Chapter 8: ISEKAI
The next day
At the familiar meeting spot where Scarlett and Aoto had agreed to meet again, Scarlett greeted him with a playful tone, "Oh, you came on time."
Aoto, arriving with a slight pant from his brisk walk, responded with mock indignation, "Huff huff... What do you take me for?"
Noticing something familiar about Scarlett's appearance, Aoto couldn't help but inquire, "And why are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday?"
Scarlett, clad once again in her sports bra and tracksuit pants, explained with a shrug, "It's not my fault. All the dresses in the house are for girls. What can I do? They didn't give me any money or a card, only the basic necessities for living."
They both went to another place, Asta and Aoto sat on the grassy hillside, the sun casting golden hues across the landscape. They didn't realising they are forgetting they have to make plan and started chatting joking and laughing, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.
While talking, she forgot that there is someone waiting for this opening.Suddenly, the person spying on them received a call, and a voice, seemingly too young for a boss, issued orders. It was none other than Lord Rakuza, their leader.
"We warned that brat not to get in contact with our subject, but he didn't learn anything. Being the son of a businessman won't protect him. Kill him!" Lord Rakuza's command was cold and unforgiving.
As the call ended, a shadow loomed over Asta and Aoto. Asta's eyes widened as he saw the old man with a weathered face, holding a gleaming katana, his expression stern. The danger had silently crept upon them.
It was same old man who kidnapped Scarlett when she was returning from high school.Before Scarlett could react, the old man swung his blade like lightning speed, aiming for Aoto's neck.
Time slowed as Scarlett's instincts kicked in. With a surge of adrenaline, she lunged forward, snatching the katana from the air with her bare hand.Aoto gasped in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. The old man's expression mirrored his astonishment.
Scarlett's grip tightened around the katana, her supernatural strength evident as the metal groaned under her grasp. With a twist of her wrist, she snapped the blade in two, shards scattering to the ground.
"I guess, I have to take you down first."
The old man's face contorted with fury. With a guttural growl, he charged at Scarlett, his body transforming into solid stone. Fists clenched, he unleashed a barrage of strikes, each blow reverberating with power.
Scarlett met the onslaught head-on, her muscles flexing with determination. Despite the old man's mastery of martial arts and his stone-like exterior, Scarlett held her ground, her own combat skills coming to the fore.
The air crackled with energy as they exchanged blows, each movement calculated and precise. Scarlett's body started regenerating her wounds faster and faster.
Scarlett's supernatural strength clashed with the old man's formidable technique, a testament to their unwavering resolve.But Scarlett's strength keep increasing with every blow in the end old man's stone started to break.before the blow that making Scarlett bleed now started to have no effect on Scarlett.
In the end Scarlett stood victorious, her chest heaving with exertion. The old man lay at his feet, defeated but alive.
I seek answers," Scarlett said, her voice firm yet compassionate. "And you will provide them."
Aoto couldn't contain his enthusiasm as he gazed at Scarlett, "Wow, so cool... I knew you said you had super strength, but this is on another level!"
Scarlett, however, wasn't amused. Her face darkened as she smacked Aoto on the head, her voice tinged with irritation, "What's so cool about this, idiot? You almost died."
"Owch... okay, okay, I'm sorry. Let's start questioning," Aoto winced, rubbing the spot where Scarlett had hit him.
They turned their attention to the old man they had cornered, Scarlett's tone hard and uncompromising, "So, old man, you gonna spill from the start, or do we need to encourage you?"
The old man coughed awkwardly, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Akh, akh... Don't worry, I accept my defeat. What do you want? The location of the base, right?"
"Yes, and don't play dumb," Scarlett demanded.
"With your current strength, I'm sure you can overrun the base and take down everyone there. But the main leader? He's out of your league. A human can't even begin to comprehend the extent of his power. If you really want to defeat him, you're going to need to become much stronger than you are now," the old man warned earnestly.
Scarlett exchanged a glance with Aoto, a serious expression settling on her face. 'So I was right, there is a main leader.' She thought, her resolve hardening.
The moment he told the location his head exploded and he died on the spot.but it was already to late for them, Aoto already noted down the location in his smartphone.
Scarle and her friend Aoto arrived at the desolate woods of Japan near Shibuya, known as the Ghostwood Forest. The very place where Asta endured seven months of torment.
Scarlett turned to aoto in a hint of anger, "Why are you here?" She questioned.
"I'm here to help," Aoto replied confidently, but Scarlett, skeptical of his friend's readiness, dismissed the notion.
"Fuck your help! Didn't you see how strong they are? What if you were the strongest in school,You'll die!" Scarlett warned, her frustration evident.
Unfazed, Aoto revealed an unexpected solution, saying, "That's why I brought an AK47. There's no way everyone here is bulletproof."
Scarlett, not entirely convinced, questioned Aoto's proficiency with guns. Aoto nonchalantly replied, "I'm a son of a businessman. Of course, I had to learn these kinds of things."
As they approached the formidable structure, the entrance to the large bunker stood securely locked, barring their path. Scarlett surveyed the massive door with a calculating gaze, her determination palpable.
"Let's just break the wall. I'm confident in my strength," she declared resolutely, her muscles tensing in preparation.
Aoto, with a casual shrug, acquiesced, "Do as you wish then." He stood back, ready to follow Scarlett's lead into the heart of danger.
With a deep breath, Scarlett coiled her energy and unleashed a powerful punch. The air around her fist vibrated with the force of her strike. The ground trembled as if shaken by an earthquake, and with a thunderous crash, the wall crumbled before them, opening a pathway into the bunker.
The duo stepped into the breached entrance, their eyes quickly adjusting to the stark, clinical white of the interior. The base extended far deeper than its exterior suggested, a sprawling labyrinth of corridors and rooms, each turn revealing more of the mysterious and daunting complex.
The interior of the imposing base was a labyrinth of white walls, far larger than its exterior hinted.
As soon as they breached the walls, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the complex, alerting its occupants to the intrusion. Men in white suits quickly mobilized, forming a defensive line intended to stop Scarlett and Aoto in their tracks.
Aoto, prepared for confrontation, wielded an AK47 with precision. His fingers worked the trigger with professional ease, dispatching the oncoming guards with a series of well-aimed shots. His calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the chaos unfolding around him.
Beside him, Scarlett advanced with a bone-chilling grin spreading across her face. Her eyes glinted with a predatory gleam as she moved through the defenders. With terrifying ease, she crushed the skulls of her opponents, her hands moving with such brutality that it seemed as if she reveled in the carnage. Her actions spoke of a dark delight in the violence, her powerful blows leaving a trail of devastation in her wake.
The two of them made a formidable team, pushing deeper into the labyrinthine base, unstoppable in their quest to confront the hidden evils within.The remaining white-clad men trembled in fear as Asta's relentless onslaught continued, until they reached the sanctum of the base's leader.
"Huff, huff. Finally, they reached the leader's room, Aoto observed, marveling at Scarlett's composure despite the battles they faced.
"I never thought my junior, who I used to defeat in every fight, would become this strong. I'm jealous," Aoto admitted between breaths, a hint of admiration in his voice.
"Fucking bitch, you forgot I was the only person in school who could make Aoto, the fighting prodigy, bleed," Scarlett reflected, pride coloring his words.
Amidst the monitors that adorned the room, the leader sat, radiating arrogance. "You were a valuable subject, but it's a shame you have to die now," the leader sneered, his tone dismissive.
As they moved closer, an assassin materialized before them, wordlessly communicating the consequence of attempting to touch the leader.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Aoto fired his AK47, the bullet finding its mark and killing the assassin instantly.
"He was an idiot. An assassin should not expose himself like that. They may be hard to sense, but they're not fast enough to dodge bullets," Aoto remarked casually, revealing his quick thinking.
"Aoto, did you really think this all through?" Scarlett inquired, surprised by his friend's impromptu action.
"Hell nah! I only had one bullet left, so I shot him without thinking. Who knew he would actually die," Aoto replied, his nonchalance belying the gravity of the situation.
The leader's arrogance shattered, replaced by panic and desperation as he begged for his life, offering whatever Scarlett desired in exchange for mercy.
"What do you want from me? I'll give you what you want, just spare my life," he pleaded, his voice trembling with fear.He even gave the key of the chamber where the portal to other world was.
But Scarlett's response was swift and brutal. Ignoring the pleas, he unleashed a relentless onslaught of punches, each blow fueled by years of torment and rage.
As the leader begged for mercy, Scarlett showed none, systematically dismantling him until there was nothing left but a lifeless shell.
Even as Aoto intervened, Scarlett's fury raged on until his friend's voice broke through the haze of violence, urging him to stop.
"Stop it, Asta! That's enough, he's already dead," Aoto implored, his words a sobering reminder of the brutality they had unleashed.
She was more angry than what she is exactly had to be, because even after killing everyone in base, she didn't find the Dr. Magi and Dr.Ragi, that meant they have already escaped from here.
But what they can do now anyway, Together, they turned their attention to the portal, its shimmering surface beckoning them to another world.But before they stepped through, Scarlett expressed her concern for Aoto's well-being, acknowledging the risks they faced and the potential consequences for his friend's family.
"Don't worry, man. My family is all about money, and I've already left a letter for them," Aoto reassured him, his resolve unwavering in the face of uncertainty.
(It's me aoto, i am going on a long journey and don't try to find me even if I never return. Yeah that's everything good bye, hope we never see each other again.)
With a shared sense of determination, Asta and Aoto prepared to embark on their journey into the unknown, leaving behind the shadows of their past to confront whatever lay ahead.
"Okay then let's see what's behind the portal."