Chapter 22: The Temple of Desire 6
There was a pause. A long silence...Then...
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[...WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT, HOST?]
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Minato froze for a second, his blurry eyes widening. The reply sounded almost human. It wasn’t the same cold mechanical system replies that he normally saw.
But he didn’t have time to care. His chest burned up, and the air around felt heavier by the second.
"Just... shut up for a second," he muttered through clenched teeth. "And answer me."
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[DING]
[COMMAND-ACKNOWLEDGED]
[WHAT METHOD WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU, HOST?]
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Minato’s breathing grew shallower, every word scraping out of his throat. "Listen carefully..." he said between coughs, his eyes burning red from exhaustion. "I need you to burn my body... from the inside... then explode it... into pieces faster than I can feel the pain."
For a moment, there was silence again. Then...
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[DING]
[WARNING: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMBUSTION SEQUENCE MAY RESULT IN IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO HOST’S ORGANS, NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND CELLULAR STRUCTURE.]
[RISK LEVEL: EXTREME. POSSIBILITY OF COMPLETE ORGAN FAILURE — 99%.]
[PROCEED ANYWAY?]
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Minato gritted his teeth, his hands trembling briefly as he tried to steady himself. "Yes... do it."
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[DING]
[COMMAND ACKNOWLEDGED.]
[ACTIVATING INTERNAL BLOOD IGNITION—3%, 5%, 12%...]
[ 7 MINUTES REMAINING]
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A low hum filled the atmosphere around him. His veins started to glow bright red beneath his skin, steam rising from his arms. The smell of burning blood and heat filled the passage.
Instantly, the Shadow Titan began thrashing violently inside Minato’s body, its smoky aura was clawing and tearing at his insides in desperation, searching for any way to escape. But Minato wasn’t giving it that chance.
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his face as he forced his trembling hands together. "Blood Control..." he murmured with his vision fading off and on.
Thick streams of his blood surged through his body, sealing up his nostrils, ears, and even the pores of his skin. Every possible exit was locked down as the titan’s screams echoed from within him.
Minato’s eyes flared bright red. "Not this time..." he muttered, tightening his grip on his chest as his blood boiled from within.
The succubus froze mid-step as she turned back slowly, her eyes widening in disbelief. "What... what are you doing, human?"
Minato’s voice broke into a twisted grin. "We would all go down the rabbit hole."
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[6:17 minutes]
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He forced what little blood remained in his veins to surge toward his legs. The ground cracked beneath him as he launched forward, closing the distance in an instant. His hands locked around the succubus’s waist like a fisherman’s hook.
Her eyes widened in confusion, then horror, as she felt the searing heat from his skin. His body was glowing red, veins pulsing like molten lava beneath his skin.
Then the realization struck her quickly.
He wasn’t just fighting her.
He wasn’t just trying to win.
He was planning to kill them both.
Panic filled her eyes instantly. She didn’t know how he intended to do it...only that she had to get free.
"You fool...!" she screamed at him, pounding at his back with desperate strength, her wings were thrashing around violently. But he still held onto her.
But unfortunately, due to the vast power difference and Minato’s already weakened body, his grip began to loosen little by little.
The veins in his arms bulged up slowly, his teeth clenched together, but no matter how much strength he poured in, it wasn’t just enough.
With one final, frustrated murmur, the succubus swung her clawed hand across his back. The impact ripped through his flesh, blood spraying out in all directions.
The intense pain made his arms go limp, and his grip loosened just enough for her to twist free.
She didn’t waste a second... her eyes glowed bright yellow as she raised her hand and slammed it into his chest.
The force sent Minato flying backward, his body crashing into the nearby passage wall with a bone-cracking sound. Dust and debris exploded around him as he slid down slowly, barely conscious.
"You pathetic, filthy human," she shouted while stepping forward slowly, her wings stretching across the passage. "How dare you?"
Then...
"How dare he? The irony!" A loud, familiar voice broke the suspense.
The succubus froze. Her eyes darted toward the voice, but before she could react, a dark red, blurry female figure appeared right in front of her... then a fist, made of blood, with a bright red aura, was already inches from her face.
BOOM!
The impact was so devastating. The punch sent her flying backward like a Formula 1 car with brake failure, crashing through multiple walls... each explosion of impact echoing down the ruined passage.
She finally smashed into the portal-1 core chamber, her body twisting midair before slamming hard into the ground.
Pink blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she looked up, dazed, fury and disbelief clouding her eyes...
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[0:59 Seconds]
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While all that was happening, the one-minute timer ticked down mercilessly.
Minato’s body trembled from the heat burning inside him... his skin cracking up, his blood boiling. He could barely keep his eyes open. Then, in the last few seconds, he forced his hands up, gasping out,
"Release!"
The blood blocking his mouth, nose, and eyes shot out like pressurized steam.
Instantly, the Shadow Titan erupted from his body... but something was different. It didn’t come out as smoke this time. It oozed out from his mouth, like thick, black liquid, sluggish and unstable, crawling weakly across the floor, its form collapsing in on itself.
Minato’s vision blurred again, but then he saw it... in the midst of the debris, glowing faintly within the shadow titan’s now liquid body.... a core. His heart pounded, and with one final burst of willpower, he clenched his fist and slammed it down.
CRACK!
The core shattered instantly. A massive cloud of black smoke burst out, swirling violently before fading away into nothingness.
Breathing heavily, Minato fell to his knees. "System... terminate order... I don’t want to die again," he croaked out.
A pause. Then...
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[DING]
[ARE YOU SURE, HOST?]
[WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE YOUR DECISION?]
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Minato coughed out blood and shouted weakly. "Are you kidding me? I just realized... my life’s pretty damn sweet. Now terminate the order!"
For a few seconds, there was only silence....
Then:
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[ORDER GRANTED]
[DEATH OVERRIDDEN WITH LIFE] [REGENERATION SEQUENCE INITIATED]
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A warm red light spread across Minato’s body as the burned flesh began to mend, but slowly, his bones snapping back into place. His heartbeat returned... slowly, then steadily.
He lay back against the cracked floor, exhaling in relief. "...God, what have I gotten myself into?" he muttered.
"...Minito."
That same familiar female voice called out to him... softly, trembling, carrying both a sense of relief and guilt.
His body felt heavy, his breathing ragged. Slowly and painfully, he lifted his head toward the voice. Through the particles of dust and dim light, he saw her... standing in front of him.
Amelia...
Her eyes glistening with every single movement, her trembling hands pressed against her breast as if she couldn’t believe he was still alive.
Before he could say a word, she ran to him and dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"I’m so sorry..." she whispered, her voice breaking with character. "I’m so, so sorry...because of my incompetent actions, you almost lost your life."
Minato blinked twice with a sense of comfort, feeling her tears run down his shoulder.
The warmth of her embrace cut through the pain for a moment... confusion, sorrow, and relief mixed all at once.
He wanted to speak, to ask her what took her so long, but all that escaped his lips was a weak, choked breath as his vision began to fade again.
Amelia noticed it immediately... his regeneration wasn’t kicking in properly because of how low level it was. And the deep cuts across his back and arms trembled with a little steam but refused to close. Her eyes narrowed in fear, panic flashing behind her calm expression.
Without hesitation, she raised her hand and dragged her fingernail across her palm, slicing it open. Thick, dark red blood welled up at the tip and dripped out steadily from the fresh wound.
She now leaned in closer to Minato; his breathing was a little shallow, along with his pale skin. "Don’t you dare die on me, you foolish Asian," she responded, her tone was low and trembling.
Then, she pressed her bleeding palm against his lips, and she let her blood flow into his mouth...