Toi descended the stairs at a breakneck pace, darkness enveloping him completely. His breaths were steady, controlled, his movements fluid. The echo of his footsteps mingled with the ominous silence. Every now and then, a guard would emerge from the shadows, guns blazing. Toi dodged effortlessly, weaving through a hail of bullets with an almost supernatural grace before swiftly disposing of each guard.
"Only I can do this, nobody else has the right to do this other than me," he mumbled to himself, determination seeping through every word.
Two guards appeared suddenly, their shouts piercing the silence.
"Hey, intruder!" one yelled.
They opened fire, but Toi moved like a wraith, dodging the shots. He lunged forward, kicking the first guard's face into the wall with a sickening crunch. The second guard barely had time to react before Toi's foot connected with his stomach, sending him crumpling to the floor, unconscious. Without missing a beat, Toi continued his descent.
"I have to be close, I just have to be!" he urged himself, his pace quickening.
At last, a cellar door came into view at the bottom of the stairs. He took a leap, landing with a thud, and then kicked the door down with a force that shattered the wood, sending splinters flying. He stepped into a large, almost pitch-black room. The stench hit him immediately—a rancid cocktail of decay and filth.
"I remember this place... It still smells like shit, dead bodies, piss, blood, and-" His sentence was interrupted as a skull rolled to a stop in front of him. "Semen."
From the darkness, a pale, shirtless kid with orange hair and red shorts crawled toward Toi. Toi removed the bandanna from his head, revealing his striking blue hair and piercing purple eyes. The kid's eyes widened in recognition. He approached Toi, sniffing the air around him.
"You're the chosen one..." the kid murmured.
"I know that," Toi responded with a calm certainty.
"Hello, brother. I'm Mobling 501,124. Mother gave me the name Shake. I shall show you to the savior."
Shake takes Toi's hand and walks him across the darkened chamber. As Toi goes, he observes many horrifying things, including mounds of dung, virtually lakes of pee, young naked pale guys grinding up against young naked pale girls, and young pale pregnant girls giving birth to hideous monsters who are quickly beaten to death by pale youngsters with bats. There are heaps upon mounds of dead, and many of the youngsters appear to be malnourished. Before Toi's eyes, children simply pass out, not moving; many other children are beating each other to death, and some are making love. This walk continues until Shake takes Toi to a gigantic castle built entirely of dead bodies and skeletons.
Toi stepped into the grand, eerie hall, his eyes widening with awe. "Woah... Who built this?" he murmured, his voice echoing softly off the walls.
Shake, standing beside him, replied, "Mobling One, the only one of us that was assigned a holy number."
Curiosity piqued, Toi turned to Shake. "What do you mean by holy number?"
"Mobling One has a name from the people above. They call him C-001."
Toi nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Ah, I was given a number too, B-069."
Shake's eyes widened with reverence. "I'm so thankful to be in your presence, brother!"
Toi, remaining composed, replied, "Just show me where C-001 is."
Shake led Toi through a door, its surface unsettlingly made out of skin. The door creaked open to reveal a large castle room where only one person sat. The man looked malnourished, his hair long and purple. His skin, though, wasn't pale. He wore only an over-sized brown shirt that hung loosely on his frail frame.
The man's gaze locked onto Toi as he uttered, "Toi."
Shake stepped aside and bowed deeply, a gesture of deep respect.
"I knew you'd be back," C-001 said, his voice tinged with a weary wisdom.
Toi, unsettled by the surreal environment, asked, "What's... all this? Who are you, the leader?"
C-001 let out a bitter laugh. "They'd rather call me the dictator. The only way to control these animals is through fear. They're emotionless, driven by nothing but instinct and intention. Some have good instincts, bad intentions. Some have bad instincts and good intentions. I stand here alone because I am the first."
Toi's eyes narrowed with determination. "Who. Are. You."
With a sigh, C-001 softened. "Sorry, young one. My name is Ukeireru... Ukeireru Jibun. You're Toi Jibun."
Toi stiffened. "Yes."
Ukeireru nodded, a faint smile forming. "So, I assume you've come for answers."
"Yes."
"Fine with me, brother," Ukeireru said, his voice carrying a mix of resignation and relief.
Toi took a seat, his eyes never leaving Ukeireru. The room felt heavy with the weight of unspoken truths and dark histories.
"Immortality," Ukeireru began, his voice a low, steady rumble. "Our father, Anata Jibun, learned how to give himself that. Soon after, he won over the love of his life by giving her immortality too. That woman is our mother, Tsuto Jibun. She was his first experiment, and he gave her two abilities. Infinite Seed is her ability to give birth anytime she wants without having to have sexual intercourse or without being pregnant. I don't know her other ability. I was the first child born, 39 years ago."
Toi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I'm assuming he gave you two abilities too."
"Correct. As his first child, he gave me my two abilities: Prophet and Bond. Prophet allows me to see crucial moments in the future, while Bond gives me access to all of my siblings' minds. Of course, that ability is only limited to the moblings."
"And what is a mobling?" Toi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Children of Anata that he claims are mistakes and trash. I was the first. He threw me down here after learning about my physical disability. As time went on, our mother stayed home and produced thousands of twins, triplets, quadruplets by the hour since I was born."
Toi frowned, confusion and anger mingling in his expression. "What deems all of these kids failures? I grew to be strong."
"Anata only sees prodigies as his children. Since you were young, Toi, you had a large amount of mana. Originally, you wouldn't have been a mobling. Since you were one of his rare successes, Anata gave you multiple complementary abilities after putting you through the tests. He gave you a special magical weapon and the ability to unleash powerful magic attacks."
"Then why was I thrown away?" Toi's voice held a note of frustration.
"You were emotionless after the test, just like many of our siblings who went through it. Anata wasn't asking for an emotionless soldier; he was asking for a son. So, even though you were technically the youngest member of M.A.G.I.C to get a number, you were deemed a failure and sent to be killed because you'd become too strong if you were just thrown away."
Toi's expression darkened. "So in the end, I was still a failure..."
Ukeireru's gaze softened. "Ever since you were exiled, I had a vision of you. The vision of B-069 coming back much older and much stronger than before, and with emotion. I don't know why you're the way you are—"
Toi interrupted, "Well, it's a big—"
"But I don't care," Ukeireru cut him off. "Because you're the one who is supposed to carry on my will, and the will of the rest of our family."
Toi's resolve hardened. "Well, how am I supposed to do that?"
"I'll give you that power. But you need to prove that you're worth my strength."
Toi's eyes blazed with determination. "I'm ready for any action!"
Ukeireru's smile was grim. "Very well. This'll be difficult for you because you don't even know your own abilities."
"And very soon I will," Toi replied, his voice unwavering.
Ukeireru crossed his legs and stared at Toi. Toi stared back, the silence between them charged with anticipation. They held each other's gaze for several tense seconds. Then, hundreds upon hundreds of moblings crawled into the castle. They clung and grabbed onto each other, latching together until they formed one giant body, with Ukeireru inside the head. The colossal figure stood several miles tall, towering about ten miles into the sky, destroying the castle in its rise.
Toi's fists clenched. "Dangan No Gantoretto." He slammed his fists together, summoning his gauntlets.
Ukeireru's voice echoed from the giant form. "Power, love, hope. These are all things we never had. Toi, whatever you're fighting for must be more important than all of their lives, all of what they could've been but will never get the chance to be."
Toi's eyes burned with a fierce determination. "I fight for my friends. I fight for the chance to prove that I'm more than just a forgettable child. The day I am recognized as a reliable hero is the day I can finally let myself rest easy."
"Millions can call you a hero," Ukeireru countered. "Your dream is easy. There has to be more to it."
Inside the head of the giant body made out of countless intertwined bodies, many of Ukeireru's sisters clung to him, offering comfort in the midst of chaos. The colossal form pulled its arm back, preparing to strike Toi with immense force.
"I don't ask anything else from you or them," Ukeireru's voice boomed. "If I'm going to put my future, past, and everything into you, it has to be worth it."
The giant fist came crashing down, and Toi managed to leap out of the way just in time. The massive hand slammed into the ground, causing a dozen bodies to spill from the giant form, pooling blood onto the ground.
"I need someone with no regrets," Ukeireru declared as the giant body increased its speed. The punches became rapid, each blow leaving more bodies scattered. One punch hit Toi, sending him flying and burying him under a pile of writhing bodies.
Toi's voice rang out, clear and determined. "Skill 1: Grand Break Sword!" A large blade of blue magic erupted from his gauntlets, cutting through the moblings as Toi carved his way out. He leapt towards the giant body, eyes blazing with determination.
"I will have no regrets once I reach the power to become a worthy hero!" Toi shouted.
The giant body flung masses of smaller bodies at Toi, but he sliced through them effortlessly with his magic blade.
"It's one thing to just be a hero," Toi continued, his voice growing stronger. "To be a great hero, a legendary hero, a remembered hero, a cared-for hero. Hell, I'll even admit it, a reliable hero. But maybe I'm not trying to become a reliable hero." He slammed his gauntlets together, standing atop a pile of sliced bodies. "Maybe I'm trying to become a human being! GRAND BREAK!"
Toi's gauntlets fused into a cannon, and he fired a massive beam of blue magic at the giant's arm, completely disintegrating it. More moblings crawled out of the empty hole in its torso, forming another large arm that swatted at Toi, knocking him back. Toi landed on his feet, ready for more.
"PROOF THAT I'M ALIVE, PROOF THAT I'M NOT EXPENDABLE! Because you can replace any hero! Grand Berserk!!" Toi unleashed a barrage of hundreds of blue magic balls. Each one hit its mark, creating multiple holes in the giant body, but more moblings crawled in to fill the gaps.
Ukeireru's voice echoed through the chaos. "So what will you be, Toi? A human or a hero?"
Toi separated his gauntlets, determination burning in his eyes. "Somebody like Ryoshi, someone who has a genuine drive for their dream and goal, who jumps into something they're not ready for, who is mentally prepared to go through hell and back to conquer their goal."
He shot out a grappling hook, which stabbed into the head of one of the moblings on the giant body. Toi pulled himself towards the body with a fierce resolve.
"To become a guy nobody knows in such a big world. I want to take that jump, not just to be a reliable hero—" Toi created a small blue magic blade from one of his gauntlets.
"But to become a reliable hero who cares only for themselves!" Toi roared, stabbing into a few moblings on the body and landing on its shoulder. He turned, summoning a blade from his other gauntlet, and began to rip and tear through the bodies, making his way towards Ukeireru. But as fast as he could cut a body in half, a new one slithered in front of him, blocking his path.
"Ryoshi? Is that person a hero? Or is he just a black-and-white example of a hero? Though your body might look old, Toi, you're still 10 years of age," Ukeireru's voice echoed through the desolate battlefield, dripping with condescension.
Toi's young face twisted with determination. "That means nothing!" he shouted, charging towards the head of the monstrous body before him. Suddenly, dozens of hands sprouted from the grotesque form, gripping him tightly and dragging him towards a gaping hole in the body's shoulder.
Ukeireru watched, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Does he believe in justice or glorified evil?" he mused aloud, his eyes never leaving Toi's struggling form.
Toi's voice was strained as he fought against the hands. "He believes in nothing but himself! And by doing that, he entrusts people close to him to also believe in themselves so they can all be strong together!" His words were fierce, a declaration of faith in his mentor. Despite his efforts, the hands overpowered him, dragging him into the hole and holding him firmly.
Ukeireru's laughter was cold. "Your selfish resolve won't be enough to satisfy me. Only fools act on foolish desires, and only fools see the end credits early."
Toi's eyes burned with defiance. "Grand Break!" he yelled, his gauntlets glowing with intense energy. A large beam shot out, severing the arm of the monstrous body from the shoulder. Thousands of moblings fell, their screams filling the air as they plummeted to their deaths. Seizing the moment, Toi grappled his way onto the body's neck.
"Well, you're right," Toi called out, his voice ringing with determination. "So that's why I'm going to defy fate just like he will!"
Ukeireru's expression darkened. "I must be playing a dirty role in one of god's pranks if that's the case. Toi, me and you are the same."
Toi's gauntlet flared with blue magic, and he began blasting away at the body's neck, relentless in his attack. Ukeireru's voice was a chilling whisper. "The two stories of fallen star children, both trying to bring the best out of others."
With a quick, decisive motion, Toi fired a massive beam of blue magic that obliterated the neck of the monstrous body. But the victory was short-lived as moblings quickly swarmed to recreate it. A hand grabbed him, hurling him down to the ground. Toi landed hard on his back, the impact forcing blood from his mouth.
He coughed, his breath ragged, and stared at the blood on the ground. "Now I'm bleeding," he muttered, a grim smile touching his lips. The fight was far from over, and his resolve was unbroken.
"I thought it was bad for heroes to only think for themselves," Ukeireru taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
Toi, despite the pain and exhaustion, pushed himself to his feet. His body ached, but his spirit remained unyielding. "Maybe I used the wrong words," he admitted, his voice firm. "I will become a hero who will chase their dream without stepping on others, but also relying on others."
Ukeireru scoffed. "Too cliche for my liking."
Without warning, the massive body slammed its hand down towards Toi. He narrowly dodged, the ground shaking with the impact. Hundreds more moblings were crushed, their blood pooling around the battlefield.
"Just why the hell do I need your approval?" Toi shouted, his frustration boiling over. "This is just who I am! I want determination to take the wheel!"
He skidded to a stop, sliding across the blood-soaked ground, and slammed his gauntlets together. They transformed into a cannon once more, aimed directly at the monstrous body.
"But will determination drive you forever?" Ukeireru challenged, his voice calm and unyielding.
The giant body brought its hands together, charging a massive ball of purple magic. "This is all of the magical power of the moblings. Enjoy," Ukeireru declared, releasing a powerful and massive purple beam towards Toi.
"I'll live with determination forever!" Toi roared. "You guys will be at my use and will live with me for as long as my immortal life will last! Grand Break!"
A colossal blue beam erupted from Toi's cannon, meeting the purple beam head-on. The two beams clashed, the sheer force shaking the very air around them.
Ukeireru's voice cut through the chaos. "That's more like it, Toi. You will be our leader, the moment you prove to us that you won't just waste us on a pointless dream or pursuit."
Toi's lips curled into a grin. "I promise, if I ever fail, you can just eat me alive in hell."
Ukeireru chuckled. "Heh, very well."
Toi's beam doubled in size, overpowering the purple beam and consuming the monstrous body entirely. The explosion disintegrated everything, leaving only Ukeireru standing amidst the destruction. Toi approached him, his breath heavy but victorious.
"I shall hand over my abilities through a link transfer," Ukeireru said, his voice solemn. "You will not only gain the strength of all our fallen siblings but their mana, magical strength, memories, and pain."
Toi's brow furrowed. "Pain?"
"The moment I do this, you will feel all the pain we've felt, all the pain that fatally wounded us. This will be your final test from me, to see if you're a good vessel for our power."
Toi took a deep breath. "It's up to fate."
Ukeireru smiled, a rare and genuine expression. "How cheesy."
He grabbed Toi's wrist, and the world around Toi began to break down and flash. The pain was immediate and excruciating. Toi dropped to his knees, uncontrollable screams tearing from his throat. Blood gushed from his ears, mouth, nose, and eyes. His muscles tensed and ripped, his eyes rolling back into his head. He clutched his head in agony before collapsing, unconscious. As he lay there, a faint red aura enveloped him, signifying the beginning of a new chapter in his life.