Chương 21: There is snow on the beach

The young man arrived at the desolate city, the same one he had abandoned just days ago. The scent of pestilence and decay lingered in the air.

Death had left its mark, and with death had come life. He reached the outskirts of the city, cautiously observing from the train rails.

Wild and domesticated animals were feeding on the corpses, filling the air with putrefactive gases that had once been the city's atmosphere.

Combined with the storm, the rain had created a large pool of blood mixed with whatever remnants were left.

The boy averted his gaze, his voice filled with disgust as he coughed and turned away. He pulled out a small white mask, a KN95 mask, also known as the mask used during the last pandemic, the Queen Virus.

The boy found a small exit in the protective walls along the rails and hurried inside. Many wild animals attempted to chase him, but his motorcycle was faster, and he skillfully dodged them.

Those who managed to surprise him soon discovered that a gun in firm hands was still highly effective.

The flashing lights and bullet holes in their comrades made most of the animals instinctively flee.

However, something was amiss with those who remained. They displayed unusual levels of aggression, even attacking their own kind. They had glowing marks on their bodies, with some claws and fangs transformed into different elements.

Even the tiny bugs and herbivorous animals had become erratic, showing no regard for their safety.

He glanced at the bodies and froze for a moment, feeling disgusted by what he was about to do. He forced himself to take slow breaths, rubbed his hands, and closed his eyes while tilting his head away.

After dispatching a couple more rodents, he took out his knife and opened the abdomen of one of the rats. To his surprise, the organs inside were emitting blue lines, and a crystal was forming in their midst.

Thanks to the combination of his helmet and mask, he couldn't smell anything, and it felt more like watching a video than performing the act.

He opened the abdomen of another rat, and this time, the organs glowed yellow with a similar crystal forming. He then examined one of the wild wolves that had attacked him, its chest bearing a bullet wound.

Upon opening its abdomen, the organs glowed purplish, and a larger crystal was taking shape.

"This is not normal... There's something wrong here... But I don't have the time or resources to investigate. Could this be because of the Remenant? But how... The air doesn't seem polluted," Chump mused in confusion, shaking his head.

He mounted his motorcycle and headed towards the city. "I don't have time for this; I should ask Clem... Maybe this is why we encountered the mole bear. That doesn't make sense; it was ten days ago..."

Eventually, he was left alone by any living creatures. Almost entering the more central parts of the city, he stopped at a nearby gas station to refill the tank. It took him about five minutes to figure out how the machinery worked.

"I think I'm forgetting something..."

He opened the storage compartment on his motorbike, finding a note from Clem that read, {"Don't worry, I pulled a few strings to minimize the hunters today. Try to find some tungsten on your way back. I made you a sandwich!"}

"Huh, thanks—"

BAM!

A lightning strike occurred nearby, just meters away from him. A nearby building's antenna fell perilously close to the gas station where he was standing.

Startled, Chump pulled out his gun, aiming at the fallen object. After a brief moment of panic, he inspected the item from a safe distance.

It had simply been struck by lightning and severed from the television cables.

"Oh dear God, and whatever else is out there, that was one hell of a jump scare."

After a couple of minutes spent calming himself and the stress, he removed the bike, half riding, and gazed up at the sky toward the building struck by lightning.

It was a typical accident, and the clouds were growing darker by the minute.

The air grew chillier, to the point that his breath became visible. It was strange for June.

"What the... It's June! Why does it feel like the middle of winter here?"

That was far from normal. (The narrator was confused)

"Because I'm here," a calm, smooth male voice interrupted. (The narrator was no longer confused)

The water started freezing nearby, and Chump maneuvered his ride around, skimming over the pavement, coincidentally passing near sewer grates.

Ephiron was floating in front of the young man, wearing the same attire as last time but with a few differences. He held a black umbrella with a fascinating feature.

All the water drops that fell on top of it instantly turned to ice, creating a larger umbrella.

(I apologize for bringing him up so late, Chapter 3 for those who don't remember)

He bowed down slightly while holding the umbrella with care. It barely moved as he raised it and spoke.

"Good morning, sir. I hope you're enjoying the weather around here. However, judging by your gauntlets, the stench around, and your bloody marks, it seems you may have encountered some difficulties."

Chump glanced at his knife, which wasn't fully sheathed. In a hurry, he gripped the handle with both hands.

"Sir, I may suggest you not—"

Chump swiftly took off on his motorcycle, accelerating through the streets, intending to make a turn. However, the entire street, flooded with rainwater, froze faster than he could accelerate, causing him to skid on the ice platform.

After a few meters of struggling to keep the motorcycle upright, both the human and the vehicle toppled sideways. Ephiron calmly sighed and his free hand lit up with a rune spell, which he moved upward.

A sudden ice wall emerged from the floor, not vertically but with a curve, briefly lifting Chump before sending him back down.

Ephiron, sounding disappointed, continued his explanation. "It is very rude to leave someone hanging."

But Chump could barely focus his attention on him, as he coughed in pain. His entire body ached from the fall, and even though his head was protected by the helmet, it still trembled.

The helmet may have prevented injury, but it didn't make the impact any less painful.

"As my partner from the last few days would say: 'Not so 'badass,' ain't it? Well, though I must admit, you've done well up to now. For the past few days, no living soul was found in any division. We even used our soul-searching tools to comb through all the areas and divide them."

Ephiron slowly descended, his otherworldly ice spheres at the ends of his legs fully transforming into full feet with elegant shoes and their respective socks. He walked without a care in the world.

"You see, it's been days since we've seen any humans lurking around. We made sure that each zone was clear."

Chump mostly ignored him, just answering while getting to his feet and concealing his taser on his left side, his arms moving slowly.

"I don't see the problem there."

"I apologize, sir, but I can't understand you with the helmet on."

Chump rolled his head around, expressing frustration with a hand gesture that conveyed the message "Keep going."

"All reports from the zones indicated they were clear, with the expected number of people on watch. However, just a couple of days before we could retire, many squads were pulled back from this area, including my direct partner."

In quick succession, Chump tried to pull out his Taser with his left hand, but before he could aim it at Ephiron, Ephiron froze his hand.

"Sir, that was your second mistake. I won't show mercy on the third. I insist you let me finish."

Chump winced in pain, with half of his left arm frozen, not knowing what would happen next.

He shouted for a few seconds before standing up and continuing to listen to what appeared to him as a demon at that moment.

"When I noticed that one of the squads, the one under Meisho's command, wasn't pulled out, I thought, 'May I ask him for help to keep watch?'... But instead... I saw you. I saw you leaving that place, and when I inspected his place... I couldn't find Clem."

"Shit..."

Ephiron aimed with both hands at the human, a cold aura and smoke emanating from him, freezing every drop before it fell.

"I'll ask you once, and I won't repeat... What happened to him? What happened to the golem in that zone?"

Chump summoned enough strength to shout through his helmet and mask.

"Nothing happened to him! It hurts like hell, help..."

"I don't believe you. Tell me now, or what comes next will make pain seem like child's play."

"It's the truth! I can show you proof, but make it stop!"

"Then show me the truth, but reach for the other gun, and you'll be dead."

"P-P-P-Pull..."

Ephiron was creating a giant ice lance with his hand, large enough to cover a great distance and rip the human apart. But before it could reach his stomach, Chump shouted with enough urgency.

"Pull the gauntlet off the other hand!"

"Why?" Ephiron lost his composure as his face reflected his rage in this situation.

"I can't tell you, you need to trust me! Please! I beg you! Please..."

Little sobs accompanied his trembling hand as he stretched it out, even feeling the lance poking at it.

Ephiron observed the human in his defenseless position.

Then, he thrust the lance.

The lance miss the target and hit the other gun, shattering it into little metal pieces encased in ice. Chump reacted with a start and almost tipped over, but the ice humanoid pulled him back up and tore the gauntlet off in a single movement.

Then, Ephiron observed the hand with the marked contract.

"Impossible... Take your helmet off."

"But the—"

"I said, now."

It took Chump a few seconds to react amid the pain and shock, with the deadly weapon pointed at him multiple times. In a hurry, he took off the helmet, revealing his tear-streaked face, and then removed the mask, his sobs and coughs audible.

Ephiron stood there in amazement and mumbled, "You... I've been looking for you."