Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 - Retribution
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The sensations were too vivid, the screams too real, to be dismissed as hallucinations.
Blood splattered across the annex as the fight continued. Amy, being a machine, didn't bleed, so the blood was all from the soldiers of Aaptukemen.
Despite outnumbering her, they were no match for Amy, now fully operational.
She seemed even stronger than before. Perhaps she had continued fighting while I was gone, refining her combat algorithms.
“Agh!”
Her movements were swift, precise, almost beautiful.
One arrogant soldier’s elbow bent the wrong way, and another, who had dared to raise her sword, lost her hand.
“Hold the line! Don’t retreat!”
The remaining officers, trying to maintain order, shouted commands,
But the sudden appearance of this strange being, effortlessly severing limbs and incapacitating their soldiers, threw them into disarray.
Only Homunculus’s elite guards, who had been waiting for their turn, dared to challenge Amy,
But even they were no match for her.
Amy clenched her fist, and then, too fast for the eye to follow, her punches landed, striking the guards in their stomachs and solar plexuses.
“Oof-”
Their bodies lifted off the ground, the force of Amy’s blows sending them flying.
A single punch was enough to incapacitate them. While they weren't dead, their will to fight had been broken.
“Ahaha…”
I laughed, watching the scene unfold.
Amy had never seemed so beautiful.
She had always been attractive,
But now, even after hurting Isaac, I found her truly stunning.
“You bitches…”
I spat out the blood that had pooled in my mouth,
And nudged His Majesty’s thigh with my remaining foot.
“Look… my companion has arrived…”
***
Day 131 of isolation.
01:44, planetary rotation standard.
Clear skies.
3°C.
Note - Temperatures will remain low until sunrise. Prioritize warmth.
It hadn't taken Amy long to subdue them.
Considering the power of a highly advanced bio-weapon, equipped with human technology, her victory wasn't surprising.
Of course, she had been holding back before, protecting me, and she hadn't fully utilized her combat capabilities, so I was a little surprised by her efficiency…
“Amy, you did well… really…”
But my surprise was quickly replaced by relief and gratitude.
Amy was my savior, and I wept tears of joy, finally free from Aaptukemen’s clutches.
“…You bastards!”
I felt a surge of anger, and I began hitting the downed women with my elbow, venting my frustration.
They were still alive, groaning and writhing on the ground,
But they didn’t fight back, their eyes fixed on Amy, their fear palpable.
“Are you even human?! No, wait! You’re not technically human, but still…! You scum!”
They were alive because of me, and yet they cowered before Amy…
It was ironic. Amy, the powerful bio-weapon who had single-handedly defeated the soldiers, and me, the broken male she served.
“Sigh-… they’re all just… animals.”
I felt a sense of satisfaction, finally getting my revenge on the women who had mocked, abused, and exploited me.
Yes, there was always someone stronger, someone higher up the food chain.
Perhaps they had learned their lesson, learned not to underestimate males.
“I-impossible… good heavens…”
The scene, so shocking to the soldiers, also surprised His Majesty, his body weakened and frail.
He stared at Amy and me, his eyes wide with disbelief, blood still flowing from his wounds,
And I, remembering his kindness, asked Amy to help him.
“Amy, can you… heal him? I’m too tired…”
“…”
Amy, without a word, retrieved her medical equipment.
While its appearance, strange and unsettling, likely terrified His Majesty,
It would, at least, keep him alive-
Click!
“Aaaaaaaaagh! What is that?! What is that thing?! No more torture! Just kill me!”
-For now.
Healing, it seemed, could also be a painful process.
“Just stay still… it’s for your own good… sigh-…”
“I-is that so…”
His Majesty and I had survived. We had endured their torture.
“You’re amazing… perhaps you’re… different…”
His Majesty, impressed by my powerful companion, managed a weak smile.
It would have been understandable if he had resented me, remembering his earlier breakdown, his desperate cries for his mother,
But he simply smiled, his expression a mixture of relief and resignation.
“So, it wasn't me who was destined to survive… well, what would I even do with this old body anyway…”
“We’ll escape. What are you waiting for? You’re not giving up just because you’re old, are you?”
I offered him my hand, urging him to join me,
But His Majesty shook his head, refusing my offer.
“I would only be a burden. I’m done. My family, my friends… they’re all gone now…”
He was right.
“I’ve been here for over 80 years. Yes, 80 years… and 32 days…”
A lifetime.
80 years… I couldn't even fathom the weight of those years, the memories they held.
“I no longer have your… fire. The spirit, the drive… it’s all gone now… too distant to even see…”
So, I simply nodded, accepting his decision. I wouldn't force him to come with me.
“That’s why I helped you. If someone was going to escape this planet… it should be you, not me… you still have family…”
He seemed resigned to his fate.
“Go. Escape. Return to your family. Don’t… don’t live like me… go back to the ones who are waiting for you.”
His Majesty’s eyes, usually so clouded and dull, regained a spark of life. He looked at me, but his gaze seemed to be focused on something beyond me, something distant.
What was he seeing?
His younger self,
Arriving on this planet, full of hope and dreams?
“Go… I’m tired… tired of everything… leave me alone… you’re… annoying…”
But he wouldn't die yet.
He was old, tired, and broken,
But his will to live hadn’t been completely extinguished.
“Tell me what you know, then.”
I crawled towards him, eager to gather any information he might have.
While I might encounter him again someday,
I doubted I would return to Aaptukemen.
So, I had to ask now, while I still had the chance.
“What happens to the tributes?”
“Tributes…? Ah, Nefer hasn’t told you, has she? They take them to a temple, a day’s journey west from here. I don’t know what happens there…”
I asked about the tributes, just in case Nefer had been lying,
And then…
“…Have you ever seen… a dark creature? Wrinkled skin, like… fingers…?”
“Fingers?”
I had so many questions,
But His Majesty didn't seem to know much.
Well, he had spent his life in Aaptukemen, cowering and obeying. He wouldn't have had access to much information.
“I’m sorry… I don’t know much…”
Perhaps I should ask Amy to interrogate the other women.
The nobles were still unaware of our [rebellion], so we had time.
But then…
Thwack-
While I was lost in thought,
Amy had grabbed the incapacitated soldiers by their hair, lifting them up and punching them in the stomach.
She was stronger now, her blows more forceful.
The impact seemed to ripple through their bodies.
“Ugh… cough-…”
While I was grateful for her help,
Her sudden display of violence startled me.
“Uh- hmm, yes… listen carefully! Answer my questions truthfully.”
I felt no guilt. They had tortured and abused me,
So this was simply,
A primitive form of interrogation.
Thwack-
“Ugh… aaggh…”
But she was being too brutal.
Amy’s punches, landing with brutal efficiency, seemed to be crushing their internal organs.
It was a disturbing sight, even for me…
Thwack-!
But Amy, her face impassive, continued her assault.
She seemed,
Almost emotional.
“Amy? Don’t… don’t hit them too hard. They have to be conscious to answer our questions…”
“Yes?”
Amy paused, her fist hovering in mid-air, then,
“…Oh, my apologies.”
Lowered her hand, as if realizing her mistake.
…Wait a minute.
She hadn't been trying to help me interrogate them?