Edited: Nov 19 2023
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'On this Earth, where all of humanity was supposedly turned to stone... There is someone other than us who is alive!!'
That was only one of the many thoughts that have been running through Senku's mind. So many questions like when did they get revived? For how long? How were they surviving?
So many possibilities, yet he currently couldn't answer his own inquiries.
It was a good thing his reliable companion had said those words to give him a nudge to the right direction.
"Send off that smoke signal!!! Give them a sign!!!"
Lalaine, Ana and Athena were already out in the forest, collecting more fire woods. Senku was the one burning them.
Taiju continued to run off, with Yuzuriha on his tail, to collect in another area.
"HANG ON, I'LL GATHER SOME WOOD!!!"
Senku looked up, standing and analyzing the smoke signal of the other survivor.
'This is a double-edged signal. We'll be letting everyone around us know where we are. But if Tsukasa has found out about our plan to make gunpowder...' He had a strained grin on his face, 'Yeah... Just like what Ana said, we need to sacrifice our safety for the future.'
Tsukasa was steadily decreasing the distance between them, getting faster and faster.
'Senku and Ana are making gunpowder! It was the shells that made me realize. Seashells have four uses! Uses so important, you might as well be dead without them!'
His mind flashed back to the last night they were all together.
Senku was silent for a while before a sly smile formed on his face, Ana going with the flow.
"No, there are three. I didn't say three? Huh? I said three uses, didn't I?"
The way Ana lied smoothly to follow up.
Tsukasa narrowed his eyes, increasing his pace. Not even taking a break because if he did, it might as well cost him everything he had right now.
'Even at that time... Senku and Ana were already wary of my fighting prowess, and they his it from me... In other words... The fourth important use of seashells... Is a science's weapon!! And following that line of deduction... They could be used as component of gunpowder by mass-producing saltpeter from them...'
Three consecutive loud explosions stopped him on his tracks. Tsukasa looked to the source of the sounds as he saw a black smoke rising through the air.
"That's right." Tsukasa steadied himself, "So then that means back then already, Senku and Ana have already foreseen that they would be fighting me in the future with gunpowder..."
Lalaine and Athena dropped the woods they've collected beside the fire that Senku already made.
"Where's my..."
Senku cleared his throat.
"Where's Ana? Isn't she with you when you three ran off to get some woods?" He asked, not even sparing a single glance to the two girls.
Athena rolled her shoulder, not giving much care to anything else. Likewise.
"Well, yeah but... She ran deeper into the forest. She told us not to follow her." Athena exhaled, "Ah damn, those woods are heavy."
Lalaine gave her a confused look, "Most of what Ana and I can carry is heavy for you, what's the difference with this? They're, like, sticks."
Athena was about to protest at that when Tsukasa appeared right behind them, holding Yuzuriha as hostage, glaring dangerously at Senku.
Lalaine and Athena were immediately on guard, though they know it wouldn't help them. This guy killed a lion with his bare hands, no chance at all for the people currently present in the area. And if Ana couldn't take care of him, then they sure as hell won't ever be able to.
Senku glanced at Tsukasa from the corner of his eye, already expecting his arrival.
He stood up.
"'If a weapon of science should enter the scene...'" He looked at him with a provoking smirk, his back turned to him, "'Then I would cease to be at the pinnacle of power as the strongest!' From here, all it looks like is you whining like a baby like that... Tsukasa."
Athena shared at him in disbelief, internally panicking inside.
'What the FUCK are you doing? Don't provoke him without your girl- I mean, Ana anywhere nearby yo- US!'
Lalaine was thinking the same. If it comes down to that scenario, they would have to use her and Athena's 'Special Skill: Let Someone Else Handle It!'
Tsukasa hummed nonchalantly.
"Mmm, it does not matter to me how you choose to perceive it. If you create science's weapon and the former era is revived, wars will once again begin over the vested interest of men and just like that, we'll be thrown back onto the corrupted, stained and sullied world. In order to keep that from happening, I'll do what ever it takes, and use force even if necessary."
Senku sent a taunting smirk to Tsukasa.
Athena and Lalaine were now sweating nervously as they heard his chuckle
"So then it's 'I've gotta kill Mr. Science Man Senku!'. You're too kind. Even all of America weeps at the charity of your decision for capital punishment."
Tsukasa pressed the spear closer to Yuzuriha, not enough to draw blood yet.
"Yes, but before that... How about telling me the recipe of the petrification revival formula?"
Senku stared at Tsukasa and Yuzuriha intently from the corner of his eye, the spear was on Yuzuriha's neck now. Lalaine and Athena can't do anything, one wrong move and it will cost the life of Yuzuriha.
Senku, all of a sudden, smirked darkly. His hand on the back of his neck.
"... Sorry, but I guess I'm not as nice as you are. I'm the type that can only think about what's most logical and efficient."
Senku faced Tsukasa fully, eyes closed and shrugging.
"And besides, I haven't got even a millimeter of interest in the life of that one woman there. There's plenty of females left to pick from..."
Without a warning, Tsukasa chopped off a good amount of Yuzuriha's hair. Yuzuriha was surprised at the quick motion as she couldn't even react.
Senku, Lalaine and Athena's eyes widened.
Tsukasa lowered his spear.
"It's useless trying to bargain like that, Senku. After all, you didn't bury Yuzuriha. The very best, most efficient way would have been to keep her petrified and bury her somewhere far off and away. That way she'd never be used as a hostage against you. There's no way that your brain won't be able to figure out something that even I could. But still, you didn't. Was it for Taiju? Or was it for Yuzuriha? Most likely even, it was for both..."
Senku was sweating nervously now, along with the two girls beside him.
'Tsukasa has figured it out.'
Tsukasa was remembering the time when he was still a professional fighter, competing and winning matches left and right.
"You may say you act out of what's most efficient and logical for you, but you have precious best friends here, I have an endless amount of followers and fans. But not one human that is important to me."
"That is why, Senku." Tsukasa smirked at him. "This is my victory."
The tension was broken by Yuzuriha, Lalaine and Athena's giggles.
Yuzuriha was holding and admiring her new hair cut.
"That's actually a huge relief... Washing your hair in this world is such a hassle... Cutting it short's the way to go."
Yuzuriha held up the sharpened rock of Tsukasa's spear, pointing it close to her neck.
For some reason, Lalaine and Athena wee still smiling to themselves.
Yuzuriha looked at her childhood friend, trying to put on a brave face.
"You can't tell him, Senku! As long as you haven't told him the recipe for the revival formula. He won't be able to kill you!"
Lalaine and Athena's grins only grew wider, finally taking this as an opportunity to reveal why they were doing so.
Athena was the one who spoke up.
"I can't believe you just said that, Yuzuriha!" Athena had a confident look, "Because as long as Ana is here, Tsukasa won't be able to do that. Have some faith on your friend here."
Tsukasa glared at Athena.
"How can you be so sure I won't be able to kill Senku as long as Ana's here? She's nowhere to be seen right now."
"Oh, even if you were able to kill him, Ana won't let you go with just a scratch." Lalaine explained casually.
Feeling brave, Lalaine walked closer towards Tsukasa and Yuzuriha. She knew the risk of letting Yuzuriha know about this, but she won't dare move any closer to Tsukasa. She just need to give him a hint.
"Hey, Tsukasa. If you were born to get everything you want effortlessly without even needing to lift a finger, what do you think would happen if you finally find something you fixate on?"
With that confounding hint, Lalaine walked back to their side.
Senku was still deciding on what to do.
The spear already managed to draw a blood from Yuzuriha as Tsukasa's eyes widened along with the hostage at that one tiny hint.
Senku wasn't able to hear what Lalaine had said.
Yuzuriha was close to tears, her voice trembling as she could feel her entire body shaking.
"It's perfectly fine if I go. But you can't, Senku. For the sake of everyone's future. You absolutely cannot die!!"
Senku looked up, shaking himself out of his thoughts as he made eye contact with Ana's friends.
Athena and Lalaine remained silent.
Senku closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he made his decision.
"... The revival formula is a mixture of Nitric Acid and alcohol."
A lone tear escaped from her eye, Yuzuriha did not expect him to actually say it.
"After filtering out the cave water, mix it with alcohol that has been distilled to a purity of 96%." Tsukasa was looking at him intently, "30% miracle water to 70% alcohol. If you're even a few percent off, the reaction won't happen. You can keep testing it out on petrified bird's wings until you get the mixture right."
At this point, Yuzuriha was now crying as the smoke signal they made was getting bigger.
Tsukasa sent a genuine smile to Senku.
"Thank you, Senku."
He let go of Yuzuriha as she dropped to the ground. Athena and Lalaine immediately went to her aid.
Senku only closed his eyes because of how much stress has been put on him for the past few days, and also because of one other thing.
Tsukasa continued.
"And now... I've no need to keep you alive any longer."
Taiju was picking up a lot of woods at a fast rate.
"YEAH! THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH!"
He noticed something different in the sky, there were now three smoke signals from the unknown survivor.
Taiju gaped at it.
"THE SMOKE SIGNALS... THERE'S THREE!! We got a reply to our series of three gunpowder blasts earlier!!" He concluded, "Now there's no mistake about it!! There are humans here!!"
"SENKUUUU!!! ANAAAA!!!" Taiju called out in excitement as he started running back to their temporary base.
Tsukasa walked closer towards Senku.
"If I were to allow you to live..." He hummed in thought, "Without a doubt, you and Ana would eventually end up developing a civilization." He was now standing in front of him, "I don't suppose you could promise me that you won't?"
Senku only smirked at his question.
"What are you talking about? A promise couldn't possibly be good enough for you here."
Tsukasa countered him, a shadow cast upon his eyes.
"No. You would never lie. Science would never lie. Will you swear to me here and now for the rest of eternity, that you will stop progressing humanity's scientific civilization here?"
There was a genuine shine in his eyes after he said that, he really did not want to kill Senku.
"If you do that then, Senku... I won't have to kill you."
Senku was contemplating what Tsukasa suggested, even though he already have his answer for that. He remembered something.
Lalaine and Athena only have one solution in their mind.
Time to use their special move.
Same time with Yuzuriha, the girls shouted two different names.
"TAIJUUUUUUUUU...!!"
"ANAAAAAAAAA...!!"
On the outskirts of the forest, Taiju tensed up, alerted by something.
"I just barely heard it... But those voices just now... Those were..."
His eyes widened, dropping the woods he collected, now running back to their camp. He got to make it on time.
In the middle of the forest, as Ana was making her way towards the source of the smoke signal, she abruptly halted her movements when she heard the echoes of Lalaine and Athena's voices, calling out her name and Yuzuriha, Taiju's.
Ana looked back at where she came from, where the direction of their current camp was, eyes widening.
She hesitated as she turned to the direction she was taking, before her feet moved as she started sprinting back to their temporary base.
"Fuck!!"
Ana cursed as she vaulted over huge roots of a tree.
'It's most likely that Tsukasa had found them.'
The girl gritted her teeth as she climbed up a tree at an impressive speed, switching to jumping over trees after trees.
'If he hurts any of my friends... If he hurts Senku...'
It wasn't only her body that was moving for miles in a minute, but also her thoughts.
With her emotions running rampant, they were bound to push her. Not in a way that they would cloud her judgements, to bring her clarity.
Should she not make it on time, Ana promised herself she would not let Tsukasa slide.
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Edited: March 24, 2021
Edited: Nov 19 2023