I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse: Volume 5

by Namekojirushi

  Shirley laughed.

  “You’re smarter than you look, Rekka. If you came here aboard the pirate ship, then you know we got in through the undersea ducts, right? I came in the same way just before the others to confirm it was a viable option. I had a helper, you see.”

  “A helper?”

  “That’s right... Marle, was it? I took her daughter hostage and threatened her. Of course, she never saw my face. I didn’t want her having a change of heart and telling everyone I was with the pirates.” Shirley seemed almost proud as she spoke.

  “No, Shirley... But why?” Tetra looked like she was about to cry. After thinking Shirley was her friend, she was taking this the hardest.

  “Shirley, why did you want the Mermaid Princess’s Tear so badly? Why, when it meant hurting so many people?”

  “For my ideal world, of course. Remember what I said? I want a world where it’s always warm like spring, where your friends are always with you, and where nobody ever hurts anyone else. In order to make that world a reality, I need the Mermaid Princess’s Tear.”

  “That’s why you did this?!”

  “It’s something very important to me. You said you’d help me, didn’t you, Rekka?”

  “This has to be some kind of joke!”

  “It’s no joke.”

  I was yelling, but Shirley was calm. There was a keen glint of light in her eyes behind her glasses.

  “I want to be happy, you see.”

  I was floored.

  “There’s no one in the world I can trust, so I’m going to win my happiness on my own. I won’t let anyone stop me. Not anyone. Now, Garnet....”

  “Ye... Mistre...”

  “I made Garnet’s AI and her body all by myself, so I don’t have to be scared when I use her. She’s a tool, made for me and me alone. She will never betray me.”

  Garnet’s face was blank. Perfectly expressionless. Her joints were creaking, and she was definitely moving slower than before, but with Rosalind down, I wasn’t sure if we could take her.

  “You... You...” And then Fam, shaking with rage, turned her right arm into a blade. “You’re the ones who did this to the boss!”

  “Wait! Fam!”

  “I’ll make you pay for this!”

  Fam readied her blade in a charge like she hadn’t heard a word I’d said.

  “Garnet!”

  “Yes, Mistress Shirley.”

  Garnet obeyed Shirley’s orders and intercepted Fam.

  “Damn it!”

  I was too slow on the draw, but I whipped out the stungun to try and help her. She was just too fast, and the room wasn’t that big. Before I could even level the gun, they were within arm’s reach of each other.

  “Take this!”

  Garnet threw out her arm in front of Fam’s blade without the slightest hesitation.

  “What?!”

  With a clank and a screech, Garnet’s arm was split in half by the blade. And just when I thought the blow would cleave the rest of her, too...

  “Gwaah!”

  Garnet thrust her knee up into Fam’s stomach, knocking her to the floor as she coughed up blood.

  “Oh, no, Fam!”

  I wanted to help her, but once she was down, Garnet came after me.

  “Damn it!”

  I fired the stungun again. Garnet tried to dodge, but she staggered as her malfunctioning legs gave out from under her. She must’ve been in even worse shape than she looked. The blast caught her square in the chest. Sparks flew everywhere as it overloaded her android body, and she collapsed in front of me.

  Good. Now Shirley should be defenseless...

  “Rekka!” Tetra screamed.

  I looked up and realized that Shirley was running at me from behind Garnet. I tried to fire the stungun at her, but...

  “Garnet! Emergency overload action!”

  “....aaaaaAAAAAHH!”

  Shirley’s order forced Garnet, who was now far past her limits, to her feet again. Her eyes were flashing red like a siren as her roundhouse kick hit me hard in the right arm and knocked the gun out of my hands.

  “Gah!”

  My elbow...!

  The impact from the kick spun me around, and I tumbled to the ground. I honestly thought I’d lost my arm at the elbow, but it seemed like the skin was still attached and keeping it together. I was sure the bone was shattered, though.

  “Aah... ugh...”

  But Garnet had paid a price, too. I heard the sound of something exploding inside her body, and more smoke billowed out of her as she fell back to the floor. Now it was just me, Shirley, Tetra, Rain, and Squallow.

  “Shirley!” Tetra cried.

  “You’re in the way,” Shirley replied coldly.

  “Gyah!” Tetra shrieked.

  “Tetra... Kyah!” Rain shouted next.

  Tetra and Rain tried to stop her, but Shirley knocked them out of the way as she headed for Squallow.

  “Grr... nngh...”

  Squallow still couldn’t move, but he was glaring at Shirley with a deadly look in his eyes.

  “Okay! Time for you to be useful again!”

  “What are you...”

  “Oh, you want to know what I’m doing? Here, I’ll show you.”

  Shirley took out a syringe filled with blue liquid and loaded it into the medical gun, injecting it into Squallow’s neck through a gap in his armor.

  At first, nothing happened after the injection, but soon Squallow started to moan in pain.

  “Ugh...!”

  Then there was a popping sound as his shoulder began to swell up.

  Flesh. The flesh of his shoulder started to burst up from underneath his armor, pulsating eerily. His chest, his back, his calves, his thighs... His entire body started to change, distorting his silhouette into something strange and twisted.

  “What...”

  It was so shocking, I couldn’t do anything but watch.

  “Gaaah!”

  A scream escaped Squallow’s lips. It lasted for several minutes, but then he fell silent and went back to groaning.

  “Guuuuuh...”

  His already huge body was now even bigger, but grotesquely transformed in such a way that if you didn’t know it was Squallow to begin with, you might think it was a monster. What looked like they were probably his eyes were dull and milky white, and what I thought was his mouth was dripping with drool. There was no sign of sanity left.

  “What I just injected him with was an evolution inducer. It changes a person’s body depending on their goals. More specifically, this is a failed version of that serum. The reaction was too strong, and it drove even the toughest soldier insane in minutes. The test subjects went on rampages from the pain... That’s why I call these things Berserker Cells,” Shirley explained, smiling proudly as she stood next to the hideous form of Squallow.

  “What the hell? If you use that, you’ll also...”

  “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ve got this.”

  Shirley took out a toy ring that matched the one Garnet had. It was the master chip.

  “But... Fam destroyed the chip in Squallow’s brain!”

  “Rekka, weren’t you listening? I’m the one who gave him the operation. Of course I gave him the same anti-gremlin coating I gave Garnet.”

  Garnet had kept functioning for a while even after being hit with the electromagnetic waves. If Shirley hadn’t forced her to overload in order to defeat me and Fam, she might still be operational even now. But wait, if Squallow had that protective coating, too...

  “The reason Squallow can’t move right now is because I’m freezing him with the master chip. Unfortunately, it looks like the other half of it was destroyed, so I wasn’t able to stop him from talking, but this half is still more than enough to control his body. I’m sure glad the gremlin’s power didn’t quite reach me,” Shirley said with a deliberate sigh of relief.

  “Then... I can just destroy it again...”

  Fam was barely able to move, but she used
the last of her strength to try and take off her headband.

  “Oh, now that would be a problem.”

  “Guuuuuh...”

  Instantly, Squallow’s left arm shot out like a spear and impaled Fam’s stomach.

  “Gah...”

  “Fam!”

  Blood fell from her mouth like a waterfall. It was... so much blood...

  Squallow’s arm, now stained red, retracted from her abdomen and began to shrink. But even when it did, it couldn’t quite go back to its original size, so now his left and right arms were different lengths.

  “I aimed for the head. I guess it isn’t quite as accurate as it needs to be.”

  “Shirley!”

  “Don’t scream. She loved her captain. I’m sure she’s happy he would be the one to take her life.”

  Shirley clapped her hands together.

  “Surely now you understand that you can’t win, right? I’m about to ask you a question. If you don’t want to die, then just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

  Shirley looked at me, Tetra, and Rain in turn.

  “I’m going to make my ideal world now. If any of you want to join, then I’ll take you. In exchange for implanting a chip in your head, that is.”

  “Why are you asking something like that?”

  “You don’t get to ask any questions. Now answer me.”

  She was right. There was no way we could win right now. I didn’t have any cards up my sleeve. If I just did what she wanted, I could survive. But then she’d implant a chip in me, and I’d spend the rest of my days as her doll. The answer was obvious.

  “I refuse!”

  “Absolutely not!”

  “No!”

  And we all felt the same way.

  “...”

  For just a moment, Shirley looked disappointed. And then...

  “Kill them.”

  She gave Squallow the order to attack.

  “Guuuuuh...”

  Squallow’s twisted arm lashed out like a whip, knocking Tetra and Rain backwards.

  “Tetra! Rain!”

  They both slammed into the wall and slumped to the floor, no longer moving.

  Damn it! Who cares if I’m practically missing an arm? My legs are still working. My mind is still working. Am I just going to lie here on the floor?!

  “Damn...!”

  My legs were stiff and flailing, but I managed to get to my feet. I glared at Shirley.

  “Shirley...”

  I took a step towards her, and then another. But before I could get close...

  “Squallow.”

  Squallow’s arm shot out towards me like it had with Fam.

  “Gah!”

  My insides were... torn apart...

  The strength left my knees, and I fell to the ground. I almost passed out from the pain. Actually, I think I did pass out. The pain just brought me back. My vision flashed black and white, eventually settling on a weak dimness. I could hear my own breathing in the distance. I could feel someone standing next to me as my mind faded away.

  “You’re still alive, huh?”

  It was Shirley’s voice. I could feel her breath on my ears.

  “If you nod, I’ll save you.”

  “...No!”

  “I see. You’re a fool, aren’t you?”

  I heard what sounded like a small sigh.

  “I’m going to change the world all by myself... Let’s go, Squallow.”

  “Guuuuuh...”

  There was a sound like something large slowly dragging itself across the floor, and then they were gone, or at least I couldn’t sense them. But that was generous. Really, all of my senses were fading.

  Jeez... This is the second time I’ve almost died like this, huh?

  There didn’t seem to be an open hole in my stomach, but I could tell that my insides were a mess. I didn’t know how long I’d blacked out, but things were starting to look really grim for me. Last time, Satsuki and the others had come to save me, but I probably wouldn’t get that lucky again.

  Tetra, Rain, Fam... I’m sorry.

  If only somebody could break the Time Stop on Rosalind. Oh, but then there was...

  “R... R...”

  “I’m right here. Is something the matter?”

  Really, she never changes...

  “Sorry... that I couldn’t change the future. But hey... I guess if I die, the War of All never happens... right?”

  “It will likely be avoided, according to the predictions of those who sent me here.”

  “I see... At least... there’s that...”

  I hope it works out, because I’m starting to...

  “But I have to say, Rekka, you’re acting as if you’re at death’s door.”

  “...Huh?”

  Yeah, well, I don’t know what it looks like to you, but I’m definitely going to die here...

  “Oh, can you maybe not see?” R said as if she was just realizing that now. “Well, he’s definitely going to save the girls first. And he’s doing some sort of ‘prince awakening Sleeping Beauty’ thing, too... You should just pray he gets to you in time, Rekka.”

  What was she talking about? Was... someone there? Whoever he was, he was saving the girls—Tetra, Rain, Fam, and Rosalind—first. That was just fine, but I was really hoping I didn’t slip away during his Sleeping Beauty and the prince routine...

  But my prayers went unheard, and my life ended at a young age... Or, at least, that’s what I was on the verge of by the time my “help” finally arrived.

  “Man, look at you. I’m really not into gore, you know...”

  “Stop being stupid, and save Rekka!” I heard Tetra yell.

  The man shoved something warm inside my mouth.

  “Here, swallow this down. Otherwise you’ll die, you hear?”

  I used my tongue to gulp it down, just like he’d said. Instantly, the pain vanished, and my stomach was back to normal. Even my nearly severed right arm had healed itself.

  “...Raul.”

  The first thing I saw when my vision came back was the thief who’d gone to get us an escape craft. Tetra, Rain, Fam, and even the now unfrozen Rosalind were all looking at me with worried expressions. Raul was the only one with an easygoing look on his face. He laughed.

  “Good thing you didn’t die, huh? Oh, and since I’m the one who saved you all, I think you pretty ladies should give me one personal possession eac—bwargh!”

  I punched him.

  “Oww! What the hell was that for? I just saved you!”

  “Thanks for that, but I think I’m going to punch you again!”

  “What?! Then I’ll show no mercy, either! Baron Punch!”

  Wow! He saved my life, but I felt more angry than grateful! How often do you get to see that? Raul and I knocked each other around for a while, and when we both ran out of energy, we sat down on the floor.

  “...So, how did you manage to save us? We were all seriously wounded, me especially.”

  “Rekka, do you believe in fantasy?”

  “I’ve lived it, actually.”

  “Hahaha! That sounds like a fun life.”

  It’s not an easy one, though.

  Raul laughed for a moment, and then the corners of his mouth rose up in a nihilistic smile.

  “You ever hear the myth that eating the flesh of an immortal grants you immortality, too?” he said.

  “...Are you implying that you’re immortal, and you just fed us some of your flesh?”

  “Bingo!”

  “...I won’t ask where from.”

  “Surprised?”

  “Sure, I guess, but...”

  Come to think of it, he’d been a phantom thief for 500 years and his wound on Berano had healed instantly. There was a lot of weird stuff going on with this guy. Still, immortal? Wait a second...

  “Hang on, if I just ate your flesh, does that make me immortal now, too?”

  “Hmm... Haha! No, don’t worry. Think about what would happen if that were true. You’d have immortals every
where. The whole universe would instantly be full of them!” Raul slapped his knees as he laughed. “Well, I suppose it’s not totally wrong, but it is an exaggeration. If you ingest the flesh of an immortal, your body temporarily gains the power to return to its original, healthy form. You can see how anyone who made a miraculous recovery that way might think that they’d become immortal, right?”

  Your body returning to its original, healthy form, huh? That would explain how my arm had healed itself after almost being sheared off.

  “So is that what happened to my arm?” Fam asked.

  “Huh? Fam, your arm...”

  When she said something, I realized that Fam’s cyborg arm had turned back to a normal girl’s arm. I mean, sure, a cyborg arm certainly wasn’t her “original” form, but was this stuff really that powerful?

  “That’s crazy...”

  “I guess so,” Raul laughed.

  I was used to seeing crazy things—or at least, I thought I was—but I guess I still had a lot to learn.

  But regardless, I was alive now. I thanked Raul once more, and then got down to business. Raul didn’t know what was going on, so I explained the situation.

  “Do you know where Shirley went?”

  “I passed her on my way to meet up with you. But when I saw what happened to Squallow, I hid before they spotted me. She wasn’t looking like her usual self, either.”

  After watching her go, Raul had decided to come find us next. It was clear to him that we’d been defeated, and as long as we weren’t dead, he knew he could help.

  “So, yeah, that’s why I had to give up on following her. But I can guess where she is.”

  “Try me.”

  “That new warship Fam was talking about? By the time I got into the dock, it was already complete. The whole construction schedule was probably set up so it would finish today.”

  In other words, Shirley had gotten on the spaceship and left.

  “Damn it! Then there’s no way to know where they went...”

  I pounded the floor in frustration. Raul gave an exasperated shrug.

  “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about chasing her.”

  “Of course I am. I haven’t saved Squallow or Shirley, and I haven’t gotten the Mermaid Princess’s Tear back.”