Kirk and Ranmaru fought. Ranmaru died!
Ranmaru's eyes were wide open. Even until the moment of his death, he couldn't believe it! There was actually a fool like Kirk who would let that incredibly sharp, deep-blue Japanese Sword pierce his intestines just to close the distance between them! He'd wounded himself to force his way into close combat!
So even though Ranmaru was the stronger fighter, he was the one who died!
Kirk wasn't afraid of death, so he lived! Ranmaru feared death, so he died first!
Haven't you heard? When two armies meet on a narrow road, the braver side wins—but that doesn't necessarily mean the stronger side does!
Kirk had fallen into the [Near Death] state again. That incredibly sharp, deep-blue weapon had probably had an Attack Power of over 30. One strike had grievously wounded Kirk, and on top of the [Bleeding] and [Weakened] states from his pierced gut, the oddly designed Blood Groove had made the wound bleed profusely. Kirk was nearly done for.
He was out of medicine.
Would they die together?
Just then, Mori opened his eyes. He still had the last piece of [Delicious Toast] Kirk had given him clamped between his teeth. It had saved his life. He hadn't swallowed it.
Mori saw Ranmaru lying on the ground, dead with his eyes open, and smiled at Kirk. Kirk saw the satisfaction in his eyes and smiled back.
It was the smile of one man to another, of brothers, of master and student.
Mori staggered to his feet and walked over to Kirk, who couldn't move. Without a word, he stuffed the [Delicious Toast] into Kirk's mouth!
Kirk was horrified and struggled desperately to spit out the bread, but Mori pried his jaw open with a vicious grip and slapped him on the back of the head. Kirk jerked in surprise and swallowed the toast in one gulp!
Immediately, his injuries stopped worsening, and his Health Points began to slowly recover!
"No! No!!! No!!!" Kirk struggled with all his might, tears in his eyes, desperately trying to spit out the toast.
If he ate the toast, Mori would die.
Mori slumped to the ground again and fumbled for the pack of cigarettes on his chest. He shakily pulled out a cigarette, but he couldn't get it lit.
Kirk crawled over, tears streaming down his face, and lit it for him.
Mori took a drag and fixed his gaze on Kirk. "I told you you'd get me killed."
Kirk was crying. With difficulty, Mori took the blade off his right hand and tossed it to Kirk. "Take it with you. Trust it. And remember, never give in to that bitch, God!"
Kirk nodded, wanting to say something. But Mori's gaze began to grow unfocused, his light-blue pupils blurring like the setting sun...
"No!" Kirk howled like a wounded wolf, shaking Mori by the shoulders with all his strength. "Mori, look at me! You'll be fine, you hear me? Look at me..."
But Mori quietly closed his eyes. The burning cigarette ash drifted away in the wind, flake by flake...
Old soldiers never die; they simply fade away.
Kirk's tears poured uncontrollably from his eyes. If only he had been a little stronger, if only he'd arrived a little sooner, if only he'd had more medicine on him...
Mori had died in his place!
Just then, the cold voice rang out in Kirk's mind. "I sense it. A mortal warrior has fallen. His soul is rising, preparing to journey to Helheim..."
Valkyrie Brunhilde!
Kirk went mad and shouted, "I demand that you take this Warrior's Soul! I demand that you keep this Warrior's Soul in your soul-guiding vessel forever!"
Brunhilde's voice hesitated. "But this soul is too weak. Though he possessed fearless courage, he lacks spiritual strength. He simply isn't worth..."
"That's bullshit! I don't care what it costs! I want to stop his soul from going to hell! Do you understand, woman? I'll pay any price!" Kirk roared, cursing the Valkyrie.
The Valkyrie paused. Surprisingly, she didn't fly into a rage like she had the last time Kirk offended her. "Very well. I need 10,000 Survival Points. Then recite the Requiem on the Soulstone. This mortal's soul will gain eternal life, nourished by Odin's divine power. Hurry! His soul is fading..."
Kirk wiped away his tears and loudly read the inscription on the Soulstone. "Humble mortal, you will never know the supreme greatness of the gods..."
When he finished reciting, Kirk seemed to see the face of a burly white man, bearded and unkempt, with an ugly smile and a sneer that blended cynicism with the wisdom of someone who'd seen through the world. The man gave Kirk a slight nod, then vanished into the Soulstone.
"How did it go? Did it work?" Kirk steadied himself.
"Yes. This man has become your first Warrior's Soul. With Odin's will, he can withstand the laws of time and space and live forever within the Soulstone. In the future, you can summon him to fight for you at a cost of 10,000 Survival Points each time. Unfortunately, his strength is rated only C+. He's just a mortal."
"Shut up! Don't you dare judge him. You have no right to say that about a soul that died bravely!" Kirk cursed through his tears.
"Still, in my long life, I've guided countless heroes to their afterlife, but this is the first time I've seen a Warrior's Soul willing to die for someone else. He was a true warrior..." The Valkyrie Brunhilde's voice sounded almost sorrowful.
Kirk thought of their first meeting in the space, Mori's roars, and all the things Mori had taught him...
Without Mori, a shut-in like him would never have had the courage to make it this far. Now Mori was gone, and Kirk would have to rely on himself.
Kirk wiped his tears dry and picked up the blade Mori had given him with his dying breath. Long ago, Mori had sawed off his own right hand to escape, then attached this blade.
He lowered his head and examined Mori's keepsake carefully.
Mori's Hand-Cutting Blade (recognized by Plot Character Mori)
[Nature]: [Melee Weapon]
[Rank]: [Light Green, Growable] (Without Mori's recognition, it would be Black Iron rank. All figures in parentheses below are unrecognized values, and will not be repeated.)
[Type]: [Long Dagger] / [Wrist Blade] / [Bayonet]
[Equipment]: Either wrist
[Description]: Mori was a retired U.S. special forces soldier and had been an expert with combat knives in the military. After receiving ample resources from Governor Philip, he chose a "Pentagon Elite Defense Blade" made by SOG Specialty Knives. Only after skilled craftsmen worked on it was the blade finally forged. He'd decided to plunge this Hand-Cutting Blade into the hearts of Rick and T-Dog, who had abandoned him.
[Specifications]: Total length 24.5 cm, blade length 12.5 cm, blade thickness
0.4 cm, blade width 2.5 cm, weight 2,467 grams.
[Material]: AUS-6A special steel
[Damage]: Melee damage 20–35 (originally 15–20)
[Weapon Effect 1]: [Sharp] Passive effect. This special forces blade is incredibly sharp and ignores 10% of the opponent's physical defense.
[Weapon Effect 2]: [Blood Groove] Passive effect. Its ingeniously designed blood groove gives each successful strike against a Contractor a 20% chance (originally 10%) to inflict the [Bleeding] state, reducing Health Points by 5 per second (originally 3) for 4 seconds (originally 2). (The following is an effect granted by recognition.) When it strikes a Plot Character who can bleed, it drains 1% of their total Health Points per second for 2 seconds. The bleeding effect caused by this weapon cannot stack with itself, but can stack with bleeding effects caused by other weapons or special abilities.
[Weapon Effect 3]: [Dismemberment] [Exclusive to recognized Plot Characters] Passive effect. Mori was an expert in special forces hand-to-hand combat. When forging this wrist blade, he incorporated his own unique understanding of close-quarters fighting. When it pierces an opponent's limbs, groin, or other such areas, it counts as a Vital Part attack and doubles the damage! If it pierces the head, the opponent must pass an instant-death check with a -3 penalty to their Stamina. Failure results in immediate death. After cumulative damage to these areas exceeds 20% of the target's total Health Points, the target will inevitably suffer limb injuries and the [Bleeding] state. (Normally, injuries require damage exceeding 30% of total Health Points; attacks on limbs do not count as Vital Part attacks; and a head piercing requires a successful instant-death check using Stamina and Fortitude, with no penalty.)
[Weapon Effect 4]: [Tough Guy] [Exclusive to recognized Plot Characters] Passive effect. Mori was a tough guy with guts. After gaining his recognition, whenever you need to make a Willpower check against negative states such as [Fear] or [Paralysis], his hysterical roar will ring in your mind: "You idiot kid, I'm gonna kick your ass!" His cursing will fire you up, granting a +10 bonus to your Willpower check.
[Description]: This is a weapon for a man. A wimp doesn't deserve it. Use it to reap more lives; it'll grow strong like a little Pigwidgeon.
Without a doubt, this powerful weapon would become Kirk's main weapon in the future. His [Basic Small Blade Mastery] and [Basic Melee Combat] could both further enhance the power of this light-green weapon.
Kirk equipped the weapon and stood up. The light-green wrist blade gleamed in the sunlight, its brilliance too dazzling to look at!
He had only one desire now. Mori, watch me. I'll kill the evil Governor and every last one of his men!
Nobody could stop him!
Before you continue