Chapter 126: The Price of Power
"Inch Force: Mountain Collapse!"
Rovel's fist shot forward, a condensed blast of power aimed squarely at Funahiki Gyō. The air itself seemed to shudder from the force.
But the blow never landed. A grotesque, mechanical limb of Funahiki Gyō's Construct slammed down, intercepting the attack with a deafening screech of stressed metal.
"In a hurry?" Funahiki Gyō's voice, a chilling androgynous tone that grated on the ears, echoed through the swirling poison mist. "That little girl will be dead soon, consumed by the toxins. And so, of course, will you… Rovel Suou."
A signature, disgusting smile stretched across her warped features.
"You're... Funahiki Gyō?!" Rovel's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't comprehend how the woman he knew had twisted into this monstrous form.
"Ah, that's right. I am Funahiki Gyō," she hissed, her voice cracking with madness. "It's all because of you! All because of you I've become this! It's all your fault!"
Having been recognized, her rage boiled over. She manipulated the Construct, its massive leg stomping down with the intent to crush Rovel into paste.
Rovel threw himself into a desperate roll, the impact cracking the concrete where he'd just been standing.
"Now I'm going to make you suffer the same pain I endured!" Funahiki Gyō roared, her Construct lashing out in a frantic, uncontrolled frenzy.
"Huajin: Ink Chrysanthemum!"
Rovel's form flickered. In a series of impossibly swift movements, he stepped onto the Construct's flailing limbs, using its own body as a staircase to instantly close the distance to its master. A terrifying, volatile energy began to gather in his hands, glowing with a malevolent light.
'Death Force: Rending Sky!'
He had no idea what the consequences of using Dead Force in the real world would be. The synchronization was a dangerous, unknown variable. But looking at the toxic mist creeping ever closer and the monster before him, he knew he was out of time and out of options.
A storm of countless fist-shadows erupted from his hands, smashing into Funahiki Gyō.
Her body seemed to collapse inward under the sheer brutality of the assault. The massive, augmented frame was battered backward, again and again, by a force it couldn't withstand. Deep within Funahiki Gyō's eyes, a flicker of utter disbelief shone through the madness; she had never imagined the Rovel of the real world could possess such terrifying strength.
With a final, devastating impact, her body was sent flying, smashing into a nearby wall and embedding itself deep within the shattered brick and plaster.
The moment the assault ended, a searing pain, like his entire body was being scorched by an open flame, ripped through Rovel. The backlash was so intense that he collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath.
He had to get out of the mist. Now. If the toxins fully invaded his system, it would be disastrous.
Forcing himself back to his feet with a groan, Rovel staggered toward the edge of the poisonous cloud. Just as he was about to break free, a small figure rushed in, a hand pressed firmly over her nose and mouth. Yuki. She grabbed his arm, supporting his weight as they both scrambled out of the toxic haze.
But behind them, a horrifying scraping sound echoed. Funahiki Gyō was slowly, impossibly, crawling out of the wall.
Rovel's attack had been powerful, mangling her organic body beyond recognition, but her four spider-like Construct legs were mostly undamaged. She had survived. If this were the game, she might have been killed instantly.
But this was reality.
With a guttural scream, she launched herself through the air, her mechanical limbs aimed to smash down on both Rovel and Yuki.
At the critical moment, Yuki shoved Rovel away with all her might, her only thought to get him clear.
As she pushed him, sharp blades ejected from the back of Funahiki Gyō's spider legs, plunging directly toward Yuki's unprotected back.
"Yuki!!" Rovel screamed, his hand outstretched, fingers grasping at empty air. He could only watch in horror as she seemed to drift further and further away from him.
"Do you feel it? How useless you are?"
A voice, like a venomous whisper, slithered into his ear as a black mist began to coil around his body.
The world fell into stagnation. Everything stopped, frozen in the single, horrifying second before the blades could pierce Yuki's flesh.
"You can't even protect your beloved younger sister..."
Rovel's gaze was locked on Yuki's face. He saw no fear there. Only the quiet joy and deep relief of knowing she had saved him. In her final moments, Yuki had protected her brother.
"As long as you hold me, I can give you power," the voice promised, its tone seductive. "The power to protect your sister."
The cursed blade, Jizo Mitama, slowly materialized in the air before him.
"I will give you... the power to protect Yuki!"
It should have been a direct hit, a killing blow. But Funahiki Gyō felt no satisfying sensation of blades sinking into flesh.
As the dust from her impact slowly settled, a new figure stood where Yuki had been. His hair, once dark, had shifted to a shocking pink, and a pair of long fox ears had sprouted from his head.
Spirit Blade Form.
For the first time, it had manifested in reality.
Yuki was cradled safely in one of Rovel's arms. His other hand was wrapped tightly around the hilt of Jizo Mitama.
"Bro...ther?" Yuki whispered, staring in disbelief at his transformation.
Beyond the hair and ears, the most terrifying change was in his eyes. The pupils were a burning, demonic red, and the whites had been swallowed by an abyssal black. They were cold, bloodthirsty, and utterly devoid of the warmth she knew.
A slight, cruel curve rose at the corner of his mouth. He raised Jizo Mitama, its tip pointing directly at Funahiki Gyō.
In the next instant, Rovel vanished.
Funahiki Gyō only felt a dizzying sensation as the world began to spin. She saw a strange, disjointed view of her own modified body from below, but she couldn't control it. She couldn't feel anything.
Her head rolled across the ground a few times before coming to a stop. The mechanical Construct, its master gone, lost all power and collapsed to the floor in a heap of inert metal.
"Brother?" Yuki called out again, her voice trembling.
Rovel gave no response. From the Jizo Mitama in his hand, sinister purple patterns began to crawl up his arm, spreading like veins across his skin and onto his cheeks.
"Brother! Put the blade down!" Yuki instantly understood the danger and lunged forward, desperately trying to snatch the cursed sword from his grasp.
But Rovel's strength was immense. With a casual, almost gentle toss, he flung her away.
"Ah!!" Yuki let out a scream as she flew through the air.
"Yuki..."
The sound of her cry seemed to pierce the haze. Rovel's eyes cleared for a split second. He immediately shot forward, catching her before she hit the ground, and then, with a few impossible leaps, vanished from the scene.
Moments later, heavily equipped Armed Police rushed the area, only to find a scene of utter destruction and a headless, monstrous corpse.
"Brother, hold on..." Yuki whispered, wiping away the tears streaming from her eyes as she floored the accelerator, racing back to Rovel's apartment.
By now, the purple patterns had covered Rovel's entire neck. Half of his body had turned a sickly, grayish-white, his skin taking on the same dead pallor as the Death Soldiers they had fought in the game.
She carried him on her back up to his apartment. There was no time to fumble with the key. She kicked the door clean off its hinges, rushed inside, and placed him gently into the VR Game Pod.
It had been his final, garbled instruction before he lost consciousness.
Yuki watched the pod's canopy slowly close, her hands clasped tightly together in prayer, whispering his name over and over, begging for him to be okay.
Inside the Elysian Realm, Yae Sakura stared in confusion at the figure who had suddenly materialized before her.
His body was already showing signs of large-scale Honkai corruption; the Death Soldier transformation was far advanced. It wouldn't be long before he was completely lost.
Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to the katana he still clutched: Jizo Mitama. The aura emanating from it was so... familiar. So malevolent.
After a brief moment of thought, Sakura made a decision. She would take him to Mobius. It was a long shot, but perhaps... perhaps he could still be saved.
To Sakura's surprise, the moment Mobius laid eyes on Rovel, her usually playful or detached expression became incredibly grim.
She rushed to his side in an instant, her eyes scanning his body with a terrifying intensity.
"The Death Soldier transformation process has exceeded ninety percent!" Mobius snapped, her voice sharp with an urgency Sakura had never heard before. "There's no time! Klein, prepare for surgery! Now!"
"Yes, Doctor!"
This was the first time Sakura had ever seen such a panicked, anxious look on Mobius's face.
But it seemed that, for the time being, no one could answer the question burning in her own mind.
That blade... what in the world was it?
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