Chapter 38: Reality
"Vanguard! Please focus! You can't lose hope just yet!"
A young man with messy blood-soaked crimson hair and striking emerald eyes yelled over the sounds of gunfire and maniacal laughter.
The old Renegade Vanguard in front of him glanced toward him with a dazed gaze.
The Vanguard's eyes widened when he saw the young man. "...Ah! Your arm..." he mumbled in shock.
The young man looked completely ragged, with dirt-soaked clothes from crawling around while trying his best to stay hidden.
Red blood flowed freely from the bullet hole in his left shoulder.
While his right hand... had almost been completely severed from the elbow downward.
Seeing the Vanguard's shocked look, the young man, Arbus, realized his mistake and clicked his tongue as he quickly hid his mangled arm behind him.
It was an injury he'd received earlier when he saved another Renegade from a flying blade.
It had cleanly sliced into his elbow and down to his hand, stripping it of muscle and skin.
The wrecked remains of his bloody hand hung loosely from his exposed and protruding bone.
The Vanguard's expression slowly shifted into despair as he held his head with both hands. "It's over... We're all going to die!"
"It's... alright, Vanguard. The injury doesn't bother me. I'm alright," Arbus said as he did his best to calm the Mornan on the brink of despair.
"H-how are you able to handle an injury like that!? You're... just a knight," the Vanguard muttered in confusion. Then his eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. "Damn it! Look at me, a Vanguard, acting so weak while a simple knight is still fighting, despite everything."
"I'm... I'm so sorry!" he said with a small bow. "You're right, we shouldn't give up hope just yet!"
"We can still stop her, somehow! We have to!" the Vanguard declared, clenching his fist tightly around his sword. Just like most of the Vanguards in the station, he didn't have a heart shard ability just yet. Arbus was a bit annoyed by that factor, since things would have definitely been slightly easier if they did.
"That's great to hear, sir," he responded with a nod.
He was currently in an indescribable world of pain despite his casual demeanor.
But he knew he couldn't let it show.
Thankfully, he had already gotten somewhat used to it, due to all the pain he had put himself through to maximize his ability's potential.
Even if he didn't have it currently, he was still capable of handling this much without it. The blood loss, however, would soon become a problem he couldn't ignore.
"Damn it all! What's the point of struggling like this!"
A blue Mornan Renegade resting against the same ship debris as Arbus and the Vanguard bellowed through trembling lips. "She's already suppressing the backup unit with ease, despite the firepower they brought!"
"We're just no match for her! No match at all!"
It was obvious that he'd already given up all hope of surviving. The same went for the last blue Mornan with them, who stared blankly at the sky with a hollow gaze.
Arbus looked over at the assembled Renegades with an unreadable expression.
Then, he gritted his teeth in rage.
He could understand them well. After all, this scenario seemed just as hopeless as the previous ones.
Eventually, he straightened as he peeked out from behind the debris at the source of the maniacal laughter that echoed loudly despite the endless gunfire and screams.
A young human girl floated high in the air with weapons of all kinds hovering alongside her.
Below her, a graveyard of machinery and Mornan bodies was strewn about.
They had all been shot, sliced apart, or torn to shreds by their own weapons.
That was due to the human girl's soul ability.
Arsenal: An ability that granted her the power to control every single type of weapon, as long as it was designated as one.
It didn't matter if it was guns, basic steel or Aurnex-made blades. Everything the Renegades depended on had ultimately turned against them.
Her arrival had marked the beginning of a one-sided massacre.
Very few soldiers belonging to the destroyed outpost still remained from her initial onslaught. Backup had arrived eventually, but even they didn't stand a chance.
They were currently being slaughtered by their own weapons one by one. It was truly a hopeless situation.
Arbus's mind raced as he frantically thought of a way to win this nightmare of a battle.
'There's no way to kill her with a weapon. Even when she's off guard, it doesn't matter!'
He had realized that in a previous attempt.
*'What can I do differently this time! How can I save everyone left!'* Arbus's eyes darted around as he desperately tried to come up with a plan he hadn't already tried before.
Then, his eyes landed on his mangled arm for a moment. Memories he'd buried deep down flooded back as he studied his injury.
"..."
"..."
'That... could work,' he thought with an incredulous expression.
He turned his gaze to the three Renegades beside him as a plan began forming in his mind. From the looks of it, it was truly the only thing he could do at the moment.
It seemed he wouldn't be able to save anyone this time, as well.
His fist clenched till he felt his nails tear skin.
"I... have a plan."
The Vanguard who had been planning on trying a last-effort surprise attack on the human spoke first. "What is it!?"
"Tell us quickly! We have to get back in there, the reinforcements won't last much longer!"
He was right. Most of the Renegades sent as reinforcements already seemed to be scattering like flies, understanding that it was pointless to keep attacking.
Naturally, the human didn't let them leave just like that.
Arrows, spears, swords, and guns chased after them wildly under her control.
Arbus remained silent for several moments.
Then, he spoke somberly. "It's a plan that I guarantee will take down the human."
The scared blue Renegade turned towards Arbus with a look of hope. "Are you sure about that!? Don't forget we've already tried everything against her! If you're thinking of something pointless, then forget about it!"
"No, this will work. I'm sure of it," Arbus confirmed with a saddened look.
The last blue Mornan knight finally glanced at Arbus with a serious expression. "What is it then? Your plan?"
Arbus quickly told the three of them his idea, causing all of them to stare wide-eyed at him in shock.
"You... truly are something else, Knight Arbus," the Vanguard muttered in a complicated tone.
"That... could work! Tell us, what can we do to help?" the second Renegade asked excitedly.
Arbus remained silent as he looked toward the Reincarnator once again. The Renegade Vanguard studied his gaze for a moment, somehow understanding what he was thinking without being told.
"I see... You need us to distract her."
The other two looked at the Vanguard in shock. It was obvious what distracting a human in this situation meant.
Arbus glanced back at him as well, then nodded. "Yes, I do."
"I need enough time and opportunity to attack without being immediately bombarded." He paused for a moment, then went on. "...and I can't come up with a way to do it on my own."
All three Renegades took deep breaths.
Arbus was essentially asking them to sacrifice their lives for a plan he wasn't even sure would work. He was asking them to die for his gamble.
A few more seconds passed before the Vanguard spoke up.
"...Alright, Arbus! If you truly believe this will work, then I trust you. It's better to die like that than to sit here patiently and wait till she's done with the others."
The other two remained quiet for a bit longer, then spoke up as well.
"He's right. If your plan can truly work... Then we have to try. That's our duty as Renegades."
"Y-yeah."
Arbus gritted his teeth in frustration. He already knew they would say something like that.
After all, they were all supposed to trust him to somewhat in here.
The Vanguard noticed his expression then gave a small smile, similar to the one Arbus had given him earlier.
"It's alright, we're all going to die anyway. If we can stop a human like this, then all our lives are a good enough trade."
Those words didn't ease the guilt Arbus felt in the slightest, but he simply nodded anyway.
Then the Vanguard stood up as he thought of the best way of drawing attention from Arbus.
He looked out from behind the debris and spotted a tank on the opposite side of their location.
He gave Arbus a final glance.
"Alright then... Let's head out!" the Vanguard shouted as he snuck out from behind the debris. The third Renegade followed behind him closely.
The second Renegade gave Arbus one last look. It was clear he didn't want to do this.
"Just make sure it works, okay? I won't forgive you if you make me sacrifice my life for nothing," he stammered through his clenched jaw before following the others.
Arbus closed his eyes for a moment. Then his gaze turned serious as he crouched down and prepared himself.
_______________
High up in the sky, the human girl had long grown bored. The Renegades that arrived newly were far quicker to give up than those from the destroyed base.
They didn't care about fighting after realizing it was hopeless. They just wanted to run, which was boring. She was a being of carnage. She wanted resistance. She wanted them to struggle as much as possible.
But it seemed that period had come to an end.
She sighed, preparing to simply end things.
SCREECH!
Suddenly, a blast launched from a tank below stopped just short of hitting her in the face.
Her head whirled as she immediately spotted the origin of the attack.
She saw a Vanguard operating the damaged machine while two Renegade knights stood at its side firing pulses that she hadn't even noticed.
A wide smile spread across her face.
These Renegades didn't seem scared at all.
No, they seemed strangely resolute, as if their attempts would accomplish something.
She immediately shot toward them as swords flew at them in droves.
The two knights beside the tank did their best to dodge but died in just a few moments.
The Vanguard in the tank, however, was able to deflect the blades with his own easily. Clearly, he wasn't a Vanguard for nothing.
The girl's smile became almost predatory as she got closer.
When she did, she hijacked the Vanguard's own trusted blade, and made it stab into his heart just as he took a swing at her.
Her hand wrapped around his throat a moment later as she lifted him up.
"Hahaha!" Her deranged laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Good try! Good try! You did amazing! But sadly, it seems you're too weak to play anymore," she said with obvious disappointment.
The Vanguard said nothing to her in return.
Instead, she noticed his gaze wasn't even directed at her.
No, he was looking behind her with a content smile spreading across his lips as the light in his eyes faded.
The girl immediately realized something was wrong as she tossed away the Vanguard and whirled back.
That was when she saw Arbus nearly upon her, his hand drawn back, as if holding a blade. His gaze was cold, almost resembling that of a demon. Or more accurately, a reaper.
She snickered as she did nothing to evade.
She wanted to see the look of despair in this new Renegade's eyes when he failed.
SPLOSH!
"..!!!!"
But then, a second later, blood gushed from her neck as she stared at Arbus in shock.
She couldn't believe it.
A weapon had damaged her!
Her eyes slowly fell to Arbus's arm as she finally noticed something. He wasn't carrying a weapon. He had simply used his carved bone to stab into her throat, instead!
And the level of her power she had reached did not consider parts connected to a living being a weapon.
Arbus had torn off what remained of his mangled hand earlier, making sure he wouldn't miss the small window the others had given him.
He clung onto her tightly as they both collapsed to the ground, the girl no longer capable of properly using her abilities.
All the floating weapons fell along with them moments later.
Arbus rose to his feet as he removed his bone. He stared down at her dying figure, his eyes burning with anger and hatred.
Then suddenly, her face seemed to morph into that of someone else's in Arbus's mind, for a moment.
"I'm sorry... for living."
A young girl with short brown hair and dark orange eyes muttered, with a sad expression on her dying face.
Arbus's eyes widened just as the mental simulation ended.
SIMULATION COMPLETE!
MISSION SUCCESSFUL!
CALCULATING TOTAL SCORE...