章 13: Worthlessness and Close Calls
Esperdício wasn't ugly, nor was he the most handsome man in the world, but he commanded a presence that demanded respect. As the machine meticulously scanned through every atom of his body, relentlessly seeking any shred of information it could uncover, the results proved to be nothing short of astonishing.
Despite his weak body, Esperdício donned an armor that was nothing short of a formidable weapon of war. It could tank cannon shots with ease, absorbing their impact as if they were mere pinpricks, and then retaliate with equal force.
"Heard you were a pretty good gunslinger, can kill twenty men with just a single bullet or something," he said, his fingers massaging his chin thoughtfully. "But no bullet can hurt me with this pretty piece on!" With a confident grin, he struck his armor, creating a resounding clang that reverberated throughout the room.
In a calm and unwavering voice, R.E.D. said, "We'll see..." He then took careful aim and fired at Esperício's face.
A bullet whizzed through the air with incredible speed. The weapons technology of this era was highly advanced, allowing bullets to reach speeds almost as fast as light, although still much slower in comparison.
To the surprise of the obviously biased audience comfortably seated in the stands of the Colosseum, both Cinderella and M.O.A.V., the bullet hit an invisible barrier around Esperdício's head, akin to a protective helmet, causing it to disintegrate upon impact. He maintained a confident grin throughout the ordeal, while R.E.D. remained notably devoid of any emotion.
R.E.D., wasting no time, began shooting again and again at various parts of Esperdício's body. "Are you hoping to find a weak point?" he taunted, a smug expression on his face. "Well, here's some spoilers, there aren't any! You're just wasting ammunition!" Undeterred, Esperdício slowly advanced towards R.E.D., a grin never leaving his face.
As R.E.D. stopped, his magazines empty, Esperdícion assumed a stance reminiscent of a cross-armed block. A soft, radiant light began to emanate from his entire body, converging and focusing at a single point—his chest. "My turn!" he declared, opening his arms wide to unleash a colossal beam of energy. The beam projected forward at immense speeds, rivaling that of R.E.D.'s gun.
With quick and agile footwork, R.E.D. managed to swiftly dodge the colossal beam, but in doing so, the beam found an unintended target—M.O.A.V. Her bubble-like form was hit, causing it to shatter, revealing its contents: Cinderella.
"Oh? Oh?!! Is that... Is that a girl?!!!!" one of the members of the audience exclaimed loudly, his voice filled with astonishment and intrigue.
"No way! An actual girl?!! And a human one at that!! No way!!!" another voice chimed in with excitement and disbelief.
"Holy! We don't even need the goblin girls anymore!! We have a human girl right there!!" one enthusiastic voice proclaimed.
Soon enough, the entire audience started to buzz with murmurs about the girl in the bubble as she began to be engulfed by the same protective sphere once more. **Why are these guys so obsessed with me being a girl? Have they never seen one? Bunch of creeps...** Cinderella quietly thought to herself.
"Well well... You never told me you had such a precious treasure in your possession!" Esperdício exclaimed, raising his arms in the air. "This will truly be a great show! Not only do I get to defeat the Red-Eyed Demon, but also claim a small girl all for me! How could this possibly get any better!!" His voice carried pride and excitement, accompanied by a sinister smile that crept across his face. Soon, cheers erupted from his followers, all fueled by the idea he put forth.
As the cheers became louder, the sudden clicking sound of a lighter silenced everything in less than a second. R.E.D., using his Fear, was simply trying to light the cigarette in his mouth.
"A-A cigarette?" Esperdício mumbled, his voice trembling as he gulped nervously. "You're really lighting a cigarette in the middle of a battle?!" he claimed, attempting to diminish R.E.D.'s composure.
"I can't control it... It's just that whenever this happens..." R.E.D. spoke as he finally managed to light the cigarette, "...I need something to calm me down and warm my body... Because otherwise, I get really fucking angry...!" His gaze pierced with a hint of anger and disgust toward Esperdício, though he would deny it to his death. A small bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as the intensity of the situation heightened.
"Well... Someone is pissed..." Esperdício attempted to refute this with a smug tone, but his efforts were in vain, evidenced by his failing demeanor. "Y-You Old Worlders just have no idea of the struggle we live," he stammered, trying to justify his actions.
"And you New Worlders disgust me..." R.E.D. retorted, his voice tinged with a hint of violence.
In the modern-day planet Earth, two distinct "Races" coexist, the New World and the Old World, divided by a defining incident: the explosion that occurred 100 years ago. This massive and unavoidable flash of green light engulfed the entire world, consuming all its inhabitants. From those affected by this cataclysmic event, the two aforementioned races emerged.
In the New World, the flash of green light was predominantly composed of AP-X energy and influenced by the reality-bending properties of the Machine. This extraordinary event resulted in peculiar occurrences for all those affected by it. One of these phenomena was the transformation of their innermost "Fantasy" into reality, consuming their entire being. Their minds and souls underwent fundamental morphing and changes, molding them into the embodiment of their wildest desires. As a consequence, they became entirely different individuals, with some experiencing drastic alterations while others underwent less pronounced changes. However, a common thread remains—those from the New World are no longer the men or women they once were, now perpetually confined to this new existence, bound to fulfill the demands of their fantasies. They are forever trapped in this reality, forever burdened by the needs of their fantasies.
In the Old World, things are both different and the same. Whether through a stroke of luck, an act of fate, or their sheer willpower, the individuals from the Old World remained unchanged by the explosion. Though their physical bodies may have undergone drastic differences, their souls and minds remained unaltered, preserving the essence of who they were. They are still the same men and women they ever were, but now blessed with powers born from their wildest imaginations. Old Worlders are deemed inherently superior, possessing abilities that dwarf those of the New Worlders by several orders of magnitude.
In this society, the Old Worlders live in an isolated, utopia-like city heavily guarded and protected. They enjoy a life of privilege and power, harnessing the unimaginable potential of their abilities. Conversely, the New Worlders are left to struggle in the desolate and nightmarish remains of the world after the explosion. Their existence is fraught with hardships and peril as they try to navigate a hostile and dangerous environment.
This stark contrast between the two worlds has bred a deep divide, with the Old Worlders enjoying prosperity and security, while the New Worlders endure a bleak and challenging existence. The power dynamics between the two groups are clear, with the Old Worlders reigning supreme and the New Worlders grappling with their new reality and the burdens of their fantasies-turned-realities.
As such, one of the significant challenges faced by the New Worlders is the distinct lack of women throughout their society. The reasons behind this scarcity remain unknown, but the matter of fact is that New Worlders, for the most part, cannot even reproduce due to the absence of the female gender.
In their desperate pursuit to repopulate, most New Worlders strive to maintain their dignity and resist resorting to dark and depraved methods. They endeavor to preserve their humanity and uphold their principles even amidst dire circumstances. However, a portion of the population is not so compliant and succumbs to the depths of depravity. Driven by their desperation, they resort to the vilest and most reprehensible methods they can conceive, regardless of the innocence of the victims, even if it involves harming children.
"Ha!" Esperdício laughed, attempting to shrug off the Fear's effects. "Not like you can do much anyway! You can't even harm me!" he confidently proclaimed, striking a pose to emphasize his belief.
"Not with bullets..." R.E.D. remarked, finishing his cigarette and stepping on it. "If I can't hurt you with bullets... Then I just have to resolve things the way my father taught me... If bullets don't work-" he suddenly vanished from Esperdício's sight and reappeared moments later right in front of him. "Então vai ser na base da porrada...!" he exclaimed in his native language.
As R.E.D. swung his fist with extreme force and speed, the mere action caused the friction in the air to intensify, heating up like crazy. His arms burst into vibrant flames, shining brighter than any lighthouse. The impact of his fist colliding with the metal on Esperdício's armor created an incredibly loud sound, akin to a lightning bolt. The explosive noise was enough to rupture the eardrums of anyone nearby and potentially cause permanent deafness to anyone within a dozen meters.
"Guuh!!" Esperdício uttered in agony as his armor and skin began to melt under the overwhelming heat. **What the fuck?!! This heat... It's so fucking hot!! The armor is... Registering a temperature of 5,000 Kelvin?!!! And it keeps increasing exponentially! It's past the millions of kelvins now!! How does he possess so much power like this!!** Esperdício pondered in his mind as he was struck by the powerful blow, sent flying away with immense force. The impact was so great that the walls were shattered as if they were not even there.
"I'm not done with you..." R.E.D. extended his hand forward, causing Esperdício to stop mid-air in his trajectory. With a swift motion, he brought him closer, forcing him to kneel before him.
As the immense temperatures continued to melt his insides, Esperdício huffed and puffed, feeling the effects of the radiation that emanated from the intense heat. "Haha... I made you use them... I made you use one of your ten fingers...! Haha...! My role is... Complete..." he uttered, his voice weakening as he neared the end. With a final grin on his face, he sighed his last breath, succumbing to his injuries.
"BOSS!!!" the audience shouted in disbelief as they witnessed Esperdício's demise.
"For someone who loudly boasted about his power... You truly were pathetic in this fight... Dying to just one hit? How insultingly weak can you truly be?" R.E.D. taunted, kicking Esperdício's now lifeless body, which was now just a gush of blood and melted bones. "...Hmpf... Guess I shouldn't expect much from a pedophile..." He added with a tone of disgust. "Isn't that right?" R.E.D. loomed over the audience with his only working eye.
The audience trembled with despair as R.E.D. remarked on their disgusting behavior. Paralyzed with fear, they couldn't even muster the strength to open their mouths, for the mere thought of doing so would cause them to hallucinate their own gruesome deaths.
However, this wouldn't last long, as when R.E.D. finally took a look at how Cinderella was doing, he was the one who got overwhelmed by shock. His Fear abilities affected her to her very soul, causing her body to choke and white foam to generate from her mouth.
"P-PUTA MERDA!!!" he shouted as he quickly turned off the Fear. "M.O.A.V., OPEN THAT FUCKING BUBBLE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!" he leaped with tremendous speed and gently held the child in a way that allowed her to breathe freely. "BREATHE, CHILD!!! BREATHE!!!" he lightly slapped her back while massaging her chest, trying to bring her out of her state of distress. After a little while and some struggling, Cinderella began to breathe more steadily.
Cinderella gasped for air, accompanied by some light coughs. "I'm... Fine... Cough I'm a bit better now," she managed to say as she drank some water provided by M.O.A.V. "Don't worry about me right now, Mister Hi- I mean, sir! I'm fine..." She tried to calm R.E.D.
"Jesus Cristo...!" R.E.D. sighed in relief as he sat back, still holding the girl in his arms. **I almost killed the child I was supposed to protect... I'm... I really am not fit to protect... I just kill...** R.E.D. reflected on what had just happened.
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