23rd Move | Rods From God
After Action Report: Charybdis Incident.
The following are excerpts of the timeline section belonging to the after-action report complied by Commander Scientia Tempest involving the termination of Designated: Geronimo (Charybdis). It was then decided from now on, every military operation will have a sanitized version of an After Action Report given to the general populace.
The following is deemed: [For Public Distribution and Official Use Only]
The Date is XXXX-XX-XX
-Designated: Geronimo (Charybdis) was first sighted via satellite at 2:21:42 within the Canaat Mountain Range.
-The Grand Republic's Military was mobilized extremely quickly. The usage of Doorways for general staff was permitted.
-Operation Scylla officially began the same day at 10:00:00 Metropolitan Standard Time.
-At 15:18:21 Metropolitan Standard Time, full usage of the Othinus Network was recorded. A total of three-hundred-ninety-seven (397) Orichalcum Rods were launched by seven (7) satellites belonging to the Othinus Network.
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The sky around Charybdis darkened as the monster flew in search of destruction. When it used its large central eye to see what had happened, it saw a sight that stirred feelings it hasn't felt ever since it had battled against that Hero—
The Hero stood unopposed. Her cape flapped against the wind that was blowing from Charybdis like a flag with the unmoving Hero being the pole. Then, she unsheathed her sword, pulled back, and plunged forward. It was a simple act, a simple move that even a child can do, yet that was all it required to defeat the Ray That Hates.
—Up there, in the skies directly above Charybdis, were dozens, hundreds of spears of light, lances of orichalcum, speeding down from the heavens at speeds of Mach 30, each packing the energy of a miniature nuclear bomb.
The falling spears were like divine judgment. The wrath of Zeus but instead of lightning, he's sending down spears.
They approached. Closer and closer, brighter and brighter, the air around each spear still burned as the air resistance caused to them slow down from their original Mach 50 speeds.
These spears were silent as they cut through the atmosphere. In fact, all sound in the world seems to have been leeched away. All the light drained empty as the sun itself became a simple bright spot up in the sky as if someone had caged it. The only light present in the world, the only light that seems to be able to exist other than the sun was the light that heralded the rods from god's descent.
All of these spears had no magic, so Charybdis' [Magic Canceling] Skill was useless.
The collective radiance of the spears was so great Charybdis was blinded.
It was the sight of a lifetime.
Then... the first spear struck.
*KABOOM*
A massive geyser of flesh, metal, and scale erupted from Charybdis' back. With the amount of force packed within each rod, the rods were more like miniature nuclear bombs than anything resembling a ballista arrow.
Charybdis jerked downward. Like a piece of paper guiding through the air and then a fist had punched the center of it, Charybdis' midsection where the first spear had struck was forced down while other sections continued to hover.
The Ruler of the Skies felt pain for the first time ever since its unsealing. It was raw pain unlike any other, it was completely unlike the pitiful counter-offenses the monkeys had tried to put up were useless against his scales, it was like the strike from the Hero.
Very quickly, the feeling of pain was removed as [Pain Nullification] took effect.
Then another spear struck.
And another.
And another.
And another.
Geysers upon geysers of blue flesh, blue blood, blue scales, and golden metal burst from Charybdis' back. The endless barrage of rods from god forced the Ruler of the Skies into the earth underneath it.
The gigantic ray-like beast crashed into the ground like a runaway airplane with a burnt-out engine. The earth for kilometers around shook and trembled when the massive beast slammed into it, almost like an earthquake.
Mounts of dirt were kicked up, and plumbs of dust and debris very quickly covered Charybdis' fallen form.
However, if Charybdis thought that hiding in the plumbs would stop the barrage, the beast was mistaken. The thunderous choir of metal death was almost never ceasing as it continuously rained into where Charybdis had fallen.
It was then that Charybdis realize that it needs to fight back otherwise it will die.
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-At 15:21:12 Metropolitan Standard Time, upon realizing the enormity of the danger the Othinus Network presented, Charybdis displayed the following abilities:
> ability to fire off its scales as projectiles for offensive and defensive purposes.
> ability to seemingly telepathically command its familiars to sacrifice themselves for offensive and defensive purposes.
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So using whatever scales that remain, and alongside its familiars, it fired them like anti-aircraft guns at the plummeting spears with the intent of either stopping or just slowing them down enough that its hard exterior can deal with them.
It was a sight that came straight out of a film about D-day. An almost uncountable number of paratroopers fell from above and German AA guns tried to desperately shoot them down, yet just like the Germans, Charybdis' efforts were for naught.
Hundreds of thousands of flying scales each the size of an encyclopedia dotted the sky, each traveling at such speeds they can cut through metal like it was nothing more than a sheet of paper. But even at such speeds, they were too slow for the rods.
At best, the scales scratched the surface of a falling rod before it disappeared below and struck Charybdis. At worst, the scales shattered like glass and joined up with the barrage when a single rod lanced through them, barely slowing down and continuing toward its destination.
Akin to raindrops in a thunderstorm, the rods kept on smashing into and digging the Ruler of the Skies deeper and deeper into the earth. Steadily, the landscape cratered as a Charybdis-shaped hole took shape, just like a person continuously pushing a cube of metal onto a lump of dough.
Finally, the barrage ceased. The once-forested landscape was unrecognizable. Large cracks and craters litter the ground like dandelions in a grassy field from orichalcum rods that missed their marks.
It was a monument to what could have been. A testament to pure kinetic destruction.
Once the dust cleared, Charybdis was buried halfway into the earth but was still alive... albeit barely. Almost all of its familiars were dead in that slaughter and large chunks were missing from his back.
Its host would've died from that assault were it not for Charybdis' Extra Skill [Ultra-speed Regeneration].
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-At 15:25:59 Metropolitan Standard Time, Charybdis displayed the following abilities:
> ability to regenerate its scales in approximately three (3) minutes.
> ability to regenerate its flesh in approximately thirty (30) minutes.
-At 15:43:29 Metropolitan Standard Time, Charybdis displayed the following abilities:
> ability to recognize satellites in orbit.
> ability to shoot out a black laser beam that causes solid objects hit by it to explode for twelve (12) seconds.
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And it was also thanks to the Extra Skill that the depleted scales now reappeared, covering the bleeding flesh once more like skin covering muscles.
With a single flap of its wings, the flying manta ray managed to get its head out of the earth, looking up at the sky like a wolf about to release a loud howl.
Then, a black ray that seems to siphon away all brightness from the surroundings shot out of Charybdis's single massive eye. The ray was powerful enough to reach beyond the atmosphere and into space, where it pierced right through a satellite of the Othinus Network, destroying it in an instant.
Instead of dissipating as a laser beam should, the black ray continued its deadly trail and Charybdis dragged across the sky, cutting apart all the satellites responsible for the previous barrage in one swift move.
Then, it exhumed the rest of its body with a single flap of its wings, and the damage done by the kinetic bombardment was quickly disappearing.
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-At 15:43:41 all Othinus Network satellites within range of Charybdis are offline.
-At 15:43:55 Charybdis continued its flight toward Metropolis by staying on the coast of Lake Shisu.
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"OH COME ON!" I couldn't help but screamed when the flying manta ray thing annihilated a sizable portion of the Othinus Network.
My military uniform whipped around as I stood up instantly when the monitor displayed Charybdis blasting into the sky with an eye beam and the subsequent 'offline' message coming from 30% of the Othinus Network.
How the hell was it even able to see into space?! [Biology] and [Mathematics] started crunching the numbers on how to replicate Charybdis' feat.
Our eyes are constantly moving, even if it's near unnoticeable micro-movements. A few millidegrees of micro-movements amplified by a distance of hundreds of kilometers will cause a drift that makes the laser all but inaccurate.
Let's not even touch upon thermal blooming and atmospheric refraction. There's a reason why space lasers are impractical at best.
Grinding my teeth together, I was extremely annoyed at the fact that this beast, this stupid manta ray that was now regenerating all the attacks from that barrage, had singlehandedly defied my expectation and destroyed those satellites.
I really didn't expect that to happen.
You know, I need to really stop underestimating creatures of this world. Based on how quickly the beast is regenerating, I'll need a one-hit KO to take it out without it regenerating.
There are always the rings. I did create them to be Tempest's nuclear weapons.
Biting my lower lip in contemplation, I was about to order their use before thinking things through for a moment.
I could do that. I could very easily do that. But this will be like Brazil nuking the Amazon Rainforest; Lake Shisu is a very important source of water for the entirety of the Jura Forest. Even without [Environmental Design], I knew using even one Polaris would wreak serious environmental damage to the entire Jura Forest ecosystem, even more so than the previous use since I'll be targeting the main source of water for the forest.
So this boils down to two choices: either I use multiple Polaris to annihilate Charybdis and suffer an enormous loss of biodiversity to Lake Shisu, or I could wait and search for another solution.
If this were my old life, I'd have chosen the first one in a heartbeat since it's the quickest and most efficient, and what's more, I won't be responsible for the cleanup. Here, I'll have to be responsible since otherwise, the Tempest government would lose legitimacy because the citizens will think 'if the government can't enforce its laws on X, then why should they enforce it on me?'.
I really don't want there to be even a single chance, however slim, that Tempest becomes a Haiti situation. There's a failed government if I've ever seen one.
Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Alternatively—
I pulled up a tab on the graphene display in front of me and started doing some back-of-the-napkin math.
"Let's see..." I mumbled to myself, completely lost in the numbers as my hands became almost a blur with how quickly I'm moving, "antimatter... gamma radiation... fallout: zero... success rate... hotdust..."
As I mumbled to myself, I could still sense how Ririna was looking over my shoulder, her face probably one of confusion as she probably couldn't decipher the equations involved.
So if kinetic isn't too effective, let's test antimatter.
I turned to Ririna, "mobilize the 1st Armor Division. Divide them into two equal groups. Group 1 will be responsible for distraction while Group 2 will be responsible for unleashing full-powered Hotdust missiles."
The hobgoblin looked shocked for a brief moment before raw determination took over. She gave me a professional salute, "Yes Commander," before jogging away.
A fully powered Hotdust missile can carry a payload of one gram of iron-anti-iron pairs. When a single missile blows, it packs energy that's equal to three times the power of Hiroshima.
150 fully powered Hotdust missiles blowing at once would release an extremely large amount of high-powered gamma radiation within the direct vicinity of the blast.
100% sterilization will be achieved within a large area around the blast. No carbon-based lifeform, not even those designed by [Biology] has a chance of surviving within that zone.
Granted, I knew that fully spiritual lifeforms like Dryads aren't affected at all by physical attacks— it seems from Charybdis, spirits that possess a body are somewhat affected by physical attacks— given how I can see them (and from the surgery with Shizue), I knew that spiritual lifeforms interact with the Electromagnetic force.
What I don't know is if the gamma rays' effectiveness on spiritual lifeform is the same as on human souls.
Even still, it's a very potent weapon, releasing many millions of times more gamma radiation than that laser blowtorch.
Let's see how deadly high concentrations of gamma rays are for you, you oversized Manta Ray!
Just as I was relishing in my imagination the destruction the Hotdust missiles would unleash with a large grin on my face, I suddenly got a call from Rimuru of all people.
Ugh.
Tapping on my clothes twice to receive the call, a hologram of the humanoid slime appeared in front of me.
"I'm busy defending our nation Mr. President, so what requires my immediate attention?" I said with thinly veiled annoyance.
"I've been just notified that you've mobilized the 1st Armor Division and authorized the use of Hotdust missiles... any particular reasons?" Rimuru tilted his head with a look of bewilderment in his eyes.
"The Othinus Network failed, so instead I'm planning on irradiating the hell out of Charybdis." Then I quickly added, "don't worry, it's an antimatter warhead, so there wouldn't be any fallout."
Well, maybe the surrounding area will be rendered completely sterile but that's just like a forest fire. Trees from nearby would take over the sterilized area, using the dead plants as fertilizers.
"Well..." Rimuru trailed off as if he debated whether or not to tell me something, "Milim offered to destroy Charybdis since she was bored and all..."
I went extremely stilled at that. I wasn't surprised at her power given how she effortlessly took a hit from a Grand Unified Theory weapon, no, what I was surprised about—
"She offered to kill Charybdis... because she's bored?"
"Yep."
I rubbed my head at the statement. In retrospect, it should've been obvious given how human-like and child-like Milim was she'd find the act of fighting entertaining. No, it was already made clear how the Dragonoid loved to fight with how readily she challenged me to test myself against her as the sole condition.
[Psychology] put forth the hypothesis that Milim only offered that condition half expecting me to fail and half wanting to test just how strong the one who murdered the Orc Lord was.
Milim must've seen Charybdis as a chance to let loose, or maybe even to impress me so I'd give her more delicious food.
I... personally don't see the latter explanation as likely considering the agreement I had with her was pure business. If she wanted gourmet food, I'm obligated to give it to Milim since she's a really useful trump card to use.
"No, we're not having Milim finish off Charybdis." I finally answered, before clarifying, "Charybdis is another chance for the Jura Tempest Republic to show off our might. Unlike the Orc Lord, this time there's no chance of innocent casualties since all have been evacuated."
Rimuru seemed to get it, "ah, I see, carry on then."
"Roger."
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-At 20:54:31, the final phase of Operation Scylla has now begun as the last of the A.A.A.s retrofitted for Operation Scylla was now in the air.
-All three hundred (300) A.A.A. of the 1st Armor Division moved northeastward. Velocity: three thousand four hundred (3400) kilometers per hour. ETA at the designated kill site: approximately twenty (20) minutes.
-At 21:10:42, A.A.A. makes visual contact with Charybdis.
-At 21:10:50, all A.A.A. slowed down to prepare for descent.
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Near the northwestern tip of Lake Shisu.
Even when flying at the bottom of the Thermosphere, the sonic boom caused by the 300 specially modified A.A.A.s in supersonic configuration still reached the earth 80 kilometers below them as they cut through the extremely thin air.
When flying so high and so fast, special consideration must be made for the pilot's comfort and safety.
As such, the A.A.A. right now looked extremely different from the collection of guns and other weapons like normal. Instead, the A.A.A. was sleeker, more aerodynamic, and possessed far fewer weapons than it could've carried.
Overall, the A.A.A. looked like a delta-wing stealth bomber with two plasma trails behind it.
300 pairs of plasma trails dragged themselves across the sky, making it look as if the night was a canvas and those trails created from plasma dissipation were strokes made by a paintbrush of a god.
"This is Unit-190. Geronimo spotted. I repeat, Geronimo has been spotted. Over."
The pilots themselves wore the same armor as a typical A.A.A., only there was an extra life-support system in the form of an oxygen creator that recycles carbon dioxide to provide oxygen to breathe.
"This is Division Leader Unit-001. Confirmed. Visual contact was made with Geronimo. Over."
Even from so high up, it was difficult to miss the massive manta ray that was flying a few hundred meters above the ground. It was made impossible when the manta ray was highlighted within the HUD of every A.A.A. pilot.
"Commence Battleplan-Alpha. Let's not disappoint the Commander, shall we? Over."
Collectively, every A.A.A. started slowing down from its supersonic speeds down to a cruising speed of 1234.8 kilometers an hour, Mach 1. The long twin plasma exhaust that trailed each A.A.A. shortened until it fully receded into the engines.
Then, all of them, all 300 black triangles, fell.
All 300 fell like WWII dive bombers right before they release their payload upon the deck of a battleship.
From the ground, the A.A.A. blended perfectly into the night sky. The only evidence that could possibly suggest something was there was the occasional odd flickering of the starlight as they are blotted out before quickly returning.
50 kilometers.
Half of the A.A.A. slowed down to a mere 500 kilometers an hour while the other half continued at the razor-thin edge of sonic speed. The cloud of black triangles pulled apart as they continued to fall, and the sound of wind rushing by the A.A.A.'s body was muted by the protective power suit each pilot wore. It was like a cell undergoing mitosis.
40 kilometers.
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-At 21:16:00, Charybdis displays the following ability:
> ability to detect A.A.A. at a radius of 40 kilometers
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Charybdis stirred, the edge of his [Magic Sense] detecting several small objects incoming. It was too slow to be another of those rods.
Reflexively, the Ray That Hates didn't bother with them. Just as how its [Magic Sense] sensed the various animals below it, Charybdis wouldn't care about those above it either. Its sole focus was on that city.
30 kilometers.
Group 1 began to spread out and slow down even more. Their target: Charybdis.
"This is Division Leader prepare for distraction. Over."
20 kilometers
Flaps on the back of the first group of A.A.A.s opened up.
10 kilometers.
5 kilometers.
4 kilometers.
3 kilometers.
2 kilometers.
1 kilometer.
"Pull up and release!"
All 150 A.A.A.s jerked upward until their bodies are parallel to the ground, the pilots experiencing 11 g worth of acceleration as bombs were released from their backs when they flew over the top of Charybdis.
Shaped like a water bottle, the A.A.A. threw these bombs from the flap on their backs as they fell.
Every A.A.A. managed to fly past Charybdis before the first concussion bomb detonated, showering the around in bright, fiery light. The entirety of Charybdis' back was set alight, making the manta ray look like a blue dinner plate that served explosions.
Charybdis roared in frustration, releasing all of the scales on its body to chase after those pesky triangles since the ones on its back were all destroyed.
"Group 2, release your Hotdust missile."
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-At 21:17:27, the first Hotdust missile release by Unit-35 was recorded.
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At the height of 10 kilometers, flaps underneath all A.A.A.s of the second group opened up to reveal a missile with a large head. Then, the bottom of those missiles lit up as they are propelled forward down towards Charybdis.
150 such missiles were released. All of these stayed at varying speeds to ensure that all will hit at the exact same time.
"This is Team Leader of Group 2, Hotdust missiles released. We're getting out of here before they blow."
All 300 A.A.A. suddenly returned to their supersonic speeds as they blitzed away from Charybdis.
150 trails closing in on Charybdis.
The slowest A.A.A. reached a distance of five kilometers away before the 150 Hotdust missiles all collectively reached their target...
.
.
.
.
(AN: Play: Frederic Chopin's Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, Funeral March [HD])
There was a single, blinding, all-consuming flash of light. To say that it turned night into the day was an understatement. Instead, it was more like there was now a headlamp in front of every observer's eyes mere centimeters away.
Soon, once the light subsided, the whole sky was now a dark shade of orange, and the backdrop of the starry night was nowhere to be seen as a massive fireball consumed all of Charybdis.
The world was silent, for the sound of the annihilation explosion hasn't reached so far yet.
Everything within a two-and-a-half-kilometer radius was instantly vaporized by the enormous fireball. Anything further than that simply burst into flames as anything that can burn, from trees, leaves, fur, and even skin serves as an excellent fuel source.
150 Hotdust missiles combined to create an explosion almost to the level of the Castle Bravo high-yield thermonuclear device, the most powerful nuclear bomb detonated by the United States.
Trees as far as five kilometers away within the immediate blast radius were straight-up disintegrated as if they were put inside the finest wood chipper when the pressure wave of the explosion washed over them. All animals and fish died instantly, the only thing that could possibly survive against over 20 psi of overpressure was some of the hardiest single cellular life.
The shockwave from the explosion continued to travel further beyond the speed of sound. Trees snapped like toothpicks instead of disintegrating, and all animal's eardrums burst like a balloon as some blood vessels within larger animals like Tempest Bears ruptured, causing lethal levels of internal bleeding.
Eventually, at a distance of 28 kilometers, the shockwave finally peters out like a toy car that's run out of batteries. Trees merely swayed as if they were the antennas on a car and animals are thrown around like toys.
Animals as far away as 40 kilometers away experienced third-degree burns from the thermal radiation of the antimatter explosion.
When antimatter comes into contact with normal matter, it releases some of its energy in the form of gamma rays. As such, for a brief moment in time, there was so much gamma radiation concentrated within a single region of space that it was comparable to standing on the surface of a neutron star.
Such a feat that put most practitioners of nuclear magic, dead or alive, to shame has finally caught the attention of a certain Primordial Demon known for destruction.
The fireball rose up from the ground like an oversized and overheated weather balloon, its lower sections thinning as a ring of white cloud formed around it like the rings of Saturn. The main fireball rose up more and more and became bloated while the lower section that's connecting the fireball to the ground became thinner and thinner, creating what looked like a mushroom.
There was a second shockwave as cold air rushes into the antimatter furnace, picking up dust and debris.
Unlike the Castle Bravo thermonuclear device, there was no fallout.
"This is Division Leader, Geronimo down, I repeat, Geronimo is down."
(AN: End music)
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-At 21:25:12, Charybdis's termination was confirmed. All primary and secondary objectives of Operation Scylla were achieved. Tertiary objective, unsuccessful. Operation Scylla is a decisive success.
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Geronimo is down. That single phrase had signaled the death of Charybdis.
I let out a sigh of relief as the War Room instead of erupting into cheers, stayed silent. It made sense, given how this explosion is probably more powerful than Project Thrones.
Leaning back onto the chair, I released the tension within my shoulders and slacked.
It is done. The threat is gone.
I condemned a single beast to death. And animals as well.
[Silenced Emotion: 30%]
"Mmm..." I stretched my arms, having sat in the same spot for the last few hours, "I think I'm going to take a break."
The loss and now proven obsolescence of the Othinus Network made me realize just how useless kinetic weapons are against spiritual lifeforms. I'm going to need directed energy and other exotic weapons if I want to fight against a fully spiritual being like a True Dragon.
With a single tap, I sent the files of the recording concerning Charybdis' termination to the military's Public Relations Bureau and called it a day.
My stomach was feeling particularly famished, and I also promised Arcueid that I'd spend some time with her.
I stopped as I got up from my seat. Wait, am I like those overworked and neglectful parents you'd see in the movies?
I stared at the monitor in front of me without really registering it.
Holy crap.
"Door me," I said.
Just as I was about to leave through the opened Doorway, I turned to Ririna and handed her a roll of hundreds. "Give our troops and pilots a few rounds at the bar. They've earned it. Think of it as my treat."
"Yes Commander," Ririna saluted as I walked through the Doorway.
I appeared in the middle of the kitchen in the living section of the Citadel.
Removing my cap, I looked around and saw multiple Shizue maid chassis greeting me with a bow.
"Lady Scientia. Arcueid and Milim are in the hot spring." One of them alerted me.
I stared blankly at the Shizue chassis that said that.
"They're both in the hot spring...?" I repeated in the same tone that a student would use after they've discovered there are two exams on the same day.
"Guhhhhh..." I sighed. "At least it seems Arcueid's made a friend."
Noticing how some Shizue chassis were carrying fresh clothing, I moved to remove my current one.
The dirty boots slipped right off, and the military tunic carrying my rank as the Commander of the Grand Republic's Military came off with one of the Shizue chassis carefully taking them in such a way as to not cause any wrinkles. Another maid chassis carefully took ahold of my belt and pulled my pants down while a third one placed a pair of comfy slippers in front of me, ready and waiting.
From behind, a pair of hands unbuttoned and removed my inner shirt before a white trench-coat-like towel was placed around my now fully nude body.
I walked towards the hot spring area. The sound of my slipper slapping against the ground was the only thing audible.
The hot spring. Rimuru was insistent on adding one to the Congressional Pyramid had inspired me to add one as well, partially because it fills the large floor space.
The entrance to the hot spring was decorated like the entrance to a cave. Instead of the usual white walls, they were filled with large chunks of stone with various ultra-realistic fake plants coming out of certain openings within the stones.
The door was also unlike others. Instead of being made from smooth lengths of wood, it was actually made from polymers arranged on a molecular level to give the appearance and texture of bamboo.
Opening them, I'm greeted by the sight of a large pool of bright blue water clouded by steam. The water was calm and from a single glance, there doesn't seem like anyone was there.
"Hrmm."
Taking off the clothing and having the drape over a large rock, I shook off my slippers before slowly descending into the water.
"Ahhhh..." I sighed comfortably as I settled down in the water, with the pool consuming everything up to the base of my neck. The stress of today seems to just flow out of my body like a reverse form of osmosis that cells used to power themselves.
I find an extraordinary amount of enjoyment in quiet, peaceful moments like these. As much fun as advancing societies into the modern age, I never really had too much time to relax.
I leaned back against the edge of the pool.
In the busy days of modernity, moments like these are quite rare. If there's one thing I dislike about modernity, it's that people are always living in the future, completely disregarding the moment. Granted, I have no right to judge others since I'm also guilty, but it's just a harmless thought.
Being completely relaxed and safe, my mind started to wander. Looking around, I denoted how I'd never seen bathhouses such as these in Canada. Perhaps it was because of the lack of privacy?
Feeling a pair of hands on my shoulder squeezing the muscle, I groaned out as Shizue started to massage my shoulders.
The physiology of a Perfect Homunculus is ridiculously similar to that of a human. It's so similar it might as well be the same were it not for some very specific details like how weird the cells are.
"..."
Now that I think about it, the cells of a Perfect Homunculus are really weird. They... behave like normal cells but they don't have any DNA in them. I tried to isolate one particular cell and rip it open with nanoscale lasers but all that came out was a gooey mess.
I don't really have a digestive tract. And what organs I do have like the brain, nervous system, circulatory system, and more seem to be there just for show.
What's more, when I tested things, I discovered that the cells closer to my heart are younger than those around the edge of my skin.
It was as if my cells aren't dividing so much as they were getting replaced like the rows of teeth in a shark's mouth: knock one out and another will take its place from behind.
An area of the pool was suddenly filled with bubbles as if someone was underwater.
I tried to ignore it before the person— or rather, the persons responsible revealed themselves, laughing as they do.
There were two distinctively different laughs.
"Hahaha!" One that belonged to a child.
"Ahahaha! I win!" Another filled with long-lost innocence returned.
Opening my eyes, I am greeted by the scene of a nude Arcueid playing around with an equally nude Milim. The water that clung to their body acted like mirrors as they reflected the light from above.
Despite what should normally be erotic, I'm completely unperturbed by the sight. I have no sex drives to speak of in most circumstances, and this is one of them.
Milim grimaced, "No, you came up to the surface before I did!"
Arcueid responded by having a large smirk on her face as her eyes stared at Milim with a dismissive look.
"I did win, you sore loser!"
As Arcueid's guardian, I'm responsible for her development. Eventually, it is going to get out that Arcueid is a 'guest' of mine, and since she's both uneducated in the real world and is probably naive as hell, a person can get closer to the vampire to use her as a bridge to get closer to me.
Example: Person A can seduce Arcueid and convince the vampire to persuade me to invest in Person A's company.
This means I'll need to fend off overzealous suitors and manipulators in general.
In fact, since Arcueid's going to leave after I figure out how to return her back to her old world, it's probably best that Arcueid doesn't start a romantic relationship or god forbid, a child with someone.
...I'm going to have to teach her sex ed, don't I?
I closed my eyes when a sense of great reluctance overcame me at that thought. In my past life, I've always dreamed of climbing the corporate ladder before settling down and raising a child so that even if I could not go to the stars, at least one member of my bloodline would see outer space someday.
I saw the stars, but am unable to produce a child.
I stared at Arcueid who was arguing with Milim about who stayed below water the longest.
No, I confirmed gloomily, I kidnapped Arcueid. This guardianship is my attempt at making up my deeds, and perhaps, a bit of repentance for my immorality in my past life.
"Oh hey look, it's my personal chef!"
They saw me.
I submerged more of myself into the water until only my eyes are above it. The hot liquid chased away the coldness held within my neck and face as Shizue stopped the massages.
I pretended not to notice how Arcueid went over and sat next to me. This act of ignoring continued until I felt a pair of hot arms wrap themselves around me in an embrace.
"I've read from a book that this is the way to express gratitude," due to the height difference between me sitting down and her leaning on me, Arcueid was able to rub her left cheek over my head while I just melted into the action, "thank you for letting me stay here~!" she said excitedly
Is this what safety feels like?
When I reincarnated here the closest thing to safety I've felt is with Rimuru, but these two...
These two don't care that I'm an abomination in the eyes of the world, these two, one who is known as the Destroyer while the other is apparently the Princess of a dead race couldn't care less that if the information of my existence came out, the whole world would turn against me.
I get that such thoughts are cliche, but man, do things get different when you're on the other side.
I yawned and felt extremely sleepy. [Psychology] said it was how safe I felt inside Arcueid's embrace that I'm fully relaxing instead of always being subconsciously tense whenever I'm outside of the Citadel.
I instantly frowned. Am I the guardian or is she?
So, I got up and away from Arcueid's embrace, causing the blonde True Ancestor to pout like a child who's just been denied the toy they wanted.
Seeing how the only part of Milim that was above water was her head, I felt obligated to ask, "by the way, how are you here, Milim? I can understand Arcueid (no I don't but I'm used to her just appearing from seemingly nowhere) but I don't recall giving you the privilege."
Shizue then bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry my Lady, I had made an executive decision without your permission. I had thought that due to your arrangement, it would be beneficial that Lady Milim here has access to the Citadel."
In an excited tone, "I gotta say, Scientia you got a really nice place here! Everything is so organized and clean, and the design is so refreshing and pleasing to the eye! My Milim Eye can't even detect anything flaws with this place!" Milim exclaimed with euphoria while looking around the hot spring room. "Other than here, everything is so orderly!"
The Dragonoid's eyes gained a mischievous look, before attempting to splash some water on me, only to fail as the water parted right before hitting me.
"..."
I'm not the only one surprised by what happened as both I and Milim stared at the spot where the wave anomalously disappeared.
That... all of my specialties were silent on how that happened. Milim seemed to be even more confused before drawing her hands back and attempting to splash me once again.
The wave came— only to be disintegrated into mist just like water flowing down Niagara Falls before it could reach where I sat.
Milim's face seems to contort in extreme confusion before bringing her arms up like a predator just as they're about to pounce on its prey and cause a wave large enough to splash both of us.
Yet the water dissipated right before hitting us as if the World itself didn't allow the existence of such a wave. Milim opened her mouth up in shock before narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Arcueid let out a small chuckle at the annoyed Dragonoid's expense.
I felt my eyelids become heavy so I sat down and leaned further into Arcueid, using her body as a pillow while the True Ancestor's mouth nommed on part of my hair. My head rested on her chest which just so happens to be right above the water.
In such a comfortable position, is it any wonder I fell fast asleep?
[Silenced Emotion: Error—
Or I would've had Arcueid not suddenly poke the area between my legs, causing my body to automatically seize up and fold in like some kind of mousetrap.
I opened my mouth to scream before it was muffed by the water of the hot spring, resulting in a mere gurgle as water rushed into my open mouth.
Quickly I stood up and coughed, not as much as that time with the knife in my throat but close to it as I tried to get rid of the water in my lungs. I could feel my cheeks being much hotter even when I was inside the hot spring.
As I coughed, I glared at Arcueid, who was merely looking confused instead of sorry as a normal person should.
"Where're your genitals? I remember all high-quality Homunculus have at least some form of reproduction organs. At least, from that one rogue True Ancestor."
I bit my lips to calm down. Heat and desire coiled around my body as I was forced to turn away from both Milim and Arcueid.
"You do not just touch someone's private place, Arcueid!" I scolded her and she just blinked her eyes, "That's their untouchable place, something sacred. Something the person only shares with those they are the closest to and only when they want."
Sexual harassment, even unproven accusations of sexual harassment, is pretty much a career-ender. That's why I always maintain at least a foot distance away from my female coworkers at work. I've heard horror stories shared among my peers of people who got accused and were later proven false but the social stigma persisted, and in the end, no large companies wanted to hire them.
Milim burst out laughing as if she found the whole scene funny.
"Scientia is a Perfect Homunculus," she said like how a teacher would educate an ignorant student, "Perfect Homunculus is just that, perfect. Perfection shouldn't have a gender, so they are an in-between, an idealized version of both male and female. True Perfection of the human form without the constraint known as 'gender'. Flawless in every way."
"..." I had no reply.
Her finger then went touched her chin in a gesture of deep thought, "although it has been centuries since I've last fought against a Perfect Homunculus—" the Destroyer broke out a savage grin, "that battle was truly glorious! Oh, how I wish I could go back and fight once more, Relentless can take any attack I throw at them and just keep on fighting. I think the scar from the battle is still around today— hey Scientia, does the Eastern Empire still have a volcano in their domain?"
Pulling up a mental map of the world, I realized that yes, Eastern Empire does have a volcano smack dab in the middle of the nation, "yes, why do you ask?"
Her grin went even wider, "ha! So that volcano Relentless made still exists huh?"
It suddenly just occurred to me that I'm having a casual conversation with one of the most powerful entities in this world, and said entity is in my hot spring, relaxing like she owned the place.
My own employer is in the hot spring. If this were in my world it would be the equivalent of me rubbing up to my boss in order to improve their image of me.
I was hit with a sudden headache at that thought, the mental exhaustion coming back like a tsunami that drained the beach. I am not dealing with this upon the dawn of my victory.
Getting out of the pool, Shizue stood silent the whole time on the sides while holding my sleepwear.
"Well, you guys have fun, if you need anything Shizue is here to help you out," I said while Shizue gave me a robe that's been through the steamer.
"Wait! but what about my sweets?!" Milim called out just as I opened the door, cold air blowing in as I do.
"And spending time with me?!" Arcueid joined in with a jump.
I clenched my eyes shut, please just let me rest! Sighing, I turned towards the pool, "you'll get your sweets tomorrow. And Arcueid," I raised a finger like a parent scolding their kid, "this is your punishment for touching me without asking."
Milim then pouted like a child, before finally relenting when Arcueid splashed a wave of water on her.
Two childrens, I swear.
_____________________________________________
AN: If Scientia's PRT rating if they were in Parahuman
Tinker 12, Trump 10, Thinker 10, Blaster 11, Brute 12+, Striker 8, Stranger 10, Mover 12+, Master 10.
No breaker rating though, as they don't really have a breaker state.