The Crisis World XX

Chap. 92: Mental Recovery

The explosion was huge and I could see a glimpse of a black hand protecting us all from the effects of the explosion.

Others were confused because they had not been hit by an explosion that was very close to them. But only I can see it, if in the last seconds Oita-san uses her power to protect us from the explosion.

After the explosion disappeared, Oita-san's black hand also disappeared and I couldn't feel her presence anymore. I looked towards the direction where he was standing before, but now there were only remnants of the explosion and the destroyed land.

There was no trace of the body from Oita-san or at least any part of her body at the moment. I who was still in shock and did not believe what I saw at this moment could only walk slowly towards the explosion marks earlier.

"O-Oita-san …? This is impossible, right? Don't say …."

Zwuush…

Suddenly beside me I saw a shadow covering the moonlight so I realized its coming. But that was not the person I wanted to see right now, because the one that was approaching quickly was Astaroth preparing to catch me.

"You're caught, Host Subject C."

His hand had almost reached my neck and I also had no intention of dodging or anything else. I don't even know if all these events are real or just my dreams.

Zwuush…

A flash of sharp wind suddenly shot towards Astaroth who wanted to capture me, making him dodge backwards and undo his intentions. I looked behind me and the one who did that was Mei-senpai.

"Yafik-kun! Run away from there!"

"Run? But …."

I looked towards the place where Oita-san had previously stood which now no longer existed. After realizing it, I then looked towards the palm of my hand which from earlier could not stop shaking.

"Iraya! What the hell are you doing?! Why are you quiet?!"

Cecilia was screaming inside my head. But I couldn't hear it clearly, my head was full of wild thoughts that I produced myself. A memory that suddenly popped into my head, recalling the events of my mother in the past.

"Revelation!"

Graab. Blaaaaarr…

Ishikawa-san again carried me away from my current place. And a few seconds later, a huge fireball headed towards where I was before and burned the place down.

"Conscious, Iraya-kun! You've been daydreaming on your own, it's not clear!"

"Sorry, but I'm …."

"Curtain! Let's back out of here!"

Ishikawa-san ordered all of us to retreat first given my condition as well as Herlin who was being unkind. Together with Nimis and Ardenter who are also on our side for now, we all retreated quickly.

While Astaroth himself remained motionless as he watched our backs slowly move away and disappear from his sight, he did not chase us and seemed to allow us to escape. But even so, he muttered to himself.

"Let it be, I also need time to recover myself."

He looked towards his body that was no less chaotic and severe than the others. But all his wounds had started to regenerate again and there were only a few small wounds and blood left on his clothes that made his appearance dirty.

Degh's…

"What's this?"

Although the wound had almost healed all over, but suddenly he felt pain in the part of his heart that he had never experienced before. He held it for a while but the pain slowly began to disappear.

"Yes, let it."

**

Meanwhile on our own side, our group stopped and took refuge in one of the Family Marts that had already been abandoned.

When we got inside, we didn't turn on the building lights and just left it dark. Only the moonlight that escaped from the windows only became our illumination.

Ishikawa-san then lowered me from her carrier, as well as Herlin who was still unconscious. Everyone was gasping for exhaustion from running as fast as possible from Astaroth.

"Huh .. hah .. have we lost track of him?" ask Ishikawa-san.

"I don't know, but for sure we're getting away from him" Nimis replied.

Then Ishikawa-san came up to me and shook my body trying to wake me up from my current thoughts.

"Oi, Iraya-kun! Did you hear me?!"

The shock turned out to be quite effective for me as I was able to instantly focus and hear Ishikawa-san's words clearly. I then answered his question limply even though my eyes were not looking directly at him.

"I heard, Ishikawa-san," I replied weakly.

"Hey, hey, look me in the eye. Looky!"

After Ishikawa-san told me like that, I looked into her eyes even though I was forced to and my eyes were blank and sad.

"I know you're sad, angry, and feeling something else, right? For now can you just put those feelings aside until this is all normal again?"

"I know that, but .. Can you just leave me alone?"

I can't agree with Ishikawa-san's question for now. It is too sudden for me and the order he gave is also too heavy for now. At least, please leave me alone first.

Ishikawa-san then looked in the other direction. They just nodded slightly and agreed to leave me alone for a while. In the end, Ishikawa-san stood up and left me alone.

He then approached the others and chatted something I could not hear clearly from my seat right now.

"Are you sure?" ask Ishikawa-san.

"We have no other choice. He's young and mentally not as strong as we are, I think giving him time will make him a little bit better" Nimis said.

Mei-senpai also tried to approach me and tried to make me better with her words, but before that happened Ardenter held her shoulders and shook her head a sign it was not necessary. Mei-senpai finally abandoned her intentions.

"Nortuguese …."

Tetsu who was inside the sword then called out to me. From his tone, he sounded worried about me. I then spoke to him too.

"I'm fine, Tetsu. I just need a little time."

"I understand" said Tetsu.

They all just waited in silence in case Astaroth managed to find them. There was not the slightest bit of chatter coming out of their mouths and all of them were just daydreaming silently. And after a few minutes, Herlin moved his eyes and soon he realized.

Slowly he began to rise from where he was lying at this moment. The dim light made it difficult for him to see what was in front of him and as his eyes had already begun to adjust, the first he saw was the shelf where the Family Mart used to compose food.

"Where is this?"

"Herlin-chan?! You finally woke up too, I was so worried about you."

"May-senpai."

Mei-senpai directly hugged Herlin who had just regained consciousness from her stupor. He who was still confused by the current situation only returned a worried hug Mei-senpai. And then he came to his senses with the thing before he fainted.

"Huh?! Big rock?!"

"Quiet a little, we managed to destroy it. So no need to worry anymore" said Nimis.

"That's it, huh? Thankfully, then how is Oita-san? He still fought with Astaroth until now? Yeah, I think it makes sense to talk about him, too."

But no one answered Herlin's question. All were silent while looking down or turning their faces away. This strange atmosphere left Herlin perplexed and tilted his head.

And after a moment of silence, Ishikawa-san spoke up to tell Herlin about Oita-san's current condition.

"He .. no longer exists."

Degh's…

Four words. Only four words but it could make Herlin's heart pound. His mouth began to tremble withstanding the cries but he was quickly able to hold it, although not completely.

After being informed of his condition when he fainted, Herlin was finally able to conclude that they lost and Oita-san became a victim. Then he looked towards the end of the room where I was there.

"He …."

"He was that way from then on. I tried to calm him down but he said he needed a little time. I don't know if he can still fight or not" Ishikawa-san said.

Herlin did not speak any more. The trembling on his lips was gone when he saw a desperate me like this. He walked over to me and stopped right in front of me.

I who was sitting down looking down at the arrival of Herlin then raised my head and looked directly at his face.

Plaaq…

He slapped me right on the cheek until he made a mark there. I didn't understand why Herlin slapped me and could only look back in confusion. The others were similarly shocked by me because the slap Herlin gave off was too sudden.

"It's so sad."

"What's wrong with you?! Why are you suddenly—!"

I stopped talking as I stared directly at Herlin's face. His expression was flat as usual, but the gaze he gave was blank. Although he did not show it, but I could feel it very clearly. The wounds inflicted by Herlin.

"Do you think Oita-san will be happy to see you as you are now?"

"…."

"Oita-san sacrificed not without reason, she protected you because she believed in you, is that not enough for you?"

"But what can a person like me do?! You who are stronger than me are powerless against Astaroth! Then what about me?! He wants to kill all of us by entrusting it to a weakling like me?!"

I who was already upset reflexively raised the neck of Hoodie Herlin until it made her look up forcibly. But Herlin didn't fight back, he just looked at me like he was looking at a piece of trash.

"Then I said you were pathetic. If you try for sure something will happen rather than just be silent like a fool."

"Tried you say?! I've tried so many times! But what I found always ended in failure! Death of those closest to me! First my mother, my two classmates, and now Oita-san, and you say I just keep quiet like a fool?!"

I who had already vented all my frustration then gradually calmed down, because I too was tired of shouting. Herlin who I still hold the neck of his Hoodie, I started to lower it slowly.

"I ... I .. can't do anything. If I do something, it will end in failure. That's for sure."

I looked the other way and stopped looking Herlin in the eye. Then the atmosphere became silent for a moment when I was done yelling at Herlin. But suddenly Herlin spoke to me again.

"You've made it."

"What are you—"

"I said you made it once. Did you forget about your plan to get Cecilia into my body? The plan was arguably a pretty successful one. You're the one who thinks about that, right?"

"But ... it's not worth the failure that I—"

"You thought about it, right?!"

Herlin brought her face closer to me until there was almost no distance. While I turned my face away and answered the question slowly.

"Yes." Yeah."

"Then you don't have to be sad anymore. Although many of your plans have failed, there are moments where your plans succeed. Isn't that proof that you're useful?"

I didn't answer his question nor did I see his face. I don't know if that one success is worth all the failures I've ever done, after all why he's so trusting of people like me. Does he have no one else to trust.

"Isn't the answer clear?" Cecilia suddenly spoke.

"What?"

"He's the closest person to you, right now? So he knows best about you, yeah even if your meeting isn't over half a year old, anyway."

Maybe Cecilia was right. No. .., maybe that's the answer I was looking for. It was just me who didn't believe in myself. It is only fitting that the Spirits want to take away my consciousness.

I took a deep breath and took it out and looked the other way. They all seem worried about my situation. Looks like my childish nature worries them, huh?

I then raised the tip of my lips and showed them a positive smile. And the first thing I have to do is bow my head and apologize to them.

"I'm sorry for my stupid attitude just now! I'm making you bother!"

They all breathed a sigh of relief because I had returned and the once cold atmosphere immediately warmed up. I then looked towards Herlin and apologized as well as thanked him.

"Thank you, Herrill."

But he didn't answer. He walked to one of the refrigerators and picked up two boxes of orange juice inside. Then he threw one of them at me and opened the other for his own drink.

"That's your power to wear it."

"Huh .. yeah, yeah, all right."

I opened the drink and drank it with a straw, the same as Herlin.

"Hah .. I thought it would take a long time, it turns out that his presence really changes everything" Ishikawa-san murmured.

"They're really strong, huh?" nimis.

"So they're partners in Black Rain. I heard from Oita-san that they didn't get along at first, but seeing them like this I was a little relieved."

"Yes I heard that too. I also felt that my words would have no effect when Iraya was down and only Herlin could conquer it" between Mei-senpai.

Brraaakkh…

But those moments of peace did not last long because suddenly the Family Mart wall that we are occupying at this moment suddenly collapsed like something had hit him from the outside. And as the wall fell, I could see Astaroth's face behind it.

"I'll finally find you."

"Iraya! Bevel!"

Tetsu's shout was immediately coupled with my reflexes that dropped the drink I was holding and pulled the sword on my back from the scabbard.

Slaaassh…

I quickly slashed my sword towards Astaroth's neck but it was still easily caught by him. Though my slash was faster than the drink I had taken off earlier and the drink had only reached the ground when Astaroth had already restrained my sword blade.

"A pretty good reception. But …."

Kraaakk…

"… Not strong enough."

He grabbed my slash and then smashed my sword with his grip as if my sword was made of glass. I jumped back together with Herlin to keep my distance from him.

I looked towards my sword which had left only half its blade. I was surprised by his arrival so that I could not get my aura to the sword, so the blade was weaker than usual.

Even so I still pointed my sword at him while putting up the horses. I can still make my own sword with my aura, which I am worried about now is Tetsu who is inside the sword.

"Tetsu, are you okay?"

"Look down, that sword is just like home to me. So it doesn't really affect me that much."

"Is that so? Good then."

In this emergency, we set up an impromptu formation. Me, Nimis, and Ardenter were at the very front. Then there was Mei-senpai and Ishikawa-san behind us and in the rear row was Herlin who served as a support and at the same time protected her because of her wounds that had not healed completely.

"I'll avenge Oita-san's death, you son of a bitch."

The battle between us and Astaroth that was delayed will finally start again. And this time there was no word retreat or escape. There are only two choices, win and then live or lose and die.

Seriate