Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2100, Section 2072: The Crimson Flower
“Brother…” Malenia stammered as she spoke to Michaela, “I haven’t failed yet! Just a moment! I can remove my right prosthetic arm, and even with only my left hand, I’m still faster than them! Faster than them…”

"But you will still fail, Marlene."

Before the Valkyrie could finish speaking, in her mind, Michaela interrupted her with her usual gentle and warm tone.

“You’ve been weakened all along, haven’t you? Even if you remove your right hand and get rid of this grappling hook, you’ll still face other troubles. Messermo has unleashed his true nature, which, though filthy, has indeed enhanced his power.”

“They are not weak, Malenia. The only way to defeat them is through strength.”

In that instant, Marlenia suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment and panic.

But how?
Her brother has finally accomplished what the two of them had been planning, taking this great step.

The life of displacement, isolation, and the constant sense of crisis that forced me to persevere and keep going should have ended at this point.

From the moment she was born, it was as if her life was counting down. The putrid disease that burned her life as nourishment should have been easily eliminated by her brother who walked out of the gate of God.

'Michaela, my brother will save me.'

It was because of this belief and the bond of kinship that the twins were able to establish the sacred tree Abrafiel after being forced to leave Rodel.

But why would her brother want her now...?

"Don't think so much, Marlenia." Suddenly, Michaela's gentle voice rang out again, as if she had seen through the Valkyrie's hesitation.

"This is the Shadowlands, where the creatures are powerful, yet sinful. You don't need to worry about hurting them."

"【Crimson Corruption】is no longer an invincible force. At this moment, it is not great. We just need to... use its power slightly."

"He can't hurt you either, I promise."

Marlenia could feel Michaela's gentle light on her cheek.

As a result, her heart calmed down considerably.

【Scarlet Corruption】

Marlene's heart trembled.

Even though she had long been prepared for this: if this power were needed in the process of Michaela becoming a god, she would not hesitate to use it!

But unexpectedly... even though her brother has returned from the Gate of God, she still wants to take this risk?
What on earth is this...

There was no time to think further. Marlenia immediately hardened her heart once more, transforming from a sister who relied on and adored her brother back into a Valkyrie!

Messermo's spear tip became increasingly chaotic and swift, while the Messermo Fire Drill that appeared before the spear tip was dark and scorching.

However, in this hail of bullets, Marlenia only managed to block some of them symbolically.

When one of the shots was thrust out by Messermo, she neither dodged nor avoided it. Instead, she pushed her body upwards while the other man was suddenly stunned!
"Rip! Splat!"

First came the sound of the body being burned, followed by the sound of the gun blade piercing into the flesh.

In this ultra-fast-paced combat, even Messermo couldn't control the degree of completion of each of his actions.

When the gun was thrust out, he was no longer able to control himself.

Therefore, although he immediately felt that there must be a reason for Marlene's actions, he should now thwart her plans.

But he could no longer make the decision.

The Valkyrie was constantly watching the angle of the landing point, so there was not a single mistake.

The gun was plunged into Malenia's chest. Messermo's keen senses detected that the initial sensation of the gun tip entering flesh was correct.

However, when his piercing spear penetrated deep enough into her flesh, a slight metallic collision occurred within Marlenia's flesh.

Is that Marlene's prosthetic limb?

This was Messermo's first thought.

After all, Malenia's body was too mutilated by the putrefaction disease. The first reduction in Valkyrie's speed that he and Lann had jointly reduced was also aimed at her prosthetic legs.

In Malenia's body, the prosthetic limbs account for more than 40% of the total volume of her body.

But immediately, Messermo realized that something was wrong.

His gun hadn't pierced Marlenia yet; if there was any metal-on-metal collision, it could only have occurred inside her body.

—Does Malenia also have prosthetics inside her body? Or is it called a prosthetic body?

Before Messermo could figure it out...

With a loud 'clang,' the golden hand gripped the shaft of the black iron spear, stopping the spearhead from penetrating any further!

The debris and dust from the explosion that had just blown away could no longer cover the ground, and the stone pavement of the plaza in front of the Gate of God was now fully exposed.

At that moment, a 'ding-a-ling' sounded.

The sound of a slender and exquisite gold needle falling and striking the stone surface was so slight, yet so melodious and breathtaking.

Those were the golden needles that had fallen from Marlene's back after she was blasted out of her body by Messermo's spear.

With her remaining left eye, Messermo, utterly lacking any combat discipline, bypassed her most threatening opponent and looked directly at the still blood-stained golden needle behind her.

Immediately afterward, an incredulous glint flashed in Messermo's single eye as he turned back to Marlene.

The Valkyrie herself, her eyes now as cold as inorganic glass spheres, stared at Messermo. Right before Messermo's eyes, dark spots began to spread across Malenia's once smooth and delicate skin.

These black spots are different from the charred black marks that Messermo had previously created by burning with fire.

It looks more like the dry, cracked marks left after the wood rots, breeds black mold, and is then further eroded by the mold!

At a speed visible to the naked eye, dark spots spread and eroded Marlenia's cheeks, reaching her eye sockets and forehead.

His once bright and piercing eyes instantly turned into dry, wood-shaving-like pieces that fell down in a rustling sound.

At the same time, just like when Messermo unleashed his true nature as a serpent, all his clothes except for his large armor couldn't withstand Messermo and were burned to ashes.

Marlene's linen dress, her scarf, her little pouch, and everything else seemed to have traveled through a thousand years in an instant.

The decayed material turned into tiny, unrecognizable fragments, scattered and carried away by the wind.

In the end, all that remained was Malenia's naked body and prosthetic limbs made of pure gold.

A strange butterfly suddenly flashed before Messermo's eyes, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

It was a butterfly with wings that were a mixture of dark red, grayish-white, and charred black, and even the wings themselves were tattered and torn.

Rather than butterfly wings, they looked more like two rotten, moldy leaves.

【Corruption Butterfly】.

This is an ancient species of butterfly, which, according to legend, belonged to the retinue of the goddess of corruption.

The butterfly's wingtips, amidst the surging air currents generated by the high-speed battle, still fluttered gracefully, brushing against Messermo's cheek.

Immediately, the person being pierced felt an indescribable sensation.

Even though there was nothing in his nose and mouth, he suddenly felt a...morbidly sweet taste on his cheeks.

Just like chili peppers burn your hands and onions burn your eyes.

But that's because spiciness is a form of pain, and he is now...

Suddenly, Messermo's remaining left eye caught a glimpse of his gun-wielding arm, where dark spots had appeared, just like on his previously pale arm.

Some black spots are rising up like a scarlet mist, just like fungi spraying spores!

Messer was startled and immediately tried to back away without thinking!

He instinctively reached for his gun to leave, but forgot that the barrel was still clutched in Marlene's hand.

Without pulling the gun barrel for a moment, Messermo immediately realized what was happening and let go, trying to walk away.

But because of this momentary delay, his arm was grabbed by Marlenia's other hand.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped the surroundings, because, without anyone noticing, a gigantic, ethereal, orange-red flower was closing its petals around Marlenia!
These petals were so enormous that they created a scene reminiscent of the sea of ​​fire that blotted out the sky when Messermo fired a fire bomb!
From below, the plaza where the Gate of God is located cannot hide such a huge flower!

Wherever the illusory petals passed, a crimson mist followed. It even possessed a cruel beauty.

The dark spots on Messermo's body grew larger with each contact with these illusory petals.

But he no longer had the energy to care about these things, because... the forehead of a blond, handsome young man was pressed against his own.

Michaela's sacred and ethereal voice continued to recite the exact same words He had used when He touched Melina's forehead.

But the last time, when Messermo heard these words, he and Lann made a rational and quick judgment: it was charm!
But when these words actually rang in his ears at that moment, Messermo suddenly felt... that the voice in his ear was so gentle, so comforting, and made him want to let go of everything.

Love.

Messermo suddenly remembered the word.

like!
He seemed to be transported back to that scene: a beautiful woman, her face obscured by gold, gently and guiltily replacing his right eye with a new one, and then kissing her new eye.

These are my most cherished memories and images, and now, looking at them, they carry an intoxicating tenderness, and...

"Crack!"

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through Messermo's back, as if he had been whipped!
No, it wasn't like that! He really got slapped!
Amidst the incredibly forceful whipping, the piercer, who was sent flying, managed to retain a sliver of reason in his previously dazed left eye.

On his forehead now there are golden patterns similar to Melina's, and even more refined than Melina's!
In Messermo's eyes, obstructed by the enormous, illusory petals, he could only barely make out a long, broken yellow rope that was rapidly retracting.

The rope was part of the Lann Projector Hook and Loop, but it was clear that even with the forging stone reinforcement, the hook and loop could not be preserved intact next to Marlene, who was unleashing [Crimson Corruption].

Or rather, it's thanks to the previous enhancements that it's been able to barely hold on until now.

"You're the only one left!"

Suddenly, Messermo shouted towards the rope through the illusory petals.

"What's wrong with you?" Lan En's voice came from that direction.

“Just like Melina!” Messermo shouted as he rushed to his sister's side and scooped her up in his arms without a word. “If He finds another opportunity… then we might all be your enemies! We can't stay here!”

After a moment of silence, a calm and steady voice came from that direction.

"You retreat."

(End of this chapter)