43 – After it was Over (2)
Thuds. Thuds.
The sound of bones twisting. I immediately called the doctor.
After confirming the situation, the doctor brought some machines. However, he soon made a strange expression.
“…The readings are normal?”
“Ughhh…”
“Abakusa!”
Abakusa grabbed my hand. He was trembling.
“Moth…erfuc…ker…”
An old nickname. He chuckled softly.
“Just…leave me…a..lone…uhhhhh…”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
“It feels…good…”
“What?”
My twisted bones begin to align. My body starts recovering rapidly.
“What kind of recovery is this…?”
The doctor was astonished. Abakusa was bleeding.
Blood flowed continuously, not stopping at once. Abakusa, who was trembling, looked up at me.
“It fee…ls…good…wha…t is this…”
The nurse hastily brought a blood pack.
“There’s excessive bleeding! We need a transfusion right away!”
“What the hell is this…?”
In the dizzying hospital room, I staggered to my feet. Recovery. Clearly, I had recovered.
“The heart has stopped!”
“Get the defibrillator! Now!”
But something was missing. What was it? My body couldn’t endure? Why? Didn’t Blanka say she believed in this?
Could it be…disposable…?
Or maybe the injury was severe?
“It takes 200 units!”
“It takes 200 units!”
“Move aside! Clear!”
Abakusa’s body jerked. Blood trickled from his unconscious mouth.
…Blood?
Wait a minute. Come to think of it…couldn’t endure blood?
“Blanka!”
I immediately went to call her. She was sleeping inside the hut and jumped up.
“What’s going on?”
“When I gave you the medicine, didn’t an acquaintance say something about you?”
“What, what are you talking about?”
“Answer me!”
“He said he would save me from death. I’m sure of it.”
The medicine.
The medicine given to “Blanka.”
“What kind of species are you?”
Blanka froze.
“Why, why are you asking that?”
“What is it? Speak quickly!”
“Ha, half-human…”
I’ve heard of extinct species from before humans came to this world. Dragons and demons. And out of the three, only one survived the competition.
All demons died. It’s a well-known story used as a popular subject to spread fear of dragon species.
“Did the acquaintance know that you are a half-demon?”
“…Uh…uh…”
I pulled out a knife. Blanka panicked.
“Are you, are you serious?”
“Let’s draw some blood!”
I immediately brought a small knife. Honestly, I didn’t know if it would work. I was just trying.
“What are you doing?!”
“Abakusa is dying!”
I drew the knife. Blanka screamed. There was a commotion outside the hut.
But I didn’t have time to pay attention to that.
“Squeeze it continuously! Make sure the blood comes out well!”
“What is this?!”
“Hurry!”
Banhap was filled to a certain extent. Half full. They immediately took Blanca, who had shed a lot of blood, to the infirmary.
Abacusa was already exhausted. The doctor and nurse were already giving up, as if he were already dead.
No.
Not yet.
“Stop the bleeding, please!”
I threw Blanca aside and covered Abacusa’s mouth.
No response from the body.
I secured Abacusa’s airway to force an insertion. Wetting the back of the throat, I pressed forcefully on the heart.
“He’s dead! Stop it!”
“Blanca, stop it!”
“Weren’t you supposed to stop the bleeding?! Seriously!”
Blanca got mixed in with the doctor and nurse. There was a commotion behind my back.
I pressed. I continued to compress the heart.
Run.
Please.
No response from Abacusa. Something is missing.
Do I need to mix in my blood as well? Or do something else?
“…Defibrillator!”
I immediately reached for the defibrillator lying next to me. The sensation of the surging current and the feeling of electricity.
“Abacusa!!!”
Maximum energy.
I pressed the defibrillator against Abacusa’s body. The exhilarating sensation felt through my hand. The overcharged energy resurges, piercing through my arm.
But I endured. I vigorously struck with my trembling hand.
“Get up!”
For a moment, I felt my heart beat twice.
As if…
when facing that armor user.
…
“……”
“…”
Blanca and I sat on a rock and enjoyed the scenery that unfolded before us.
“…that white fog.”
Blanca snickered.
“It’s like the snort that little calf spat out.”
“…Really?”
“If I had known that was the case, I would have been nicer to it.”
“…”
“Oh, I hate it. The training without him.”
I hated it as well.
“What is it?”
“What the hell is Ihadongmun? You guys!”
Abakusa grumbled from behind, leaning on his crutches.
“Don’t talk as if someone died!”
“What? He didn’t die?”
“You bastard! Why have you been making a fuss ever since you came out of the sick bay?”
“Ah, threatening the savior of life now?”
“You goddamn idiot! He’s the savior of life, not you!”
“Then who gave you the medicine??”
“We almost died because of those damn painkillers!”
I turned to Abakusa.
“Abakusa.”
“What?!”
“Squad leader said if he sees you at the training ground once more, he’ll assume you came out to train together.”
“This goddamn!”
Abakusa stumbled down, his foot turning.
He came out because he was bored, but ran away as soon as he had to train.
“He’s really
Avakusa was alive. To be precise, something incomprehensible was happening inside my body.
“…It’s a miracle.”
The situation was so strange that even the doctor seemed perplexed. If the secretive research organization within the resistance group had known about this, they would have dissected me while I was still alive.
Currently, the blood in this creature’s body was mixed with vampire blood. It was generally impossible, but…
I felt as if something within me had achieved it.
“Hey, monster.”
Blanca called me out.
“What are you, really? Do all supernatural beings have these kinds of abilities?”
“…I don’t know?”
I raised my hand and a weak golden lightning bolt flickered.
This.
This is it.
Ever since I realized something had changed inside me, I was able to control this power. Golden lightning.
However, it wasn’t completely under my control. It was rather ambiguous, to say the least.
Usually, all I could do was harass opponents with static electricity. It was said that wrapping it around my body would enhance my physical abilities, but…
It feels like something is unsettled, restless.
“…But.”
Blanca asked subtly.
“Don’t you find it creepy?”
“Why?”
“…Because I’m a being born between humans and demons. I’m the one who escaped from the lab and then mixed into society.”
“So?”
“…Aren’t you scared? Honestly, I’m a strange monster, right? I haven’t told anyone except one person…”
Blanca sighed.
“I didn’t expect to tell you by accident.”
“Blanca.”
“What? Monster.”
I spoke jokingly, following the flow of the conversation.
“Do you think I’m the monster, or am I more of a monster than you?”
“…You.”
Blanca smirked.
“You cheeky brat.”
A brat, indeed.
Though she continued to be called a brat, time kept flowing.
“Even if I arrange a meeting with the weapons craftsman, Peregryn Alto, it will take more than six months. Wait patiently.”
The dream of becoming a personal arms expert was crushed by Besmoff Litton. Well, as long as he didn’t run away after causing trouble, that was fortunate enough.
After the Tetis Leebra operation, Tethys Libra remained depressed for a while.
From Noble mtl dot com
“It’s fortunate it resolved smoothly…but there might have been a better strategy. Above all, falling into a momentary sense of inferiority and performing reckless acts like Avacusa…”
“Hey, sir. What do you mean by ‘acts like Avacusa’?”
“Literally what it means.”
“Why, you!”
“I need training. I should sharpen my skills a bit more at headquarters. I’ll participate in dawn exercises and also at headquarters.”
Recovered Avacusa rejoined the team. She still grumbled, but overall, something had changed.
“…Have you become stronger?”
“hahahahaha! Avacusa! You’re completely revived! You punk!”
Not only her overall physical strength but also her power had increased.
The most prominent improvement was resilience.
One could say an abnormal recovery speed had been added. It was as if she had absorbed the characteristics of a medicine, instantly healing any light wounds sustained.
“The Undying Avacusa! That’s me!”
“How uncouth.”
“Shut up!”
As the days of training lengthened, the relationship between Blanca and Avacusa also grew closer. When the three of them rolled around together, well…
Certainly, camaraderie had formed.
Blanca’s cursing decreased. Whenever Avacusa grumbled, Blanca would kick her lightly, but not too forcefully.
Avacusa, too, seemed to be playfully teasing her to some extent.
“I’m going to marry a kind and cute comrade. I’m not interested in busty elves or half-mas.”
“…Avacusa. You know, I’m curious…do females of your species also have fluctuations like you?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Well, maybe that’s not possible.”
“…You.”
Blanca smirked.
“You cheeky brat.”
Indeed, a brat.
Though she continued to be called a brat, time kept flowing.
“Even if I arrange a meeting with the weapons craftsman, Peregryn Alto, it will take more than six months. Wait patiently.”
The dream of becoming a personal arms expert was crushed by Besmoff Litton. Well, as long as he didn’t run away after causing trouble, that was fortunate enough.
After the Tetis Leebra operation, Tethys Libra remained depressed for a while.
“It’s fortunate it resolved smoothly…but there might have been a better strategy. Above all, falling into a momentary sense of inferiority and performing reckless acts like Avacusa…”
“Hey, sir. What do you mean by ‘acts like Avacusa’?”
“Literally what it means.”
“Why, you!”
“I need training. I should sharpen my skills a bit more at headquarters. I’ll participate in dawn exercises and also at headquarters.”
Recovered Avacusa rejoined the team. She still grumbled, but overall, something had changed.
“…Have you become stronger?”
“hahahahaha! Avacusa! You’re completely revived! You punk!”
Not only her overall physical strength but also her power had increased.
The most prominent improvement was resilience.
One could say an abnormal recovery speed had been added. It was as if she had absorbed the characteristics of a medicine, instantly healing any light wounds sustained.
“The Undying Avacusa! That’s me!”
“How uncouth.”
“Shut up!”
As the days of training lengthened, the relationship between Blanca and Avacusa also grew closer. When the three of them rolled around together, well…
Certainly, camaraderie had formed.
Blanca’s cursing decreased. Whenever Avacusa grumbled, Blanca would kick her lightly, but not too forcefully.
Avacusa, too, seemed to be playfully teasing her to some extent.
“I’m going to marry a kind and cute comrade. I’m not interested in busty elves or half-mas.”
“…Avacusa. You know, I’m curious…do females of your species also have fluctuations like you?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Well, maybe that’s not possible.”
“What’s that sound?”
“I wouldn’t even bother looking if I were you.”
“If you get caught, you’ll die in my hands!”
Blanca’s training and acquisition abilities were exceptional. Starting with tactical manuals, she persisted as if determined to see them through.
She slept the latest and woke up the earliest. It seemed as if she was bothered by only catching ankles back then, so during training, she stood at the very front.
Titus Libra was most pleased.
“This is what an ideal trainee looks like!”
Blanca, who spat out dirt from her mouth, shouted.
“But this is too much!”
“Raising the intensity to match the level is the appropriate training method! It’s written in the manual!”
“Ah, you rigid rule-follower!”
“The authority figure doesn’t stick to principles alone! Now, there’s a fair bit of flexibility too!”
“Show that right now!”
The relationship between Titus Libra and her wasn’t bad either. Perhaps it was because they were the only ones of the same gender in the squad.
There seemed to be some unknown bond between Abekusa and me. Blanca described it as ‘sensitivity’.
“Men have a world they don’t know about—Drakan.”
Abekusa interjected.
“What are you talking about? Is it about food?”
“It’s because manners disappear when you’re with that bastard!”
“Abekusa, what’s for dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know. Probably dung soup.”
“Listen to me for a moment!”
There haven’t been any additional support squad members for several months. It seemed as if Bismuth Litten intentionally didn’t include any.
“The battalion commander thinks highly of us. That’s why he’s carefully selecting additional squad members. After all, we’ve survived encounters with ‘Red Hood’. “
“Red Hood?”
“He’s one of the most dangerous armor users on the rebel side. His real name is Deckerd Wain. He’s the extraordinary guy you faced.”
Time continued to pass. The Ascal Plateau was quiet, and the humans didn’t make any significant moves.
“…Strangely peaceful, isn’t it?”
“Ah! Don’t say nonsense! Captain! If you utter those words, something bad will definitely happen!”
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
“This is why inexperienced commanders are like this!”
Already in the freezing Ascal Plateau, I was experiencing my second winter.
A frozen season. The day when the sun was almost setting.
I stood up on a rock. The appointment with the weapons craftsman, which had been continuously delayed due to trivial battalion orders, was finally approaching. I was just happy that I could escape from this garbage-like equipment.
“Drakan!”
Blanca found me. I stood up.
Blanca paused for a moment.
“…Sometimes, I almost mistake you for someone else. How did you grow so quickly?”
Kira.
Come to think of it, she had grown up. The height that used to be around 170 now easily surpassed 180. And yet, I felt like she was still growing.
It wasn’t as tall as Abakusa, who was over 2 meters tall, but it gave off a similar feeling of being big.
It wasn’t just the height that had changed.
Our relationship had also changed a lot. It seemed that the point of not being able to trust each other had become an old saying…
Friends.
We became closer to a different form.
“You’re small.”
“I’m on the taller side too!”
Blanca whispered, breathing out white mist.
“It’s tremendous news. A real scoop.”
“What is it?”
“Abakusa… has a crush!”
Blanca burst into laughter.
“It seems like he’s fallen for a girl.”
“What?”