The only option was to turn back and runnnnnnnnnnn! I turned backwards and ran with everything I had, without thinking twice — I didn't even consider where I was heading.
Now I regret not taking those gym classes. Holy hell, I'm gonna puke.
I spent so much time behind that goddamn desk I barely had any time for my daily exercises.
Shit! It's quinx hour — everyone's out carrying out their daily activities. Even if I scream for help, nobody's coming to my aid. Why does this place have to be a freakin' hill? I don't have the stamina for this. I had to run up a hill in an attempt to lose the EX spawn.
"Whoa! Lucky me." I saw a bunch of barrels, so I cut them loose. They rolled down the hill, disrupting the balance of the spawn, but they still didn't slow it down enough, unfortunately.
I ran towards a sack of iron rods. I bent towards the other direction to avoid collision, but one of them pierced my arm. I couldn't even scream, because it happened so suddenly — but one thing is for sure, I was hell-bent on escaping from that creature. Why did I have to get attacked in the abandoned industrial district?
Just about three weeks ago, this district was closed down because of continuous power shortages. The "P.EC" — Power and Energy Supply Company, who were responsible for power and energy distribution and management across Japan — couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. Hence, they closed the whole district down and put it under investigation.
And you have to pass through the industrial district in order to reach the landmark bus station. I ran towards the inner chambers of the district. There were multiple doors that led to one of the factories. I tried to open them, but I failed, unfortunately. I didn't have any time to waste, so I kept on running.
I could hear the claws of the spawn scratching the metal tiles on the floor. Blood dripped from my arm vigorously. If I don't get it patched up soon, I will die from anemia even before the spawn consumes me.
I saw this shabby door by the side of an eerie-looking building behind the factory. At this point, I was already lost. I ran towards the door like my life depended on it — which it did. I removed the rod from my arm, and my blood splashed on the ground. And it hurt like hell.
My tear ducts activated. I could see tears dropping from my eyes. I threw the rod at the EX spawn. I got a clean hit on its forelimb. It tumbled and fell on the floor — "heh, maybe I should join a javelin club." Taking the chance, I passed through the door and slammed it right behind me.
"This place is dark and creepy. I can barely see a thing," I thought to myself as I tried to navigate my current situation. "Ouch!!" Something pricked me on my palm.
Tchk — flicker — bzzz.
Tchk — flicker — bzzz.
The light bulbs turned on simultaneously. A warehouse — it was a freaking warehouse.
The space was huge, but there was no one in sight. I looked at my hand. I saw red vine-like lines extending from the middle of my palm, which had a huge hole in it.
"What is this?" I looked down on the table where I had placed my hand previously. A stake-looking dagger. When I touched it, it broke into pieces and turned into dust.
"Weird… much."
An excruciating pain surged through my body.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" I fell on the floor, holding my head that felt as if it would burst. The hole on my palm closed up immediately, and the wound from the rod healed up. The pain stopped abruptly.
At the extreme end of the warehouse lay something that looked like a life-support pod, at the very least. When I walked closer to get a better look, something was inside. I wasn't sure what. Out of curiosity, I placed my hand on the pod.
Whrrr — kathunk.
Whrrr — kathunk.
The pod opened up, white gas escaping as a girl fell into my arms. When I looked at her, she was naked… butt naked.
"Mhhmmm… mhhmmm…"
She woke up. Her deep eyes stared at me — a piercing gaze into my soul. Green hair covered my arms. She leaned towards me before I could process what was happening. She kissed me with her moist, pink lips. That was my first kiss — from an unknown female.
My cheeks grew red, my eyes widened with disbelief — my ice-cold demeanor shattered. I was taken aback in a moment of shock. I stayed still.
Her tongue intertwined with mine. It felt as if my whole existence was being scanned. She pulled back; her tongue dripped with my saliva, our lips disconnected. She stared directly at me — then her mouth began to move.
"DNA confirmed: ££#££#£… Touma Belfort." Her eyes turned plain white, her subtle but computed voice echoing throughout the warehouse. "Activating Dux series… 3… 70… 87… 99… 100%." She floated warmly above the ground, a kind of bright green energy encompassing her.
"Dux series activated. I am Velvet. Pleased to be at your service, Master." She descended softly to the floor. She bent down, placing one knee and her left arm on the tiles, raised her head — her face filled with conviction and devotion. Her eyes sparkled with awe. I was completely flabbergasted — she was bowing before me.
BANG!
The EX spawn broke through the door. The sound of the crash brought me back to my senses.
"Threat detected." Velvet pulled my head towards her chest.
"Wait — what's going on? Stop!" I tried to pull back, but I failed. My face lay between her two medium-sized breasts.
"Mhhmm…" My cheeks became red — I was flustered. Then again, I am a virgin after all.
"Preparing countermeasures." Her left arm held my head against her chest. I turned my left eye towards her other arm.
"Dux blaster." It transformed into a bloody cannon.
"Output 10%." She became more firm, her eyes turning ice cold as energy gathered in the cannon.
"Fire!"
She released a huge mass from her cannon and blew a hole through the EX spawn.
That's when I realized she was a cyborg — a supposedly extinct species. From what I knew, they were high-class mecha very similar to humans in physical traits. They possessed unparalleled knowledge and analytical combat prowess.
I wouldn't lie — that was hella sick.
She finally let go of my head, so I was able to remove it from between her breasts. As we were both seated on the floor, I stood up, removed my coat from my bag, and gave it to her so she could cover herself — seeing a naked lady was very unnerving.
"Thank you, Master."
She inserted her hand into her chest and removed a book. She turned towards me, stretched forth her hand, and gave it to me. It looked modern but had an ancient feel to it. I could tell that it was far older than me.
"Why are you giving me a book?" The moment I touched it, red vine-like lines spread around my body in an instant. I was completely flabbergasted. Though it wasn't painful, I could feel something coursing through me. On the cover page, I could swear there was nothing on it previously.
"Codex of ———" the rest was blurry. I couldn't read it; when I tried, my eyes hurt like hell.
"Let me see what's within the pages." I opened the cover.
"WTF!!!!!"
A huge hologram came out of the book. It looked like a man, but I couldn't see his face for some reason — that part was glitchy.
"Touma Belfort, within you now lies the power and DNA of a ££&£-&££. The story you were told is not what it seems. I trusted them. I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen. I am nothing more than a figment of the past. Do not trust, for appearances may be deceiving. Do not waver, for a tragedy will soon befall Earth. Will you rather be the hero who gets all the glory, or be the villain and pave a new path? Along the course of your journey, avoid—"
The transmission was suddenly cut off.