Chereads / SK Domination: Ignis Fatuus (Lost Archive) / Chapter 20 - Researcher Route: One last Request

Chapter 20 - Researcher Route: One last Request

[Flashback]

At the office of Professor Cthulhu sees Dr. Sneer bargaining for Claire's life to appraise her worth to the company.

At first, the founder wasn't convinced to let the last protagonist live just by working here but when he deeply pondered about it, I think he has a chance to accomplish his main goal, which is to stop the doomsday clock, and alas letting Fubuki to be saved by the hands of Claire herself.

Professor Cthulhu finally accepts Dr. Sneer's offer and thus writes Claire as registration to being a worker here at the SK Foundation, a researcher for patients of some sort.

Now that Claire isn't a fugitive anymore, she can rest easy now thinking that no one will kill her anymore, with the hands of this company, rest assured that she will be safe and protected by the rules of the SK Foundation.

"Am I going to be saved here, Albert?"

Claire asks Dr. Sneer about her safety.

"You are going to be alright, I promise you that no one will do you any harm.

Now let's appraise you first, let's go."

As going to another place called the white room, where they appraise of their worth from a dimension for aliens only, with exceptions where only Dr. Sneer is allowed to enter since he engineers masks and pills for a living.

"What is this place if I may ask?"

"This is a magnificent place built for sinners to work here, a new form of humans working for the founder of the SK Foundation.

One day you'll be working alongside us, Claire.

With your abilities, we can make something more.

Wait a minute, I have to calibrate the motion senses that would observe your status just by you existing to that very spot, right there."

Suddenly a loud horn screeched while the machines with technological runes appear in Claire's circular position, it only means that the machine is starting to work on itself.

"Am I going to be alright, Albert?"

"You'll do nicely, just be patient before the machine scans your physical body."

The machine starts to slowly scans her body from top to bottom, cautiously afraid that it might cause pain, she started to believe in Albert also known as Dr. Sneer.

And so the machine worked on the details of her status including her abilities, characteristics of her well-defined physical body, and so on.

While working on that, Dr. Sneer also known as Albert if she recalls, somehow has the idea to update her abilities and use them for the success of the SK Foundation, with his ideas coming to fruition, for over 4 weeks of working at her status, it finally worked.

"What's happening Albert-san?"

Claire was anxiously afraid of what's to come from the work of Albert, he finally made her abilities more effective and efficient.

"I made your abilities more precise and worked better than it was before.

Before, your ability known as 'Colorful Humanity' has to work one patient per use but now it can be used 12 times more than before.

Also, your abilities have been better used than before."

"How about my 'Annoyingly lucky'? Has it been any changes?"

"Yes you can use it now without dying, it has now an active skill for you to activate."

"I see I've become stronger. Thank you very much, Albert-san."

"Now you can work for the betterment of the organization, Claire."

---

As Dr. Sneer reported his findings on Professor Cthulhu, the founder of the SK Foundation, he somehow is impressed of what he did for the company.

And now Dr. Sneer and Professor Cthulhu became close friends as they together develop new projects for the later times.

With his skill, this organization will flourish.

2 weeks later, Inside the laboratory station of the SK Foundation sees a professor known as Dr. Sneer walking casually with his two assistants, one was older with green eyes and hair.

The other one was also wearing a lab coat and had red hair and yellow eyes.

While entering their office, Dr. Sneer finally led the results of the performance of Claire Valentine, and it was plausible as her work is easily well done every time she finishes her work.

And such a task is needed to observe the progress of the experimented patients.

With her refined skills, she can make patients a better day for themselves.

But one patient remains undone, patient 118 also known as Fubuki has an expiration date that even the SK Virus has a failure to keep his body to maintain.

Dr. Sneer was afraid that he might pass away and ruin his chance for the sake of the company, he must make his work finally come to its completion and so does the time for the world termination to come.

The founder also known as Professor Cthulhu has prepared a battle strategy to fight the most ruthless god of domination, Mr. Smiley.

He has been one of the complete experiments for Professor Cthulhu to research on for the past 5 years and now he has paid his own unfortunate disaster and now he has to fight against him.

As weeks went by, and so did the expiration of Fubuki to come.

It is only 18 hours before the completion of the mask prepared by Dr. Sneer is finally at hand and also does the cessation of Fubuki is under 18 hours on the run.

At that time, the team of Professor Cthulhu loses the battle between Mr. Smiley and the maids, losing Solly and the other maids.

Mr. Smiley has a winning bet in exchange for time before his world termination all across the globe, he has to remake one of her maids, recreating the loophole of a lifetime of Phillia.

Professor Cthulhu knew one thing that is Dr. Sneer can work on it before time runs out.

Dr. Sneer work for almost 5 hours straight for Fubuki to become a success and he did.

Lastly, he ordered his assistants to attend to patient 118 including the Professor as an observer of the group.

Dr. Sneer puts the mask on Fubuki's face and so it almost works but entirely it does not, only smokes and machine sound was heard from the background but it didn't work.

It must be that the stability of the mask and the host do not match up.

Professor Cthulhu comes into the room and asks,

"We have lost the battle against Mr. Smiley, the only time left is for you to grant the wish of the god of domination, to revive the new existence of a certain maid named Phillia, this is only a secret amongst the domination, you must not tell anyone about it."

Dr. Sneer agreed on it as his only best friend and promised his power to make a success of the job he was given.

And so he asked Claire that only she can save his work,

"Claire there has been meaning to ask you, will you risk your life for the sake of Fubuki?"

The look on Claire's face when she was asked to give her life to the work he was assigned to.

But the dedication and patience he has over to just save her life and risk it just by asking her again was a noble thing to do.

"Do I have to live for your work to be finished?"

"Yes, but due to the wrong match-up of the mask, I don't have much time before we are all eradicated by the god of domination known as Mr. Smiley.."

"I see, we don't have much of a choice.

I agree to your demands, Albert-san no I meant Dr. Sneer!"

With her smile worn to his face, Dr. Sneer knew that she was blessed by the gods of his work to come to completion.

"May I have the time to say goodbye to my colleagues as one last request?"

"Sure thing."

Lastly, Dr. Sneer said to his colleague also known as his assistant.

"What happened?"

Lars asked Claire.

"I don't have much time left but I am glad to be a part of your life Mister Lars."

"What are you saying--?"

"Like I said, I don't have much time left so for now all I can say is Good bye Lars!"

Claire leaves the scene.

She goes to patient 115 also known as Zack the gamer.

She sees Zack doing his own thing, playing his game even if the world will end by the hands of Claire, she can save them by risking her life for it.

"Zack! Hello."

"Oh Claire, I haven't seen you for the last 3 days, what happened?"

Zack sees the sorrow of Claire judging by the look of Claire almost crying, just keeping it to herself as maintaining not to cry.

"I just want to say good bye and farewell to you, Zack. I love you."

With her last words shocked Zack from reality as Claire leaves the scene once more.

"What just happened, Farren?"

Zack asks the AI of the SK Foundation.

As washing her face from the last heavy-duty she has, she has to become a hero and a sacrifice for humanity to survive.

Leaving the comfort room sees Zack at the scene, hugging her from all the weight of the world giving her the pain that is enough to make the people give up.

But Zack knew that she has no time left to lose.

"Don't worry Claire, it will all be okay.

I don't know the words I should say to you but that is just life.

If you want to give up life, you can run away.

I don't want to see you look like that, smile for the sake of everyone."

Then, heavy sorrow showered in front of Zack. Claire cries so much as hugging her so tightly.

After that, Claire volunteered to save everyone and so she was put in a machine to practice of putting one's soul to another to maintain the life of Fubuki on going away, all her life force will be given to Fubuki by Claire.

And after that, it finally worked, and Fubuki was alive.

But the empty husk also known as the body of Claire was left untouched, Albert has the idea of making her alive once more.

He used the mask on her and put the SK Virus, and put the lost soul of Solly to Claire, turning Claire into Phillia.

It was a success for the both of them, No life has been lost except the ones that already did.