Chapter 25: Destined Reunion
With nothing holding us back from talking with Svarog, we marched ahead with me at the lead, a visible frown on my face while I ignored the looks the others were sending me.
As we came face to face with him, Clara began the conversation while we watched from a respectful distance. After listening to her, Svarog slowly turned his attention toward us.
“What is the purpose of your visit?” he asked in his usual emotionless voice.
Knowing that talking would probably be pointless with the useless piece of scrap that only ran on logic, I still decided to try for Clara's sake as I stepped forward.
“We want to know where the Stellaron is. We’re here to seal it.” I declared seriously while the others watched from behind me.
“That’s way too upfront!” March whispered in a slight panic beside me. “I thought you were going to smooth-talk him?”
“Smooth-talk a machine?” I whispered back, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.
March paused before a small blush spread across her face.
“G-Good point.”
“Searching database... Access denied.”
Svarog's mechanical voice echoed through the settlement.
“Discussing ‘Stellaron’ with unauthorized targets: Prohibited. You are broaching a secret that lies at the heart of this world. A secret that should remain unknown to humanity.”
He paused for only a brief moment.
“As instructed by the Architects: Any attempt to engage with the Stellaron will result in grave consequences.”
His single eye glowed a menacing red.
“Reassessing... Target threat index: Critical.”
Getting angry at the stupid machine and its cold logic, I took another step forward and glared directly at the towering robot.
“So that's it?” I demanded. “You're just giving up on Clara?”
The others behind me visibly stiffened at the anger in my voice.
“We're offering you another path. One where she gets to live. One where the people of this world actually have a future.”
I clenched my fists tighter.
“And yet you're still clinging to your stupid calculations?”
As expected...
The piece of junk wasn't moved in the slightest.
“There is no evidence to suggest that you are an exception or that you will succeed.”
Svarog's answer came immediately.
“Calculation result remains unchanged.”
His eye glowed brighter.
“Peacekeeping protocol temporarily disengaged.”
A brief pause.
“Requesting extermination protocol launch.”
“E-Extermination? In the literal sense?” March squeaked in alarm as she hurriedly summoned her bow, followed a moment later by Dan Heng, Seele, and Bronya readying their own weapons.
“Peace talks are over. March, prepare for combat!” Dan Heng declared with a serious expression.
Off to the side, Clara could only watch everything unfold with a worried look on her face.
“M-Mr. Svarog! Please, don't—”
“Clara.” I interrupted gently, turning toward her with a sad but determined expression. “Please back away like we discussed earlier. Things are about to become dangerous.”
I summoned my trusty bat into my hand, it’s familiar feel reassuring.
“But Onii-chan...”
“Clara, it's dangerous here!” Bronya quickly stepped in, gently guiding the young girl away. “Find somewhere safe to hide.”
Seeing Clara moved out of the line of fire, I let out a small breath before turning back toward Svarog.
Then I pointed my bat straight at him.
“I've been wanting to beat some sense into you for a while now.”
The Path of Destruction began flowing through my weapon, causing the metal to glow with a silver light.
“Not only do you let Clara walk around barefoot everywhere despite knowing she could step on something sharp or get sick, which, by itself, deserves a good beating.”
The glow intensified.
“But even worse...”
I took another step forward.
“As her guardian. As her family.”
“Isn't it your responsibility to do everything you possibly can to make sure she survives?”
My grip tightened around the handle.
“But you've already given up.”
The words came out almost like a growl.
“You've already decided that Clara's death is inevitable in your fucking calculations.”
Svarog remained perfectly still.
“I say fuck that!”
The words echoed across the snowy settlement.
“As her new big brother, even if it makes her cry... even if she ends up hating me for it...”
“I'll do everything in my power to make sure she, and everyone else on this planet, has a tomorrow to look forward to!”
The moment those words left my mouth, a surge of strength rushed through my body.
True Hero.
It answered my resolve without hesitation.
“So prepare to get the beating of a lifetime...”
I lowered my stance.
“You stupid robot!”
The ground beneath my feet cracked as I launched myself forward, disappearing from sight in an instant.
My bat blazed with so much Destruction energy that its silver light briefly drowned out everything around us.
I brought it crashing down with all the strength I could muster.
Svarog barely managed to raise an arm in time to block.
The impact shook the entire area.
Snow exploded into the air as the two forces collided.
The time for talking was over.
=====
With Firefly
“He’s angry...” Firefly muttered to herself as she observed the fight unfolding in the distance from a high vantage point thanks to SAM's ability to fly.
“Whatever that robot did, he managed to do something incredibly rare and actually make Caelus angry.” She continued before her gaze drifted to the white-haired girl watching the battle from the sidelines.
The child looked deeply worried, her eyes constantly darting between the giant robot and Caelus.
“I see...” Firefly frowned slightly in realization. “It probably has something to do with the little girl he's practically adopted as his sister.”
Her attention quickly returned to the person she truly cared about.
“Still... isn't he pushing himself too much? Especially in his condition?” she whispered worriedly as she carefully watched for any signs that his illness was acting up.
Thankfully, she couldn't spot any.
Normally, she would have been paying close attention to Svarog. As someone who loved machinery and weapons, the rocket launchers emerging from the robot's body were actually fascinating.
Today, however, they barely held her interest.
Her eyes remained fixed on Caelus.
A moment later, her phone vibrated.
Blinking, Firefly pulled it out and saw Silver Wolf's name on the screen.
Figuring there was no harm in answering while the fight below was still ongoing, she accepted the call without taking her eyes off Caelus.
“Hello, Silver Wolf. Is something the matter?” she asked softly while brushing some loose strands of hair aside as a cold breeze swept past.
“Just calling to check in. Have you found him yet?” Silver Wolf asked in her usual bored tone.
To anyone else, she sounded completely indifferent.
Firefly, however, could immediately hear the small hint of concern hidden beneath it.
“Yes. I found him yesterday.” Firefly answered quietly. “I'm just trying to find an opportunity to catch him alone so we can talk.”
She deliberately kept the explanation brief.
There were two reasons for that.
First, it was embarrassing enough talking to Silver Wolf about her crush. Firefly still wasn't entirely convinced that Silver Wolf didn't have feelings for him too, no matter how many times she denied it.
Second, years of being a wanted criminal had made her naturally cautious about discussing important details over the phone.
It had simply become second nature.
“I see.” Silver Wolf hummed knowingly. “So you're too nervous to approach him and have just been worrying yourself to death huh?”
Firefly immediately blushed since she had nailed it.
“T-That's not it!”
“Sure it isn't~”
Silver Wolf didn't sound convinced in the slightest.
“Anyway, that's all I wanted to know. Just don't stall too long or you might miss a flag.”
“My life isn't a game!” Firefly whined as she felt her ears turned bright red.
She could hear Silver Wolf chuckling on the other end.
“It's called a dating sim, but you get the point.” Silver Wolf replied teasingly. “Anyway, see you later... and say hi to the idiot for me.”
The call ended.
Firefly lowered her phone with an adorable pout.
“Hmph... Silver Wolf is always making fun of me.”
Shaking her head, she returned her full attention to the battle.
Only to blink in surprise.
“It... looks like it's already ending?”
Sure enough, moments later the blue-colored robot dropped to one knee, sparks flying from all over his battered body, while none other than Caelus stood before him breathing heavily in apparent exhaustion.
His little sister, Clara, quickly ran over and grabbed his sleeve with teary eyes, saying something that caused him to lower his bat before dismissing it completely.
“He won...” Firefly muttered with a small smile, never once having doubted that he would.
Caelus was incredibly stubborn once he set his mind to something, and it looked like that hadn't changed even after losing his memories.
All the abilities she had seen him use only made him seem even more tenacious... and more dangerous.
Something that secretly reassured her.
The stronger he became, the less she had to worry about him.
Her happy mood came crashing down a moment later.
Caelus suddenly doubled over in a fit of coughing, immediately worrying everyone around him as he hunched over for a few seconds before forcing himself back upright.
Then he smiled.
Firefly's own smile vanished.
She recognized it immediately.
It was fake.
It was the exact same smile he always wore whenever he tried to reassure her, Kafka, or Silver Wolf that he was fine, even when he clearly wasn't.
Seeing more undeniable proof of Caelus's deteriorating health with her own eyes made Firefly feel as though someone had wrapped a hand around her heart and was slowly squeezing.
Her vision began to blur as tears gathered in her eyes.
“I see...” she whispered sadly.
“Just like me... pushing his body too far causes his illness to flare up.”
She knew that feeling all too well.
Thankfully, he didn't cough again.
A short while later, two more people arrived and joined the group.
One was the shady man who had brought them to the Robot Settlement before disappearing almost immediately, which immediately made her dislike him.
The other was a beautiful blue-haired woman wearing what looked like a doctor's coat, making Firefly assume she was some kind of nurse.
As much as she wanted to rush down there and make sure Caelus was really alright, which she knew he wasn't—\, Firefly forced herself to remain where she was.
She silently watched everything that happened next.
Following his defeat, the giant robot lost all hostility toward the group, thanks in no small part to Clara.
The young girl spoke to him for a while with tears still in her eyes, never once letting go of Caelus's hand after grabbing it when he had started coughing.
Firefly guessed they were discussing the Stellaron afterward, but she paid very little attention.
Her focus never left Caelus.
He still looked pale.
Even paler than yesterday when she had first seen him.
His breathing hadn't fully settled despite the battle already being over.
A thin layer of sweat clung to his face.
Firefly also noticed that his fellow Trailblazers, especially the pink-haired girl, March, hadn't stopped watching him with worried expressions.
She couldn't blame them.
She was worried too.
While Caelus was speaking with the apparent doctor, his body suddenly swayed before he slumped forward against her.
Firefly shot to her feet.
His name was already on her lips.
“Cae—”
She barely managed to stop herself before saying it out loud.
'Caelus!'
Her heart thundered painfully inside her chest as everyone below immediately rushed toward him in panic.
The most worried among them were clearly his fellow Trailblazers...
And Clara, who refused to let go of his hand as she cried his name in worry.
=====
Sometime Later — Boulder Town
Opening my eyes, I was greeted by the sight of a slightly familiar ceiling, while the smell of disinfectant and cleaning products immediately clued me in on where I was.
‘I passed out again.’ I frowned as I recalled the last thing I remembered.
Pushing myself against Svarog because of my own personal feelings, combined with the fact that I had gotten very little rest the day before, it was no wonder my body had finally given out. I had passed out while talking to Natasha after she and Sampo had arrived to back us up.
After Svarog finally fessed up what he knew about the Stellaron, something I barely heard since I was too busy trying not to fall over from the mother of all headaches and vertigo, Natasha thanked us before revealing her true identity as Wildfire's real leader.
When she saw that I wasn't surprised, she blinked and asked if I had known all along.
I had answered her truthfully.
Just as I was about to tease her further that there was no way someone as beautiful and caring as her could be a simple nurse, my body finally gave out.
The last thing I remembered was landing on something extremely soft, warm, and smelling very pleasant.
Wanting some fresh air, and already feeling back to normal, or at least as normal as someone with a terminal illness could, I slowly sat up.
Then I heard two soft snores.
Turning my head, I found March sleeping in the bed beside mine. That wasn't too surprising considering she had done the same thing last time.
My gaze soon shifted to the smaller figure sleeping next to her.
Clara.
The two of them looked adorable sleeping side by side and I was quick to snap a picture of the cute scene.
A soft smile appeared on my face before slowly fading as I noticed something about them.
March was frowning in her sleep.
Clara was too.
With my Sharingan still active apparently, I immediately noticed the dried trails of tears on Clara’s cheeks.
I couldn't help but wince.
The last thing I wanted was to make Clara worry like this.
Big brothers weren't supposed to make their little sisters cry.
Yet I had managed to do it twice in a single day.
Once because of my fight with Svarog...
And now because of my own body.
Shaking my head, I looked around before quietly sighing in relief when I didn't spot Natasha anywhere in the clinic.
I really wasn't in the mood to answer the uncomfortable questions that would come my way.
With Natasha being a very good nurse, there was no way she didn’t run a full check on me and find something off about my body. I also had no idea what March or Dan Heng might have told her about me in case she didn’t find anything.
Point was, I really didn’t want to have that kind of discussion with the beautiful nurse right now.
Wanting fresh air even more now, I quietly slipped outside.
The streets of Boulder Town were completely empty.
A quick glance at my phone explained why.
3:02 A.M.
Letting out a small sigh, I simply picked a random direction and started walking.
Partway through, I noticed a new notification waiting for me.
Remembering that I had beaten Svarog, I immediately decided to roll it in hopes of distracting myself for a while.
[Feat Achieved! Beat some sense into Svarog.]
[+1 Platinum Random Gacha Ticket.]
[Rolling…]
[Battle Continuation]
|Elite Trait|
You are an unstoppable machine. You can power through wounds, exhaustion, and injuries and still keep fighting. This does not dull the pain but the chances are, if the wound isn't lethal and you can still stand, you will be fine.
Reading the description, I slowly came to a stop in the middle of the empty street.
Then I let out a huge sigh of relief.
With this, I no longer had to worry about constantly passing out after every difficult fight.
More importantly...
‘As my disease gets worse, I can at least make it look like I'm fine by forcing myself to push through the pain, exhaustion, and injuries.’
A small smile appeared on my face.
‘This really is the perfect trait for me.’
Feeling a little lighter, I looked up.
Then I froze.
Standing only a short distance away was a girl with beautiful silvery-blonde hair framing a perfect face, a small nose, and a pair of eyes so breathtaking they looked like a sunset painted across the ocean.
Those eyes were staring back at me with countless emotions.
Happiness.
Relief.
Worry.
Without even realizing it, my lips parted.
A name escaped them on its own.
“...Firefly.”