Valentine quickly turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Before she could even attempt to head down the stairs, they found Jack collapsed on the floor, unconscious and breathing heavily.
The building began to crumble at an even faster pace.
The two girls looked at each other, sharing a faint smile as tears welled up in their eyes. Alicia rushed over to Jack and shook him gently, but he remained unresponsive, his breathing still incredibly labored. Alicia stared at him, her face tight with worry.
"Valentine, what do we do? Jack isn't waking up!"
"Give him a moment. He must be exhausted… besides, he's just knocked out," Valentine said, offering a weak smile in an attempt to mask her own anxiety.
She leaned down and began checking his body, alternating between light and firm touches. First, she checked his left arm—everything felt normal. Next, his right arm—he groaned in pain. Then, his right foot—normal. Finally, she checked his left foot, and he reacted, but in a bizarre way. His gaze locked onto Valentine's, his eyes completely vacant, devoid of a single word. His eyes rolled back, turning entirely white. A second later, his left eye bled as it flushed a deep crimson.
Valentine grabbed her crutch and slowly backed away alongside Alicia. Both were gripped by fear, unable to take their eyes off Jack as his bones visibly shifted and contorted in every direction. They continued to retreat in absolute silence.
Jack slowly stood up, his gaze dead and fixed on the ground. They backed up even further without making a sound.
"Partial Tempo: Control," he muttered in an eerie, unsettling voice. A horrifying grin spread across his face as he locked eyes with his prey.
I can't move, but my left arm is moving on its own… and for some reason, I'm unbuttoning my jacket.
The creature began to walk, but suddenly slammed hard against the ground.
Is that thing… the same as the entity inside me? Or is it something else? And here I was, just wanting a peaceful date today.
The creature dragged its left leg as it stood back up, its vacant face locked onto Valentine as it shuffled straight toward her.
Valentine was left completely exposed, her neck and arms unprotected as she slowly brushed her hair aside.
The entity moved directly for her neck, opening its jaws wide. It sank its teeth in,
tearing away a chunk of flesh and swallowing it instantly.
Valentine shed a few tears in utter silence as her tank top soaked in blood.
Then, it took a second bite, ripping another piece from her neck and swallowing it. Seconds later, its veins, along with Valentine's, bulged into a dark green hue.
Alicia could do nothing but watch the horror unfold, weeping as she tried to process it.
…
Is it going to devour me next after it's done with her? I don't want to die here.
…
Jack fell to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth.
"I hurt you again… didn't I?" he whispered, his voice completely broken, staring directly into Valentine's eyes.
Tempo deactivated automatically, and Valentine collapsed to her knees right beside Jack, smiling. She took his hands, squeezing them tightly as her neck completely regenerated.
"Don't worry. I'm not leaving you alone in this."
Jack offered a faint smile through his tears before collapsing face-first onto her.
The mall began to cave in even faster, and the walls of the narrow hallway leading to the sewers slowly started to crack open.
…
Thank goodness everything's back to normal. I really thought I was a goner.
…
Valentine noticed small clouds of dust beginning to rain down near Jack's body.
"I'm sorry, Jack… I know you're tired. But we don't have time to stay here," she whispered into his ear as she slowly got up, carefully moving Jack's body to the side.
"Alicia, get ready— "she called out, raising her voice as she looked at her.
But Alicia was completely lost in her own mind, trying to make sense of the madness she had just witnessed.
"Alicia, are you okay?" Valentine asked, softening her tone as she reached out her right hand.
"Get away from me… you monsters!" Alicia shouted, slapping Valentine's hand away. Her eyes were completely hollow, fixed on Valentine, her entire body trembling violently.
"We're not going to leave you behind, Alicia," Valentine said softly, rushing over to pull her into a tight embrace.
"I'm so… so sorry, Valentine. I'm just so confused," Alicia sobbed into her ear, crying a river as she held onto her tightly.
"It's okay, Alicia," Valentine murmured, gently stroking her hair.
It's fine to have doubts. Right now… even I don't fully understand what's going on between Jack and me.
Valentine stood up, scanning the crumbling structure around them. She then turned back to Alicia with a puzzled expression.
"Hey, Alicia… why are you on your knees with your eyes closed and your hands clasped? You look like you're delivering a sermon."
"I'm praying, Valentine! I almost died today—like, multiple times!" Alicia barked back, snapping her eyes open to glare at her. "It's thanks to my prayers that I'm even alive."
"Right, sure… the Almighty Himself came down to rescue you," Valentine muttered dryly, walking toward a wall to the right of Alicia and Jack.
"Hey, are you making fun of me, Valentine?!" Alicia yelled, storming up to her and staring her dead in the eye.
"Yeah, I am. But I also want to apologize. You shouldn't have had to see that."
Alicia's expression softened into a serious, slightly somber look as she cast her gaze downward.
…
So this isn't the first time it's happened. No wonder she was so calm about it. I won't tease her anymore.
…
"Apology accepted," Alicia nodded with a bright smile. "Thanks. Alright, time to get out of here."
Valentine pressed a finger from her left hand against the wall and closed her eyes. Her veins bulged with a light blue glow, and the wall began to disintegrate piece by piece until a hole formed.
"Alicia, let's move." She quickly went back over to Jack. "Help me get him out of here, please. Give him a good push."
"Right, on it!" Alicia replied, kneeling down and pushing Jack with everything she had.
They all made it out, collapsing onto the ground to catch their breath. They watched as the mall completely caved in, turning into nothing but a massive pile of rubble.
Valentine suddenly turned her head to the right and noticed a small room that looked like a typical maintenance or tool shed.
"Look over there on the right, Alicia. I think we can go in there and rest for a bit," she whispered, her voice cracked with exhaustion as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her right hand.
"Let's go, please. It's way too hot out here," Alicia replied softly, staring at the small structure.
….
Valentine pressed her ear against the door, stepped back, and knocked—gently at first, then firmly. Total silence echoed from inside. She reached out her left hand, slowly turned the doorknob, and they dragged Jack inside with them.
"Sorry, Jack, for having to drag you like this." "I apologize for dragging you, Jack."
They both spoke in unison, locked eyes, and burst out laughing at the same time.
"Look, Valentine! A bed and a… closet? What?!" Alicia blurted out, utterly shocked and confused.
And here I thought this was a maintenance shed. Turns out it's a break room.
Valentine and Alicia hauled Jack onto the bed. He was so deeply unconscious that he didn't even let out a groan. Valentine opened the closet and found a few identical black jackets. Turning her back, she stripped off her own torn, blood-stained jacket, grabbed one of the new ones, and slowly buttoned it up with a perplexed look on her face.
I'd love to see my parents again. But I don't even know if they're okay, and I can't force Jack to look for them for me.
…
Must be nice. Her physique is incredible. I'm so jealous.
…
"Hey, Valentine. How did you get such a developed body?" Alicia asked aloud, staring at her with pure curiosity.
"Since you ask, my dear Alicia… this physique is the result of eating a lot of bread!" Valentine boasted proudly, raising her left arm and flexing her biceps.
"From eating bread? Yeah, right. Impossible," Alicia chuckled.
"Don't laugh, Alicia! I'm telling the truth," she insisted, looking her straight in the eye while she focused on changing Jack's ruined jacket.
…
Jack's in good shape too… but it's not quite as impressive.
…
….
"Valentine… where are we?" Jack muttered, attempting to sit up in bed but failing instantly.
This place is bizarre.
"Don't try to get up. You were severely injured just a moment ago," she said, her voice rising with concern.
"Alright, I'll stay down."
"JACK! I'm so glad you're finally awake!" Alicia cried out, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest as tears streamed down her face.
"Hey, don't squeeze so hard… that really hurts," he gasped, gently resting a hand on Alicia's hair.
"Thanks, Valentine. By the way, how long was I out?" he asked softly, worry clouding his face.
"We can't tell for sure, but I'd guess almost an hour, maybe more," she replied, looking him in the eye.
"By the way, Jack."
"What's up, Valentine?"
"You're quite the womanizer," she grumbled, crossing her arms with a flash of anger across her face.
Why does he make such a big deal whenever I try to lie down next to him? I always have to force my way into his bed, but Alicia just lies down like it's nothing and he lets her. You're going to pay for this later.
What on earth is she thinking right now?... Her eyes are full of pure rage. I think someone is going to die later. I really hope it's not me.
How does she even have the strength to cross her arms like that and balance perfectly on just one foot?
"Valentine, don't you want to sit on the bed? You're kind of far away," Jack said softly, his face dripping with nervous sweat.
"Sure, coming," she replied smoothly, flashing a massive smile.
Thank goodness! Wow, that tension was suffocating.
Valentine took two steps toward Jack and instantly wiped out, landing flat on her butt.
Suddenly, the building and everything inside it began to slowly detach from the ground, drifting lazily up into the sky. No one inside could comprehend what kind of phenomenon could cause such a feat.
In an instant, an entity clad in a strange suit tore through the air, obliterating the door. It drove the fingers of its right hand into the wall where the closet stood, shattering it to splinters instantly.
"Cześć, maluchy!" it whispered, staring dead at them.
Nobody could process what was happening; they were struck completely dumb. "I hope you've had your fun. Because you will never smile again for the rest of your lives," it said coldly. Levitating in midair, it lunged toward the bed, seized Jack by the head, and hurled him violently out of the room.
Jack couldn't even react before he went flying, slamming hard into a pile of rubble from the ruined mall.
"Bastard. That hurts," he wheezed, kneeling on the ground as he spit up blood twice. His back was bleeding heavily, and his breathing grew shallower by the second.
"JACK!" both girls screamed, their faces pale with horror, their bodies trembling.
"Levitato: Gravity – Partial Deactivated," Alisha commanded, sprinting at blinding speed straight toward the girls. With a swift strike of her right palm to the neck, she knocked Alicia out cold. She pulled a small knife from her right leg and pressed it against Valentine's throat.
"Get out of here right now, or I will kill you this very second," she barked.
"I'm… I'm going, ma'am. Please, just don't hurt Jack," Valentine whimpered, sweating profusely as she grabbed her crutch to hoist herself up, her face consumed by deep sorrow.
Who are these people? How did they find us? What do they want from us?
"Look, whatever it is you're looking for, we don't have it!" Valentine raised her voice, limping with her crutch toward the exit.
…
Now I get why the boy stole the RHX-32. This girl definitely needs it.
…
"I don't think you realice the position you're in, you arrogant brat," Axcel sneered, levitating toward the exit. "Your boyfriend stole something incredibly important from us, and we're here to take it back."
"Jack didn't steal anything from you!" she yelled back, her face twisted in anger.
"Such a naive girl… but don't worry. The boy will talk soon enough," Axcel said coldly, lowering himself to the ground as he walked over to Jack.
Alisha forced Valentine to her knees right in front of where Jack was lying.
"Take a seat. This fight is going to be highly entertaining," she whispered, keeping the knife aimed directly at her head.
"Don't worry, I can't defend myself in this state anyway, let alone resist," Valentine murmured, her expression growing resolute.
….
"Hey, you little piece of trash. I know that's not enough to finish you off. So get up and show me what you've got. Or, if you prefer, I can just slaughter you right where you lie!"
Jack forced his gaze up toward the helmet of the enemy standing before him. The sun blurred his vision, his eyes looked vacant, his body was utterly exhausted, and every breath felt like suffocating. Blood poured from his mouth and his torn-open back,
dripping onto the dirt.
I'm so tired. Even if I were in perfect shape, I don't think I could beat this guy. His vibration is insanely powerful, and he hasn't even shown his full capabilities yet. This guy is stronger than any monster I've ever faced. Is this the end?