Chapter 49: Mowing through bodies

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Hahahahaha! Come closer so that I could kill you!!" Black flames engulfed a crazed young man as he cackled maniacally, swinging his long red polearm wildly at Zenkichi and his companions.

He was the same age as them, with short orange hair and the same swirling eyes Koga had. He wears a white monk-like robe with black flame decorations, as well as a red sash and purple pants. The robe leaves his chest exposed.

His name is Itoshima Gunki, Leader of the Plus Six of the Thirteen Party and Head of the Second Floor, the Garden. As well as another victim of the despair video.

"Aaah!" Ryota screamed as he dodged the lethal strikes of the polearm, barely managing to avoid being impaled by its razor-sharp tip.

He was about to let out a small breath of relief when he was abruptly kicked to the side by Naze, saving his life as a rain of bullets pierced the air where he had just been standing.

"Upupupupu~ We missed! Miss!" A familiar annoying electronic voice sounded once more as various of dozens of mechanical white and black bears adjusted their guns.

Their red eyes glowed menacingly.

"But we won't miss again~ Upupupupu~!"

"Tsk, fucking bears," Naze spat out, pulling out her own weapon, a pair of sleek silver guns that Zenkichi had given her just before they stepped inside the floor and started shooting back at the killing bears. "I'm getting tired of you all!"

"Listen up, Ryota. Move someplace safe, and if you want to be useful and stop dragging us down, use that pistol you've got in your hand to back us up!" Naze yelled over the chaos of the battle.

"O-Okay! And thanks for the save..." Ryota nodded, feeling a sense of shame and guilt wash over him. He had always been the weakest link, the one who needed rescuing and protection. But he knew that he couldn't let his friends down again, not when their lives were at stake.

He quickly moved behind a nearby pillar, taking cover, he then looked down at the gun he was holding for dear life, a Glock 19.

He stared at the gun for a long while and his mind went blank.

'...How do I use a gun?'

"How do I use a gun?!" Ryota panicked, his heart racing as he realized he had no idea how to handle the weapon in his hands.

He turned and screamed out, "Hey! How do I use a gun?!"

"Oh for God's sake!" Naze groaned, taking a moment to take cover near where Ryota was to reload, and yelled out. "You're a freaking animator! You wrote scenes of people using guns, right? You probably had at least researched the basic knowledge of firearms so this shouldn't be hard for you!"

"No! I never did research on firearms and just went with my imagination on how I imagine people use it! Just like how americans do it."

"You gotta be..." Naze looked at Ryota with an incredulous expression. And the latter merely raised his hands and shrugged with an apologetic expression. The former rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with this any longer, went back on shooting the bears.

"Ryota!" The frail boy flinched and he raised his head towards Zenkichi, still fighting Gunki, and heard, "Just fucking point and shoot the damn thing!"

Ryota's eyes brightened, as if he was enlightened, and he nodded back in gratitude.

"Okay, okay I can do this. Just, point and shoot," he muttered to himself, repeating what Zenkichi said. It was simple concept yet a hard thing to do, especially how heavy it was in his hands.

Taking a deep breath, Ryota stepped out from behind the pillar, his trembling hands gripping the Glock 19 tightly. He tried to steady his aim, focusing on the closest mechanical bear. He squeezed the trigger, bracing himself for the recoil.

The gunshot rang out, and the bullet flew towards its target, narrowly missing the bear but hitting the wall behind it. The sound of the gunshot startled Ryota, causing him to flinch, but he quickly regained his focus. He knew he had to keep trying, keep shooting, in order to support his friends in the battle.

As the chaos raged on, Ryota continued to fire his gun, each shot becoming more confident and accurate than the last. Though he was still far from an expert, he was determined to contribute and prove himself to his companions.

Amidst the screams, the cries, and the relentless attacks, Ryota's voice echoed with determination. "I won't let you down. I'll learn to use this gun, and I'll fight alongside you guys!"

"That's great and all, but also learn on how to take cover!" Naze screamed in frustration as she kicked Ryota behind a dense bush without any hesitation.

....

"I'm going to give you one last chance," Zenkichi said, his raised metallic left hand clenched tight. His eyes narrowed as he stared down Itoshima Gunki, who was panting heavily, his polearm dangling at his side.

"You're clearly not in control of yourself right now. But if you surrender and let us help you, we can break the hold of the despair video on you. We can help you get back to yourself."

Gunki's face twisted in anger as he heard Zenkichi's words. "Help me? You think you can help me?! I don't need your help! All I need is to kill, to let out this pain and despair! I am the Death Watch! Leader of the Plus Six!!"

He swung his polearm once more, but Zenkichi easily dodged it, his left hand emitting a blueish aura as he prepared to use his power.

"Very well then," Zenkichi said, his voice level and calm. "I had hoped for a peaceful resolution, but it seems I was being a bit too hopeful."

He even tried using Weighted Words on him but it seems being mind controlled by the despair video had a stronger hold onto the victims than he thought.

"Heh. Fuck off!" Gunki didn't give a damn, chuckling darkly, dark flames began to release out his body and converge around his spear.

A crooked smile appeared on his handsome face, "Amaterasu!"

He then charged crazily towards Zenkichi, his polearm, blazing with hot dark flames, raised high to strike him down.

Zenkichi merely let out a resigned sigh. He didn't want to kill anyone under the influence of the despair video but he didn't have a choice.

Specks of blue light emerged out of thin air around Zenkichi and converging into his left hand, the strange blue light quickly took on the shape of a sword, its edge gleaming with a cold and deadly light.

With a swift movement, Zenkichi raised his left hand and the sword materialized, the blue aura around it pulsing with power.

He met Gunki's charge head-on, their weapons clashing with a sharp metallic ring. Black flames and blue light colliding intensely. The sound echoed through the air, the force of their clash sending shockwaves throughout the garden.

Gunki pushed forward with all his might, but Zenkichi's strength was unfathomable. With a single fluid motion, he knocked the polearm out of Gunki's hand, the weapon flying off into the distance.

"Just stay down man," Zenkichi warned for the last time, raising his conjured sword forward. "please."

Gunki didn't seem to care that he was unarmed and at sword point however. With an inhumane growl coming out his throat, his body was completely engulfed with powerful dark flames, burning the flora around him to ashes and started flaying his skin apart.

Instead of screaming in pain, Gunki started laughing maniacally.

"Hahahahahaha! Burn and die!! Ash to ash, set my heart aflame in forever despair for I sacrifice my body and soul! May my enemies rot in the eternal flames of hell!!"

The sight was gruesome, but Zenkichi stood his ground. He knew that his opponent was no longer in control, despair had taken hold of his mind and body.

It was already too late.

'I'm sorry.' Zenkichi closed his eyes as he swung his sword downward, with a heavy heart. The blade pierced through Gunki's chest, releasing a burst of Reishi as it made contact.

Gunki's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a pained gasp. His body convulsed, the flames that surrounded him dying down as he fell to his knees.

Zenkichi slowly withdrew his sword, stepping back as he watched Gunki's lifeless body collapse to the ground. It was a necessary action to prevent any further harm, but it didn't make the scene any less tragic.

He walked up to his corpse with a solemn expression as he looked down to find Gunki's wide dead eyes staring at him.

Zenkichi went down to a knee and closed his eyes, muttering,

"May you find peace."

Silence settled over the Garden as the battle came to a halt a few minutes later. The mechanical bears lay motionless, damaged and their red eyes dimmed, and the once vibrant flora of the Second Floor now charred and lifeless.

Zenkichi turned to his companions, his expression grave. "Let's go. We're wasting precious time."

Naze nodded in agreement, her guns hanging loosely at her sides. "You're right. We need to stop this madness before more lives are lost."

Ryota, still trembling from the intensity of the battle, nodded as well. He had witnessed the destructive power of the despair video firsthand, and it terrified him. But he couldn't let fear paralyze him.

He had to keep fighting, keep pushing forward and fulfill his ambition of spreading hope to the world with his animations.

Together, they made their way out of the Garden, leaving behind the aftermath of the battle.

Internally wondering what the future battles will be.

....

"First floor." Zenkichi muttered, looking up at the sign plastered atop the metal door. "Takachiho's floor, and the last obstacle we need to pass through to go back to the surface."

"Strategy?" Naze asked, cocking her gun. She felt strangely satisfied doing that.

"Same as how we passed the previous floor. Expect enemies, focus all your power into attacking him first then spread out if there's an army of those bears waiting around."

"Hm." Ryota nodded in agreement, readying the gun by his side anxiously.

Zenkichi stared at them both for a moment and let out a small breath, "Remember, we're in this together. We can't let despair consume us. Stay strong, stay focused, and we will get through this."

With renewed determination, he then opened the door cautiously, eyes opened for anything unexpected–

Their eyes went wide.

"..."

Blood. That was the first thing they saw then the body.

Sitting with his back against a ruined bloody wall, with his tall and muscular body slumped lifelessly was the familiar figure of a man, his face twisted in terror.

"That's... Takachiho," Naze muttered, instantly recognizing the body as her colleague. "What happened here?"

Zenkichi stepped closer, his eyes searching the area for any signs of danger. "It looks like he was attacked by something... or someone. There are scratch marks and bullet holes on the walls, and the blood splatters suggest a struggle."

"And the mechanical bears are all missing," Ryota observed, his voice shaking slightly. "This can't be good."

Zenkichi nodded grimly. "We need to be careful. Whoever or whatever did this could still be around. Stay alert."

The two nodded and started looking around for clues as to what happened, while Zenkichi continued looking at the deceased body of Takachiho in deep thought.

'...To think you'll die just like this,' Memories of their encounters flashed in his mind, all of it fighting. 'Shame. I wanted to defeat you when I destroyed the Flask Plan.'

Though they didn't like each other, Zenkichi couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness overcome him for a moment.

After all, Takachiho was probably the person who opened his eyes to the true dangers of this world and his toughest opponent he's ever met besides Medaka.

"...Don't worry and rest now, Takachiho-senpai. I'll take revenge for you all." Zenkichi touched his shoulder with his hand, as a sign of respect. "I promise."

"Thank you..."

Standing behind Zenkichi was the ghostly apparition of Takachiho, his voice filled with gratitude, before slowly dissipating into thin air.

It was clear that even in death, he held a sense of respect for Zenkichi's determination.

Zenkichi nodded solemnly before turning his attention back to the task at hand. They needed to find out what had killed Takachiho and ensure that it wouldn't happen to them.

As they continued to explore the floor, the tension in the air grew thicker. They could sense danger lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

....

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