Chapitre 57: 57
Chapter 19, BTOOOM
Late morning of the final Day 7.
After the surprise attack by the enemy last night, Aqua never came back. To hold off the enemy she stayed behind while the rest of us escaped. Aqua was our most experienced Player and also the strongest one amongst us all. Maybe the newbies didn't have that much confidence in her, but for Hikari, Misaki and I she was our pillar of support in our very first mission in High School of the Dead, so not having her around was a heavy blow for us.
Also, in last night's battle Zero was critically injured. Saki who had medical experience told us... That it was very unlikely that he would make it. We had hemostasis spray and medical kits, but what we had on hand wasn't enough to save his life from such server burns.
This news along side Aqua's disappearance had a clear effect on our group morale. Since we were able to find temporary shelter and set up a camp of sorts, we couldn't find the motivation to do anything. Not to look for Aqua, find some miracle cure for Zero or just to find the final boss Ryuta Sakamoto and kill him already to end the mission which would answer all of our problems.
That was what I wanted to do, but my guilt for not going into Unlocked Mode was weighing on my heart. If only I had gone into Unlocked Mode I could have reacted in time to save Zero. It was at this time that my turn to look after Zerk arrived. The one before me, Hikari, when I passed her she told me that Zero was conscious and I should speak to him. Saki also informed us that doing so could keep him alive for as long as possible since human contact is a wonderful medicine of its own. I was worried more about Aqua then Zero honestly, but I could see Zero, so I went over and talked to him.
Shin: How are you doing... Is probably a stupid question to ask, right?
Zero: Your are right about that... I can tell that I am nearing my end.
Shin: Don't say that. If... If we defeat Ryuta soon we can-
Zero: Don't! I know you have to face him today, but you shouldn't charge in recklessly. Have Saki come up with a plan and- *Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough**Cough*...
Zero went into a long coughing fit. Hearing him on his death bed reminded me of the time we almost died at the end of H.O.T.D, yet at that time Aqua saved me. Now, he was in pretty much the same situation I was, but I was powerless and could do nothing.
Shin: ...
Zero: Shin... Will you listen to me for a bit.
Shin: Of course. I already failed as the so called leader by letting Saki take command and let you and Aqua get hurt in my place. The least... The least I can do is that.
Then zero began his telling his back story. It was once again more interesting then mine own, and like Saki's it was out there... But more in a weird way.
Zero: I... Have a little brother, but... He is also a girl... but he's also my little brother.
Shin: ...What?
According to Zero, he was born in a family belonging to an Chinese mafia in America. When he was was fifteen years old, his father was killed, the mafia was annexed by another mafia and his mother went and became the woman of that mafia's boss, who was also a Chinese American.
Zero couldn't forgive her.
As far as he was concerned his mother betrayed him and betrayed his father. Then with rage in his heart Zero felt he had to seek revenge. He his identity for over ten years and trained the skills as an assassin... And then... he went back.
Zero: Sarcastically, that woman already died eight years ago but she gave birth to a boy for that man. And that man... Raised the boy as a girl to commemorate the woman. He grew up with long hair and wore dresses, just like a pretty little girl. And the most sarcastic thing was... I fell in love with him on first sight.
According to Zero ( Who either looked it up or went to therapy that obviously failed him ), in science they call it genetic sexual attraction. Two people who are blood related get attracted to each other instantly as a result of not growing up together and only finally meeting each other as adults. There are many cases of it happening ( I remember that my cousin who watches Law&Order: SVU once felt the need to tell about an episode about it for some reason ), but Zero never thought it would happen to him. Zeo couldn't forgive them or himself... So he fell back into what he knew best and so he kill them all.
Zero: The process was smooth. Mafias are not assassins. They can bully civilians, but give me a sniper rifle and enough distance, I won't be afraid of anyone... However after I killed him and my little brother, I found a diary that belonged to that woman. In it she wrote about my father, mother herself, that man I killed... And that my little brother was actually my father's child. She was already pregnant that year and she passed away from depression after giving birth... But everything was already too late. Everything was already over... I pressed the button to activate a bomb on my computer that I had prearranged and also the YES button to God's message when it appeared not taking it seriously. Then I got transferred here.
Shin: ...
Zero: *Cough*,*Cough*,*Cough*,*Cough*,*Cough*!!! I... I heard about the human creation of Misaki's. I... I thought that I could bring him, her back. That could I will try my best to live on... For her. Give her another chance at life. I wanted to protect her as her big brother like I should have! Watch her grow up, then... let nature take its course about him living as a male or female. Perhaps she isn't the little brother of my memory, but she could have been what I could live for.
Shin: Zero, what are you saying? You can still live for her. Once we get back to the Terminal Lobby you will be able to make your own human. Misaki even made and brought back his girlfriend with his memories of her. You can do the same thing and bring back your brother or sister, or whatever, but first you have to live through this. I may not have known you for long and I hadn't been the best comrade, but I can change. I'll become stronger, so won't you give me another chance to show you that I can have your back, and you can have my back as well. I also haven't seen your sniping skills yet either... As my comrade don't die on me and everyone else.
Zero smiled, but didn't say anything for a while. I thought that maybe he had gone to sleep... Or worse. I got up seeing as there really wasn't anything that I could do for him and my time was also up. I would let Saki look after him in my place as she was next. And on my way out I heard Zero speak.
Zero: Shin.. You are a good guy. A fine man despite your age and tendency to go off about manga and anime. I... I wished we could have fought to the end, to death with a brother in arms in this mad world, yet it looks like it came to soon for us. Well, that is life as well and... This was a much better way to die then I originally planned back in the real world, having made some last minute friends and comrades and all, so... Thank you.
Shin: ...I haven't done anything worth thanking me for.
I didn't say anything more after that and nor did Zero, and so I left and had Saki look over him.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
A few hours later after meeting Zero one last time, the remaining five members of Team Japan met up. Shin, Hikari, Misaki, Saki, Kampa and Shuai came together to discuss their next and perhaps final plan of action for the reminder of Day 7.
Saki: I believe it's in our best interest to attack the final enemy, Ryuta Sakamoto now.
Shin: You're right, but there is still some time left in the day. Do you mean right now?
Saki: Yes. we need to not only fight this last boss, but also find him before it gets too dark. I am sure that none of you here want to have another go at him the the darkness of the night, do you?
Kampa: I agree with Saki. Not enough of us are skilled for fighting a night battle. We have even avoided them so far through Day 1-6, so none of you have the experience either. It would just leave us all to getting wiped out against this level of opponent.
Hikari: So in the end, our dead line is not midnight tonight for the final execution, but sundown. That leaves us with... five to six hours, maybe seven at the latest. If we also have to find him then Saki is right, we don't have the time to waste here.
Saki: Now that we are agreed we will leave immediately to find Ryuta Sakmoto, but we need to address one last issue before we go... Who is stay here and look after Zero and who is going to participate in the final battle?
Everyone's minds blanked out all for a second to process what Saki said, but they soon understood what she meant. None of them believed that Saki meant who would look after the wounded Zero. She herself said that he wouldn't make it, so the issue at hand here was how many of them could continue to fight and not be a liability to the team.
Shin - Their strongest close range fighter who has unlocked the Genetic Constraint, but Ki not at full capacity.
Hikari - A good shot and isn't injured, but not that really physical strong.
Misaki - Some what strong and has defeated Btooom Soldiers, but had lost an arm in an explosion. Able to move about, but has been going in and out of a fever for some time after their quick escape through the rain and jungle.
Saki - Smart and healthy.
Kampa - A skilled mercenary and in perfect shape.
Shuai - An average joe who had sprained his leg the day before and is worn out from running for his life for two days.
Saki: Looking over at us all, Misaki and Shuai are the most injured and it is questionable if they can help. Hikari can shoot a gun, but is pretty normal over all. I myself am no great soldier but I have gone through the training and I am an excellent marksman as well. Kampa is a skilled mercenary who may be in the best condition among all of us. Lastly, Shin is our only hope to defeat Ryuta since after Aqua as he is the only one who can keep up with them.
Shin: How do you know that I can match up with the enemy?
Saki: Well, it is better to think that you can than you can't, Shin. It's because if you can't then we have no hope of winning the coming battle. Your participation is an absolute variable for us to come out alive.
Shin: Great.
Saki: Don't worry. Myself, and hopefully Kamap will come along to give you support fire. Our bullets and the few BIM we have left may not injury the opponent at all, but at the very least we will serve as an distraction to the enemy.
Shin: That is... reassuring. Well Kampa are you fine with this? I'll say it upright here and now. I won't lie to you. You, Saki and anyone else including me will possibly die in this battle.
Kamap: Don't worry. Even if it is dangerous I would rather face it then hide here in the jungle. Besides, it's not even an option for me not to participate since I can still move. No matter how many Chips that we have now, we will all be killed by midnight tonight due to the very last Midnight Execution! This is our last battle with our fates on the line, so how can I miss it?
Saki: That is three down ( Not even asking me ). Now... What about you three.
Saki then looked towards Hikari, Misaki and Shuai. They then immediately answered Saki, and one of the three answers matched up with what Shin expected to hear.
Hikari: I am coming along.
Misaki: I'm going.
Shuai: I'll stay behind.
Shuai explained his reason for staying. He was an average man, can't really shoot a gun skillfully, had no a BIM left and had hurt one of his legs, greatly lowering his maneuverability. Shuai had also badly hurt his hands when they were putting out Zero who had caught on fire. If he came he would only get in the way and so he will volunteer to look after Zero even if it was unlikely that he will make it.
Misaki who had lost an arm and was getting worse now that he had a fever, said he would go no matter what. It wasn't that he thought he could do much more then being distraction, but he didn't want to sit on his ass while the others fight so he wants in. Shin understood Misaki well enough now that he was the head strong type not willing to wait around for danger and death.
Some of them were still worried about his fever, but Saki said that if they pump him full of whatever medicine that they hadn't used on Zero yet then he should be fine for one last battle. It is a real possibility that all this medicine could become fatal later on, but if what she heard from the veterans is true then God can heal him before anything bad happens to him. They just had to win this last battle first to return to the Terminal Lobby where God is of course.
With those two settled on...
Shin: So why do you want to go? You won't be much help, so can't you wait here with Shuai?
Hikari: The same can be said for Misaki and he is going.
Shin: We are only bring him because if we left him behind he would run after us and mess things up.
Misaki: Hey!
Hikari: You have nothing to worry about from me. I won't do anything stupid like Misaki here. I just want to see this battle through to the end after everything we have been through.
Misaki: Can you stop-
Shin: Shut up Misaki, we are talking. Now Hikari, that doesn't change thing. You still won't be able to help out much, if at all. I would want to stay behind here if I wasn't needed.
Hikari: ...I am fine staying on the sidelines and not taking part in the final battle.
Shin: Then why do you want to come along?
Hikari: It's for Aqua. I don't believe that she is dead after last night's enemy raid. She must just be injured somewhere on the island and is resting. It is impossible for someone like Aqua to die so easy... And she is important to you, right? You can leave her to me!
Shin: Hikari... Alright. Fine you can come along. Just try and stay out of danger.
Shin was happy that the first person who mentioned Aqua, Hikari had said that she should still be alive, and not dead like the others had believed. Even Shin himself had somewhere in his heart half given up, but those words renewed his faith that Aqua was alive and that they could all live through this. Shin honestly felt that and to hear those words from Hikari now, helping her to stay alive up to this point despite all the dangers and when logic dictated that it would be better to abandon her, he definitely felt that it was worth it.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
After a quick strategy session at the camp they all left to the final battle of the mission. On the way they did make an attempt to find Aqua so as to add her to the groups battle potential, yet so far there has been no progress on that front. It was when depression and tiredness was plain to see on Shin's face, Hikari approached him.
Hikari: Shin. How are you feeling?
Shin: How am I? The best I am going to feel till this mission is over and done with.
Hikari: It isn't a big deal and there is nothing wrong with it, but you don't seem to be enjoying yourself like you did in H.O.T.D, Shin. Is it because of the danger?
Shin: There is that, but it might of been that with the main characters on our side back then, I ended up feeling like I was one them and I knew the plot well on top of everything else, so... I ended up having a lot of fun being apart of the story. This mission is just God trying to wipe us out as far as I am concerned. Also, this mission has me depressed for a lot of reasons, but first and foremost it showed me that I was lacking in a lot of ways. I managed to get this far out of sheer luck, but if I had a firmer grasp of my Ki and my Ghoul mutation we wouldn't have all suffered as much. If I had mastered them and was capable of unlocked this Genetic Constraint at will on top of my other abilities then Zero and Aqua wouldn't-
Hikari: That is enough Shin. You have done the best that you could have, haven't you? You were and still are a stupid otaku, but you have done so much more then Misaki and I. This doesn't just include this mission Btooom, but our first mission in H.O.T.D as well. Back there the two of us couldn't really react to what was going on and just went with the flow and followed Aqua's instructions when she handed them out, yet you didn't. You fought with the best of them as a normal high school student, never stopped thinking, way on how to improve the situation and above all else you made your own choices.
Shin: A lot of bad ones.
Hikari: I don't know about that and maybe you did, but it was something that Misaki and I were incapable of. We weren't able to take chances and make decisions for or own lives due to fear. We are still kids in a way. Even now... Even with a smart planner like Saki with us and a powerful pillar of support like Aqua with us, Misaki and I, even if he doesn't admit it see you as our leader.
Shin: Leader, huh?
Hikari: Yes, so that is why cheer up already and start acting like your otaku self again. Make stupid comments, sexually harsh girls ( When did I ever do that? ) and never stop believing that you can't overcome anything this world has to offer. Manag, Anime, Visual Novel, games and Light Novels. Heaven or Hell, this is your dream world, right? Your at your best when you are being you, so stop acting like a serious manga protagonist.
Shin: I kinda want to be a manga-
Hikari: You aren't cut out for it, so just be yourself. If you do I bet that if we meet an author on one of these Missions Worlds one day they would do anything to write a light novel about your life.
Shin: Wouldn't that be an autobiography?
Hikari: He'll fuge some details.
Shin: Hey, your talking about my life story here!
Hikari: Not my problem.
Shin: ...Really, middle school girls are the worst.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
As we continued our search to find Ryuta Sakmoto, and hopefully we cross paths with Aqua, Shin thought about the coming battle and his current condition.
Shin: ( This is bad. Can I really make it through this day ).
Shin had been hiding his true condition from the others. He was their only hope of coming through this final battle alive, so he couldn't tell them that just standing and moving like he was, was taking everything that he had.
The truth was that Shin was reaching his limits physically. Not because he was tired, but because he was hitting the limits of his genetics. Like Aqua had predicted, because he had unlocked his Genetic Constraint, his genetics are breaking down slowly, but surely he was dying. Before now what had been keeping him going was the healing factors of Ki and Ghoul mutation, but that was coming to an end after going into the Unlocked Mode three time since Day 2.
It began yesterday when Shin's right hand he used for his last Soul Crushing Strike to kill the Btooom Commander. It had started to become numb, but now his entire right arm was nearly completely immobile. His arm could move a little, but he wouldn't be able to hold a gun or make a fist to atack with it any more if he isn't in Unlocked Mode.
Additional, Shin had become extremely fatigued all of a sudden and was beginning to black in and out of consciousness and could barley walk straight, yet he was doing his best to make it to the final battle. Shin was confident that if he goes into Unlocked Mode one last time he would die soon after from his genetics breaking down, but in that last sprint towards death he would be able to fight one last time at full strength. Afterwards... if he doesn't get healed by God in the Terminal Lobby he would die way before the final Midnight Execution ever could.
Shin: ( Once more. If it's only one more time then I can do it. I'll win and we will all go home! ).
Then, the time of the decisive battle came. The five of them moving together as a group had all gathered eight chips, so their radars were especially wide and covered large areas in their sonar sweeps. And Shin's radar who had gained seven NPC Chips, seven Btooom Soldier Chips and two Btooom Commander Chips had the greatest range of all. With just a few hours of walking around the island their radars were able to cover the entire island, and they picked up a response.
There were only two possibilities now that all the NPCs and newbie Players have died on the island. It could only either be Team Japan's final opponent Ryuta Sakamoto or their teammate Aqua.
Of course this didn't mean that one of the them had already perished, meaning Aqua since the mission had yet to end. Their radar scans only pick up moving targets, so if Aqua was not dead but alive, but just not moving then they wouldn't have picked her up in any of their scans.
A half hours of walking later they had found their answer as to who it was. In a large clearing Shin, Hikari, Misaki, Kampa and Saki, the five of them had run into enemy. Long before even arriving Shin could feel the danger as they were coming closer and closer to the final enemy, and there he was. Deep down he was still wishing that it was Aqua, but no, it was the enemy that they must defeat at all cost. The last boss of the Btooom mission given to them by God, and the one they had to defeat for the second mission to come to a close and return to the Terminal Lobby,
Ryuta Sakamoto.
Sitting crossed legged on the other side of the clearing from Team Japan as if they were keeping him waiting. Not hiding or taking any kind of defensive action yet. He just sat there.
Shin: Hikari.
Hikari: I know what you want to say, but no.
Shin: So you won't leave after all?
Hikari: Of course. I had yet to find Aqua, so how can I do nothing when the one we must defeat to live is right in front of me? So for good or bad, I'll stick with you to the end.
Shin: What are you my wife?
Hikari: Wife!? As, as if baka otaku!
Shin smiled foolishly as Hikari hit him, but inwardly he was worried. Hikari's punch didn't even faze him, so he had to wonder how long will she last in this fight, yet he didn't tell her to leave. The reason he didn't was because whether now or later, this battle was going to decide if they leave this island alive or not. The smart thing might really be to face this head on like Hikari believes.
Shin: When did I become so protagonist like? This mission must have really matured me.
Hikari: Like that is possible, and shut up Shin. This is the final battle remember?
Saki: Cool it you two. We are going to meet him head on, so remember the plan.
Shin: But more importantly stay alive everyone. There isn't any point to this if any of us die.
Saki: We can only give it out all, but be prepared that chances are that most, if not all of us may die.
Hikari: ...
Misaki: ...
Kampa: ...
Shin: ...Lets go. This is the final battle everyone!
They steady walked to up to the clearing without hiding since it was obvious that the enemy had spotted them a long time ago. When they were directly ahead of the enemy, without stepping into the clearing, they could clearly see what their last opponent looked like.
Btooom Lord, Ryuta Sakamoto.
Ryuta Sakamoto wore a sleek black armor resembling the BIMs they had used and had the words 'BTOOOM LORD' engraved on the chest that wasn't visable at night during his attack. And just like the other enemies so far he was wearing a helmet that covered his face. No one could see his human face underneath, but Team Japan didn't need to see his face to kill him, and so he finally stood up and stared at them, waiting for the battle to commence.
Shin: Is he injured?
Shin noticed countless cuts in Ryuta, the Btooom Lord's armor.
The armor around the left hand/arm had been pealed off ( Unfortunately the BIM attachment was a belt this time and not connected to the arm ) and three small adamantiume claw sized holes had pierced into the enemy's chest. There were all clear signs that this enemy had really fought with Aqua last night and it wasn't a fight that he got out of unscathed, yet... Shin felt that something was very off about this foe but he couldn't pinpoint the cause for this feeling.
Shin: I don't know what this ominous feeling is... But I am glad about one thing. I am happy that Dead or Alive, Aqua had put up a hell of a fight. Those injuries are proof of her struggles and our hope that this enemy is beatable. Aqua, she has gotten us half way there to the finish line, so now in her stead, I will finish this battle once and for all!
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone