Author notes: Sorry for the delay! I lost myself in a research spree for the upcoming chapters, it's why it took a day longer than expected to bring the newest chapter out lol
That said, I can promise it will be an interesting one when you all can get your eyes on them. More importantly, congratulations to Private ThrilledAxis who is now a prim and proper Corporal!
I hope you enjoy the new chapters, my friend!
As per request, here are Agent's pictures! There are two of them so I hope you can feast your eyes on her fine visage!
P.S: This chapter hurts me
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*BAM*
"Kuh...!" My body was smacked into the dirtied wall of the arena where splotches of dried blood and grime could be seen everywhere. Great, with my body in a state of moderate lacerating, I now have to worry about disinfecting the wounds after this.
With a bit of a struggle, I dislodge my aching body from the little-girl-sized dent in the wall. Falling unceremoniously on all four, I can barely take a breather when I am forced to roll away on the floor with a grunt. The spot that I was in just a second ago is then promptly bulldozed by a rolling mass of white and pink. That figure then digs deep into the wall's cavity that was left behind by my unfortunate meeting with it, rocking the entire arena and earning the gasps of the captives in specialized cages nearby. Utilizing the moment when that thing is preoccupying itself with the wall, I channel the power that God has given to me, despite knowing that it will amount to a very undesirable outcome... But I have no other choice.
From behind my back, a purple portal opens up and launches a lance of incomprehensible making at the armadillo-like beast. The high-speed projectile strikes the monster fast and heavy enough that it gouges out a large segment of its armor plating, thus, knocking it away from the wall and landing heavily on its back. Seeing that it's struggling to deal with its awkward position and injuries with its short legs, I allow half the mind to deal with another approaching threat, a knight-like figure galloping on a horse-like monster and wielding a very big sword. Before I allow myself to be cleaved in half, I form another portal, only this time, it's larger and right in the middle of the knight's path. The knight foolishly runs straight into the portal before another one opens up right above the armadillo beast, depositing the knight and its horse head first onto the belly of the monster. The three monsters, Demons, then struggle to get away from each other, but I won't let them.
Pulling on my power once more, a dozen portals appear above the struggling mass of bodies before a similar amount of lances are shot out. With a loud rumble, a cloud of dust cloaks the area and prevents me from investigating the damage I inflicted. Having learned that it would be foolish to remain stationary though, I move cautiously further away from the dust. My eyes maintain a level of war-weariness that is unbefitting of a child. Ten seconds later, the dust cloud settled down and I was relieved to see a pile of pincushioned bodies strewing on the floor, unmoving and unresponsive to my movement. Just to be on the safe side though, I summon four more lances and stab them again, the armadillo thingy deserved two of them, especially.
Once the coast is clear, my strength almost leaves me entirely had I not remembered something else. It's time to deal with the people inside the cages... Or what's left of them. Most unfortunately but unsurprisingly, the captives in the cages are undergoing various stages of metamorphosis into those very monsters that I defeated earlier. Some are morphing new limbs while others are turning pale white with glowing veins at a visible rate. These, are all my fault. From what I gather, my mana is so potent that just being near me whenever I channel my power is more than enough to 'infect' a person, corrupting them into something else entirely. It's a... undesirable effect on my ability, but without this strength, I won't be able to protect my sisters. Heck, I won't be able to live and fight another day.
Having witnessed this sight weekly, I know that it's better to end their sufferings now than let them change into something no one would want. So, much like what I did with the Demons moments prior, I conjure more lances, having them punched through the cages and into the... humans. The lances tear through the cages and bodies with ease, throwing wrecks and body parts all over the arena. The sight of malformed gore doesn't disturb me as much as before, but it still leaves me deeply frustrated and fills me with anger.
Once again, I scan the area for any other surprise, I won't put it past these bloody doctors to send another round of Demons in just for a little test. It has happened before, and it can happen again.
"The experiment is over. Send in the clean-up crew."
Or it can end right now. I thought with a long sigh before I collapsed like a puppet with her string cut.
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"She is getting stronger." Ottile Apocalypse said as she reviewed the purple-haired girl's handiwork. "Subject Sirin's rate of corrupting the captives is faster than usual and the lances are being shot quicker than before."
"It's also fascinating how adept little Sirin is at utilizing her portals to displace her enemy elsewhere. For a girl without any teacher, her combat skill is certainly improving on its own." Another person said, having taken a sip from a wine chalice in her hand.
Ottile turns around, saying. "Lady Lyssa, eventually, we won't be able to contain Sirin's power. Her growing ability can have potentially disastrous consequences on this pocket dimension if she is allowed to run amok. I suggest we perform an in-depth analysis of her abilities, perhaps we can incorporate her power into our existing Crusaders."
Lady Lyssa just chuckles, however. "My my, you need not worry too much about that, Miss Apocalypse. Such a time is still far away from now, and as long as we hold the leashes on her sisters, she will have no choice but to use her power on our behalf. I still have more plans for her development so leave her be." Lady Lyssa suddenly stops, directing a stern look at Ottile. "And that's a direct order."
Ottile nods, acquiescing to the demand from the boss of Auschwitz. "As you wish, Lady Lyssa."
"Now then," Lady Lyssa changes the subject. "How goes the experimental batch? Are they up to our rigorous standard?"
"The clones, they are cheaper to produce, in a way. They require less human sacrifice due to the higher chance of success. Their overall combat ability is higher than the standard Crusaders too, as a direct result of cloning from Kallen Kaslana's genes. That said, they're more susceptible to orders and commands, lacking the more active will of a person. A perfect soldier, from what we have seen so far. However, their life expectancy is highly undesirable, their longevity only goes up as far as two months before perishing. We are searching for methods to improve their lifespan but I would request more resources to direct to the project if such a request is possible." Ottile reported.
Lady Lyssa ponders with a finger under her chin. "Interesting. I didn't expect your project to achieve such a result. It will be worthwhile to see how these Kallen clones will fare against a normal team of Crusaders. Alright, I will increase funding for your department. I will require the appropriate results befitting of the money spent, however."
"You will not be disappointed, Lady Lyssa. But may I put forth one additional request?"
"Go on." Lady Lyssa beckoned with a finger.
"Progress will speed up exponentially if Kallen herself can be stationed back here. I think we should send someone to recall her, alive." Ottile stated her suggestion, keeping her tone even and professional the best she could.
"A reasonable request. Fret not, someone is already moving to bring her back. If the Saint knows what will be good for her and her battle sisters then she will come along, peacefully. The war in Spain has gone on for long enough, we already achieved the best results on our part." Lady Lyssa said. However, she opted to omit a few things that aren't Ottile's job to know.
"My thanks, Lady Lyssa." Ottile bowed, prompting Lady Lyssa to wave her hand. "You're free to go, Miss Apocalypse."
Ottile excuses herself with permission, but before she can fully leave, Lady Lyssa speaks up. "Oh, and give Sirin another round of injection. No doubt her body is in a state that is ripe for molding her abilities. I am very curious just what sort of power she will come to manifest."
"You will be done, Lady Lyssa."
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With my body aching all over and bleeding profusely from my pores, I keel over onto the floor of our shared quarter in the orphanage. Though muffled, I can hear the shocked exclamation from my eldest sister as she run over to my collapsed form, screaming out for help. With my consciousness drowning in a muddled state, I can just barely register the fact that I am being cared for, my wounds cleaned off blood, dirt, and grime before being bandaged with haste and care.
Despite my exhaustion, I struggle to open my eyes, seeing that aside from big sister Bella, Bronya, Seele, Liliya, and Rozaliya who are fussing over me, I also see another face. A girl, the same age as Bella but with short lilac hair, lavender eyes, and fair skin. She is the first responder to Bella's cry for help and is the orphanage's medic whenever someone is in trouble, much like I am. "Thank you, sister Mash. I think... You just saved me once again."
With eyes tearing up in worry, Mash replies. "I am glad, your wounds are even worse than before. I have given you a concoction to heal your internal injuries, but you should rest while you can. Bella, can you carry her to her bed? Once she is better, help her take a bath. I will see if I can make something nutritious for her with Seele."
"Leave it to me, Mash. Come, Sirin, let's get you tuck in." Bella is just about to princess carry me when I say. "Wait... sister Mash, Cocolia, where is she?"
Mash smiles sadly. "Matushka and I were dispatched to the outside world when we heard the news that they took you again. Matushka had to send me away immediately, leaving her alone to finish up the task Lady Lyssa assigned her in the outside world. Don't worry, she will be fine."
I nod, a bit relief but also annoyed that once again, these doctors went behind Cocolia's back to put us through the wringer. "Thank you, sister. I think I will like a catnap now."
Despite still feeling scared for my well-beings, the girls around me giggles at my attempt in alleviating the stiffling atmosphere. Bella, on her part, bobs me on my nose. "Come, let me carry you to bed, girlie."