Nero, The Legendary Hunter

- POV-1 Nero -

All right, I need to save Yui, but…

I got up from the bed I was sitting on. I watched with tears in my eyes as the memories in my mind tortured me. Looking into Elsa's dark green eyes, I said, "Just imagine, being an innocent child who was betrayed by your older sister, sold to a strange organization, experienced torture, and ended up dying in the end? Just imagine how this child felt going through all these difficulties. You are not my sister!"

"Forgive me, forgive me. I swear, I swear on everything that is most sacred, Nera, I tried to find you. I dropped everything and wandered through so many places, but for years I couldn't find you, and when I saw you today, I recognized you in a moment. You don't know how happy I was, how happy I was that you're alive. Nera, I love you; you're my little sister. I never, for a second, stopped thinking about you!" She hugged me and I didn't know how to react.

At first I thought about pushing her away, but a voice inside me kept screaming, 'Don't do that, don't do that....' This isn't me, it can't be me, but I must accept it. These memories affect me more than I could have imagined, and even now, that damn happy feeling of hugging Elsa is overflowing inside of me.

'Nera you are a fool. She let you suffer so much. Why, why do you forgive her?' I asked myself that question, as if I expected that same voice to give me an answer, but I knew, yes, it's not really her fault, and I felt the sincerity in her words. To deny it, I would be acting too irrational.

I tried to force myself to calm down. My arms were lowered as I was encircled around the neck by Elsa's thin white arms.

"I want your help, but wait for me to accept you." I tried to be as rational as possible.

"Okay, I can wait. I've waited a long, long time to see you again; I can definitely wait for you to accept me as a big sister again." She gave me a sincere smile, which frankly moved me. But, I didn't want to show it and I kept silent.

I turn to Choko. She is such an amazing girl who accepted me even after everything she heard, and has continued supporting me in the most important moments, even running away with me. I love her so much, and not just for her beautiful dark blue hair and purple eyes and flawless smooth skin, so nice… Wait, my mind started to wander in a weird way again.

"Choko, thank you for supporting me and understanding me. I-"

"Don't say any more, I get it, and I understand everything. But my love for you is the same, you know~" she joked, and touched my nose with one hand behind her back and smiled so beautifully it hypnotized me. She smiled another time and said, "Go, sort this out and save your friend, and know I'm here waiting, waiting for your return." She hugged me and kissed me. I kissed her back, not caring what Elsa was seeing.

Strangely, when I stopped kissing Choko and turned to Elsa, was she smiling? Anyway, I said, "You are Rank A+, yes?"

"Yes, how did you..."

"I guessed," I interrupted her.

"Oh, well yes, I'm A+ rank. I got stronger while trying to find you and killing monsters here and there and saving some villages, and then I came here," Elsa said, gesturing to me with her hands and pointing in different directions, and acting really weird. Well, she looks weird.

"Can you fly?" I asked.

"Oh yes, now you have wings! By the way, they are beautiful. Too bad they were acquired in a way... Well..." She noticed my discomfort and said, changing the subject, "Let's go. I can conjure wings of wind and fly. You can go fast, I'll be able to follow you no matter how fast you go." 

"Okay," I turned to Choko, "I'll be back."

"I'll be waiting for you~" Choko sent me a flying kiss. Cute!!

I went out with Elsa through the window. After I jumped, I opened my wings that I hadn't used in a long time. Strangely, I didn't find it difficult to fly, even though I have been out of practice for so long. Elsa followed me and we began heading east.

"Tired?" She asked me in a worried tone.

"No." I answered indifferently; I still haven't forgiven her.

I used mana on my wings and my wings lit up. The pink of my wings seems to fluoresce. I was surprised initially, but soon I returned to my indifferent expression and kept flying.

Elsa is fast. Even when I increased the speed when using the mana, she could keep up with me without the slightest effort.

'Nudist Beach.' I still remember this place. Flying over the memories of waking up in this place and receiving the first mission that came to my mind, I shook my head and focused on the memories of when 'it', whatever it was, took over Nera's body and fled. I luckily remembered it perfectly and soon we came to a mountain. The lab was hidden, and it was on an island.

I concentrated and looked in one direction. Yes, it was this mountain. I said, "Over there, the laboratory is over there!" I pointed out the spot.

"Yes, I can feel the mana fluctuation. Nero, stay here. There are demonic races guarding this place. I will kill them and then we can enter," Elsa said kindly to me, but her eyes were cold.

Looks like she's used to killing... Well, it doesn't matter. Whatever, as long as she helps me save Yui.

"Ready." She was back in less than a minute. She noticed my surprise and said, smiling, "I'm very strong now. I'll never let anyone make you suffer again!"

"Whatever~" Damn, did I end up letting myself get carried away by the heat of the moment and let myself be happy about it? No, I puffed out my cheeks and looked at her, trying to look annoyed.

She smiled, but didn't say anything thankfully, because I didn't know how to react. Damn, everything is so weird. I've lost count of how many times I can't control my emotions.

This is by far a very pleasant thing. No, it is a horrible feeling! Yes, I'm right, we need to go in anyway. I followed her into the lab. On the way, I saw her throwing wind scythes in certain directions and I heard screams.

'What kind of senses does she have?' I can myself feel from the several presences behind the wall that she's striking accurately, but isn't she afraid to kill someone innocent? After all, there must be a lot of innocent people who went through the same things as me- I mean Nera.

Suddenly, I recognized a room and said, "Don't attack!" Elsa, who was about to use a wind sickle, stopped.

I opened the door, and dropped to my knees on the floor. Yui was in that room and Aisten was there with that white coat, holding something in his hand, and looking at me in surprise. I could even feel that he was happy to see me, but that won't last for long!

Yui, my good friend Yui was inside a big glass container that I had only seen in movies and was filled with water, and Yui, with tubing in her mouth. Her legs- she had no legs! Instead, where her legs should have been was the head of an eyeless monster with sharp teeth. Yui's belly, part of it was all red and filled with pus, like boils connected to the monster's head. One of her arms was missing and she had no hair. Her eyes that were once beautiful were now a lifeless red.

I despaired. I arrived too late! Even Yui's breasts were cut and stitched. It was a sight that made every cell in my body boil with rage the moment I saw it.

I jumped forward, and with both hands I held Aisten's neck. I squeezed so hard he died, or so I thought at first, but I felt his heart, or rather heard his heart beating. This bastard must have experimented on himself!

I picked up a sword and started slicing him into several pieces, slicing everything on him. I watched him as he rose for the first time in a panic, and then screamed at being torn apart.

But I haven't taken any pleasure in it. After all, Yui's situation won't reverse because I killed him. Elsa also watched me kill Aisten and didn't say anything; she just sometimes threw wind scythes randomly in some directions.

"Is there a way to save her?" I didn't lose all hope. After all, Elsa was Rank A+; she must have seen and heard many things.

"Not that I know, unfortunately. I'm sorry."

I was silent. Even though it was an unpleasant sight, I kept looking at Yui inside the pot and put my hand on the glass. She seemed to see me, her eyes unfocused a little.

She suddenly opened her mouth and tried to say something, but nothing came out, just bubbles coming out of the respirator in her mouth. I panicked and broke the glass. She fell into my arms.

"It's really you..." I heard her voice, but it was very low and weak, almost without any strength. I saw that her throat was cut and sewn. I cried, just imagining how much effort she made just to tell me that.

"Yui, forgive me..." I hugged her and she hugged me with the only arm she had.

"Nera, I'm… so happy… I've always wanted to see you again… Now..." I felt something and saw her vomit blood. She still smiled at me, which is making my heart hurt even more.

"Seeing you before I… die…" She still kept her smile as she looked at me. I cried out loud as I hugged her.

'No hope? Am I this useless?' Of course, I am just a mere Hunter Rank D! What kind of skills could I have?...

'Cell regeneration…' I mumbled in my mind and saw Yui almost closing her eyes. I felt her heart start to beat slower through her pulse. Without thinking twice, I grabbed her only hand and bit. I didn't know what I was doing for sure, but I felt that if I had direct contact with her and used cell regeneration, there might be hope.

"Nera, what are you doing?!" Elsa's voice echoed unnaturally in my ear, but I ignored it.

Just when I thought there was no hope, that it wasn't working, something popped into my retina with the sound of the system alerting me.

- -

[Use Extra Points and donate to a hybrid?]

- -

It was a simple question but one that made me so happy that I screamed "Yes!" Somewhere in my mind, the 3000 Extra Points were spent, and something unbelievable started to happen...

"This is?..."

I heard Elsa's voice behind me, but I didn't stop, and I kept going. Yui's body started to be restored, and the arm she once lost has come back, the legs that were the head of a monster with sharp teeth, they turned into long, beautiful legs.

I saw a pair of wings similar to mine to some extent, but black and a bit dragon-like, but I didn't stop and continued. 2,000 points had already been consumed and Yui's eyes came back to life. She looked at me in shock, joy, confusion, happiness - there were so many emotions and they were somehow spilling over to me and I could feel how happy she was to see her legs and arm come back. I saw her touch her throat and watched long white hair grow from her head.

But something else grew, a pair of dragon-like horns, curved backwards like hooks pointed upward, which were black like her wings.

She didn't seem to care and I didn't either. The important thing was that I made it, and I didn't stop. I didn't know if it was enough and it only ended when I used up my 3,000 Extra Points and I had 0 points left to spend.

"Nera!" She hugged me tight and looked at me with a pair of red dragon-like eyes, but I particularly found them cute, and I hugged her back when I stopped biting her arm.

She looked like a hybrid of a fallen angel and dragon. Maybe it's part of a dragon trapped in her feet, but whatever. I was just happy. I smiled, cried, laughed, and cried again. The same happened with Yui; she cried and laughed with me. Elsa, I don't know, but I think I heard the sound of crying...