It was from the year 2020 that the course of history would change forever, with the appearance in Tokyo of a strange dimension.
It was given many names when its presence was first discovered by government agents investigating unexplainable interferences of electronic devices, policemen taking it upon themselves to delve deeper into sudden disappearances of civilians, and bands of youth randomly messing around the city.
The Underworld, Divine Judgement, the End of Days, the Birthplace of Darkness and so on and so forth. But one among them stuck in particular, the Demonic City referred to more simply as Mato.
Many search teams were sent into this unknown dimension to study it and see if there was anything of interest, mainly composed of soldiers and researchers of many kinds of fields, along with cohorts of monks and exorcists who believed the people sent there needed their assistance.
The place these teams arrived in was barren and nightmarish in the eyes of the explorers, but they soon found out that this place was far from lifeless, as it was inhabited by raving monstrosities and contained peculiar fruits.
The monsters were called by many names across the research teams, such as Demons, Husks and even Lost and the Damned.
The name Shuuki would be officially given to these monsters years later after some debates, but what was unquestionably agreed upon was that they were impervious to any kind of conventional weapons used by humanity, from guns and grenades to even tank round and aircraft missiles. Back then only the rituals and talismans of the exorcists were the only measure that worked against them, but those were by no means cost-effective in dealing with the Shuuki en-mass.
As for the fruits, they were called Peaches due to their appearance and quickly brought back to the Mortal Realm as the spiritual fellows among the exploration teams strongly opposed the act of eating such fruits in Mato. After a quick yet through examination, the Peaches were determined to be safe for consumption and the taste tests began.
This was the turning point for humanity.
Males showed no changes after eating a Peach, but the same couldn't be said for females as they gained a considerable boost in terms of physical strength and a special ability called a Blessing by many, from the spiritual folk who attended the ceremony to the women themselves who received said abilities.
History tells us that the transition from the old to the new system were very quick, but the truth is that the changes happened across a period of time at least a decade long.
Of course, everything started with the institution of the Antidemon Corps, a branch of the japanese military made entirely by highly-trained women who had obtained Blessings either geared towards combat or engineered by their users in ways deemed appropriate for the organization.
With these warrior women as the tip of the spear the Shuuki, previously seen as invincible demons who carved bloody paths through Tokyo and nearby settlements, became a pitiful obstacle as Japan easily conquered Mato and began extracting anything of value.
Treaties and pacts were made between nations as the country began exporting Peaches across the world, which brought the country unimaginable riches and heralded the rise of women in all positions of power across the world. Whether that was through democratic elections, pragmatism in the face Blessing deemed useful when dealing with politics or flat-out coup d'etat, it soon began not mattering as the women in charge began to weave laws and narratives to act as support of their new regimes.
As for the men, life changed radically yet didn't really change that much.
Of course, the job market offered them less and less careers as women with Blessings were preferred and some careers were possible because of the Blessings, barring men from entering them entirely. Thus to them were left the more menial jobs with low skill requirements that others didn't want to do.
As for other, more draconian laws towards men, those were a rarity even in the early times of the new world and were eliminated rather quickly so as to not repeat the mistakes of the past centuries.
For several decades, this was the state of the world, with Mato seen as a normal part of society and its resources enough to obscure the tragedies it caused from time to time, either packs of Shuuki not being stopped in time or conflicts between groups of humans to gain further control in the system of power built around Mato.
More than a hundred years have passed, and things are bound to change in the near future, and one such catalyst will take a very unexpected form.
X X X
It was the start of yet another morning at Kaminoge Public High School, as the male students shuffled into the building rather early to prepare it for the day.
In one such classroom students were at work cleaning the floor with brooms and rags. A young man with brown hair grunted and said "Every day is always the same thing. It's just work, work and more work!"
This is Yuuki Wakura, a third year student mainly known for acting as the lead when it came to cleaning the room before and after class. Because he was so good at cleaning, it was natural that some of his classmates would take somewhat advantage of this.
"Come on, Yuuki, don't be like that. With you around, we get this done about a mid hour faster than other classes!" said a taller student with short black hair and meaty lips. His name was Hattori and the activity he was doing now certainly wasn't cleaning, instead he was throwing balls of paper at another student.
" Yeah man, your cleaning skills are phenomenal! I heard those are going to be in high demand in some years down the line" said a slightly shorter student with blond hair named Suwa, who was currently swinging a long broom as if it was a baseball bat, eagerly waiting for Hattori's throws.
'Except I want to be popular now!' Yuuki growled internally and settled for a sigh. Suwa and Hattori were actually hard working when they wanted to (they had to be, all things considered), but the moment an occasion to mess around showed itself, Yuuki could always count his friends to take it.
"What the hell are two doing!? We're pretty much finished cleaning the room and I won't have you dolts mess it up again!" another student called Suwa and Hattori from the other end of the room, arms crossed in front of his chest and glare hidden behind his glasses. This was class representative Hanami, taller than Hattori and with a build seamlessly balanced between slender and beefy.
The two students immediately dropped their game and returned to clean up while Hanami advanced towards Yuuki, his tone calmer but still annoyed "And you, you need to stop being so soft on them. They're your friends, you should be more able to reign them in when they do something stupid"
It was Yuuki's turn to be annoyed as he held his hand over his chest and said "Oi, don't be so strict with my friends, they weren't doing anything wrong and are always careful. And use my name when you're calling me"
Though Suwa and Hattori were silently cheering Yuuki on, they and the other students were getting wary of the two, with some even taking a few steps back.
This is because Hanami had the potential to be a real delinquent when he wanted to, plus his amazing physical prowess coupled with his tendency to not back down from proved to be a dangerous combination on several occasions. As for Yuuki, everyone knew him as chill guy who would more often than not offer a helping hand to others.
But if there was one general rule religiously followed by any student of Kaminoge Public High School, whether male or female, it was to not piss off Yuuki Wakura for any reason.
Fortunately for everyone involved, the tension between the two young men was suddenly broken by the drawn-out shrill ring of the bell, and the lively chatter outside the building.
"And here come the ladies, fashionably late" Suwa said as he leaned from the window right behind him, then his eyes widened as something caught his attention and said "Yo Yuuki, come here quick! You gotta see this!"
An eyebrow raised in curiosity, Yuuki left Hanami to go his friend's side and see what got him like that. The class representative didn't seem to care and instead moved to the opposite side to talk to another student about something.
Yuuki carefully poked his head out of the window, positioning himself so he could safely duck out of the way of one of Suwa's pranks, yet he threw away all caution as he involuntarily let out a gasp.
Right there, among a small crowd of young women exhibiting strange abilities, were a boy and a girl holding hands as the former tried to initiate some small talk and the latter kept silent yet still looked content with his company.
"Wait, when DID these two get together?" Yuuki asked Suwa with a half-incredulous look on his face "That guy is Tajuta, isn't he? I thought him and Hina weren't a thing after what happened last year"
"Well, you know how things are. Some girls get jealous of their friends and make a fuss about it. These two were treading on thin ice with their meetings and had to keep a low profile for a while, but after a fight last month and him winning that one race thanks to her, Tajuta and Hina have nothing to fear" Suwa told Yuuki with an air of a know-it-all, but then Hattori asked the blonde "Wait, really? I thought Kona started those nasty rumors about Tajuta cause he was feeling bitter about behind rejected..."
"So athletic guys really ARE popular...too bad there aren't girls into guys with an extended knowledge of wrestling moves" Yuuki muttered with some sarcasm as his two friends kept discussing on high school gossips.
Then their teacher entered the room, clapping his hands twice to gather the attention of his students, and was followed by female students who began taking their seats. Another day of school thus commenced.
X X X
The morning quickly went on and, after a cramped journey back to his house the men's car of the commute train, Yuuki was back home.
"Welcome back, Yu-chan! I missed you so much!" his mother shouted the instant after he opened the door, not even putting a foot in the building, and threw herself at him holding nothing back. This is Makoto Wakura, an energetic woman in her early 40s with long black hair and noticeably taller than Yuuki.
The young man saw her charging him with immense affection, but he also knew how strong her love tackles could be.
Thus, routine trained Yuuki to shift his body into a stance which would allow him to hug his mother and also prevent him from falling on the ground.
'Unfortunately' Yuuki's stance was only optimal for hugging his mother, and the two fell on the ground though Makoto didn't seem to care.
Some of their neighbors saw and heard the exchange, but by now it was normal enough to not warrant giving it any more attention.
"I heard you and your friends will go eating out tonight to commemorate your graduation? I thought the student council president was going to organize one big event with the entire school a few months later for that occasion?" she wondered as she ushered her son inside, to which he said "Well, yes but...the president is known to be a hot head and Hanami thought the event would have some drama in it"
"So our class representative decided to make a similar yet smaller event among our class" Yuuki finished explaining and his mother nodded in approval "Yeah, that's a smart idea on Hanami's part. If there's strife among the student council or any other popular clubs, those events will most likely be the time they erupt into fighting"
Suddenly Makoto smiled as flexed her right bicep and said "Ah, I remember one such event back when I was finishing my third year of high school. We were all eating and talking happily when all of a sudden Nami and Karin started an argument a few tables away, and then before we knew it we got involved in a huge fight. But I didn't back down one bit and I even got to knock that bitch Homura unconscious!"
" Right mom" Yuuki sweatdropped at her nostalgic tone while retelling that story and thought somewhat grimly 'Well, Aoba nee-chan had to take her fire from somewhere...'
Makoto sighed as she put a hand on Yuuki's shoulder and said, with a more tender smile "Honestly, it seems like time is passing so quickly. To me it seems like your first day of high school was just yesterday. You've grown so much since then, and I want to always know that mama is proud of you"
She hugged him tightly and Yuuki returned the gesture, for he knew where those feelings were coming from.
The eventually broke the hug and the afternoon went on smoothly and gave way to the evening.
Dressed up in long pants and a sweater, Yuuki was ready to go out and after waving at his mother he moved to the door. But before he could open it, a man entered the house with a tired expression, which brightened up upon seeing his son.
Satoru Wakura was slightly shorter than Yuuki, but the resemblance between the two could be seen in their faces, short brown hair and eyes of the same color.
"Oh hi Yuuki, so you're going out with your friends at the usual place? Make sure to be careful at this hour, you can never know what might happen out there" Satoru told his son with a jovial tone, yet he could feel the stern edge that accompanied all of his father's suggestions.
Before Yuuki had a chance to reply Makoto burst forth from the kitchen and engulfed her husband in a tight hug.
Worrying about being late to the event, Yuuki said "I'll be back by 10pm then. Bye mom, bye dad" and left.
His parents waved him goodbye and closed the door, then Makoto returned her attention to Satoru who in the meantime was taking off his coat and placed it on the hanger.
"Come on dear, I made you dinner. Hurry up before it gets cold" she said as her husband hurriedly followed her into the kitchen, then continued "Still, you're earlier than usual. Has that problem in the office being finally resolved?"
"At last it has" Satoru said with a tone between elation and frustration "Katsuki somehow managed to fix the various errors in the servers Uraume caused with her ability. I swear to God, hiring that woman only brought us more problems than we already had"
Makoto sighed and loudly clapped her hands with a wide smile, causing him to jolt in surprise, and said "Well, that's well and good! But now you're here at home and away from work, so now I'll make you relax!" as she enveloped her husband in a gentle chokehold.
He chuckled at her antics, and then said "Huh, I guess I can consider myself lucky I've gotten old. Now you can't swing me around anymore!"
The air immediately changed around Makoto, and her smile became sinister as she eyes set on him. Satoru started sweating as she said in a deliberately slow tone "That's right, but you know what? Recently I've started seeing in shops a Blessing-based body cream that helps reversing the physical symptoms of aging. Softer skin, stronger muscles, more resistant bones...I think you may need something like that in case I may want to play around with you once more"
Several silent seconds passed between the couple, in which none of them moved a single muscles, but then Makoto said "Just kidding dear! With me you're in safe hands!" and nuzzled up to Satoru, much to his relief.
X X X
Meanwhile, in the busy streets of Tokyo, Yuuki finally arrived at the diner decided among the group. It was a seemingly random Yakitori restaurant on the side of the road, somewhat deserted from what Yuuki could tell, aside from a group of a dozen male high school students in front of it.
"Oh Yuuki, I'm glad you came. I know this restaurant doesn't seem all that special from the outside, but trust me, it's actually really good" Hanami with a jovial tone seldom heard from the young man.
"We have to be on our best behavior, everyone! Hanami's mood somehow isn't sour today, a rarity in the history of Kaminoge Public High School!" Suwa said with a cheeky tone, which caused some of the boys to chuckle. On his part, Yuuki sighed with a slight smile and Hanami's face strained a little.
With Hattori convincing Hanami not to list the rules of conduct to the group again, the students entered the restaurant and had to unite three small tables to sit together, something the manager allowed.
The young men got seated and took little time ordering their foods. After that they started chatting on whatever topic came to mind.
"So, who do think is going to win the 28th Aragi Tournament? My bet is on Tsushima and her Blessing, cause so far no one has managed to counter her Cluster Image Barrage. That move just targets too many points for anyone to defend!" a student said to another slightly shorter one with glasses, who in turn replied "Eh, I wouldn't be so sure of that. Chinose and her electricity-based Blessing certainly have AOE attacks as an advantage, something Tsushima struggles with properly countering. Besides the next opponent she'd have to fight should she win is Mosa, and we can both agree that her mastery over her phantom Blessing surpasses Tsushima's"
"True, true" the first guy replied with a hint of disappointment "But she's honestly a really cool fighter, especially taking into account her physical prowess! Seems like many of these new fighters just don't take training their bodies into account enough" and the glasses-wearing guy nodded.
Meanwhile, a little next to them, a large young man was brooding over something, with another one trying to comfort him.
"Don't worry about it, man. You didn't do anything wrong! You just tried to push your relationship with Kisaki too far too soon. Everyone does that mistake at this age, I'm sure she's not as angry as you think! I'm sure everything will be fine and you'll be back together like nothing ever happened!" he said with a hopeful tone, but his larger friend remained sad anyway.
"I just...can't really believe it. We seemed so at peace together and, I though we were made for each other. But, the moment I tried to take things further...everything just broke apart" he said with low, sorrowful tone.
After a while the food and drinks arrived and the students rejoiced as they dug in, but this did not stifle conversations in the slightest.
"I'm still surprised you may actually get a job in that particular company, Suwa. It's rather hard to be hired there, from what my uncle tells me whenever he visits" Hanami said with unconcealed surprise, to which the young man replied with a somewhat smug tone "What can I say, a computer wizard like me is pretty hard to find these days"
"Well, that's well and good to know that you have the skills, but the moment they'll find out about your behavior..." Hanami said and trailed off with a knowing tone, making Suwa almost choke on his drink, and then returned to his food. Seeing this, Yuuki decided to butt in the conversation and said with a cheeky tone "Looks like Hanami is really letting himself go tonight"
The young man paused mid-bite with a ridiculous expression on his face and said "These drinks aren't even alcoholic!" though it was clear he wasn't angry.
As Hanami finished his food, Suwa turned to Hattori and asked "So, where are you going to work after high school? I haven't seen you around the After-School Work Club..."
"Oh, I was actually planning to leave Tokyo altogether! In a nearby town my two cousins have started a beef jerky company and have asked me if I wanted to join, considering I often cook with them" Hattori answered, which surprised Suwa as he said "Really? That's some luck you have. My older brother had to work as a janitor for half a decade before he was able to climb the ladder, and even then it wasn't all that better..."
Suwa then looked at Yuuki and asked "What about you, Yuuki? Thought of a place work at yet?"
The young man in question stopped eating and swallowed, and then answered with an uncertain look "Well, I haven't thought about it yet. I still have to contend with studies and the scores of some of my subjects aren't that good..."
"Yeah, concentrating on your studies seems to be the better choice for now, considering how your old man is" Hanami said with a pensive look "Though your housekeeping skills are quite remarkable, you should invest more in them..."
Yuuki's eyes narrowed as he said "Look, thanks for the tip but I don't want to be some butler endlessly running errands to earn a living. I don't want that kind of lifestyle for me"
"I'm not saying to do it until retirement, but it can be a good way to earn money to build yourself a base with which to start your own life. Everyone starts from somewhere" Hanami said calmly, and Suwa added "Yeah Yuuki! Besides, with your skills and rizz you can really go far in that field! Just imagine, you serving around tons of beautiful women in a massive household!"
Hattori chuckled at Yuuki's chagrin and Hanami laughed, something that quietly unsettled everyone at the table, and then said with an absolutely normal tone and straight face "You know, call it a feeling or whatever you want, but I think you may actually be hired by the Azuma household, should you actually consider this career choice"
Yuuki was silent and looked at him for a moment, then he turned to the owner who was at the counter and said, pointing at Hanami with his thumb "Oi, did you spike his drink or something?"
"DON'T JOKE AROUND WITH THAT!" the young man's shout could still be heard amidst the chorus of laughter.
X X X
Some time passed, and the group of young men exited the establishment with a merry mood and began dispersing amidst goodbyes.
"Ah, my cab. See you later guys!" one said as he waved to the others and entered the car.
There was also a girl waiting on the side of the entrance who turned to the exiting group, her eyes fixated on Hanami.
She was noticeably shorter than him, with shoulder-length white hair and wore simple clothing, consisting of a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
"Oh, Hanami-kun, you're here. Come on, the way home is pretty long even with my Blessing" she said with a bored and slightly impatient voice, but the tone betrayed her eagerness to be with the young man.
Hanami made a placating gesture as he walked up to her and said "Alright, alright, let's go then, Shira-chan. Still, you could've come dining with us" to which she responded with a blush "Nah, I don't like Yakitori all that much..."
The exchange between the two left various boys stunned, and Suwa whispered in half-disbelief "I can't believe it. He actually has a girlfriend"
"What is that supposed to mean, huh?!" Shira suddenly snapped at him, her calm mask breaking, and several boys recoiled in surprised. Hanami just sighed and put a hand on her head in an effort to placate her, which worked as she also sighed and took his hand.
As they started floating the group fully dispersed, with Yuuki going home while accompanied by Hattori and Suwa.
It wasn't a long walk and Suwa left pretty early when the trio came across the road leading to his house, leaving only Hattori and Yuuki.
The taller young man yawned and said "Well, we're almost there Yuuki. A few more months and school's over. No more commute train and no more mandatory cleaning"
"Yeah, for you" Yuuki retorted with a somewhat hollow tone "I'm not so lucky to leave Tokyo so easily. The commute train sucks for guys, but better than walking several kilometers on foot with the risk of encountering some crazies with Blessings"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Hattori turned to him and asked, suddenly confused.
"You don't know? There have been some incidents around Tokyo involving weirdos in masked figures. Apparently wasn't enough to prank call grieving families and disrupt funerary gatherings" Yuuki explained to Hattori, his voice angrier as he spoke.
"Oh! So you mean that they're related to to Mato Disasters, I really can't believe someone would go and do these things..." Hattori said with some disbelief, but his train of thought was interrupted as suddenly a button fell off his jacket. Yuuki caught it mid-fall with superb accuracy and then he took out a small toolbox, from which he withdrew a needle and some tread.
He went to work immediately and sewed back the button in seconds, amazing Hattori in the process.
"Woah, you can also do this stuff!? No wonder everyone calls you a butler" the young man said as Yuuki shrugged and said with a dreamy look "Well, this talent came with strict training. My older sister would always test me with cleaning the entire house and polish my house-keeping skills, since men can't get Blessing and to her I needed to get lots of skills to make it in life"
He grimaced a little as he continued "Though sometimes my results weren't up to her standards, and she wound up punishing me with wrestling moves...". Of course Yuuki refrained from telling Hattori this was how Yuuki got his love and talent for wrestling. He also refrained from telling him how his mother felt about this exercises, and especially what she would do to Aoba neechan when she found out about her punishments.
'Good thing I never became the target of her Love Noogies. Makoto Okaasan can be quite scary when she wants to' he thought back to his mother's legendary temper as chills crawled down his back.
"Oh, right. I guess she made the right call" Hattori said sheepishly, not wanting to dwell on the topic of his friend's older sister. After such a happy evening, he didn't want to sour Yuuki's mood bringing THAT up of all things.
He didn't want a repeat of the weeks following her disappearance. Hattori never wanted to see Yuuki like that ever again, and he wasn't certainly alone with that thought.
But the young man in question didn't seem to mind him mention his sister.
Eventually the duo came across a road on the side, and then the two young men exchanged goodbyes. Yuuki was now alone.
As he walked along the deserted night road, illuminated only by the lamp posts, the young man thought 'Hanami and the others are right, high school's almost over and I have to start thinking about getting a job. Ending up with a mediocre job is better than having no job at all'
He stopped in his tracks and shook his head 'This isn't right though, am I really destined to get a normal job and die a normal death?'
Mist began gathering around Yuuki, but the young man was too engrossed in his own thoughts 'Doesn't a place where I can be useful exist, where I can truly prove myself?'
The mist began circling him, as if it had a will of its own, and by the time Yuuki noticed the strange phenomenon the mist pounced at him from every direction, enveloping him fully.
The mist disappeared nigh instantly, but the road was completely empty save for the murmuring wind.
X X X
When Yuuki's sight was no longer obstructed by the mist, he was no longer in the night street of Tokyo.
The scenery was dark yet Yuuki could somehow see it clearly.
The land was barren and rocky, with enormous boulders jutting out of the ground in the distance, and the sky above was a dark red, which got darker the closer it was to the black sun (or moon, Yuuki didn't really know) hanging ominously at the center.
And yet this haunting realm was not without signs of civilization, as he could see shrines and buildings of any size imaginable, built in ancient japanese style for some reason; there were also many white ropes either wrapped around boulders or between particularly tall constructs.
Yuuki's face slowly turned from confusion into horror as he realized just where he was now. His heart almost came to a halt as he thought 'Mato...? No, that can't be right, I was paying attention to where I was going. If I really tumbled into a fucking mystical portal I would have certainly noticed that!'
His heart thankfully resumed its beating, but now it was more akin to a frantic thrumming as the true extent of the danger he was in finally dawned on Yuuki. The young man loves his older sister dearly, but he does NOT intend to follow her into the afterlife, especially since he knew just how brutal Shuuki could be with their victims.
The saying of counting yourself dead if you see a Shuuki existed for a reason, after all.
"Calm down Yuuki, you're going to be okay. Just have to get the manual from my phone in case of these situations" Yuuki told himself with a tone between hopeful and hopeless as he reached for his pant pocket and took out his phone, quickly tapping and scrolling until he found what he wanted.
A female voice began speaking from the device "Welcome to Mato Survival Guide, aimed at keeping you safe in case of a Mato Mishap and preventing it from becoming a Mato Disaster. In case you have stumbled into Mato through a portal, recognizable by its strong glow and humming sound emitting in its vicinity, it may still be possible to use it in order to return to the human world, however if it shows signs of cracking the portal becomes intangible until it shatters, and thus unable to be use. In such case it is strongly recommended that one does not move from their original position and waits for the arrival of the Antidemon Corps, but such course of action obviously cannot be recommended if a Shuuki appears nearby. In the case a Shuuki appears and spots you run away as fast as possible while putting as many obstacles as possible between yourself and the Shuuki. Do not try to fight them yourself and especially DO NOT EAT A PEACH IN MATO TO GAIN THE POWER TO DO SO. Side effects of such an action have not been documented yet and could be fatal due to the miasma pervading Mato's atmosphere. Thank you for listening to this guide, and we hope this information will be useful for your survival"
The voice stopped and Yuuki put his phone back into his pocket.
"So all I have to do is stay still and wait for the Antidemon Corps to arrive? Okay, I'm not going to move a single muscle then" Yuuki told himself in a quiet tone to raise his spirits, but the tense calm was broken by a sound coming from behind him.
He turned around to see a patch of stony ground bending, the spectacle accompanied by a sound Yuuki could only describe as a mixture of cracking and tearing.
Suddenly the patch exploded, sending debris and dust all around, which forced the young man to raise his arms in an attempt to shield himself. But he could still see the figure emerging from the ground.
It was muscular with a beefy torso and lanky yet muscular limbs, but its most recognizable trait was the chalk white mask that acted as a face.
"A Shuuki..." Yuuki whispered with absolute dread as he addressed one of the monsters which he feared and despised in equal measure. One of them surely took the life of his older sister, and now this one was going to send him to her if he didn't do something immediately.
Two seconds passed before Yuuki bolted away as fast as his adrenaline-fueled body could manage. In the first second the young man and the monster made eye contact, and Yuuki was quite disturbed by the thing's look, so blank yet so full of a hunger for violence. In the next second more explosions followed by six more Shuuki, and Yuuki finally found the strength to break the accursed staring contest and ran for his life.
The pack of Shuuki were immediately hot on his heels, and the only reason why Yuuki didn't die instantly was because the Shuuki kept pushing and pulling each other to decide who would get to their prey first.
Believing his end was near, Yuuki's mind began to babble as his lungs hoarded every bit of air they could in order to keep running 'Seriously, I know I said I wanted some excitement in my life, but this isn't what I meant! Am I really going to die in Mato of all places!?'
'Well, at least I'll get to finally meet Aoba-nee again...' Yuuki thought with sweet bitterness as his legs started to give in the stress and his speed decreased, making the Shuuki more frantic in laying their hands on their prey.
But before the the monster nearest to the young man could even touch him, a moltitude of shots rang out and the Shuuki, along with some others behind it, were turned into minced meat.
Yuuki and the remaining monsters turned to the source of the attack, and saw in the distance another Shuuki running towards them on all fours. This one was quite different due to its mane of white hair and spiked collar around its neck, furthermore this Shuuki had a woman riding on its back with the collar's chain wrapped around her wrist and an assault rifle equipped with a bayonet trained on the remaining monsters.
She pulled the trigger and a hail of glowing bullets sailed forth and instantly tore through the Shuuki.
It happened all so fast that Yuuki had trouble processing it all, but he knew he was safe and relief washed over him. Yet a few ways behind the ground exploded as three more Shuuki appeared, set on capitalizing on the distraction "provided" by their dead brethren.
Yuuki didn't even have time to turn around for his brain to register the presence of a new danger, but the woman acted even faster as the tamed Shuuki sprinted to the newcomers and jumped.
While the tamed Shuuki crashed on top of another one, the rider dealt with the other two. The first she planted a flying kick to its face, shattering it as she turned to the remaining monster and kicked the ground beneath her to give herself elevation. The Shuuki raised its arms in an attempt to defend itself, but the woman was already in front of it and she dealt a brutal right punch, followed by a left one and an uppercut.
Yuuki was stunned by the display of power as the Shuuki fell to the ground, unmoving. Meanwhile the tamed one rose with a triumphant roar over its dead foe, yet both humans could see that its left leg was missing a chunk, possibly torn away by its opponent's teeth.
It was then that the woman turned to him and her fierce expression turned tender, if not a tad timid. Yuuki was confused by this drastic change in attitude, but decided that keeping quiet was the right decision at the moment. He also got a better look at the woman, she was noticeably shorter than him with a slender build, long cyan hair, yellow eyes and a medium-sized chest, clad in a black uniform with golden buttons and a knee length skirt of the same color. 'She seems like a totally different person from before...' Yuuki thought with some amazement.
"Have no fear, I am Bell Tsukiyono, Chief of the 3rd Unit. As a member of the Antidemon Corps, I am here to escort you to safety" the woman said with a delicate, yet confident tone.
X X X
And then, right after she said that, everything started to go wrong.
As a chorus of beastly roars rang from the distant dust cloud ominously becoming larger with every passing second, Bell Tsukiyono cursed under her breath at the sheer amount of enemies coming their way.
As she discarded the empty mag and put a fresh one into her rifle, she gestured to the young man towards her Shuuki mount, thankfully still in good enough condition.
"Please, get on my mount. We don't have much time!" Bell said to the young man with a commanding tone, trying her hardest to not let her worry come to the surface. Though obviously shaken he was still coherent enough to scramble to Bell and her monstrous mount, yet very fearful of the latter.
Once Yuuki was seated Bell wasted no time whipping her chain into the back of the monster's head, wordlessly urging it to run with everything it had.
As the Shuuki mount began running as fast as its injured leg allowed it to, Bell grit her teeth as she took out a device and tapped a few buttons on it. "Hasumi, I currently have the lost citizen on me, but I am pursued by multiple dozens of Shuuki. Come at my coordinates as fast as you possibly can!" Bell shouted with a tone both calm and frantic.
Meanwhile she heard Yuuki suddenly yelp and the moment she turned back her skin became paler. The horde was getting closer while her mount was losing speed with every passing second.
Bell gulped audibly and hoped the young man wouldn't notice her worried expression as she said "Get down!" and showed him on the back of the mount. Then she took her rifle and, once being sure enough that her charge wouldn't be harmed by possible stray fire, Bell began spraying the approaching mob. Many Shuuki were riddled with holes by the onslaught of fire and were subsequently crushed under their brethren's stampede, yet more and more appeared as her mags became less and less.
'There's gotta be hundreds of them! So many Shuuki appearing in my area is an extremely rare occasion, so why did it have to happen now?!' Bell's mind wailed as her fear and panic were starting to get the better of her, but another sound caught her attention and she forced her nerves to work.
"JUMP!" Bell stopped firing at the horde behind and barked at her mount, which did as ordered even with its injury. Bell, on her part, was now facing a smaller horde of Shuuki in front of her and began firing to thin its numbers.
The Shuuki jumped and the second horde grabbed it in midair and began tearing it apart, but Bell predicted this as she roughly grabbed her charge and jumped from the beast's back, Yuuki yelping all the way to the ground.
Bell then fired her assault rifle with her right hand and retrieved a sheet of paper from her uniform with her left one. As soon as the weapon ran out of ammo and the Shuuki charged the duo once more, Bell activated the talisman which conjured a barrier around the two, causing Shuuki to crash into it and Yuuki to crawl back towards the center, startled by both the monsters and the sudden magic spell.
"Oh, this is a barrier created through a talisman. These tools have been created by exorcists ever since Mato first appeared, and they are quite useful" Bell reassured the young man with a smile, hoping that her dread wasn't showing on her face, but when she turned away from him it was on full display.
'This is worse than bad. I would already have much trouble getting out of this situation alone, but with a defenseless civilian to protect?! Getting out of here through conventional means is impossible, and I don't even have a Slave without me to use as bait-' her mind rambled as whatever hope she had drained away, but her train of thought stopped the moment Bell laid eyes on Yuuki's frightened form.
'Perhaps...that may work...but I've never used my Blessing on a man! I don't even know what could happen to him should he wear the Chains!' Bell thought as she shook her head, but she and Yuuki especially were startled by cracking sounds. "The b-barrier's going to break!" he said with a terrified tone and backed away towards Bell, not noticing his back softly colliding with her leg.
It barely registered to Bell herself, her mind made up on the matter. 'And to think that even after all my training, I have to resort to this...' she thought bitterly as she addressed her charge, mustering as much confidence as she could.
"You, what is your name?" Bell asked with a gentle yet authorative tone, and the young man answered with panicked vigor "Yuuki Wakura, 3rd year high schooler!"
'Not even out of school?! Is this who I'm going to rely on?!' Bell thought incredulously, but she managed to mask her reaction as she nodded and said "Then I will be honest with you, the chances of us getting out of this situation unharmed are very low, thus I will need your full cooperation"
The young man was riled up as he said with determination and a little bit of excitement "Really?! Then I'll do whatever is necessary!"
Bell gulped as she thought 'This is it then' and said with the most resolute tone she could muster "Good, all I need of you is to become my Slave!"
In an instant Yuuki's mood completely changed, all of his determination, excitement and slight dread giving way to pure, unadulterated confusion as he could manage let out an unimpressive "Heh?". At that point Bell's confidence drained as well and her face got a distinct shade of red as she said with a small voice "Y-yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't explain it very well..."
She straightened her back as she got back her composure and continued "My Blessing is Chains of Eternity, Slave and the way it work is that I make a pact with someone, who then gets strengthened for a variable period of time. It may not seem like much, but I believe it will allow us to escape this situation"
Something in Yuuki resonated with her plan, his desire to work for greater things and become a hero finding purchase on the young man's mind, yet the rational part of his brain was quick to ground him back to reality. 'I have no idea what the hell her powers will do to me if I accept, and I think she has never tested her Blessing like that before. Will I still be myself then?' Yuuki thought with rising dread 'Though, if there really is no way to escape...then it may be worth the risk. I don't want to end like Aoba-nee...'
Bell meanwhile was getting impatient as the young man took his time to decide, but she heard it. The distinct sound of cracking. They were running out of time and danger was quickly closing in from all sides.
Bell acted without thinking and threw Yuuki on the ground, putting herself on top of him in a position somewhat resembling a cowgirl. The young woman was breathing heavily as she removed the glove on her right hand, shame clearly written on her face.
"I am sorry, for all of this. It was my weakness that brought us in this situation to begin with. If I was strong enough, more capable, then I wouldn't have to force you to make for my mistakes" she said with an almost whimpering tone "Now...it's time...to submit"
She held her naked hand forward and Yuuki, as if it was the natural and reasonable thing to do, licked her outstretched finger.
X X X
It happened all at once.
A massive explosion of energy, rising upwards into the form of a pillar, broke through the collapsing barrier and threw back the monstrous assailants like leaves in the wind. Bell stumbled back as the young man was enveloped in raw power and his body changed drastically.
What came out of the blinding light with a triumphant roar, smiling in a kneeling position and planting its claws on the rocky ground, was a monster. It stood slightly taller than a Shuuki, with a muscular white body, red markings on the chest and limbs, sharp green eyes and a canine head, and wore only a spiked collar around its neck and long black pants.
Bell looked at the monster blankly, almost not believing at the sight before her. '...How? How this happen? He's a man, he shouldn't- wait, how much is even left of him?!' she thought in disbelief at first, which soon turned to panic and forced her to act.
She got on her feet climbed on top of the transformed young man, gripping the chain with all of her might as he roared once more and charged the Shuuki.
Though the monsters quickly recovered their bloodlust they were all torn apart by the Slave with little to no effort, something which surprised Bell as she thought 'Such speed, such power! I know my Blessing brings forth the inner power of living beings, but I didn't think he would become this strong!'
Eventually the Shuuki realized that they couldn't stop the strange monster's onslaught and became running away from him, choosing instead to congregate a few ways away. Then they crashed into each other by the dozens, their bodies melding together into a larger and stronger shape.
After a few seconds a towering Shuuki stood, dozens of meters tall and having multiple eyes on its face-like mask. Bell grit her teeth as the Slave roared at it, and gripped the chain tighter as she decided to actually take charge now.
"Jump and aim for the upper part of the head, it's its weak point!" Bell shouted with a commanding tone, and to her amazement her mount obeyed with a roar as it kicked the ground beneath to launch himself into the air and towards the monster's face. Then it unleashed a vicious barrage of blows, and though the execution was wild it did its job as the massive Shuuki fell to the ground with a loud crash, its body already dissipating.
It was also then that a light shone from the collar and the transformation was undone, returning Yuuki to his original form. Bell was elated to see that everything worked out, but soon remembered that they were both in the air.
The two humans fell but Bell reacted quickly and dove in to take Yuuki into her arms, then she used both her training and Peach-given strength to land safely on the ground.
Bell placed the exhausted young man, soaked in sweat as he breathed heavily, and quickly began checking for anything amiss, from his temperature to his pulse. Yuuki meanwhile felt positively drained of energy and he didn't know exactly what was happening around him, but at least his vision and hearing were slowly recovering.
As the young woman finished her check-up, she sighed in relief that the young man's condition wasn't serious in the slightest. She then heard a loud honk and turned around to see a jeep closing in. "Chief, I'm sorry for my tardiness but a group of Shuuki swarmed me on the way-is everything alright?" Hasumi asked as she surveyed the surrounding carnage and the young man currently in Bell's care, who was right now starting to wake up.
She was rather tall, with a slender and very toned build, ear-length dark green and sharp cerulean eyes. Hasumi had a large rifle slung over her shoulders and wore a pair of glasses and black uniform, similar to Bell's yet her skirt was slightly shorter.
"Yes, all of the Shuuki have been eliminated and the young man's condition is safe, but he is certainly in need food and rest" Bell said as she slowly and carefully lifted up Yuuki, who was now starting to awaken, but then her tone became bitter "...Though that's because I used by Blessing on him, and he cleared the Shuuki horde with ease, including the combined one"
"Yes Chief, I understand. Due to the situation you were in, this is understandable and I'm sure the Commander will agree with your course of action" Hasumi said with a tone both and sympathetic and neutral as she went to help her leader in bringing the young man to the jeep.
The vehicle sped up with haste, leaving the disintegrating Shuuki behind. Groaning, Yuuki put a hand on his head as his lungs finally began working normally, yet his body was still wreaked with fatigue.
'What the hell...was that?' Yuuki thought with a groan as he looked to his side, limbs still pretty stiff, finding Bell looking at him with some concern. "I'm glad you're alright...and I'm sorry for doing what I did" she said with an apologetic tone.
"Oh, that? I-it's alright, we were really in a dire situation and...I'm not going to lie, but turning into whatever I got turned into and laying waste was actually really good-" Yuuki was saying as he regained vigor, but was stopped by a sudden action of the young woman beside him.
Bell quickly climbed on his lap and kissed him, not a light touching of lips but a deep thrust of her tongue into his mouth. The two remained locked for a few seconds, but for the two (and Hasumi) it seemed like an hour had passed.
Then as quickly as she went, Bell retreated as she looked downward with a heavy blush on her face. Yuuki was equally stupefied, being the first time he was actually kissed by a woman.
"That...was the reward for your effort...and n-now you shall receive...another" Bell said in a slow tone in-between heavy breaths, and moved to kiss Yuuki again.
The young woman's state was enough to snap him out of his stupor and try to salvage the situation as fast as possible. Aside from his concern for Bell, he was also afraid of the other woman's reaction, between her well-trained physique and the large rifle resting at arm's reach.
Yuuki thus threw his hand up as he said "Wait wait wait! Y-you're the one who saved me! You don't have to do something like this!"
It was Bell's turn to stammer, not looking at him "N-no, it's nothing l-like that! T-this is...part of how my Blessing works. After the transformation, I'm...supposed to give a reward based on the efforts exerted by the Slave. W-with the Shuuki I only had to give them some pork...but...with you..."
Bell moved faster than Yuuki could react and kissed him again, her knees resting on his lap and her arms wrapped around him in an effort to keep her balance. Bell's body seemed oddly relaxed all things considered, while Yuuki's was rigid as his brain continued to try and fail to understand just how deeply did this "contract" go.
After yet another few awkward seconds Bell let go again and sat down to the opposite seat. Both of their faces were red as tomatoes and the trip went on silently.
X X X
It took them a quarter of an hour to finally arrive at the 3rd Unit's base of operation.
The jeep stopped in the open garage and the three quickly dismounted from the vehicle. In such a hellish environment Yuuki expected the building to be a grim fortress with thick concrete walls and watchtowers, but he was surprised by its actual appearance.
It was a square two-story building which didn't seem to have any kind of defenses and looked more like a motel than a military base.
Bell must've have sensed Yuuki's confusion and answered his unspoken questions "I know it doesn't look like any conventional military bases, but these buildings were created by exorcists during the first expeditions in Mato, and as such are protected by all sorts of barriers and wards. This place is much more secure than it looks!"
Yuuki nodded and a moment of silence passed between the two, until Bell moved to Hasumi and said "She will guide you during your stay here. I'll...have to make a call in the meantime..."
She shuffled away as the taller woman approached him and said with a neutral tone "I'll guide you now to your room until tomorrow. If you need anything, like nourishment or using the bathroom, you ask away"
"Oh, don't worry about it" Yuuki said and the two began walking across the inner open yarn. He was actually pretty thirsty from all that running and that weird transformation...but given what happened before he decided it was best to keep quiet.
'Still' the young man thought 'It's weird that I don't feel all that tired anymore. Before Bell kissed me it was like my body was full of lead...and now I fell pretty fine...'
Just as he said that, his stomach growled and Hasumi noticed. She sighed and said "So you are hungry after all. Come on, let's go to the kitchen and get you something to eat"
X X X
When Bell made the call she expected the Commander to arrange a meeting with her tomorrow to discuss the situation with more detail. What she DIDN'T expect to happen was for the Commander to immediately fly to her dorm with a pretty bad mood bubbling behind her face.
Now the two women were in Bell's office, and she clearly underestimated just how displeased her boss was with her.
Ren Yamashiro removed her hand from Bell's forehead and the sigils on the Commander's eyes disappeared, her expression turning into one of pure displeasure.
"So let me get this straight" the taller woman spoke, disappointed palpable as her long raven black hair ominously fluttered behind her "You have made a contract with a man, who turned out to be much stronger and controllable than any other Shuuki once transformed, and yet you decided to NOT immediately bind him to your service? Do you not realize how your Blessing works?"
Bell wasted no time making her case, even though she knew how futile it was "W-well, he was clearly tired and the near-death experience still heavily weighed on his mind, s-so I decided not to press with the issue and give him space! B-besides-"
"These are just excuses, Bell. Don't make this more pathetic than it already is" Ren spoke with a tone capable of cutting solid matter, her finely voluptuous and toned physique tensing as her temper rose "You were planning to let him go from the moment you had him agree with the Slave Contract. I don't think I need to tell you just how disastrous your decision would have been for both yourself and the rest of the 3rd Unit"
Bell fell silent at that, her gaze lowering, and said "I...see. I'm sorry for my decision, tomorrow I'll set things right"
"You better" Ren sighed "You absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip away from you grasp, however clumsy that is" and left the room.
'Yuuki Wakura' Ren thought as she walked outside of the dorm 'Aside from your older sister being involved in a Mato Disaster, you seem like a completely normal person...'
'...and yet...' the Commander activated another facet of her Blessing and began flying into the air, back to her base '...you managed to tap into a power no one could have seen coming. What does this mean for you and how will it evolve, I don't have the slightest idea, but what IS clear to me is that you must be under the Antidemon Corps' control'
Ren's purple eyes hardened with a determined glow 'No matter what'
About time I published this story. Between the worldbuilding and wanting to showcase more of Yuuki's and Bell's new situations, it became pretty long.
This pattern is becoming more common lately, but at least you get more content to compensate for the wait, right?
I made these additions to expand a bit more on the setting Taka created. Trust me, Mato's Discord takes these matters pretty seriously, but honestly I just wanted to analyze Yuuki's personal life, from his time at school to his family.
Seriously, between him getting scouted by a military association working in hell and their daughter disappearing in a Mato Disaster, you'd think they would be more prominent figures in the story. Besides I wanted to point exactly where do the Wakura siblings get their characteristics, and we'll see more of Makoto as the story goes on.
As for Bell, this version of her is certainly stronger and more confident, but considering her Canon version that's not saying much as we can all see. Her different demeanor compared to Kyouka's also means that the story will naturally take a different direction than Canon, besides I'll also make original arcs too, so there's that.
Then there are the members of the 3rd Unit, who will be properly introduced next chapter, and they're not the only OCs in the story, let me tell you that. Also the Antidemon Corps now have actual weapons instead of shitty pistols, so yay.
With that, see you next time!