0915 hours, 4 July 0145...

Despite the enormous harm I've caused her, ultimately leading to her death, hearing her utter something startled me.

As she spoke, I watched Rukia use her hands to force her body out of the statue's head.

"I would go as far as to underestimate your... abilities."

With a resounding thump from her boot, she landed on the floor safely. And yet, even with the revving sword and her Tsuruki still impaling her chest, her wounds were slowly mending on their own.

It left me bewildered on how she's still alive despite my brutal stab. With a curiosity that reached its peak, I queried with a slight trepidation.

"You are not an ordinary infected Authonoid, aren't you?"

While bearing the agony, she responded while holding the stabbing revving sword and the Tsuruki and painstakingly pulling them out of her chest, sending a few drops of blood splattering to the ground.

"Yes…"

"But… getting infected... isn't just... the part... of the… problem!"

After taking off both blades from her chest, she sheathed her Tsuruki and threw the switch axe to the floor, where it clattered loudly on the tile. I saw the wound quickly heal on its own through the gaps in her torn clothes caused by the blades' stab.

With a slight nervousness, I asked as I pointed at her.

"Your real name must be Rukia, right? Not a bad name, though."

She scoffed once with a slight grin, and somewhat teased me by pointing her finger right at my face.

"And you must be Tsuyuki, right? Neither is yours."

Considering how frequently Dr. Leah mentions me to her, I'm not shocked that she finally knows my name. I nodded my head in the midst of uncomfortable pause, I asked her the previous unanswered question I was dying to ask.

"So what's the point of you targeting the Cleanser Squadron if you're targeting me instead? Didn't you already stab me back in the Harimal Forest? And what do you want from me this time?"

Then she gestured her right hand as she firmly asserted.

"You're the strongest Authonoid in this accursed organization. And you're getting in my way of dealing with the Cleanser Squadron."

I have a feeling that her response spoke the otherwise, as she was constantly pursuing me. Other than testing my strength, she seemed like want to push my sanity to the edge of the earth from that. I couldn't help but looked down with increasing scorn on my tongue, as I ranted in a disgruntle.

"Getting in my way, your fucking cunt! I know you've got a trick up on your sleeve for me!"

All she could respond to my rant was a brief scoff, where she crossed her arms and suddenly elaborated with a tinge of frustration on her words.

"Unfortunately, an ignorant kiddo like you refuse to face the truth of what humanity has created in this accursed world."

As she looked down with a frustrated sigh, she then pointed at the fallen Cleanser Squadron's guard's corpse in every direction.

"Until you don't realize it, you're becoming one of them."

As I observed it out of curiosity, the things I discovered from her elaboration stunned me.

I noticed a speck of crystal, dark veins, and sunburns on their necks, indicating a possible connection to the scorching virus and raising questions about its origin and effects. This makes me question whether or not the frantilos' element is indeed based on the scorching virus. And from where do these substances originate?

I was looking down at the dead guards of the Cleanser Squadron when she beckoned me, her voice echoing over the ruined church.

"Though, I understand that you trusted your own instinct better than anyone else."

Looking above, I saw that Rukia had climbed up onto the roof and was standing next to the shattered artistic glass dome. With that, I called her again, angrily pointing at her.

"What are you talking about?!"

"You'll come to learn the meaning soon enough. But business beckons."

Then she just left me here in the ruined church. However, it irritated me that she did not provide me with a sincere explanation for what I had seen.

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"HEY!"

BANG

I fired one shot from my Kiryu to get her to come back and give me a sincere explanation, but she raced away, and the bullet ricocheted off the dome's roof.

She appeared out of nowhere from the ceiling and teased me with her typical remark.

"Adios, kiddo."

Then she left me alone again, and I never heard from her again. I stomped offstage in a fit of annoyance, muttering under my breath.

"Kiddo, fuck your own dick!"

Cleanser Squadron reinforcements came unexpectedly and began searching the area for any leftover casualties. And they were going to tidy up the mess after my rough fight with Rukia.

Even though there is nothing to worry about in here, I worry that they will purge me after knowing their secrets.

***

Ten tense minutes ticked by after the reinforcements completed their cleanup and departed, leaving a lingering sense of unease in the air. With that, I have taken to lounging against the wall as I'm inquiring about the status of the evacuated churches through a group text message. In which, Commander Katoki texted.

"Fortunately, we protected them at the neighboring evacuation station of the Cleanser Squadron. Despite their traumas and injuries, we and the surviving Cleanser Squadron's medical personnel took care of them."

Christine suddenly texted me with a tinge of worry.

"Tsuyuki, did you get hurt after the fight?"

I then tapped the keyboard and sent out a confident reply.

"I do get hurt, but I'm fine overall. In fact, I beat Onigashi like breaking a toothpick."

It shocked everyone as they heard the news, and as they asked me how I beat her, I elaborated on the intrinsic details. Nolan suddenly queried with a tinge of worry.

"Bro, you've got balls! Is she dead?"

"No. Even though I've brutally stabbed her, her supernatural abilities endow her with the ability to heal herself. It's as if the scorching virus is igniting the fire of hell within her."

While I was chatting with my friends, Antonio entered the ruined church with the automated weapon box that trailed behind him. Then he came up to me and spoke; his voice echoed through the church hall.

"The good news is, the refugees are safe in our nearby station."

I stood up straight and went up to him to give him an answer.

"Yeah, my friends told me through the group chat."

"But the bad news is... the threats that Onigashi's caused are still raging on, despite our best attempts to minimize the casualties."

Antonio cast a scathing glance downward. And with his grief at a breaking point, he went on.

"And unfortunately... His Holiness... breathed his last breaths."

"Which means... he died..."

When I first heard that Pope Busso had passed away, my thoughts and heart both halted. On the other hand, I was glad to see Onigashi teach that maniac a lesson for all the evil he'd done to boost his popularity before the July 5th election.

But I could only muster a word with a tinge of sorrow as I looked down.

"Oh, my condolences with that. Only if I am swift enough to prevent this tragedy, this shouldn't be happening."

Antonio's composure suddenly returned to normal as he pointed at the weapon box on his left side and replied.

"No need to think about that. In fact, you need this."

I reached out with my right hand to inspect the contents of the weapon box as it came into view. When it opened, I witnessed an improved Nakajima, Kiryu upgrade components, a new claw that looked like a pecut with a sawed chain, and survival supplies.

And inside the weapon box, I discovered a printed message stuck to the interior wall as I read the paper thoroughly.

"From Olivia and Dr. Hubert."

"Sorry if we didn't bring your Nakajima before your departure to Grande Maria. We had to do double quality control after the upgrade to prevent any slight malfunction when slashing against those infected! And we had to apologize for sending you Kiryu's upgrade part because you snatched it without our permission, so you had to do your own upgrade."

"But worry not! We have delivered your upgraded weapons and an all-new claw to make pulling and whipping infected asses easier than ever before. It makes you badass and brutal, oh yeah, baby!"

"And lastly, take care of them, and they'll take care of you."

After chuckling lightly at their confidence in my upgraded weapons, I placed the paper inside the weapon box and took out all the weapons from it.

And when I'm changing my Kiryu's component by disassembling some old part and reassembling it with brand new parts, Antonio suddenly elaborates in a firm tone.

"Our security system tracked that Onigashi traveled to the Giuvila National Forest, which is located 66 kilometers northwest of Grande Maria. And it shows that she traveled to the Giuvila Great Cave."

Once I holstered my upgraded Kiryu, I sought clarification from him, feeling perplexed by his previous explanation.

"Giuvila? So you're saying she's about to go to Saint Capriccio Great Church through an alternative route?"

After taking a big breath, he elaborated again.

"I can't say for sure what it is she's looking for. However, if you don't take immediate action, she might bring more chaos to the area."

I nodded my head in agreement and then queried him again.

"Who will succeed His Holiness after his tragic passing? And how about this election, though?"

"It's classified."

"And what about your planned marriage with Christine during this time?"

"None of your business!"

After stowing my ammunition and several supplies, I pointed my improved Nakajima's tip towards the ground and exclaimed in confidence.

"There you go! My baby is freshly badass!"

BRAAP BRAAP BRAAP

I found that my Nakajima's 2-stroke sounded more lucid and distinct after I revved three times.

Additionally, my left hand's new claw comes with a whipping saw chain, which helps me pull the distant enemies with my rodeo lasso technique or even lashing it like a pecut. But just as my enthusiasm was at its peak, Antonio shot me down with mild fury through his retort.

"You put that so lightly in the time of crisis?!"

After stowing my Nakajima, I got to my feet and responded in a firm tone.

"This isn't my first time dealing with her. The last encounter I had with her was in the Harimal Forest, where she stabbed me and killed my previous companion."

"So you want to avenge your companion's death?"

I shook my head once and answered.

"No, I want to know more about her."

Antonio let out a little sigh of irritation, paced from left to right with his arm crossed, and asserted with a sharp notion.

"You must capture her immediately!"

"What if I accidentally killed her in that place?"

He glared at me and spoke in a severe tone.

"The point is, let us take care of these so you can just leave unharmed!"

As he proceeded toward the exit, he continued after a tense pause.

"And by the way, you better catch up with your friends in there."

With a nod, I said nothing and followed his lead.