Decapitation

I had thrown on my mask and activated Stealth, whoever these ‘magical girl killers’ were, I was prepared to shed blood if they really did live up to their name. My right fist twitched with anger as I considered the most likely dead children these ‘people’ had killed. I was already moving through the city, but much to my surprise it looks like I wasn’t at all needed.

I was watching a complete beatdown. A massacre so to speak. The city was falling apart as per usual, but this time it wasn’t exactly due to a villain. Magia Azul was raining cascades of ice while looking like a shrine maiden. The massive nun didn’t stand a chance, she was covered in blood, and I could already tell she was preparing to flee.

I silently appeared next to Magia Azul as another loud scream of power burst off in the distance.

“Where are they?” She lightly flinched before letting out a cold sigh of relief.

“They fled out of the city, but the villains seem to have split off into two factions.” 

What? Oh. She probably thought Utena and her friends were part of the same team as the ‘magical girl killers’. Utena would rather die than kill a magical girl! 

Honestly I’m surprised I haven’t gotten a quest yet, but I couldn’t just let them escape. Even if there was no system reward for it. So with a small nod I Dash off into the distance towards the sounds of fighting until eventually I spotted the old factory where I’d made my second appearance. The place was covered in explosion scars, and was practically in ruins from the previous battle. 

The air hummed with a strange energy, but I saw something that made me sprint into action without hesitation.

The downed form of Leoparde in her soldier get up as an assassin brought down her hand with a small shadowy dagger formed within it. Poised to strike and rip open her belly.

As much as I thought Leoparde was a bitch to me all the time, she didn’t deserve to die. I moved and I sent a gut punch into the blue rouge girl, and for a moment time seemed to slow down. 

Didn’t she know there was only room for one rogue in this city?

“Wha-”CRACK What the fuck? That wasn’t the sound of a bone snapping or air breaking. Instead it was the sound of reality falling apart. When my fist collided with her glass seemed to shatter, the world twisted and I caught Leoparde as the entire world spun on its axis.

I activated my Demon Eye in a panic in order to find out what was going on, but the system notification reminded me of something terrifying.

We were right next to a Dungeon, weren’t we?

[!WARNING! SURROUNDING AREA HAS REACHED 98% DESTABILIZATION. DUNGEON BREAK IMMINENT! SYSTEM TAKING DAMAGE IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE OUTBREAK!]

Oh no. 

The portal I’d forgotten about in the moment- I didn’t have time to hesitate. I had to do something. I lightly rolled my neck as I stared at the three girls around me, and for a moment I considered taking advantage of the opportunity to kill the rogue and the . . .  I think she’s supposed to be a popstar?

They could be a liability. They could be a threat to me. They could be a threat to Utena. However as the world seemed to shift into a scene I didn’t recognize, and I stared down at the rogue girl with my glowing red eye, I saw her turn to search for her companion, yet she wasn’t in this strange hallway with us. The other girl seemed to be just barely out of range of this ‘Dungeon Break’ and the blue haired girl let out a weak sigh of relief as she realized that fact.

She feared for her companions life over her own. 

Goddammit.

If she tries to stab me I’m crushing her spine.

“The situation has changed. Either follow my orders or die.”

We were in a hallway with silvery green panels mounting the walls, each one humming with a slight pulse, and a camera facing towards our group before settling on Leoparde. The faint light underneath it turned from red to green upon staring at her.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“The Ultimatra Army is standing ready for an invasion. We seem to be on one of their Hive Ships.” The blue clothed girl I’d punched slowly rose to her feet with a weak cough and glared daggers as the two of us, and I shut down any attempt of rebellion. Even though the distortion seemed to weaken my punch, it's not like I couldn’t hit her again if need be.

“Don’t mistake my mercy for weakness.” My hand softly rested around her neck and she froze. I was fast, stupidly fast with my new strength score, and I took advantage of it.

“We’ve already been spotted, it’s only a matter of time before they figure out you aren’t one of their own Leoparde. They’ve most likely already sent a scout team to find us, we have at most two minutes to prepare.”

“Why the hell do they think I’m one of them!? Stop being all mysterious and crap and just tell me!”

I don’t know! It just sounded right in the moment! I don’t really have an answer I could give her without it instinctively flowing out of my mouth all chunni style.

Instead of responding I just stared mysteriously down the hallway with a frown. I don’t even know how we get out of here. I guess I have to beat the boss? Though where is the boss? I powered off my Demon eye, and started walking down the hallway.

“We need to move.” I manifested by Nail and Leoparde’s eyes flicked down to it in surprise, her expression contorted a bit before she muttered something under her breath.

“Looks like this really is serious . . .” 

The evil blue girl snarled, seeming to regain some bravado, and decided to press me for some answers.

“Your Veil aren’t you? What the hell is-”

“Don’t you want to see the person you love again?” 

That silenced her instantly, her blush was telling of the kind of love she felt for that other girl, and I almost let out a weak sigh. I could tell she really cared about the other girl, but I didn’t realize it went that far. Love among villains was often doomed for tragedy, though in this case it was mostly because I doubted she was strong enough to secure her future.

She also most likely killed little girls . . . why was I saving her again?

I slightly tilted my head as I stared deep into her single revealed eye, and asked a simple question.

“You’ve already shed so much blood, you should be grateful I’m not leaving you to die in a place like this.” 

“Fuck you, this is your doing isn’t it!” 

Maybe? I have no idea if this is the system’s fault or just a natural phenomena. So instead I just waved her off with a non answer.

“Believe whatever you desire, it doesn’t change anything.”

“As much as I hate this asshole he’s stupidly strong, and since I want to see Baiser-chan again I’m willing to follow his dark and shady ass. Honestly, with how edgy the two of you are, I thought you’d get along.”

She flinched at the edgy comment, and I nearly did too. It took all of my willpower to resist the sudden sneak attack! Luckily I managed to hold on. That was a close one.

“I suppose there is a kinship to be felt among killers.” 

“W-what the- I haven’t killed anyone!?” SHe looked genuinely shocked, so I was too!

WHAT. YOU ARE LITTERALLY CALLED A MAGICAL GIRL KILLER THOUGH.

“So you truly aren’t her then . . .” Just act mysterious, it's all you can do to save face!

“What the fuck are you talking about?” She deadpanned at me, and I nearly shed a tear from the aura I’d just lost. Luckily Leoparde stepped in to ‘save’ me.

“Get used to it, he does this shit all the time.” 

I wasn’t going to respond to that. So instead I simply moved down the hallway before pausing at the door in front of us. It’s massive red eye stared down at us, and I couldn’t help but get a forbidding feeling of how powerful this place actually was. I could probably break it down, but maybe if the camera recognized Leoparde, then this would too?

“Leoparde, place a finger upon the button.” 

She threw me a glare before letting out a sigh and pressing the button. The mechanical eye turned green, and we stepped through the doorway while I looked around the crossroads like the room we were in. This was definitely some sort of main hub room to get to different places, so we were in the right place. 

Though where do we even go? What ‘Boss do we need to defeat if any? Or . . . What if this isn’t a level of the ‘Dungeon’ but just the entire Dungeon itself?

That could be seriously bad. Then much to my annoyance I heard the sound of mechanical feet start to clang on the floor as they moved throughout the hall. They were rapidly rounding the corner when I activated Stealth then I grabbed the blue girl and pulled her close. I pulled her around the corner as fast as I could, and covered her mouth in order to keep her quiet.

A low purr exited the machine, and I peeked around the corner with Stealth at maximum output. Its body was that of a vertical dark green oval with clawed mechanical arms and legs jutting outwards. One cold red eye staring forward from the 6ft tall machine.

https://i.postimg.cc/rpjS8Rj4/Ratt-AV.webp (Sort of like this)

It silently stared at Leoparde before it let out a small purr.

“Identification recognized: Greetings Fleet Commander. You have quite the nice vessel.” Its voice was oddly soft for a massive death robot, almost like it was a kitten looking up to its mother.

“Uh, thank you?”

I was just as confused as her, then all of the sudden a voice came over some kind of public announcement system.

“This is Fleet Commander Leocalla speaking, all units prepare to drop pod onto Mervelli - 4. Take prisoners, this is a harvest run. Don’t fuck this up.” 

The voice was feminine, but much older than anyone here. She was stern, but oddly humorous. The robot, if it even was a robot, seemed to pause its confusion. Then its eye seemed to glaze over for a moment. 

My instincts screamed at me, I had to kill it. I moved forward, and my nail slammed into it causing it to explode in a shower of scrap and blood. It’s fleshy inner core bursting upon impact and showering us in blood.

But it didn’t matter. I was too late.

“. . . This is Fleet Commander Leocalla speaking. All units aboard the Tabby head to the nexus. You have intruders. I’m on my way to handle the issue.” Her voice lost all humor, if the ‘harvest’ was good fun, then this was a serious issue.

Warning sirens started to blare out as I narrowed my eyes. Leoparde took a step back and threw a glance to me, her face having a streak of red marred across her lower jaw from my previous display.

“We need to get to the cockpit.” 

I grabbed both of them by the scruff as I bolted down the hallway, doors starting to slam behind us in an attempt to box us in. Though while carrying my cargo I couldn’t move fast enough to break through the next door. So I stabbed my nail into the wall, then punched the head of it like a hammer.

The sudden explosion that rang out caused ringing in my ears for a moment, and golden veins exploding outwards from the point of impact practically turned the door to dust. I picked up the nail, but as I did so gunfire started cascading towards us. The barrels coming out of their bodies looked vaguely familiar, and I soon realized why.

“Fuck off! I want to get back to Baiser-chan!” Leoparde hoisted her gun, and a bunch of cannons that looked just like our foes appeared and began firing. Green energy shields appeared and blocked the attacks, so I took the opportunity to block incoming bullets for the blue girl behind me who seemed to slink into the shadows.

However, the moment she did a strange static wave came from the bio droids, with one of them emitting a nearly monotone voice, but I could sense a faint drop of fear in their tone.

“Umbramancy detected. Followers of Black Veil detected. Increasing Threat Rating from Red to Black.”

I took a momentary lapse of the bullet rain in order to Dash into the droids and start tearing them apart. Each swing of my nail caused an explosion, until I ended up at the larger droid where I wielded my nail in two hands and brought it down into them. The crushing force snapped off the bottom half of their body, but it revealed something inside that I pulled out and prepared to crush. 

It was some sort of twisted fetus that looked almost like a hairless cat. Its eyes widened in horror as they bulged out of its skull, its flesh was rapidly turning from a healthy pink, to a sickly gray as I let out a cry of agony.

I crushed it, but it didn’t explode in blood. It fell apart into motes of blackish fire, its entire body seeming to dissolve within moments.

The stamping of steel was only getting louder as more troops continued to arrive, more and more bullets echoed out causing me to frown. Until a massive blast of energy was suddenly fired towards Leopard causing me to dash to her side and pull her away from the attack. 

More bullets kept firing, and I was stuck between dashing the two of them in order to protect them from getting turned into paste. I could evade the bullets, but they were nowhere near fast enough to do so without my interference. 

Bullets rained, energy blasts were fired, and we were at a stand still where I was rapidly running out of juice trying to keep everyone alive.

A few rushed towards us with thin glowing green blades, and started firing off needles that slammed into me so that I could shield Leoparde. 

It had been half an hour since we started fighting, and we hadn’t gotten even a moment to breath.

Things had devolved out of control. Completely and utterly out of control. Countless gunshots raced past me as I lowered the head of the girl beside me as her upper half was nearly torn off from the incoming attack.

I tore my hand into a nearby mechanized suit and crushed the fleshy bit in the center causing it to collapse.

The glowing green lights slowly dimmed as I threw the body into more scattering bullets causing both to stop in their tracks and buy me only a moment to think.

Something needed to change. We were already getting pushed back, and soon enough we’d hit a corner. I’d turned my demon eye off and on several times throughout this fight, and at this point the dead weight behind me was starting to become a serious problem.

I was a rogue, I had basically no defense capabilities, why was I the defender? 

“Have you mastered your other form yet, Leoparde?”

“No, thanks for reminding me asshole!” She sent out an onslaught on Grenadines but the army was endless. They just kept coming. How big was this ship!? Actually, now that I think about it . . . if this ship is multilayered, can’t I just blow up the floor?

I slammed the nail in the ground and punched it as hard as I could while my demon eye surged with power. 

Then the ground exploded.

While metals fell I ran through the rubble in order to collect my allies, but in the panic so many bombs and shells had been fired that they got hit. I gave them a look over, and they seemed to be alive, but heavily bleeding.

Leoparde was bleeding from the head and chest, while the blue girl’s leg was partially mangled below the knee. She let out a curse as she clutched the wound in a panic, and I set them down in the fairly open room.

The room definitely wasn’t the cockpit, but it might just be something better. It was a hangar full of ships. If only I knew how to fly one. Though at the thought a cruiser softly landed nearby.

A woman in a military uniform strangely similar to Leoparde’s gave our group a light glance. She was made of a shadowy flame-like substance, and her eyes were made of tiny stars.

Then she smiled, revealing razor sharp white teeth.

“So this is the little posse that’s given the fodder some trouble? You don’t seem like much.” 

I lightly rolled my shoulder and pointed the nail straight at her.

Only for a distorted pop-up to appear.

[D3feat Ultimatra #@%& Co&&ander Leocalla]

[18951-0@#%@#$^]

[WARNING: !@$@#^&*]

That didn’t bode well. That didn’t mean I was backing down though.

“Your genocide ends here.”

She gave out a sultry laugh and slightly leaned towards me.

“Aww, is the little man trying to be a hero?” She started cackling as she continued. “And dressing up like Black Veil? How adorable. I think I’ll keep you, try not to break too quickly.” 

Then she disappeared, I moved my neck back slightly to prepare for combat, and a small drop of blood fell from it. 

“Oh my? You dodged that? Good kid.” She was about twenty paces away, a glowing green laser sword in her hand with a drop of my sizzling blood evaporating from it. I dodged that via pure luck.

Holy shit I almost got my head sliced off. 

“And who’s this? Wait . . . who are you?” When looking at Leoparde her voice went from playful, to deeply confused rapidly. 

“Leoparde, now let me get back to Baiser-chan! I just want to go home you bitch!” 

We were all at our wit’s end at this point, Leoparde had dropped the insults towards me, but her ferocity hadn’t given up.

“Leo . . . parde? Cute. Next time you try to claim the title of Fleet Commander, make sure you’ve actually claimed it properly.” 

“She bears the garb for a reason, your fight is with me Fleet Commander.” 

I didn’t want her executing Leoparde, I had no doubt it was outside of her ability. My heart slammed in my chest, because I knew if she took this seriously I must just die instantly. She was strong. 

Stronger than me.

“Does she now?” Her tone was blank, but she quickly changed her tune. “How interesting! Guess I’ll promote one of my subordinates to Fleet Commander after this, I just need them to execute a pathetic child after all.” Her smirk towards Leoparde was cruel, and the dots connected.

Leo was the title of a Fleet Commander, and in order to gain it you needed to kill one. 

I took a deep breath.

“You are welcome to try.” 

PLEASE DON’T CALL MY BLUFF.

“. . . very well then. I’ll handle you first brat.” 

She slowly approached me, the blade hefted over her shoulder- then she moved- I felt my head fly from my neck. This was it. I wasn’t strong enough.

The fragment of a broken screen fell into my vision.

[Repairs partially completed]

[Objective Completed: Defeat 80 Shadowfire Ultimatra Bio Drones

[Objective Completed: Defeat 400 Ultimatra Bio Drones

[Level 10 Reached: Class being assigned based on the following factors.]

[Character: insane brat obsessed with being dark and mysterious yet also is an idiot]

[Style: you’re a damn rogue, why the fuck are you fighting on the front lines!]

[Performance: huh. Honestly I’m a little bit impressed. Most would have died by now. Fine, you can have a higher ranking class.]

[Relationship: wait what? Oh. I see. No wonder you got this far, though I do suppose things have been a lot harder for you haven’t they? Eh whatever. Give em’ hell.” 

Class: Rogue 10 -> Eminence Behind the Veil

Skills Gained: 

Deceive Reality I

Sneak Attack -> Pierce the Veil I

I didn’t want to die. It hurts. It hurts so much. I can feel the blood leaving my head as it flies through the air. The shocked looks of my allies staring in horror.

So a whisper left my lips, and the world shifted with the lie that left my mouth.

I gently brought my hand to my neck as the Fleet Commander let out a heavy breath, her shadowy flames seeming to stand on end in horror as she clutched her sword tight. 

I rolled my shoulder lightly, and I couldn’t help but smile behind my mask.

“Care to try again?”

I WAS STILL BLUFFING MY ASS OFF. THAT TOOK NEARLY EVERYTHING I HAD, HELL, I WAS BARELY EVEN STANDING!

Yet as those words left my mouth, darkness coalesced around the nail I held. No longer was I a rouge, instead I was here to do something else other than sneak.

I was here to farm aura.

The woman however only let out a maniacal laugh.

“To think it would be you! To possess the body of a child!? How insane! I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!”

My allies stared in stunned silence.

They had watched me die. They had watched my head fly from my body.

Yet here I stood. Only harmed by my previous injuries. 

Then she moved. Yet I found the Lie I’d inscribed upon Reality had more effects than just saving my life. The taunt that left my mouth earlier was simple wasn’t it? 

Yet it implied I wouldn’t let her succeed. 

So the Lie made it so. 

I followed her movements, her sword flying towards my heart, yet just in time I blocked it with my nail sending us both sliding across the ground.

I let out a light breath, yet it took everything to keep it steady and preventing it from becoming heavy.

I was on my last legs, but this wasn’t over.

Not yet.

AN: We are back with another one, and it looks like Aki has gained a stupidly OP power up for the low low cost of a near death experience and his system falling apart via Dungeon Break. Level 10 is the level up, and he lucked out here, but luck is a skill in his case!

Deceive Reality is strong but . . . It’s not as OP as you think, but it's still quite strong. In order to Lie to Reality it requires an ample amount of energy. Currently all it's doing is two things: Buffing his Wisdom stat to 25, and it slapped his head back on his body.

Feel free to leave some comments down below as they help drive my writing forward!

Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you all next time!