Patriot 

The near future.

In this world, two races coexist. The “demi” race, which have fused with animals and machines; and the “human” race, which have not.

These demis were created by humans as the beings who would carry the future of mankind, but since their physical prowess makes them excellent soldiers, they were instead sent to war on behalf of humans.

The demis were disposed as if they were expendable, and of course, there was no way they would take kindly to such treatment– It was inevitable that they would rebel against humanity.

And so, against their astonishing combat power, mankind was helpless and suffered defeat.

Having won their independence, the demis eventually founded “Adler”, a nation ruled by demi-humans, for demi-humans.

However, an entity emerged that could not tolerate such arrogance. The terrorist organization lead by “Dr. Ulrich”, has secretly begun its dark activities, with the aim of restoring human rights.

This story is about a man entrusted with maintaining public order in Adler in the midst of that climate– Patriot.

“Patriot, I have an important mission for you.”

One day, I was instructed to search for a certain person by my boss, the director “J”. According to the director, that man–Dr. Ulrich–is scheming something in Adler.

“Guess killing is inevitable in some cases, huh? Shit, pushing all that hassle on me..."

I’m at a restaurant in Adler’s downtown. It’s a noisy place, but it’s useful to gather information. Anyways, it’s easy to blend in in a place like this where everyone is focused on their own private matters. Plus, the food is good.

“Well then... Where should I start?”
“Yes, be right with you! Thanks for waiting! I made you a big portion today! Here you go!”

*Bam!* A fried rice bowl is slammed onto the table. The one who brought the rice was is the catgirl Marga Ling, the self-proclaimed jewel of the restaurant.

“Hey, don’t yell in my ear, I can hear you quite well! I’m not an old man!”
“You shouldn’t look so grim! Cheer up!”

This girl gets on my case at every opportunity. She even served me a bigger portion without my permission even though I didn’t ask for it...

“...What a chatty little girl.”
“You say that, but I know you're actually happy! I know you come every day because you fancy me!”
“I’m just trying to gather infor... What a pain in the ass. You’re done here, right? If so, get back to your post.”

I shoo the cat away. But perhaps frustrated by that, Ling continues pestering me.

“Is it fashionable to be secretive these days? The other day, I saw some informant guy being secretive... For a man, he really was pathetic.”
“...Hey, wait a minute. Let me hear more about that.”

Feeling caught by those words, I push Ling against the wall.

“A-Aiya! What you doing bringing me to the edge of wall like this? A confession of love?! How bold!”
“Are you misunderstanding something? I’m just...”
“A proposal! Must be a marriage proposal!

She’s being noisier than ever before, it’s gonna be hard not to stand out. I’ll just go along with what the catgirl says.
Once I get the information I want, I’ll eat my dinner and get the hell out!

According to the catgirl’s information, a wandering informant has recently settled in this section of the city, far away from the downtown area, and seems to be doing something in the shadows. To be honest, I think its all bullshit. But it’s better than nothing.

“If her story is true, he should be lurking around here...”

Unlike the bustling main streets of the downtown area, these narrow back alleys are a different world. The world of the poor and the criminals. I can’t help but think that this area, with its increasing smell of rusty iron, is like the back face of Adler.

Who would’ve though a place like this existed... Well, whatever. Putting that aside…

“Hey, how about you come out already? I know you’re there.”
“Ohh, you noticed me?”

The thug, who has been following me for quite a while, gives off an easygoing vibe from the way he talks and dresses. Must be a street hoodlum. I don’t think he has anything to do with the terrorist organization.

“Anyone would notice with all that murderous intent oozing from you.”
“Hey pal, just stay quiet and leave the cash and the goods behind, kay? You’ll get hurt if you refuse.”

He shows signs of being armed. In order to restrain him, I approach my prey.

“Hoh, and how will you do that?”
“Like this!! GALE CHAIN!!”[4]

With a whistling sound, something flies past me and grazes my cheek. But if it can’t hit me, then there is no problem. I swing myself around and step dash towards the hoodlum full of gaps.

“Too slow!”

As soon as I say that, the bastard moves his upper body inward. His strange movement alerts my five senses of the danger.

“Tch...!”

I quickly throw myself forward and roll on the ground. Immediately after, an iron sickle reaps down the place where I just was.

“Did ya really dodge that one? You’re quite the monster, mate!”

The man is wielding a pair of sickles connected by a chain– a "chain sickle".[5]

“That’s interesting. But you won’t stop me from rushing in with a toy like that.”
“Oh, yeah?! Let’s see about that! GALE CHAIN!!”

Aiming at the sickle flying straight towards my head, I swing my scythe down.

“WYVERN NAIL!!”

My weapon slashes the chain-sickle into pieces that go flying in the opposite direction. Using the scythe I’ve just thrust into the ground to propel myself, I charge at the man at a high speed. And then, I slam a punch at the punk, who didn’t understand what just happened!

“DEAD BRINGER!!”
“Buagh!”

The hoodlum crashes into the ground, bouncing and rolling several times. Now lying on the ground, the guy waves his other sickle in surrender.

“You didn’t even make a good warm up. Now, I have a question for you. Do you know anyone who's showed up around here recently?"
“I-I don’t know anything...”
“Ahh?!”

With just a menacing look, I easily get him to spill out all the information he knows.

“I see. So this informant uses the eastern combat technique of ‘Ninjitsu’?”
“That’s right. Hey chief, I can go now, right? I won’t cross you again, promise...”
“What are you babbling about? You’re going to jail for obstruction of justice and extortion.”

With those words, the hoodlum finally realizes who I am. His face gradually grows pale.

“W-Wait just a minute, chief! How about this? I’ll help find the ‘ninjitsu’ user too...”
“It’s too late for apologies!”

Slamming him again, the hoodlum blacks out.
...Shit, what a total waste of time and energy.
I’ll let my comrades deal with this guy while I go ahead.

“Wait for me, ninjitsu-user.”

After wasting my time with that back alley hoodlum, I eventually arrive at the multi-tenant building where the ninjitsu-user lives by extracting information from others who also tried to pick a fight with me.

As I’m about to step into the building, a hooded figure appears soundlessly from the near dark shadows.

“Are you the ‘ninjitsu-user’ informant?"
“Yes. Why are you looking for me?"
“Give me the information you have on the terrorist organization.”

I put my hand on the man’s shoulder. However, the instant I touched his hood, the clothes lose their support and fall slowly to the ground.

“What?!”
“If I had been serious, you’d be dead already.”

As I turn towards the direction of the voice that echoes out of nowhere, I find that the man has somehow moved to the roof of the building.

“Heheh, where you looking?”
“Bastard...!”

If he wants to fight from the start, then fine. Let’s do it. I hold my scythe up high and wait for the man to make his move. The moment he appears in front of me will be his last one.

“SHADOW BLADE!”

The man disappears just as soon as he shouts. But I sense his presence, and immediately throw a punch to my back right.

...I feel the hit land, but all there was is a log of wood.

“Tch!”

Feeling a burning sting, I notice I have a stab wound on my body. The ninjutsu bastard continues disappearing, as if he's teleporting. His speed is the real deal. It'll be impossible for me to get used to it in a short amount of time. Chances are I'll end up being tossed around and cut into pieces.

In that case –– there’s only one way for me to win. A ridiculously quick and easy way.

I exhale and close my eyes, focusing all my attention on the oncoming blow.

“Got ya! SHADOW BLADE!”

His voice echoes. Here it comes ––––!

“Guh...! No, I caught you!”
“What?!”

By sacrificing my own body, I’m able to catch the sword and capture the bastard. I'm not letting him run away anymore. After firmly grabbing him by the shoulders and blocking his movement...

“For starters, guess I’m going to stop you from moving.”

...I hit him with a series of body blows.

“...Kuh!!”

The man lets out a muffled groan, his face twisted in anguish. In addition, the man raises his hands and open and closes his mouth repeatedly as if mumbling something. Unfortunately, I ain’t listening right now...!

“I’ll give you something to eat. How about my best punch?!”
"Damn... It!" [7]
"―What was that whine just now?”

The moment I deliver the clean hit, the guy violently blows away and slams into the wall. I’m sure I didn’t put that much strength to make him fly like that... But more importantly...

...The guy is completely unconscious now.

Again, I end up with more troubles than I know what to do with...!

After beating the “ninjitsu-user” to a pulp, I decide to interrogate him at the police station. The interrogation I’m conducting in duo with a comrade is going far from smoothly. We're trying not to force the information out of him... But I’m slowly starting to lose my patience.

Guess it’s about time. I’ll offer him a deal.

“You must be starving by now. If you spill the beans, I can get you enough food to fill your stomach, what do you say?

The man’s throat gurgles.

“...Sushi, sukiyaki.”[9]
“Huh?”

...Of course, we don’t have anything like that here. But this is a golden opportunity to get some information out.

“We have a deal then. You give me whatever information you have, and I’ll feed you as much as you want.”
“O-Okay! I’ll tell you anything!”

Well, I didn’t say I’d feed him sushi or sukiyaki.

―The guy then begins to provide information in a surprisingly obedient manner. Guess he can’t help himself when food dangles in front of him.

With his information, I now have a complete picture of the terrorist organization that man leads. They’re planning to spray poison gas here in Adler.

Just a little bit more and I’ll be able to catch them!

“So, where is that important man hiding?
“Hey, hey. Before that... Can’t you bring some food already? I’m dying of hunger here.”
“Damn, guess it can’t be helped... Wait just a minute.”

I head to the diner to get a pork cutlet rice bowl for the pestering ninjitsu guy.[10] It’s not sushi or sukiyaki, but it should be good enough.

After about 20 minutes, I return to the interrogation room.

“Hey, brought you something! Be thankful and eat it.”

But just as I’m about to open the door, I feel a scent wafting from the other side. It’s a distinct, foreign scent that I’ve smelled many times before.

―The smell of death.

Inside the room lays the bodies of the ninjutsu-user and my colleague, murdered by someone.

In a very short time, not only have they killed the guy that had his hands restrained, but also an armed police officer, and in such an easy way.

“Damn it! How dare they do this while I’m here?!”

The investigation which should have been going smoothly, suddenly rammed into a dead end.

“Before this ends... I’ll make sure they pay for this!”

The key witness that had clues that could lead me to that man was murdered by someone; and now my investigation is back to square one. I got so busy with the cleanup and other duties that by the time I left the station, it was already dusk. Damn, what a way to waste a valuable day. Wish I could have at least found out where that man is hiding.

Changing the subject, the fog is absurdly thick today. It happens from time to time in this city, but this one it’s so thick that I can’t even see the dimly lit silhouettes of people as I enter back alleys... If someone were to set a trap on me ― now would be the time they’d do it.

Suddenly, a flash cuts off the fog. At the same time I become aware of it, the flash attacks me. I narrowly avoid it, then I shout menacingly.

“I figured you’d come after me too!”
“Ohh... You dodged that. As expected of the secret police’s top enforcer.”

A man dressed in a black hat, black uniform and black cape appears out of the night fog ― in short, he's an enforcer just like me.

“...Since when did you know?”
“I figured it out right away after checking the state of the crime scene.”
“Oh?”

I can’t see his face in the darkness, but I get the feeling that the assailant is waiting to see how I’ll react.

“Despite the fact that my dead comrade was carrying a sword, he didn’t even draw his weapon. Then, the culprit must’ve been someone he didn’t suspect. Meaning, it must’ve been one of us. Isn’t that right?”

The face hidden in the shadows reveal itself.

“Correct, Patriot.”

The person who had killed my comrade and the Ninjitsu-user, and even tried to kill me, was Director J.

“Sorry if it’s so sudden, but I’ll have you die here.”

A clear murderous intent emanates from his narrowed eyes. Have to steel my determination. If I don’t, I’m done for.

We set our eyes on our prey and get close enough to take each other’s life. His vague silhouette is now clearly visible. And then, as if on cue, a dance of slashes begins.

“UOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!”

Our first attacks aimed at our necks collide and sparks fly. The next blows and the ones after that clash relentlessly with each other, and the night fog dissipates in the blink of an eye.

“The title of ace among enforcers is really no joke, huh? In that case...!”
“Whoa?!”

His strikes become much swifter. Is this guy’s speed increasing?

I gradually become cornered by the increasing barrage of slashes. And then ―I lose my balance.

"Got you!”

*SHLLLLK*

I feel his sword gouging my flesh. The burning pain makes me want to writhe. But if I retreat here, it’ll be all over!

High speed slashes cut through my body, and a cloud of blood flies across my field of vision. At this rate, he’s going to kill me.

I grit my teeth. This is the moment of truth.

Catch up with him! Catch up with his speed!

Hit him! Put all of yourself into it!

“Your time has come, Patriot!”

A flickering red light begins to run through my body. I surrender myself to the anger boiling inside me, and howl.

“This... Is not my limit!!”
“Wh?! Go to hell!!”
“WYVERN―”

Our powers clash with each other and the impact reverberates through the air. The tense atmosphere soon returns to silence. In the midst of all, I find myself in a state where I can barely stand. I feel so exhausted that I don’t even know what I fired.

“Guh... Where, is...?”
“It was a mistake... To appoint you this job...”

I turn to where his presence is. The director is lying on the ground covered in blood, looking up to the sky. I limp my way to him. The director’s body is slashed from the shoulder to the abdomen, and his body heat is decreasing. He probably only has a few minutes to live.

“Hey, bastard! Don’t you dare die without saying a word! At least become a martyr for justice at the end! Why did you make me look into this investigation?!”

The director just moves his mouth, since at this point it's difficult for him to articulate words. But just as I’m about to give up, I hear a faint voice.

“I thought I could keep you on a leash... By using your good intuition against you. Patriot, check my desk...”

Saying that, he hands me the key of his desk with a trembling hand. And then, with his gaze still fixed at the sky, the director draws his last breath.

“You should’ve done that from the very beginning... Stupid bastard...”

There is no time to be immersed in sentimentality. I finally have an important lead. I will stop that man... And whatever he is trying to do... No matter what...

“Shit... I lost a bit too much blood...”

My body is not listening to me.

My consciousness sinks into a deep mud-like darkness.

Before I knew it, I lost consciousness due to the wounds I sustained in my battle with Director J. Don’t know how long it's been... But now I find myself looking up at a ceiling I've never seen before.

“Where am I...?”

For now, the first priority is to assess my situation. I’ll check for wounds and... Hmm? Something is wrong.

I can’t move my body. What’s going on? I try to check my surroundings with my barely movable head, and I find that I’m tied up to a bed.

“This doesn’t make sense... kh!”

Just as I’m trying to think of a way to escape, a very out of place, yet extremely cheerful voice resounds.

“Ah, you’re up, you’re up! I’ll go call the doctor, so please stay calm! If you don’t do as I say, your wounds will open and you’ll die!”

The owner of the voice is a little girl wearing a big nurse cap. The name-tag on her chest reads “Satsuki”.

Wait a minute, what does she mean by “stay calm”? I’m strapped to a bed!

“Release me from these restraints right now! I have something I must do!”

I throw a few words in the direction of the little girl named Satsuki, but she doesn’t seem to hear me. Then out of nowhere, a whispering voice reaches my ear.

“Don’t get so angry. You’ll open your wounds.”
“Wha?!”

I follow the voice with my eyes. Before I know it, a man that looks twice as tall as me is standing there. He’s wearing a scarecrow-like mask for some reason. Because of that, I can’t tell whether he is a human or a demi.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mephisto. As you probably can see, I’m a doctor.”
“...More like a suspicious person, I’d say. So, what’s going on here?”
“This is a place where we treat people with special circumstances like you. Lil Satsuki brought you here after finding you lying covered in blood.”
“In other words, you’re a back alley doctor.”
"Nn~~~, correct!!”
“Gaah, don’t shout into my ear! I can hear you quite well. But still, how the hell did she manage to carry me...?”

Perhaps it's because of the inexplicable rush of events, but I get the feeling that I’m dreaming. In fact, everyone lying on the other beds are quite weird looking. However, whether I like it or not, the pain emanating from my abdomen makes me realize that this is reality.

“She may not look like it, but she’s incredibly strong, you know? Well then, let’s get started, shall we? You’re a member of the secret police, aren’t you? You seem to be in a hurry.”
“Sure I’m in a hurry, but... What are you planning to start?”

Mephisto takes out a scalpel and shouts in a singsong voice.

“An operation, of course! Let’s replace all of your body parts with machines♪”
“Like hell you will! I’ve had enough of this nonsense!”

In anger, I tear off the restraints with all my might. What the... What is this strength?

“Bastard, you’ve already messed up with my body?”

Frightened, Mephisto shakes his head in panic.

“O-O-Of course not! That’s just your innate strength! I just sutured your wounds... And made your eyebrows a bit cooler!”
“Are you playing with me?!”

Ahh shit... all this back and forth[13] is making me exhausted. Gotta get the hell out of here. I have to chase after that man as soon as possible.

“Whatever, thanks for the help. Please send the bill for my treatment to the secret police.”
“Ohh, you’re going already mister? Buuummer. Come visit us again!”

I lightly pat Satsuki’s head when she comes back. Caught by her timid and shy smile, I can’t help but smile as well.

“Thanks for the save, kiddo. I’ll stop by at some other time.”
“Okay! Then that’s a promise!”
“Too bad, I wanted to examine him more...”

Mephisto looks like he wants to say something, but I don’t have the time to worry about it.

I’ll solve this stupid case as soon possible. Even if it’s just me alone.

Thanks to the back-alley doctor’s treatment, I manage to return to the crime scene without any trouble. It seems I slept for half a day after my battle with the director. Luckily, the terrorist organization still seems to be lying low. If their goal involves a large number of demis, then they won’t be committing regular crimes at night. In other words, it is still possible to take countermeasures.

I immediately search the director’s desk and find something surprising. The whole plan is a setup. A staged self-attack by the extremists in Adler’s upper echelon that support Ulrich.

―Just for the sake of unnecessarily inciting hatred towards humans.

“You've gotta be kidding me... I’m going to crush this plan!”

I look through the other documents and find the coordinates of the factory where they're supposedly making the poison. It appears to be a food factory in the suburbs, but this...

“No wonder we couldn’t find them. The factory is also under the government’s control.”

Every last one of them are trash. It makes me want to puke. I’ll crush them thoroughly!

I go to the food factory by myself. There's no one in the place at night, and security isn’t particularly tight. On the surface, the place looks like a regular factory.

“This works out for me. I won’t have to waste time fighting pointless battles.”

I manage to sneak into the factory with surprising ease. Except for a few security guards, the facility is so empty and too quiet that it sends a shiver down my spine. I can’t find anything suspicious on this floor. Perhaps the poison is being manufactured underground. Gotta find a way to the basement.

“...?!”

Suddenly, I feel like something grabs hold of me. Before I know it, the floor and ceiling turns upside down before my eyes. My body hits the floor hard.

“...Guah!”

A shock so strong that it runs through my entire body makes it hard to breathe. In my blurred sight, a giant figure that one could mistake for a lump of stone appears. The back-alley doctor was also quite tall, but combined with the armor he's wearing, this guy is really massive.

“I’m Zeppelin, the head of security. No one is allowed to enter this facility without permission.”

Blowing steam from his armor, the man who call himself Zeppelin attacks.

“Damn, I don’t have time to deal with tin toys...! WYVERN BLAZE!!”

The flames generated by stabbing my scythe on the floor and swinging it away approach the tin man. The fire gains momentum and hit him directly, but... He just walks on calmly without paying any attention to the flames.

“What defensive power. You sure aren’t made of papier-mâché.”

“This is Adler’s supreme armor ―‘Fortress Guard’. Flames of that caliber won’t affect it.”

While I’m astonished, the tin man rapidly starts to close the distance. With a roar, gigantic arms come at me from above and below. If those arms catch me again, it'll be the end. Rushing forward by sliding on the floor towards his feet with “Grand Savior”, I evade his attack. And then, with my next move, I deliver a blow with all my might!

“You’re wide open! VIPER STING!!”

Putting my whole weight into it, I strike with my right fist. With an explosive force similar to a volcanic eruption, the massive tin man is launched into the air. His armor is still intact. In that case ― I’ll just hit it until it breaks!

“UOOOOOHHHHH!! WYVERN NAIL!!”
“Wha!? You’re still going!?”

That’s right, as long as my energy lasts!! And as if in response to my shout, fine cracks begin to appear in the armor ― which eventually creates a huge fissure―

With a loud bang, the armor that he boasted to be like iron walls, shatters. At the same time, the tin man gets knocked to the ground.

“I-Impossible! You broke the supreme armor...?!”

The tin man still can’t believe what just had happened, but I continue regardless.

“You still wanna do this? I need to go underground.”
“No... I realize I’m no match for you. But why do you want to go underground so badly? There's nothing of anything of value there."
“You... Don’t tell me you haven’t heard anything...?”

I briefly explain to him what had happened so far and what is going on underground in secret. Judging by his reaction, the tin man really didn’t know anything.

“Forgive me... Even though I couldn’t tell because of the darkness, I cannot believe I raised my hand against a secret police enforcer.”
“It couldn’t be helped in that situation. Don’t worry about it. You were just doing your duty.”

After making peace with the thankful Zeppelin, I’m shown the route leading to the basement, and heads towards that man, who’s be waiting for me there.

I’m close to solving this case.

I’ll show them that their dawn will never come.

Going down to the basement, I follow the route Zeppelin gave me and reach the back of a laboratory. It's a very spacious place, with several test tubes―huge ones at that―lined up at the back of the room. And what are those things floating inside the tubes? No matter how I look at them, it’s not poison gas or anything like that. Those things are―

“Well, well, I see you did a great job. It’s quite an accomplishment to have made it this far.”

I turn around at the sudden sound of a voice. There, stands a man dressed in white that looks like a researcher.

“I take it you’re Ulrich?”
“Indeed. I am the one who reigns as the pinnacle of human wisdom―Dr. Ulrich.”
“Spare me the speech. I already know that you’re planning a terrorist attack with poison gas. Now, be quiet and let me put you on cuffs or else.”

Even after hearing my warning, Ulrich doesn't move. Instead, he laughs loudly as if he finds it amusing.

“Isn’t it too early to go crazy?”
“That’s hilarious, considering I’m not making any poison gas”
“Wha?!”

If his real objective isn’t making poison, then it must be the test tubes...!

I turn my eyes to the tubes again. Although the bubbles coming out of their bottom only makes vague silhouettes discernible ― they are indeed something in the shape of humans.

“As you may have guessed, what I am really creating are ultimate beings that will surpass demis. Immortal mechanical life forms that will operate forever.”
“You’re planning to use these to commit terrorism?
“Not precisely, but, well, that’s about it. I once thought demis were wonderful... Strong and perfect beings far superior to humans... But I got tired of you all. What I really want is to create the ultimate life form that will surpass humans and demis. A life form superior to demis that will destroy the stupid human race... And since my interests aligned with those of your human-hating government, my research went very smoothly... Honestly, what a bunch of fools. Also, my real goal lies in the world beyond the hellfire of war, using only the strong survivors to create an even stronger species! Yes, my aim is to create a race of gods!”

I don’t understand why terrorists are always so eager to talk nonsense. I don’t comprehend his way of thinking, but I know what I have to do. Nothing has changed.

“From what I can see, it’s still a work in progress. Then I’m going to hurry and beat the hell out of you and get this case over with!”
"You government dog. I won’t let you interfere with my noble plan!”

As soon as he yells, something glows in his hand. Then suddenly, a sharp pain runs through my body. This sensation of slight numbness, it’s ―

“An electric shock!?”

I’m a few meters away from him, but my body definitely feels like its being attacked. What the hell is going on?

“This is my territory. Even if you were by the wall, you wouldn’t be able to escape my grasp.”

The light flashes again, and as if on cue, pain dances through my body again and again.

“Now then, what should we do? Should we wait for you to die like this?!”
“...I already know what the worst pain feels like. Once you experience it, there is nothing you cannot endure!”
“You... Damn meathead!”

Electric shocks fly one after another. But then again, none of them are outside the power range that I expected. This is not enough to stop me!

“I’ll break through it! GRAND SAVIOR!!”

Clad in flames, I charge at Ulrich. While Ulrich tried desperately to attack, I hit him with all my might, slamming him into the wall with a roar. At the same time, several objects fall to the floor with a clatter.

“I see. You were attacking me from a distance with drones.”
“Gahhh... M-My ‘Stun Bits’, bested by such a foolish strategy...”
“You doomed yourself when you misjudged my strength.”

I crush the drone at my feet and turn to face the test tubes. They're only doing as they were programmed, but I have to finish them off.

“―It’s over.”

“S-Stop! Don’t destroy them!”

“BLOODY RAVE!!”

Hitting them with a shockwave created by a compressed sound mass, the test tubes burst one after another. The mechanical life-forms Ulrich was trying to create are engulfed in blazing flames, and disintegrate. Their remains become ashes dancing in the flames, along with the mad scientist’s ambitions.

Ulrich’s plans are thwarted. All that’s left now is to take him to the police station.

“Start walking, Ulrich. As an S-risk level criminal, you’ll be put into solitary confinement, so enjoy the fresh air while you still can.”

Just as I’m about to place my hands on the crouching Ulrich, I hear something crumble. One of the mechanical life-forms that should’ve been burned to ashes is emerging from the rubble behind him. The aerodynamic form and the hair-like materials fluttering out of the head of the humanoid figure clad in white armor gives it a feminine look.

“She survived the fire...?”
“Heh… Heheh, Hahaha! Wonderful, this is the power of science! Now, kill him, Innocent! Eliminate this demi!”

The man yells as if he had just come back to life, but the mechanical life form called “Innocent” only lets out a muffled voice.

“I refuse.”
“W-What!?”
“The only one who can give me orders is myself."

Ulrich is speechless. With unfocused eyes, he mumbles something, but right now it doesn’t seem like the time to worry about him.

“Give me a break. Still more work to do, huh?”
“Are you planning to oppose me?”
“You bet. I have identified you as an SS-ranked archenemy. I’ll eliminate you right here and now.”

With my prey set, I turn to face Innocent. Since Ulrich made her to subdue Adler, the thing most likely has a reasonable strength on her own. I cannot give her an opening to attack. I’ll bring her into close combat and destroy her as quickly as possible.

“UOOOOOHHHHH!!”

I make the first move. For a greeting, I slam one punch, but Innocents reacts instantly and defends herself. Using the recoil of my attack, I immediately hit with my left fist, but it is also blocked. Then, next―!

The moment I was about to attack with a high kick, Innocent grabs my leg before I could fully extend it, as if she knew what was coming.

“What!?
“I calculated your possible attack routes from your fighting pattern. There were only three possible routes from which you could quickly execute an attack.”

Is she saying that she saw through my actions with only those few blows? Don’t screw with me! In that case, I’ll force my way through!

“WYVERN―!”
“Too slow.”

Aiming at the beginning of my attack, Innocent hits me with a kick. The force of the blow is so great that I roll several meters on the floor.

“Guohh... You bastard!”
“Disappear, mankind.”

Innocent raises her shoulders and her armor section opens. There's cannon-like objects mounted inside – which suddenly begin to glow.

This is bad!

“Omega Blast.”
“Make it in time! BLOODY RAVE!!”

The extremely thick beam of light that she fires collides with my fully-powered sound mass. At first, the two attacks seem to be evenly matched, but the power of the “Omega Blast” is greater than mine. The flames dye as if they are being painted from red to white. As for me―I get swallowed by the flood of light.

Eventually, the light fades away. Realizing that I’m still alive, though barely, I check my situation.

The cluttered lab has been blown away without trace. All I can I say is that I’m lucky my life hasn’t ended yet.

“Guh... I still... Can move... Still... Can do it...”

If you can still move, stand up, Patriot.

If you can still stand, bare your fangs.

If you can bare your fangs ― Destroy her!

“You survived? I'll have to update my data on demis' endurance.”

Don’t know if it’s my mission that drives me, but I know one thing.

“You’re the only one who’s going to get crushed today!”
“I do not comprehend. Do you really think you can resolve the situation at this stage?”

The reason why she isn’t shooting me again with the laser is probably because it consumes a lot of energy. Her talking without making any attack is proof of that. In that case, I should still have a chance to win.

“What can you do with those wounds? What can you possibly gain by doing such meaningless acts?”
“You don’t get to decide for me!!”

I’m the one who decides my limits! One minute! I’ll come at her with everything I have for one minute!

“HOWLING FOOORCE!!”

With a howl that shakes the air, my body starts to glow red with heat. Then, I kick the ground and close the distance with a single step.

“?!”

For a moment, she looks confused for the first time. And then, I rapidly throw a punch at her.

“I have already seen through your fighting patter―”

Before she could react, my right fist sinks deep into her abdomen. Taking a direct hit, her body bends forward, making her unable to respond to the next kick and uppercut I throw at her wide open head. Her armor on both shoulders pops off, and every inch of her body becomes battered and dented.

“Not over yet!!”
“??!!”

Innocent, who responded like she doesn’t understand, is unable to react to the unpredictable barrage of attacks. For her, this moment must be like a living hell.

But it’s over. It’s all over.

“ ―――kh ―――”

Having badly damaged her to the point she could no longer utter a word, I strike Innocent with my final blow.

“VIPEEER STIIING!!”

Piercing the ceiling, I leapt like a roaring volcano and rise into the sky along with her. Innocent, destroyed beyond recognition, ceases to function. Having exhausted every bit of the strength I had, I spit at her as I fall.

“...I win.”

The dawning sun shines brightly as if to celebrate my victory.

The series of plans Ulrich had hatched fell apart when I defeated Innocent.

Ulrich, who survived the fierce battle, was arrested by the enforcers who heard the commotion and rushed to the scene, and now he's waiting his judgment day in prison. The same is true for those in Adler’s upper echelons who were involved in this terrorist plot.

With that, everything was settled, and I was going to return to my normal life... Or so I thought.

In the battle, I exerted myself beyond my limits and suffered serious damage all over my body, so now I spend my days in a police hospital while undergoing rehabilitation. It’ll take three months to heal completely. I may be exaggerating, but this could also count as vacation time.

That being said, there's still a mountain of reports and other things I have to do. I’ll take it easy for the time being while I listen to the only album I brought from home. But as I’m listening to the upbeat sounds of the guitar, suddenly I hear a knock on the door. Before I could ask “who is it?”, the door opens.

It’s the back-alley doctor who saved my life, the little pipsqueak, and Marga Ling.

“Why the hell are you guys here?”
“I’m a doctor, remember? I have lots of connections.”
“Yeah, yeah! I heard mister was in the hospital, so I thought I’d come and visit you!”

I get why they came. But...

“Catgirl, I still don’t understand why you’re here!”
“How cruel! That is no way to speak to your wife!”
“W-Wife!? What the hell are you...”

With a frog's leap, the catgirl jumps from the entrance to the bed, and with great impetuous, she thrust out some document to me. On it, my real name and the catgirl’s name are...

T-This girl!

"It’s our marriage registration! Now then, Patry![18] Put your seal here!"

“Like hell I will! No! And wait, how do you know my name?!”
“The nice doctor there told me♪”

I immediately glare at the back-alley doctor. However, he had already disappeared from the scene.

“...That bastaaard!”
“If you don’t have a stamp, your signature will also do.”
“*Fweeeet-Fwuueee!* You two are quite passionate!”

But wait, when did I accept to get married in the first place?

“Hey, I don’t recall promising to marry you.”
“Have you forgotten that night? You nodded in agreement to all I said.”

That night...? Hearing that, my memories vaguely begin to come back to me. It was when I was investigating the whereabouts of that man. If I recall, I think the catgirl was prattling about something... No way!

“By that face, you remembered, didn’t you? Mufufu, from now on, I’ll take care of you every day, darling♪”

I pull the sheets over my head to block it all out. However, stuff about “children”, “a house” and stuff of the sort that I don’t want to hear keeps coming through.

Will I be really able to go back to the field like this?

Just thinking about what will come after is bothersome.

Goddamn... Give me a break.

[1] Title might be a reference to a song by One Ok Rock or a compilation album by Merciful Fate.

[2] Title is a reference to Ky’s theme “Holy Orders”.

[3] Title is a reference to “Reckless Life” by Guns N’ Roses.

[4] Hayate Kusari

[5] Kusarigama

[6] Title is a reference to a song by Enuff Z’Nuff.

[7] The original line was “……Chikku…shō!”. See the trivia section below.

[8] Title might be a reference to a song by Enuff Z’Nuff.

[9] Reference to Chipp’s line when doing his rekka.

[10] Katsudon. Serving it in police stations to people under arrest is a Japanese trope.

[11] Title is a reference to a song by Jellyfish.

[12] Title is a reference to a song by Faust.

[13] Tsukkomi

[14] Title is a reference to a song by Hammerfall.

[15] Title is a reference to a song and album by Yngwie Malmsteen.

[16] Title is a reference to an album by DragonForce.

[17] Title is a reference to a song by Queen.

[18] Pato-san

DEMI-HUMANS (DEMIS): Biological weapons similar to the “Gears” from the Guilty Gear series. Their reason to rebel against humanity is also similar, but unlike GG, the Demis triumphed over humanity and won their independence (while the Gears were defeated by the humans).

CHARACTERS: Perhaps because Daisuke Ishiwatari was in charge of the character’s design and his theme, the story has a lot of similarities with the GG series. Many of the characters seem to be based after GG characters.

• Patriot: Based on Sol Badguy. His favorite thing is a nod to Sol’s precious Queen’s album. Sol is not the only source the character takes inspiration from. He belonging to a police organization is based on Ky Kiske, and his use of a sickle as a weapon is based on Testament. Patriot uses fire and sound in his attacks.
  All his techniques are nods to Sol’s special moves:

• Wyvern Nail/Blaze → Gunflame ↓↘→ + T

• Dead Bringer → Bandit Bringer ↓↙← + A

• Grand Savior → Grand Viper →↓↘ + T

• Viper Sting → Volcanic Viper ←↙↓ + F

• Howling Force → Dragon Install ←↙↓↘→ + T or A or F

• Bloody Rave → Tyrant Rave ↙→↘↓↙←↙ + F & A

• Marga Ling: Based on Jam Kuradoberi. Like Jam, she works at a restaurant and use “aru” in her sentences. Her excessive insistence on getting married might be based on Elphelt Valentine.

• Kusarigama’s Hoodlum: Based on Axl Low.

• Ninjitsu User: Based on Chipp Zanuff. His defeat line “…Chikku…shō!” (Damn…it!) sounds similar to Chipp’s “Shishō” (Master) line due to the strange intonation he uses.

• Director J: Based on Johnny. His “fog cutting flash” might be a nod to Johnny’s “Mist Finer”.

• Woman Wrapped in Bandages: Might be a nod to A.B.A.

• Long Haired Woman/Woman With Beautiful Hair: Might be a nod to Millia Rage.

• Guy that Talks with “Something”: Might be a nod to Zappa.

• Satsuki: Based on May. She has monstrous strength like May and her name comes from the traditional Japanese name for the month of May.

• Mephisto: Based on Faust. Like Faust, he also hides his face, but instead of a paper bag, he uses a scarecrow-like mask. His line “I made your eyebrows a bit cooler!” might be a nod to Faust’s Instant Kill “This is…Me?”, where Faust can change his opponent’s eyebrows to a more dignified style à la Golgo 13.

• Zeppelin: Based on Potemkin. Incidentally, Potemkin’s nation is named “Zepp”.

• Dr. Ulrich: Based on Asuka R. Kreutz, aka “That Man”.

• Innocent: Based on Justice. Their appearances are similar, and her “Omega Blast” is a nod to Justice’s “Gamma Ray”.