Eden Virus
Chapter 36

Copyright© 2020 by JTaKeo

The dizzying spell flooded the boy’s heads, as they slowly opened their eyes to the bright blotches hanging over them. Struggling, they got up off the ground of the familiar greenery that spread throughout the previous strange world they were pulled into.

“Ugh...” Takuya grunted, clutching his forehead. He looked over to see the club president doing the same, the movement of his mouth in deep inhale and exhale. “Prez...!”

“Hideyoshi, you’re okay. No, we’re okay. But what about-?” The giant man grumbled as he shuddered himself. The two of them looked around and saw where the giant, crimson grotesque geyser once stood, it dissipated into thin air and standing in place of it was a familiar figure of a young girl.

“Takatora!!” The president called out to her with excitement, both boys fumbling to their feet.

Ryuuko who heard his voice, turned her head around to them.

“Everyone...” She said with a wonderous smile, before suddenly collapsing.

“Takatora!!”

Rushing over, Takuya caught her right as she fell and carefully held her in his arms.

“Don’t worry, I got you.” He reassured.

“H-Hideyoshi...” Ryuuko’s voice cracked, slowly opened her eyes to his face. “You’re okay...”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It was really nothing to worry about.” He replied with a big smile.

“Ah ... I’m so glad.”

“Whoa!”

Throwing her arm around him, Ryuuko hugged him tightly. Takuya, taken by surprise, kept his arms up and away from her as she sobbed, feeling the wetness of her tears on his sleeves.

“Umm ... err...” He stuttered, not sure what to do or how to respond. In his mind, it was telling him to return the same affection and even his arms were instinctively trying to move and wrap around her, but he fought the terrible temptation and struggled to keep himself together as he felt his body burning up from embarrassment.

“Aw, how lucky you are Takuya. Hey Ryuuko, how about a hug for us too? HA HA HA!” Suddenly came Juntaro’s voice. His jeering laughter immediately snapped Ryuuko back to her senses as she promptly released him and jumped away.

“Ah! ... Umm ... umm ... I’m so s-s-sorry!” She stammered; her face completely flustered.

“Ha ... ha ... it’s f-fine. Err ... I’m glad y-you’re okay too.” Takuya replied, scratching his head as his face also turning bright red. An awkward silence hung in the air between the two as they sat there, shyly looking away from each other’s eyes.

“HA HA HA! Oh you two kids! You’re both killing me!” Juntaro laughed even harder at the hilarious sight of the two, who were completely flushed with red.

“S-S-SENPAI! STOP IT!” Ryuuko cried out, her cheeks puffed out in frustration.

“Senpai?! God dammit, what is that meta-data asshole saying right now?!”

“HA HA HA HA!!”

“Takatora, I’m glad you’re okay.” Kenjirou said as he went over to where the two sat. He extended his right hand out to her and helped her up from the ground, giving a slight smile of relief.

“President ... thank you.” Ryuuko replied happily as she looked over to the rest of the boys. “Thank you everyone. You all saved me again. It’s all because of you, that I ... I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“No need for any of that Ryuuko! You’re one of us, so of course we’ll do everything we can to help! Although, if you are suggesting, I do have a sudden craving for double mint chocolate chip ice cream...” Juntaro said boastfully.

“Good grief, senpai. You didn’t do squat! Except maybe setting yourself to blow up which, looks to me, like you’ve already turned your timer off. Coward.” Takuya scoffed.

“Why you obnoxious little-”

“ENOUGH!!” Kenjirou immediately leapt in, his booming voice breaking the two up. Seeing the familiar display of dispute between her clubmates, Ryuuko found herself laughing. As she laughed, she felt a soothing sense of relief that wholly enveloped her.

She was happy. She was very happy, as she thought about how lucky she was to be together with everyone. To have friends like them, and that she is not alone.

As she continued to laugh, the other boys looked over at her and joined in as well, the sounds of joy filled the area.

CRAAAASSSH

“AHHHHHH!”

A sudden noise, akin to an explosion of shattering glass, and a spine-chilling scream immediately broke the group’s short respite. Everyone turned to the direction of the sound and watched as a disembodied figure was thrown to their location.

BOOM

“Kyaah!”

“Ughh!!”

The group stepped back as an enormous dust cloud was blown from where the figure landed, just a little further away from them. The entire area shook from the incredible impact, nearly knocking them off their feet as they struggled to keep themselves steady.

“That’s-” Ryuuko gasped as the dust cleared away. A small crater was formed and in the center laid the broken body of the silver haired being. Missing their lower portions and most of their right arm, lights flooded out from the cracks that spread all over their destroyed body.

There was no blood, except for the redness that stained their cheeks. The right side of their face was split opened, revealing a brilliant yet empty shell of glimmer, as with the rest of their hollowed body. Slowly crumbling away, their appearance was that of a broken doll made of porcelain, their fragile body showing no distinguishable trace of human physiques, no organs or innards, despite the grievous injury.

“Alma!”

“STAY BACK! DON’T COME NEAR ME!” They demanded, struggling to get up. Following was a sound of sniggering, along with the crumbling noise of broken glass that dropped from them as they floated from the ground and turned towards her. The hole where their right eye was revealed an unsettling void of glitters, like specks of lights in a space of darkness. “Heh ... heh heh cough ... my, my, my, how wonderful it is to see that you’re alive, Takatora Ryuuko. Yes, I can see it clearly. You have subdued her, the one who had hoped to mercilessly devoured the “you” that currently exist. Excellent ... excellent indeed. Truly you are fit to be called my “friend”. But more than that,”

Alma turned their head to the looks of the boys as a sinister grin curved through their distorted face, the movement of it caused even more pieces of them to fall off from their already fragmented figure.

“Well, well, well, you boys have once again exceeded my expectations. Splendid. Simply splendid. I can see now, though you are all worms; even worms can have its use within the Garden. Well done, children of sin. You have perfectly passed all my tests, heh heh heh ... ugh...” Alma coughed violently as they recoiled back to the ground and gasped for air.

“This bastard ... how are you still able to talk so much crap looking like this?! How the hell are you even alive?!” Juntaro exclaimed.

“Why, I am touched by your concern, child trapped in noncorporeal. But do not worry about me. Tis but a scratched. This is nothing more than minor inconvenience to my vessel, an empty shell that I had chosen to simply contain my splendor and meet with you all. If I were you, I’d be more worried about “her”.” Alma replied smugly as they moved their crumbling left arm and directed it to the distance. The group immediately turned around, a powerful feeling of dread suddenly running through their bodies as they looked to where Alma was pointing.

At the base of the great “tree”, the colossal figure of the Savior of Mercy began to stir again. Large amount of steam emitted from its immense body. What was once a radiant and silvery knight-like regal, its armor that now covered its body was blackened as if burnt, and all the moss and foliage that clung across it were dead and gently crumbled away, blowing along with the unnatural smog. The spear it wielded, along with its right hand, melted to a single elongated lance of blazing white flame that burned with the intensity of the sun itself, its structure madly fluctuating as if intangible yet was densely formed as it singe the area around it.

The shield it held on its right hand was now a dullen yet still brilliant plate of darkened and unidentifiable metal. Instead of reflecting the gleaming lights that shone down, it was as now sucking in everything to create a sheen of impregnable dark glamour. Where the second, humanoid body that laid crossed on its chest that was once ghastly white was now also blackened. Completely devoid of any signs of life it hung like a corpse, absorbed into its colossal body, vanishing from the outer area completely leaving behind only strange strands of muscle fiber and veins. The veins that attached to it and the singular giant eyeball in the center of its chest was wildly pulsating, as it peeled back to reveal a blacked sclera and blood red iris that darted and flickered wildly like a high shuttered camera.

Taking a step, the needle-like appendages of its legs bored into the ground and, like corrosive poison, it instantly disintegrated all that it touched. It moved its top “head” toward the blinding skies and let out an almost animalistic cry, filled pain and sorrow, as its horns extended and curved. The floating crown of light that wrapped around, yet did not touched; its light dimmed. All four of the wings that was once tightly bound to it was now fully released and letting out a dulled yet eerie glow of myriad colors. From its back emerged a powerful burst of angelic flames. A halo once made of pure light, now was an intense corona of dark silvery blaze.

The wildly fluttering eyeball finally stopped its movement as it seemed to have found its targets; staring directly at the group that stood a far distance from it. There was no light from its bloodied eye; no signs of intelligent life nor sense of reasoning. Instead, it only emitted a powerful force of menace that could be felt even from where the A.R.C. stood. Turning its head to them Armadat let out another bloodied roar, a dreadful cry as if proclaiming its hostility and killing intent to them all.

“H-H-H-HOLY CRAP!! DID ... DID THAT THING JUST SOMEHOW GOTTEN STRONGER?!” Juntaro spluttered as his eyes met with the monster’s. Even through his screen he could feel the danger. Like an icy cold premonition, it gripped his entire electronical body with fear and he could not stop shaking.

“Heh ... hahaha ... very observant of you, child trapped in noncorporeal. You are both wise, and very lucky, to have deactivated your scanner. Armadat ... dear sister Amia ... how cruel. How terribly cruel, for you have sung your swan song. Whatever was left, is now truly gone. My friend ... my cherished friend. I have failed you... cough ... as I have failed everyone else.” Alma said. Although there was no emotion in their voice nor face, their words were conveying a deep sorrow as they gazed up into the skies, before turning back to the group. “Takatora Ryuuko ... Eve, children of sin; it might be best to savor your last moments.”

“What the heck are you saying?! We just got out an annoying situation and now you’re speaking as if we’re done for? So that “thing” looks different, but it’s not as if its unkillable, right? Tch! Let’s go then! Round two! This time I’ll make sure to kill it right!” Takuya exclaimed as he pulled out his weapons and turned to face the towering creature.

“Hold it! Don’t do anything stupid.” Kenjirou immediately placed a hand out to stop him. As Takuya looked into his furrowed brows, he saw the president shook his head. “I won’t let you.”

“Haa ... damn you.” Takuya let out a heavy sigh, as if he had been holding his breath. Despite his bravado, his entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

Kenjirou turned back to Alma, a look of disgust on his broad face. “So what are we supposed to do now? You can’t expect us to give up and die, not after all that we’ve went through.”

“No, I expect not “president”. But you don’t really have any other options, do you? Before when you went up against Armadat, you weren’t even enough as a distraction. She never took you serious, not even for a moment. You were no more than the dirt that was meant to be stepped across. But now that she has become like this, having ... lost what little was left of her...” Alma was quiet as they spoke, almost as if in lamentation. They stared into the distance and met with the gaze of the monster from afar. “Ah, what a tragic turn of events. Children of sin; if you have any last prayers left, do tell. Even if it won’t reach the ears of “God”, I will be here to hear them. Worry not, for you shall find peace ... ha ha ha...”

“But there must be something we can do! We can’t just ... there’s no way we can just lay down and let it kill us!” Takuya exclaimed, his brows furrowing in anger. “I refuse to just die! Not without a fight!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. The three of you really are fools. I was correct on the assessment that you are all seeking, no ... craving secretly for your own horrid demise. Speak to me your sins, impure ones. Allow me to comfort you in your final moments. It is the least I can offer to you, a reward for making it so far.” Alma said slyly as they extended their hand out to the group yet kept away from them.

“You can take your reward and go fu-”

“Alma! What do you mean by, “having lost what little was left of her”?” Ryuuko’s loud voice jumped in and interrupted Juntaro’s. Everyone turned to her in surprise as she stared deeply into Alma’s eye, a strong and intense gaze as she asked them with a tone of utmost seriousness.

Alma, who stared back, gave a wry smirk as more bits of their face crumbled away.

“Amia ... She was the only other one who had retained much of her original self. Compared to the others ... yet still, she meticulously fulfilled the duty she was enslaved to. My dear friend ... when I held her back, she allowed the last of herself to be consumed. I wonder, was it because she could not find it in herself to harm me, mercy still despite all that has happened. Even in her last moments, she was perhaps thinking of me...”

“She’s very important to you, isn’t she?” Ryuuko asked quietly. “You too, spoke of how you did not want to fight her, despite your demand that we kill her. I do not understand. Just who or what is she? You said she was human, that she was a shell of someone you once cared for, but that must have been a lie. She’s ... she’s still the same person. Your friend, isn’t she?”

“ ... Yes ... perhaps I was wrong in what I said. But that does not matter anymore. She is truly gone, and now is nothing more than a dangerous beast.”

“You said she allowed herself to be “consumed”. Then, was it something similar to how I was? Your friend, is she the same as us? As me?”

A small look of amusement arise on Alma’s face from hearing those words.

“No, but you are not completely wrong. Amia’s condition is similar but not the same as yours. Do not trouble yourself with such thoughts. All you need to know that everything ... everything is lost.” Alma said as they quietly closed their eye. “I have failed in what I had set out to accomplish. How unfortunate.”

“That’s not true.”

“Hmm?”

“Your friend, your precious friend; she is still there. I can feel her.” Ryuuko said as she carefully placed her hand on her chest.

“C-could it be...?! Takatora Ryuuko, you-” Alma gasped. A sinister smile spread across their cheeks as their face was suddenly filled with a creepy sense of excitement.

“It’s excruciating. Ever since I stepped foot back onto this place, I could feel them. I’m hearing voices, cries of pain and despair are flooding my mind. I don’t know who they are or where they’re coming from, it’s all so sad and terrible. But most of all, I could feel a particularly strong one. It is begging, crying...” Ryuuko said as she tightly clutched her chest, her eyes filling with tears. “Your friend, I’m sure that’s her. She is pleading for help. Not only her, I could also feel another. I could feel your emotions as well, Alma. And they are the most pained of them all.”

“Heh ... hahaha ... of course you can. We are connected, you and I, Takatora Ryuuko. Pathetic, isn’t it? For my weakened self to leak out like so. My apologies.” Alma gave a dry chuckle, before hiding their face away face as if in shame. Their eye, blank and emotionless as they peeked out from their crumbling fingers, gazed into Ryuuko’s teary eyes. “So what are you expecting to do, Takatora Ryuuko?”

“I ... I want to help her. I want to help all of those who are calling to me.” Ryuuko answered boldly as she wiped away the tears. “And I want to help you.”

“ ... Foolish girl. What do you hope to achieve? If you stand before the Savior of Mercy right now, you will be shown absolutely no mercy.” Alma said without emotion. Their words were serious, without a hint of mockery.

“Even so, I will save her. I will save your friend. I will save everyone.” Ryuuko declared, fully resolved as she turned to the direction of the roaring monster.

“Takatora wait-ugh!” Kenjirou called to her but his entire body froze. Not just his, hearing similar grunts from Takuya and Juntaro as they too suddenly could not move.

“This ... this again?! You jerk!!” Takuya screamed.

“God dammit my systems! You sonova-you hacked me again?! AAARGHH!!”

“Alma! What are you doing?!” She demanded.

“You do not need the distractions right now, do you Takatora Ryuuko? Hmmhmm ... you really are such a fool. But...” A soft smile appeared on Alma’s face. The look was different from their usual show of mockery and condescendence. While it lacked normal human emotions, the smile; was a genuine smile directed at her. “I will be counting on you.”

Without saying another word, Ryuuko only nodded her head in compliance.

“Ryuuko, don’t! You don’t have to do this!”

“Please! Takatora stop!”

“No! Takatora!! Gaaah!!”

Came protest from the boys as they struggled to break free from the mysterious force that held them tightly in place. But Ryuuko only smiled as she turned her head back to them.

“It’ll be okay everyone. Please trust me!” She beamed. “Let me try this first, on my own.”

 
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