CHAPTER 7: Unveiling the Corruption
The monitor instantly destabilized trying to show the rest of the footage, sparking with a surge of black energy before completely shutting off. Kuyo, confused, approached the monitor and reached a hand toward it.
"What happened...?" she asked with curiosity.
Reimu stood as stoic as ever until he noticed Kuyo's hand nearing the screen. He sensed the massive energy building up behind it and tried to stop her, shouting—
"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"
He yanked Kuyo away just in time. The monitor erupted into a chaotic black pillar of corruption energy, and the soldier's corpse nearby began twitching before disintegrating into thin air.
"W-woah! Thanks, Reimu," Kuyo said, clearly grateful. On the other hand, Clockwise stared at the monitor in shock and horror before mumbling—
"I-I messed up??? H-how...? My analysis said... this monitor cannot be hijacked???"
Kuyo patted his back and reassured him.
"It's not your fault. Besides..."
She glanced at Reimu, eyes a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"I heard you have a lot of experience with mythological powers. Any idea what that was?"
Reimu looked back at where the corpse and monitor had been, sighed, and replied, voice heavy as if remembering something horrific.
"It's Corruption Energy..."
Rexy's ears practically perked up at the words. Curious, he asked,
"What's Corruption Energy?"
Reimu hesitated, uncertainty weighing his tone.
"It's an energy that trades away the master's humanity for power beyond gods. The user lives far longer than they should, their body breaking but refusing to die. Once it touches you, there's no escape. The corruption seeps in, first dulling your memories, then your sanity, until even your existence starts to fade.."
Rexy still looked confused.
"Even my existence starts to fade???"
Reimu cleared his throat, signaling Rexy to hold his questions for a moment, then continued.
"Yes, your core, your soul, your sanity. Corrupted energy dulls the mind until madness takes hold. And when it kills you, it doesn't leave a body behind. You don't just die, you vanish. No return. No after.."
Epifanno cut in, his tone sharp.
"What's the side effect? Every ability in this world has one."
Reimu looked down, hesitant, before answering.
"Corrosion. Anyone who takes up that power is eaten alive by it. The body breaks first, then the mind. In the end, they collapse in on themselves. It's not quick. It's a slow death that never lets you forget what's happening.."
Rexy and the others grimaced at the thought. Kuyo burst in, raising her voice.
"Still! We need to prepare everyone. Everyone in the Soul Army. This threat is no joke—he could actually conquer us all."
Reimu and Epifanno shook their heads. Reimu replied, calm but firm.
"No. He's targeting only Rexy. Specifically. Our mission is to protect him while using him as bait."
Rexy snapped his head toward Reimu, shock flooding his voice.
"A BAIT???"
Reimu "calmed" him down with a punch to the gut, knocking him out cold, before explaining his plan.
"We will indeed protect Rexy. But Kamikaze will try his best to kill him. Meanwhile, we'll hide a few of our strongest soldiers and units along the semi-frontline. Once he gets past them, we ambush him from behind."
Kuyo tilted her head, uncertain.
"What if he manages to kill Rexy before we spring the ambush?"
Reimu looked at Clockwise and Cassirino. They nodded. Cassirino replied eagerly, as usual.
"We'll protect him at all costs!"
Kuyo's shoulders relaxed slightly. She let out a sigh, then spoke seriously.
"Epifanno, Reimu—spread the news. Tomorrow, 3 p.m., we'll hold a grand meeting with all Special Class Units and Frontier leaders. I'll take care of Rexy."
Clockwise ruined her dramatic moment with an oddly practical question.
"Why not just put him in the infirmary?"
Kuyo blinked in realization but quickly fixed her facade, answering seriously.
"Interrogations! I'll interrogate him."
Clockwise, still oblivious, nodded along and walked out with Epifanno, Cassirino, and Reimu, all chatting about the plan. Meanwhile, Kuyo looked over at Rexy, still lying unconscious, and muttered,
"Damn you, Reimu. You hit him too hard."
She lifted Rexy onto her shoulder, carried him into her room, and laid him on her bed. After a while, Rexy groaned awake. He turned his head and saw Kuyo sitting beside him. Stretching, he remembered the conversation.
"Uh, Kuyo... what about the bait plan? Am I still the bait?"
Kuyo looked down, hiding her concern, and lied.
"Not anymore. I told Reimu we'd use an ambush with all our strongest soldiers."
Rexy relaxed a little, then asked curiously,
"By the way... why are you a succubus? Is there a backstory behind it, or have you always been like that?"
Kuyo looked down at herself, then replied—lying again.
"Always been like that."
Rexy stood, looked around, then asked the heavier question.
"How many days do I have left?"
Kuyo checked the calendar and answered with clear concern.
"Not long. We only have a month left..."
Rexy frowned, picked up his stuff, and headed for the door.
"Goodbye, Kuyo. I hope you have a good rest."
Before leaving, he turned back, smiled faintly, and added,
"Oh—and the hat fits your horns. They look beautiful together."
Kuyo's cheeks reddened slightly. She let out a sigh, calming herself.
"Yeah... goodbye."
Her voice came out higher-pitched than usual as Rexy closed the door behind him.
That night, tension hung heavy. Rexy knew he practically had a "Wanted for Death" mark on his head, while Kuyo knew he was the bait—even if the whole army was supposed to protect him. As much as she adored him, this was the only plan with any chance of success.
Rexy walked home, tossed his bag aside, and collapsed onto his bed. It was cold, messy—like his own mind. His whimsy had long since been stained by worry and stress. In search of reassurance, he texted Epifanno.
"Hey, Epic, Reimu. You guys online?"
Epifanno responded quickly.
"Yeah? What is it?"
Reimu was also online. Rexy typed with hesitation.
"Do you guys have anything to teach me for the next month? I don't think I can beat Kamikaze with my skills right now."
After a pause, Reimu answered first.
"No. Sadly, my Art of Mystic Energy requires a special ritual, and the conditions aren't right."
Epifanno followed.
"For the next month, just train your physical strength. That's all I know, and I've already taught you everything I can."
Rexy sighed, replying with helplessness.
"Well then... night, guys. I'm sleeping early."
They said their goodbyes. Rexy set his phone down, turned off the light, and lay awake with anxiety gnawing at him.
"This guy Kamikaze... he's too strong. I don't think I'll survive. What if it's all in vain? What if Kamikaze is inevitable?"
Then, suddenly, a positive thought bloomed in his mind—one that didn't feel like him.
"Everything will be fine. Just trust the stronger ones. They're more experienced."
The thought calmed him. With that, he drifted into uneasy sleep.
Morning came with a thunderous explosion. Rexy jolted awake, rushed to the window, and saw a robbery in progress. Determined, he sprinted outside. Armed men held hostages at gunpoint. One spotted Rexy.
"On the ground, now! Or I'll blast your skull open!"
Rexy didn't back down. The robber fired a barrage of bullets. To Rexy, they looked slower, almost manageable. He caught one with his bare hand, dashed forward, and shattered the man's gun with a punch.
"Boys! Open fire!"
Bullets rained, but Rexy weaved through them, closing the distance, taking one robber down in a chokehold, making him faint. The others tried to flee in a car, but Rexy grabbed the frame and pulled until the vehicle broke down in sparks and smoke. He yanked the doors off, dragged the robbers out, and knocked them unconscious, delivering them to the police.
Breathing heavy but proud, Rexy thought maybe he stood a chance against Kamikaze.
A familiar voice echoed behind him.
"Yo! Quite a mess. You take them out?"
Rexy turned. Cassirino. He smirked.
"Took them out real good. Want to grab breakfast?"
Cassirino grinned.
"Why not? I'm up. We'll split the bill, alright?"
Rexy frowned.
"But I'm broke. Don't wanna."
Cassirino laughed.
"Jeez. How'd you even get into school—...oh wait, it's free. Fine, I'll pay."
They walked to a fast-food place. Cassirino ordered his meal first. Rexy followed with an absurd order just to annoy him.
Cassirino's jaw dropped.
"Are you NUTS???"
Rexy giggled.
"Split the pay?"
Cassirino pouted.
"Whatever. Bet you don't even have money."
Rexy laughed, then asked
"Hey, what'd you see in Clockwise's room?"
Their banter spiraled until Cassirino revealed what he found: not just formulas and tech, but an old photo of Clockwise with four students, and an entire closet filled with memorial items.
Rexy smiled softly.
"He's a really good person. No surprise he misses his old friends."
After their meal, the waiter dropped the bomb.
"The total is 200 dollars."
Both nearly spat out their drinks. Rexy panicked
"Damn it! I only have forty-one dollars and seven cents!"
Cassirino ended up paying. On the way out, they joked about Rexy's commissions, even promising a portrait trade, when
Another explosion tore through the city. They ran outside and froze. Smoke curled high into the sky. In it, a silhouette emerged: a man carrying something, scarf ruined, one eye glowing red.
Rexy's shoulders tensed. He knew that figure.
The Forsaken One. Kamikaze Ryoushiru.