"GAHHHH!!!!!!"
Ren's arm flew off and he couldn't even notice the attacker.
"Weak....weak as always."
Blood drips from the attacker's sword. He looked back at the injured Ren, screaming in pain as blood continued to splatter from his right arm.
"Failure will always be a failure"
-----------------------------
Fifteen hours ago.
"Ren, come here I need to test your blood in case those black holes have been getting bigger. Who knows maybe this time it's your organs that will be sucked off"
Jessica said as she was writing notes of her latest research.
Ren who was just finished working out, panting and sweating. He looked at Jessica and had a worried face.
"Don't say things like that-"
"And if the honkai energy gets bigger, you become"
Jessica then held her waist in a feminine way with a smirk on her face.
"Stop! Stop I get it!"
Jessica let out a big laugh as she heads out of the training room.
Meanwhile, Ren started wipe his sweat and change shirts. He went to the cafeteria to see Bella eating a large amount of food.
"Uwah..."
"Ren, want some?"
Bella offered a burger with ketchup on her lips. Ren took some tissue and wiped it, taking the burger.
"Thanks"
Ren who was thinking of the great cost of using possible immeasurable power. This power doesn't belong to him. He was merely created as a vessel. That's his purpose in this story. A holder and to give to the rightful owner.
"I'm scared."
Bella who gave heard his words stayed silent.
"To realize that my life purpose is to be nothing more than a holder of something that doesn't belong to me. I wished to be useful to this godforsaken world. To give vengeance to the ones I loved. But to be created with lies and deception. How can I not be scared of what's to come?"
Ren's hand shoke from anxiety and fear.
"It's okay to be scared. You've been pushed something you never asked for. Nothing wrong with being scared, if you weren't. You'd be nothing but a monster in its own way"
Bella patted Ren's head.
"Right now, you have yourself, you have me, and you have companions that have your back."
Theresa then came in with melon juice in her hands.
"In two days, we'll set off and begin our mission. So either rest or train, either way you have to be prepared."
As she said those, she also took some burgers then went to the exit.
"Ah, Miss Theresa, is Athena okay?"
Theresa then averted her eyes as to think of a proper way to explain Athena's status as of today to Ren in a way he wouldn't worry.
"I'll just say, the procedure was a success, she'll be fine in a few days and another day then she'll be able to be on duty again"
Ren smiled, relieved to know that Athena was doing okay.
"Thank you!"
Theresa waved goodbye and she left.
Bella looked at Ren with curiosity.
"Ren, what is you're relationship with Athena?"
Right of the bat, she asked for the straight question. Ren in the other hand was looking at her, thinking of a way to explain it so there wouldn't be a misunderstanding.
"I'd say she's family. She's a friend from when I was a kid, we hang out a lot then. But her parents were also affected by the war. As soon as I lost mine, I met with her again at a shelter"
Bella looked at the burger again.
"Honkai, no even if it isn't just honkai. Wars and other natural disasters can be painful to anyone. It's just how the world works. Even if there wasn't honkai, humans themselves are poisonous"
Bella's voice was sad. She was speaking as if remembering a bad memory. A nightmare anyone would want to forget. But Ren knows what she's referring to. He knows what suffering Bella and Sirin went through. Even if he didn't suffer from it, he witnessed it.
Ren then patted her head.
"Payback for comforting me."
Ren smiled at Bella, while she smiled slightly.
Three days prior to the mission of baiting the interdimensional criminals. Ren and the rest were prepared to face possible different outcomes.
But they have to succeed in learning or achieving the secret in world travel.
Present day, in the midst of another abandoned city. As the usual sight, broken buildings, moss and even low level honkai beasts that roams around.
"Ren, read me?"
"Roger, Miss Theresa what's the plan"
"Just stand there and be a good bait"
Helios from above had the role of support. Meanwhile Ren and Bella were on ground.
"Miss Bella, make sure to attract them"
With that as requested, Bella made sure to put enough honkai energy to make other honkai beasts not interfere. Since there was no way of contacting or finding those invaders, they could possibly come by pure chance.
A chance of 0.0000002%.
With that chance, a crack on sky the opened.
Here they come.
The woman in black then exits the worm hole and looked down on the prey they've wanted to take from the very beginning.
"Well if it isn't the prey? Becoming the hunter eh?"
The rest of her crew then comes out.
"Let the snake crush this world and eat itself!"
The woman laughed hysterically. With that command, the warrior that fought with Athena comes down, breaking the ground from the fall.
His appearance changed, it's as if he was bigger and much more fierce.
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
Only anger was heard from his voice.
Ren was terrified but he knew that he have to do this. For this is the purpose his life.
"Fuck off!"
The angry warrior then charged at Ren, but before that something from above came down and defended poor Ren.
Wings like flames, red armor, adjustable mentalic arm. It was a valkyrie that overcame the flames, and uses it to burn everything in sight. The knight that comes running down for honor, the flames that cover that armor.
"IT'S YOU!"
"Miss me already?"
Athena then pushed the warrior back.
Her head then looked at Ren, her eyes were bright as if flames were taking over.
"Don't die."
Those were her words before parting with him again. She then took the abomination to another field.
"Well well, looks like the prey has friends."
The woman in black sighed, she was disappointed that it didn't end as quick as she thought.
"This is getting more annoying."
With her words, the executioner went forward.
"Will you let me handle this?"
The woman then turned away as if telling him to do whatever he wants. He then jumped off.
"Here he comes."
But even with that, he couldn't see him land.
"GAHHHH!!!!!!"
Ren's arm flew off and he couldn't even notice the attacker.
"Weak"
Blood drips from the attacker's sword. He looked back at the injured Ren, screaming in pain as blood continued to splatter from his right arm.
"You don't fear what you have. Herrschers aren't meant to be trusted. Die in this lifetime. Don't ever come back"
The executioner then stared at Bella who couldn't move. Why? It was odd, why couldn't a strong person like Bella petrified. Ren was already injured and bleeding on the ground.
The mission was a fail.
"Do you fear me?"
The voice in Ren's head spoke. In the abyss, Ren appears yet again. No one in the void but him.
"No."
"You should. I was the starting point of the second war. If anything you should hate me"
"Why?"
"...."
Ren knew what Sirin was trying to say. She's a honkai herself, she isn't human anymore.
"But you suffered just as much as the rest. You gave me something to live for"
Ren isn't afraid of the person who have his back this whole time. Not when this Herrscher, no this little girl who suffered and ended up hating the world for it's cruelness.
"You may hate the world, they may hate you for what you've done. But not me, even if you did something wrong. I'm willing to give chances. After all, we all make mistakes"
Ren ended the words with a smile.
Sirin appeared once more and hugged him from behind. The warmth that she longed for is now near her. She grasped that opportunity.
"I can't let you die..."
"I won't die again"
"Okay."
Within that void, the honkai energy then went full throttle. Ren's arm stopped bleeding, letting the abyss take over. His arm appeared once more. His hair turned white snow. His eyes were bright orange.
"Vermin"
The Herrscher of The Void has taken over Ren's body as an emergency. With a snap of his finger, black holes appeared behind him and unbreakable lances starts to shoot at the executioner.
"Instead of fearing it, you've accepted it. What a foolish thing to do"
"Don't speak"
The executioner's eyes widened when Ren appeared right in front of him. Punching him away from the area, Ren then went to Bella who was still petrified. He touched her forehead, letting the fear get away.
"You've done well in protecting most of of the vessel's body"
Ren (?) looked at the woman in black.
"Retreat, Human or die from the abyss"
The woman in black scoffed from the provocation from the Herrscher.
"Retreat or let this man die in the void, I after all unlike him, have the authority to do that"
Ren (?) smiles with mischief.
She clicked her tongue and called the rest and only the executioner came back to her side. The warrior that fought Athena had died, burned without a trace.
"Don't expect me to give you mercy once we return"
Ren (?) laughed and puts his middle finger up.
"Come and get me, b*tch"
Ren's voice was distorted as the invaders then left. Whilst the Herrscher stopped controling Ren's body resulting him to faint.
The mission was neither successful or a fail. One thing they know is that these invaders are called "Ouroboros" and they hunt for Ren.
Second good result is Athena's stability during her first fight as a valkyrie.
The other most important thing that was successful is that Ren gained the ability to transverse to another world.
"Using the void, we can move to another world. Just like how the executioner did"
"That executioner. He was similar to Ren yet so different."
Finally, they'll be able to start their actual mission.
Operation rescuing otherworldly Kiana.
To be continued.