[NOTE: THIS IS THE COMPLETED VERSION OF THE CHAPTER! I REPEAT! THIS IS THE COMPLETED VERSION OF THE CHAPTER! I UPLOADED THE WRONG DOCUMENT! I AM A FUCKING IDIOT! IT WAS LIKE... 4 AM WHEN I PUT THIS UP! THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!]
2023…. To be honest, If you told me that I would be writing fanfiction a handful of years ago, I'd probably ask you what fanfiction was, to be honest. But, that's beside the point. Last year was… well, last year was something alright. And, now that we've started the new year, I can only hope that things get better not only in my life but in the world around me.
Now, first and foremost. I wanted to wish everyone who's reading this a Happy New Year! Here's to hoping that 2023 starts off better than 2022, because goddamn was that a cluster fuck and a half. Last year was difficult for me, especially through summer break. A lot had happened in my personal life, all of which I won't get into because you didn't come here for that. However, what I will say, is thank you.
Thank you to all the people who stuck around, read my stuff, and interacted with me in the comment sections, or even in personal DMs. But, most importantly, there are a few people who I wanted to thank specifically
The first person I want to thank is Donuthair5618. For almost the majority of 2022, they have been working with me on a crossover between one of my other stories, Dynamite And A Laserbeam – Redux (check it out by the way, if you like this, and you enjoy it because of my writing, I think you'll like that one, too), and their story, A Legacy To Protect (also check this one out, too, it's great!), called A Dynamite To Laserbeam. Throughout that process, I've learned a lot of things writing-wise from them, and vice versa. Not to mention, they're just nice to talk to. In the latter half of 2022, I was going through a rough patch in my life. However, talking to them helped me through it, and while it wasn't just them, I still appreciate the fact that they were willing to talk with me.
The second person who I wanted to thank was TACO SENSEI. Their comments are always a joy to read, and they've made me smile a bunch when I don't have a reason to do so. So, thanks for that.
Another person who I wanted to thank was Sloth. D. God. They already know why I'm thanking them, but to explain to everyone why I am, they are an awesome person, they're nice, and they're patient. They also sub to my Pa-Tre-On, but that has nothing to do with it. The conversations we have on there are nice. They like to pick my brain about certain things, and I pick theirs. So, thank you, kind person. If you're reading this, don't worry, I plan to post something on my Pat-Re-On before the 10th.
And finally, last but not least, there's Kolt999. Kolt has been a constant reviewer on this story, and his reviews, because calling them comments would be downgrading them, give me a lot to think about when it comes to this story in particular. That being said, it also brightens my day when I see that someone took the time out of their day to comment something like that on one of my stories, even if I don't think I deserve it. So, thank you, Kolt! You're awesome!
So, yeah, thank you to those three people in particular. Of course, thank you to everyone else who has been reading this, as well as my other stuff. You all mean a lot to me, and I hope that we can continue down this road. I have a lot of stuff planned for 2023 surrounding this story, so let's make it a good year!
Now, with all of that being said, I think you all know what's about to come next.
I have a P-Atr-Eon. Please check it out! The links are all in my bios on Wattpad, FF Dot Net, Ao3, and Qoutev. Just in case, here is the link: /gobblegum2?fan_landing=true&view_as=public
And now, let's hope into it!
[My response to reviews/comments]
(Qoutev) Shine375: Pretty much! That's what we're going to be doing! Not this chapter, though, there's something else that's happening in this one. Why? Because build up. Grinding happens in the next chapter. Oh boy… I can't wait for that. Also, while I can't say what's going to happen between Jolyne and Izuru, what I can say is that… recruiting him might be more difficult than it might first sound for… very important reasons.
(Qoutev) JammyJam: ….I don't even know how to respond to that. Just imagine Izuru giving you a thumbs up, idk.
(Qoutev) TACO SENSEI: Jolyne's new ability will probably be used less than the rest of them, based simply because of the fact that it drains her health, but aside from that, you're not far off. As for Jolyne and Izuru joining up… well, you'll just have to wait and see for their meeting to see what happens between the two.
(Qoutev) Gh0sty.C0ffe: You aren't too far off from the truth tbh. Although the idea of everyone in the DR world dying with the exception of The Grey Council is a bit of a stretch….
Seimika (chapter 12): Maybe. I don't know.
Kolt999: Once again, there is a metric tonne of stuff to respond to. So, I'm going to try and condense it down as much as possible, so that my response doesn't eat the chapter whole. That being said, let's get this show started, yeah?
Starting off with the whole Chinatsu family nonsense… originally, I had planned to introduce Chinatsu a bit earlier in the story to make this hit a bit harder, but with all the other stuff I had planned out, trying to slide her introduction in would've been forced. So, I figured that having her show up after the whole Kuzuryu nonsense and the Children stuff would've been a good idea, that way it would allow me to seamlessly transition into the next arc. And if I had done it earlier, and had I had the chance to make her struggles with Munakata more fleshed out, as well as the whole dynamic with D.I.C.E., I'm sure that the scene at the end of Chinatsu's bit would've hit harder then it did. As for Lady Mary, she plays a role similar to Daimen. As for if we're going to meet her or not… that's for later. And another thing, Chinatsu doesn't have a name for her System, only calling it "The System."
Next on the list is Kokichi's Probability Magic. I love your attention to detail, and I love how you started speculating on just what Kokichi might be capable of, but I'm going to say this now: Kokichi is not that powerful. He's a mortal character, he has limits. I can't go into detail on just what those limits are, because I've yet to show you what would be a "Struggle" for him, but what I can tell you is that he can't do some zany shit like clap his hands together and have that trigger a 10 on the Richter-scale Earthquake because "lol probability manipulation." Also, his power is direct, and not related to the Butterfly Effect. If he wills it to happen, he can do it, so long as he can handle the drawback. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go back and reread the chapter. It was very subtle, so I don't fault you if you missed it, but it is important as to how his magic works.
Skipping over the whole Jolyne soul violation thing and jumping straight to your theory on what's going on with Makoto… well… no comment. Although, what I will say is that I agree with you and the whole "Ultimate Hope" thing. I felt like at the end of Danganronpa THH, him being dubbed the Ultimate Hope has to be some sort of Protagonist moment, and nothing more. As far as I'm concerned, it was not a testament to his character, he was just stupidly Lucky that everyone listened to him. And there it is again, his luck…. Hmm….
Makoto becoming Apathetic is an important key plot point later on, and involves heavily toward the final arc of this universe, which, if my plans, well, go to plan, will be happening in the next 3 chapters from now (including this one), then that one will be 6 chapters long, followed by a two chapter epilogue, and then the transition to RWBY.
Rip in pepperoni's Celeste and Hifumi, you shall be missed… sorta.
And last but not least, this will not be the last we see of Izuru. He's going to be having his own mini-arc interwoven into these chapters. I, personally, can't wait.
Now, with my responses out of the way… Let's jump into the chapter!
xxXXxxXXxx
[Jolyne Brooks]
It had been a while since she had a nice, hot shower. It felt nice to have the water pitter-patter against her skin, and it felt even better when it allowed all those aches and pains to slowly fade away. Of course, she assumed that due to Gamers Body, she really didn't need to shower, seeing as she hadn't smelt bad at all, which was a plus. However, there was nothing better than a nice, hot, refreshing shower. And if anyone disagreed with that assumption, then they were sociopaths. Full stop.
Of course, that had been about an hour ago. And now, dressed in the outfit that she decided to put on, she had to admit, she looked stupid. At least, with the crop-top hoodie and nothing else underneath it minus a bra. So, in order to look less like a thot, she put on a black, skin-tight, because of fucking course it was Junko, shirt underneath the hoodie, which… actually showed off some pretty impressive set of abs. She wasn't bulky more than she was lean, but even so, those abs were something to kill for.
Once again, Gamers Body coming in clutch.
The rest of her outfit was fine. Nothing about it needed changing. Although, she was surprised that the jeans fit, but then again, they were a bit baggy, so that might've had something to do with it. She had noticed that a few people had been walking the halls, namely other students of other classes, namely Class 78 and 77 – A, which she hadn't bothered to meet because there was no fucking reason to, so she left it at that.
Right now, Jolyne was looking around the cafeteria, trying to find a way to get into the kitchen. Normally it was Teruteru Hanamura who cooked the food. But seeing as Teruteru was no longer in the building for… very obvious reasons, what with him being either dead or missing, that would mean Jolyne would have to make her food.
And, what made things infinitesimally worse, was that in her old life as Jack, she was horrendous at cooking. Don't get her wrong, she could make instant ramen and a sandwich, maybe a grilled cheese or pancakes if she was lucky, but that was about it.
"Heh, you know what, maybe I can learn a skill to help me make food! That would be great, that way I don't have to rely on fast food all the time, or nothing at all, for that matter," Jolyne thought, sighing as she continued to search for a way to get into that stupid kitchen in the cafeteria.
And so, as she stood around like an idiot, her attention was gained when she felt someone's presence sneak up behind her. Now, granted, she had never been good at listening for when someone was sneaking up on her, however, when the person who was doing so was wearing high heel-like footwear, making constant clacking sounds wherever they walked, it was kind of hard NOT to notice them from a mile away.
Narrowing her eyes and turning around, she was met with… someone who she hadn't expected to see in the cafeteria. Or, rather, in the school for that matter, especially considering what it was that had happened to her just a week or so ago. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at Kyoko Kirigiri, who sported a different pair of gloves than the last time. Instead of them being deep purple, they were light purple. Aside from that, she was dressed in the same attire that they first met in, with the only alternation being the aforementioned gloves.
"I'm shocked. Really, I am. I would've thought that the hospital might've kept her there for at least a few weeks, just to see if they could repair her hand. Guess the staff just didn't care enough, I guess…." Jolyne thought, frowning as she stared at The Ultimate Detective.
If there was one thing Jolyne came to realize, it was that she hated Kyoko Kirigiri. It wasn't because of her alignment with the factions, though she surmised that a part of her hatred had something to do with that. No. Rather it was what she saw in Jin's memories that made her hate Kyoko. When she first gave Jin the Ratt Stand, she took a peak at his memories. What she saw thoroughly disgusted her.
Jin was a sad man. A very, very sad man. Not sad as in pathetic, but sad as he had a rough life. Born into the Kirigiri family, a family that was known for being great detectives, only to find no interest in continuing the family's legacy. He was shunned by his mother and father and eventually kicked out of the house at a young age, 13 to be exact, having to live on the streets.
For about a decade of his life, he wandered Tokyo's streets, getting by rummaging through trash cans to steal food, pick-pocketing, and sleeping in the occasional homeless shelter. By the time he was 23 years old, he met a young woman named Yasuko Takahashi. Yasuko pitied him and took him in. There, he lived with her as a guest and helped around the house. She got him a job at a local school as a janitor, and from there, he worked his way up to becoming who he was now, after being smitten by Yasuko, to which the feeling was mutual.
This concluded with Kyoko being born. His life was happy, and everything that he had done had seemed worth it to him. That was until Yasuko died of a chronic illness, leaving him a single father. It was also around this time when Fuhito Kirigiri, his father, was made aware of Kyoko's existence. At first, Jin wanted him to have nothing to do with Kyoko so that she could live her life the way that she wanted, and not be brought down by the family's tradition.
And it stayed that way… for about six months. One day, when he got home from work, he noticed that his front door was open. Someone had gotten into his house, and that made him panic because he had a babysitter watching over Kyoko while he was gone. Said babysitter was dead on the floor, with a knife wound in her neck, and with baby Kyoko's crib empty.
Kyoko had been kidnapped. He called 119 and told them what happened. He was taken in for questioning, he told them everything he knew, and he was sent home after that. He tried to call his father, but the line was dead. He put two and two together and realized that Fuhito had been the culprit. But, without any proper evidence, he couldn't say or do anything about it. This was not to mention that he had several higher-up friends in the police force that would wave it all away should the truth come out.
And so, he spent the next 15 years of his life trying to find and locate Kyoko, while managing Hope's Peak Academy mid-way through that search. He used damn near every tool he had at his disposal. And when he finally found her, he was greeted with not a hug, or a smile, but rather a punch to the gut, told that he was a scumbag for abandoning her and that he should've been grateful for her even coming to Hope's Peak at all, and left it at that.
That had royally pissed Jolyne off. She didn't give a shit what Kyoko had been through, after that, or whatever this Fuhito person did to make her believe that. Sure, it was a rather one-sided opinion, and sure it was a bit close-minded, but after witnessing what she did through that Memory Disc… to see her putrid face again made her blood boil. And it all came to a head as a sneer plastered itself on Jolyne's face.
"Oh. It's you. What do you want?" Jolyne asked, only to, once again, have something unexpected happen. Kyoko… once again, tried decking her, which to Jolyne seemed pretty stupid, what with her being the Ultimate Detective, she would've thought that doing the same thing twice was redundant. But, if at first, you don't learn, the second time should do the trick. Or, at least, she thought that was the saying, anyway.
Turning her cheek into magma, which was where Kyoko had been aiming to punch, she expected the detective to continue the attack, only for Kyoko to stop mid-swing, before lowering her arm, almost as if she didn't do anything. This caused Jolyne to furrow her eyebrows, which prompted Kyoko to speak. "How."
It wasn't a question, more than it was a demand. The longer Jolyne remained silent, the more the detective scowled. "I want to know how you did that… I want to know how you were able to burn the skin and muscle away from my hand… I want to know how Makoto was able to allow me to move my hand which should've remained useless. If you don't tell me, I'll make sure you get arrested for assault, assisted homicide, homicide, and kidnapping of minors."
Jolyne's eyes narrowed as she glared daggers at Kyoko. Assisted Homicide and Homicide would be on her rap sheet. She had killed quite a few people and had assisted the murder of others if you counted turning Jin into a brain slave to kill that insufferable Nagito. Assault was self-explanatory, though technically you could make an argument for over half of those things being self-defence, minus the assisted homicide.
But, kidnapping minors? Was she referring to The Trouble Makers? Last she checked, she didn't kidnap them, she simply had Whitesnake give them Stands and had Natsumi look after them, seeing as they had no parents if you could even call those people parents.
If you were being technical, she didn't legally adopt them, she just kind of… took them. "Well, maybe that makes sense… ugh, whatever." As Jolyne thought that, she closed her eyes, and crossed her arms, her sneer turned into a scowl as she mulled it over… for about five seconds, before Jolyne smirked, before turning her back on Kyoko. "You're an idiot if you think I'll call your bluff. And even if you did, any police officer you sent after me would die a very painful death," the mage spat, before finally finding the entrance to the school's kitchen. "Now, unless you want to find out what happens when magma comes into contact with your face, I suggest you leave."
There was silence. No footsteps tapping on the ground to indicate movement, no nothing. The dual-haired teen looked over her shoulder, and lo-and-behold, Kyoko was still there, face still wrought with a scowl. Jolyne turned to face her, then slugged her across the face, knocking her to the ground, before grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, and hauling her up from the floor to make them meet at eye level.
Might as well chew her out, right? She had nothing else better to do. Besides, it could be her entertainment for the day.
"Listen to me, and listen to me well, because I will only say this once," Jolyne growled, making Kyoko grit her teeth, who was still reeling from getting clocked in the side of the head. "I was able to see your father's memories. I pity the man, really, I do. Because you're his daughter. No wonder the man's depressed all the time! You're a little shit, you know that? You have a father who loves you unconditionally, who would do anything to make it so that you succeed in life, who would throw his life away for you, his free will, and do whatever someone demanded of them, all so that you could live another day, and yet your response to that is to spit in his face and call him a bastard for "abandoning" you when in reality he spent years searching for you because your grandfather kidnapped you?! You're a pathetic, worthless, piece of shit, who should've ended up as a dried-up sperm stain on a piece of cloth in the early 90s for that kind of treatment. It's no wonder why no one else likes you. You're a piece of work. And to add insult to injury, only when he's injured and on the floor, unconscious, do you have the gall to pretend to give a shit about him. And now you have the gall to demand of me to teach you magic? I should kill you for that kind of stupidity."
The mage tossed her to the ground, making the detective's body slam into several cafeteria tables, knocking them over as she slid against the tile floor. Slowly, Kyoko shakily began to stand up, looking up at Jolyne with narrowed eyes. "You…. You know nothing," Kyoko snarled, clenching her right hand into a fist. "My father abandoned me for this stupid school… how dare you assume anything!"
Jolyne sneered, before summoning Whitesnake by her side. Kyoko's eyes widened, as she took a step back. "You know… I haven't used Whitesnake in combat in a while…. I wonder just how much stronger he's gotten. You could make the perfect test subject. What do you say, Kirigiri? Want to test your merit against my soul? Or… maybe…." As Jolyne spoke, Whitesnake lunged toward Kyoko, arm recoiled and poised to slash across the detective's forehead.
Kyoko put up a guard, covering her face, before Whitesnake switched things up, maneuvering behind her and kicking her in the back of her knees. A loud snapping sound followed, with blood gushing out of the Ultimate Detective's kneecaps, dealing a shocking 1,000 damage to Kyoko. Kyoko screamed in pain, falling to the floor as Whitesnake loomed over her.
The Mage was a bit surprised. She had no idea that Whitesnake had gotten that powerful, to the point where a simple tap behind someone's knees could not only break the skin and cause blood to be spilled, but also break bones. Seriously, she didn't even make Whitesnake recoil its legs, it simply swung at the back of Kirigiri's legs like it was about to kick a pebble, and it had done that much damage!
"Well, it isn't a Mythic Stand for nothing. Still, though, that's extremely powerful! I wasn't even aware it could be that strong!" Jolyne thought, before collecting herself. She couldn't allow Kirigiri to think she wasn't aware that her Whitesnake was as strong as it was, and so, with that in mind, Jolyne marched up beside her and smirked. "Hmm… not bad. I'll be honest, Kirigiri, you could've walked away when I told you to… however, I did make that promise to Jin that I wouldn't kill you. And I can't exactly leave you like this… So…."
Whitesnake swiped its hand across Kyoko's head, causing a DISC to come out. Kyoko's eyes turned glassy, as the DISC was removed from her head. Whitesnake then did the same thing it did with Sayaka, only this time, it erased all the memories Kyoko had of Jolyne, her every action, all of it, before reinserting the DISC back into her head, as Kyoko's eyes regained their colour. She had to admit, it was a rather sneaky move. But, now with it all done, she was just about ready to go, when a quest popped up in the corner of her eye.
[Branching Quest – Family Reunion/Destruction!]
Description: Don't you just hate it when you get put between a rock and a mountain and a meteorite all at once? I know you do! However, I am nice, and this is a branching quest! You can choose to either recruit Kyoko Kirigiri and bring her into the fold, or, you can kill her and exterminate the Kirigiri bloodline! You know, just like a certain gay blond vampire, except, for fewer reasons than even he had. The choice is yours!
Quest 1: Reunite the Kirigiri family and give them a happy ending. Get Kyoko to stop resenting her father, and bring her into the fold!
Rewards: 1 Million Yen, 500,000 EXP, 10 Gacha Tokens, 50 Karma (Defaulted to Evil due to route locking)
Quest 2: Exterminate the Kirigiri Family, and make them rue the day they ever came against you! They've served their purpose in this meaningless world.
Rewards: 1 Million Yen, 500,000 EXP, 10 Stand DISCs, 50 Karma (Defaulted to Evil due to route locking)
Jolyne didn't know if this was rigged, or if Mono just gave her a quest to make her life easier, or what. Had this Quest come up any earlier, she probably would've spent some thought on it. But with what was going on now, and with her current plans swinging into full gear, she had no reason to let the dumb bitch live, or give her a happy ending.
Call her evil, which she had to admit, she sorta was, but she decided to break that promise with Kirigiri. Why? Well, for some free loot, of course! Whitesnake reappeared and grabbed Kyoko by the throat. She gagged on whatever air she could gather, as her eyes widened in abstract fear, mixed with confusion. Jolyne smirked. "You know…. I almost feel bad for you. Really, I do. Kidnapped at a young age, groomed to become a Detective and to resent your father for something he didn't even do…. It's a very pitiful existence. Sadly for you, or perhaps not, that existence comes to an end today…. Goodbye, Kyoko Kirigiri!"
Just as she was about to have Whitesnake punch clean through her, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and into the cafeteria. Without even checking on who it was, Jolyne had Whitesnake throw Kyoko into a wall, and for it to disappear, as both Sakura Ogami and Aoi Asahina walked into the Cafeteria, chatting up a storm, mostly coming from Aoi, before they stopped dead in their tracks at the utter side of the cafeteria.
When Jolyne set eyes on the two, she noticed that they weren't wearing the school's uniform. Rather, Sakura was wearing a white sailor-style school uniform, with ripped sleeves, bandages on her arms and legs, and a blue pleated skirt that barely covered her extremely muscular thighs, as well as a pair of traditional sandals. Meanwhile, Aoi was wearing a red tracksuit jacket over a white shirt, and a pair of dolphin shorts. She had a red knee sleeve over the right knee and a pair of knee-high white socks, with green runners on.
Aoi saw Kyoko slouched up against the wall, and went running over to her. Jolyne sneered. These idiots just HAD to get in her way, didn't they? Sighing, she had Whitesnake's arm shoot out of her shoulder, and punch Aoi in the chest, knocking her back. This caused Sakura to clench her right fist and get in a lunging position. But, before she could do anything, Jolyne unleashed Despair Aura into the room, causing both of them to fall to their knees, unable to move. With that sorted out, Jolyne scoffed, before turning her back on them. "Do not go near her. If either of you gets in my way, I won't hesitate."
Once Jolyne turned her back, she walked over to Kyoko, summoning Whitesnake again, having it raise a narrowed hand above the detective's head. She was still reeling from being slammed into the wall, so, this would be a quick and easy kill.
However, with two witnesses…. "I can just erase their memories of this moment. It shouldn't be too—" Her thoughts were cut off when a blackened fist smashed into the side of her head, knocking her away from Kyoko, as Whitesnake followed suit, following Jolyne through several walls, through the kitchen, and into one of the classrooms on the first floor, ending with her hitting a wall, and taking nearly over 3,000 Damage in one single blow.
[Random Event Boss! Sakura Ogami!]
Quest: Defeat and Kill Sakura Ogami! [Ultra Violence]
Rewards: 660,000 Yen, 300,000 Exp (Split with Whitesnake), New Title: The Slayer of The Ultimate Fighter.
Jolyne felt like she had just been run over by a supersonic missile carrying at least 100 tonnes of bricks coated in titanium, and to be fair, that would be exactly what had happened in human form. Because marching toward her was a furious Sakura Ogami, Buso covered her lower arms, as she walked toward Jolyne with a purpose.
"Fuck, that hurt! Ya know what, fine, if I'm being rewarded for doing this, might as well show off!" Jolyne thought, pulling herself out of the wall as Whitesnake loomed beside Jolyne. "You know… I don't know how you were able to break out of my Despair Aura, that's a feat no one else has been able to pull off. Congrats, I guess," Jolyne said, sending out another wave of the stuff. Only, this time, instead of making Sakura drop to her knees, it only slowed her down.
"Double fuck!" Jolyne shouted in her head, clenching her teeth. One more punch from Sakura, and she was as good as dead. "Fuck… Fuck! Think!" And then, an idea came to her. This fight would be over in a second. All she had to do was activate Blood Control, and her staff would do all the work for her!
And so, she did just that, activating Blood Control, as the red Staff formed in her hand in seconds. As soon as it was summoned, she raised it in the air, which activated it. As soon as it did, blood began coming out of Sakura's eyes, ears, and mouth, which was what caused her to fall to her knees, mixed with Despair Aura which was already weakening her.
The large woman shouted in pain as her blood was drained into the staff. Jolyne smirked, as Sakura's blood carried into the staff, before travelling toward Jolyne's arm, and flowing into her skin, healing her by 50%, returning her health to 2,400. After that, however, the staff stopped draining the Orge's blood. And only then, was Sakura's health bar shown.
[-50%-]
"Only 50%, huh? Well, that goes to show that it has limits," Jolyne thought as another bar appeared above Sakura's head. The Despair meter was at 25%. "Hmm… interesting. Unfortunately, I want those rewards. Otherwise, she'd be a pretty good pawn." As Jolyne thought that, Sakura slowly began to stand up, blood still dripping from her eyes, which were now red from the burst blood vessels.
There were no words, only actions. Sakura rushed forward, reeling back a punch, which Whitesnake caught easily, before delivering a punch to Sakura's gut, faster than what the Ultimate Fighter could block. The punch went clean through her stomach, dealing a whopping 25,000 Damage to her, making the Orge spit up a large volume of blood. Despite keeping a stone-cold face, Jolyne was utterly baffled at just how much damage that one attack was able to do to Sakura. "Yeah, Daisuke would've been a fucking cakewalk if I just used Whitesnake! Fuck me I'm dumb!" Jolyne thought as she took advantage of the blood on the floor.
Using the aforementioned blood, Jolyne summoned Blood Spears out of the new material, before they shot up toward Sakura. The Ultimate Fighter didn't react, probably because she was still in shock after being turned into a human donut, meaning that she couldn't react to the spears stabbing her in the eyes and through the mouth, before then Whitesnake punched her jaw, clamping her mouth shut and wrenching the spear upward, slicing the back of her neck open, all the while knocking The Ultimate Fighter to the ground with a loud, deafening thud.
And all of it, all of that at once, did 125,000 Damage in one go, killing Sakura Ogami with little to no issue at all, whatsoever.
[-0%-]
"Huh… that was barely 15 seconds…. So much for this being "Ultra Violence." Or, I guess "Hard," right? Besides that one good hit she got on me, she could do nothing to me. And she was 100 levels ahead of me…. Then again, at the most, she was "Peak-Human." She had no real magic aside from that black coating stuff around her arms… She had no ranged attacks, no nothing. She was just a close-combat fighter. Close Combat fighters never were good against Mages, at least in the games that I played back when I was Jack. Still, though, she tried. She could also walk through my Despair Aura like it was nothing…. So that might be something worth noting."
Jolyne turned to look outside the large gaping hole in the wall, and frowned. "I'd hate to be the person who has to fix all of that… I just came here for food, damnit. Not some Random, piss easy, Boss battle!" Jolyne thought, sighing as an all too familiar pop-up came into her view.
QUEST COMPLETE!
REWARDS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED!
.
NEW TITLE UNLOCKED!
The Slayer of The Ultimate Fighter: As The Slayer of The Ultimate Fighter, your ATK Stat has been doubled, along with your Defense stat, and Endurance!
CONGRATULATION! YOU HAVE LEVELLED UP FROM LEVEL 50 TO LEVEL 65!
[Name: Jolyne Brooks: Ultimate Mage, Slayer of The Ultimate Fighter – Guild Master of The Grey Council – Age: 16 – Class: Renegade – Level: 65 – Faction: World Ender/Remnants of Despair – Race: Magma-Human]
Stats:
HP: 5,175
Stamina: 5,175
Mana: 2,851
Atk: 1,190
Mg Atk: 1,060
Def: 1,190
Mg Def: 1,085
Endurance: 1,190
Int: 25
Crit: 68.2
Crit Def: 68.2
Mg Crit: 128.5
Charisma: 131
Faith: 125
Luck: 3
Karma: 150 (Evil), 1 (Neutral), 2 (Good)
HP Regen: 59.1 per second
Stamina Regen: 59.1 per second
Mana Regen: 128.5 per second
Currency: 1,237,780 Yen
EXP till Next Level up – 7,500
.
[Whitesnake has levelled up to Lv. 67! Whitesnake needs 2,648 Exp till the next Level up! Whitesnake has 19 Skill Points that you can use!]
Instead of waiting this time around, Jolyne decided that she was going to upgrade Whitesnake some more, before stepping out to see if Aoi was an idiot and stuck around. Even if she didn't, and even if she took Kyoko with her, it didn't matter. Jolyne would find her, the building wasn't too large, and she could probably cover the whole thing in just an hour if she really pushed herself.
And so, with that in mind, she got to upgrading Whitesnake.
[Destructive Power 4 – MAX: Increases the amount of damage Whitesnake can do using attacks! – Cost: 4 Sp]
[Durability 4 – MAX: Increases Whitesnake's durability! – Cost: 5 Sp]
[Attack Speed 4 – MAX: Increase the speed at which Whitesnake attacks! – Cost: 5 Sp]
-Skill Tree Locked until Level 75-
[Whitesnake Stats rank up!]
[ATK Grade: B – A]
[SPD Grade: B – A]
"Whitesnake now has A's in just about everything, minus Precision and Range. It makes me wonder if the upgrades for both of those are locked behind the level wall. Or maybe, something else? I'm supposed to get another ability at Level 75, like Whitesnake needed that, so maybe it's the upgrades for those?" Jolyne thought, stepping around the corpse of Sakura, walking through the kitchen, and into the cafeteria.
Surprisingly, Aoi was gone, as was Kyoko. She kinda thought that they'd stay, although in hindsight she was probably not giving Aoi enough credit. Though it made Jolyne wonder just how fast and strong Aoi was. To carry a whole person while also running fast enough to get away from a bad situation in less than 20 seconds was pretty impressive.
Then again, Aoi was a swimmer. Swimmers had to have strong legs. Ergo, it made sense that she was a fast runner. "Fuck… I just realized something…. I better contact Sayaka before something bad happens," Jolyne thought, pressing two fingers against the side of her head, and contacting Sayaka through the mental link.
"Sayaka. Sorry to bother you if you're in the middle of something, but I was just attacked by Sakura. She's dead. I had no choice. I'm sorry." Jolyne paused, waiting for a reaction, and after a few seconds, she got one. Just not the one she had expected.
"I can't fault you. If she attacked you, and you defended yourself, I can't complain. All though, I have to ask, why did she attack you? Sakura wouldn't do something reckless like that unless she saw a reason to."
Jolyne bit her lip. Great, now she had two options. Option A. tell her the truth. Or Option B. Lie to her Girlfriends face. And lying to one's significant other was a hard pass, at least in her books. So, she went with the former.
"I was in a fight with Kirigiri. It was on sight. She demanded something of me that I could not give. A fight ensued. I was winning, Sakura saw the tail end of it, along with Aoi, who managed to escape with Kirigiri. The rest is history. Chances are that Aoi and Kirigiri are making a beeline for your classroom or the infirmary. I need you to do something for me if they end up in your classroom if you're there, that is."
There was a brief moment of silence before Sayaka "spoke" up again.
"I'm in the classroom. Kizakura-Sensei is here, but he's asleep. I take it you want me to use Death's Touch on Kirigiri for some reason or another? If that's the case, I want to know why. She's my friend, and I don't want to kill her unless I have no choice. So please, at least give me a reason to. I know that if I don't you'll probably do it yourself, which would irk me more than if I did it myself with a reason."
Jolyne let out a small sigh. That… wasn't what she wanted. Not at all, actually. She didn't want to put that burden on Sayaka. She didn't want the idol to have to kill one of her friends. She knew that would mentally screw her up more than anything else, especially since the rest of Class 78 was there. And so, she responded with that in mind.
"You misunderstand, Sayaka. I do not want you to kill her. What I want you to do is to keep an eye on her. Tell me where she is at all times and the like. She knows too much. I should've seen this coming a mile away, but she knows far too much. I also want you to keep an eye on Makoto. Apparently, he also has Magic. To what extent, I don't know. Let me deal with the messy part. I know that killing someone close to you could cause something of a mental slip. I don't want you to do that. Save your strength for when we train today. Okay?"
Yet again, there was another bout of silence, until there wasn't when Sayaka responded.
"Okay. If that's all you want, then I'm fine with that. And… thank you for giving me an out, Jolyne…. Love you."
"Love you, too."
And then, she severed the mental connection and walked out of the cafeteria. As she walked down the hallway, an idea came to mind. Perhaps having Sayaka look out for them wouldn't be necessary. After all, Whitesnake could travel away from her, and the range covered pretty much the entire school top to bottom. There was no place where Aoi and Kyoko could go without running into Whitesnake.
And so, with that in mind, a smile slowly spread across Jolyne's face, as Whitesnake manifested beside her. "Whitesnake…. Hunt them down. Do not stop until they're dead." And with that, Whitesnake gave chase.
[Aoi]
Aoi didn't know what to do in this situation, other than hide. Her best friend, Sakura Ogami, had told her to run like her life depended on it, and take Kyoko with her, and so she did just that. They didn't even get down the hallway when she heard Sakura scream in pain. All Aoi hoped for was that Sakura was okay and that nothing too bad was happening that she couldn't get out of.
Right now, she was climbing a set of stairs, Kyoko on her back as she made it her mission to get to somewhere safe, like the infirmary, to place the Ultimate Detective under some sort of watchful eye. Even though Aoi didn't know the purplette all that well, she was still a classmate, and classmates had other classmates' backs. That was just the rule of any school. Something that she held to herself more than anything.
And to think. She just wanted to have some breakfast donuts! Not running from a magic-wielding psychopath! Her first impression of Jolyne during that show of power was that she seemed nice. But to discover her beating on Kyoko, seconds away from probably killing her, was something that she didn't think about happening in a million years!
Well, maybe not a million years. Even though she was a bit of an admitted airhead, she knew that petty arguments could sometimes divulge into a fight. Though such a one-sided beating was something that she hoped to never witness ever again. All that she hoped for was that Sakura could hold back that powerful Magician long enough for her and Kyoko to make an escape.
"Asahina…. Where are you taking me…?" Kyoko said, her tone of voice strained and quiet. It probably hurt a lot for her to speak. Kyoko's legs were broken, that much was clear, seeing as Aoi had to carry her on her back, but that was neither here nor there. She had been thrown against a wall so hard that probably more than just her legs were broken.
And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that Aoi herself got punched in the gut by that thing that The Ultimate Magician had summoned to her side. It was an arm of some kind, and it hit her right in the stomach. It almost made her throw up, on top of winding her. It felt like she had been hit in the stomach with a bag of cinder blocks.
Why her? Why Kyoko? What did The Ultimate Magician want with Kyoko? Better yet, why did The Ultimate Magician seemingly want Kyoko dead? It made no sense to the swimmer, but even so, she couldn't just let her upperclassmen get what she wanted. No. No, she couldn't get what she wanted. Especially if it was something that revolved around Kyoko's injury!
Her plan was to take Kyoko to the infirmary on the first floor. However, she knew that The Ultimate Magician would be on the first floor fighting Sakura. Thankfully, there was a way around to the infirmary that required use of the second floor. And so, that was what she was going to do. She was going to use that shortcut to get there. All she had to do was cut through the hallway, take another flight of stairs, hang a right, and boom! She'd be in front of the infirmary!
"I'm taking you to the infirmary! Your legs are horribly injured, and you were nearly choked out by Brooks-san!" Aoi said, as Kyoko tried to say something, but couldn't, coughing instead. A wave of guilt flashed through her. Aoi wasn't a fool. This was stupid, she knew that it was. But she couldn't let Kyoko get hurt. Er, well, not any more than she already was.
Turning a corner, Aoi was about to make her way toward the hallway between her and the staircase she needed to be at, only for that same arm from before to slam into her stomach yet again, only this time punching her far harder than before, making her spit up a large amount of blood. It came rocketing out of her violently, the attack doing more than enough to knock the wind out of her.
She thought, that after that, she'd drop to the floor, try to recuperate, and continue forward….
But then…. It kept going. She watched as the fist started to break through her shirt, which was sad because it was one of her favourites. And then. Pain. Excruciating, nauseating pain exploded throughout her body. She felt her skin tearing as the fist of her attacker drilled through her abdomen like it was some sort of massive bullet. The white tattooed fist and arm continued to travel inward, punching through her stomach as if it was paper mache. Her eyes widened, and her brain all but stopped focusing on the little things, only making her focus on the pain that she was feeling. She hoped that her attacker would stop, but… But it didn't stop after tearing her skin, it didn't stop after it made an indent into and through her abdomen. It didn't stop once it pierced her flesh and into her muscles. It just. Kept. Going.
Blood started to drop onto the floor beneath her, the source of which was the now gaping wound in her stomach, along with yet another round of her violently throwing up blood. It was hard to describe what the rest felt like afterward, but… it was almost as if she could feel her intestines being turned into nothing but goo. All she could do was watch as it happened. She couldn't fight back, not that she thought it possible anyway, but even just the mere idea of that happening was enough to send her into a spiralling fit of denial.
And if that wasn't enough, her attacker—no, the monster, as she soon came to see, wasn't done there. It kept driving its fist through her. With whatever little brain power she had left, she dropped Kyoko to the ground, who she assumed was mortified, judging by her reaction. Aoi could hear Kyoko screaming, not that it mattered much, as the swimmer continued to gag on her own blood, as it constantly spewed out of her mouth.
She felt her spine snap. The moment it did, another wave of searing agony rippled throughout her body, as she could no longer feel her legs, the very thing that she used for swimming, severed within an instant. Not that she'd need them after all of this, of course. Blood continued to pool underneath her, and she vaguely felt her back burst open, as she felt more blood trail down her back. And after all of that, she was still alive. Barely, but still alive. Though she knew that wouldn't be for much longer.
Shaking, she looked up at the monster that had attacked her and was greeted with semi-melted eyes meeting her own. It was wearing some form of executioner's outfit. Fitting, for what it was doing. It also had these weird English letters all around its body, G, A, C, and T. She had no idea why they were there, but it wasn't like she cared about that all too much. Not at the moment. No, what she focused on were those melting eyes of the monster. They were cold, uncaring, and filled with contempt. And then, what made things worse, was its voice. "You are a fool for thinking you could escape the wrath of my user, Aoi Asahina." Its voice was low, booming, commanding, and it instilled fear into the swimmer.
For a split second, she felt the fist leave her body, dropping her uselessly to the ground. A warm liquid began to spread across the ground, the side of her face resting in it. It was a deep, crimson red. Her eyes tried to focus on it. She tried to move her arms to look at her hands, but it was no use. Her body wasn't responding to her.
Mentally, she cried out in agony, though her mouth did not move. Her voice was not working. All she could do was lay in the ever-expanding puddle of her own blood. Tears trailed down her face, as she thought of her brother, Yuta, her mother, her father, all of them. She couldn't call out to them, beg them for help. No one was going to find her in time, that much she knew. In all honesty, she was surprised that she didn't die instantly.
She kinda hoped that she would have. The pain that she was in… was unbearable. She tried so hard to move, tried so desperately to make a noise, but nothing came. She knew that it was pointless to make such an attempt, but even still, she had to.
And then, the thing walked past her. She could barely see what it was, her vision failing her as she looked at it. She watched with the last remaining embers of strength she had left, as the monster stomped down on Kyoko Kirigiri's head, killing her instantly. In her last, final moments, she watched as the monster that killed her disappear.
[Chinatsu]
Finding an abandoned Warehouse to make cover in wasn't exactly too hard to do. Granted, it was a little annoying that they had to practically scavenge to find something to sleep on, but it was better than being cooped up in a testing facility 90% of the time.
Right now, the current base of operations was a small abandoned warehouse that once had been used to store overseas products. Now, it was used to collect dust. And seeing as there hadn't been a no-trespassing sign, that meant the place was up for grabs. So, she took it. Well, she didn't buy it, she and her group decided that they were going to squat in it for a bit until they sorted out something official.
And truth be told… She hated this. Truly, Chinatsu hated this whole situation. If it hadn't been for that Multiversal Gamer showing up and throwing a wrench in the works, things would've been going a hell of a lot more smoothly. Although, according to Kokichi, Jolyne Brooks was fairly weak at the moment. And, seeing as the last time she saw the Multiversal Gamer, she was only level 50, she might've had a decent enough chance against her.
That, and her stats weren't all that great, either. She was going hard into being a mage, without fleshing out her other stats, like her Endurance, Defence, or Attack. She had no Speed Stat to speak of, meaning her system was faulty, or, it had completely skipped over it entirely, and just gave her a ridiculous base speed that normal humans couldn't otherwise handle. And while that was a possibility, she went with the former.
Another thing that she noticed about Jolyne Brooks, was that her Guild Members were primarily regular humans, with the trait "Peak Human." Not exactly the best kind of people to make your Guild out of. She could've at least taught them magic, but seemingly chose not to. According to Kokichi, and what he had observed, one could summon fire and lightning, and another one had an instant death ability.
Aside from that, and the literal children, her guild was fucking weak. It would pathetically easy to just waltz up to them and wipe them out before they ever became a problem. However, there was something that Lady Mary made her aware of right off the get-go before she had sent her and her System to this world. And she would remember those words for the rest of her years. And it was because of what she said that made her stay put.
"All Multiversal Gamers, no matter who they are, are practically immortal. They cannot die unless you beat them in combat, they do not age past 25, physically, anyway. They are immune to disease, hunger, and sleep deprivation. Their bodies never change once they create their avatars, unless they are scarred, and even then that is something extremely hard to do. While this all may seem unimportant to you, little soul, it truly isn't. For you see, little soul, there is one thing that you must know, for the off chance that you meet one….
Never. Fight. Them.
There are certain reasons as to why it is a bad idea, I've lost many a Gamer who got cocky and decided to fight one. So, let this be a warning to you. However, should you need a reason, allow me to tell you.
Above all else, above their preternatural avatars, they grow quicker than most other Gamers. While you have a hard level cap of 150, you can increase it by killing other Gamers. Multiversal Gamers do not have to. They simply can level up to whatever level they so choose. All Gamers can cross worlds, however, that can only happen when you have completed a world. Multiversal Gamers can traverse Worlds at the drop of the hat, so long as their Retainers haven't put pre-requisite requirements toward doing so.
If you run into a Multiversal Gamer, you can never, under any circumstance, judge a book by its cover. Their stats might be low at the beginning, but after they reach level 75, their stat increases go from 25 to 50, to 75, to 100, and so on. They have access to all sorts of Multiversal abilities, while you do not. They have access to advanced Gacha Systems, Advanced Techniques and weapons. Abilities that you cannot even dream of having. They can wield anything of their liking. It is why only 7 of them exist. Any more than that… and the whole Multiverse could be in danger.
If you want to kill one, kill one when they're beginning their journey. That's what most Gamers do, or try to do. Some fail, and some succeed. It all depends on how lucky they got. However… if you run into one mid-journey, and they confront you…. Run like the wind. Don't try and fight them, or you will die. And especially, do not, under any circumstances, mess with one that comes from one of the Norse Gods. Those … have no mercy. The last one that came from them was strong enough to contend with The Almighty, and come out with barely a scratch. Luckily, they were defeated, and their System was banished with its creator, but the point still stands. Be careful, young one. Heed my words. Don't fall as the others have."
That was the last time she had spoken to Lady Mary. The start of her journey. She knew that Lady Mary was still watching her. She could feel her presence everywhere. But she never butted in. She never spoke to her. Never acknowledged her when she tried to communicate with her Retainer. It was hard, especially when she needed help.
But those words. Those words she clung onto. While she didn't know which Pantheon Jolyne was gifted her System from, Chinatsu got hers from the Greek Pantheon, which pantheon didn't exactly matter. All that mattered was that the blue-haired Gamer knew that her adversary was only going to get stronger. How much stronger, exactly, was a mystery.
And that prospect terrified her.
When she started this journey, she started out at least 20 years before canon, having been literally reborn in this universe. She had known what Danganronpa was when she had been alive. She had played all the games, knew exactly what was going to happen, and so she did something that would've broken the universe in half. In fact, it was her very first quest. And that was to open up Ley Lines all across the planet.
Ley Lines were what gave people magic. They generated tangible Mana for people to harness and control. She was going to give this doomed world Magic, and see what would happen because of it. As it turned out, it changed a lot of things. From certain people never being born, like Ruruka, honestly fuck her, and her boyfriend too. Several people's backstories were altered, most of them minor characters, but a main one that had their backstory altered was Mondo Owada. This time around, his brother never died, his life having been saved by the very truck driver he had sped in front of, who had been dabbling in healing magic. Although his brother did retire and handed Crazy Diamond over to Mondo, Mondo never forgave himself for putting his brother in harm's way.
So, technically speaking, his backstory wasn't changed. It simply was altered enough so that Daiya Owada never died.
Introducing this world to magic did good things for it. As far as she was aware, Junko Enoshima never got her hands on any magical capabilities, and it should've stayed that way. But then Jolyne came in, just as she was about to finish up in this world. They had been so close to saving the boy Hajime. So, so close. That would've thrown all of the canon that the universe had out the window. But then Jolyne showed up, distracted Munakata, and threw everything out of whack!
It wasn't fair. None of this was. She had been so close! And now, as she lived and breathed, she was given a Quest. And that one Quest nearly made her want to die.
{Finale Quest – Kill The Intruder}
Quest: Find, Locate, and Kill the Mysterious Interloper
Rewards: Increased Lv. Cap [150 – 250], 50,000,000 Exp, 25,000,000 Yen.
The System was taunting her. Taunting her with an impossibility. She was strong, she was very strong, in fact, she was the strongest in this world! In this Universe! She could probably kill Jolyne Brooks right now, and it wouldn't have been an issue! Hell, Kokichi was almost able to by the sounds of it! She was at Hope's Peak, she was easy pickings!
So why the hell was she not doing it?!
Simple. Because Jolyne was a Multiversal Gamer. Yes, that was why. Even if she was at a lower level compared to her. Even if she was considerably weaker than her. She had access to far stronger abilities than she could ever access. For example. Her Divine Hellstorm. That spell was extremely powerful. Doing it to one enemy could do upwards of 10,000 Damage, and it had a range of nearly 1 kilometre in diameter. That spell alone could one-shot the poor girl! However, it had a 10-minute wind-up period. And if she was attacked even once in that ten minutes, she would have to restart the spell. Her concentration couldn't be broken, or else.
It was simple. If she couldn't strike the Multiversal Gamer down in one hit. They were doomed. One attack was all she had at her disposal. If she used it, and it didn't work, then may The Almighty have mercy on their souls.
Granted she did have other spells, but they wouldn't be enough to one-shot her. By the time she got up and found Jolyne again, there was a good chance that she was already at a higher level, and would be strong enough to tank practically anything that Chinatsu threw at her.
"Hey, sis, what's got you shaking?" Kokichi's voice rang out in the warehouse, as Chinatsu looked up from where she was sitting, glancing over to Kokichi, who was looking at her with a slightly worried expression. She had been sitting up against a crate in the fetal position for a bit now, thinking. Everyone else was out getting things, and living their lives, while Kokichi and her just hung back, holding down the fort.
And all she was doing, was hiding. Hiding from the monster that was coming to get her.
"Jolyne… that's what," Chinatsu said, as Kokichi scoffed.
"What about her?" Kokichi said, his voice filled with arrogance. "I don't know what's got you scared of her, she's weak! She's—"
"Only going to get stronger," Chinatsu interrupted, her frown slowly transforming into a solemn expression. "Far, far stronger. I can guarantee you that the same trick won't work twice," Chinatsu continued. Kokichi raised an eyebrow, causing Chinatsu to elaborate. "She's like me, Kokichi. But, unlike me, she has a thousand times more potential than I will ever have. She gets stronger faster, she has access to stronger magic than I do, then you do, and she can probably learn a more powerful version of your ability in a couple of hours if she tried hard enough."
Kokichi blinked, before laughing. All Chinatsu did was stare at him, a blank expression dressing her face as she watched her brother laugh. Once he calmed himself, he cleared his throat and spoke. "You're lying. That's not possible. You said it yourself, you're the strongest thing this world has ever seen! You even showed me that weird game console thing you have. You said that there was no one else like you in this whole universe! There's no way that Jolyne Brooks is like you! You're one of a kind!" Kokichi stated, as Chinatsu's expression became deadly serious, which caused Kokichi to recoil. "You… you're not lying, are you?" Chinatsu nodded, which caused Kokichi to go wide-eyed. "Wait… so… you're telling me that you… lied?" Kokichi asked as, once again, Chinatsu shook her head.
"No. I didn't. At the time, I thought that I was the only one in this universe with that kind of power. She must've only come here recently. I'd say 4 months ago. I—"
"FOUR MONTHS AGO!?" Kokichi shouted, shaking his head. "You mean to tell me that she got to a quarter of your strength, which took you literal years, in just four months?!" Kokichi exclaimed, looking at Chinatsu with wide, saucer-sized eyes. And then, a dawning realization washed over him, as he asked a question. "Wait a minute… hold on… that thing at Wakasu National Park, when the whole place was practically uplifted due to some fight…. Was one of those people…?"
"Jolyne? Yes. If I remember correctly, the fight was with Jolyne Brooks and the late Akane Owari. Jolyne lost, only because she didn't use her magic. If she had, I don't doubt for a second the destruction would've been way worse," Chinatsu confirmed, looking down at the floor. "That Gundham guy said that he wanted revenge against Jolyne for killing his friends. Everyone else seemed to be on board with that, with the exception of Teruteru Hanamura, who went home to his mother to help run that restaurant. I don't blame him… I wouldn't want to fight her either. His friends are suicidal if they think even for a moment that they would even stand a fucking chance. But unlike him, we aren't given a choice. And it's all because of Sugichi Aoba…!"
When she shouted that, she launched up from the floor, with enough physical force to crack the ground so badly, that it uplifted most of the floor in the warehouse, making it uneven. Kokichi sighed, shaking his head. "Well, at least Takuichi has something to do when he gets back…."
Chinatsu chuckled nervously to herself, clearing her throat as she rubbed at the side of her temples. She needed to distract herself with something, anything. Well, not anything. Chinatsu had this thing that when she got too stressed out, she tended to go do things that wouldn't be considered normal stress relievers. A part of her blamed Lady Mary for her imprinting the idea on her when she was 14 years old, but it was something that she now found herself doing more often than not. And so, with that in mind…. "You know what…. I need to blow off some steam. I need to unwind. If you excuse me, I'm going to go find some random dude from the local bar to stress fuck. M'kay?"
And with that, Chinatsu left the warehouse, as Kokichi laughed uncontrollably at how brazen Chinatsu had been by openly admitting that. When she left the warehouse, she sighed. Things like that were often difficult due to her body perpetually looking like a 12-year-old. It sucked, especially when people made assumptions. She had made this particular avatar for her body because it resembled herself back when she was alive, and living as a girl named Emilia.
And while in Japanese society it wasn't exactly frowned upon for someone with her appearance to go to bars and strip clubs, so long as she had proper Identification, and things could be matched to her actual records, it was the strange looks she got when she walked around town and people got the wrong idea.
"Whatever… Hopefully, my body catches up with my mental age… or at least half of it. Good God, and here I thought that being 30 and having the body type of a minor was bad, but now I'm mentally 50 with that problem! Fucking hell…" Chinatsu thought as she made her way to one of her favourite bars in the city to do what she set out to do.
[Izuru Kamakura]
If you were to tell Izuru Kamakura, the smartest man alive, no, the smartest being alive, that some random High school Headmaster who supposedly ran the school that was founded by the guy that you were named after, was the person who freed him of his eternal damnation at the hands of annoying scientists, then he would not have been one to believe you.
But, as it turned out, that was the case. Which… had been something he hadn't seen coming. He had completely expected to be forced to break out himself by some convoluted means. But no, this Jin Kirigiri person showed up, said he needed him, and paid all the scientists to remove the chip in his back, before then stuffing him in a car and taking him to Hope's Peak Academy.
Oh, but that was before Izuru had the utmost pleasure of squishing every scientist's head like a watermelon underneath a hydraulic press with his bare hands. There weren't many things that made him smile—in fact he was pretty sure that under normal circumstances, he was unable to smile, but this… this was different. He did smile. Both himself, and that tiny voice in the back of his head. Jin was a little disturbed, but then again, who wouldn't be if you saw one guy crush someone's skull with their bare hands, let alone multiple people back-to-back? You'd be a bit disturbed, too.
When they got to the school, Izuru was less than impressed. Oh, sure, the place was massive, with several facilities that could be used to help further someone's education. The campus itself was admittedly very clean, with little to no trash scattered about, which you'd see more often in other schools.
The main building, the one that he was standing in front of right now, was massive, easily able to fit five floors. The school's logo was missing, though Jin explained that it had been the result of some freak wind current knocking it down and that a student had died due to accidentally standing underneath it at a bad time.
Something also of note that Jin brought up, was that suicides within the reserve course building had been taking a massive uptick as of late, moreso than usual. Whether or not Izuru was supposed to be phased by that, he did not know. What he did know, however, was that the small voice in his head really wanted to check it out.
He knew that voice to be the remnants of Hajime Hinata, and if he remembered correctly, the boy was a reserve course student. He apparently had a few friends there, so that small part of him wanted to go and check it out.
Perhaps that would help cure his boredom? Friends might be the key…. And if that was the case, then he'd be all for it. He just hoped these friends weren't completely useless. Not that he cared if they were or not. He lacked social bonds, and a part of him wanted to show off his talents and his magic. Ergo, it made a small modicum of sense for him to go do that.
But that was for later. Right now, he had more important things to notice.
Speaking of, while Jin might not've been aware of it, the school's grounds were cursed. There was a foul energy coming off of the place as if some foul spirit had begun to haunt the school. It reeked of vengeance, of anger, and the reason why he could smell it was because of his enhanced senses, no thanks to those dipshit scientists messing with his body.
Izuru hypothesized to himself that someone was cursing this place, causing misfortune after misfortune to happen here. Someone, who had died recently, or perhaps in the past, was haunting the school, causing bad things to happen. Perhaps his magic could get rid of the vengeful spirit? He did technically have every Talent known to man, and, as far as he was aware, every kind of magic mother earth had at its disposal. Perhaps exorcism magic was one of those things?
Once they got inside the building and started making their way up the stairs, Jin stopped dead in his tracks. Izuru peered over his shoulder and saw exactly why he did. It was quite a gruesome sight and one that even made his stomach churn. Two bodies, both of which were on the second floor of the school, both of which were two teenagers. One had no head, the other a giant hole in their abdomen all the way through to their back.
Jin had fallen to his knees, staring down at both of them, hands in front of his face. He started to mumble incoherently, probably out of anger and confusion if his tone was anything to go by. Izuru sighed. This was probably not why he was called here, but, seeing as he was here now. Walking up to both of the bodies, he held both of his hands out, as red and white runes appeared on the palms of his hands.
The runes began to spin clockwise, and counter-clockwise. The blood on the floor began to be absorbed into the runes, which made Jin look away from the floor, and the bodies, over to Izuru. "W-What are you doing?" Jin asked, his tone shaky, as Izuru gave him a passing glance. He didn't respond, Izuru was going to need all of his concentration to focus on this spell. He never used it before, obviously because he never had to, he just knew he had it.
The perks of being The Ultimate Ultimate, huh?
Once the runes stopped spinning, they glowed a vibrant green. As soon as they did, Izuru uttered a chant, which was required for the spell to be performed. The chant was in Latin, and it had to be said perfectly. If any other Japanese Mage tried to do it and fumbled on one word, they would probably end up summoning a Demon, rather than what he was trying to do. Thankfully, he was fluent in every language.
Once again, the perks of being The Ultimate Ultimate.
The spell in question was a very complicated, very dangerous, resurrection spell. It could only be once every two years, for the sole reason that by doing this kind of spell, you would be stealing souls belonging to Death itself. The spell had a ridiculous cooldown that it did because once those spirits are taken, attempting it again would sign your own soul to The Dark One, and he would take it without hesitation immediately.
But, that wasn't the only reason why it was dangerous. Oh, sure, having your soul stolen if you got too greedy was definitely a bad thing. However, with spells that require chants, they require the caster to know every word off by heart before casting the spell. One wrong vowel, one wrong inflection, and the spell could go haywire.
Now, how the spell worked was rather simple. Essentially, the spell reaches starts by taking the spilt blood, dry or fresh, from the ground around the bodies, and giving the blood to death for a transaction. Once that is done, the souls of the blood that it belongs to will be given to the caster. Once that happens, the Curse of the Soul Robber is placed on the caster, giving them the two-year cooldown that was previously mentioned. After that, the souls are given to the caster, and then, they are sent to the respective bodies, completing the resurrection.
And all of it was done by a ritualistic chant. Which, as previously stated, was something that The Ultimate Ultimate could do with pathetic ease.
"His qui perierunt, mors non est finis. Dedit tibi Dominus alium casum. Fac unum apud te, o perditus et cognatus spiritus, Surge…Iterum!"
As the chant finished, the light from the runes shot out toward the respective bodies that were on the ground. The lights, or rather, the souls of the respective bodies slammed into the corpses. As soon as they did, their wounds began to regenerate. This was the second half of the spell. The blood that was given to Death, would then be used to heal the bodies of the dead, allowing them to live life as if nothing happened.
The downside, however, was that their memories of what happened to them would be stripped away. They would not remember the fact that they died. Only what they were doing before they died. Another downside was that if they died again… their souls would be destroyed. Preventing another attempt at resurrection. Beyond that, there was more. Once someone is resurrected, they lose a bit of themselves, be it sanity, be it someone's firstborn child, or even be it the loss of vision in one eye. It is always a grave cost, and it is never dumbed down.
Izuru did not know of which of these it took, but it was clear that it had nothing to do with vision, seeing as when the two corpses, no longer corpses, sat up, they looked around, stared at one another, and blinked, as instant confusion came about. "Kyoko! Your legs! They're healed?!" The tan-skinned teen said as the pale-skinned teen rubbed the back of her head.
"I… guess you're right?" Kyoko said, before looking over to Izuru and Jin. Her expression turned neutral, which had previously been one of confusion. "Oh… father. And… who are you?" The girl asked as Izuru bowed his head.
"My name is Izuru Kamakura. I am the Ultimate Lifeform, second only to God himself," Izuru said, introducing himself in the way that his brain was programmed to do so. Kyoko narrowed her eyes at this, causing Izuru to sigh. "My bad. It is how I am programmed to introduce myself. My… creators, thought a bit too highly of their work. They were morons."
That caused Kyoko to raise an eyebrow. "Creators? Not… parents?"
This prompted Jin to speak up. "Human experimentation. He was created using another person as the base, with his personality and abilities put in after the original person who gave up his life for Izuru's was completely removed," Jin said, as Kyoko gave a sideways glance to Jin, frowning, before turning her attention back to Izuru.
"I… see… very interesting. I take it that these abilities are… Magical in nature?" Kyoko asked as Izuru nodded. Kyoko hummed, before asking yet another question. "Can you… teach me magic?"
"No," Izuru stated, flatly, making Kyoko recoil slightly.
"Why is that?" Kyoko asked as Izuru shook his head.
"You do not have the aptitude for it. Your mind is too restricted, too "in the box" so to speak. To use magic, the person has to have a completely creative mind. Not one based on facts and logic. Otherwise, you will never be able to succeed. It is why there is a tiny sliver of Hajime Hinata still left in me, giving me my emotional and creative connections to my otherwise emotionless and logical self," Izuru stated, before turning to look at Jin. "Now, Kirigiri-san, you told me you needed my help. What for?"
Jin cleared his throat, standing up from the floor that he had been kneeling on due to the shock of seeing his daughter's corpse, because now that Izuru looked at them, they had a few striking similarities, and spoke. "Not here. We need to go to my office for that. She might be listening…."
"Oh?" Izuru thought, raising an eyebrow. "She? Who do you mean "she", Headmaster?" Izuru questioned, as the man shook his head. He simply turned and walked down the hall. The man looked over his shoulder and nodded at Kyoko, who frowned at him in return before the man continued walking. Izuru spared a glance at Kyoko and grew a faint bit of interest as to why she seemed despondent toward the man.
Then, he came to understand why that was the case in a flash. And it annoyed him.
"You have issues with your father…. hmph. Petty. You should be glad that you have such a caring figure in your life," Izuru said, walking away. She was about to speak when he continued. "For it was he, who begged for your life when he saw your headless corpse just moments ago." He didn't know why he had to add that last part, but, as he left, he felt a spitful vindication rise off of his shoulders, as he followed the man, Jin Kirigiri, to his office.
As for why he felt that way just moments ago, it was explained to him in a memory. One supplied by Hajime, he suspected. It was of his former self. He had a broken leg, but his parents didn't seem to care. It was then he understood. "I see… so it was a deep seeded anger. For her to be so rude to someone who cares about them when this body's original soul did not have such a relationship. I understand now…."
It didn't take long for Izuru and Jin to make it to the top floor. When they entered the office, Izuru took a seat at the chair in front of the desk, as Jin did the same, though he sat opposite of Izuru. The door closed behind them, as another man walked forward. This man was blond and wore a grey suit with a black shirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. This, from his memory, was Koichi Kizakura.
"Damn…. You actually got him to come here. I'm impressed, Kirigiri-kun," Koichi said, as Jin sighed.
"Now's not the time for that," Jin replied, looking at Izuru with a serious expression. "Izuru, or, would you like me to call you Kamakura, instead?" Jin asked as Izuru shrugged.
"Names are meaningless in the end. All these are things to be tagged upon a person, a title if you will. Call me whatever you want. I do not mind either way," Izuru said, as Jin nodded, a small bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face.
"I see… well then. Izuru, I asked you to come here because I believe you are the only one who can help me. You already resurrected my daughter, which is something that I can never repay you for. I am sorry I ask of you to do something for me after you already did, but… this is a threat to society as we know it. I cannot allow this to happen. I need you to help me. Will you accept?"
Izuru tilted his head. "A threat to society as we know it…. Perhaps this is the "she" you mentioned in the hallway, after leaving those two behind?" The black-haired, red eye's human test subject asked, as Jin nodded.
"Her name is Jolyne Brooks. While on paper, she is named The Ultimate Magician. In reality, she is The Ultimate Mage. Since day one, she's caused problems. I thought that I could get her under my watchful eye before something bad happened. However, someone else has already sunk their fangs into her, and she has become a force of chaos. I need you to dispose of her. That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Jin asked as Izuru hummed.
Jolyne Brooks. That was a name that Hajime vaguely remembered. Why, though, he had no idea. However, if she was the Ultimate Mage, that meant it was where those annoying scientists got the idea to give him magic, and force him through the trials that he had been forced to go through. She was the source of all of his problems.
She was the one who he vowed to annihilate.
His eyes glowed dangerously, as a rye, tooth-bearing smirk appeared on his visage. "Yes… I think it shouldn't be… too difficult." And as Izuru said that, he held out his palm. Within the center of it, he created a miniature, self-contained…. Black Hole. Jin looked on in abstract terror. Koichi dropped his metal flask. And Izuru simply smiled, as he closed the Black Hole.
Izuru stood up from his seat, and walked toward the door, straightening out his tie, as he exited Jin Kirigiri's office. He had a name for his target. Now all he had to do was find her. And that… couldn't be too hard. Could it? Whatever, it didn't matter. Izuru was determined to get rid of the only reason why he had the power that he had.
As the saying went: Fight a man with everything to lose, and the battle will be short-lived. Fight a man with nothing to his name, and that fight will drag on until the year's end.
Izuru was the latter. And he would make Jolyne Brook's death as painful as humanly possible.
-To Be Continued-