Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 - Battle Mode
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As we all know, Nefer, having single-handedly defeated the assassins, was diligently searching for Juho.
She was approaching Aaptukemen.
“Elder, allow me to assist you. Please…”
Nefer held Juho’s severed hand close, along with the rest of his belongings she had gathered. Her devotion was evident in her meticulous care, as if she would reattach the limb with her own hands, stitch by stitch.
But her pace slowed. Nefer’s tail, which had been gliding smoothly across the sand, suddenly stopped.
“…”
She had seen something she shouldn't have, a deeply unsettling presence. It felt similar to the ominous feeling she experienced when looking at the moon.
But this was different.
“Identify yourself. Who are you?”
Nefer felt a flicker of fear. While she wasn't easily intimidated, the aura of this empty being, gave her pause.
“…”
Before her stood Amy, having tracked Juho to this location. And beside her, the succubus, its head peeking out from the sand. But Nefer was more wary of Amy than the high-ranking demon.
While demons were troublesome and unpredictable,
They were at least driven by their own desires and amusement.
But Amy,
Who had come here with the succubus,
Simply stared at the hand in Nefer’s grasp, her expression blank.
“Biological signature confirmed.”
Amy nodded, her gaze fixed on Juho’s severed hand, then,
Without a word, extended a sharp blade from her arm.
“Stop! This is a misunderstanding…!”
Nefer had to avoid a confrontation. She had to find Juho, and she couldn't afford to be delayed by an unexpected battle.
“W-wait… are you… are you his companion? I am also one of his… protectors. My name is Nefer. I understand this hand might be… concerning, but I assure you, I did not harm him. I am simply trying to help him…”
In her desperation, Nefer made a calculated decision.
Her keen observation skills had noticed Amy’s focus on Juho’s hand, and she correctly deduced that this strange, emotionless being might be his companion.
“…So, there is no need for us to fight. Do you understand…?”
But there was one insurmountable obstacle.
Amy,
Couldn't understand Nefer’s language.
And she wasn't interested in understanding. Juho was her priority, and Nefer was irrelevant.
Only the severed hand mattered. And Amy would eliminate anyone who stood between her and it.
“…Who are you? Are you truly his companion?”
Her behavior was alien, incomprehensible to a living being.
Fortunately,
Having been reprimanded by Juho before, she no longer killed indiscriminately.
“Activating combat mode.”
She simply neutralized threats.
Even this brief exchange was a waste of time, from Amy’s perspective. She prepared for battle, her only goal to retrieve Juho.
And Nefer, against her will, had to fight.
Having already battled Homunculus’s assassins, she was exhausted, and the fight quickly turned in Amy’s favor.
Dash-
Amy closed the distance between them, her movements swift and precise.
Their daggers clashed, the sharp clang of metal echoing through the air,
And sparks flew as their blades met, their attacks too fast for the eye to follow.
Clang- clang!
But even in close combat, Amy was superior. Unlike Nefer, who had spent years honing her skills, Amy simply relied on her programming, her advanced combat algorithms, effortlessly pushing Nefer back, disrupting her balance.
Nefer struggled to defend herself,
But fighting an opponent who was unaffected by physical limitations, fatigue, or psychological tactics, was a losing battle.
Thwack-
Amy’s foot connected with Nefer’s stomach.
“Oof…!”
And that was it.
Once her balance was broken,
Amy quickly overpowered her, her fists striking Nefer’s jaw, her throat, her vulnerable points-
And then, she retrieved Juho’s hand and left, as if nothing had happened.
***
The embers in the brazier, long since extinguished, had turned to ash, sinking into the sand.
I lay there, exhausted and broken, my breath shallow, my body aching after hours of torture.
“I think he’s had enough. Shall we switch?”
“He can’t even get it up anymore. Look. It’s completely limp.”
The soldiers poked and prodded me, their voices filled with crude jokes and laughter. I flinched with every touch.
“Any water left?”
“Three bottles. We have to conserve it.”
Having had their turn, they were taking a break, stretching their limbs, chatting amongst themselves.
And His Majesty and I,
Were granted a brief respite.
But,
We were still trapped in this torture chamber, our bodies huddled together.
I didn't even have the strength to sit up. I simply lay there, my heavy, limp body unresponsive, my breath shallow.
Cough-
But we were both still alive.
Despite everything, our resilience, our stubborn refusal to die, was remarkable.
“…A-are you… alive?”
His Majesty’s voice was a faint rasp, his eyelids fluttering. I wanted to answer, but my mouth wouldn't move.
“Ah… it hurts… it hurts…”
But His Majesty continued to whimper and moan, his voice a constant stream of complaints, despite his exhaustion.
“It hurts… it hurts…”
His voice was unpleasant. Hoarse from screaming, thick with phlegm.
“It hurts… hic… sob-…”
But there was something strangely innocent about his cries.
“Mother… Mommy…”
I didn't know his story, his struggles, or why he had helped me at the end.
But His Majesty, his wrinkled face contorted in pain, called out for his mother, seeking comfort.
At first, he used the language of the women here,
Then, as if realizing it was unnecessary,
He switched to his native tongue.
“دایک… (Mother…)”
“Sob-, sniff-…”
His flesh burned,
His body mutilated,
And he cried for his mother, seeking solace in her memory.
No matter how old you were, no matter how long you had endured,
In the end, you reverted back to a child, seeking comfort in your mother’s arms.
“I’m tired… it’s too late…”
I was the only one beside him.
We weren't close,
We hadn't formed any meaningful connection.
A fleeting encounter, a shared moment of suffering.
“It’s too late… I can’t see her…”
But His Majesty, having endured torture for my sake,
His eyes filled with tears, stared blankly at the ceiling.
“I know… I can’t go back… I can’t even remember her face…”
How long had he endured, trapped on this planet?
Perhaps, like me, he had arrived as a child,
And had been subjected to the women’s whims and desires ever since.
“I’m just… tired… it’s over…”
The faint memory of his mother’s face had kept him going,
But after so long,
He had forgotten.
“Don’t misunderstand… I didn’t do it for you…”
He knew he wasn't a good person. He had likely witnessed the suffering of countless other males, and had learned to ignore it, to survive.
“I’m just… tired… when I first arrived, I was… like you…”
But he hadn't abandoned me.
Was it pity? Or perhaps, a sense of kinship?
“…Are you… different? Can you go back?”
His Majesty, in this quiet, agonizing moment,
Asked me a question, then,
“I don’t know, I don’t know anymore…”
Fell silent,
“Mother…”
And whispered her name.
I didn't know either.
I didn't know what made me different, why I had survived when so many others hadn't.
“…”
But there was one thing,
One thing I knew for certain.
I didn't want to die.
Not now, not ever.
I would survive,
I would destroy that monstrous moon that had killed my crewmates,
I would end the suffering of the males lured to this planet,
And then, I would go back,
And rest.
My desire was so strong,
That I started seeing things.
Bang-
Amy suddenly burst through the sandstone wall,
She smiled at me,
And then, her laser and high-frequency blade activated, she began slaughtering the soldiers.
Was this a dying dream?
I was seeing things before they had even finished torturing me. Perhaps this was the end.
“Doctor.”
A familiar voice, so real, so close.
“Doctor, I apologize for the delay.”
Her voice was so comforting,
That I couldn't help but smile.
No, it wasn't her voice that was warm.
It was the soldiers’ blood, splattered across my face.