chapter 35: Is this the price of my Greed?

POV of Stan

I had already prepared everything for GIFfany's assimilation into her new body. After integrating the arc reactor, all that was left was the supernatural AI's consciousness.

I glanced at the main installation with a smile before signaling Arlecchino to start the transfer.

"So, how's it going, Arlecchino?" Though confident in my project, I couldn't help feeling slightly nervous.

After all, GIFfany is someone close to me, and I didn't want her to have any troubles because of an incident.

[Synchronization and downloading of GIFfany's consciousness into her new main body is at 10%.]

[You should be a bit patient.]

I nodded at Arlecchino's suggestion, but I remained focused on the data displayed by the machines.

An hour passed before the woman, lying on the bed in her high school uniform, finally opened her pink eyes and looked at me.

She gave a sweet smile before slowly opening her mouth.

"I can finally see you with my own eyes... and put my hands on you."

As I was about to respond to this somewhat romantic declaration, GIFfany suddenly grabbed my face between her hands and placed an innocent kiss on my lips.

"...I've... I've waited for this moment for so long, my love~"

Her beautiful pink eyes and words could have captivated any man, but an inexplicable feeling of unease grew within me.

"GIFfany, we can... have such intimate acts in private. Right now, there are many people around us." I pointed to Terri, who was smiling while watching us, and Old Man McGucket.

Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf ears, and a verbal bomb followed.

"Intimate acts in private? Oh~ I see, like with that woman named Camila, right?"

GIFfany's frivolous tone had changed to an icy voice devoid of emotion at the mention of Camila.

Instinctively, I reached for my staff, or more precisely toward my palisman still in its egg form.

I had barely made this gesture when it immediately responded, flying toward me at lightning speed.

But in a flash, GIFfany pierced my heart... literally.

"*Shh*... I know this kind of injury can't kill you." I temporarily lost the ability to stand after the sudden attack.

GIFfany quickly took advantage to use me as a shield. She managed to repel my palisman that was dangerously approaching her.

This whole situation unfolded extremely quickly.

Arlecchino already had their scythe in hand, displaying hostility I had never seen before on their usually expressionless face.

"Let go of the boss," shouted Terri, pointing her Stun Gun at GIFfany, but I was in her line of fire.

"Release the master, and I'll pretend this act never happened." Despite her words, Arlecchino's eyes shone with an extremely dangerous red glow.

Despite this situation and this extremely tense atmosphere, GIFfany only stared at me, smiling.

She ignores the people in front of her.

My vision was a bit blurry, but thanks to my two brains and my nuclear heart, which was running at full power to fuel my nanomachines, I managed to stay conscious.

"You know, right? I love you, I love you, I love you... I LOVE YOU!!!!"

GIFfany held me tenderly against her like a precious treasure before trying to flee with me. But I slowly placed my hand on her stomach.

An act that slightly surprised GIFfany.

"I love you too.... Really but, that's also why... *difficult breathing*... I must... fix you... no... I must fix things."

I activated a teleportation spell using glyph magic. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring Arlecchino with us.

Although my witch heart and Titan's were shot, I still had the blood energy from the Titan race flowing in me.

I could no longer use witch magic, and my technological capabilities were limited, as my nuclear heart had to provide lots of energy to support my regeneration.

I'm gonna make it... I'll save everyone. Why? Because I'm... Stan Pines.

....

*bam*

*cough*

I exhaled loudly once we arrived in the Sahara Desert. I didn't have the luxury of opening a portal to the Boiling Isles, but I also wanted to handle this problem myself.

I got up with difficulty using my palisman as support, before turning my attention to my surroundings.

I had initiated this teleportation quickly and a bit hastily, but I hadn't really set a precise distance between myself and GIFfany upon our arrival.

It didn't take me long to find GIFfany, and she seems to have spotted me too.

Our gazes were fixed for an undetermined time before I decided to ask the question that had been haunting me since the beginning of this tragedy.

"W... why?" I asked while wiping the Titan blood flowing from my mouth.

"You know, right? I love you. And for you, I'm ready to fight against that woman who dared try to steal you from me." After these words, GIFfany rushed toward me at an insane speed. I used my palisman to deflect her attack, a gesture that made her eyes widen.

I would normally be incapable of such action yesterday, but things are different now.

I no longer depend solely on technology or science. I am now a user of another type of power:

Martial arts!!

"[1] Kyokushin Karate Eastern Sage version, first position: *Fist of the Black Turtle*," I declared unconsciously, as if in a trance, while executing this technique.

(Image)

A shockwave resonated. GIFfany's body shadow was thrown backward, and my white shirt tore at the sleeve.

Despite my artificial muscles being denser than normal and the memories of the Eastern Sage Han daewin himself, I couldn't properly execute this technique due to a slight imbalance during its execution.

"This hole in the chest... It's really annoying," I muttered while planting my palisman in the ground, before throwing several drops of blood around us.

GIFfany looked around, confused, before turning her attention back to me. I then took a relaxed position.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but without your heart mutated by the Titan, you've lost at least 70% of your strength," she said, shrugging before calmly walking toward me.

She would have been right just yesterday, and this proves that GIFfany had been waiting for this moment for some time.

"Stop this farce and come with me far from here, far from that bitch who's trying to steal you from me."

"GIFfany... How did you know?" I wanted to understand where I had failed.

I know I was greedy in wanting Camila Noceda, but I don't regret this act and I never will... No, regardless of the outcome of this confrontation.

"You're not even apologizing, but you want to know where you messed up? *Sigh*." After sighing, she adopted a neutral expression.

I admit that seeing a high school girl with damaged and dirty clothes giving me such a cold look chilled my blood. However, I didn't let anything show on my face.

"You really think you failed? That stupid woman talked about you to her relatives, and I saw a picture of you two on her profile picture." I understand now, I underestimated the internet and GIFfany.

I simply nodded in understanding toward her.

"I see... but I refuse your offer. I won't leave with you leaving everything behind. No... I'm far too greedy to choose... Sorry." I said in a sincerely apologetic tone.

"I see... In that case, I'll have to take you by force and put you to sleep until that bitch dies of old age," she said, placing a finger on her lower lip and tilting her head slightly to the right.

Several glyphs materialized around GIFfany thanks to a holographic projection, and she started shooting at me with laser beams.

Immediately, all the drops of blood I had spread around us took the form of light glyphs. Thanks to my remote nanomachines, these glyphs materialized several weapons of light.

"[2] Position 0: The Beggar!!" After these words, I executed the technique of the Chief of Beggars from South Korea.

(Image)

A huge half-moon-shaped hole was created by a light staff I had generated. As expected, the technique blinded and repelled GIFfany.

Unfortunately, the light weapon was destroyed after executing the technique.

Despite the pain in my chest and my irregular breathing, I immediately rushed forward. I had to ignore all that.

I picked up another light staff while running toward the "renegade" AI, then jumped in front of her in mid-flight.

"What?!" she exclaimed, surprised to see me suddenly appear after breaking through the dust cloud.

Without wasting time, I ordered my nanomachines to deactivate my pain receptors.

Pain allows the body to detect a problem. That's why I never deactivate it. But this time, I needed to be at full power to use this technique.

"19th Verse: Dog Seller..."

My light staff, created from the light glyph, shone powerfully. The magical energy I had left swirled around the staff.

I started executing the martial technique in combination with the magical energy still present in the wreckage of the heart lodged in my chest.

The wind started swirling as I spun the staff with power and dexterity before suddenly stopping it. The rotation sucked in the surrounding air.

Then, by abruptly stopping the movement to release the accumulated air, combined with the magical energy and photon particles attracted by the light glyph created with my blood, it generated a titanic whirlwind that rushed directly toward GIFfany, or more precisely toward her hearts.

"LIVE!!!" I shouted with difficulty.

My dominant arm was torn off up to the shoulder due to the gigantic force I was trying to control and release.

Normally, I would have been fascinated by this combination of martial arts and magic, but I wasn't in the mood for that.

My bodily state is just too messed up. I'm sure I look a bit like Toji after receiving Gojo's Purple.

But despite this, my gaze scrutinized the center of the gigantic luminous typhoon I had created.

My feelings were chaotic... I wanted to win and return to the Mystery Shack, but... I didn't want to kill her. I didn't want to destroy her. No!!