in the dead silence of the room.
"We have to give everything!" Trude shouted.
"Yes, everything!" Erica concurred.
"Everything in our might!" Minna shouted.
The fighting will of the Karlslanders rallied the rest as they stood up with determined faces.
"This is what I'm talking about! We're leaving at 1130, be there ten minutes earlier!"
"Roger!" the whole unit responded.
"Dismissed!" he shouted and went out of the room.
He leaned against the wall and exhaled deeply.
Damn… I didn't knew I was capable of such a motivating speech… I think I just know my girls good enough to know which string to pull…
The girls slowly started flowing from the briefing room. Each and every one smiled at him when they were passing him. The last one was Yoshika, stopping in front of him.
"So, what are we going to do now?"
"I don't think I would learn a single word of Orussian right now, and my guts are tied in a knot…"
"Then maybe a hot bath, hmm? The girls will see that you're tense, Toshiro. Lynne saw that you were a bit under the weather at breakfast. What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about stuff…"
"Heehee… You think too much at times, relax, you dumbo…"
"Yeah… Okay, bath for me it is."
"Go ahead, I'll get the bath supplies!"
"Whatever…"
Toshiro went on down to the first floor and he waited for Yoshika aside the door leading to the bath. She took less than a minute to get to him.
After taking a shower, they dipped in the water.
"Yeaaaaah… A tad better…"
"You know… I'll make it a bit better…" Yoshika mused and moved behind him
She started massaging his shoulders, but at the same time, her breasts were firmly pressing against his back.
"Yoshika, are your boobs digging a hole in my back also part of the service?"
"Of course, silly you… I want to use my body to its full extent when delivering you pleasure."
"Don't go too hard on me, or I'll have to use a part of my body on you…"
"Shame yourself, Toshiro… Other people are using this bath too, you know?"
"As if I care… Okay, keep on rubbing…"
After a few minutes, they've heard the voices of a few girls.
"Well, bother…" Yoshika mumbled.
"What's bothering you? You're just massaging, riiiiiight?"
"Eheheh… You sly devil… Let's give them something to be jealous of…"
After a bit of time, the Karlslanders in whole approached the bath. Trude and Erica both blushed slightly, but Minna smiled wryly and said, "Lieutenant Miyafuji, ain't you a bit too early and too in the public for such massages?"
"Toshiro needs it to relax. I'm saying this as his doctor, heheh…"
Minna giggled and entered the bath.
"Come on, you two, what are you waiting for?" she asked her companions.
They snapped out of it and entered the bath.
"I guess it's too late for me…" Erica sighed after ogling the breasts of the girls around her.
"Somebody has to be the flatty to balance out things…" Toshiro shrugged.
"Ha... Ha…" Erica muttered.
"But don't worry, Perrine could also be mistaken for a washing board," Yoshika said.
"Et tu, Yoshika?"
"Heh, sorry…"
"Oh whatever now… I can comfort myself in the fact that my shoulders won't hurt and other things that flatty's like to delude themselves with…" Erica said and lied flat on the water.
"Maybe if I rub them daily they'll get better?" Toshiro asked with a big grin, and immediately got slapped in the back of his head by Yoshika. "Yeah, okay… No fun…"
"I wouldn't let you anyway, Bro," Erica said. "Maybe I don't need a bra, but I'm still an adult woman."
"Right, I sometimes forget that…"
"Are you implying something, Bro?"
"Hey, even with clothes on you look like a teenager."
"I think I'll take that as a compliment…"
"So, Toshiro… You think I could take command?" Minna asked.
"If you want, why not. That would take a load off my currently massaged shoulders."
"Ah, thank you. I wanted to command an operation once in a while."
"Now I will ask you a question – are you up for it?"
"I've analyzed your notes thoroughly and made a few dozens of simulations in my mind. I think that qualifies me as "up for it," heh…"
"And you're still awake? Amazing…"
"Nothing some coffee can't handle…" Minna shrugged.
"Go get a nap; we still have at least two hours for you to catch some shuteye."
"If you say so…"
"I'll go and try to entertain myself in the war room. After Yoshika is finished with me that is. Trude, you check all our weapons and haul out the ammo for them."
"Okay, will do."
"And if you bump into Shirley, tell her to check our Strikers."
"Okay."
After Yoshika finished kneading his shoulders, he went to the war room for the remaining time to check if nothing important won't slip by the radar of the radio waves. Much to his misery, and what he predicted, nothing happened. When the time came, he approached the PA panel and said, "Everyone assemble in the hangar for the mission. Slackers will be punished."
He slowly went out of the room and saw some of the girls running in the perpendicular corridor. He accelerated a bit and he was the last to arrive in the hangar.
"Everyone, good that you've arrived," Minna said. "Everyone mount their Strikers and take as much ammunition as you feel you can take. Trude preemptively pulled out some satchels from the storage, so that will be of help. Don't get over encumbered, or it will have an adverse effect on your combat capabilities. Ah, and in case you're all wondering, I'm commanding on this mission. Now, off to work!"
"Roger!"
Everyone went and took their guns. Toshiro only took his MG 151, but Trude as predicted took a Panzerschreck, two MG 42V's, the NS-45 and the 88."
"Jesus fucking Christ on a monocycle, Trudy!" Shirley shouted. "How the hell will you fly with all of that?"
"I don't have my Super Strength and such a jet just for kicks, Shirley!" Trude boasted and proceeded with loading ammunition to her satchels.
"All guns checked?"
"Checked and serviced!"
"As you were…"
Toshiro approached Perrine and asked, "Why are you still using that clunker of a machine gun?"
"I didn't get anything better?"
"Trude, have the weapons in the storage also been serviced?"
"Yeah, sure!"
"Perrine, go take an MG 42 like a big girl."
"Okay!"
Perrine ran off and Toshiro turned himself to Lynne.
"Hey, Lynnie, I could get you a Solothurn like Hanna had."
"No, thanks, that would be too much for me anyway."
"Sure, fine."
With nobody else to bother, Toshiro jumped into his Striker.
Everything okay… Keep calm… The girls are fully loaded, some like pack mules even… Most of them have powerful Final Arts… I have a plethora of techniques and Yuki to help them in a pinch… This will go well… This will go well… This MUST go well…
"Everyone, start warming up the engines!" Minna commanded.
The combined whine of twenty-eight jet engines coming into revs filled the hangar. Yoshika, whose Launch Unit was on his left side, threw him a thumb up and smiled cutely.
She noticed…
"Everyone, go!" Minna yelled.
The whine went into a thunderous roar as everyone started and flew out in pairs.
They could see the Alpha Hive from miles to come. The gargantuan funnel shaped dark cloud was swirling counter clockwise like a bad omen under the cloudless fall sky. The green orb housing the core was slightly visible at its base.
Suddenly, two carriers and four of the Neuroi that almost killed Mio and Adolfine emerged from the Hive. The carriers started shedding their payload almost immediately, making the Hive almost invisible from behind from the swarm of rocket shaped drones. And then, tens of medium sized Neuroi followed them.
"Fuck…" Toshiro grumbled.
"Agreed…" Minna said. "We need a good opener…"
"You think Perrine could provide one?"
"Hummm… Good idea. Perrine! Use your magic and fry as much of the small ones as possible!"
"But I don't know if I can pull that off again so easily."
At the same time, the drones rushed towards them.
"No time, Perrine!" Mio shouted.
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
Perrine closed her eyes and concentrated her hair started fluttering and small lightning bolts shot from her body.
She opened her eyes, straightened out her right hand, and yelled, "Éclair!"
Lightning struck the swarm and at least a hundred of the drones was defeated immediately, visibly thinning the enemy ranks.
"Not enough, fuck!" Minna swore loudly. "We have to concentrate on the carriers!"
"Trude, punch a hole in one of them, I'll rip the core apart!" Mio shouted.
"Roger!" Trude responded and the two rushed towards one of the carriers.
"Hey! I was supposed…" Minna stopped her sentence halfway. "Yoshika, shield those two blockheads!"
"Roger!" Yoshika responded and rushed after Trude and Mio.
"Toshiro, I guess you want to solo that carrier?"
"By all means, commander!"
"Then go!"
"Roger!" Toshiro smiled and boomed towards the second carrier.
Flying around like a dancing dervish, Toshiro dodged both the enemies and their beams with finesse that Eila would be jealous of. Quickly checking upon the cores location with the Tekkaku Hebigan, he shot a Reppuzan into the starboard of the carrier. The enormous Neuroi collapsed, cut in two and exploded. A great amount of drones disappeared immediately.
Toshiro now turned his gaze to the other carrier, and saw that Trude landed a straight punch in the same spot where Toshiro's Reppuzan hit the now dead Neuroi. The enemy bulged in at the spot of impact in a ten-meter radius, and at the same time it bulged out on the opposite side. After a second it all exploded, making an enormous rift with the core floating in the middle of it, and Mio rushed in with Reppumaru in her hand. She stabbed the core, and through the transponder he heard, "UNYOU!"
The carrier exploded and the sky was much clearer to observe now.
"Good job all of you!" Minna praised them. "Everyone, on positions, we're attacking the remaining enemies!"
Toshiro saw an enormous beam traveling towards Shirley. She managed to block it off, but the shield shattered, and she was pushed back into Francesca behind her.
Both Yoshika and Toshiro rushed to the two.
"Shirley, everything okay?!" Yoshika asked.
"Yeah, yeah… Did you get the schedule of that train… Heh…"
Francesca's face was now a furious visage, enough to scare the fainthearted. She flew a bit forward and white particles started circling her. She put her hands forward and yelled, "Die you stupid monsters!"
A beam even bigger than the one Shirley was hit with shot from Francesca's hands and hit the big beam Neuroi from the left. Francesca moved her hand and she cut that one and the three remaining Neuroi in half. The enemies exploded into a shower of crystalline white flakes.
Whaaaaat the fuuuuuuck…
Francesca turned around, and Toshiro saw she was exhausted. She slowly flew up to Francesca and said, "The stupid Neuroi got bagged, Shirley."
"Heh… Thanks, my little beam shooting boob devil…"
The girls are busy with the rest of the Neuroi… Maybe I should try to assault the Core already…
He flew up to the bit shocked Minna and asked, "Minna, what now?"
"Uh… Oh, yes, the battle. I think you should go for it before…"
And then, the amount of medium sized Neuroi literally doubled, courtesy of the reinforcements from the Hive.
"…before this happens…" Minna mumbled. "Okay, fuck this shit! Yoshika, Toshiro, you're now free to do what the fuck-ever you please! Destroy these pissants and let's get home!"
"Hahahaha!" Toshiro laughed, "Now this is an order I'll gladly follow! Yoshika?"
"Yes?!"
"Let's show them what we're made of!"
"Oh yes!"
Toshiro holstered his MG and summoned Aganaimaru, already in dual wield mode.
"Praise be Hachiman…" he whispered and zoomed off in the direction of the nearest Neuroi, ripping it apart in one blow.
He could see that Yoshika was doing the same from her position. He cut one, two, three, four, and more Neuroi in one fell swoop. At one point, he saw Neuroi swarming in an arc over Yoshika, but before he could react, he saw with that Lynne's body and rifle glowed intensely and she fired a shot resembling a bird. It changed its direction just as it hit the first Neuroi, and it destroyed all the adjacent enemies in one go.
Ho… Ly.. Shit… So now Lynne has her Final Art! Wow… And the tide of the battle seems to have turned to our favor… My… Almost all the girls now have a Final Art, 'cept for Minna… I really doubt she'll get something as absurdly powerful as her counterpart from that world… Wow… The girls really do know how to fend for themselves, and they now have the means to do so… I've put too much stress on trying to shelter them… Ehh…
Maybe now it's time for the girls to protect me instead? What do you think, girls? Want to protect me?
Toshiro just lowered his hands, surrounded by the Neuroi.
But… What is this sensation…? I can feel something welling up inside of me… It's warm… It's violent… I have the feeling… Heh… I have the feeling… I could… EXPLODE!
Toshiro roared and a violent flame exploded from his body, incinerating all the enemies around him He looked at his body. It was entirely covered with in a white-hot flame, formed into a samurai's armor, with a ring of small white-hot orbs circling him in a circular orbit. He looked at his hands, and he saw they were clad in sturdy, heavy looking, and shiny black gauntlets. He looked at his knuckles, and saw some signs glowing red on them, ten total, each one on a separate finger. He wasn't able to read them, but he somehow understood them.
Jötun…heimr… So these are my Final Arts… But… I remember them! Those were my Ultimate in Kye's world! But they feels different… More powerful! And the orbs are new… And… Holy shit, these gauntlets are really something… Heh… Aya had these before me…
Toshiro bumped his fist. A small shockwave occurred and they bounced apart. He felt nothing.
Ohohohoho… So what now? I inherited the will of the Jötunn now? Is this some kind of Nordic heritage of the Barkhorn bloodline? Fuck this shit! It's time to shine! I will make sure that this war ends!
He dispelled his swords and concentrated magic in his hands. Seeing a lone Neuroi coming towards him, he threw two fireballs towards it. The came in from both sides of the Neuroi, obliterating it in a fiery inferno.
"Bwahahahahahahahaha!"
"Toshiro, this power is incredible, even bigger that the flame you had in the simulation! I think we could pull off a 10000x time dilution easily, even with your gimped strength!"
"Let's save that for REALLY dangerous situations, I still have a core to rip apart."
"Ah, yes. Then what now?"
"The one technique I used the rarest…"
"Oh… Go for it!"
"Kyokujitsuken!" Toshiro roared and jumped straight into the swarm of Neuroi. A bystander could only see the Neuroi getting disintegrated.
Toshiro emerged from the cloud of flakes after destroying 30 Neuroi with 30 consecutive hits in the duration of 15 milliseconds.
"Osu!" he shouted while spreading his hands after a done job.
And now, time to stop fucking around.
Toshiro summoned Aimaru and rushed towards the Hive. The Neuroi consolidated their defenses before the Core, but out of nowhere, and enormous Reppuzan cut through the ranks of the enemies.
"GO, Toshiro!" Yoshika cheered.
"Thanks!"
He finally reached the orb housing the Core. At the same time, a humanoid Neuroi emerged from it, and flew before him, only a few meters away from his position.
"Hello you fucker!" Toshiro shouted after seeing the Core before him.
"Hello, Chosen One."
"Oh look, you sons of bitches can finally talk with me remotely?"
"An Alpha Hive can."
"Begging for mercy?"
"I am but a tool, the harbinger of Her."
"Her?"
"Did your goddess friends not tell you about Her? What a shame… It seems they don't trust you enough… Hmmm… Have at it, Chosen One. destroy me. You'll see Her sooner than you think…"
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting forth you damn monster…"
"Come at me, Chosen One. Witness Her glory!"
"Livy, railgun mode!"
The gun appeared on Toshiro's right hand, and he flared up his Celestial Aura, pumping all of his magic rapidly into the railgun. The bars on his HUD were filling up at an astonishing speed, and just as the fifth one got completed, he inserted a slug and jumped forward. He also looked at the "mirror" on the HUD, and briefly saw that Trude slammed one of the medium Neuroi in such a way that it took out ten others in a row. Toshiro disappeared from everyone's view and reappeared before the humanoid Neuroi, impaling it
"Say hi to Death from me!" he yelled.
Toshiro pulled the trigger, and immediately, the slug obliterated both the Neuroi and hitting the Core. A hole fifty meters in diameter was visible before it collapsed into the usual flake storm. The trail of monochromatic energy and superheated air was slowly dissipating into nothingness as Yoshika flew into his arms and embraced him.
"You sure took a gamble embracing me now…"
"If this is a derivative of the Sacred Flame, it shouldn't burn me," she smiled. "That was so intense! It's almost as if you regained your power from that world!"
"Nah, that still wasn't that…"
"Still, the girls are now lifting their jaws of the ground, heehee…"
"Yeah… But the Neuroi told me some disturbing shit…"
"What was it?" Yoshika asked with a serious face.
"It was about…"
Suddenly his head almost exploded from the pain. But Yoshika was also holding her head, as did the rest of the girls. The sky suddenly darkened, and in the north-west, he could see a dark cloud of unprecedented size descending towards the ground. Crimson lightning was searing across the whole circumference of the ominous weather phenomena.
"Earth people… You have crossed the line… I cannot stand back any longer, and watch the conquest of this planet from the back seat… But I am a benevolent ruler, thus, I'm giving you some time before I will destroy this planet… Using your time measuring methods, I will start the final conquest on midnight the first of January, the year 1946, using the time zone of the country called Karlsland… You can try and destroy me, but I guarantee that nobody will succeed, even the Chosen One… Who is he, you ask? It's the one that goes by the name of Toshiro… He withheld some information about us from all of you… Have a happy end of the year, humans, it will be your last…"
The pain in Toshiro's head went away and the sky regained its cloudlessness and blueness.
"What… What was that…?" Yoshika asked with a frightened voice. "Toshiro…"
"I think… Shit just hit the fan, and it was an after-chili diarrhea…" Toshiro said slowly while watching the enormous cloud on the horizon.
The girls approached them with uneasy expressions.
"Toshiro…" Mio tried to ask something but she was interrupted.
"No, not now… Now, let's go back home… Minna?"
"Yes, back to base everybody… I have a feeling the phones will be white hot after half an hour…"
"Roger…" the girls responded half-heartedly.
After they all returned in total silence, Toshiro holed himself up in the office, alone. Just a few minutes after he did it, the phone ringer pierced the dead silence. He took a deep breath, picked up the receiver, and said, "Von Edelweiss…"
"Keitel. Status report. Now."
"Hive destroyed, kill counts still being estimated, nobody hurt."
"I see… Now tell me, like to a priest on confession, what the fuck happened just a few minutes ago?!"
"I don't know how much I can divulge, and some things are just guessing…"
"You are to say everything, that's an order!"
"Even if I want to, I physically can't."
"What hogwash is that?!"
"If you want to know that, Herr Keitel, ask Uncle. I will try to tell you what I know."
"Get on with it…"
"The Neuroi are a hive mind. They are controlled by the Hives, and they are intelligent to an extent. The mooks can't talk. The humanoid types can talk, but hardly. Alpha Hives, like the one over Prag, can talk very good. The can only do so if they have physical contact with a human, but the Alpha Hive seem to have limited range telepathy, and… That thing…"
"Yes, that thing. What is it? Reports are coming that a Hive bigger than Berlin itself descended upon the city!"
"I think… That could be something like a Neuroi queen, a matriarch…"
"The Neuroi Matriarch… So the big baddie?"
"Yes, I think so…"
"The end of the world might come sooner than everyone thought… Tell me one last thing… The Chosen One?"
"I am a chosen, a paladin, a champion of the Shinto goddess Amaterasu."
"Now there are even gods involved in this… I think you and I should go silent over that last part…"
"As you wish, boss."
"Dismissed…" Keitel sighed.
"Jawohl."
Toshiro dropped the receiver on the hook. He approached the PA panel and said, "Minna, to my office. We have to do the paperwork…"
Just as he switched the PA system off, the door opened, and Minna came in.
"Come, Minna… I need your data on the kill counts… And some other stuff…"
"The boss called?"
"Yeah… I think the OKW will be brainstorming like mad right now…"
"I think…"
They started doing the paperwork, and interrupted because of Yoshika calling in for dinner. All of the girls were a bit under the weather. Toshiro could see that some were crying recently.
"Girls…" he sighed. "I promise that I will come up with something, but give me and the Allied Command some time. I won't let the world end just like that…"
"But the voice said that even you wouldn't get it done…" Francesca mumbled.
"Maybe not now, but I will start training. The bigger fish has finally showed its face…"
"After what I saw today, I doubt you could be any stronger…" Mio said.
"That's not my peak, Mio. If I put my training and Yuki into overdrive, you'll see what it means to evolve."
"You're on your own; I can only train humans, hahahaha!"
The girls around giggled slightly.
"Heh… Okay, let's eat now."
After dinner, Toshiro went and finished the paperwork with Minna. Following that, he went to his room. Yoshika was there alone.
"Good…" he said and locked the door behind him.
"Oh? You want to ravage me already?"
"No, I want to talk to Kye uninterrupted by the rest."
"Ah, okay."
"Come on Kye, I have some talking to do. And swipe Ami on the way."
The two goddesses poofed before him, with Amaterasu having an uneasy face.
"Amaterasu…"
"I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you just like that that there's the Neuroi Matriarch out there… You could get a bit overambitious before you'd get strong enough…"
"Hmm… Well, at least now I know this world also has the big bad Neuroi, right, Kye?"
"You know me…"
"Yeah, I know you goddesses all too well… If there's something I can't expect from you, it's getting too much info. There's always something held back, always! But fuck this shit… Kye, did she tell the truth when she said that I'm incomparable to her in terms of strength?"
"The Neuroi Matriarch is more powerful that my mortal self or Yoshika were in the simulation."
"Fuck… I guess I HAVE to train no matter what… Good that at least I've unlocked my Final Arts-slash-Ultimates…"
"Can I elaborate about that, Toshiro?" Amaterasu asked.
Toshiro made a sour face and said, "Sure…"
"The Sacred Flame, is in fact a flame that was created when a tear of the fire goddess Kōjin dropped on Earth. That's why it's sentient, and that's why it can evolve. You have reached the final evolution point of the Sacred Flame, or to use proper terms, the Flame of Kōjin – the Pure Flame of Kōjin. Yes, it's pretty much the same you had in Kye's world, only a fair bit stronger. The flames won't affect your allies, but the enemies won't receive any mercy."
"Why did the goddess Kōjin cry?"
"She loved a mortal, but he was killed by a Kai…"
"Shit… So what, I literally had a part of a goddesses power all the time?"
"All the time, Toshiro," Kye said. "And your calmness and the connection to your Godly Particle finally made the Flame evolve into its most pure form."
"And those funky gauntlets?"
"You guessed right, it is a bloodline heritage, back from ancient time when the Jötunn roamed the North. Aya of course didn't explain it to you, because even she didn't know that tidbit herself."
"Well, shit… I guess I should start training today…"
"Rest today, Toshiro," Amaterasu said, "You've put a strain on your body by using my fighting style."
"If you say so…"
"I'm your mistress, Toshiro. I know what I'm talking about."
"If you put it that way… So now I have a rough estimate on when the war will end… And of course Kye won't tell me the exact date, right, Kye?"
"Pfff, as if… I can only tell you it will be later than you think."
"Later than I think… Fine then, be it as it may. Thanks for the conversation, I'll lie down."
"You know what, Toshiro? I'll talk with some of the gods, maybe I'll have a surprise for you tomorrow…"
"A surprise?"
"Yes. I'll try to modify the time density of my realm. I think Chronos could help me with that, if I'd manage to persuade him…."
"So you could increase the 1:3 ratio? That would be splendid, Ami!"
"Right? Don't get your hopes up yet, but I'll see what can be done."
"Thanks in advance!"
"Heh… Okay, bye now, my dear Chosen."
The goddess disappeared and Kye was left.
"Kind of shameful that the Kōjin thingie isn't as powerful as the Celestial Aura though, heheh…" she snickered.
"Oh, right… Now that you say it… Say, Kye, what's with the Godly Particle in me? Is that shit even active?"
"It's there, Toshiro, but it's in a very dormant state. Now, it's more of a passive ability, more than something you could use actively in combat."
"Good, at least I won't lose my life expectancy…"
"Right? But it's still functioning as a stigma, something that denotes you're a Chosen, and as a connector with her. Without that, she wouldn't be able to help you, according to the rules governing this universe."
"So if you removed that from me…"
"I could, but I won't," she said with a straight face. "The Allgod isn't in the shape to help you directly, so you're stuck with Ami."
"As I thought…" Toshiro muttered. "But I still have Livy."
"I know, but you shouldn't use her like as a panacea. It's true that she could singlehandedly destroy this whole universe with as much as a finger snap, but she has a different purpose by your side."
"Right… Well, I want to rest now…"
"Have at it," Kye said and vanished.
Toshiro lied down on the bed beside Yoshika, who silently watched over the conversation all the time.
"I guess you'll be taking a nap?"
"Yes, Yoshika. You can take one with me, if you want."
"You know… Good idea, Toshiro. I'll just unlock the door, kay?"
"Sure, Sweetie."
After she did it, she tucked herself into Toshiro's side and fell asleep. She woke him up later, when it was time for supper.
"So, ladies, how was the day for all of you?"
"I napped!" Francesca cheered.
"Me too!" Erica cheered along.
"And me…" Lynne said.
"Okay, who didn't nap?" Toshiro asked.
Mio and Minna raised their hands.
"Uhuh… Understandable… I slept too…"
"Oh we know, heehee…" Perrine giggled.
"Starting from tomorrow, I'm training, so my daily routine will be a bit modified, or maybe modified A LOT. If you want to contact me, I always have a transponder with me. And don't worry about what happened today, everything will be okay."
"If Toshiro says it, then I'm at ease," Shizuka said with a slight blush.
"Oh look at you, trusting me so much, heheh… Let's eat up, and go to sleep. Tomorrow might be a busy day."
Post-supper, Toshiro took a bath with the girls, and went to his room with Yoshika.
"Toshiro, I hope you have some energy left in you…"
"If it's for what I think, then I have a lot."
"Heehee…"
"Master…" Livy appeared with a puzzled expression. "I hope you're not mad or anything?"
"Because of what Kye said about you in conjecture with me? No, no… If you do have some mysterious purpose, besides being a multi-purpose weapon, and mine and Yoshika's mutual lover, then I have to accept things as they are. I'm just a normal guy, and I can't change what has been decided by the gods."
"I'm happy that you're so understanding towards me, Master…" Livy whispered as she hugged him delicately.
"You reap what you sow, Livy," Yoshika said, "You're good towards us, and you get it back."
"Thank you, Mistress. Will we…"
"We will," Yoshika smiled.
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