Ch 41: It’s time to submit!
Noah was getting seriously irritated as he kept running, Hollows still hot on his heels. Thanks to his high agility, he could outrun them without much trouble. However, he had to stop running from times to times to deal with the flying hollows, and when he did, the advance he had gained was lost.
Every minute or so, he used Hole on his pursuers, killing one, sometimes two or three hollows before the others learned to evade. But the whole damn place kept popping hollows out of the ground one after another, and the crowd pursuing him had only grown with time. There where now well over two hundred hollows wanting to get a taste of him.
The one bright thing was that he was gaining significant amounts of Experience and Yin points. Each hollow was worth about thirty or forty SAO monsters worth of exp, and 20 Yin points or more. The crowd he had gathered might be enough for him to gain a level.
Thinking that, maybe, the hollows came from some kind of seeds, and that there would be less new hollows if Noah turned back, Noah made a loop and ran back in the direction he came from. And after a while, he did notice a marked decrease in the number of hollows joining the marathon.
Still, his situation wasn’t exactly great, and he wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever.
Noah had returned about two thirds of the way back, when he noticed something coming his way from the front. When the distance between them was reduced, he saw more details, and Noah’s eyes widened.
A large hollow was running on all four. But what surprised him was that this hollow had a thick steel collar around its neck, and a chain linked to it was held by a woman in a black and red uniform. She was using the hollow as a mount and had a drawn katana in her hand.
She waved at him, and Noah decided to keep running toward the strange newcomers, and as they closed, he could make out more details.
“Hide behind my back!” called out the young woman, as she passed him and charged into the crowd of hollows.
Noah, not wanting to just be protected, took his sword from his inventory and joined the fight.
As Noah attacked some of the hollows that were about to encircle her, keeping them at bay, he kept an eye on his would-be rescuer. The young woman had long, white hairs, and wore a black uniform with red accents and golden buttons and epaulettes. While she kept her left hand on the chain leash and seemed to direct the hollow she was riding with it, her right hand arm was a flurry of slashes, and several hollows were already down. Noah could follow her moves, and there was some kind of elegance, of smoothness in the way she moved. Even with her face stained with hollow blood, Noah found her beautiful.
And it vexed him a little that her swordsmanship was better than his own would have been, if not for his Weapon Mastery skill.
But the hollows weren’t just lambs to the slaughter, and the one she had tamed was receiving serious injuries.
“Rest assured, you’re in safe hands!” said the woman to him, as she noticed he had joined the fight.
“I’m glad you came, but I’m sure you do not mind a hand, right?” said Noah as he cut off a hollow’s arm and beheaded it with the follow up swing.
“No… You fight well! I am the Chief of the seventh unit of the anti-demon corps, Kyouka Uzen!”
“I’m Noah. Noah Enfield. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise!”
The hollow she was riding finally died, and Kyouka voiced a “Tssk.” of irritation.
“Those hollows are too weak!”
Still keeping the hollows at bay with her sword, Kyouka pulled a paper talisman from her pocket and threw it on the ground. She stabbed the talisman with her sword, and a translucent barrier formed, isolating her and Noah from the outside.
“It should hold for a while.” Said Kyouka, as she looked at the hollows beating against the translucent membrane.
“Or maybe not.” Said Noah as he pointed to the particularly large arm and head of a giant hollow starting to emerge from the ground.
A giant hollow was extracting itself form the ground. It looked to be easily seven or eight meters tall.
Kyouka saw it, and sighed.
“There’s no choice. Noah, there’s a way for us to defeat them. But you’ll have to do your part.”
“Of course?”
Kyouka nodded, and removed the white glove covering her right hand. As she did, Noah watched her carefully. Kyouka had pink pupils, and her irises weren’t round, but oval, like those of a cat or lizard. Besides the military cap atop her head, Kyouka had two hair accessories on each side of her head that looked like straight, pointy horns. She looked like a woman with some dragon traits, and it suited her well.
“Then, I’ll have you become my slave.” She declared with a triumphant smile.
Noah blinked. “…Come again?”
“My power draws out and makes use of the strength of the living beings I enslave. I will strengthen you, and we will both be able to escape from this place alive.
A crack appeared on the barrier.
“Surely there are other options…” started Noah.
Kyouka didn’t listen and pushed Noah down, then sat on his waist as if she intended to ride him, in the sexual sense.
“It’s time to submit!” she said with a fearless smile, as she shoved her index and middle finger into his mouth, intending for him to lick her fingers.
Noah felt a wave of heat pass through his body, as his immunity countered whatever she had tried to do to him, and his Gemini Drive allowed him to learn about the power she had just used.
“It didn’t work?” Kyouka, confused, removed her fingers from his mouth.
“Right back at you!” declared Noah, as he put his own right index and middle finger into her mouth, and activated the skill he had just gained, aptly named Eternal Chains.
Kyouka’s shape glowed brightly, and when the light dimmed, her outfit had changed. Her body from the neck down was covered in black plate armor, and her katana had become an odachi, a upscaled katana-like weapon meant for Japanese soldiers to fight cavalrymen. A black leather collar now adorned Kyouka’s neck.
“What happened?” Kyouka, confused, stared at her armored hands, then the rest of her body in shock.
“The barrier is about to break. Are you sure you want to keep me pinned down?” urged Noah. He was about to push her off him when she realized there was no time to talk and hurriedly got to her feet.
Noah stood and got ready to fight, too. Seconds later, the barrier broke. Kyouka and Noah both chose a hollow, and the fight resumed.
As he fought, Noah noticed that Kyouka was moving faster, and that her odachi cut through the Hollows like they were made of paper. When the giant hollow tried to punch her, she jumped, used the Hollow’s extended arm as a foothold, and jumped to its face, burying her blade to the hilt. She let herself fall, keeping her blade at a downward angle, and as she did, the blade cut through the hollow’s body.
When she landed, the hollow had been almost entirely cut in half. Kyouka and Noah kept killing Hollows, until all were cut down.
Noah wasn’t exactly slow, but for each one he killed, Kyouka slaughtered seven or eight. He didn’t mind, as he was still getting the exp and Yin Points for them. In less than thirty seconds, there were no more living hollow in sight, and no more spawned from the ground.
Kyouka watched in turn the disappearing hollow corpses, Noah, and the blade in her hand.
“What have you done to me?”
“I made you my temporary slave and gave you a power up, using your own ability.” Noah shrugged.
“I can see that, but how could you possibly do it?”
“I have an immunity against just about all kinds of curses or ailments. And a sacred gear that allows me to replicate them once I have been their target. Do you know how to return to Japan?”
“Yes, but… if you really used my power… there’s the ‘compensation’ to deal with.” Said Kyouka, somewhat bitterly.
Noah nodded, as he looked around, making sure they were alone. The ‘compensation’ she had referred to, was the drawback of Kyouka’s power. She had to provide ‘service’ to pay for the power she had borrowed, and the more power she consumed, the more intense this ‘service’ would be. The form this ‘service’ would take depended mostly on Kyouka’s own preferences, and his own to a smaller extent.
“Are you ready?”
“Let’s get it over with.”
Noah retrieved the power he had lent her. He also activated Hands of Nirvana.
Her clothes and weapon returned to their normal state, and almost immediately, Kyouka walked to him, the 'compensation' depriving her of the control of her body. Kyouka put her arms around Noah’s neck, and kissed him, inserting her tongue in his mouth.
“This... is only… compensation… don’t misunderstand!” She said between her kisses, blushing fiercely as she pressed her body against him.”
“I know. I won’t speak about this to anyone.”
After three minutes of intense kissing, Kyouka recovered control of her body and she jumped back, flustered and slightly panting.
“To think this would happen…” she sighed. She got lost in thought for a while, and Noah was content to just watch her, memorizing her appearance. Finally, she nodded to herself, and looked at Noah in the eyes.
“Work for me, Noah.” She decided. It was more an order than a request.
“You want me to work for the anti-demon corps?”
“Yes, but for me more specifically. I want you to help me become the leader of the corps, and kill a particular hollow.” She said with an assured smile.
“…I’m considering it. What would working for you entail?”
“You will live in the seventh squad dormitory, and I will be your leader. You’re a student, right? I won’t stop you from going to school. You will just have to be ready to answer emergencies, as well as live in our dormitory and take part in the training.
[System, am I a student?]
[User’s physical age has been changed to 18 by Lilith. User is registered as a student of Ginsei Academy, and possess a large house in town.]
Ginsei Academy? Noah thought he had heard that name somewhere, but he couldn’t place it. Returning his attention to Kyouka, he made his decision.
“I would say yes to fighting with you, and yes to the training. I can’t live permanently in a dormitory, however. I have too many things to do outside.”
Kyouka frowned and thought about it for a few moments.
“Do you live alone, or with your family?”
“Alone. I have my own house.”
“What school do you go to?”
“Ginsei Academy.”
“Ginsei? I’m also going to that school. We have installed a portal in the basement that links to the dormitory. We can make this work.” smiled Kyouka.
“Fine, then. I’m in. But I warn you. If you try to become the leader by a dishonorable way, our agreement will end. And I will only fight hollows, not the other factions.” said Noah.
“What do you know about the other factions? Are you part of one of them.” Asked Kyouka as her eyes narrowed.
“I heard a few things. But I’m not associated with any of them, yet. I intend to become the strongest, and create my own faction by recruiting some promising people from existing ones. My goal is world peace, so I don’t want to antagonize existing factions if I can help it.”
“That’s a noble goal, and I like ambitious men. But I’ll be angry if you start trying to poach my squad members. They are like family to me.”
Noah laughed.
“Understood. I’ll make sure to poach you alongside them, when the time comes… I’m joking. I don’t even know your squad members yet. How do we get back to Japan?”
Kyouka stared at him for a moment, wondering if getting him to join was a good idea after all. But the power she had experienced… she needed it. At least until she could kill the Horned One.
She took another paper talisman from her pocket and stabbed it. After a moment, a portal appeared near them.
"Could we have used that to escape earlier?"
"No. It wouldn't have opened inside a temporary barrier like the one we used, and it needs seconds to wind up, as you have seen. Let’s go.” She said, entering the portal.
Noah followed. Judging from the white rocky terrain and starless night sky, they were still in Hueco Mundo. But a massive two-stories building, designed in an old-fashioned Japanese style, stood in their way.
“This is the seventh’s squad dormitory.” Said Kyouka. “It is protected by a strong barrier, and we are always ready to kill hollows if they come near. Come, I’ll introduce you to your new teammates.”
Noah straightened his clothes before following. He was still in the black suit he had worn while giving his conference.
The dormitory inside was simply decorated, favoring function over form. But Noah’s attention was focused on the three person who came to greet them.
“I’ll introduce you. Everyone, this is Noah Enfield. He’s good with a sword, and he has guts. He also has an interesting sacred gear. I invited him to join our squad. Noah, this is my second in command, Himari Azuma.” Said as she extended her hand toward a beautiful girl with long blue hairs and golden eyes. Some of her hairs were styled to form a four leafed clover shape behind her head. Her uniform was short sleeved, leaving her arms bare. And she looked at Noah with disdain.
“A man, tssk!”
Noah raised an eyebrow, but didn’t answer.
“This is Shushu Suruga.”
Shushu was an attractive blonde girl with hairs ending at neck level and green eyes. She wore a black headband with a fabric knot on top, and a sleeveless uniform with shorts instead of a skirt. Long black gloves covered her forearms and shoulders.
“I’m from an all-girls high school, so it’s my first time having a proper look at a man! And a handsome one at that! It’s kinda fun!”
“And this is Nei Ookawamura. Her sacred gear allow her to see things from afar. That is how we saw you were in danger.”
Nei was a young girl with pink hairs reaching down her back and blue eyes. She wore a uniform with long sleeves and a long skirt ending past her knees with frills.
“P-Please take care of us!”
Noah grinned, and bowed politely.
“Hello, everyone. As Kyouka said, I am Noah Enfield. It is nice to meet you all. I look forward to working with you. I promise you that I will pull my weight.”
“Hmph. We’ll see about that.” said Himari.
“I look forward to it.” smiled Shushu.
“Noah is a student in the same academy I go to. He will join us for training or official meetings and will have a phone for emergencies but will not live with us. I will get Victor to create a portal from his home to the Academy.”
“Why would you refuse to live with us in the dormitory?” asked Shushu.
“The biggest reason is that I am searching for three people. I am unlikely to be able to find them if I spend my time stuck in a dormitory in Hueco Mundo.”
“Three people?” asked Kyouka.
“My subordinates. They aren’t as strong as Kyouka, but they should be able to handle a hollow or three by themselves.”
Noah smiled gently, his gaze unfocused.
“We will all will grow stronger, and we will find each other.”
Even Himari softened a little after seeing Noah’s expression.
After a few second, Kyouka cleared her throat.
“Noah, I’ll accompany you back to the academy and give you a key to the basement room where the portal is. I’ll also give you a phone tomorrow. When it rings, you must get there ASAP, no excuse. The teachers won’t give you flak if you have to leave in the middle of a lesson. After class, we will gather here and start training. I want to see how your power can affect the other members of the team.”
“I do not mind, but they are aware of the compensation, right?”
“In broad terms, but I will tell them in detail in a while.”
“I understand.”
“Follow me, then.”
Noah waved goodbye at his new companions, and Shushu and Nei waved back with enthusiasm. Himari just looked away.
He followed Kyouka to a small room in the basement, where another portal was active. Crossing it, they both emerged into another basement, and Kyouka unlocked a steel door.
“If you have to come here by yourself, remember to lock that door behind you. We do not want civilians to accidentally go to that world.”
“I’ll remember. Himari, Shushu and Nei, do they also have sacred gears?”
“Yes. Every member of the anti-demon corps has one.” nodded Shushu.
After locking the door behind them, they took the stairs to return to the surface. Noah made sure to memorize the way. The academy was plunged in darkness, as it was still the middle of the night. Noah was happy that he didn’t need much sleep.
“One thing puzzles me about you.” Said Kyouka as they walked.
“Only one?” asked Noah with a grin.
“…More than one.” conceded Kyouka with a small smile. “If you are a student of this academy, why are you wearing a suit?”
“I’m a transfer student, to be more accurate. I’m starting tomorrow. Or rather, today, considering the late hour. And I was at an official meeting yesterday, so I had to dress up, and I haven’t had time to change.”
“How did you get stranded in Hueco Mundo?”
“I was walking on a street when a hollow decided I would make a delicious snack. It chose to flee when it saw me draw a sword and not run, I chased after it, and before I knew it, I was on that side, with too many hollows to deal with alone. So it was my turn to run.”
“Speaking of that sword or yours, where did it go?”
“I have a few abilities, besides my Gemini Drive. That’s the name of my ability copying sacred gear. One is a great degree of resistance to bad things, like attempts to enslave me. Though I can still get normally injured. Another is that I can store inorganic materials away. I can also provide healing or deal with curses or diseases, by the way. That might be useful in the future.”
“And what about your swordsmanship?”
“I have trained relentlessly for years, with swords, spears and guns. But katanas are still my weapon of choice.”
They reached the Academy’s gates, and Kyouka stopped. They stared at each other for a while.
“Noah, I must tell you one thing. There are many devils in this academy. Most of them are nobles, and we do not want to cause strife with them. I won’t forbid you from making contact with them, but try not to cause trouble, ok?”
Noah nodded with a slight smile.
“…Don’t worry, Kyouka. I understand, and I’ll be careful not to get the corps involved.”
“That is a different answer from saying you won’t cause trouble at all.” Said Kyouka, looking at him with a deadpan expression.
“If I see someone doing something evil, and I feel strong enough to stop them, I won’t just stand by, devil or not.” warned Noah.
Kyouka looked about to argue, but just sighed.
“It’s 2:00 already. Try not to be late tomorrow, you need to give good impression on your first day, especially as a member of our squad. And I could use some sleep myself. Good night, Noah.”
“Good night, Kyouka.” He answered with a smile, and headed toward his new home. It was about 10 minutes away, and the system had inserted its location in his memories.