The giant cleaver was crashing down and everyone braced for the end. Eyes closed. Arms over their head as if it would make a difference. There was a loud crashing sound. Then there was silence. They all waited, with bated breath, for the end to come.
But it did not.
“I refuse.” Q's voice could be heard by everyone. They opened their eyes to see a lone man standing tall. His blade stopped the giant weapon in its tracks. His right hand gripped the hilt of [Kotetsu] tightly. His left pressed against the blunt side of his blade.
“I refuse to let this—my story end. Not like this!” He reiterated. “So stop cowering! Let's show this damn trial what humans are made of!”
He placed strength in his arms and pushed back the giant mass. It was at this point that Shuten-douji
In a private room, several people gathered. Multitudes of barriers have been placed to prevent any information from leaking out. The council, the head directors of each department, gathered. They were to receive the report on the recent incident. This was but one of the branches of the International Breakers Association. The higher ups from other parts of the world communicated through monitors. It was a secure network and had the strictest of defenses. “The most recent incident endangered several newbie breakers,” Estelle reported. “There are no casualties, at least not on our side.” “Elaborate, Miss Estelle,” one of the council members requested. “We found the bodies of association employees. But we found traces of ritual summoning that led to the descent of Shuten
The meeting had taken a mental toll on Estelle. It was mostly due to the insistence of the Directors in recruiting Q to the association. It was understandable. They were that adamant during Sena Mckenna's generation as well. Even Commander Zacharias would want to have Q on his side. But he would trust Estelle's judgment over the council members on this one. Estelle was like a daughter to him. He worried if she would end up treading the same path as the council members. The association can put up an altruistic front. But it was inevitable to want to recruit breakers with great potential. The change that Q brought about in Estelle was something he definitely appreciated. “You—Director.” She did not hide her displeasure when she encountered the recruitment director. “Se
“Congratulations,” Q, the Void Contract, greeted as he manifested in a goddess' domain.He was greeted by a smug-looking Astraea. She was incredibly proud of herself with how things went. It was a small chance that it would succeed and it paid off.“Did you really have that little faith in gods and humanity?” She asked.“Who wouldn't? When you've seen what I've seen, you'd be very cynical.” He shrugged.“I can only imagine,” she sighed. She sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair back.Q turned into mist and reformed beside her. He leaned back and closed his eyes.“That was very clever, though,” he praised her.
The gods called for a convention once more. As it was expected…“I heard you've taken a liking to a human.” A voice came from behind her.“Apollo.”“Astraea.”The two exchanged simple greetings that way. The two continued to walk to the gathering hall.“For one who loved humanity so much, it took you long enough, huh?” He teased her.“I don't want to hear that from you. Did you have your ‘beloved’ peek into my affairs?” She scoffed.Apollo's nose scrunched up a bit.“My oracle's sight is more powerful than
On that day, the gods gave humanity a trial. Mankind had been able to pull through several years. Wars, pandemics, and disasters emerged a few years back. Most people thought that the end of times were near. Humanity was not united, no. There were still corrupt people in power. There were still clashes in beliefs. There were still various kinds of disparities and discrimination. But the human race continued to struggle to survive. As if praising their perseverance, the gods made themselves known. [The gods are impressed with the steadfast existence of humanity.] On that day, almost every person on Earth found themselves staring at these words in front of them. “Do you see this?” “There's something in front of me...”
A couple of years have passed since the trial began. Humanity is quick to adapt. Different organizations rose from the ground up. Players. Awakened. Hunters. Heroes. The chosen. People had different terms for those who have had their souls weighed. The accepted terms for these individuals are ‘Breakers’. Their goals are the same: to prevent a repeat of the tragedy of the first day. At least, on the surface. The existence of transcended humans is part of the norm. It integrated into society. As if it were a phase that everyone would go through. “This is Sera Mckenna,” a woman spoke through her earpiece. She had fiery red hair and eyes. Flames danced around her wrists before fading. As the flames died, her hair became a blonde color. Her eyes also turned blue. “We have
“Name?” “Q.” “P-pardon?” That was not the answer the doctor was expecting. He was inspecting the patient's pupils for any abnormality. That response caught him off guard. “Q. My name is Q,” he reiterated. There was nothing on him that held any identification. He didn't even have a wallet or anything of the sort. That in itself was peculiar. The other civilians were done being treated. They sent those well enough to the agency that will assist them in getting back home. It was a normal procedure. This patient was the most gravely injured. And yet... “Vital signs appear to be normal. Limbs are… normal.” He hesitated a bit. There was nothing wrong with the patient's limbs. Well
“Please change into this,” Estelle said as she gave Avis Walker a blue tracksuit. Some of the staff often referred to him as Subject Q. “Alright.” He took the tracksuit and had a feel of it before he started taking off his clothes. Estelle was slightly flustered as she recalled their previous hookup. “Excuse me,” she said and left the room in a hurry. “It's all part of the job,” she told herself as she regained her composure. This wasn't the first time she used her charm to extract information. Her eyes have an ability to affect the mentality of a person. She never had the chance to use it on him, though. There was no need. She just didn't expect him to be so straightforward. Q opened the door and went out of the room. He looked back for a moment and chuckled. They w