Chapter 50
Thursday, January 26, 2023.
*Ding Dong*
As classes finished at 3.30pm, I decided to pay a visit to the orphanage where I'd been staying for a few months.
The door opens to reveal the Sister in charge of the place. Seeing me at the entrance, her face lights up and she stretches out her arms towards me, inviting me to a hug that only she knows the secret of.
"Senji, how nice to see you." She said, taking me in her arms. "How are you? I was starting to worry, it's been a while since you'd been around."
"Hello, Sister Catherine, everything's fine, I'm just... busy at the moment." (I can't tell her about the Eighth, she'd worry and try to get involved to protect me, which I can't accept.)
"I don't doubt it, come on in, I'll make you some tea. Seeing the time, I imagine you came straight here after school?"
I nod, following her into the establishment, which I still remember perfectly. We pass between the children, who greet me shyly, and I can see that the number has increased since the last time I was here. Children either abandoned by their parents or dead, and if some institutions won't accept them, Sister Catherine is their ray of hope, just as I was back then.
I still remember, when I arrived here, she knew right away who I was, me and the demon that came with me. And yet she accepted me and did everything she could to give me a taste for life again. Sister Catherine is a fighter, a former martial arts pro, so it wasn't a child with a blank stare and severed emotions that was going to stop her. In my vision, she was that lighthouse in the distance, in the mist, whose light managed to show itself from time to time. I couldn't accept it, I was too scared. But by dint of perseverance on her part and a lot of reluctance on my part, I began to make my way towards that light, until I found it.
Today, it's thanks to her that I've learned to trust people again. Without her, I'd never have followed Kiritsugu, let alone found any meaning in my life. That's why I come to see her almost every month, even though I've only been here a few months, those few months saved me, before the big incident...
"Here's some tea... What is it Senji, tell me what's wrong." She sits down next to me, stroking my hand gently.
(Of course she immediately notices that I'm lost in thought.)
"It's nothing really. It's just that the February tests are fast approaching, so it's a bit stressful, that's all."
"I understand, Kuoh has a reputation for showing no mercy, especially in heroic pursuits. But you've got nothing to worry about with the grades you've got, it's all going to be a piece of cake."
For several minutes, we continue chatting, interrupted by various children demanding her attention. Sister Catherine, along with Fuji-nee, are the only people I can interact with for hours. Normally, with other people, I need a little time alone to recharge my batteries, but their presence does me a lot of good.
"So you see, in the end we came out pretty well, even though the priest tried to intimidate me, I didn't give in. Cutting this orphanage's income in half, who does he think he is?" Sister pours herself a second glass of tea.
"Indeed, especially as I've noticed there are more children than last time."
"Have you noticed... Yes, there are about ten more children than last month. A record I'd never have imagined. And yet we're in Fuyuki, where the Hokage lives, as well as being watched over by All Might and the golden Makai knight... What a tragedy."
We remain silent for a few seconds, watching the children playing in the garden.
"That reminds me, one of the children was saved by the Golden Makai Knight a few months ago. That Sophie, she's going to kill me with stress one day."
("Sophie? Saved by Sword? Are we talking about the same Sophie?)
"What happened?"
"This silly girl has made a habit of going out at night to look for 'clues' about her missing brother and she's found herself in a very tricky situation. I dared to think it would teach her a lesson but no, it seems to motivate her even more, I don't understand."
"Missing? Do we know under what circumstances?"
"Nothing at all." She shakes her head negatively. "He was the only family Sophie had left and then he disappeared overnight. The only clue is this word, Eldorado. That's how she came face to face with a wandering devil, thank God the makai knight was there. When she told me about it, I couldn't believe her, but I had to accept it when I saw the news. Besides..." She turns her gaze to me, inspecting me.
"Yes...?" I turn my head avoiding her gaze.
"Hmmm..." She raises an eyebrow at this. "She also told me that a young man saved her, along with the makai knight, fitting your description perfectly. Tell me Senji, don't you have something to tell me?"
"Um..." (I guess there's no point in lying, she'll see right through it.) "Indeed, I was out mopping when I saw her running away from a wandering devil."
"There isn't one to catch up with the other... Oh but that gives me an idea, Senji will you go and talk to her? Maybe she'll listen to someone who saved her life, please?"
"...Okay, I'll give it a try."
"Perfect, follow me."
We get up and enter the part of the building used as the children's apartment. After a few minutes of finding our way around, Sister Catherine stops at a door and knocks.
"I'm coming in." She announces.
She opens the door and we enter. It's a small room, with two bunk beds, posters, and two desks, on one of which is a girl, working on what appears to be homework. Seeing us, she stretches and turns to us.
"Hello Sister, sir, what can I do for you?" She asks.
"We've come to see Sophie, would you happen to know where she is?" Sister asks.
"Well, there she was next to me... Oh."
She stops, turning to the open window, and a rope hanging from the radiator just below, running down to the street. When Sister sees this, she sighs, as if it's the fifteenth time it's happened.
"Again?" She removes her glasses and rubs her eyes.
"Do you know where she might have gone?" I ask the girl.
"Well, I told her about a priest who disappeared in his church."
"Which one?"
"Um..."
"You can trust him, he's a former member of the orphanage." Sister helps me.
"All right, here's the address." She shows me on her phone the address of this church.
"Apart from Fuyuki? Did she really go that far?" I ask.
"Stubborn as she is, it's entirely possible." She replies.
"Senji, can you please bring her back? I'll compensate you for the transport." She reaches into her pockets to pull out a few yen for a round trip.
"...No problem, I'll take care of it."
After taking the bus for a good hour, I find myself in a village near Fuyuki. With poor reception, I can't use a gps, so I try to find my way, passing between empty streets, until I come across an old man with his cane, sitting on a bench.
"Um, hello sir, excuse me." I approach him.
"Hello young man. Oh... I don't recognize you, you're not from around here, are you?"
"Indeed, I'm looking for the village church."
"Ah, indeed from here you can't see it yet. It's over there, in that direction. Father Ripley used to live with Mary-san next to the old church he renovated."
"Mary-san?"
"This is her little sister. She was very beautiful when she was younger. Because of her health, we don't see much of her these days. Her brother was very pious. He was an admirable priest."
(He was...)
"Very well, thank you sir. On that note, have a good afternoon."
"To you too, young man."
I continued on my way, following the route he had indicated. The village is rather quiet, if you ignore the barking of dogs in the distance and the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves of trees and bushes. Despite the cold, the sky is a pale blue, a pleasant contrast, as even I was getting tired of seeing clouds covering the whole sky.
After several minutes of walking, I finally see her, her red hair, that blue sweater and black shorts, the same outfit as that night. She's watching the children walk away, one running to catch up with the other. When I'm close enough to her, I start coughing to get her attention. She turns suspiciously, then turns in surprise.
"Senji-senpai!? What are you doing here?" She asks me.
"You remember me?"
"Of course! You saved my life I remind you, it scores you know!"
"Hmmm, now that you mention it. Anyway, the reason I'm here is because Sister Catherine asked me to come and get you, she's very worried you know."
"What?! You and Sister know each other?"
"Yes, but that's not the point, come on let's go."
"No wait!" She stops me, tugging at my sleeve. "I have an excellent reason for being here!"
"How so?"
"By the way, how did you know how to find me?"
"Your friend told us everything. And before you accused her, we asked her, she didn't have much choice."
"Oh, I know, she's having a rough time because of me, anyway! If you knew where to find me, do you know the whole story or not?"
"The deceased priest. Why are you so interested? Was he an acquaintance of yours?"
"No, but they say he died in a strange way. You know what that means. That he was possibly killed by a wandering devil or something. So it also means that I can find Sword here!"
"Your goal is to find Sword?" She nods at my question.
(Is she serious?)
"That kid's not very bright."
"Well, I see. But you left out two details that I think are important. Firstly, you don't know anything about what's going on, let alone finding Sword here. Secondly, if there really was a monster around, what would you have done? Run and hope a hero saves you?"
"Yes, I didn't think about all that, but now I don't have to."
"Why is that?"
"Because you're here."
"...?... Oh no! I'm not going to babysit and besides did you really listen to me, There's very little chance of Sword being there."
"I know that the probability of it is close to zero, but I still need to know! Please, please, please!" She tugs on my sleeve, it seems to be really important to her.
"...Ok... Let me just let Sister know I'm with you, that'll put her mind at rest."
"Thank you!" She gives me a hug before quickly releasing me, a curious look on her face. "Wait, you've even got her number?"
"Yes, we often talk."
"I see. You're an old boy from the orphanage?"
"Yes. Okay she's been warned, so let's go."
"Yes! Follow me this way!"
We've finally arrived at the church, which looks pretty well maintained. As Sophie continues on her way, I stop in front of the house next door and call out to her.
"Sophie-san, it's here."
"Huh?" She turns and walks over to me, reading a sign. "Thomas Ripley... Oh that's the priest's name, I remember, good eyes Senji-senpai."
She looks over the gate, seeing a woman uprooting weeds in the garden.
"Who is this..." She wonders.
"Mary-san, the priest's sister."
"How do you know that?"
"I asked someone."
"...Yeah... I should have done the same, I could have avoided going round in circles like that. Anyway..." She turns to the woman. "Uh, excuse us..."
"..." She stands up and looks at us, questioning. "Who are you?"
"Um..." Sophie's cheeks flushed as she saw Mary's face from the front. "Sorry to bother you."
She opens the door and enters. I follow, thinking to close the gate.
"My name is Sophie Hennes, and this is my friend Senji Emiya-senpai. Father Ripley had visited our orphanage in Fuyuki, um..."
"Are you Mary-san?" I ask.
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you both."
Sophie is speechless, so I tap her on the shoulder to bring her back.
"Uh! We'd like to talk to you, if possible." She asks, stammering.
"Of course," Her smile has an effect on me too, this woman really is gorgeous. "Come on in."
"Thank you!" Sophie smiled too, following her.
(The old man said she was sick, didn't he?)
"Senji-senpai, what are you doing?" Sophie turns, noticing that I'm not following.
"I'm coming."
"He left everything like that?" Sophie asks.
Sophie and Mary are sitting on a sofa, while I'm sitting next to them on an armchair, listening attentively to their conversation.
"Yes." Mary admits. "That's why it's hard for me to realize..."
"What are the police doing?"
"They listened to me. but there are so many similar cases, that I was told not to get my hopes up."
"It's horrible." Said Sophie, turning her head to look at the round coffee table in the center of the room. "They don't know how we feels to spend every day waiting!"
"We?"
"...My older brother has also disappeared." Sophie's eyes darken, her fists clenching on her thighs.
"Do you have a brother too, Sophie-chan?" Mary asks. She places a delicate hand on her fist. "I see."
"...Mary-san." Seeing this, Sophie's face lights up again, turning to Mary. "Haven't you eaten yet?"
"Huh?" Mary is surprised by this question.
"What are you talking about, Sophie-san, it's not even 6pm yet." I call out to her.
"And so?" She smiles at me. "At the orphanage, we prepare dinner very early!"
"That's because there are a lot of mouths to feed..." I sigh.
"I'll fix you something, Mary-san, it's the least I can do." Sophie gets up with Mary and goes into the kitchen, leaving me alone.
A sweet smell wafts in from the kitchen, and curious, I get up and head there, seeing Sophie turning a ladle in a large saucepan. Then she picks up a sauce plate, fills it with red sauce and hands it to Mary.
"Have a taste."
"Thank you." Mary complied, taking the plate and drinking the contents. "It's delicious!"
"All the better! Senji-senpai, would you like a taste?"
"Why not?"
"Here."
"Hmmm... I'd say there's something missing. May I?"
"Oh, yes of course!"
Sophie leaves me the ladle. I pick up a few herbs, put them in the pan and stir. Then Sophie tastes it.
"So, it's better isn't it?"
"Wow! Only a few herbs can change the taste so much! Are you a cook Senji-senpai?"
"Amateurish yes. In any case, it will be better if we let it rest. By the way Mary-san, did you dry all those flowers yourself?" I ask.
Dried flowers hang upside down from the ceiling beams.
"Indeed. I hang fresh flowers in the room to dry." As she explains, I also see other flowers tied up and placed on a table. "I don't leave my house, so it's become a hobby."
"Woah, there's plenty!" Sophie looks around. "Oh, is that you in this picture?"
Sophie takes the frame in question, showing a younger Mary with much less pale skin than today, in a long pale yellow dress
"Yes, it's from a long time ago. It was taken at the town festival."
"You were beautiful!" Sophie exclaims, making Mary blush.
"Come on, you're flattering me."
"But no, even now, you are! You'd have ud success if you went out dressed in a pretty dress."
"Come on, I doubt it..." Mary's gaze darkened.
A strange silence settles in, and Sophie looks at Mary, not understanding why she said that. Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. Which surprises us all.
"I'll open." I move toward the entrance, followed closely by Sophie. "Coming!"
I open the door to see... Sword, who seems as surprised to see me here as I am.
"Oh! Sword!" Sophie shows up, just as surprised as we are.
"What are you and Senji doing here?" Sword asks.
"I have a first name, it's Sophie! You'd better remember it!" She said, hands on hips. "I haven't stopped looking for you, I'll have you know!" She points at him.
"Huh? What's she talking about?" Sword asks me.
"Go figure." I reply.
"Anyway, never mind, what are you doing here?" Sophie asks. "Are you investigating Father Ripley's disappearance?"
"Huh?" Sword scratches his head, feigning ignorance.
"Isn't that right?" Asks Sophie, who seems to have fallen for it. "Isn't it? You've come to see if it's monster-related, haven't you?"
"What are you drooling about? Today..." Sword, who had his hands behind his back, pulls out a bouquet of flowers. "I've come to see the priest's sister!" He smells the flowers. "Ahhhh..."
"Huh?... Are you here to see Mary-san?" Sophie asks, somewhat confused.
"Sophie-chan, Senji-san?" Mary calls out, finally reaching us.
"Mary-san!" Sophie turns to her.
"Do you know him?" She ask us.
"Ah, er..." Sophie doesn't know what to say.
"Yes, he's an acquaintance of ours." I answer for her.
"Ah! You must be Mary-san!" Sword enters. "Move over." And pushes Sophie with one hand on her head.
"Hey!"
Sword holds the bouquet out in front of Mary's face, who immediately blushes.
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Sword. I'm sorry about your brother." As he introduces himself, I can see exactly where his gaze lands.
(You've got to be kidding, he can't keep his eyes off a woman's breasts...)
"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." He's back to his serious self instantly. "I'm sure a nice young lady could use some support. I'd be happy to help."
Mary looks at the bouquet with great envy. Meanwhile, Sophie looks on in astonishment.
"Do you accept these flowers?" Sword asks.
Mary hesitated for a few seconds before accepting, taking the flowers with great delicacy, to Sword's delight.
"Thank you very much." He said. "On that note, goodbye." At these words, he turns and leaves.
"Say..." Mary calls out to him.
"Today," Sword pauses and turns his head towards her. "I was just introducing myself. And you delinquent, get home on time!" He turns to Sophie. "If you're with Senji, I know you're in good hands, but don't take up too much of his time either!"
"Okay..." She nods.
"Good girl." Then before leaving, he says nothing to me, but looks at me with a sincere smile. Then he starts running.
We watched him leave without saying a word, then suddenly Sophie became agitated, as if remembering something important.
"Hey, just a minute! Mary-san, Senji-senpai, I'll be right back!"
Mary didn't reply, just watched her leave at Sword's kit, then returned her gaze to the flowers, as if hypnotised by them.
Then she suddenly turns towards the inside of the house, dropping the flowers.
(…)
"Mary-san, are you all right?" I ask.
She doesn't answer me, just stands there staring blankly at the back of her house, as if frightened by something.
"Mary-san..."
"Yes! Everything's fine!" She bends down to pick up the flowers. "I just think the cold's making me weak..."
"I see, so go and warm up, I'll wait for Sophie."
"I'll do that yes, thank you Senji-san."
I watch her slowly leave, until she disappears behind a wall, leaving me alone in the silence of the entrance.
(If Sword has passed, then something is definitely up.)
"On the other hand, what was that approach technique? Was courting this lady really necessary?"
(An approach worthy of his intelligence, I suppose).
"Ah! All the old armour bearers must be turning in their graves!"
(Did you know any of them?)
"I've even fought some of them! But let's get back to the subject. If anything should happen, you know what to do, don't you?"
(I pull out the gauntlet, Roger.)
The sun is slowly setting, giving the sky inside the house a reddish-orange hue. The smell of stew began to make itself felt, waking my stomach at the same time.
"What the hell is she doing?"
As I'm complaining about Sophie's absence, the door finally opens, letting her in, exhausted and pouting.
"Well, you were after him for a while," I say.
"Raaah! Sword really gets on my nerves! He kept dodging the question and then suddenly took off on his huge motorbike! Why won't he tell me anything..."
"Hm, hoping you're luckier next time." I get up and head for the dining room.
"Wait, Senji-senpai." I stop. "Do you know anything about Eldorado...?"
"Other than I heard it from you and Sword, no I don't know anything, sorry."
"I thought so, no problem. Let's go and see Mary-san, she must have been waiting a while."
When we arrive in the kitchen, we see her preparing the pot-au-feu, humming something.
"Here I am again... Sorry, Mary-san, it's getting late..." Sophie apologises with her head down.
"Welcome back, Sophie-chan. Did you get a chance to talk to him?" Asks Mary.
"No, but I'll see him again, I'm sure of it!" Sophie said as she sat down at the table.
I sit down too, and notice the bouquet of flowers in a vase in the middle of the table.
"The bouquet..." I mumble.
"I've put it in a vase, it would be a shame if it wilted." Mary explains. " And otherwise, what would you say to having dinner with me?"
"You're looking better!" Sophie remarked.
"Yes, it's thanks to you two!"
We accepted Mary's invitation and ate the stew with her. Sophie and Mary chatted throughout the meal, while I stayed on the sidelines enjoying the meal as much as possible, but still took the time to answer their questions or give my opinion when they asked.
"Ahhh, that was delicious." Sophie puts down her spoon. "I hesitate to have some more!"
"Oh but don't bother, Senji-san is on his third tour after all." Said Mary.
"What a glutton..." Sophie stares at me.
"Hm? Sorry, I was really hungry..."
"But no, everything's fine, on the contrary, a young man who eats a lot is a young man in good health, it's very reassuring." Mary explains.
"But eating so much made me want to sleep..." Sophie says, yawning.
"You can sleep here if you like." She tells us.
"Um..." I call out to Sophie.
"Gee, I forgot!" But it was Mary who reacted first. "You have to go back to the orphanage."
"But..." Sophie looks at me, as if begging me to want to stay here.
"Senji-san, take your time finishing." Mary smiles at me. "I always had dinner with my brother around this time. After eating, he would shower and then go to his room upstairs... He often fell asleep in the middle of reading. I had to turn off the light for him. I'm still not used to living alone." She recounts with a touch of nostalgia.
"It was the same for me." Sophie tells us in turn. "When I was little, I was afraid of the dark."
"Is that so?" Mary asks.
"My brother stayed by my side in those moments..."
"Your big brother was very nice."
"Yes, we were inseparable. He taught me computing."
"I see."
"And you Senji-senpai, do you have a brother or an older sister?" Sophie asks me.
"Hm? Um..." The question catches me off guard, not wanting to break the mood. "No, I'm an only child, maybe it was better that way... But then, Father Ripley was nice too, wasn't he?"
"..." When I ask the question, I see a hint of hesitation in her eyes. "Of course he was. He cared for me more than anyone." Sophie nods as she listens. "And he always said..." Mary grabs Sophie's hand. "I have a beautiful little sister."
"He was proud of you." Said Sophie.
"And also, 'Don't leave the house'." Mary's tone rises. "'Don't ever wear a dress again'. 'Don't talk to other men.'" She squeezes Sophie's hand, which agitates her.
"Mary-san, you're hurting me!" Sophie tries to pull her hand away but can't move it. "It hurts!"
Seeing this I put down my cutlery and moved slowly over to them, bracing myself for the worst.
"Stop it! Mary-san, let me go!" Sophie screams.
I grab the shoulder and hand holding Sophie, squeeze hard to get her to let go, then throw her violently to the floor, knocking over the table in the process, then stand in front of Sophie, activating my Boosted Gear.
"[BOOST] Sorry... But you didn't really leave me much choice, Mary-san." I say, keeping Sophie behind me.
"It's all my brother's fault." Mary said, rising to her feet. "It's his fault. Because of him I..." She begins to move slowly toward us.
"Mary-san..." Sophie is terrified.
"You're both young, you can't understand." Hearing this, I can't help but wince. "But I..."
"Stay away!" I raise my voice, putting my left arm forward.
"I was going to dry up and die without doing anything!" Her gaze is no longer the same, the pupils dilated, the whites of her eyes streaked with red.
Then, all of a sudden, she moves at a speed I wasn't expecting. My only reflex is to protect Sophie. Mary raises her hand and hits me on the back, propelling us through the house, knocking down a door and falling into a cellar.
"*cough* I did the right thing... strengthening my body before... damn it..." I mumble, trying to catch my breath. "Is everything all right Sophie-san?"
"Yes!" She frees herself from my protection, gently depositing my arms. "And you! You've taken everything! The blow, the stairs, you didn't break anything?"
"Everything's fine, just need... to catch... my breath..."
"It's all his fault." Mary can be heard in the distance.
Without hesitation, Sophie gets up, climbs the stairs and closes the door, barricading it with whatever she can find, then goes back down...
"No networks..." She said, looking at her phone. "And it's completely dark."
"There, to your left on the wall, is the light switch." I signal as I stand up.
Sophie taps on the wall beside her until she finds the light switch, and when the light comes on, we can see a bloody wooden table in the center of the room, with a whole arsenal of torture tools on it. Hooks, hammers of varying sizes, screws, scalpels, machetes, pliers etc., all covered in blood. Further on, handcuffs and chains of all kinds, soaked in blood, and a chair covered in blood and... Mary's hair.
"Ahhh... Hahh..." I hear Sophie struggling to breathe next to me.
"Sophie-san," I turn to her and force her to look at me. "Don't look again and don't move, is that clear? Do you trust me?"
She nods wordlessly, tears in her eyes, and turns around, facing the wall. I get up and walk into the room.
Then I spot a corpse on a pile of flowers, and step forward to see that its Father Ripley. Well, what's left of him, because half his face has no skin left on the bones, and a tooth has been cut out.
(There's no smell, for how long...)
Suddenly I hear something above me. I look up to see that she's breaking the floorboards, revealing a bloodshot eye.
"Sophie get ready, she's coming!" I run to her.
Mary breaks the parquet, putting her arm through it, then makes a hole big enough to go through completely. She moves on all fours across the ceiling, then the wall, before arriving in front of me. Seeing this, Sophie loses the strength in her legs and falls to her knees. Mary stands up, then turns her attention to the corpse.
"It's all your fault." Mary picks up the corpse's head. "It's all because of you!"
Suddenly she crouches down and devours what little skin remains on the face, before her body deforms, as if something is trying to get out from inside, then her arm changes shape, becoming black and red, much longer with what looks like a pair of pliers at the end. Then her whole body changes appearance, a grey body, long and powerful legs, with sharp claws. Moving around on all fours, its body is inverted, the torso replacing the back. The face on the head, a huge mouth with a long blue tongue in place of the face and Mary's hair on the neck.
"I'm going to devour your future!" Said the monster, advancing towards us.
I take out my phone, enter the contacts and hand it to Sophie.
"Get out here and call Sword!"
"Huh? But..."
"No buts about it! I'm going to hold that creature back until you can get away!"
I notice that the monster is preparing to pounce. I throw my phone at Sophie, who catches it awkwardly. I strengthen my body, project a sword and block the attack head-on.
"You came here of your own free will didn't you? So take that responsibility all the way! Fight Sophie!" I exclaim, pushing the creature away.
(Huh... this thing isn't as strong as it looks.)
Sophie finally gets up and quickly climbs the stairs, which attracts the monster's attention, and it races towards her. [BOOST] I dash as I strengthen my legs, arrive just in front of her and kick her in the face, crashing to the ground.
"Don't stop, run!" I shout to Sophie, who resumes her flight.
(Well, now it's just you and me... but in such a confined space I'm limited...)
The monster gets up and runs towards me, I put my blade forward and attack. It leaps to the side and attacks my flank. I prepare to parry with a diagonal attack when I hit the ceiling before plunging the blade, stopping the claw that was about to cut me in two. Her other arm rises, and seeing this, I drop my blade and step back, she take the opportunity to smash the sword to pieces.
(Pliers capable of destroying metal in small pieces, that's not good news.)
[BOOST] I conjure up another blade and raise it, but the ceiling stops me, the monster is coming, so I pass the blade to the side and strike, sending it waltzing further into the cellar.
(The ceiling is too low, so I have to make do with horizontal shots, which will soon cause problems. Besides, she's not very powerful, but her body is sturdy, so my blows only make slight cuts. I'll have to fight in other ways.)
I concentrate and project a new sword, but this time I overload it on purpose, so that when it appears, the blade is fractured, releasing flames.
(I just hope I don't bury myself with it.)
I throw the blade above the monster, which explodes on contact with the ceiling, bringing down part of the house. I take the opportunity to get out of the cellar, once in the kitchen, I open a window to go outside and jump over a fence, joining Sophie on the sidewalk.
"Senji-senpai, Sword is coming!" She said.
"Perfect, but we probably won't need him." I turn toward the house, positioning myself in front of Sophie.
"What do you mean?"
"It's make or break."
Debris and smoke pours out of the house, destroying the roof and walls and falling all around.
(She's coming.)
[BOOST] I concentrate and begin to project a blade. I imagine it, several steel alloys welded and forged, struck and shaped countless times to form a super-sharp blade. [BLOOD POINTER] I draw in energy to help me, then that's it, the sword is in my hand. The blade is streaked with patterns, like waves and currents. It emits a strange vibration, as if it were breathing.
(That's not it, the blade is so sharp that it cuts through wind and air, causing it to vibrate and sound, unbelievable.)
The monster bursts out of the house, destroying a wall and crashing into the road, before rising again and charging towards us. I place the sword parallel to me, at the same level as my head, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Now!"
[EXPLOSION] A red-green aura surrounds me and I leap forward, blade in front. The monster blocks the attack with a claw but it's useless, my blade slicing through it like it was butter before slicing the monster in half in the rush and gouging the asphalt. The halved body passes by me, before disintegrating into flower petals before hitting the ground, disappearing completely.
"Hurgh..."
[RESET] My Boosted Gear disappears, along with the extra power it gave me. I stand up straight, only the pommel and hilt left in my hand, the blade having been destroyed just afterwards. I feel blood dripping from my nose and I pass my hand over before being grabbed by Sophie, who holds me tightly against her.
"That's it. You can be proud of yourself, you were very brave." I stroke her head.
She just nods without saying anything, seeking comfort in my warmth.
"Good job Senji, that was a real show." I turn towards the voice to see Sword walking towards us.
"Sword? How long have you been there?" I ask, surprised.
"I got to the part where you cut it in half, that was class." He gives me a thumbs-up.
"Yes... I can't believe I won... so easily. Was she that weak?"
"I'd say more like you've gotten stronger."
"Hmm, I guess I'm stronger yes."
"Now that's the spirit."
"Now Sword, I think we're entitled to some answers. Sophie."
Sophie withdraws from my embrace and turns to Sword with a determined expression.
"I need to know what Eldorado is." She asks.
"Say, why are you so insistent?" Sword asks in turn.
"My brother may have disappeared because of one of these monsters. If my brother's disappearance is linked to one of these horrors or to Eldorado... I'm going to need your help! No, both your help!" Tears stream down Sophie's face as she grabs my hand. "Please, help me find him!"
Sword said nothing for several seconds, just watching her.
"What's your brother's name?"
"*Gasp*...Martin..." Her voice trembles. "Martin Hennes." She says, wiping away her tears.
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens can be heard approaching.
"I've told the police, so we're going to have a little chat with them, and then afterwards, do you fancy going for some tacos? My treat."
"Yes!" Sophie agreed, smiling again.