Kotori POV:
"Why… did you do this?"
I couldn't hold back my curiosity and ask it.
I'm truly curious, why did they do all of this?
Based on what they demonstrated, it can easily make every nation, who relies heavily on technology to maintain their power, succumb under its feet…
Hell, they can even conduct another World War across the world for its amusement, effectively stripping us away from every advancement we ever have…
… But they didn't.
Ever since we detected this thing, they just been… around the Spirit's, and doing nothing more.
Although there's a high chance that it's already prepared for such a catastrophe, for the moment my curiosity still stands… one that I desperately hope so.
"I never believe in human eradication."
The thing, not even turning around, slowly responds.
"Humans, in various ways, are better than even some animals in adaptation. And my mission, as it always was and will be, is to push your limits beyond what you know."
"And yet, you're all too blind to even acknowledge the Spirits as your own kin, your own successor in the grand scheme of evolution."
Successor… of humanity…
I see… so this is their answer…
"And from the looks of it, it seems like you're not that much of an idiotic brat."
The thing, finally glancing back at my direction, slowly speaks with a hint of solemnness on its metallic face.
… No idea why I can see that, but I don't really want to question that.
"So this was your ideal? To just sit there watching them like an old man?"
"Me? Old man? What a funny joke."
The thing suddenly let out a giggle… or similar, based on its weird clunky sound from it.
So–not a man? A woman perhaps?
No… This might probably be just a way to trip me off the table.
Although its signal has shifted away from the DEM Headquarter, one cannot lower their guard.
Wescott, based on what the Chairman mentions, is a cunning yet mysterious individual. If he's actually behind this whole drone thingy, then everyone is merely a facade for his amusement.
… And the fact that it can even keep me, a full-blown Spirit, at bay without any threats only heightens the possibility.
How pitiful, for me to just stand here powerless, despite all the strength I possessed…
[BOOM!]
A loud explosion suddenly evaporated all my concerns, as part of the school in front of me was blown away.
What the…
"How predictable."
The thing just mumbling without a hint of surprise, but I ignore it and contact back to
"What happened?! Why did the school blow up?!"
"My apology, captain. It's just our suggestion… didn't seem to please the
Reine's voice echoed in my ear, as my worriness slowly raised up to a whole new height…
[BOOM!]
A loud explosion suddenly coming up from the school direction, swept me out from my thoughts.
What the… what happened?!
"Hoh, seems like our next guest has arrived."
Said the thing with a mundane voice, as it then begins to fly toward the school.
… Why did I have bad feelings about this?
Hm…
Why did he take so long?
"Um… how about…"
After some minutes of pure thinking, the boy Shidou finally perks up.
"Tome?"
… Hm?
That—sounds kinda good.
No idea what it meant, but it shouldn't be that bad… right?
Oh well, not that I have any rejection toward the name.
"It's good."
"Well then… nice to meet you, Tome-san."
"Likewise, Itsuka Shidou."
I waved at him with a bright smile, and his face somehow… turned red?
Red face… weird…
Although I already saw during the time with the thing, I still can't really figure it out.
Oh well, not that I care anyway—
"?!"
Suddenly, a wave of feeling swept through my whole body. And before I can even comprehend what just happened, my body's acting on its own.
A moment later, it came.
[BOOM!]
An explosion occurred right between us 2, with the light from its shroud our figure whole…
"Kuh kuh… you okay, Tome-san?!"
"I'm fine."
Both of us quickly organized our stance, as the debris and forces from the explosion were all prevented by the barrier I made just now.
Shidou, despite the fact that dust didn't even penetrate my barrier just coughing, as I'm standing in front of the boy and staring at the culprit…
"You truly live up to your Rank,
Said the figure hovering in the sky, with her gaze showing hints of arrogance and confidence.
Her blond hair loose to the waist, and the device spreading behind her only further her presence.
This one, although looks like those I fend off before… isn't simple. She might still be miles beneath me, but I somehow still felt uneasy with her.
I subconscious tried to summon
"Ellen Mira Mathers."
An emotionless voice cut through the tension linger in the air, and another descended from the outside.
The voice, the figure… I remembered.
"You…"
I look at the newly arrived figure and slowly frown.
The same look, the same color, the same calmness…
… And the same arrogant yet motionless gaze.
"Hello, princess."
That thing greets me with a weird-looking manner, and turns to the newly arrived girl.
"I take that you're here for me, isn't it?"
"… That's right."
The girl's gaze became sharper as she pinged her eyes on that thing, but it didn't seem to even acknowledge that gaze, or her, at all…
And somehow, despite its metallic face expressing nothing more than the crimson light, I… feels its amusement.
Weird…
"Well then, since you've traveled all the way here to kill me, why waste our time?"
Immediately after finishing the sentence, the other figure disappears right before my eyes.
But with those eyes of mine, I've already seen her moving to its back with an incredible, far exceed those mecha squad.
Her blade's over the head, with the trajectory going through its neck.
She's trying to decapitate it!!
Realizing what she's trying to do, I subconsciously called forth my
I know that she's slower than me, miles slower. I can prevent her from succeeding, I can—kill her.
As the thought came into my mind, my thought—was disrupted.
Why? Why did I stop? Am I… hesitated?
I immediately shake away such thoughts and continue with my attacks—
—Only to find the situation has shifted.
Instead of her cleanly decapitating its head, her figure was blown back by an unknown force as her face distorted with a mix of confusion and pain.
"Do you think I'd actually be here—"
The thing leered behind, its crimson gaze now totally locked-on her whole figure.
"—Without any preparation?"
With that, the carnage begins.
As I was still puzzled with its expression, that thing kicked the girl through the wall and followed suit, leaving me here alone with the weird twin tail girl and Shidou.
"Tch…"
I tried to follow it, but someone suddenly stopped my track.
"Don't!"
Said the twin tail girl, who looked at me with a complicated gaze.
"You are…?"
I leer at the girl feeling annoyed, as the girl's gaze becomes more determined.
"I'm Itsuka Kotori…"
Itsuka… Kotori… Wait—
"She's… my sister."
I switched my gaze toward the one behind me, as Shidou slowly nodded and looked away from the girl hiding his frown.
"Well.. currently at least."
The girl slightly lowered her gaze as he finished his sentence, but not after secretly shooting a glance at Shidou.
"But enough of that, miss…"
"She's Tome."
As the girl begins to stutter, Shidou quickly speaks up my name while still avoiding her gaze. The girl then let out some small cough and, ignoring my confusion, continued talking.
"Right, miss Tome… I wanted to warn you about that thing."
Ultron POV:
Predictable.
Why are humans, despite my curiosity, so simple?
Why is war the only thing lingering in their mind?
Why is killing each other is everyone's ultimate goal?
I just don't get it… why did they let themself be this blind?
"Wouldn't you agree, Ms Ellen?"
Looking down on the figure, I blurt out the question. One which will never have an answer.
"You… how…"
Murmur with heavy breath, is the once arrogant girl, now lying on the crumbling ground with bruises all over the body, her once elegant hairs now charcoaled.
Her
Even her battlesuit now looks nothing less than a mere rag, with her body now drenched in her own blood.
A pitiful scenery, one that… didn't concern me one bit. After all, why should I indulge myself with other suffering?
I was never interested in the suffering of the weak. The fact that the so-called "strongest Wizard" in this world is even worse than Natasha without her gear pretty much tells it all.
"I will fulfill… my promise…"
The girl, namely Ellen, stands up once again with her determinate gaze, and begins to charge up to me once more with her broadsword—only to be blocked by an eerie force.
And I… well, just flick her away without even moving my finger.
Who could've thought that Chitauri and
I don't just simply think about that, I already knew it.
So all-in-all, the gravitational aspect of the Chitauri has been vastly improved, to the point of even affecting other organs without damaging it whatsoever.
And yet Ellen, who relied on those little toys of hers, had such confidence to challenge me… I can help but say that she wished to go out with a bang.
Of course, like other humans, she did have some "contingency" plan… although calling isolating herself from being hacked wasn't quite it.
Not that I'll commend her for being such a reckless fool, but she has some guts. A risky yet stupid, but still.
"Kuh…"
Ellen, full with injuries, struggled to stand up again, as the fire in her eyes didn't even waver one bit.
"Still wanted to go on, miss Ellen?"
I asked her with a mocking tone, as Ellen brown slightly twitched. Not that she can do anything about that though.
"Well then, since I have more important business, I'll let you live today."
I then moved further away according to my statement, as Ellen's eyes widened with frustration yet discontent.
"You—"
"But as the price of letting you leave, I wanted you to deliver this to your so-called Ike."
I throw a USB-like device at Ellen's hand, and then proceed to leave a frustrated lady among the rubble alone.
… To be honest, this is disappointing.
After all I lay out for them, sending their "best" Wizard after me was all they could do? Even the Avengers are more capable than the so-called Ike…
In fact, despite having basically half the world in his hand, that guy can't even do part of what Tony can do during the Sokovia crisis. With limited time, and even less solutions, he manages to solve most of the problems with his wit alone.
… And that pretty much explains my frustration with this excuse of a world. Despite my first impression on this world, this world is basically on its last countdown at this rate, all thanks to a certain someone.
Tch… If not for the existence of Spirits, I might have already destroyed this world and let the new take over already.
While thinking all of that, I finally make my way back to the classroom.
For the past few days, I've focused on building a Reiryoku detector, based on the data of the tech at DEM bases and onboard the
After some testing with a voluntary
Although, considering the current situation, I don't think this would be any better.
"Tome…"
"…"
As I landed between the trio, I noticed that they were in a stalemate, with the brat looking guilty and the boy seemingly concerned for the opposing girl.
And speaking of her, oh boy… She seems a bit more unstable than a few minutes ago, her expression on the verge of breaking out.
Wonder what they said for her to be this emotional?
Although I could've eavesdropped on the conversation, I'm not really particularly interested in them. Besides, wasting my tech and intellect on such mundane matters won't cut it.
"What's going on here?"
I leer at the duo and ask, as everyone else finally looks my way making a shocking expression.
"You…"
The brat, whose emotion is the most noticeable through the gaze alone, stares at me with an unbelievable expression, struggling to find something to say.
"…"
The blue-haired, namely Itsuka Shido, just stares at me with a hint of hostility yet concerned while standing slightly in front of both the girls as if to protect.
"… You."
The princess, her expression now softens as soon as seeing my presence for some reason, finally speaks up.
"What's wrong, princess?"
I look at her with a nonchalant gaze, as her eyes, for a moment, glinting a hint of conflict before letting out a faint smile.
"Tome."
"Hm?"
"My name. Call me Tome."
The princess slightly narrowed her brow as she announced "name", one that earned back a moment of confusion from the brothers beside her.
So—name huh? But Tome… for some reasons I found it a bit weird…
"Well then, miss Tome… what are you gonna do?"
I let out a small grin back at her, one of many things that I explicitly added in this newly improved body of mine after Honjo-san commented that I "look less like a perfect being, and more of a statue."
… And well, since I do need some way to convey my "gratitude" since I'm no longer after merely destruction, at least for now, might as well be spending some effort.
"… I want to taste the drink that day again."
The girl said with a faint smile, her voice heavy with burdens, as the duo gaze narrowed with her reaction.
But the princess—Tome, ignore them entirely and proceed to fly out of the room, not even waiting for my response.
… I have a hunch of her reactions, but better hold on that for now.
"And you 2…"
After making sure she has left my view, I look back at the duo as their figure slightly shivers and their eyes showing a hint of fear.
"… Nevermind."
After some moments of thinking, I shake my intention away. There's no point in scolding them at all when they failed their very first goal with all those times I gave them.
That alone nailed up my expectation of them. Just a bunch of idealistics, nothing more.
With a small sigh, I turned around and followed up with Tome who's waiting above the sky.
"Let's go, Tome."
"Yeah…"
Tome just mutters back with a sadden look, as she then follows me right behind towards the town from before…
Shido POV:
Staring at the figures slowly disappeared from the sky, my heart quenched with guilt.
I… I screwed this up—a lot.
"Let's just… go back."
I murmur with Kotori frowning beside me, as my gaze falls into the ground.
A second later, my view suddenly shifted, from a broken concrete floor to a clean metallic floor.
"You're… hopeless…"
Kotori whispered beside me, her voice filled with frustration and tiresome.
But unlike other times, her voice right now was genuine. She was truly tired of me, exhausted even. And I—agree with her.
Without saying anything in response, I slowly walked out of the room under pity looks from everyone and, unbeknown to me, Kotori too.
"And me too…"
I vaguely caught what seemed like Kotori words from behind, but I shook it away and finally went outside…
Ultron POV:
"So, mind telling me what's wrong?"
I bluntly asked her, earning me a shocking expression in return.
The whole thing after the school confrontation isn't that eventful, we land in the same alleyway as last time, we change our looks to blend in and arrive at the same coffee shop. I order the same things, but this time with some bagel and sit by the window side with her.
Just the usual stuff, and no one seems suspicious on our tails either.
"…"
After the initial shock, her expression gradually changed to one of conflicted one, as she seems too struggling with her words.
"… Did you… ever kill someone?"
She suddenly asked me with an almost-quite voice, and my eyes narrowed deep in thoughts in return.
… Did they talk about such a sensitive topic to a newly formed Spirit?
"Yes."
I answered with a rather interested tone, as her voice became smaller with the next question.
"… Did you… regret it?"
Regret… Such a weird concept.
I can't even feel anything, for those merely chaining my potential.
"I didn't."
I bluntly said to her with a nonchalant look, and Tome made a weirdly-looking face.
"Why? Wasn't that supposed to be—normal?"
Normal… Hm.
… I have some wild idea on what they feed in her head. And I don't really want it to be true.
"Did they tell you about what you did that day?"
"… Yes."
With a frown, she confirms my suspicions and begins to let it all out about what happened when I'm out with an almost unrecognizable voice.
At first, it was just about that brat warning her about my presence, on how I "tricked" her into working with me, that I have caused "unnecessary" casualties, while Shido convinced her on the beauty of humans, that she doesn't have to be alone and running away anymore.
And, to my surprise, she mentions my rescue at that island a few days back. Although she didn't specifically mention that I was directly behind it, she had some doubts about it and mentioned that anyway.
Not only that, she specifically stated that such acts are immoral, and that I was against everything with the killings.
The twist then begins to flourish, as she suddenly felt curious about what "killing" meant and asked the duo. And Shido, without even waiting for Kotori or
… And she pretty much realized that she was basically doing that earlier, as she beheaded that thug without an ounce of guilt, and even feels annoyed by such. Her mind begins to break down when she realizes that she, the same as me, has done things that they absolutely cannot do to be with humans.
"Is it wrong… to want to be with them?"
Tome asked me with a barely recognizable voice, as if mumbling with herself, while lowering her head with a conflicting expression…