Needle Gun

Felix gasped for air, feeling a prickling sensation throughout his body as his headache continued to ease up. He lifted his head, looking around from atop the Whale that was hovering in the air, noticing multiple figures rush into the yellow dome, carrying people on what seemed to resemble monsters.

"What the…?" He was shocked to see a pair of sisters being carried by a man wearing a rhino armour suit, noticing the expression of despair in their eyes.

"They've been through a lot…truly a lot," Rhizen spoke slowly as veins popped all over his neck and forehead. He seemed to be controlling his emotions, stating while stressing each word, "the apocalypse is a horrible time to be alive."

"That is true…" Felix nodded, heaving a long breath before slowly getting up, "Thank you for saving me and my family. I'm grateful."

"It's what I intended to do." Rhizen said before turning around, facing Felix as he said, "It seems you have a lot of questions. Go ahead, ask while we still have a bit of time left."

"These memories in my head…" Felix felt a headache the moment he tried to remember it, "Just…what the heck are they? I can't make sense of anything."

"I don't know their contents, but I can tell you what they are," Rhizen said, grabbing Felix as he jumped towards the ground, unfurling his wings as he landed gently. As Felix tumbled, unable to balance himself from the rapid descent, Rhizen placed his hand on the ground, "Those memories came from here, Felix."

"They are your world's desperate cry for help. My visiting card only acts as the passage to transmit the contents to you. I don't know what they entail either."

"Who…are you? And how do you know all this?" Felix frowned.

"It's nothing like your first round, right?" Rhizen said with a wry smile, noticing Felix's expression stiffen in response.

Sighing, he took out his pocket watch, displaying the contents to Felix, "This number displays the extent of your world's corruption."

Upon seeing Felix's confusion, Rhizen thought for a moment before saying, "Think of it as cancer. The apocalypse is a result of this. And these numbers depict the extent of the cancer's progression. You can also say that your world only has a fraction of itself left."

"Then…these memories that I can't make sense of but feel desperation out of from…" Felix clenched his hand into a fist, "So, what actually happened in my past life?"

"Your death in your past life only happened a few hours ago." Rhizen said, shocking Felix as he continued, "All I could do was turn back time for your world by twenty years. But, the rate of corruption remains the same. That's why, the progression of the Aberrants is stronger this time."

"Then…do we have no other choice but to die even faster?" He felt indignant, unwilling to waste his second chance at life.

"There are four Stages to this Corruption." Rhizen said, "Stage 1 is between 0 and 25 percent, Stage 2 is between 25 and 50, Stage 3 is between 50-75, and Stage 4 is between 75-100, beyond which the world is doomed."

"If it's at Stage 1, we only need to turn back time by twenty years using a survivor as a medium like you." Rhizen said, "And in their second chance, they would somehow eradicate corruption and eventually establish a new world order. This chance becomes slim in the higher Stages."

"Your world already reached Stage 4 by the time we discovered it and could arrive here." He sighed, stating, "And, you were the sole survivor. Therefore, the majority of your world's resistance is condensed in you. So…"

Rhizen pointed at the droves of Titan Aberrants approaching from the distance, "As long as you are killed, this world would reach a hundred percent in corruption within a day. And that's why the corruption is targeting you specifically."

"And as for us…?" He pointed at himself, "Just think of us as a group of aliens that wish to rid this world of the apocalypse."

Felix stared at the Titan Aberrants for a short duration before getting up, requesting Rhizen, "Can you help me kill some Titan Aberrants? There's a gelatinous substance growing in their hearts. If I consume that, I can reach my first evolution straight away."

But surprisingly, Rhizen shook his head, "Normally, I would have accepted it. But it's not feasible at the moment. The stronger the corruption, the weaker your world's power becomes. So, even if you become stronger, your abilities would become less effective against the Aberrants until it is no longer effective."

"It's not because they are gaining resistance against our abilities?" Felix asked in shock, "But, we thought that was the case before and worked on evolving faster."

"The lower the number of people resisting the apocalypse, the weaker the effectiveness of their abilities becomes. This is because the world itself is being devoured." Rhizen sighed, "And at the corruption of 96.92 percent, your powers would as well be deemed useless. You can try it if you don't believe me. I can get you some of that substance from the Titan Aberrants."

"Fine!" Felix grunted, swallowing the gelatinous substance from the Titan Aberrants that Rhizen killed and harvested, sensing insurmountable power welling up from within him, instantly causing his body to evolve.

He rushed out of the dome, faced a regular Aberrant, and unleashed a blade swing. Immediately after, he retreated into the dome, arriving beside Rhizen, panting as he said, "Dammit! In the past, this strength was enough to behead a dozen of them in one swing. But it hardly made a dent this time."

"See, I told you so." Rhizen nodded.

"Then…what am I supposed to do now?" Felix asked, noticing the pair of sisters from before shuddering on the ground, coughing out blood from time to time as a blackish smoke seeped out of their bodies from time to time.

Rhizen gazed at the sisters, saying, "There's a small corruption in the bodies of everyone as you breathe in the air, drink the water, and eat the food of this corrupting world. Over time, you would gradually lose your sense of self and turn into an Aberrant."

"Then…" Felix asked before he noticed that he didn't feel any sense of discomfort in his body now.

"Yes, your body has already been cleansed of all corruption." Rhizen nodded, "And similarly, everyone brought within this dome would be purified eventually. Also…"

He extended his hand, waving it slowly like pressing the key on a piano when Pearl Buck (IX)—his Tower of Purification—hummed in response as its branches bore leaves that grew in size. And soon after, it bore thousands of fruits.

One of the branches wriggled as a fruit fell onto his outstretched hands. Rhizen then gave it to Felix, "If you consume this, you'll obtain part of our power. This is the most effective against the Aberrants. You'll be able to fight using this. Though, as to what ability you might obtain, that's entirely on you."

"I'll take it." Raisha's voice resounded from atop the Whale as it seemed she overheard the entire conversation.

As Rhizen lowered the Whale, she slid down its side, landing on the ground as she approached Rhizen, stating with a tone of confidence, "I'll take it."

"Feel free," Rhizen nodded, extending the fruit to her.

The fruit resembled a lemon at first glance but looked edible as Raisha stared at it curiously, taking it from Rhizen.

"Wait, there might be risks…" Felix interjected when Raisha raised her hands, motioning for him to stop.

"It's fine, brother. My gut is telling me that this would work out." Raisha said, swallowing the lemon in one gulp, "And even if it doesn't work, at least you'll be safe."

"Dammit!" Felix grunted nervously, praying for her safety.

Standing at the side, Rhizen felt like a third wheel, thinking, 'Bro, I perfected this long ago. Nothing will happen to her. It's as easy as drinking water.'

Boom!

Suddenly, there was a surge of power from within her as the surrounding Nacre swerved into her body, causing Raisha to exclaim in shock as she perceived a mystical yellowish-green radiance all around her that sparkled, "Beautiful! What's this?"

"Nacre, the energy we wield," Rhizen replied smugly.

"Wait, your head!" Felix shouted suddenly, pointing at her forehead in alarm, watching a horn protrude slowly.

"What's…this?" Raisha asked in wonder, touching the horn as she muttered, "It feels similar to a goat's horns."

"Congratulations on successfully becoming a part of the Horned Human race." Rhizen smiled, double-tapping her horn, "Now, focus on it. You'll find out the ability that you have gained."

"Okay." Raisha did as she was told, focusing on the horn as immediately after, a dense stream of information flowed into her brain. It felt like she was recalling something she had learned in the past but had forgotten.

Raisha slowly extended her hand as her horn shone with a bright green hue, condensing a gun with a conical barrel that only had a pin-sized tip. She turned around, pointing it towards an Aberrant that had almost reached the dome, pressing the trigger when a needle-like projectile flashed out and slammed into her target.

Along the way, it expanded in size, boring a fist-sized hole through the Aberrant. The projectile vanished as the green radiance swirled around the hole in the Aberrant's body, beginning to disintegrate the area surrounding the hole.

"That's the Needle Gun." Rhizen nodded in praise, "It's a pretty powerful ability."

He then caught hold of another fruit, presenting it to Felix, "Now, I'm curious about the ability you'll gain."