Chapter 12: Paradise Lost, part 1

In the black ocean of space, two vessels stealthily sailed to the ruin of a once-great civilization.

Exterius, the floating city of dreams. 

A land of glass and metal, where many prospectors came to seek refuge and fortune. A free capital, of merit and lawlessness. One where beggars can become kings and kings can become beggars overnight.

A paradise of scum and villainy. A haven for the weak and poor. A kingdom of sin and virtue.

No more.

The dream died, and only death remained.

Death and destruction as far as the eyes could see.

“My God!”

One of my guards exclaimed in horror as we floated past a river of frozen corpses.

Men. Women. Young. Old. Weak. Strong. Rich. Poor.

All made equal in the sweet embrace of mother death.

Their twisted faces could give nightmares if any of us could sleep evermore.

The dome which covered Exterius was destroyed. Oxygen, lost. Gravity, gone. Life extinguished in mere seconds.

Ten million people died, agonizingly, and their homes became their coffins.

Ten million.

I wondered what would’ve happened if I had arrived here earlier. Would I have been able to save the day, or would I have joined them in their doom?

Hard to say when I don’t know who… or what caused all this tragedy.

Why would anyone attack a neutral spaceport?

What would they gain?

Military campaigns rely heavily on the transport of goods and personnel.

Corporations wouldn’t randomly massacre their pay pigs.

Even Space pirates still needed a place to call home and drink their conscience away.

Terrorists?

Psychopaths?

A simple accident?

OR…

A force of nature.

“Land the ships in that stadium. Keep the engines running. Half of you stay and secure the location. The half with a death wish, come with me!”

“Hoorah!”

“Shut up, you marine wannabes!”

“But sir… we were marines. The private sector just pays better. Better dental plans too!”

“Oh.”

I awkwardly coughed into my fist before securing my spacesuit. As a Level Four, I could survive in the vacuum for some time, but every ounce of Mana counts in a situation like this.

Together with my team, I flew into the city in search of survivors and a spare Mana battery for the main ship. We kept our flight ceiling low and crisscrossed between high-rise buildings to avoid any unseen attack.

I, who had witnessed a cripple assassinating a Master, became extra cautious. Danger can come from unforeseen places, so I used every means at my disposal to detect my surroundings. Mana resonances. Sonar. Heat signatures. Electrical fields. The slightest motions…

There!

I signaled my team to stop. Someone was waiting to ambush us. One group was situated two blocks ahead in a parking lot. Another, hiding in a nearby hotel.

They could be enemies or civilians, hard to judge from this distance.

“Put your weapons on stun. I’ll go in first, you guys take the long way round.”

“Hoo-”

“Zip it! OR I’ll give you a reason to use that dental plan of yours!”

“…hoo…”

Since I was the bait, I decided to expose myself to my hidden ambushers with both hands held high.

I didn’t sense any high-level wizards nearby and blaster shots would only tickle me, so I wasn’t too concerned for my safety.

But I did put on a thin layer of shield, just in case, a Marianne-type was waiting for me. You can’t be too careful these days.

“Stop right there, asshole!”

A loud shout came from the parking lot with a warning shot that just missed my feet.

“Wait, don't shoot! Don’t shoot! I’m unarmed! See!”

I waved my hands above my head, playing the helpless civilian act.

“Dude, don’t shoot! That's just a little girl!”

Girl? What girl?

“What ordinary girl would walk in the street with a spacesuit on? Bitch’s a wizard! Isn’t that right you little whore!?”

Who the fuck are they talking about? Is there someone else here, besides me?

“Fine, don't answer! Just drop all your supplies and scram!”

At the end of that sentence, another shot struck near my feet.

Oh, they’re talking about me.

Ha!

Ha ha ha!

Bwa! Ha ha ha ha ha!

“Dude, I think she just wet her pants. You’re taking this survivor thing way too far!”

“Hey don’t look at me like that! I was just trying to scare her-”

Before the man with the rifle could finish his sentence, my fist was already planted right in his guts!

The man vomited right inside his oxygen helmet before passing out in mid-air.

I quickly turned to his surprised friend and kicked him so hard the man flew right into his other companions!

My anger hasn’t been quenched yet, so I jumped into the air and shot a number of magic projectiles to knock out everyone else in the area.

Within three moves, twenty people were completely pacified. Without gravity, their bodies floated in the air, moaning and crying for their mothers.

I looked at the suffering around me and cracked my knuckles with a satisfied grin.

Non-lethal means sure feels good, don’t they!?

As I figured, both the group I took out and the group that was hiding in the hotel were civilians. They were surviving by utilizing the facility’s built-in emergency room. Being in space, many buildings have one of those, as a matter of precaution.

We transport all of them back to the stadium including the ones I’ve knocked out.

I tried to question the survivors about what had happened, but none of them had a clue either.

All they knew was that, two days prior, a massive explosion occurred, cutting off the power grid and destroying the skydome in an instant. Most people died in the first ten minutes, the rest scrambled for survival.

I questioned why no one used a spaceship to escape. Their answer… frightened me.

“W-We can’t master… s-something is up there! Waiting to eat us alive!”

Shit! Nothing can ever be simple, can it?

So we got in easy enough, but leaving is impossible, is that right?

Fuck me, and my luck!

“What do you think, my lord? Should we try our luck and take these people back to the ship?”

One of my team members asked me.

“Sadly, lady luck ain’t on our side. I’ll investigate this mysterious ‘Ship-Eater’ first. You guys focused on rescuing more people.”

“…yes, sir…”

“Huh… go on. I know you want to say it.”

“HOORAH!!!”

“Goddamn, dental plans.”

Now that I was traveling solo, I was able to increase my speed to that of a fighter jet and zoomed around the broken city.

Every direction I gazed was death and destruction. They surrounded me. Enveloped me. They want me to join them in their cold embrace.

At first, I was cautious about catching the attention of this unseen predator, but as I searched and searched, I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

I slowly increased my flight ceiling. From the street level to high-rise skyscrapers and from that to way up in the dark sky above, looking down at the ground below. Looking. Searching.

But as hard as I searched I couldn't find anything besides corpses and rubbles 

I threw caution out the wind and widened my senses, surveying for strong Mana resonance.

Where are my Grand Order compatriots?

Where are the Mana batteries?

Where is that Goddamn Ship-Eater?

How is it possible that a space station of this size doesn’t have a strong concentration of Mana anywhere?

Wait!!

No Mana batteries!?

Ship-Eater!!?

Marianne!!!

***

Shit! Shit! Shit! Fuck me! Fuck my life!

Why the fuck am I so retarded!!?

I flew back down to the stadium at several times the speed of sound and rushed to the radio!

“Come in TG-025! This is Jack speaking! Code black! I repeat, code black! Run away as fast as possible! You hear me!? Haul ass!!!”

[Jack!? This is Kyle, what's wrong? You don't expect us to leave you there, do you!?]

“Shut up and go, now! It’s the Vampires!!! They’re headed your way as we speak!”

[Vamps!? But Jack, there’s nothing on rader.]

“Are you born retarded or did your mom drop you on the head! Go! Run! Now!”

I slammed down the radio before I could get an answer from my annoying friend.

They say birds of a feather flock together. Why, oh why, do we have to share hubris and arrogance!?

I once again flew into the air, but this time I ascended to the cold dark space itself!

My warnings may be too late so I needed to be there ASAP!

I flew as fast as I could. Faster! Faster! Faster still!

I swam through the black water of space, heading for the silver ship which contained all I hold dear.

Marianne. My Goddess. My Queen.

My Love.

I need to be there in time!

I must be there in time!

I burned my Mana to increase my speed. At this point, I was already as fast as a starfighter, but no, I needed to go faster still!

Faster! Faster! Faster Goddammit!

Twenty times the speed of sound!

A hundred times the speed of sound!

A thousand times the speed of sound!

Faster!!! Faster!!! Faster!!!

‘Perfection… desire Perfection…’

“Fuck perfection! Give me speed!”

‘For the creator… it shall be done’

Ten thousand times the speed of sound!

Fifty thousand!

A hundred thousand!

Five hundred thousand!

Time started to slow down as I approached the speed of light!

Almost there. I can now see the ship.

She’s floating carelessly in the black ocean. Not knowing of the danger that’s lurking behind her!

There! I see it!

A giant black serpent slithering across the star ocean! 

Its gigantic body blended into the night. 

Its red eyes were like stars. 

Its mouth, wide open, ready for the kill!

“Don’t you dare touch my woman, you ugly piece of shit!”

‘Perfection… aim for…’

“Fuck perfection! Give me strength!”

‘For the creator… it shall be done.’

The bracelet transformed into a weapon. But not a sword, no. I’ve never learned to swing a sword before.

A diamond knuckle duster.

Now that’s more my style!

I prepared my fist as I shot myself at the lowly creature that dared to threaten my whole world!

Faster! Stronger! Better!

*BOOOOM!!!*

There is no sound in space, yet the second my fist made contact with the serpent, I could almost hear its scream of death.

Cold. Metallic. Evil.

The serpent is no living creature, but a ship!

A giant space vessel that survives by sucking Mana out of others.

Spaceships. Spaceports. Batteries. People.

The ones who pilot such an evil vessel are the Vampires.

A group of religious zealots who aim to burn the universe in the name of their living goddess. Their Vampire queen.

My attack has destroyed the serpent's head. Shards of broken metal and glass flew around. Corpses of Vampires who were stationed in the front area now share the same fate as their victims.

Their bodies were frozen stiff.

Their faces twisted in agony.

The part of the ship that was used to swallow up other ships is no more.

But even without a head, a snake can still survive.

Multiple vessels came out from the belly of the beast. Hundreds of them! They aim to hunt the silver bird the old fashion way.

They will die for their sins!

They will burn for their act of blasphemy!

I’ll make damn sure of that!

Quickly turning around, I shot myself at the swarm of predators like a speeding bullet!

There are too many of them and I only have so much Mana left.

So I need to kill smarter. Kill faster. Kill more efficiently.

Mana batteries. Yes. Their trophies will become the instrument of their doom!

I shot a beam of energy aiming at their fuel tank. Modern Mana batteries are built with safety in mind, therefore, my aim must be perfect!

Always aim for perfection!

My power penetrated a ship’s defense like a virus. The speed helped. Good.

It pierced through the energy shield, penetrated the hard metallic exterior. Made its way past pipes and wires and human flesh until it reached its destination.

A ship went up in flames. It’s passengers, cooked alive. Its debris shot outwards like a grenade, impacting the other ships around it.

I do like fireworks.

So let's make more things go boom!

I burned through my Mana reserve and destroyed more and more vessels.

Whichever ships, I can’t make explode, I broke my way in and slaughtered the Vamps the old fashion way!

My fist, which could bend steel, popped their heads like water balloons. My legs, which could create earthquakes, cut their torsos in half. And my insane speed made the act of genocide smooth as butter!

Kill them!

Kill them all!

Kill them in the name of my Goddess!

In mere minutes I had ended the lives of hundreds of men and women.

Vampire is simply a name. The name of their cult. The name they took up after their leader. These assholes are humans like you and me. They have friends, families, lovers, hopes, dreams, and beliefs.

That’s why murdering them is so Goddamn satisfying!

Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!

Just shut up and die, you worthless scum!

I had destroyed dozens of ships. I had killed thousands of people. But more just kept coming! You gotta give the Vamps one thing, they’re persistent and they have strength in numbers.

How was it possible that an army of this size went completely unnoticed by a Level Four like me or Kyle?

How did a big ass serpent-shaped spaceship remain hidden from all means of detection?

As much as I tried, they overwhelmed me.

They fought as if they were not afraid of death.

They sacrificed themselves to further their causes.

They fought as if they were seeking glory.

From whom?

Who do they fight for if not…

No!

No! No! No! No! No!

It can’t be!

She can’t be here!!!

Why the fuck would she be here!!?

“My, my, my, what a cute little thing you are.”

A sweet voice cut through the vast emptiness of space right into my ears.

A voice, so sweet. So beautiful. So alluring.

Like that of an apex predator.

My hands stopped. My blood froze. My brain refused to function. My eyes widened with fear.

I was afraid.

Scared shitless.

My body no longer felt like my own. I was pulled across the black ocean right into the belly of the beast.

I moved past the destruction of my own doing. Past the river of frozen corpses and large oppressive hallways.

Deeper and deeper into the inner sanctum.

Into her throne room.

There, she stood.

There, she spoke to me with amusement in her sickly sweet voice. Sweet as a man-eating plant.

“What an adorable little darling you are! I didn’t know those stuffy old men kept a cute pet like you around!”

I could not speak. Not because she prevented me, but because fear had gripped me completely.

Fear of death.

Fear of… her.

That woman.

That frightening woman.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, but I knew that she was centuries old. She was standing stark naked in her throne room. The only thing covering her inhumanly gorgeous figure was… blood.

So much blood.

A sea of blood made up the floor of her altar.

She bathes in it. 

She drinks it. 

She enjoys it.

But blood wasn’t the substance that had sustained her for hundreds of years. No.

It was Mana. 

So much Mana concentrated into a single vessel. Into her body.

Her endless hunger for blood and Mana had led her to cause countless atrocities throughout history.

Planet burned. Civilization wiped out. Galaxies died.

All to feed her hunger. All to maintain her beauty.

It’s like I’m gazing into a depthless black hole. A deep dark abyss that seeks to consume and snuff out all life.

“Tell me, pet, do you know who I am?”

She is Death incarnate.

She is Fear made Flesh.

She is the Devil, herself.

The Devil had asked a question, and I must answer.

“Lady Catherine, the Vampire Queen.”

One of the most powerful beings in the cosmos.

A Level Six.

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