The Infinite World of Weapon Girls

While venturing into the forest doesn't mean they're free to roam, finding them again will obviously be much more difficult, as visibility is much narrower and many Gastrea still roam the forest.

At this moment, Otonashi Kōki, who had left first, was the first to leave the inner perimeter and rush into the forest. Clutching the box in one arm, he had barely taken a few steps when two ant-like Gastrea, the size of Tibetan mastiffs, blocked his path.

It's only Phase I, nothing to fear. With a flick of his right hand at his waist, he tossed a black metal object into the air.

Then, with practiced ease, he caught the spinning pistol in mid-air and pulled the trigger in an instant. 'Bang bang bang bang!' Four deadly bullets accurately struck the heads of the two giant ants.

Asako, who had already fled far away, was unaware that Shogan was pursuing her. In fact, when she looked back, she saw Shogan slowly walking in the direction Mitsuaki had fled, a strange smile on his lips.

That knowing smile sent a chill down Asako's spine, filling her with sudden fear.

Almost instinctively, I looked in Guangye's direction, and I could still see his figure at the entrance of the forest in the distance.

BOOM—! BOOM! BOOM!

Asako's fleeing steps abruptly halted, like a stiff marionette; her head, slightly turned away, failed to return.

Fear and shock filled his eyes as he watched Otonashi Kōki's figure from afar. He was as if struck back several steps by a sudden, overwhelming force, and then collapsed... never to rise again.

……

Ikuma Shōken did not pursue them because his initiator, Senju Natsuyo, had already laid an ambush near the direction they were most likely to escape in.

Xia Shi did not disappoint himself, and Jiang Jian showed a relaxed smile, but the smile quickly froze, because after the first gunshot from that direction, another extremely violent gunshot rang out!

"Boom—!!!!!!!!!"

--------

Hidden in the bushes, Xia Shi, following the orders of the supervisor, killed yet another facilitator who was trying to escape with the box.

Most of the promoters were just ordinary people, lacking the resilient and regenerative physique of the Cursed Children. Perhaps Otonashi Kageyo was strong, but Xia Shi had been shot through the chest with a USAS shotgun at extremely close range, his heart pierced through... a death even gods couldn't reverse.

With a slight furrow in her brows, Xia Shi painfully closed her eyes, overwhelmed by inner remorse. Two seconds later, she slowly opened them, her expression already blank, and then tried to stand up.

Without any warning, the gunshot was violent and unrestrained. Xia Shi, who had just stood up, stumbled violently.

She lowered her gaze in shock, discovering that her lower abdomen had been completely pierced through, and large amounts of blood were rapidly gushing out, quickly filling the ground and forming a small stream within two breaths.

At the same time, a bone-chilling coldness pressed against the alabaster-white neck.

Xia Shi, whose consciousness and mind were almost completely blank for a moment, struggled to lift her eyes and saw... she saw the figure of a girl who had appeared in her dream just yesterday.

Tina was also looking at her, her small mouth slightly open, her expression blank, and in the depths of her orange-red eyes, countless struggles, disbelief, and even a trace of pain and confusion surged up in an instant.

Otonashi Mitsuaki was murdered, and it was an irreversible death. Tina didn't see the killer clearly, but she firmly believed that he couldn't be a good person, so she decisively opened fire.

The reason Tina chose to attack the abdomen was because she wanted to extract information from the killer about the mastermind or something else.

Senju Natsuyo... Why... why was it Natsuyo who killed Kōye...?

As a cursed child possessing the dolphin gene, Xia Shi was extremely intelligent. She read Tina's gaze and knew that she had killed her friend.

Tina's tactical twin blades fell from her hands without her noticing, landing on the ground with a clinking sound.

The girl's image was reflected in Xia Shi's gray eyes, filled with deep shame and remorse. Although the Gastrea virus was rapidly healing her wounds, excessive blood loss had already pushed her consciousness to the brink of slumber.

(...Tina, I'm sorry.)

Xia Shi thought to herself, then her bitter smile vanished silently. She collapsed weakly to the ground, beneath the lovely blonde girl, where a vibrant, flowing red...

“…Xia Shi…Xia Shi!!”

When Yi Xiong rushed over, what he saw was Xia Shi lying unconscious in a pool of blood.

"...You killed Xia Shi?! Bastard!!"

The greatsword, imbued with the strongest hatred and rage of the Jian family's life, slashed down. Even before the blade reached its target, its sharp and chilling edge could almost crush a person's courage to resist.

Just moments before, the girl's hands were empty, but in the blink of an eye, she had pulled out a hunting rifle. The bullets, with a piercing clang, sparked brilliantly as they struck the heavy steel sword, sending it flying far away.

The brief exchange had already made Jiang Jian realize the difference in skill, but his uncontrollable rage still overwhelmed his reason. Ignoring his arm, which was numb from the impact, he charged forward again with a roaring punch: "I'll kill you—!"

"That's not a ball."

The girl suddenly spoke coldly, causing the waving fist to freeze in mid-air, leaving him stunned for a moment.

The next instant, the tall figure suddenly knelt before Xia Shi, causing the ground to tremble.

The guard discovered that Xia Shi still had a breath of life. Because of his cursed child constitution and because Tina's bullet was not a flower bullet, the blood at Xia Shi's wound quickly congealed, and blue regenerative tissue foam emerged from the abdominal wound. Under this effect, the pierced and shattered internal organs also slowly regenerated.

The burly, tall man was trembling, as if he were weeping with joy after escaping a desperate situation. He carefully picked up Xia Shi, slung the greatsword over his shoulder, walked over and picked up the box next to Guang Ye's corpse... and then disappeared into the darkness.

...

……

……

-

[There might be a tiny bit of angst? It's okay because there's nuclear energy ahead! But it seems like I won't be able to update until tomorrow... Waaah!]

【Ta69 won't let you die, ever】

Near the shrine in the center of Chiba Prefecture, Rentaro and Enju are engaged in a perilous battle with the Hiruko duo, reminding Tina of a scene from an anime.

Hiruko Kagetane is a clever and competent villain who makes people think they have grasped hope, only to deliver a blow of despair at the same time.

In the anime, Rentaro injects himself with an AGV experimental drug that has a "20% chance of turning him into a Gastrea." He's incredibly lucky, nearly dying but reborn, and unleashes his power to knock Hiruko Kagetane off a cliff. But when he retrieves the box... Stage V Scorpio has already been summoned.

Scorpio may not have appeared yet, but Nata's team will definitely relentlessly pursue Tina's reincarnation team. If Nata is unaware that the box is in someone else's hands, it might be safer.

[WARNING: Team mission: Escort. Automatically considered a failure due to the death of one of the escort targets!]

The watch buzzed, and a message notification popped up in my head at the same time.

Although they had no personal relationship, they were still colleagues, and the sudden death of Otonashi Mitsuaki stirred up emotions within him, giving rise to a feeling of sadness.

—Because the one who died was Guangye, the one who killed was Xia Shi, and the one who was injured was Qianzi.

As she lowered her sorrowful eyes, the girl discovered a leather map beside Guangye, who lay in a pool of blood.

A charred and incomplete map fragment, mostly burned and barely legible, with sparks still burning along the sawn edges.

Upon picking it up, all that could be vaguely discerned was a corner of a tattered map scroll, predominantly yellowish in color, with a white area circled and labeled "Area 44" next to it.

District 44...? What does that represent? The girl's eyes narrowed slightly.

Sensing a rapidly approaching aura, Tina discreetly stored the map into her imaginary space.

It was Asako. She came with deep bewilderment, her heart filled with an endless, frantic prayer that what had just happened was all an illusion.

She staggered as she ran, and the scene from afar was now crystal clear before her eyes. She saw her partner lying in a pool of blood, blood gushing from his chest. Fear gripped her soul, and she stumbled, as if all her strength had been drained, and fell to the ground.

"Guangye... Guangye... No, this can't be real... Waaah... This is a lie, right..."

With tears welling in her eyes and her voice hoarse with sorrow as if her throat were blocked, she crawled with difficulty toward the young man, her small hands clinging to his arms and waving them. Soon, the flowing blood stained Asako's hands.

"Guangye...we made a promise, how...how can you go back on your word...Waaah..." Faced with the pitiful pleas of the woman in red, the owner of the corpse could only respond with silence.

"Asako... please accept my condolences." Tina could hardly bear to look any longer and lowered her eyes, speaking softly.

"Who killed Guangye...who killed Guangye? Was it that masked man's...accomplice?!"

Tina was suddenly stared at intently, and a questioning voice sounded in her ear:

"Tina...you must know, right...why didn't you kill the murderer just now...who is the murderer? Tell me!!"

Should I reveal Xia Shi's identity?! Although Xia Shi's actions have chilled Tina's heart, revealing him would only provoke Asako's anger and desire for revenge.

So the girl gently shook her head in denial, telling a white lie: "No, I don't know, and I don't know the murderer... because the masked man, Yi Xiongjian, arrived in time, and I... was no match for him. He rescued the murderer, and the box was also lost... I'm so sorry."

Whether or not she noticed anything amiss, Asako's gaze had returned to Otonashi Mitsuaki, her expression softening and her eyes becoming tender.

"Hey... Guangye, just like the contract stipulated, I'm here to accompany you."

Tina suddenly felt uneasy.

Whoosh—!

A chilling black light flashed across her vision, and Asako drew her slender sword from her waist. With a beautiful yet resolute smile, she thrust it towards her own heart.

Once a colored weapon pierces the heart of a cursed child, even God cannot save him.

Fortunately, Tina was faster. She flashed forward and grabbed the slender blade of the rapier tightly. Asako's movements froze, and the blade stopped at her chest, unable to move an inch.

chi chi-

At the same time, blood splattered past her eyes, the overly sharp blade cutting Tina's skin. Looking up, she saw that her fair hand was quickly stained red, and more blood oozed and dripped from between her fingers.

When stopping someone from committing suicide with a sword or knife, don't snatch it away; catch the blade barehanded, the more blood the better... Just like Asako at this moment, her hand holding the sword trembled, her face blank, and the guilt in her eyes almost rivaled her will to die.

“Aren’t the initiator and the promoter just mutually exploitative? Why should you die for him?”

The girl stared into her eyes and asked calmly.

Seemingly having touched a raw nerve, the guilt in Asako's eyes was instantly replaced by anger. She bit her lip hard and roared back, "You don't understand anything at all—!"

Tina was acting in her own best interest, even bracing the sword with her hand. Asako realized her tone had been too angry and resentful, so she softened her voice, slightly averted her gaze, and said softly:

"...In the world, in society, it seems there is no place for the cursed children. They are hated, driven away, insulted, and even attacked. But Tina, do you believe it? There is a place where it is not like that... In that place, the cursed children also bear the mission of driving away Gastrea, but the treatment they receive is completely different. Food, shelter, warmth, and even the care among their companions—those should be called happiness..."

"The cursed children there also yearn to see the outside world. At a certain time each year, a fixed (very small) number of people come to that place to sign a contract and receive a loli... I want to go out and see the world, so I long to be chosen, but my canary genes destined me to be weak in battle. But Guangye chose me anyway..."

"Later, Guangye fulfilled his wish and took me to see the outside world, but unfortunately, it wasn't a good memory—"

"Hunger, cold, fear, helplessness, pain... The living conditions of the cursed children in the outside world surprised and bewildered me."

"Later I learned that there was an organization called 'Police' in the outside world, the Cursed Children were called Initiators, and those who received (were responsible for) them were called Promoters. I originally thought they would fight for each other like Guangye and I, but what I saw was nothing but betrayal, abandonment, and ruthlessness. The cold-bloodedness and ugliness of the Promoters are indescribable..."

“I don’t understand, I don’t understand why the world has become like this… Even though we are the cursed children, we can still fight for humanity, and we are willing to do our best and give our lives for it. The cursed children do not ask for more care and attention, as long as… we can be equal to ordinary people, that would be enough.”

"...So, that's when I realized that those who come to 'that place' to receive the cursed children are the best people in the world who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their partners without hesitation, and that 'that place' is the true home of the cursed children."

“I once proposed and put into practice with Guangye the idea of ​​instilling the principles of equality, cherishing, and sharing life and death among every police unit. Although people are indifferent in the face of the apocalypse, and although… the results have been minimal each time. But this is the belief that Guangye and I, and 'that place,' want to convey: the belief that 'we are not children of the curse, but children of hope.'”

"...Tina, seeing how harmonious your relationship with your facilitator is, Asako is really, really happy."

"So... if one day you see the Cursed Child being injected with bodily fluids during a battle with Gastrea, her rate of corruption exceeding the limit, and she also turning into a Gastrea, and her partner, who could have abandoned her and run away, instead chose to pull the pin on a grenade, only to be eaten and swallowed by a Gastrea, ultimately dying alongside her as a Gastrea..."

"—Please don't be surprised or confused, because the two of them must be from 'that place'."

Tina: "…………"