1 Thank you, and I'm sorry.
Gradually I regained consciousness, and then I felt a sharp pain in my chest where the shots had been. To check, I open my eyes and see if I have any injuries. At the site of each shot, there was a hole, but no blood oozing from them, which was very strange, 'as long as I don't turn into a Hollow, it's all right!'
Seeing that there's nothing I can do about it, I try to ignore the pain and take in my surroundings, but I only see darkness, an endless void.
"So this is hell? Isn't it a little too quiet?!" I start laughing like crazy and say to the darkness, "hey, hell, I thought you'd be a little redder and hotter, he! But apparently, you like darker fetishes, maybe BDSM?!"
A few seconds passed, and everything continued in complete silence.
"Of course, I will not be answered, but it would be nice if I could have a ghost companion, that way, I could vent some of my anger, tch" I click my tongue, unsatisfied with the whole situation, wanting to have an outlet for all my accumulated anger.
I feel like I've just died, well, of course, because I really have just died, but that's different from the web novels I've read. I'm not saying I wanted it to be the same, but you know... this could be a little less painful.
Because at that exact moment, I was in a lot of pain caused by the 11 shots I got. My adrenaline was still at its peak. My heart was so racing it felt like it was going to explode. I could feel my hands ice cold and shaking from all the stress. The shock of my recent death was still fresh in my memories; all of it was not letting me think straight.
'Maybe this is my private hell, being in solitude while feeling excruciating pain for all eternity,' I thought to myself as I lowered my head in melancholy and gritted my teeth, enduring all the pain 'even though I knew what would happen if I did those actions and accepted everything, I still miss my family... to think that I will never be able to see them again.'
While I was lost in thought, time flew by. I didn't know how much more time had passed. After all, I had no more reference to the day. Little by little, I fell into the flow of time, and I started to remember the past until the moment of the tragedy.
*** Flashback of the Past ***
My parents named me Ryu. Several times I asked my father if he was a fan or played a lot of 'street fighter' during his youth, but he always denied it, saying: "your name was taken from a book I read when I was younger," yet he never spokes which one book was, so I didn't really believe it when heard that.
Anyway, I lived up to the name Ryu. It wasn't because of the name that I decided to train in martial arts and become the strongest. There were some events in my youth that made me choose to follow this path.
It's like that. I've always studied in a public school; I don't know if all are the same, but one thing I learned is 'if you're handsome and girls are into you, almost all men become your enemy, and if you even lower your head, you will become sheep for them to command and mistreat as much as they like.' Also, to help, I had white hair, which attracted even more attention and jealousy.
Therefore, I did not lower my head. If they came to bully or humiliate me, I fought back, and even when I was beaten, I continued to train, never fearing anything.
I didn't want to have my destiny controlled by anyone. I always valued my freedom and was willing to use force when necessary, well, sometimes when not necessary too, you know, when that little rage hits *cough* continuing…
Over time I learned another dilemma 'If you're strong and handsome, everyone wants to be your friend.' Even the guys I had thrashed wanted to be around me. Of course, most of the time, it was a false friendship trying to take advantage.
Ignoring all the freeloaders, there was someone who always stood by me, besides my parents, of course. In my life's worst and best moments, she was my girlfriend, Naomi. With her by my side, going through all the difficulties was much easier.
In the beginning, she was my neighbor. As my parents were always the type to make friends with everyone, inviting as many people as possible to parties and barbecues, we ended up getting closer during these festive moments.
So with that, Naomi became my childhood friend. From that moment on, she started to get more and more attached to me. I saved her from many difficult situations, mainly caused by her beauty or due to her being an otaku.
At one point, our families started joking about our relationship, always trying to embarrass us.
So the fact that we became lovers was quite natural. We already knew how we felt about each other even before we got together.
In the beginning, the relationship was wonderful, but then, little by little, she introduced her otaku world to me, starting to attract me to the dark side of the force.
I, who was a brute, who preferred to solve problems through violence, started to become more cultured, acquiring knowledge of anime, manga, and novels.
'just kidding, you shouldn't gain knowledge of beta characters from animes and mangas. Only novels are saved, and not all of them. In fact, I still prefer to use violence, and it's much more fun, hehe,' I give a malicious laugh while thinking about how all beta characters should commit seppuku and give their women to those who truly deserve them.
Speaking of violence… "Ah," I let out a sigh as I recall the incident. I was at the height of my professional and romantic career when it all happened...
I was already 25 years old at that time. On the professional side, I was one of the most respected people in the world of MMA, having in Possi one of the middleweight belts from one of the most acclaimed competitions in the world. And on the love side, I was getting married next month to Naomi, the most beautiful and kind woman I knew, and everything was already planned.
However, on a weekday, Naomi and I went to the bank to withdraw money for a trip we were going to make to the Maldives this weekend.
At first, everything was calm. There were just a few more people than usual on that fateful day. So we went to withdraw the money, and it was then...
*BOOOOM!!!!*
We heard a massive explosion that disoriented us, my ears started ringing even though we were a little far from the impact area, but in the distance, we could hear people screaming and moaning in pain and despair amidst a cloud of dust and debris.
Then many people ran to the doors, trying to escape from the closed place, but it seemed that they were all locked; Even the revolving door was stuck somehow.' It was probably all planned in advance,' I thought as I watched the tumultuous people crushing each other in their madnesses.
Seeing that there was no other way out, nor anything I could do at the moment, I turned to Naomi.
"Calm down, love. Nothing will happen. I will protect you even if it's the last thing I do" I hugged my girlfriend while calming her down. At that moment, I didn't know that those words would become a curse. I then brought her to crouch with me, just like the people who weren't desperate did.
"Hmph, but that's what I'm afraid of, idiot husband! You always act without thinking, especially when you're protecting me," Naomi mumbles close to my ear in dissatisfaction while giving small pinches on my waist. She already called me her husband even though we weren't married yet.
*Pah!*
I give her ass a light slap to make her calm down.
"Love, have I ever let you down?" I affectionately smile at her, with one hand still resting on her ass, giving light caresses and the other on her waist. I pull her closer to me and whisper right next to her ear with my deep and husky voice, "even if something happens and I die, if there is an afterlife, you can be sure that I will find you, and moreover, I'll rekindle your love for me again as many times as necessary."
Naomi hides her head on my chest without saying anything. It looks like she's embarrassed. I don't know if it's because of my caresses or my words, or both. After all, I like to be cliché and make women feel ashamed.
Not that I have much experience with other women. Naomi always kept the leash on me, and I never wanted to cheat on her, and I won't.
"Ai!" suddenly, I feel a pain in my chest. Already imagining what it was, I look down to see my girl, who looks like she has turned into a rabid puppy biting me. So I remove my hand that was on her back and place it on her head to give her a caress while I giggle.
I wasn't even giving a damn about that level of pain. After all, as a fighter, I was already used to enduring it to a certain degree. Still, sometimes I tried to make a few faces to satisfy Naomi, even though, in most cases, I burst out laughing at the cute face she made.
Looking dissatisfied with my reaction, she lets out a huff. Then she looks straight into my eyes without saying anything.
I returned the look while also admiring her beauty. At this moment, she was very cute, with her mix of emotions that showed shame, happiness, and anger all mixed together. I adored each one of them, especially when together.
She looked like an angel who descended from heaven in her beautiful dress, had long straight white hair, blue eyes lighter than the ocean, thin lips, fair skin, being around 1.75 m tall, a D cup bust that I had fun every night, also having an hourglass-shaped body and athletic. Of course, it's because I make her go to the gym with me every day, the same way she forced me into her otaku world, 'not that I was against it.'
(The picture is here)
"Is there a problem, love?" I asked in surrender while giving a smile.
"Is there a problem, you ask?! First, you say it's okay, and then... and then..." She stutters, unable to finish speaking, and her eyes start to water.
"Sorry… I was joking. Nothing will happen as usual" I regret my joke. Today I'm not acting my usual way. Normally, I'm not so pessimistic. Naomi is very sensitive when it comes to my possible death.
So I quickly pull her to me and seal her lips to mine, thus initiating a sudden kiss, something we do quite often. With that, I intertwined my fingers in his hair and grabbed them, and the other hand I put on his waist.
We weren't caring about the other people around us or the mess that was going on. We probably had a few screws loose in our heads. At that moment, we only cared about each other.
I see her nod with her eyes. I love getting lost in your icy lips with a sweet, fragrant, and tasty flavor as if it were a Hibiscus flower. I surrendered to the kiss as if it were the last one I could give in this life.
Then she opened her pretty lips that had cherry color, letting my tongue slip and roam freely inside her luscious mouth, but her tongue didn't give up. With that, we officially begin our 6,969 tongue battles.
While we were engaged in our combat, I never stopped paying attention to my surroundings. The tumult subsided, and soon there were only moans, both from the injured people lying on the ground and from the cute girl in my arms.
Then I saw 11 people with various types of firearms coming out of a hole that was opened by the previous explosion in the wall.
Consequently, we stopped kissing after I scored a hard-fought victory. I put Naomi behind me to make it easier to protect her. So I focused on the new individuals and possible enemies ahead of us.
The most striking feature of their attire was the doctor's coats and 'oni' masks.
"why are they in doctor's clothes? Also, without a bulletproof vest?" I whispered so only Naomi could hear.
"Maybe... these doctors are underpaid and need money?" Naomi tries to answer me, but instead of that, she ends up asking a question while adopting a thoughtful and confounded expression. She had already calmed down after our intimacy.
"Only if those doctors went bankrupt after consuming all the stock they had," I reply as I give a silent laugh with my hand covering my mouth. I want to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
I noticed that it looked like the thugs were all drugged from the way they carried themselves and walked, their eyes bulging and laughing for no reason at all.
They then start firing their guns in the air.
*Ratataaá-ta*
"Go! Go! Hands up and get down on the ground!"
"Go! Lower your head!"
"Go fuck! Everybody lying on the fucking floor!"
"what are you looking at?! Take that, you son of a bitch!"
They spring into action and start screaming and hitting people next to them. Naomi and I were further away from the danger point, but we also lay on the ground with our heads down. I lay over her body, acting as a shield, as we watched them only with our peripheral vision.
There was no way I could face 11 people with guns, especially with bare hands. They even had AK-47 rifles... it would be crazy, so for now, I could only obey.
Even the guards surrendered. What a bunch of assholes!
I then saw their group split up, 6 went to break into the safe, and the rest to subdue the hostages.
Then one of the bandits came towards us. His lab coat was already full of blood. He took aim at us with his eyes wide and crazy, as if he already knew what he wanted to do.
He arrived in front of us, stopped about 5 meters away, and pointed the gun in our direction. He probably already knew me. I have so many enemies. I've hit and stepped on a lot of people to get to the top. There is no way for me to know who he is or if anyone sent him or them. Suddenly my thought is interrupted by something unacceptable...
"You woman down there! If you don't want to die, come with me! I want to have some fun with you!" His voice was husky. He pointed at Naomi, with his saliva dripping from his mouth and dreamy eyes, completely ignoring me.
Of course, I was very angry with those words and wanted to kill him instantly, but I couldn't do things without thinking and putting Naomi's life at risk.
"Love… I love you… No matter what happens, don't get up, you understand, don't get up! I would tell you not to look either, but I know you won't listen to me on this one, heh." I whisper passionately and seriously in her ear. Of course, let's not forget my usual laugh. That's why my friends often call me a 'joker.'
"Are you listening to what the fuck I'm talking about! Woman! Get up now, or I'll shoot!" He yells, spitting his drool all over the place, and shows us more anger.
I already knew what I should do. I didn't have many choices. By the look and bloodlust, this guy wanted to kill and humiliate me for sure.
I looked around, confirmed the location of all my enemies, and thought of the best course of action I could take.
I'm too far away. I have to find a way to get closer. So I started to get up.
"Stop! Don't get up, or I'll shoot!" he points the gun at me with a shaking hand holding a submachine gun.
I ignore your words and start to approach
"Calm down, brother! Please don't shoot! we don't want trouble." I raise my hands and speak in a calm manner. 'I should show more fear, but it's difficult. I wasn't born for the theatre.'
"Don't come closer! I'm going to shoot! And why are you laughing! You're making fun of my face! You want to die, sucker!" Seeing my smile, he gets even angrier and starts screaming. Without thinking it through, he walks over to me, pointing the gun at my head.
His voice was so loud that it caught the attention of the other thugs, so they started to approach as well. I didn't have time anymore.
"Don't shoot!... I'm harmless! I was laughing because..." I interrupted my speech and advanced as fast as I could. I was already close enough to disarm him. There were only 2 meters of distance between us. He was stupid to approach.
In moments I got close to him, grabbed his hand, and disarmed him. He only had time to startle, and everything had already changed. Now he was the one who became my hostage.
I grabbed him by the neck with one hand, and with the right hand, I held the gun. It was an Ump45, but with my strength, it was easy to hold with just one arm.
"If you move, I'll kill you! And don't play with my patience! if not… bang, He!" I joke, pointing the gun at his head. While he trembles in silence, as if he was already expecting something and it didn't take long, it happened...
*Ratataaá-ta*
A barrage of gunfire flies over my flesh shield. His companions didn't think twice before setting fire to him.
I grab my submachine gun and start exchanging bullets with them, also holding my human shield and moving as far away from Naomi's direction as possible.
"All die... you piles of shit! You Wanted My 'Nana'! The only thing you will get is a bullet lodged in your asses, hahaha!" I laughed like crazy as I continued to fire.
I was never afraid of death or pain, only the sadness of my loved ones. But I accepted fate, and it could come at me however it wanted; I wouldn't back down.
Adrenaline had already taken over my body, something I was used to and a little addicted to.
I had already killed 3, but I was running low on ammo. Soon your reinforcements arrive, and the other 6 join for battle.
As a martial artist, I trained both in using weapons and disarming, but my focus has always been on unarmed fighting.
I ran out of ammo and still had 6 alive. So I took a pistol that was holstered by the dead man in my arms, then I started shooting again.
Some shots passed and hit me. The now-ground meat no longer protected me adequately. Time passed, and I ran out of ammo in my pistol too, but at least only one of the bandits was still alive.
Thankfully, they won't be able to grab any hostages to use as a shield, but several people were hit by stray bullets.
I had blood all over my body, both mine and that of the companion who bravely protected me. I even had some pieces of his flesh on me.
In the end, I was already seriously injured, soon, I would pass out from the loss of blood, and if that happened, I would be killed, so who knows what could happen to Naomi. So I decided to make my last move on madness, to end it all.
When the bandit started to reload the gun magazine, I dropped what was left of the body in my arm and ran towards him with all the strength I had left.
We had 20m to 25m between us, it was too far, and the wounds didn't help. When I was 5 meters away, he finished loading the clip, pointed the gun at me, and shouted, pulling the trigger: "Dieeeee!"
*Ratataaá-ta*
I tried to run diagonally to avoid as much as possible, but I only managed to dodge a few shots. He was armed with an AK-47, so there was no way. He was probably the final boss, heh. I had my last laugh...probably yes!
I ignored the incoming shots and advanced the last few meters with a flying kick. I landed both feet right in the middle of his chest, and he was thrown and landed on his back on the floor. I also fell.
*Bam! Bam!*
So I got up, went to him and before he got up I started to strangle him. Even wounded, I was much stronger than him.
"Arghhh!!!" He struggled in agony until the time came for him to die and be embraced by Hades. There was no way he could fight me in melee. He had a 0% chance of winning even though I was seriously injured.
I wouldn't mind killing scum like him. Maybe I have something broken in my head, but I've always been like that since I was little. I always thought: 'better his mother crying than mine.' Therefore, if my life or those close to me were in danger, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to kill someone.
"Ugh!... hah... hah..." I was exhausted. I fell backward on the floor, ready to take my last breath. I had already taken 11 shots in the chest. There was no way I could survive.
"Nooooooooooo! Ryuuuuu!" I hear a heart-wrenching scream, followed by the footsteps of someone running desperately. I already knew who that was.
'Good girl, you were silent this whole time so as not to distract me. After all, I know how much you love me, and you must be suffering a lot, especially being able to just watch everything without doing anything. If I were in your place, I would have run to be shot together. Well, it would just be suicide anyway.' My eyes started to close. I no longer had the strength to move or speak. My conscience was slipping away.
Then I feel soft, warm arms wrap around me in their grip.
"Why...? Why...? No...! it wasn't supposed to be like this! Impossible...! This has to be a dream! It can't be reality...! Why does the bleeding not stop?!... Nooooo!" she desperately tries to close the holes with her hands while screaming in despair and tears.
'love, you don't have enough hands to close all the holes. There's nothing that can be done.' Only my thoughts flow. I no longer have the strength to speak.
With Naomi's gentle touch and care for me, my mind wanders. 'I'm going to miss your company so much, your smile, your food, our sex... well, everything... Hah...'
'If I had the opportunity, I would like to meet Nana and my parents again in another life.'
"Thank you..." not having the strength to say anything more than those last words.
Also, I'm sorry I can't be by your side anymore, and goodbye.
Then my conscience starts to go away.
*bang*
In the distance, I hear a strange but familiar noise. However, I think it's just my imagination, so the last thread of my conscience slips away.
*** End of Flashback ***
A lot of time had passed. It seemed that several years had passed inside that darkness. The pain didn't bother me anymore; I had gotten used to it by now.
My mind wandered from my past to the stories I had read. I started to create my own worlds in my imagination, mainly so I wouldn't go crazy and bored.
Until a green bar appeared, it was located in the lower left corner of my vision. Next to the bar, there was the number 1%...
"What would that be? That's weird!" I get confused and try to think of the possibilities.
Time passes, but the bar is loading very slowly. ...2%...3%...
"Maybe… don't tell me…! Have we been living in a matrix this whole time? And now that I'm dead, I'm being disconnected from the System?" I make a scared face at the thought of that idea.
"No... Let's not jump to conclusions. Let's wait and confirm what is really happening." I talk to my imaginary friend. I didn't want to believe that everything I'd lived through was a lie.
Gradually the loading bar filled up. I had the impression that several decades had passed. However, the anxiety did not lessen. It only increased the closer to the end it was.
After a long wait, the bar finally reached 100%.
<Ding!>
[Initiating fusion of host's soul with artifact: 1%...24%...100%. Starting Sync with host: 1%...69%...100%. Completed.]
[turning on 3...2...1]
[System initialized...]
