*Shing*
A standstill pervaded the battlefield with both side's backs facing each other. Uesugi suddenly kneeled and breathed heavily, his calm state was disrupted as his entire reserves were depleted
The disfigured man remained stationary, Uesugi couldn't see his face but the man was shocked. Looking down at his chest, a sharp wound could be seen. However, the most important thing was the microscopic wound on the thigh
Except for Dr Brain who created him, no one knew his weak point in his Human Boulder form. Incredulity was on his face as he thought, 'Monster'.
Without warning, the wound on his chest began widening and a gaping hole gradually appeared on it. He collapsed, leaving all signs of life leaving him
In the short moment of the clash, Uesugi used two moves, using his katana to puncture while manifesting Weapon Creation in a needle form to pierce the disfigured man's weakness.
Normally, the needle wouldn't be able to pierce the enemy's defenses but Uesugi used his new talent and [Lightning's Child] to aid in its penetrative properties
[Regeneration], that was his new talent. It was under the blue color meaning it was a rare rarity. Despite its name, Uesugi thought it should be called Conversion as it converts Honkai Energy into healing powers that can only be used on himself while it can convert his physical strength into Honkai Energy.
Alongside his new technique that was of calm and stillness allowing him to deal the finishing blow, [Regeneration] added more Honkai Energy at the expense of his physique and enhanced the needle to the point it pierced the disfigured man's thigh
Seeing his enemy die, Uesugi cackled as it gradually increased into a resounding laughter. Despite being able to defeat Peak A-Rank leader in white, he knew it was a mere fluke brought by arrogance
While the disfigured man wasn't near her level, his body and attack power were overwhelming that he would have died if it weren't for the enlightenment with the chakram user
A sense of liberation soothed his mind as he felt that before the main story begins, he'll at least have the strength to change people's fates.
Uesugi looked at the unconscious Bronya and smiled gently, he saw that she had saved him right before he awakened and was glad she was as reliable as ever.
Walking towards her, he carried her on his back and began looking for refuge. The surroundings were devastated while the area still had zombies lingering, the effects of Honkai caused electricity to be disrupted so he was stuck for a while until he found an intact house close to the center region of Zasopka
Placing Bronya gently on the sofa, Uesugi sat opposite her and planted himself on the sofa. Currently, he was moving with pure willpower and his Honkai Energy, Mental Energy, and Physical Strength were depleted after his strike
'Mmh, what should I name it... Forget it, I'll wait for Bronya to wake up before deciding'. Uesugi drowsily thought before he entered the dreamscape
Despite zombies being in the area, Uesugi wasn't worried as the normal zombies aren't worthy unless a Death Doom appeared
******
*Beep*
On the large monitor, a fluctuating line became straight and rang continuously with a white-haired old man sitting in front of it.
An undercurrent surged from him before it dissipated, replacing it with a resounding laughter. "Excellent, truly Excellent. When I return after meeting the lord, they'll be in my hands". Greed filled Brain's eyes as if he saw two delicacies for taking
Shaking his head to avoid the temptation, he accidentally saw the telephone he used to call the 'Supreme'. Snorting at how useless the help was, he walked inside a corridor that led deeper underground
Footsteps reverberated in the dark and after minutes of walking, light shined as it revealed its source that shone.
A blue portal hung in mid-air with four blocks at each corner, generating a certain type of energy in maintaining it. Brain walked without fear and disappeared along with the portal.
Shortly after, the entire underground space began to collapse as signs of traces were being erased, leaving nothing but a 'fake' ruin to be searched
Meanwhile, in a green building, a middle-aged man with a distinctively sculpted face outlining his handsomeness was smoking cigarettes as he stared out the window while listening to his subordinates report
Snuffing out the cigarette, the man sighed and said, "So you're saying two brats were able to kill a squad of Commandments." His voice was calm as if this loss was nothing
The subordinate nodded and shook his head, "While we couldn't retrieve footage, they were near Chita, meaning..." Without continuing they both knew the dangers of the humanoid monster. Despite being called 'Supreme', even he didn't take the monster lightly
"Forget it, post the kids' information on Mercenary Realm and get them to capture them for us, we just don't have enough personnel". Closing his hands and placing a hand on his cheek while nodding off
"Understood". Bowing down to the 'Supreme', he left silently, leaving the room with brightness with sounds of soldiers training outside echoing, a prideful smile appeared on his face
******
"Shuu, why are you smiling so much?" After taking down the last zombie, Bronya stared at Uesugi who was smiling foolishly, and thought he had broken down
Sensing the gaze, Uesugi coughed and responded quickly, "It's nothing, I just got stronger". Then he started tapping the invisible blue screen before him
Not convinced by his actions, Bronya inwardly thought, "It seems Bronya needs to understand psychology to fix him, he suffered so much at a young age'. This misunderstanding lingered before she began to rest
When they woke up from their injuries, the pair began to recuperate before eliminating the remnant zombies
At this moment, Uesugi Shuu was receiving his rewards for completing his mission, but the reward was different from expectations
Kill all the zombies in Chita and Zasopka
Reward: Taixuan Mantra
'To activate this reward, you must visit Fu Hua to learn under her tutelage, this reward will give you a comprehension boost and closer affinity towards the teacher
Uesugi's face was a sight to behold, anyone would have thought the reward should have been bestowed directly, why even give out a mission when you don't have the reward
He wanted to scream but looking at Bronya who already thought he's gone crazy, he deflated and began to prepare his journey
"How did you recover so quickly after taking an attack from that ugly person". Bronya asked before they departed. It was consensus between them the disfigured man was called ugly
Pondering as to how to answer her question, Uesugi decided to reveal a small truth, "It's my talent called [Regeneration], at the cost of Honkai Energy I can heal my injuries and vice versa with physical strength for Honkai Energy"
Bronya was slightly shocked, wondering why he hadn't used his talent before but seeing his face, she knew the secrets ended here as she walked by his side on the road
The appearance of zombies in Zasopka was limited in its area and when the Uesugi pair left its premises, the trees swayed and the wind swooshed, creating a small breeze hitting their faces
Experiencing this calm, Uesugi thought, 'I finally have the time to relax but there's no telling when an assailant or mission will come, I haven't even completed option 2 for my mission'. Glancing at the blue screen, he swiped it and left it ongoing, there weren't any punishments so he planned on taking his time with it
Since they weren't taking a vehicle, their trip was slow as they visited cities with human activity almost causing Uesugi to burst into tears from seeing a normal sight.
Each stop didn't take long but they took photos and videos at famous sites, Uesugi had to pull Bronya who wanted to play games, and then waste time.
6 months later, they finally arrived at the border of America, before making their way to North America. Seeing the greens, flowing waterfalls, and the animals that live near it, a small smile appeared on Uesugi as he closed his eyes, embracing nature
Throughout their journey, Uesugi experienced epiphanies in the places they visited, refugees escaping remnants of Honkai, beautiful and destroyed scenarios, and betrayal between traveling companions
He was never emotional and only felt irritated by their ignorance, but he knew Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were hiding the events from the world.
The epiphanies didn't increase his strength but his mental state has become more stable while his usage of Mental and Honkai Energy became smoother
Bronya has also improved on their way, Uesugi didn't have any similar to Rebirth Liquid and he was a beginner to Honkai Energy so she could only stumble here and there.
Uesugi wasn't disappointed as he knew her growth truly began in Anti-Entropy before entering Schicksal.
Now there was another problem, her meeting with the other two protagonists was an infiltration to save her friend who undertook Project X-10 in the orphanage and has gone missing since then
He had to create a plan for their meeting, otherwise the world might end, he thought. But first, they had to enter Anti-Entropy before deciding anything else
Anti-Entropy adopted an alliance management system after it separated itself from Schicskal. Their growth was fast compared to Schicksal's hundreds of years of history but as a result, factions were formed with inner conflicts happening, causing the management system to become brittle
But that wasn't the point, what Uesugi and Bronya needed to do was to create trouble.
Yes, cause trouble. He didn't know where the main headquarters location and only by making their presence known can the staff recruit them
Of course, they mustn't be seen as hostile otherwise with the strength of the pair, the misunderstanding would kill them.
Suddenly, a lightbulb beamed in his head before he quickly turned to Bronya.
He nearly forgot that her first interaction with Anti-Entropy was when she worked as The Silver Wolf of Urals and took the job of assassinating the leader of the Radical Faction, Cocolia
"Do you have any connections or some site for mercenaries?"