Arc 2 P8

"Leroy, we need to go. Now."

Leroy stood up without question. "Thanks for everything, jie."

Ooyuri didn't move and let them go. She couldn't help them. Little was known about the relic on their necks so they're better off surrendering.

Soon, Ana entered the room. She explained the situation about the corrupted and how the two left so that they'd be caught away from the shop.

"I see."

Ooyuri already had a feeling that'd be the case. Leash wasn't activated on Shiska so it's not a crime. However, if they're so kind not to draw attention to the shop then it must be connected to a huge organization. Only one thing came to mind.

***

The nearby church wasn't the place the two expected to be taken after peacefully surrendering.

The soldier that took them scoffed as he checked the data pertaining to the two. "Smart move for a death row convict," he said. Looking at Shiska, he added, "Hey, you. Are you really human?"

"Use your brain, bozo," Shiska chinned the church, its spires and worn-out structure clearly a sign of aging.

"Ah," The soldier didn't take offense. Instead, a mocking smirk appeared on hid lips. "Left without a family to take you in, eh? Heheh."

Leroy discreetly nudged Shiska. They couldn't afford to touch these guys. Besides, stooping to this government lapdog's level wouldn't benefit her.

With a long, heavy sigh, Shiska indicated she received his message. That's right. Instead of getting worked up over useless things, she should understand why they're being taken to the church instead of the barracks..

"Is there some sort of religious festival around?" Leroy asked, trying to extract some information.

"Chernobyl isn't superstitious a bajillion years before, and it'd stay that way a bajillion years after. This ugly, spiky church only had an orphanage going on. That's about everything you're allowed to know."

They stopped by a limousine parked at the gates. Then, the soldier stood straight, clicked his boots and saluted. "I have brought the tainted as ordered, General!"

General?! Shiska and Leroy looked at each other, bewildered.

The car's window rolled down, revealing the man who forbade Shiska killing the corrupted earlier.

He brought a finger to his lips. "Hush. The General is sleeping. You are dismissed," His gaze turned to the two. "You two, get in."

Shiska never dreamt she'd get to ride one of those fancy long hovercrafts one day. These limousines often stopped by around here and she often wondered why. Perhaps she'd know the reason soon.

The man sighed. He's been massaging the bridge of his nose frequently, either a terrible habit or simply due to fatigue.

"First things first. I'm so sorry about earlier, the situation could've ended better if I didn't fell short of the necessary preparations."

"Water under the bridge," Or should I say, I do anything funny and I'm dead.

The man seemed not to dwell on it and moved on with his introduction. "My name's Robert Antonolov, researcher of the science council. Call me Robert. There's just so many of Roberts around but I'm used to it. Anyway," He gently shook the frail girl sleeping soundly beside him. "General, please wake up. Your visitors are here."

She moaned and hugged the big teddy bear on her slender arms tighter. A few more attempts and her eyelashes finally fluttered open.

"You don't have to wake me. I can listen while I sleep," she said before dozing off again.

Robert laughed, embarrassed at the state of his superior.

"Allow me to introduce her," he said. "This lady is one of the highest ranking official of the Chernobyl military, second only to General Chen Jiyan. Wielder of relic Leash, she is General Chen Yue."

And just like that, the two were frozen solid on the spot. The 'master' of the 'pets', the unseen user of one of the most dangerous relics in the military's possession, Chen Yue.

Robert gave Yue a shot since she had no intention of waking up for more than ten seconds. He then explained the relic was too taxing on the wielder's body that's why she's in a perpetual state of weakness. Only a dose of a potent medicine could keep her awake for long periods.

Yue looked at Shiska and Leroy, then rubbed her eyes. She repeated this spiel for quite a while before Robert cleared his throat to remind her time's running.

"I'm Chen Yue, holder of relic Leash. Not a fancy name, but gets the job done."

"General, they already know that."

"Oh," Yue became still for a few moments. Robert waved a hand to get her attention back. "Right. This should've been under better circumstances but I want to extend my thanks for your contributions in the last assignment. Medals aren't available so I'm willing to hear out one request."

Shiska held a hand up. "A question first, General. What of the other convict? There's three of us in that mission."

"Right, her. I can't remember a lot of things. Oh? I think I do. She completed her sentence so soon. Robert, help me explain. Sorry, I need to drink."

Robert took over the conversation while Yue rested. He said Ambrosia's remains were kept in the Chernobyl memorial center for accomplishing may feats including the pioneer of Angel's blood and helping test the now lost relic Erlingier.

Leroy kept the conversation going since he's sure Shiska wasn't over it yet. To be fair, he also wanted to break Yue's neck for quite some time now. She's the reason for a lot of deaths, excluding the ones incurred by her relic.

Suddenly, his throat started burning. Leroy held it with both hands, trying hard to breathe as he felt his windpipe close.

"Robert, kindly hurt the man," Yue ordered. "Leash is reacting."

Robert slapped Leroy.

"Harder."

He did it.

"Harder."

Again.

"Harder."

Again.

"Harder."

And again. Yue mercilessly ordered Robert as Leroy struggled to gasp for air. On the other hand, Shiska couldn't move.

The sound of desperation and slapping filled the hovercraft. Thanks to the gravity correction, it vehicle remained stable despite the commotion.

Robert's hand started hurting while Leroy's cheek was became swollen by the time Yue was satisfied.

"Ah, that was refreshing," she said. "Take them away."

"General, with all due respect, you said you have something important to say to them now that they're in the area."

"Oh, that's right. It's good you're in the entertainment district today of all days… hmm, your cheek is swollen. What happened?"

Apparently, conversations with Yue was a mess. While Robert said it's due to being fully awake, and the burden of the relic, she's acting as if she had ADHD.

In summary, she said that Ambrosia, along with a few more, helped pave the way for the current version of Angel's blood. Since it's quite potent, it's the only drug that enabled her to function normally even for a bit. The resulting tainted were also commended by her, saying that the sacrifices were completely necessary if they wanted to advance.

Fortunately, as time went on, the drug took effect and she's more focused in the conversation.

"You may have your opinions, seeing as you both came from this area, however, I have things I needed to do, and crossing the moral boundary was the least of my concerns," Yue said, once she got to the point of the corrupted attack earlier. Apparently, that's also one of the tests under her supervision.

"You're above the law, that's why it's ok," Shiska muttered through gritted teeth. She couldn't let this girl's attention wander again. They needed to learn something if they were to make sense of Ambrosia's death.

"Yes," she quickly agreed. "You are an orphan, Shiska, so you must've been taught about God. While I doubt the thing's existence, what I found most revolting was the claim of equality. There's no such thing. Blood tends to favor, libido tends to favor, actions tend to favor… even 'God' Himself does. Is this state of inequality okay? No, but it needs to be in order for us to take the next step. In other words, someone needs to be above the law. It just so happened I did."

The next step. Yue clearly was a progressive thinker, willing to challenge the norms in exchange of a breakthrough. While the two wouldn't openly admit it, the general had been true to her beliefs, going so far as to even use herself for a dangerous relic that continuously sucked her life.

"Going back to Angel's blood," Leroy said. "Does the side effect include turning into a tainted?"

"Leroy, you don't mean…"

"It got me wondering, what you said the Erlingier thief saying something about a 'fate worse than death'."

"The thief, you say?" Robert butted in.

"It should be included in the report. There's a guy riding a two-wheeled hovercraft-like vehicle using a black sword relic called Tinder."

"That must be CENA, a mercenary group in the outerfields," Yue said dismissively. "I think our army had dealings with them in the past. I wouldn't mind their words too much, if I were you. They're a minor disturbance as long as you don't pay them any attention. Kindly answer their question, Robert. I'm thirsty."

Robert took the conversation. "To answer your question, the side effects of Angel's Blood varies from person to person, however, the most useful was the ability to activate and wield relics, at a cost, of course. Subject Ambrosia exhibited the best portrayal of these effects using an A-class relic despite only having the capacity to use a mass-produced, elite spear type. Her resonance values fluctuated in a turbulent manner, meaning—"

"She could use Leash if given the chance to," Leroy guessed.

Robert shook his head. "Oh, no. Leash is one of the unique relics out there, just like your Wahr, only one tainted who passed its strict requirements is allowed to use it at a time."

"Wahr is special, perhaps more than any other known relic," Yue joined in, gazing meaningfully at Shiska as she said that. "Truly worthy of trading a life over."