bookcurios Chapter 793 - 793
Chapter 793 - 793
Kojou Akatsuki was questioning his life choices."Take care of that child! I'll draw the pursuers away—you must get her to safety!"
Watching the female assassin's retreating back as she fled in disarray under the mechanical soldiers' pursuit, he grew increasingly convinced how unreliable their earlier agreement had been!
He didn't know that woman at all. Logically speaking, there was no need to follow her instructions.
He glanced back at the girl beside him.
Golden strands of hair drifted around her. She appeared about the same age as Nagisa, yet her limbs seemed almost fleshless—more frail and petite than even Nagisa, who had been hospitalized for years. She wore the overcoat the woman had stripped off earlier, revealing glimpses of snow-white skin beneath that made him awkwardly avert his gaze.
Especially those sapphire-blue eyes, brimming with timidity and fear, tugged painfully at his heart.
He couldn't comprehend why such emotions surged within him.
Though this was their first meeting, she felt inexplicably familiar. Every time he gazed directly at her face, a scorching heat radiated from near his ribcage, and vivid, blood-soaked ruins flashed through his mind.
It was as if those mental images had driven him to rush here from the hospital.
He couldn't even understand his own actions.
It seemed there was some inexplicable connection between him and this girl.
"K-Kojou Akatsuki... I... I permit thee to lead me from this cage!"
The girl behind him tugged at his sleeve, staring up at him with trembling apprehension.
"How do you know my name...?"
Kojou had no energy left to ponder it.
What's done was done.
Only one thing was clear to him:
He had to protect this girl!
"That sister of yours—if things continue like this, she will surely die! If you want to save her, you'll need this girl's help!"
Before leaping away, the female assassin had spoken those words, as if to fortify his resolve.
His soul as a siscon ignited in that moment!
Whether her words were true or false didn't matter—since Nagisa was involved, he had no choice but to fight with everything he had!
"Alright, let's break through!"
Steeling his heart, Kojou charged forward with the golden-haired girl in tow.
The entire basement had partially collapsed, as if struck by some tremendous impact. Chunks of shattered concrete lay everywhere, metal supports twisted like pretzels—the devastation was so severe that anyone would believe an earthquake had struck!
"Did the mechanical guards all get lured away?"
Though he remained cautiously vigilant along the way, he encountered no enemies whatsoever, almost as if he were battling shadows.
Kojou breathed a sigh of relief and quickened his pace with the girl.
The MAR research facility employed numerous mechanical guards—more durable than ordinary humans and equipped with specialized ammunition against demons, such as silver-iridium alloy and electrum bullets.
Since they were entirely program-controlled, tactics like brainwashing were ineffective.
Fortunately, the earlier female assassin had drawn all the mechanical guards away. Otherwise, as a mere middle school student, escaping with someone in tow would have been impossible!
He still clutched Mahiru Akatsuki's work ID in his hand—the one that woman had accidentally left behind in Nagisa Akatsuki's hospital room.
He had intended to use this work permit to bluff his way through any unexpected situations, but the path ahead turned out to be smooth, with no need to even use the permit.
"Eek!"
He steeled himself, grabbed the girl's ice-cold hand, paid no mind to her cry, and quickly headed toward the back door.
At that moment, Kojou Akatsuki had no idea what fate awaited them ahead.
...
"I can't believe we managed to escape just by running all the way here!"
By the northern shore of the artificial island, Kojou Akatsuki wore a complicated expression.
They had rushed out from the basement of the MAR research institute without encountering any resistance, ran two kilometers straight to the northern coast, and only stopped fleeing when the girl was out of breath.
He even began to wonder if the female assassin diverting those mechanical guards had been necessary at all.
"Ah, I have no idea where to meet up with her!"
Kojou slapped his forehead again.
In the heat of the moment, he had rashly agreed to her proposal, but they hadn't even confirmed a meeting spot. How reliable was that woman, anyway?
She definitely wasn't professional!
"By the way, what's your name?"
Kojou turned his head, waited a moment for the girl to catch her breath, and then calmly asked her.
As a member of the school basketball team—and the ace player at that—he was used to regular training. Running two kilometers was a huge burden for this delicate girl, but for him, it was a breeze.
"I... I am called... Avrora! I permit you to remember this noble name, servant!"
The girl put on an exaggerated haughty demeanor, but the tears at the corners of her eyes from the strenuous exercise made her look comical.
"Avrora? Avrora Florestina...?"
For a moment, Kojou was slightly stunned—the name had naturally surfaced in his mind.
"Strange, why would I know that name—Whoa!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his head made him clutch his skull.
An ancient ruin filled with the scent of blood.
Nagisa collapsed on the ground.
Himself, covered in blood.
A golden-haired girl holding an icy spear, and the massive monstrous bird looming behind her.
Fragmented, disjointed images flashed through his mind, scrambling his thoughts and memories.
"Avrora... just who are you—?"
Kojou held his head, his expression utterly bewildered.
What were these memories?
Were they his own?
From when?
Why did he have no recollection of them at all?
He was about to press for answers.
"Tap!"
"Tap!"
"Tap!"
A series of footsteps snapped him back to alertness.
Before he knew it, a group of black-clothed men—who looked anything but respectable—had converged from various intersections. Their arms hung down to their knees, their shoulder muscles bulged prominently, and they wore beast skull masks on their faces.
Avrora gasped in fear and instinctively hid behind him.
"Who are you people?"
Kojou took a deep breath.
His entire body trembled. Though he didn't know what kind they were, these were undoubtedly demons.
He had to find a way to bluff his way through—
"Thud!"
Before the thought could fully form, he felt a sudden pain in his temple.
It wasn't until he was sent flying several meters and slammed into the embankment that he realized he had been struck by these people.
"Kojou!"
Avrora screamed.
The black-clad man paid no heed, completely ignoring Kojou Akatsuki as he stretched out his large hand to grab Acurrara.
"Whoosh!"
At that moment.
A golden flash abruptly tore through the air.
Before anyone could even discern what it was, the man's forearm was severed at the elbow, causing him to instantly recoil backward.
"Hey, Kojou, need some help?"
As if perfectly timing his entrance, Eiji leaped out with a laugh.