Faith, comrades, friendship...
All lies!
The only undeniable truth was to live on.
Only the strongest could decide the fate of others.
Just as Yhwach once determined her life or death with a single word.
Just as today, the man standing before her did.
Metalica's slender fingertips touched the ground, supporting her heavy, fully metallized skeletal frame as she rose. The blazing Reishi wings behind her roared fiercely, whipping up a wild gust that sent debris scattering across the floor.
The dim flames encircling the church burned steadily, segment by segment, swaying in the howling wind but neither hastening nor slowing.
Metalica stood in place, her form now towering far taller than before.
Graceful and poised, her elegance was striking.
Compared to her previously unremarkable figure, she was like an entirely different being.
Yet, her gaze toward Makoto burned with fire, her steps faintly trembling.
Makoto looked at her unfazed, his calm smile unwavering as he asked:
"Not going to attack?"
As his words fell, the Reishi wings behind Metalica froze.
They flared.
The ground beneath the blonde beauty's feet seemed to vanish as if bitten away by an invisible force, the stone tiles behind her erupting into a cloud of dust and smoke.
Supported by the immense recoil, Metalica's figure exploded forward at a terrifying speed. Her Reishi wings stretched into a shimmering trail grazing the ground, shattering all obstacles in her path. A mesmerizing metal longsword extended from her hand, faintly glowing with a blood-like crimson.
Her body was enveloped in a strange, crackling electric aura, moving at an unimaginable pace.
Collision.
Boom!
At this limit-pushing speed, her strength surged to an unimaginable degree.
Makoto raised his Zanpakutō, Oharai Gougi, and met the strike head-on.
His previously playful demeanor shifted, a glint of surprise in his eyes as if he'd stumbled upon an unexpected treasure.
The geta sandals on his feet split at the seams, and the ground behind him churned and collapsed under the terrifying force, the entire church twisting into a chaotic mess beyond their clashing point.
Choose! Metal!
The combined powers within a single being erupted, their synergy far exceeding the sum of their parts.
But...
An irrepressible grin of excitement spread across Makoto's face. His eyes locked onto Metalica's cold, murderous gaze through their clashing blades, and he murmured:
"Now that's more like it!"
Metalica's pupils contracted instinctively.
Before she could react, the force from his blade surged, overwhelming her. Even the frantic flapping of her Reishi wings couldn't hold it back.
In a flash, Makoto tilted his blade, slashing upward.
Metalica's entire body was sent airborne.
Spinning with the momentum, a blazing white aura swirled around him as he launched a kick into the girl's abdomen, sending her and her blade flying dozens of meters.
'His speed... faster than before?!'
The thought surged through Metalica's mind, now consumed by pure killing intent.
Immediately, an idea sparked, making her heart pound uncontrollably.
Before her body could crash into the wall, Makoto's steps cracked the stone tiles beneath him, spiderweb-like fractures spreading in an instant.
His form appeared beside the airborne girl.
Metalica's pupils shrank to pinpoints, her gaze struggling to track Makoto at her side.
She caught only the malicious smile on the young man's face.
His hand clamped tightly onto her cheek.
"Rumble-"
Their figures, one standing, one sprawled, skidded dozens of meters across the ground, carving a long trench.
Finally, Metalica flapped her wings fiercely, breaking free from Makoto's grasp.
Though the power of "Choose" left her unharmed, the sense of defeat was unbearable.
Her body bristled with a dozen metal weapons, shooting toward Makoto like a porcupine's quills.
Her form darted forward even faster, weaving past the weapons' trajectories, skimming the ground to flank him. As another longsword formed in her hand, the power of "Choose" surged unhesitatingly along the blade.
Makoto slashed through the frontal weapons, catching Metalica's movement in his peripheral vision. He seized a flying iron hammer from the air, swinging it mercilessly toward the girl, its speed nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
Metalica locked onto the hammer, the platinum glow in her pupils blazing almost to the point of combustion. She didn't dodge, facing it head-on, taking the blow with her forehead.
Her blade, however, sliced past it, aiming straight for Makoto's neck.
A life-for-life exchange.
This unexpected decision clearly caught Makoto off guard.
Yet, his movements didn't falter.
"Clang!"
Metalica's body crashed into the ground, sinking into a crater like a meteor's impact, the earth trembling.
But Makoto showed no trace of triumph.
He touched his fingertip to his cheek.
There, a shallow cut oozed faint traces of blood.
The iron hammer in his hand, before it could strike Metalica's head, had been twisted into a fragile coil under her "Metal" ability.
The moment it hit, it crumbled into ash-like dust.
Her deep crater was entirely the result of Makoto's follow-up punch.
"Impressive, Metalica-san."
Makoto's tone carried a hint of admiration: "I acknowledge your worth as a servant."
"Crash..."
Metalica struggled to rise, half-kneeling in the crater.
Her gaze toward Makoto was almost vacant.
After a few stunned seconds, she murmured: "You... you didn't avoid all attacks because of a 'lie.'"
"Indeed."
"But if I told you the truth outright, wouldn't that be too cruel?"
Makoto's smile remained warm, draped across his youthful, striking face, exuding a deceptive gentleness.
"Because of your strange abilities, I can't kill you."
"Because of the vast gap in our strength, you can't even land a single hit on me."
"If you'd known this from the start, you'd probably have turned and fled, right?"
He stepped forward slowly, his smile as false as a mask: "After all, Liestya is long dead."
"How could her ability still be in effect?"
Metalica froze, staring at him.
"Since you were trapped in this inescapable predicament, you've been deceiving yourselves, haven't you?"
"But now, there's a turning point."
As he spoke, Makoto stood before the crater, extending his blood-stained fingertip toward Metalica, gently saying:
"Look."
"You wounded me."
Metalica's gaze toward Makoto flickered with an almost absurd light.
"You..."
"Madman!"
As her words fell, Metalica's form shot like an arrow toward the man mere steps away, her body erupting in blinding Reishi light.
A giant sword over ten meters long crashed down like a waterfall, the airflow coiling around its sides like pure white ribbons.
But.
Clang!
Oharai Gougi sliced through the air like cutting butter, scattering crimson sparks in their clash. How could mere steel compare to a blade infused with will?
He stepped forward, his form appearing before Metalica.
His blade slashed down.
Choose! Metallization!
Her severed body split and reformed.
Metalica's blade didn't pause, slicing toward Makoto's waist, only to be kicked away mid-strike.
Before she could recover, the hilt of his blade smashed into her face.
"For someone like you!"
"What difference is there between a weakling like me now and before?!"
Metalica spat blood, her wounds healing rapidly, her gaze toward Makoto filled with resentment: "Is tormenting the weak so amusing?!"
"Not at all."
Makoto smiled gently: "I'm just curious."
"...Curious?"
Metalica stared at him, stunned.
"Yes."
"Having reached the pinnacle of tier-2 reiatsu, just how strong am I?"
"I want to know."
"But."
Makoto looked down at her: "The three of you aren't quite enough."
Metalica struggled to open her mouth, as if to speak, but no sound came for a long moment.
Finally, she managed to choke out: "All this... for something like that?"
"Yes," Makoto replied.
"You bastard!"
Metalica's eyes seemed to bleed with fury, her roar like that of a lioness. "Whether it's you or Yhwach, anyone with even a shred of power treats others like they're nothing!"
She roared, lunging toward Makoto with all her might.
But in the instant she spoke, Makoto's expression turned cold, the warmth in his face vanishing.
Just before the girl could reach him, his leg shot out like a dragon, shattering the ground into dust. His foot drove into her chest, folding her body in half and sending her crashing into the ceiling with a thunderous boom.
The church's ceiling collapsed into massive fragments, raining down like hail. The stained glass on the walls shattered across the floor, leaving only a spiderweb-like crater at the top.
"Someone like you has no right to say such things," Makoto said, his voice low, as he slowly sheathed his Zanpakutō, Oharai Gougi.
The battle was over.
"Thud."
The Reishi wings dimmed, like a campfire running out of fuel.
Metalica, embedded in the ceiling, fell like an angel with broken wings, her body limp as she crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Both her Metal and Choose abilities relied on Reishi to function.
Bearing both powers allowed her to unleash strength far greater than the sum of their parts, but the cost was equally immense.
This was all within Makoto's expectations.
"Crash-"
Debris from the ceiling continued to fall, the dim flames encircling the church reduced to their final flickers.
Makoto strolled casually toward the girl.
Metalica's form had shrunk back to that of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old. Having absorbed all of Adalbert's power, her usual appearance was now far more imposing than before. Her radiant blonde hair lay disheveled, her body covered in wounds and blood, utterly battered.
She weakly grasped at the stones on the ground, still trying to resist, but her movements were so frail she could barely support herself.
As Makoto's footsteps drew closer, her struggles grew more frantic, yet she was hopelessly immobilized.
Her expression shifted to one of fear and desperation.
Finally, Makoto stopped before her.
Looking down at the girl, he removed the toy-like horns from his head and gently placed them on hers.
"Now, for the final [Temptation]," he said.
At the sound of his calm voice, Metalica's body trembled, and she shakily lifted her head.
Makoto looked down at her from above: "From today onward, you will be loyal to me alone, forever."
As his words fell, the last of the church's dim flames flickered out.
Extinguished.
In that instant, a faint peach-shaped glow flickered in the depths of Metalica's eyes.
Her expression of fear and struggle calmed completely, replaced by a vacant obedience.
Watching this, Makoto found it amusing. He reached out, lifting her smooth chin to meet his gaze.
Metalica offered no resistance, quietly meeting his eyes and responding calmly: "Yes, Makoto-san."
Makoto chuckled lightly: "Time to change how you address me. What should you call me?"
"..."
The girl hesitated, her brow furrowing in thought before she spoke again: "Master."
"Not bad."
Makoto nodded, satisfied. "From today, your name is Meira."
"Yes, Master," she replied.
As her voice faded, the shattered church ceiling collapsed further, letting in bright, clear sunlight that illuminated the once-gloomy church.
The towering statue of Yhwach at the center silently observed the scene, slowly crumbling into nothingness, dissolving into faint specks of light that drifted away.
Gone.
[Script Concluded]
[Free World: The Day of the Pious Nun's Fall]
[Victor: The Host]
...
[Bond Event: The Nun's Fall]
[Your bond level with Meira has increased! ↑]
[Reward: Talent Point +1]
[Acquired Bond Trait: Hierro]
[Bond Trait: Hierro – A trait originally belonging to a Menos Grande, fully integrated due to your Perfect Lifeform physiology. The dense Reishi covering your body makes your skin as tough as steel.]
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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