Chapter 83: Ugh, Just Kill Me Already
Are American kids always this bold?
The question lingered in his mind as he accompanied Tina to play by the fountain and wandered around various places until dusk fell—the twilight hour when spirits walk the earth.
The terminator line, like a boundary dividing light and dark, perfectly separated dusk from night.
"It's about time. Is this the place you decided on?"
Mahiro glanced around. Tina had led him to the outskirts, an abandoned factory in the suburbs.
The environment was quiet, undisturbed—perfect for a place to meet one's end.
Now, the sun was gradually sinking below the horizon, and night descended.
The owl factor within Tina fully awakened, her consciousness emerging from chaos. Her pupils gradually stained crimson, and even her voice grew colder.
"...A little further."
That was all she said, and Mahiro casually replied, "Is that so?"
Yet, it was precisely this nonchalant attitude that filled the girl's heart with sorrow and grief.
Is this man an idiot?
Following her here so carelessly—didn't he fear traps? Didn't he worry about landmines or pre-set bombs?
Didn't he fear being ambushed and killed by her?!
This unreserved trust only made Tina's heart ache more, as if it were being torn apart.
Under the pure moonlight cast from the heavens, Tina felt her body and soul burning away in its radiance.
How filthy I am.
But... this is fine.
I'm already satisfied.
"Thank you, Mr. Mahiro. Even though we stand as enemies, you never hesitated to indulge my little whims... truly, thank you... for treating me with such kindness."
In the open space at the center of the factory, Tina finally came to a stop, turning gracefully on her heel. Her skirt fluttered like dancing butterflies as she clasped her hands behind her back, forcing what she hoped was a perfect smile.
Yet the sorrow filling her heart and the tragedy she was about to face made that smile less than convincing.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Tina gave a slight nod, understanding that their relationship had reached its end.
The girl took several deep breaths, inhaling the frigid night air into her lungs before exhaling as if to purge all emotion, locking away those cherished feelings and memories in the deepest corner of her heart.
Then, with another slow exhale, Tina reopened her tightly shut eyes—all traces of emotion now erased, replaced by cold determination.
She was ready for battle.
"I am the Owl-type Initiator ranked 98th in the IP, codenamed 'Black Wind.' At the same time, I am a mechanical soldier of the NEXT series—Tina Sprout. Though not my specialty, this time... I will face you in a battle of position warfare!"
A bold declaration of war.
With that, she lightly lifted her skirt, and three fist-sized mechanical spheres instantly dropped from beneath it.
But instead of falling, they floated slowly as if defying gravity, orbiting around Tina in geometric patterns.
Xanfelds—small reconnaissance drones operated via a neural interface chip implanted in her brain.
They reminded him of that girl called Hummingbird, though their functions were entirely different.
"Then allow me to introduce myself as well."
Mahiro's expression grew calm as he mirrored Tina's formal declaration.
"I am the Promoter ranked 134th in the IP, codenamed 'Zodiac Killer.' A genetically adjusted mage from the Fourth Research Institute—Yotsuba Mahiro."
"Now... let's settle this, Tina."
"..."
A cool night breeze drifted between them.
Tina stared at him, her gaze distant.
From their brief exchange, she had gleaned much that her master had never mentioned.
The Fourth Research Institute. A genetically adjusted mage.
It seemed different from the concept of mechanical soldiers, and she had never heard of this research facility before...
But it no longer mattered.
Tina cast aside those irrelevant thoughts, her pupils flaring with an even brighter crimson light as she suddenly flipped backward!
The movement acted like a signal flare—instantly, flashes of light erupted from the darkened buildings surrounding them.
The air vibrated faintly as his eyes clearly tracked the bullets tearing through the atmosphere toward him.
Not from one direction, but from all sides—thirty-six muzzle flashes, completely sealing off every possible escape route.
And the bullets kept coming in relentless waves.
Mounted in the windows, rotary cannons spewed forth brass casings as their barrels spun furiously—clearly, these were M61 Vulcan aircraft guns!
So this is what they call a battle of attrition?
Within less than 0.01 seconds of contemplation, his body became enveloped in a brilliant Psionic Light.
The bullets that came shrieking through the air were all disintegrated less than a meter away from him, appearing on the surface like countless pebbles creating ripples upon hitting a lake's surface.
Yet strangely, none of the bullet trajectories or impact points were aimed at vital areas—they all targeted his hands or feet.
Or they landed around him, forming a cage-like confinement.
Even in this situation, they still want to capture me alive?
Or perhaps...
Mahiro suppressed the useless thoughts in his mind and immediately drew his CAD, pulling the trigger toward those glinting points.
"Freeze Flame."
Click! Click!
As if jammed, the spinning barrels from a moment ago were forcibly halted the next.
The electrically driven machine guns all ceased functioning in an instant.
When he turned his head, Tina had already vanished.
"Round two already?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Mahiro caught two flashes of light from the gaps between the surrounding buildings—1.5 kilometers away. Still an unbelievably long-range snipe.
With a backhanded flick, the dagger "Night Demon" effortlessly sliced through the two depleted varanium armor-piercing rounds that had come from an awkward angle.
However, the sniper positions in the distance weren't Tina's actual location—just remote-operated modules.
After dismantling those sniper rifles, Mahiro realized this.
At the same time, he heard a faint buzzing sound from his left and right—those little things called "Xanfelds" again.
Since they had appeared, that meant—
Tap—
A faint footstep sounded behind him.
Then—
Swish!
Tina emerged from the night like a wraith, her crimson eyes piercing through the darkness as she lunged forward.
Moonlight glinted off the slender piano wire she pulled from her black gloves, twisting like a cat's cradle as she swiftly and nimbly closed in behind Mahiro.
"Got you."
"Not even close."
Their voices overlapped almost perfectly.
The instant the piano wire was about to ensnare him, Mahiro suddenly spun back, evading the wire's grasp before surging forward again, his hand reaching for Tina.
His fingers slipped through the crisscrossing wires, seizing her by the throat.
Then—he slammed her into the ground!
BOOM!
Debris exploded outward as dust billowed into the air. The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, scattering the accumulated sand and sending a ring-shaped blast in all directions.
Tina's seemingly fragile body was mercilessly driven into the pavement.
The brutal impact forced the air from her lungs, and the violent shock left her vision momentarily black.
Though the strike had been powerful, for a Cursed Child with their monstrous regenerative abilities, it was nothing serious.
Still, it left Tina immobilized for the moment.
"Cough… cough… As expected… of the man I love… Mahiro-san… You really are amazing."
Whether it was siege tactics or close-quarters combat, she had lost completely.
Master… Tina has failed…
She wasn't—couldn't be—a match for Mahiro.
But this… was enough.
Her pale arms spread wide, falling limply to either side like Christ on the cross, surrendering to whatever fate awaited her.
Yet, Mahiro had already released her. Instead, he crouched beside her and gently poked her cheek with a finger.
"Hey~ Miss Tina~ Your panties are showing~ And they're black, too. How bold~"
"..."
Though she heard him, her face flushing crimson with embarrassment, she made no move to react.
Still keeping her eyes shut, she whispered:
"Mahiro-san… I've lost. So now… please kill me."
Once again, she said those words—just like last night.
"Do you really want to die that badly?"
"…I'm just a tool. A tool that failed its mission has no value in living."
"So, this is why you've had no killing intent from the start? Even the machine gun emplacements you set up—every bullet trajectory deliberately avoided my vital points?"
She nodded without denial.
The reason she had delayed their decisive battle until today wasn't because she wanted to defeat Mahiro. In truth, since last night, she had already been handed a death sentence.
She simply wanted to cling to life for one more day, to create as many happy memories as possible with Mahiro.
And the proof showed she had succeeded.
Her first time eating takoyaki;
Her first day staying awake without relying on medication;
Her first time playing in the park like a child;
Her first time falling in love, experiencing the feelings of a girl in love, and sharing her first kiss.
And for the first time, she truly lived... as a human being.
With so many firsts, she felt her life was already fulfilled.
Yet, at the very end, she had one last selfish wish—to have Mahiro end her life himself, then take her body to Seitenshi to claim the reward.
This was the last thing she could do, the only thing left for her beloved Mahiro-nii.
And so—
"So, Mahiro-nii... please... kill me."
She opened her eyes, her crimson gaze meeting Mahiro's dark pupils.
Seeing the unwavering resolve in them, Mahiro nodded slowly and pressed the muzzle of his CAD against Tina's forehead.
[Initiating trace of individual information body alteration history—analysis commencing—]
Feeling the cold, hard touch against her forehead and seeing Mahiro's resolute expression, Tina closed her eyes in contentment.
This was enough...
Compared to being disposed of by her master, dying at Mahiro-nii's hands was the best ending she could hope for...
"Goodbye, Mahiro-nii... Tina loves you the most."
"Goodbye, Tina Sprout."
The flickering psion light streaked across the night sky like a meteor, dispelling the darkness.
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone slammed the table with all their might, sending flasks and beakers jumping noisily.
"What kind of joke is this?! What the hell kind of joke is this?!"
The underground chamber's resident, Muroto Sumire, shouted furiously, her white lab coat dragging behind her as she paced anxiously.
This was the first time Mahiro had ever seen Muroto Sumire so agitated.
Normally, no matter what happened, she would face it with lazy indifference. But now, she was consumed by rage.
As if she had been betrayed.
To be precise, she had indeed been betrayed—by her former colleague, someone she had once fought alongside.
"Ayn! I never thought you'd sink this low, Ayn Rand! To think a fellow Sage would do something like this—it's unbelievable!"
Ayn Rand was the "master" Tina had spoken of, the former head of the American branch of the Mechanized Soldier Project 'NEXT,' and Tina's nominal Promoter.
But...
"What's the big deal? Didn't Albrecht fall from grace long ago? Now there's just one more."
Since the last invasion of the Tokyo Area by the Scorpion, Sumire had already known who was behind the Five Wings Syndicate.
It was none other than that bastard, the foremost of the Four Sages!
"This is different."
Sumire waved her hand in frustration.
"That bastard Albrecht was never a decent person from the start, but I never expected Ayn Rand to sell even the most basic conscience of a doctor to the devil! How can I not be furious?
Back then, we swore together before completing the mechanized soldiers for various countries—that before we were scientists, we were doctors!"
To this day, Sumire still vividly remembers the Hippocratic Oath they took—
'To abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, and to neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor make a suggestion to this effect. Nor to use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but to withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.'
At the time, whether it was Rentaro, who had lost his limbs, or Hiruko Kagetane, whose internal organs were rapidly failing, they were all in a state where they would die without surgery.
Even so, they respected the will of the individuals and upheld reverence for life.
They understood well that science could turn the impossible into reality, but it was not omnipotent.
Science was the original sin borne by humans who ate the fruit of wisdom—all of humanity were descendants of Cain, the first murderer.
The four of them were doctors, but also scientists. They once took pride in this, yet they were acutely aware that scientists were the most sinful race in the world.
But now, first Albrecht Grünewald broke his oath, modifying mechanized soldiers for the Five Wings Syndicate and continuing the "New Human Creation Plan."
Then Ayn Rand sent innocent children one after another onto the operating table for modifications.
What had turned them into this?
Watching her former comrades-in-arms betray their ideals one by one, how could Muroto Sumire, one of the Four Sages, not be furious?
Even bearing the same title of "Four Sages" now filled her with immense shame!
"It's utterly disgusting! If I could, I'd love to spit right in his face!"
Sumire angrily plopped back into her chair, her alluring black-stockinged legs crossing and trembling incessantly.
Seeing this, Mahiro admired those legs while propping his chin and consoling her:
"Well, I think it's pretty normal. After all, people are as changeable as eels. Faced with enormous benefits, many can't hold onto their original intentions, or those who do might encounter unexpected events that drastically alter their nature. It's all too common."
"And I don't think you need to be so angry, Doctor. After all, I'll handle things from here. Whether it's Albrecht Grünewald or Ayn Rand, none of them will escape."
Hearing his words, Muroto Sumire, who had been burning with rage and shame, suddenly calmed down and asked him, "You plan to take action against them?"
"Of course."
Mahiro shrugged as if it were obvious.
"Only those prepared to be shot have the right to shoot. Since they want to kill me, they should be ready to be killed. I have no interest in letting my enemies live freely out there."
From Tina, he had already obtained all the intelligence he needed.
She had been sent by Ayn Rand to the Tokyo area to assassinate Seitenshi and him. Even if Tina didn't know for sure who had hired Ayn Rand, she could easily guess—it was none other than the president of the Osaka region, Sogen Saitake.
Not to mention, this Sogen Saitake was also a member of the Five Wings Syndicate and bore five wings, likely holding a high-ranking position.
Every single one of them—none would escape!
As for Tina...
She was also in this cold underground morgue at this very moment.
She sat on a gurney in the corner—or more accurately, she was curled up there.
The good news was that although Mahiro had publicly announced the death of Tina Sprout, he hadn't actually killed her. Instead, through some unknown method, he had removed the biochip from her brain, creating the illusion of her demise.
The bad news?
Right now, standing directly across from her was a girl.
A girl with beautiful short blue hair, wearing nothing but a plain white cotton surgical gown, its hem dragging carelessly on the floor.
Beneath her delicate bangs shone a pair of striking wine-red eyes, fixed intently on Tina, studying her with what seemed like curiosity.
Just by looking into those eyes, Tina knew immediately.
This child was just like her—a Cursed Child!
But the problem was...
For some reason, she felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from this girl, as if she were facing a natural predator—an instinctive, blood-deep suppression. Her subconscious screamed warnings at her, urging her to get as far away from this girl as possible.
Why is this happening?
Even when facing Mahiro, she never felt this way—not even when confronting the strongest among her sisters—
IP Rank 21, codenamed [Pluto], Rita Sothbery.
It was as if the slightest movement would result in her being effortlessly killed by this girl.
So terrifying...
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan