0145 hours, 13 June 0145...
After all, once set and done, a few guardian villagers came to me and praised me with enthusiasm, as the latter congratulated me.
"We owe you our lives, Sir Authonoid! Without your help, that monster would instantly ruin our village in no time."
The rainstorm may have calmed down, but there was an exception in my head for devouring thoughts, as I called them out with a slight irritation.
"Can someone explain how the hell Patimurna suddenly attacked me?!"
All enthusiasm suddenly turned into an awkward silence as the latter glanced at each other in question about my call. A firm-looking guardian villager approached me and gave a brief explanation in a native accent.
"Unfortunately, he was our last android to defend our village. Palkeros' poison exposed him to a scorching virus, causing him to unexpectedly attack one of our androids and then pursue you."
Luke suddenly patted my right shoulder with a smile. I nodded after his explanation.
"It may be the dumbest action you've created, but you made it nonetheless."
Following the defense against Palkeros, all the guardian villagers dispersed to clean up the mess and rescue the victim. Some of them approached me, showering me with compliments on my heroic actions.
"Mr. Authonoids! You've saved our lives, our village, and our people!"
A slight blush suffused my face, and my chest swelled with the praise. Over the course of my boot camp year and my initial experience as an Authonoid, I endured verbal abuse from my commander.
I then replied while grazing my right cheek in slight embarrassment and a slight chuckle.
"Uhh, call me Tsuyuki instead. We're still young and just carrying out our job as Minerva's Authonoids."
Clarissa, amidst their praises, patted my back with a worried tone before reprimanding me.
"Tsuyuki… I know that you want to look badass, but that is just downright stupid! What would you do if your nonchalant action accidentally harmed someone?"
But as I got tired of her worried reprimand all over again, I then sighed in frustration and sharply glared at her.
"So, you want them dead, right?"
"No!"
Our laughter erupted in response to her abrupt retort, prompting me to interject. However, Clarissa continued with a sigh and a hand gesture.
"Anyway, we have saved the village and evacuated the civilians in the hidden bunker. Once we have made sure the area is entirely free of dangers, we will transport them back to the village, ok?"
After nodding once, we went to the village leader of the guardians to explain how the evacuated villagers were helping the wounded guardians, and we also patrolled the surrounding area to ensure that no threat remained.
As I stopped my step and stared at the dead Palkeros, my mind recalled the deaths of my former allies. These memories remind me that even with my successes, there will be losses along the way.
Yet, I didn't dwell on too much crap about my bitter past. But out of nowhere, a scream thrust me back to reality as a deafening slash noise filled the hall.
JSLOSH
"IT'S THE NOTORIOUS ONIGASHI, AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!"
The mysterious slashing continued, echoing through the battle-scarred village as the cries of the unfortunate villagers filled the air, calling out Onigashi's name before their tragic end.
Like, who the hell was Onigashi? An infected android?! A monster?! Or a fucking demon?!
Unfortunately, I had no prior knowledge of such chaos, so I approached a guardian villager who was still aiding a wounded guardian, asking for assistance.
"Can someone explain to me who the hell Onigashi is?"
It confused one guardian villager after hearing my question with a stuttered groan. But then the head guardian approached my left side as he elaborated in a firm tone.
"Onigashi, a female Authonoid known for her bloodlust, earned the nickname Demon due to her formidable strength. And exercise extreme caution when encountering her, young Authonoid."
Although I nodded in understanding, my mind might be aware that Onigashi was someone I had known before I joined Minerva and converted into an Authonoid.
That was when Onigashi popped out of nowhere in front of us like a ghost, where the guardian villagers' corpses sprawled in the moist soil around her.
The blood of the unfortunate guardians stained her long silver white hair, red scarf, red dark coat, and her sheathed red Katana from the slaughter she inflicted, adding to her demonic aura.
I could feel her crimson eyes piercing my soul, where she tightly clenched her sheathed red Katana as if she were targeting me all along. Luke pointed at Onigashi in surprise and alerted us.
"Tsuyuki, it's Onigashi! Let's get her before she destroys this village!"
On noticing that, the guardian leader then pointed his spear, commanded his remaining guardians to do the same, and charged toward Onigashi at full speed with their usual war cries.
With that, Clarissa patted my left shoulder and ordered me after she reloaded her Levi-Cannon.
"Tsuyuki, let's help them!"
With a firm nod, we all charged into Onigashi before she could cause further damage to the village.
***
13 minutes have passed, and the sight of her teleportation overwhelmed me into fury. Every time I attempted to strike her, she would vanish into thin air and reappear far away from me, continuing her massacre.
My frustration bubbled up as I couldn't keep it in, and I blurted out my retort.
"Can't she just stop teleporting and fight me like a man instead?"
Amid the chaos, I heard Vladimir's voice over the communications channel. As I pounded my feet in the moist soil during the pursuit of Onigashi, I pressed the headset button and felt a rush of energy when I heard Vladimir's voice.
"Vladimir here! Reporting to the Blue Orca Squadron's leader!"
"Tsuyuki's here. What's going on?"
"We've spotted a massive, scorching virus from the female Authonoid you're battling against. Exceeding our virus detector percentage's limit."
"So, what's the deal with that?"
"Be careful with it, and try not to get stabbed!"
"As you wish. Tsuyuki out."
As I closed the communications channel and continued my pursuit, Luke's shout rang out with a warning.
"Tsuyuki! Watch your back!"
As I turned around, the sound of the Katana slicing through the air filled my ears, and I witnessed Onigashi performing an overhead slash.
But with my ultra-instinct, I blocked her Katana with my revving sword and gritted my blade against her with sparks that hissed through the air.
When I pushed her as hard as I could by ramping up my blade's throttle, her crimson eyes menacingly shone suddenly, as if she were about to possess my soul. It resulted in my blade slipping from my grasp, and she booted my chest with enough force to send me back.
BOK
I jabbed the ground to prevent my feet from pulling back on the damp soil. She's running towards me, unsheathing her katana, and about to end my life.
But suddenly...
CLANK
Luke moved quickly, his Greatsword ringing against Onigashi's katana as he came to my defense. He looked over his shoulder at me and exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I got your back!"
With that, I transformed my sword into an axe-mode and kept bashing it until she lost her footing, as the massive strength of my axe-mode revving sword is enough to shatter her katana.
And suddenly…
JSLOSH
During my brutal swing, I slashed her belly with sheer luck, dragging her backward while crouching, stabbing her Katana into the moist ground, and clenching her wounded belly.
We were rushing ahead to deliver our last strike. But she suddenly had a sly smirk on her face as she slowly stood on the moist soil, sheathed back her Katana, and uttered an icy phrase.
"Don't get too cocky."
She quickly drew her Katana out, and...
JSHING
She slashed us so quickly that we couldn't witness her technique in inches, and she made our bodies go completely frigid in our current combat stance.
After carefully re-sheathing her katana, she left us completely dumbfounded, unsure if an unforeseen disaster would befall us. Everyone voiced their unease and tried to shift their bodies, but it felt like a leaden weight, unmoving.
As Onigashi almost closed her Katana, she quickly tilted it to the right side, and suddenly...
JSLOSH
She pulled out her Katana and slashed us by spinning around in a full right 360-degree turn. She spun her katana with her right hand and sheathed it with the clang of metal ringing through the air.
JSHING
The pain we felt was immense after she re-sheathed it, and all of us collapsed to the ground in agony with blood splattering into the wet soil.
Even through the pain, I stood my ground for the second round. I grabbed my half-broken revving sword and sprinted forward as I parried her unsheathed Katana with my remaining strength.
TANG
TANG
TANG
As I almost slashed her body with my bare hands, she suddenly mocked me with an icy voice.
"Weak!"
JSHICK
She broke my scorch arcs into fragments and stabbed my chest with her katana. The immense pain makes me cough blood and oil from my mouth. I dropped to the ground with the others, my blood and oil staining the wet soil.
As I focused on the pain she inflicted, I couldn't help but notice the familiar scent of Sakura perfume emanating from Onigashi and her katana. And that Sakura scent never faded away, no matter how much blood stained it.
She took off her Katana from my chest, and it caused my wounded chest to rip.
I wanted to challenge her again, but the pain was too great for me. I reclined on the damp ground and watched the others perish.
As she left me dying, she went to Luke's body further back. I was having difficulty getting to my feet when I glanced back and saw Onigashi draw her katana, aiming the blade at Luke's chest and just about ready to plunge it into him.
With a trembling hand, Luke reached out to touch Onigashi's face as he begged for mercy.
Unfortunately…
JSHICK
Luke succumbed to his death after Onigashi stabbed it right into his heart.
When Luke died, Clarissa crawled through the wet soil with her broken Levi-Cannons in my eyes. With her katana in hand, Onigashi menacingly pointed it at Clarissa's spine as she was crying in fear.
But unfortunately…
JSHICK
She stabbed Clarissa right in the heart through her spine, causing her to exhale her final breath. It was clear she loved her family more than ever.
With a strong desire to exact revenge on my friend's murder, I tried to stand up. But the pain was too extreme, and she broke my weapons into fragments.
As she prepared to depart, a heavy silence enveloped the group, shrouding her movements to the shadows. But then my voice came out in a scratchy rasp.
"Who... are... you?"
As my dying inquiry reached her ears, her steps faltered. Her icy voice filled the place as her fierce, crimson eyes pierced my soul.
"If you wish to defeat me, grow stronger."
The bitterness of her voice brought back forgotten memories from long ago. I had the distinct feeling that I had seen Onigashi before we joined Minerva.
She then left the war-torn village, the harsh cries of pain and sorrow still ringing in her ears, and faded into the shadows.
Unexpectedly, the reinforcement helicopter flew in, and the roar of the engine filled the air as its light beam searched for any remaining survivors.
Hope surged within me as the reinforcements arrived, and my belief was strong that they had come to rescue me. Only after the commander's reprimand did the sounds of battle and the cries of the fallen echo in my mind.
I closed my eyes, and the voice calmed me like a soothing lullaby.
How the hunter became hunted.
But there's still a query that I'm yet to figure out for myself.
Is this my end? Who is Onigashi, and what led her to this blackened path?