[Shizuka's POV]
Complete destruction, massacre and a sombre atmosphere were what Brand-chan left behind. I don't know how to feel, is this the boy I have been taking care of for so many years? the boy I unknowingly fell in love with and who always looked so harmless?
I don't know exactly what feelings are but they're not fear. I'm not afraid of him... I know Brand-chan would never harm me or the girls, not even in this state.
If anything I want to help him and alleviate his pain, but I have no idea how or even know what the problem is, how did he become like this?
After a whole half an hour of a relentless massacre, he finally finished.
Tentacles were extending from his body, devouring every single one of those Blackwatch men's corpses leaving only a pool of empty blood. It was ridiculous because... he wasn't just eating the corpses. He was eating everything... weapons, even the vehicles.
"We can't keep standing here doing nothing, I will go, the three of you please take care of Brand!" Rei-chan was the first to react, her sudden yells woke all of us with Saeko running towards Brand-kun first.
"Where are you going, Rei!? we have to-" Lucy was going to give some orders.
"You didn't see? Higuchi took Kyoko as a hostage, smashed his shotgun against Takashi and Hirano, and then ran away during the commotion!"
!!!
"He did what?!" I couldn't believe it, why would he do something like that?! Could it be that he was too afraid of Brand-chan? it can't be... I felt like I was in the darkness, they were concealing information from me.
"She said she was going to keep an eye on him, now of all moments? damn him!" Lucy-chan looked furious, she was fuming at the boy's sudden actions, but we really didn't have the time to take care of that for now.
"I will chase him with Rei; she will be in danger on her own, I'm leaving Brand to you, Saeko!" Lucy decided to depend on us for once and chased after Rei.
"Hai!" Saeko and I came to a stop around Brand-chan, his arm was back to normal but his entire body was covered in blood, just like his sword Clarent, it was hard to believe a moment ago this boy committed a massacre while resembling a hideous tentacle red creature.
"We can speak with the chat and track each other with the scanner, stay safe... also, beat the crap out of that stupid fool for me!" Saya-chan arrived by our side we turned him around to see that there wasn't a single wound on his body. He looked perfectly fine. But the sun was already falling on us.
"It is going to be a problem because Kyoko doesn't have the system yet but those two should be okay. Arisa, come out of the car, this is not a time to cower around!" Saya-chan looked like she was fuming for some reason.
"Sorry... i-is he okay?" Arisa's countenance was pale and unlike me, her eyes contained fear as she glanced at the passed-out Brand-chan.
"We don't know, but this is what we're going to do... Shizuka and Saeko pick him up, Hirano, are you okay?"
"Ugh, h-he did hit hard, but... I think he hit Takashi-kun worse and Mikoto-chan is also injured and bleeding, we're not in a good condition at all".
I didn't know what to do, all of us were injured one way or another, a rain of rubble had rained on us but Mikoto-chan was the one that got the worse part, a huge rock had hit her head and she was bleeding a lot. I won't be resting tonight.
"As long as we can find a quiet place, I can start treating all of us. L-Look, this is a building complex we could try to find somewhere here" The situation was so dire that even I started throwing out suggestions and much to my surprise, Saya-chan listened to me.
"Then that's where we're going, the Takagi household is nearby but we can't make the journey like this. We have to wait for Lucy and Rei to come back with Kyoko as well. Arisa and Hirano with me... I'll report in the chat once we find a safe place, the rest of you stay here".
"Thanks, Saya-chan stay safe... don't trust anyone, alright? We have been gotten twice now" I said downcast, even after everything we have done together, Higuchi-kun still betrayed us, worse than that girl, Miku.
"Even if you all refuse, I won't be accepting anyone in our group ever again"
I think I understand why Saya-chan is fuming now.
**
**
Not too far away, in a darkening alleyway, a woman was struggling as she was pulled by a boy who had a shotgun pointing at her head.
"Higuchi-kun! STOP! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"
Kyoko felt angry beyond belief, all she wanted to do right now was to get back to her man who seemed to be going through a difficult moment, she didn't know how or why he became that monster, but she wanted to be there to support him and yet all of the sudden this bastard had hit both Takashi and Hirano in their worst moment, then he put the shotgun against her head and pulled her away during the commotion where no one was paying attention.
It was the most wicked thing he could have done. She had not a single bit of respect for her former model student anymore.
She was being dragged by the next away from the group, and both of them were unaware in the shadows there was a being concealing herself, her silhouette visible as if merging with the darkness, only two dim lights could be seen where her eyes were supposed to be, but they could be easily confused as a regular part of the scenery.
"You don't understand, Kyoko-sensei... h-he's too dangerous... look at the monster he's become. Before he attracted danger, but now he IS the danger. Do you really want to be with someone like that? how I wish I could have blown his head up there and then..."
Hearing such a wicked remark come out from his lips, she lost it. The boy that had been saved just like her, if not for this group the two of them could have perished or worse, she could have had a fate like Mikoto and Arisa, 'and yet here you are, cursing at the person that saved us!'
"Y-You ungrateful jerk!"
*BANG!!!*
With great strength Kyoko headbutted him, disregarding the shotgun that was against her head, capable of ending her life at any moment.
The boy started to bleed from his nose and growled in anger, then he felt a sharp pain coming from his that had been holding Kyoko's next, she had bitten him.
However, the pain that he received was so sharp that it blurred his mind.
"UGH!! AAAAAHHH!"
Higuchi held his painful hand in the darkness of the alleyway, thinking he had been just bitten out of the hold. Terror was what remained when he felt Kyoko push and jump on top of him, throwing the shotgun not too far away. Her on top was what he had always desired, but this wasn't how he wished it to be.
"Kyoko-sensei stop, I- Ugh!-"
He used his hand to cover himself and his other one to try and recover the shotgun, it was then that he saw three cavities where his fingers should have been.
*GULP!*
A gulping hideous noise was heard, but it wasn't his own. Kyoko's eyes seemed to have lost life. The moment she tasted the flesh, it was as if something had awakened.
[WARNING! BETA-LEVEL PROTOTYPE DETECTED!]
The notification didn't ring up for her, instead, it rang for those seeking her position, a little tidbit that would assist them in finding her later, alas... she'd be found in the worst of conditions.
She had bitten, munched and swallowed three of his fingers, it hadn't been a simple bite at all.
'Oh my, this wasn't part of the plan at all'.
The shadow in the darkness thought she had 'worked hard' to orchestrate all of this, making sure this woman was taken, her 'master' would then lose it into anger. With a little hope he'd have his head blown into a meat patty by Higuchi and his mutations would trigger like lions hunting in Madagascar. Eventually transforming him into the hideous monster he HAS to be.
But nothing went according to the plan, instead, he realised that she created yet another monster, way weaker than her 'master' but a monster nonetheless.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
One bite, and another bite and another bite.
*PA!*
A bloodied and despaired Higuchi managed to take a good shot with his shotgun at Kyoko's abdomen. Blasting her away in a fashion of blood. But that didn't stop her from seeking respite for the overwhelming hunger she was experiencing which stopped her from distinguishing her 'role model student' from a piece of delicious chicken.
She crawled back with a regenerating wound and a bloodied smile, it was like tasting the most delicious chicken katsu don after not having eaten for thousands of years, all she could do was complain as to why this delicious dish was crawling away from the platter.
Higuchi was crawling away for his life further into the darkness alleyway that looked sentient, the shadows seemed to be moving and smiling at him in a hideous display of mockery. He was coming to regret his decision, a little too late. Missing chunks of his flesh and an eye, disbelieving of the situation.
"Help! Someone help me please! HELP!"
At some point, however, he became unable to move and struggled against something that was clutching his leg. He kicked thinking it was Kyoko's hand but it wasn't.
A tentacle was protruding from the shadows, holding him down and preventing his escape.
"W-What is this!?"
'Be a good dish and stay on the platter, Higuchi-kyun~'
He heard that voice in his mind again, the one that had been trying to convince him to take part in this plan, kill Brand, take away Kyoko and do with her whatever he wanted, finally attaining his ambitions... this voice that had given him hope now mocked his futile efforts.
"It is you again! Please help me! AAHHHH!"
It was all too late, Kyoko started by taking a nice bite out of his 'chicken' leg.
There was no stopping it.
She felt too hungry to let go of the appetiser in front, the next time she regained her consciousness, she'd no longer be human.
The familiar red aura enveloped her busty body with every munch, transforming her flesh into tentacles that tore Higuchi's flesh faster and made it ready to devour. Memories that weren't hers started to resurface along the delicious taste of the 'chicken' and it was done.
A prototype was born.