Chapter Eleven: I Will Be Your Guardian

In the dim underground tunnel, all five soldiers, including the captain, had loaded their guns. They moved cautiously, flashlights in hand, eyes vigilant as they swept across the dark corners, every gesture careful and deliberate. In contrast, Tetsuya appeared utterly at ease; he even had the luxury, amidst the gloom, to reach out and take Saro Mizuhara’s hand.

"Don’t be afraid. I’m here," he assured her.

Saro Mizuhara stopped, her cold gaze settling on Tetsuya. After a moment, her stare made even the thick-skinned Tetsuya a little embarrassed, and he reluctantly let go of her hand. Another attempt at flirtation, and yet again, a failure.

"The One absorbs various life forms to transform its shape and abilities. We can’t begin to imagine what it looks like now," Saro explained as she walked, her cool, detached voice echoing in the tunnel.

"He went through the same ordeal, didn’t he? So why could he keep his mind, but The One became a man-eating monster?" the captain asked his doubt.

"You’re mistaken..." Saro cut him off, almost rudely, her words urgent. "The light in him and Tetsuya is fundamentally different—blue light, red light. If that arrangement is just coincidence, then fate was simply cruel to him! I don’t quite understand it, but that’s the reality!"

The captain was clearly dissatisfied with her answer and was about to protest when suddenly, a monstrous roar echoed through the empty darkness of the tunnel.

Instantly, everyone’s nerves tensed. The captain said nothing more, staring ahead in earnest, his grip tightening on his weapon.

Ahead, a man emerged, naked from the waist up. He stooped, shivering in the chill of the underground air.

The beam of a flashlight fell upon him. The captain recognized him first, exclaiming in shock, "Takafumi Arata!?"

At the sound, Takafumi Arata looked back, squinting against the glare of the flashlight, shielding his eyes with his hand as he peered at the group.

Tetsuya noticed Saro Mizuhara’s hand tremble, though she quickly steadied herself. Her pistol was raised, the brim of her cap shadowing her eyes—was there mercy in those beautiful eyes, or only resolve?

"Saro..." Takafumi Arata’s voice was the first to break the silence, calling her name with an intimacy that irked Tetsuya.

"Why... why are you all here?"

No one moved; their guns remained trained on the man who could transform into a monster at any moment. No one dared to let their guard down.

"I woke up here..." Takafumi Arata said.

Saro pressed her lips together in silence, her eyes brimming with determination.

"Tell me... What has happened to me?"

Tetsuya found himself pitying Takafumi Arata. Perhaps he had merely fallen victim to the influence of the malignant light. Maybe he was unaware of the destruction he had wrought. But what was done was done—he would have to bear the burden of sins he may not even have known he committed.

"Who is behind you? Where exactly are we?" Takafumi Arata’s gaze swept the pitch-black tunnel, his tone heavy with despair.

Saro Mizuhara’s eyes shifted briefly before fixing once more on Takafumi Arata. Her voice was cold as ice.

"This... is Heaven."

"Heaven!?"

"Yes... You are already... you are already dead!"

A flash of red erupted from the muzzle of her pistol—a special, highly toxic round struck Takafumi Arata square in the chest.

As if on cue, the first shot was followed by a barrage from the soldiers’ submachine guns, bullets raining mercilessly in a dense curtain toward Takafumi Arata.

Tetsuya made no move; he stood to the side, watching Saro Mizuhara’s profile. Perhaps that shot carried all the love she ever had for Takafumi Arata.

A sudden whoosh sliced through the air. Saro Mizuhara’s face twisted in pain as Takafumi Arata’s left arm stretched impossibly, snaking out nearly ten meters to seize her, his now-beastly hand clamping tightly around her.

Gunfire erupted again and again, bullets pouring into Takafumi Arata, but the wounds sealed almost as quickly as they appeared.

Tetsuya snatched a rifle from one of the soldiers and fired at the monstrous arm.

"Damn it!" he cursed, frustrated by the futility. Unlike Takafumi Arata, Tetsuya’s own transformation did not violently alter his body. Against an opponent already half-beast, unless he became Nexus, Tetsuya had little recourse.

Takafumi Arata, his head once bowed, now raised his face, the skin already turning rough and scaly, a twisted grin curling his lips, his voice warped and inhuman.

"Saro..."

"Five shots fired, but only the first hit..."

"How can you shoot without aiming first?"

He lifted his arm, and Saro Mizuhara was effortlessly raised and swept toward the soldiers, knocking them to the ground.

The monstrous arm shrank back, drawing Saro Mizuhara to his side.

"Seems your tears have blurred your vision... How naive!"

That grotesque smile had not yet faded when a sudden gunshot froze it in place.

"Farewell, Takafumi," Saro Mizuhara whispered, tears glistening in her eyes as she gazed at the man she once loved. Now... he was nothing but a humanoid monster.

Bang!

Takafumi Arata’s expression faltered as a bullet struck his chest. Ordinary rounds could not harm him, but this specially formulated toxin was different—the agony shot straight into his mind, his chest growing numb and rigid.

"Ah..."

Blood spurted forth as, with a terrible howl, two bone spurs erupted from his back. The surge of this new power quickly purged the toxin from his body and restored his strength.

Tetsuya hurried to the fallen Saro Mizuhara, helping her up and pulling her behind him as he retreated, eyes warily fixed on Takafumi Arata.

The soldiers, having reloaded, opened fire once more, but this volley was even less effective—the bullets didn’t even pierce his skin.

"Die!" Takafumi Arata snarled, his face contorted with rage. "Defy me, and you will perish!"

With a roar, he lunged at the soldiers, his immense strength sending one flying. With a monstrous snarl, he sank his teeth into the man’s neck, blood spraying and staining his face a ghastly red.

"Regroup!" the captain shouted desperately, and the remaining soldiers scrambled to his side.

A hail of bullets erupted once more. Takafumi Arata attempted to force his way through, but though the bullets could not penetrate his skin, they still stung him, forcing him to hesitate. His gaze flickered, and he turned toward Saro Mizuhara, charging at her once more.

Saro Mizuhara stumbled back in terror, but Tetsuya seized her hand, stepped forward, and confronted Takafumi Arata head-on.

"I will protect you!"

In the dim tunnel, the two men wrestled, neither able to gain the upper hand.

"If you lay a hand on her..."

"I will never... forgive you!"