Chapter 57: My First Love

Amphere Harrison

After a minute of tearful observation, my gaze fixated on the intertwined hands of the lifeless lovers. As I brushed away my tears, I realized the weight of my kneeling position had burdened my toes, making it arduous to rise. Blurred vision and an excruciating pain emanating from my chest wound added to my disorientation. Struggling to maintain my balance, I teetered precariously, but fortunately, Airelina was there to prevent my fall. She cradled me, gripping my shoulders firmly, as she guided me away from the scene, toward the watchful dragon knights who had witnessed Estoff's tragic demise.

The dragon knights, with gleeful smiles adorning their faces, reveled in what they deemed a heroic display on my part. But deep down, I couldn't fathom their jubilation. I didn't deserve their admiration. Estoff had willingly sacrificed himself solely to embellish my image as a hero. This falsehood, this lack of honor, left a bitter taste in my mouth. All of it felt like a charade, a hollow celebration.

Then, breaking through the cacophony, the radio incessantly blared out a message, conveying the urgent presence of a nuclear threat lurking within the underground depths of the city hall. The warning echoed repeatedly, irritating my frayed nerves. I yearned to hurl the device away in frustration, but I knew I had to compose myself. It was a matter of self-preservation. Estoff had left me with a legacy, and it would remain unfulfilled if I succumbed to death's clutches.

Beside me stood a man, his rectangular eyeglasses perched on his nose, and his spiky hair adding a touch of youthful vigor to his appearance. Despite being around thirty years old, there was an air of maturity about him. Clad in a resplendent royal blue uniform, adorned with a star insignia on his shoulder, he exuded authority—General Holster, one of the empire's esteemed generals. Known for his jovial nature, he was often referred to as the Awkward Joker. In his presence, mirthful laughter was a rarity, except for his own amusement at his own jokes.

His presence, positioned between the dragonoids and humans, exuded a delicate equilibrium, alleviating any apprehension that he might be as fearsome as Kyle Leviticus.

"Hey, chin up!" Holster's hand lightly tapped my back, his attempt to inject some cheer into the dire situation. "Your explosive clash with Wraith earlier turned you into the hero of Twilight City! But now, we've got to make a swift exit from this place because there's another blast in the cards! HAHAHAHAHA!"

That grating laughter grated on my nerves, yet I couldn't deny his words held truth. I had to reserve my tears for later. My mind fixated on a frosty pint of beer, a well-deserved respite once we escaped this infernal city. For now, our group, comprising five dragon knights under the command of General Holster, exerted every ounce of effort to flee.

"All civilians have successfully evacuated through the magical warp points of the Portal Dragons," reported Iris, a short-haired woman and General Holster's dragonoid, as well as his wife. Clad in a ninja suit that exuded undeniable coolness, she continued, "The nuclear bomb was planted by an Arcadian soldier. It resembles a colossal radioactive heart, a menacing black bionic device. The bomb squad remains clueless regarding its deactivation, leaving evacuation as the most viable course of action."

Airi maintained her swift pace, her head drawing nearer to my neck. In that moment, I anticipated flirtatious banter, but to my surprise, she whispered with urgency, "There was never a plan to bomb the city. And that radioactive heart she mentioned... It's not the handiwork of Arcadia."

"I had my suspicions as well. Perhaps the zombie Black Phantom has a hand in this," I replied, pondering the enigmatic Dragunov's involvement. "There are still unanswered questions that old geezer holds."

Airi had dropped the word "totally" from her earlier statement. Although she didn't shed any tears, I could sense a profound melancholy hidden within her heart. I carefully examined the nuances on her face, attempting to decipher her emotions, when suddenly, a burst of static disrupted our thoughts through the earpiece.

"We failed to capture Dragunov," Reina's voice crackled over the radio. "That Black Phantom zombie somehow harnessed the power of Dracaryx. He bellowed and vanished in an instant. We're unclear about what occurred, but our current mission is to extract you from that location. Please provide us with your coordinates."

I tapped my touch-screen interface watch, activating the GPS signal to transmit our precise location. However, before we could complete the task, chaos ensued.

"Hostiles!" A soldier's cry pierced through the air. Like a relentless swarm of ants, hordes of zombies surged forward, their bodies decayed and wearing remnants of Arcadian and Empire uniforms. Their grotesque appearance distinguished them from the living, resembling famished ants that had just stumbled upon a feast.

The soldiers, acting as escorts for the dragon knights, swiftly raised their assault rifles, firing relentlessly at the countless zombies that ravaged the expansive cityscape. The knights, armed with their blades, engaged in combat, decapitating the undead with skilled precision. General Holster's prowess in dispatching zombies was unmatched, wielding dual desperado pistols that dispatched five zombies with each bullet. Iris, his wife and dragonoid, displayed her own deadly skills, hurling shurikens directly at the heads of the advancing horde.

Finally, a luminous ring materialized, signaling our escape route. "Over here!" I shouted, pointing emphatically at the portal. The three dragon knights and their dragonoids leaped into the opening. Utilizing the power of my dynamos and aided by Airelina's Armament Mode cannons mounted on her back, we formed a protective barrier to shield our allies from any pursuing zombies.

"General!" I shouted urgently. "Let's go!"

In response to my call, General Holster and his wife swiftly disengaged from the battlefield, leaping towards the awaiting portal. Now, only Airi and I remained in this desolate city. As we created a safe distance of twenty meters from the encroaching legion of zombies, we prepared to make our escape through the portal. However, fate had other plans.

In an instant, a thunderous explosion shook the surroundings, painting the sky with a crimson-hued mushroom cloud and unleashing a powerful shockwave that rippled through the atmosphere. The portal disintegrated, vanishing before we could step foot into it. Fortunately, the shockwave rendered the once-advancing zombies motionless, causing them to collapse lifelessly to the ground. Thousands of inert bodies littered the area.

"This is not good!" Airi screamed, rushing toward me and enveloping me in a tight embrace. I could feel the gentle rise and fall of her chest against my cheeks, as if she were sheltering her child from imminent danger. Unfurling her metallic wings, she formed a protective shield around us. What was she doing?

Within our makeshift cocoon, darkness enveloped us. A wave of scorching heat surged around us, but thanks to Airi's shielding presence, its impact was diminished. It dawned on me that she had orchestrated this protective barrier to shield me once again, this time from the radiation of the nuclear explosion.

"...You know, Amphy," Airi spoke softly, her voice faint. "...We used to embrace like this when we were lost in the forest...to keep our bodies warm and endure through the long nights...do you remember?"

In that moment of darkness and reminiscence, a flood of memories from my past surged into my mind. The vivid image of a charming scarlet-haired girl, her captivating red eyes holding the essence of innocence. The Ancient Forest within the Guardian's Haven, where we once found solace. The ferocious encounter with the menacing wolf that had threatened our safety. And the dark crimson handkerchief I had given to the woman who captured my heart for the first time.

It was during those tumultuous times that I first experienced the rush of adrenaline, fighting relentlessly to protect someone dear to me.

And now, the pieces fell into place. The pieces of my forgotten memories and the realization of her identity.

"...Airi?" My eyes widened, even though I couldn't see anything around me. "...So, it was you, the girl from back then?"

"...You're so slow, totally!" Her voice resonated with laughter and warmth. "From that moment, I had already decided that this man, who shielded me from harm... this man, my hero, would be the love of my life... forever..."

With her final words, the cybernetic wings surrounding us began to dissolve into the air. Perhaps they succumbed to the corrosive effects of the electromagnetic pulse waves and the radioactive aftermath. I glanced around, witnessing the destruction that unfolded before me. Hundreds of buildings reduced to ashes, disintegrated with each passing gust of wind. Cars, stalls, and signages—all transformed into nothing more than drifting dust.

A-Airi...

"...Don't worry, Amphy," she whispered, her smile both innocent and strained. "...I've purified the air for you, removed the radioactive waves in this area... You won't be harmed..."

"Airi!" I cried out, the anguish in my voice reverberating through the desolate landscape. But as soon as the words escaped my lips, she collapsed onto the ground. Instinctively, I caught her fragile form, only to make a harrowing discovery. The skin on the back of her body had disintegrated, reduced to mere dust. As I cradled her, the dust of her very spine slipped through my trembling fingers.

Terror consumed my being as Airi's consciousness faded away.

"No, no, no, no, no... AIRIIIIIIIII!!!"