Bang!
The bullet flew through the air, barely missing Atsuko's face.
Without saying a word, Kasuka turned around as if she had finished her job.
Atsuko could only look at that lonely back with gritted teeth and frustration.
But before Kasuka truly escaped her sight, her voice echoed in the distance.
"Your voice, it's disgusting."
And that was the final straw.
---
[1,340,400 Points Gained]
Remaining Points: 2,066,600
---
The roads leading to Beatrice weren't really that peaceful. Every single minute, at least five different people would suddenly ambush her from the darkness of the building.
Of course, they're simply taken care of using a single bullet each.
Fortunately, she could buy extra magazines through her system, otherwise she would've run out of bullets hours ago.
Kasuka made her way with light steps, occasionally skipping to move faster.
But as soon as another group of children blocked her way, her hand raised and the gun pointed precisely on their heads.
Even if they tried to move out of the way, they could never outrun a bullet.
Whether you want to or not, you'll have to feel the bullet in between your eyebrows.
Of course, Saori was a special case. That girl actually survived multiple shots and was still standing.
What a monster.
Truly, these bullets that she had infused with Terror shouldn't be taken lightly.
She had tested it out on herself and it felt like a fucking artillery landed on her hand.
For that, every single stray bullet she shot would cause a building to cave in on itself...
Had she not kept Self Healing Constitution active, she doubted that her own hand would be able to keep up with neither the recoil nor the impact.
In fact, the instant she shot the bullet on her own palm, it felt like she no longer had that arm anymore.
That's just how strong these bullets infused with Terror are.
Fortunately, her body was the weakest of the weak. Due to that, a bullet that was used on her might be more effective than it was on others.
If every single person had the same reaction as her being hit by this bullet, they wouldn't just lose consciousness, they might actually just die.
Even Kasuka would hesitate to aim this gun at herself after seeing the amount of power it held.
Well, pushing that aside...
She's finally here.
Kasuka's step stopped as she arrived at her final destination.
A church.
It didn't look special at first glance, but any veteran that had ever played Blue Archive would recognize this place in an instant.
Although, it wasn't obvious from the outside...
Pushing the door aside, Kasuka made her way through the public stage towards the elevated platform, where a staff-like rock formation was placed in the middle of everything.
Just behind it was the colorful set of glass which showed the real form of Beatrice.
In the future, someone would've been hanging from that formation.
Indeed, this is the place in which Atsuko would be turned into a sacrificial vessel by Beatrice in the future.
Had Sensei not arrived and stopped such monstrosity, perhaps the Chroma would've truly descended.
And just like that, Kivotos would be no more.
"In the end, you returned by yourself. The alarm was useless after all." A voice echoed from behind her.
Turning slightly, Kasuka could see Beatrice, her appearance was much better than previously.
It seemed like she had finally decided to take more care of her appearance since the moment she reached epiphany.
"Beatrice."
"Not hiding your disdain anymore, are you? At least pretend to call me 'Madam'."
(A/N: It was at this point I realized that they called her 'Madame', not 'Madam'. But I'm too far in to change every single one. My bad.)
"There was never any pretense. I've always been 'Me'."
"Is that so? Then, would you like me to apologize? If so, then you're not getting any. Never in my life have I found someone more compatible with Them than you are. Come on, my offer still stands." Beatrice spread her arms to her sides. "Join my hand."
"You are on your last leg. Using their assistance, you can still live a long life! What are you hesitating for?! What more is there to weigh!?" Beatrice said in agitation. From her perspective, Kasuka's reluctance to agree to this agreement was an insult to her dedication.
It was like someone had spat on her entire motto of life, one that she had vowed to upheld for an entire lifetime.
Beatrice found nothing wrong with her goal.
Her face twisted. "Without their help, tonight will be the last time you'd be able to step foot in this world."
"..."
Without saying a word, Kasuka raised her hand, the end of her nuzzle pointed straight at Beatrice's face.
"...I see. I have no choice then. Don't blame me if you regret this decision." Realizing that she couldn't convince Kasuka to switch sides, Beatrice relented.
Bang!
The bullet met Beatrice's face, but she didn't even flinch.
The bullet fell on the ground, showing very little effectiveness against the adult.
Kasuka noticed this and decided to increase the input of Terror into her bullet.
More condensed, more precise.
-1,000,000 Points
Terror Efficiency (2/20)
-500,000 Points
Increased Agility (1/20)
'Thank you, Atsuko. You've helped me out a ton this run, time for me to repay it using my own body.'
"Though I won't be there to witness it, their futures are already bright as they are. With your interference, they won't be able to grow into their best version."
"I've already made a contract with you."
"You may think you'd be able to ignore the words of a child, but that shall be your biggest downfall."
"For being careless, you shall be met with the destruction of your ideal."
"For being irresponsible, I shall take away the thing you so desire."
"The subtle beauty of this place can't become prevalent with your existence"
"Though I may not be able to change it entirely, you will feel it."
"The effect Karumi Kasuka had on Arius as a whole."
700K Points for Death Contract
Death Contract: Vocal promises aren't as reliable as people make it out to be. For that, a written contract has been invented to prevent people from taking advantage of any loopholes a spoken promise holds.
Death Contract takes this to the extreme. For the contractor and the contracted hold their life using a single red string of fate.
Once any of the two contracted individuals lose their lives, the other shall live with the weight, forced to be compelled to follow the contract as it was written.
Any action taken that goes against the contract shall be treated with the full punishment of equal prices.
Beware, for even the Devil would hesitate to sign the Death Contract.
"In this battle, I've always had the upper ground."
Bang!
---
Author's Note: Karumi in Japanese could be translated into Subtle Beauty. Though, if you directly translate it, you'll get the concept of 'lightness' in art.
Popularized by the poet 'Bashō', Karumi takes the meaning of the beauty of ordinary things expressed in a simple and relaxed way.