CHAPTER-VI
Blood and flesh were scattered in every direction, turning the area into a valley of death. The terrifying Symbiotes were now slaughtered like they were nothing. The piles of monster corpses became a new beacon of hope for humanity. Kyle immediately contacted Charles, sending a recording of himself sitting down exhaustedly, which caused his friend's concern to peak. However, Kyle laughed, showing him what was happening in front of him. Dianne and Alisa were busy trying to burn a number of Symbiote corpses that the eye could hardly believe. Meanwhile, the strange man in the blue coat was seen dragging one of the Symbiotes out, lifting and spinning it around while laughing.
"Who is that man?" Charles asked.
"He's the one who came from the meteor," Kyle replied.
Alisa, having managed to pile up all the corpses, called out to the man in the blue coat. Somehow, with just a flick of his hand, the man instantly ignited a massive fire in the pile of Symbiote remains. Clearly, this was not the ability of a Meta-human, let alone an ordinary human. Quickly, all the corpses were burned to ash. The fire vanished as soon as everything turned to dust, blown away by the wind. Alisa slowly approached the man and asked, "Let me introduce myself, I'm Alisa. Can we get to know each other?" she said, offering a handshake.
The man turned and grinned widely. "Sure, you can call me Kaizo. My name is Kaizo Dantarona." They shook hands. At first, it was a normal gesture, but suddenly Alisa hugged Kaizo, leaving Kyle and Dianne stunned.
Alisa awkwardly released her hug in a hurry. "Sorry, I got carried away," she said, her face flushing as she lowered her head slightly. Kaizo laughed and patted Alisa's shoulder, saying, "No problem, your reaction is quite normal, haha!" Those words felt like an answer to Alisa, leaving her standing there with a fluttering heart. Kaizo approached Kyle and helped him up. Kyle thanked him while introducing himself. Kaizo replied, "No problem, sir."
"Sir!? I'm not that old! Come on!" Kyle protested, feeling he was being treated like an old man, while Dianne laughed at him from a distance.
Kaizo replied, "Isn't that normal? You're almost fifty, while I'm not even seventeen yet."
"What!? Not even seventeen?" Kyle gasped, shocked by the statement, while Alisa fell to her knees because the person she liked was apparently a minor.
"No way. Your body is almost as big as mine, you're only about three centimeters shorter, and your face looks so mature!" Kyle tried to confirm.
"Come on, don't talk about my face. I've been through too much to look this way. I also trained hard to achieve this physique, but I don't have a body as good as yours yet. Look at this," Kaizo took off his coat and shirt, revealing a toned body that wasn't as bulky as expected. It was a normal size, not excessive—at a glance, he looked lean, though his muscles were clearly well-trained.
Behind him, Alisa tried to look away, remembering the vast age gap, but she couldn't help herself. Blood poured profusely from her nose until she fainted.
Dianne was shocked to see that. It was strange; Meta-humans didn't have blood except for a little in their facial skin. Yet Alisa had a nosebleed—how was that possible?
Kaizo put his shirt back on and walked closer. He apologized to Alisa for making her react that way. Alisa didn't answer, but Dianne looked confused. Kaizo asked, "Why do you all look so worried? That's a natural reaction, isn't it?"
"Alisa and Dianne are Meta-humans. Simply put, they are modified humans; their entire limbs have been replaced with synthetic materials. If they are injured, what should come out is a mixture of alcohol and oil, not blood. The only blood left in their bodies is a small amount in the face, which allows them to blush when they're angry or embarrassed," Kyle explained.
"Is it really like that? Then why are you not like them, sir?" Kaizo asked with an innocent, curious face.
"Don't call me sir! But yes, we created artificial humans like this so they could be soldiers for humanity without the fear of them being infected and turning against us. As for me, I wasn't modified because I was born with an immunity to the virus that turned all living things in this world into monsters," Kyle clarified.
"I see. Then why did she have a nosebleed? Did the blood from her cheeks move to her nose?" Kaizo asked Dianne.
"I don't know either, but we've seen this happen before, though she never explained anything about it," Dianne replied.
"In that case, we can only ask her directly." Kaizo lifted Alisa's body and stroked her cheek. Then Kaizo rubbed his arm and placed his palm on Alisa's nose. Instantly, she woke up and nearly fainted again because Kaizo was carrying her.
Kaizo smiled and lowered her gently. It was an expression far too gentle for someone who had been shouting and laughing while killing hundreds of Symbiotes alone.
Dianne then asked, "Do you know any other Meta-humans who can bleed like this?"
Alisa replied, "Why are you asking that?"
"It's just..." Dianne didn't know how to answer.
"We were the Meta-humans sent down to Earth long before you. At that time, our squad consisted of ten people. During our journey, we were tasked with exploring a cave that appeared when a lake dried up. The reason was that there were materials claimed to be usable for producing a vaccine. We were never told what materials they were; we were only ordered to extract yellowish rocks attached to the ground. We just followed orders, but there were no results. I was bitten by a Tentacle Symbiote that was attacking a crocodile, but I didn't care. We continued until suddenly a Terrorist appeared before us and exploded, destroying the cave walls and causing a collapse. I don't know if anyone else survived besides me," Alisa recounted her experience.
Somehow, the Symbiote virus had managed to adapt to Alisa's synthetic body and was slowly eating away at her arm. Because the spread was very slow, Alisa was able to create a blockade bracelet that kept the virus contained in her arm and prevented it from taking over her mind. Dianne approached Kyle and shared a theory: according to her, the Radiate virus would not be able to transform a Meta-human's body, but if it took over the brain, the Meta-human would lose control over their body like other Symbiotes. There was a possibility that the Meta-human's flesh and blood would slowly be replaced by the Symbiote's new flesh and blood. So, even though Alisa wasn't controlled by the virus, she was now a new kind of living being—and perhaps she was a true Alpha Symbiote.
Kyle felt uneasy hearing this because it meant Dianne might also be infected. He also worried about whether Kaizo would be okay. Kyle asked, "Kaizo, are you sure you'll be safe from the viral infection?"
Kaizo replied, "Not a single virus has managed to touch me. Not even one, because I repel them."
Kaizo walked closer to prove it. Kyle could feel a gust of air being pushed out from Kaizo's body, as if he were physically blocking the virus from touching his skin.
Kaizo continued, "Besides, my body is like poison to them. Even though I don't know how to make a cure from this virus, I can still remove the oxygen and water from the virus so they just die. That is the power of 'Creative'."
"What is 'Power'?" Kyle asked, hearing the term for the first time.
Kaizo then gave a lengthy explanation. Essentially, a Power is a divine gift given to every person from birth, manifesting when they are one year old. The types and levels vary depending on one's destiny. Coincidentally, Kaizo's power was one of the strongest; he could create and manipulate any atom just through his thoughts and intent. Remarkably, the energy consumption of his power depended not on the strength of what was manipulated, but on the scale of the resulting destruction. This meant that atomic-level manipulation hardly tired him out, as he could still stand even after blowing up a mountain—a story from when he first tried to learn his strength.
This also proved that Kaizo was someone from another world.
Kyle then asked, "Why did you come to our world? What is your goal?"
Kaizo answered, "I have a teacher; He is God. One time, He met me and picked me up. I accepted because He offered me strength. From there, He taught me how to maximize my power and this holy sword of my family," Kaizo lifted the giant black sword. "I've long been interested in the Queen of the Kingdom where I lived. She's my age, but my teacher showed me that her destiny was terrible. I believed I could change destiny with my power, but the teacher said I couldn't change it, even by repeating time."
"That doesn't answer my question," Kyle said, curious.
"In short, the teacher challenged me to prove my words. I want to change the destiny of your world," Kaizo answered.
"What exactly is the destiny of our world?" Dianne asked.
"You don't have much time left. The apocalypse is coming. I don't exactly know how it unfolds, but that's what the teacher said. My job is to extend the life of this world," Kaizo gave a shocking answer that left everyone silent.
"I can fight any enemy, no matter how strong, but it will be in vain if we don't find out who or what will trigger it," Kaizo added.
Kyle stood up and walked away, shouting in frustration and kicking the canyon wall. Dianne tried to calm him down, reminding him that with Kaizo's presence, there was still hope. Alisa asked Kaizo, "When exactly is the apocalypse?"
Kaizo then gave an even more shocking answer.
"No world has a record of exactly when the apocalypse happens, but every faith believes in its arrival, right?"
Alisa nodded.
"However, the teacher told me directly. it will fall at the end of this year, December 26th," Kaizo answered.
"What!! That's only six months away!? Right after Christmas?" Alisa was shocked.
"I know the Goddess of Life and the God of Death. They are so close it's ridiculous—they look like a married couple," Kaizo muttered, remarking on how close birth and death actually were, as shown by his own mastery.
Kyle, still in shock, couldn't think of anything. He breathed heavily while pressing his forehead against the canyon wall. Dianne stroked his back and said, "Captain, calm down. We can get through this. Nature is still on our side—the proof is that Kaizo came here. It can't be a coincidence, right?"
Kyle immediately calmed down and hugged Dianne tightly. Tears slowly fell onto Dianne's shoulder.
"Are they dating?" Kaizo asked Alisa.
"Not yet, but I'm sure they will. If you want, I don't mind—"
"Quiet, you fool. Didn't you hear that I have a crush waiting for me to make it official!?" Kaizo snapped back.
"Oh man, that actually hurts," Alisa groaned.
Kyle then spoke up, "We have a big mission. I'll inform my contact on Olympus to do something that can help us. For now, our target is to find out the true purpose of the Symbiotes, especially the Alpha Symbiotes. The apocalypse must be linked to them. Forget the weapons depot; we're going straight to the three Arkae Towers. We're close enough, so let's move!!"
"LET'S GO!" Dianne and Alisa shouted together.
"Wait!" Kaizo stopped their movement.
"Wait for what?" Kyle asked.
"Walking is a waste of time." Kaizo then turned around and pointed both hands forward, opening his palms wide. A glow of blue light appeared in front of him. Kaizo slowly assembled something. Iron plates appeared, rubber merged to form circles, several metal rods emerged, and other steel pieces formed the engine assembly. In a few minutes, Kaizo had created a Land Cruiser. A perfect vehicle. Fuel? Don't worry, Kaizo could create that in seconds. Now they wouldn't run out of time on the journey.
Kyle, Dianne, and Alisa were completely mesmerized watching it. Kaizo turned and struck a dramatic pose. From the way he posed, it was as if he were saying, "Look at how cool I am." Kaizo then said, "Sorry, but I've never driven a car before. In my world, no one knows what this is. So, can anyone here drive?"
Kyle stepped forward confidently. He said, "I can. Even though it's been over twenty years since I last drove. Besides, there won't be any traffic rules to follow, right?"
They nodded. Everyone sat in the passenger seats, but suddenly a call came from Charles.
"Where on earth did you get that car, Kyle!?"
"Kaizo made it. He's incredible. We have a hope of winning now!" Kyle answered through the radio device in the vehicle.
"Kaizo? Huh??" Charles was confused.
"We're off!!" The call disconnected. Kaizo connected his music player to the car's system and played another legendary song: Elton John - I'm Still Standing.
"One, two, three—if you're happy, let's do this," the four of them shouted together. Kyle flopped the gas.
You could never know what it's like
Your blood like winter freezes just like ice
And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you
You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use
And did you think this fool could never win?
Well, look at me, I'm coming back again
I got a taste of love in a simple way
And if you need to know while I'm still standing, you just fade away
Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I'm still standing (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I'm still standing (yeah, yeah, yeah)