There used to be a saying regarding the three children of the supposedly infertile Miyazono Ryuichi.
"They are proof that miracles exist. Three children who came from a man who was deemed reproductively inept by countless physicians."
Miyazono Himari. Miyazono Aishi. Miyazono Keiji.
These three children by the man who was deemed to be the last remaining patrician of the modern world due to his massive riches and control over the floundering economies of the remaining countries of the world are truly a marvel of the power of dreams and hard work by their father.
And yet, there are some who aren't so believing in "miracles" and decided to dig up the truth, and after a long investigation, they found out that the three aren't what the Miyazono family describe them as.
{"Tonight, we are at the grand estate of Miyazono Conglomerate CEO and Owner, Miyazono Ryuichi, to find out his opinion about the statement by the scientific community's genetic crime department, that his three children are fully genetic engineered test tube babies and therefore, are products of a secretive project conducted by the- He is coming out of his mansion! Let's go!"}
To say that the damage sustained by the company after this scandal was substantial would be an understatement… An estimated 70% drop in much of his business endeavors and stock price of his company would've toppled any legitimate business that has its worth directly correlating with its public image.
But that's the thing… "any legitimate business would've already toppled". Those are the words that separate those who are willing to go down with dignity and honor… and those who fully embraces the evils that they have been described to have.
{"In tonight's news. Rumors of the US Army contacting Miyazono corporation CEO Miyazono Ryuichi for discussions about cloned soldiers has been circulating around the internet. Though there is little to no merit to this exposé that came from an undisclosed individual, it was seemed to have stirred enough ruckus that the US Embassy in Japan is slated to make an official statement regarding this rumor by tomorrow noon."}
{"On behalf of the US Armed Forces and the Federal Government of the United States of America, we wish to state that the ongoing rumors about the call that our ambassador had with Miyazono Corporation CEO, Miyazono Ryuichi, is a hoax. One that has unjustly smeared our armed forces' reputation and has caused distress among our ranks. To the undisclosed source of this malicious claim, we wish to convey that such slander may tarnish our force's name, but it will not bend to the unrighteous words of a liar hiding his identity in the shadows!"}
In the case of the US Army and the United States in general, it wasn't really the legitimacy of the rumor that made it seem believable, but instead, the speed to which they responded and made a statement of denial regarding it. That is the reason why only four months after this rumor spread and their statement was given, a report from a French news agency that has now been completely erased from the internet or any other medium, stated the long list of lies that was given back then.
{"This is clearly a sign of the US armed forces' blatant lies regarding its moral standing! As one can clearly see, this US army Lieutenant who was interviewed in a NATO military camp outside of Warsaw, Poland has also appeared right here in an interview at Austin, Texas. This is thousands of kilometers away from each other, everyone! How can a US Army soldier who is supposed to be out of his deployment rotation appear in an active military base at the same time?! If this isn't a proof that the US Army is cloning its own men, I don't know what will!"}
However, it isn't only militaries who was borderline proven to be partaking in the dubious and illegal operations of the Miyazono corporation… and the group of companies certainly didn't stop at the act of artificially creating human life and desecrating its value by turning it into an expendable commodity… they have done greater evils than that.
{"Rumors about the Miyazono Corporation disseminating medicines and vaccines to countries heavily hit by the MB1 virus in exchange for unfair trading deals and provision of workforce in the future has surfaced on the internet."}
{"There is enough evidence in the medical examination to prove that the cocktail of diseases and how it was genetically engineered into the now superspreading MB2 virus came from a genetic laboratory of the Miyazono corporation."}
{"And that leaves us with the question… is the Miyazono corporation really here to our benefit?"}
{"Miyazono Ryuichi… is he a saint or a sinner?"}
From claims and rumors of grand crimes encompassing the world, the accusations to the growing company slowly became less and less interesting and credible until it reached a point where it would almost look like a parody to anyone who used to hear the grander claims of conspiracies by various news companies and independent journalists.
{"Is the Miyazono food industry's new cereal brand secretly adding gluten to your diet?"}
{"Is there a secret speed setting to the new rollercoaster in the amusement park owned by the Miyazono entertainment company?"}
Slowly, all of the almost credible and sensible criticism and exposé by various reporters and journalist trickled into nothingness… replaced by goofy accusations that has no true point other than to mock those who used to do something like this seriously.
The reason for this is clear to anyone who are willing to either dig up the list of shareholders in these news agencies or the fine print of their company websites. They have already been bought out by the people they are meant to criticize.
By the 2060's, the forty-year long domination of all kinds of businesses and industry by Miyazono Ryuichi came to an end… as something that can only be attributed to a "divine punishment" came and made him suffer a long and excruciating death.
"Autoimmune Cellular Degradation Syndrome… It's a new autoimmune disorder. You sir, are the first recorded person in the world to have this ailment."
"What… does this mean, doctor?"
"To put it into a simple term…Your own body is killing itself. Immune cells are going haywire, attacking your organs and vital components of your bodily functions. Red blood cells that are supposed to sustain your body system are randomly pooling onto your limbs, making them swell and hurt… Lastly…"
"…I don't care how awful it may sound… Tell me the last part of it."
"…We have reason to believe that no amount or kind of anesthetic or painkiller can dull out the pain that you will be feeling as the disease takes over your body… because even your sensory neurons has already been too damaged to be affected by any medication."
"How long… How long will I have to endure until it ends? By that, I am talking about how much time do all of you need to find a cure for this thing."
"S-Sir… I'm afraid…"
"Huh?"
"I'm afraid that there can never be any cure for your ailment…"
"This disease is simply too complicated to unravel. It's like an enigma when we looked at its genetic coding… as if it was especially made to make its victim suffer a long and painful death."
"Is that so…?"
Indeed, one can only call this disease as an ailment sent by the heavens to punish someone who has repeatedly desecrated all that it stated and protected as sacred and untouchable…
"So, those three have come back from the White Room…"
"Yes, sir… It was unfortunate that Himari Alpha-5, Aishi Epsilon-1 and Keiji Gamma-3, were all unable to be accustomed to a life without regular stem cell treatment to maintain their cloned bodies. We're hoping that those three who was deemed to be the most successful subjects by the Genetic Research department would be able to last as long as a true human being, especially now that we have Dr. Jonah's cellular replication method in our arsenal."
"Doctor Chronia… Is he the foreign doctor from the south? The one who proposed a method to artificially replicate mitosis (cellular division) even outside of a host's body without excessive human oversight?"
"Yes, sir. He has been hired as a regular family physician in our research institute, but after he reached out to our genetic research department regarding the research study that he made to gain his doctorate degree, the department chairman let him into the outer ring of the White Room with haste."
"Wouldn't that be a little too dangerous? He is an outsider after all."
"Please, sir. I have seen Dr. Jonah's dedication to this subject. I know that he will be giving us a lot of material to advance our studies… Of course, we haven't informed him at all that his research is being used for our cloning studies. Given the subject of our research, I believe it is better if we don't let anyone else to know about this lest we suffer another setback like the scandal we had with the armies we used to supply with cloned soldiers back then."
"Right… In any case, I want my three children to live even after this accursed disease ends me… for now. Unlike those that I grew up with who had no intention of leaving behind children to continue their work, I will make sure that my goal of one day attaining the power I saw in that dream will come… and that I will be the one who will take it with my own hands… even if I must desecrate everything that will stand on my way."
"…Should I turn off your neural-speech machine, sir?"
"Yes… I don't want anyone to hear what I'm dreaming about in my sleep. Turn it off and remove it from my head until tomorrow morning… Heavens… if only I can still move my body, I wouldn't trouble all of you like this."
However, tomorrow will not come anymore for Miyazono Ryuichi.
"He must've fought against the pain until he finally died. His neurons show that he's been subjected to a great deal of pain after his immune system targeted his lungs… I thought we got to weaken them enough to make them inept, but it seems like we did nothing but trigger a cytokine storm that did him in."
All of a sudden, the strongest pillar of the Miyazono conglomerate collapsed, leaving no one who is strong or brave enough to take the position. This left the company to be seen and approached by scummy businessmen and oligarchs who gathered around the floundering group of companies like seagulls who saw a floating carcass of a whale. However, a move was made to save them from these people.
{"A savior of the company, or the continuation of a corporate dynasty? This is how much of the corporate world see the ascension of Miyazono Himari, the firstborn of the recently retired Miyazono Ryuichi, into the position of CEO and exclusive owner of the Miyazono group of companies at the mere age of twelve years old. According to the statement given by the family's spokesperson, Miyazono Ryuichi has chosen to retire from his position and give all of his corporate responsibilities and powers to the shoulders of his eldest daughter. Although he is aware that this may look distasteful, he is confident that his child would be able to do a good job, enough for him to retire from the company and rest his self away from public eyes."}
At year 2062, the ascension of Miyazono Himari into the position of CEO and exclusive owner commenced. To those who grew up knowing none of the scandals about the corporation or was fed with the lies that it was all false slanders, this was a welcome continuance of the company's existence. However, the ones who was there when all of those things came out knew the truth, never liked this… However, these people are either in isolation areas after being infected with the MB1 and MB2 virus, hiding from the public as Miyazono goons are after their lives, or simply do not wish to speak about it for the sake of protecting their own or their family's safety.
No one even questioned the fact that these three children were supposedly born forty years ago and yet, appeared as if they are prepubescent children during Himari's take over. Such was the power of the company that they can even revise things that are supposed to be true already.
In a matter of sixty years, the Miyazono corporation rose up to power and cleaned up every smudge of dirt in the public face of its company… but behind them is a pool of blood and mountains of bodies that they hide… things that made them able to last this long.
And yet, they see it as nothing but the natural course of action for the sake of their ultimate goal… the goal of one day reviving the one who created this company. The one whose goal is to remove all the suffering and hardship of human life… a goal that he claimed to see in a dream. A paradise for all where one can do as they wish and one is rid of anything that would bring them misery or pain.
And because of all of that, this young woman fights now…
"Die! Die!! Die!!!"
"How inelegant of you, Lady Aishi! You can fight me properly without losing your gracefulness, you know?"
"Silence! You dare mock me with this theatrical act?! I will have your head for uncovering this scene that destroyed my father's dream!"
"I am oh-so excited about that already, my lady!"
She fights an enemy whom she sees as someone who is dishonoring her father's dream… such has the undying filial piety and dedication that these cloned artificial humans had to the one who made them… that they are willing to risk being considered a "failed subject" if it will avenge the tarnish to his name.
"-!"
That day, the Child of the Tainted Mortal saw firsthand the power vested to the young man whom they least expected to be anyone notable.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"
*BYAG-!!!*
"
"Darn it-!"
"Haha! Looks like you're out of your shell now too, huh?!"
The charge that I set caused a sonic boom that split them apart. With that, I can see clearly who these two are and whom should I prioritize to take down.
"That aura and that Astra energy emanating around you… are you the one who has been a prick to us for a while…?"
"I am… As you may have already suspected, I am the one who took Gardener Hamasaki's life and stopped Miyazono Keiji from escaping from his prison."
"Oh… so you really are the one."
Sensing the unfamiliar aura of my Astra energy, she looked at me cautiously while still not averting her attention from the Vessel of Death.
"Heh! I am flattered with the fact that you finally jumped into the fray, Child of Cecilia. But I am not sure if you are simply hiding your true power… or are you actually mocking us by remaining in that form."
"Well… I can say the same thing to you. I haven't come across you before, but I am pretty sure that the Juror had more Astra energy than you currently have… and it is more malicious and darker."
"Hehehe! You seem like you actually know how to detect a bluff… It's true, I am not showing my full power yet."
"You cur! So even in a fight, you are still insulting me?!"
"Well, I have no reason to do so, my lady. I simply do not see you as enough of a danger for me to show all of my power to."
"How dare you! Once I silence this interloper, you are next!"
"You're silencing who now?"
"Hah?!"
"I was asking you… who did you say that you are you silencing now?"
As I looked at her with fierce eyes, she returned it with more pressure. I may have backed down if this wasn't any special… however, this person is someone who is probably high ranked in the Miyazono forces. I cannot let her to belittle or threaten to kill me just easily.
"Oh-ho? You seem like a feisty one… It looks like the government dogs that has been after us for so long aren't as spineless as our double-agents make them out to be."
"I can say the same to you. Unlike that prideful bastard Satoshi or that unstable psychotic Keiji, you're a bit less talky. I still remember how annoying those two were when we fought… every other move they make, they had to either insult me or curse out when they get hit."
"They're both headstrong idiots whose main impulse is to fight off anyone who stops them in the stuff they want. It should be obvious to you that I am not such a person."
"I guess that makes sense…"
I exuded out my Astra energy, making it cloak around my body enough to sharpen my senses to the point where I was able to gauge out a portion of the extent of their powers.
"Well, well… are we just going to stare at each other here, or are we going to finally settle this once and for all?"
"You don't have to ask, bastard! We've been interrupted for a moment, but it's time to continue!"
"…"
What I found out after my snooping wasn't exactly the most optimistic information.
First of all, the Vessel of Death is presently using Astra energy just like how a Psychic should. But the kind of power that I am sensing inside of him isn't something that resonates with Astra energy… it's more like a churning dark energy that consumes anything that comes across of it… much like the one I sensed in Aokigahara when I saw the Juror of Darkness.
Secondly, this girl's capacity for Astra energy supersedes her body's limitations, making her Astra energy to constantly float around her like an extension of her body's Astra energy storage. That means that she might effectively have almost limitless amount of it.
"I have to give it my all… or I might end up dying."
That was the only thing I had in my mind after seeing this. There was no doubt in my mind that if I became even just a bit too overconfident and not give it my all, or I attracted their attention and animosity too much in the fight, I would get overrun and suffer the consequences.
"…
"Alright! Let's go, you two!"
"You don't even have to tell me!"
After I pushed my body's limits to its greatest extent, the fight that would end up solidifying my resolve to keep the peace of this world for the sake of those I hold dear, started off with a brutal exchange of our respective attacks.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"
"
"
The three-way fight between the Vessel of Death, the Heir of the Miyazonos and the Divine Challenger was one that started off with one of their most destructive attacks.
"
"Hold it right there!"
"Wha-?!"
"
"You think this flimsy attack will stop me?!"
"Kh-!"
While she is casting her next Psychokinetic attack towards the Vessel of Death, she as stopped by Ephraim who threw a blob of blood to her wrist to try and solidify it to break her bone, but she simply handwaved it away with little effort.
"Nice attempt, kid! But those won't work on Lady Aishi! But this one-!"
*BLAAAAAARGGGHHH-!*
"Crap-!"
"Use your options wisely, kid!"
Although he failed to neutralize her, Ephraim was able to distract her long enough for the Maestro to compress and point to her a powerful shockwave from the tuba playing in the orchestra of the place they are fighting at. It sent Aishi flying across the room.
"See the difference? She shook you off, but she can do nothing but slug on mine."
"I do. Hey, are you willing to team-"
"Sorry, kid. I'm not taking alliances today."
*KYIIIII-!!!*
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
When Ephraim tried to ask him about teaming up against the Miyazono girl whom they seem to both be against, the Maestro turned him down before placing and amplifying a shrill, high-pitched violin chord near his ears that made him writhe in pain.
"If you can't keep up with us, sit your butt in there and suck your thumb. I was ordered not to touch you if you won't fight, and that girl probably doesn't care about you to lay a finger on you. If you don't want to die, sit down and shut up."
"NO-!"
"Whoa there, sonny!"
"I… I can keep up. I'm not backing down here!"
"Heh… I guess my suspicion about you really is right."
"
"You're as resolute in spirit as your ancestor who gave her oath to him!"
"
"Urgh!"
Ephraim sent forth punches that contained his pure brute strength towards the Maestro who was caught unprepared for the barrage.
"Ahh! Argh! Hahaha! This is the best! I was expecting for a Psychic attack, but you're catching on to your combat lessons quickly!"
"You bet I am!"
"Don't make a mistake that I am not here!"
*BWOOOOFFFF!!!*
"Tch! Solidify!"
"
*Pwif!*
"Hah! You should try harder, Lady Aishi-"
"Eat this, bastard!!!"
*BYAG-!*
"Argh-!"
While they were locked in close combat, Aishi lunged back into the fray and sent forth a tempestuous gust of wind towards the Maestro. Ephraim solidified some of his blood to block the portion of it that reached him while the Maestro casted an ability that canceled it out. However, he didn't get to see the piece of concrete that Aishi shot out like an air cannon out of her arms, making it hit him squarely on the face.
"
"Liquify!
"Not you again-!"
"
Knowing that she uses wind-based Psychic attacks, I decided to close our distance and engage in physical combat. In this way, she will be too near me to effectively use her Psychic powers.
"Kh! Hn!"
"You damn outsider! How dare you intervene in our fight!"
"I don't care about any of you two!"
"Wha-?!"
"I'm just here to stop both of you!"
Amidst the barrage of punches that she is either dodging or slugging off with her arms raised, there was an expression of both confusion and astonishment on her face after hearing who this person is and why he keeps on interfering with the fight she has with the Maestro.
"Hyah-! Hup!"
"Ick-! Darn-!"
"
While the two are locked in close combat, the Maestro regenerated his injured face and made the orchestra's string ensemble play a piece with a very rapid tempo to the point that the strings of their violins and cellos began to heat up and finally snap, sending white-hot steel bits towards the two.
"
"Urk! AAAAHHHHH!!!"
With no mercy to spare, Ephraim solidified some of his blood into a claw and after it grabbed hold of her, he used her as a human shield against the incoming barrage of metal pieces.
"You-! You're dead meat!"
"I'd be waiting for that!
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
With her still on his hold and barely staying conscious after slugging that attack for him, Ephraim enhanced a roundhouse kick he used to send her flying away as he knew that the Maestro will be coming for him next.
"You went from being a hapless and half-assed kid to a merciless and efficient fighter in a moment, ain't ya?! Mind telling me how you were able to adapt this quickly?"
"Countless years of experience! Hard work!"
"Kih-! Man, your fists really hit hard!"
"But most importantly!"
"ACK-!"
"I have all the reason to fight and no reason to hold back!!!"
With fists, shins and feet whose strength and endurance are being actively enhanced by his blood manipulation abilities, the Maestro who thought that he has received the worst of it wasn't ready for what is to come next as Ephraim began to pick up his pace and make quick work of body that is receiving blows as strong as a shotgun slug.
"
"Darn! W-What is happening-?!"
"I stopped your blood from carrying and transmitting instructions to your muscles. Even if your neurons are ordering them, your blood is following my-"
"You idiot! What part of "Vessel of Death" did you not understand from what I said!"
"Wha-?!"
With little to no warning, the Maestro broke free from Ephraim's immobilization ability and sent him flying with a shockwave from the orchestra's tuba, similar to the one he used earlier.
"How did you… Oh, I get it now."
"Yeah. I am not a Vessel of Death for no reason. I am dead already… Someone like you have no power to control me."
"…Tch!"
"Now, now! Let us-"
*BWOFFF-!*
Before he can hear the next provocation by the Maestro, Ephraim sensed only for a fraction of a second a great deal of Astra energy pooling below him before it expanded wildly and trapped him inside a tempestuous dome.
"W-What the heck…? I can't…"
"
"I can't breathe…!"
"That's my repayment for your interruption earlier… suffer there as I have my real fight with this monster."
As Ephraim fell down to the ground, clutching his chest as the wild winds took even the air inside of his body out of him, Aishi kicked him on the face before walking out of the dome of storm-like winds to fight the Maestro.
"Don't panic… Kuh-! Keep your breathing stable…!"
Desperate to survive, Ephraim first calmed himself and looked inwardly for a possible way out his present situation.
"Stabilize my heartbeat… tell the lungs to not make me hyperventilate… lower the oxygen demand of organs not important right now…"
Taking advantage of the natural human response to highly stressful situations or near-death experiences, Ephraim slowly began to learn of a way to preserve his life and strength for long enough to escape the dome of winds.
"Trap what I can breathe in by the throat… let the carbon dioxide leave and only let in oxygen…"
With the surrounding winds slowly robbing him and its interior of heat, Ephraim remembered something that he heard from divers before. He tried it out and surely enough, it worked with a bit of difficulty.
"Haah… Hooo… Haah… Hoo…"
Slowly, he made his way out of the place by crawling as he remembered that winds are calmest down under where the floor obstructs them.
"Kih… I gotta regain my strength first."
"
"
"Damn you! Stop negating my spells and receive it like a man!"
"Are you seriously asking that from someone you keep on calling a monster?!"
"…Damn, those two are brutal."
He laid down on the floor in order to restore his body's functions back to normal as the two kept on fighting by the stage. Because of this short pause in his part of the fight, Ephraim was able to notice something that he didn't sense since earlier.
"What the heck is that thing?"
He mumbled after seeing an object on the topmost part of the ceiling. A small black orb that is cleverly hiding itself in the darkness of the auditorium's ceiling.
"Heh… Maybe if I hit that…"
With nothing to lose and his instincts telling him that it might be something worthwhile to try out, Ephraim sent a solidified stake of blood into the orb and after it made contact, he knew that he tilted the odds back to his side.
*Ka-crack! Kik-!*
"What the-?!"
"The Memento Mori... You moron-! What have you done?!!"
"I'm tired with having to deal with the two of you alone in this safe space… Let's go back to the real world and fight when both of you have something at stake to lose!"
As the auditorium began to tear up like a mirror around them, Ephraim smiled smugly as the two began to panic about the place they are fighting in that is containing their fight inside and stopping damages to happen around them.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"This is Hawk 2! We are making a beeline to return to the combat area! Charlie Team 3 and Agent Fujikawa is requesting it to assist Agent Chronia who is left in the middle of the area!"
{"Copy that, Hawk 2. Keep your eyes on your air radar, the Miyazono forces might be preparing ManPADS against you."}
"Clear copy, we're approaching the air space. Dropping our guys by the Administrative building's roof."
If Ephraim saw this thing as well, that means that I am not seeing things.
"Agent Fujikawa! Instruction from the Director herself!"
"Give it!"
"You are permitted to use your Psychic power now! Remove your Diminisher tool, she said."
"Clear copy! Activating my Psychic power!"
After being given the permission to remove my Diminisher tool, I steeled myself for what is to come before we make a proper landing.
"We're here! Jump, jump, jump!!!"
"Hup!"
"Yosh!"
"Everyone's grounded! You can go now!"
{"Roger that, Charlie 3–1! Good luck to everyone!"}
As our helicopter left the area and we moved down to the ground through the stairs, a sensation that I am painfully familiar with got caught by my sixth sense as a Psychic which made me run ahead of the group.
"This feeling… it can't be-!"
I've felt this kind of Astra energy once and only once during our deployment in Fukishima. A kind of Astra energy that was present in that place and I sensed while I am unconscious.
"Was that the thing I felt before…? Please let me be wrong!"
"Agent-?!"
"Agent Fujikawa! Where are you going?!"
"We need to spread out! Forget about Ephraim for now, he can handle himself!"
"T-Then what are your orders?"
"Evacuate everyone! Evacuate the people here before the worse comes!"
"B-but why?!"
"I can sense something! Whatever it is, it's about to blow! We need to get the people out of this place fast!"
"C-Captain! Look at that!"
"Are those two fighting? Right in the middle of the school area?"
Just as I finished stating the reason for my sudden command, a fight by the main road of the school campus came up between a pair of students.
"That aura… I knew it!"
"Agent?!"
"Do it! Evacuate everyone! I was right!"
I hate this… I knew what would be coming yet we were too late to stop it before the complications became apparent. With that, I knew that it was time to raise the danger level of this operation.
"This is Agent Fujikawa on the ground! I am requesting to raise the code from yellow to red! I repeat! I am requesting to raise the code from yellow to red! The situation on the ground is far too much for our present forces to handle!"
"Well, well… Aren't you guys starting to become too much of a prick..?"
"-?!"
While I was contacting Yusa-san and the other officers, I didn't sense that someone has approached me and stood behind me so confidently.
"You are…"
"Yeah. I'm an enemy. Name's Hirayama… Hirayama Taka."
We thought that this operation would be a quick sweep… something that can be achieved without any worries.
"Kh-! I guess you're not here to politely talk to me, huh?"
"Oh please, with the things you have done these past few minutes, we're very far from even talking."
How in the hell did we get this deep in this crappy situation…?