Its large leg raised high off the ground, a cold, sinister chuckle escaping its helmet. Oulohara's eyes darkened…
WAAM
Another sickening stomp on her burned stump of an arm. She couldn't scream anymore; it was too painful—more than the last impact on her leg. Her mouth just uselessly opened, and her body shook violently.
(T-this… s-sucks… so bad… what's g-going… on…? I-it… can't be… true…)
"What's with that expression? You should already know what I am," the armor sneered, lifting its large leg again.
It shamelessly slammed it down again, this time aiming for her chest…
CRASH
The pupils in her eyes shrank, her breath fully hitching for a moment as she felt the metal crunch against her ribs. She felt a sense of hopelessness. A strong sense. Her vision began to fade slowly…
(<…WAKE UP…>)
(<…WAKE UP NOW…>)
(<…GET UP BEFORE YOU DIE… REINCARNATED SOUL…>)
"H-huh…?"
She felt a warm presence around her. Actually, it was way more than just warm; it was absolutely torturous heat. Her eyes slowly flickered open…
"W-where… a-am… I…?"
(<…OPEN YOUR EYES… AND SEE…>)
She did as the voice guided.
"W-what the…"
It was a bright purple light that illuminated the whole space around her. And the heat she experienced was the ever-growing giant flames, sharing the same color as the light. Oulohara sat up slowly and gasped in shock—not only at the space around her, but something else as well.
"W-what's happening?!"
That very burnt stump of an arm was back to its original state: a slim and smooth-skinned limb with a little bit of extra muscle. She then noticed that her fatigue was missing. She looked down and, just like her arm, her shattered and broken leg was good as new. A long, strong, and plump limb.
She couldn't believe her eyes… just as she couldn't believe her ears.
(<…NOW THAT YOU HAVE FULLY AWOKEN CONSCIOUSNESS, WE MUST HAVE A DISCUSSION, OULOHARA VETAGE…>)
"What the hell!? W-where am I?! Answer me! What happened to me!? D-did I die? Am I fucking—"
(<…YOU STILL LIVE, OULOHARA VETAGE… JUST IN A STATE OF DEATH… BUT YOUR SOUL STILL LIVES, JUST AS YOUR PHYSICAL BODY…>)
The voice paused.
(<…YOU, OULOHARA VETAGE… ARE QUITE THE LUCKY INDIVIDUAL… ANY OTHER SOUL WOULD'VE PASSED, BUT YOU SURVIVED… BECAUSE OF AN ITEM YOU HOLD OF YOUR PAST EXISTENCE…>)
"What the hell are you—"
(<…CELESTIAL WAR…>)
Oulohara's eyes widened even more. Celestial War—the glowing blue blade she had kept in a suitcase her entire life, the goal she worked toward by obtaining the hilt. Ever since childhood, she had been ordered to protect and fix the blade. By whom? She didn't know. She could only describe them as a tall figure in shadows.
The blade being the only thing she had that brought her comfort, she had devoted her life to fixing it to its original form to see what the figure in the shadows meant.
"W-what about Celestial War…? What the hell are you talking about!?"
(<…THAT BLADE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR LIFE, AM I CORRECT?…>)
She looked down, clutching her arm uncomfortably. "…"
(<…NOT ONLY YOUR LIFE… BUT MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY EXISTENCE EVER… THE TASK YOU WERE GIVEN—FIX THE BLADE—DO YOU WANT TO FAIL IT…? DO YOU WANT YOUR DREAM TO END BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN DEFEATED BY AN ENEMY YOU'VE JUST MET…?…>)
"I…"
She couldn't get a grasp on what was happening; everything had moved too fast for her to understand. But she had one thing she could agree on: she didn't want to die. And she wanted to fulfill her mission.
"I… don't want to die. But I just don't know what's happening…! What's with this armor guy!? Why is he calling me 'reincarnated scum'?"
The voice stopped. Listened. And responded.
(<…BECAUSE… THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE…>)
"That's a vague answer! I-I want the—"
(<…YOU'LL FIND OUT… ONCE YOU COMPLETE YOUR MISSION…>)
With that answer, Oulohara felt a sharp pain in her temple. She clutched her head, her teeth clenched hard, and a loud groan escaped her lips.
(<…IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE AND FIND THAT TRUTH… DEFEAT THIS CREATURE… THE… MESSIAH, USING THE POWER I SHALL GRANT YOU…>)
"Ngghnnn… w-what… power…? AAAGGGHHHHHH!"
Oulohara was overwritten with immense pain. The bright purple light began to shift hue, slowly transitioning into a bright cyan light. The flames began to wildly intensify. A small chuckle escaped the voice.
(<…THE POWER OF THE OUROBOROS SLAYER…>)
As the armor began to lift its leg in the air again, preparing for one last brutal stomp, it felt something weakly clench the bottom of its foot. It looked down and saw… a bright cyan light that heavily reflected off the black steel.
"N-no… not yet… not fucking yet…"
"Huh?"
"I SAID NOT YET…!"
The light began to increase exponentially, becoming a force beyond blinding. A hollow gasp escaped the armor as it immediately moved to shield its eyes.
"W-what is this…!?"
"NOT YET… I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO GO HELP THE CHILDREN… NOT YET… I HAVEN'T EVEN VISITED A NEW SOCIETY… NOT YET! I WON'T DIE YET!!!" A loud voice echoed through the light in the familiar, rough, and barely feminine tone.
"I CALL UPON THE OUROBOROS SLAYER SWORD, CELESTIAL WAR!!!"
The armor couldn't see anything else… but it sure did feel an impact equally as dangerous, if not more lethal, than the explosion it had previously dropped on the center of City H.