Story Reader / Interlude / False Hope / Story
Sis... Lucia, look! I did it... I killed all of the Corrupted!
Yup, not bad... But I don't need you anymore.
Wiping out all of the Corrupted, all Luna wants is praise from her sister. Instead, all she gets is a bullet.
The bullet at point-blank range pierces her stomach and the Froggie plushy in her arms. The cotton stuffing flies into the air, gently fluttering to the ground like snow.
...Lucia?
Luna looks at the wound in her stomach in disbelief. No longer able to support herself, she slowly falls to her knees.
Quit calling me your sister! You disgust me... What sort of filthy monster such as you has a sister?
Monster? I'm a monster... I...
The previously suppressed noise once again begins to echo by Luna's ear as the Punishing Virus concentration starts to rise. Her breathing begins to quicken.
Agh... Argh!
Luna struggles to stabilize her breathing as she crawls toward Letty. She longs for an embrace that is not there.
No... Lucia... It's me, Luna. I'm not a monster...
Tch... Out of the way!
Letty ruthlessly kicks Luna out of the way, then stomps on Froggie.
Monsters deserve to die! Got it?!
"Bang—Bang—" Letty fires two more rounds, silencing Luna.
Sis... Lucia...
Luna looks at Froggie, filthy like her, as the light fades from her eyes.
Quit calling me your sister! You disgust me... What sort of filthy monster such as you has a sister?
Lucia? What are you talking about? It's me... Luna. I-I'm not a monster...
Tch... Out of the way!
Lucia! Why don't you... need me anymore? Didn't we say that... we'd always stick together no matter what?
Monsters deserve to die! Got it?!
Lucia... Don't leave me! Sis!
Humanity's repugnance is engraved in their souls... Anyone is capable of betrayal. Anything can be sacrificed.
Even your own sister has abandoned you; her promise broken... She is human, and therefore finds you insufferable.
Because she is a human... and you are a monster.
Letty fires a few more shots into the air as she laughs wildly, then smugly puts away her pistol.
Destroy... humanity... for the sake of... humans...
Hahahaha! Stupid ol' geezer, you see that? I can kill Corrupted, too, ya know? All I gotta do is put my mind to it! I ain't no trash! Hey! Let me go—!
Just as Letty pounds on the door to attract attention from outside, she hears something shaking from behind. She turns around to see Luna's surroundings starting to tremble.
Huh? Still not dead yet, you little brat?
Right as Letty reaches for her gun, Luna appears before her with impeccable speed.
What?!
Before Letty is able to pull out her gun, her arm has been vaporized into thin air. Without giving her time to scream in pain, Luna pins her down onto the ground.
Luna's left arm has transformed into a blade that is now pressed against Letty's jugular. She glows with a sanguine aura, looking completely out of control.
But right at the last moment, Luna uses her last ounce of sanity to force her right hand, still not fully corrupted, to stop the blade's strike.
Sis... Run...
Thinking she has caught Luna off-guard, Letty uses her other hand to pull out a dagger at her waist and stabs Luna.
AAAAGGHHH! DIE, YOU MONSTER!!!
—No!
Sparks from the clash of metal-on-metal illuminates the factory with a flash before returning it to silence.
The dagger plunges into Luna's chest, but misses a vital point. Luna's arm, however, pierces Letty's throat.
Agh... Ugh...
Vital fluid spews out of Letty's mouth as the light in her eyes gradually fades.
I... I killed my sister...
I really am... a monster...
A high concentration of Punishing Virus envelops Luna in a red aura.
Destroy... humanity... for the sake of... humans...
Monsters... Monsters must... be... reborn...
Outside the tents of the Kurono squad, a violent rumbling can be felt, and the flashing glimmer of fire can be seen from afar.
Hey, hey, hey... What's going on...
Sir...
Hiro, my boy... You're alive? Give me a sitrep.
There was a giant explosion at the disposal plant, and a Corrupted escaped. She destroyed the nearest CPF before we even had time to react.
We tried to stop her, but almost all of us were wiped out. Even our leader...
Hiro, my boy... Listen, you should take a break. Your memory shell must be busted. How could a Corrupted...
Just as Collins is about to finish his sentence, he looks up into the sky and shuts his mouth.
A girl in pristine white is hovering in the air, below her a trail of destruction and remains. Such contrast seems to give her an aura of unparalleled divinity.
Nearby Corrupted see the explosion from the onslaught and take notice of her. Thinking she is merely another human victim, they charge at her from all directions.
...Insects.
She raises her hand lightly, and spikes formed of the Punishing Virus pierce all of the surrounding Corrupted.
The remaining Corrupted come to their senses as they realize what she was, and begin to bow before her.
It's her... She's the Corrupted... Our leader, he...
Corrupted? No... She's an angel... An ANGEL!
Either he has forgotten her name, or perhaps there is just that stark of a contrast with the Construct of before and the Luna of now.
HEY! HEY! Over here! My angel!
Collins waves both hands childishly, laughing and crying at the same time.
...
Luna glances at Collins, but sees nothing worth stopping for and flies away.
HEY! Angel! My angel!
Tears stream down Collins' face, paying no mind to those present.
Sir, we've finished gathering our forces. We should launch an attack on the Corrupted before she escapes!
Forget it... You don't understand. She could've killed everyone with just the wave of her hand. The only reason we are still alive is because she has no interest in us.
Watching Luna disappear into the distance, a fanatical smile adorns Collins' tear-stained face.
A Corrupted that can control the Punishing Virus while still maintaining her sanity... She is what can only be described as a miracle.
I'm afraid... she will either bring destruction to humanity... Or, perhaps, she will be the last dawn of its salvation.
Collins rubs his chest, unable to stifle his laughter.
Hahaha... Such an exciting new development. What a pity my dear boy Nikola wasn't present.
Corrupted girl in white, I will find you, and you will be mine. And then...
Suddenly, Collins stops laughing as if something troublesome has popped into his mind.
Dammit...
Someone like her can't be labeled as a "Corrupted". She deserves to be called something else...
But what to call her... Dammit, I hate coming up with names...
