Chapter 233
Endless hatred, disgust, malice, and murderous intent...
All these negative emotions flooded into the girl's heart and mind.
"I'm not... I'm not..."
The girl lowered her head, one hand tightly clutching Luo Mio's clothes, and whispered a sorrowful denial...
But how can such a fragile heart withstand the oppression from the world and from people's malice?
Upon seeing this, Luo Mio clenched her fists in anger.
Just because they've been tainted with evil blood... innocent, pure children are being labeled as evil... damned beings?
Upon hearing the girl's soft denial, the middle-aged man pointed at her by name, his face contorted, his eyes blazing with malice.
"Aren't you?"
"With those red eyes of yours, you still say you're not a monster?"
"Yeah, you're a monster, so why do you look like a human?"
"You are monsters! You are monsters! Do you even deserve to be called children? That's a word only humans can use! You monsters don't deserve it! You deserve to die!"
"You damn monster, are you trying to infect the entire Tokyo Area?! Let me tell you, we have police and Self-Defense Forces! I'm calling my cousin right now and he'll send the Self-Defense Forces to deal with you!"
In the girl's eyes, the middle-aged man's appearance gradually became distorted, like a demon, and every word he spoke echoed in the girl's mind.
"..."
Luo Mio's tightly clenched hands trembled, and her Spatial Awareness slowly disappeared due to the fluctuations in her emotions.
Her original black hair and black eyes gradually changed back to white hair and blue eyes...
Luo Mio's change in appearance attracted the attention of many people in front of her and around her.
Subsequently, a terrifying and horrifying aura gradually emanated from Luo Mio's surroundings.
His azure eyes gradually turned cold, like the gaze of a grim reaper emerging from hell.
He watched as the middle-aged man unreservedly exuded an aura that seemed intent on annihilating his soul and reducing it to nothingness.
An invisible aura enveloped the entire shopping mall, and the surrounding buildings creaked and rattled because of this aura.
The people around Luo Mio were so frightened by this terrifying aura that their legs went weak and they knelt on the ground.
Luo Mio led the girl's dirty little hand step by step to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was so frightened by Luo Mio's terrifying gaze that his pants gradually changed color... and a yellowish-white liquid dripped down.
Its limbs staggered and crawled backward.
On his harsh face, tears of fear streamed from his small, ugly, monkey-like eyes, snot flowed uncontrollably from his nose, and saliva dripped down the corners of his mouth.
That's all--
Luo Mio stood in front of him, looking down at him.
His azure eyes revealed an endless, icy, Deathly Stillness gaze.
Chapter Seven: The Emergence of Malice
"Big brother, are we really monsters?"
He gently pinched the cute girl's little nose and looked into her bright red eyes.
"Who told you that?"
"In the past, when we were hungry, we wanted to go into the city to find food..."
"But before we could even get close, we were driven away with tomatoes and eggs... The people who drove us away kept saying monster, monster... red-eyed monster."
"Fortunately, a few eggs and tomatoes were not broken or damaged, otherwise my sisters and I would have starved to death outside."
Despite the heavy topic, the little girl in front of me could show such a relaxed and relieved expression.
Luo Mio gently pulled her into her arms.
He spoke to her in a gentle tone.
"You are not monsters, you are heroes who fight against monsters, you are human beings."
The girl, who was being held in Luo Mio's arms, was also stunned for a moment after hearing what Luo Mio said.
Feeling the warmth in Luo Mio's arms, the girl's lips curled up slightly.
"Um."
——
Rain.
It symbolizes hearts close to each other under the umbrella, the blue sky and colorful rainbow that come after the dark clouds, and the holy water that washes away the filth of the world.
But this rain brought Luo Mio no warmth whatsoever...
The cold rain soaked his clothes, and the white sleeves clung tightly to his arms.
Raindrops streamed down my cheeks, making it hard to tell if they were raindrops or tears.
Beneath her white bangs, her azure eyes revealed a sorrowful and heartbroken expression as she gazed at the scene before her.
The girl sat leaning against a tree, her beautiful black hair, soaked by the rain, hanging limply to the ground. A paper ornament resembling a crown adorned her head, and her crimson eyes shone even brighter than usual, a sinister, intense red...
Cracks began to appear on his hands and feet, and faint traces of blood that was not human seeped out from the cracks.
Behind the girl's back was a dark red butterfly wing.
"Gastrea Transformation"
"The Cursed Children"
If an ordinary person is injured by Gastrea and the rate of Gastrea erosion in their body exceeds 50%, they will undergo a physical Honkai and completely become Gastrea.
The children of the "Cursed Child" are born with Gastrea virus in their bodies. Even if no Gastrea infects them, the rate of viral invasion in their bodies will slowly increase.
Like ordinary people, the "Cursed Child" are the same and will become the Gastrea genes in their bodies.
The girl in front of Luo Mio now is the butterfly-shaped "Cursed Child".
Looking at the silent Luo Mio in front of her, the girl's weak face showed a slight smile.
"I'm sorry, big brother. I'm supposed to be the birthday person, but I ran out by myself."
"..."
Luo Mio remained silent, his white bangs obscuring his face, making it impossible to discern his expression.
"Hey... big brother." The girl's face was weak, and warm tears, like those of a human, streamed from the corners of her eyes.
Am I turning into a monster...?
Warm tears fell to the ground, only to be quickly swallowed by the cold rain.
"No..."
Luo Mio walked up to her and hugged her cold body into her arms, as if to make her feel warm.
"Have you forgotten what your older brother taught you?"
"Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, you are now becoming an angel."
Luo Mio's soft murmur rang in her ear.
"..." The girl's mouth opened slightly, then closed gently, revealing a warm smile at the corners of her lips.
"Thank you, big brother."
He gently stroked the girl's head with his palm.
A crimson light gradually emerged around the two of them.
Unlike the ominous crimson of Gastrea...
The crimson light seemed to have a life of its own, like a flame burning like a heart.
"It's so warm..."
Despite the biting cold rain, the girl felt incredibly warm in Luo Mio's arms...
My vision gradually blurred, and things became indistinct.
But in the girl's hazy vision, a very clear scene appeared.
No cold rain fell from the sky...
Only the warm red and white rain (feathers)...
"Big brother, do you have a younger sister...?"
"... have."
"Yeah..."
"She's a little girl who's afraid of being alone, you'll definitely be able to become friends with her."
"Haha... really?"
"I must visit her and become friends with her if I have the chance."
The girl's Heavenly Voice with Luo Mio gradually became as soft as murmurs.
I feel sleepy...
My vision gradually darkened, and my eyes involuntarily wanted to close.
"Thank you, big brother, for being so kind to us... I'm entrusting my younger sister and the others to you."
The girl tried her best to speak.
"Um."
"..."
This time, however, the girl's voice did not ring out again.
The cold rain gradually stopped, and the dark clouds began to slowly disperse.
Luo Mio released her hands and leaned the girl's body against the tree.
The girl gently closed her eyes, and the smile on her lips proved that she did not leave this world in pain.
Looking at the girl, Luo Mio lowered her head, her azure eyes fixed on the glistening object in her palm.
Then, with indifferent eyes, he raised his head and looked at the girl.
His azure eyes gradually turned gold.
He extended his palm toward the girl.
"... Let it all vanish into nothingness."
As Luo Mio spoke, the butterfly wings on the girl's back quietly vanished into nothingness.
Seeing the girl's serene demeanor before leaving, Luo Mio chuckled softly.
"See you later, little girl."
Then, a red and white feather burning with flames landed on the girl's head.
Instantly, red and white flames enveloped the girl's entire body.
As the flames burned, the girl's body gradually transformed into tiny specks of fluorescent light, floating in the sky.
Watching the girl disappear and turn into fluorescent light.
Luo Mio withdrew her gaze.
Then, his azure eyes gazed at the distant, prosperous city.
Such cities exist throughout the world, places known as humanity's last sanctuary, where humanity's last hope resides.
——
"You are monsters! You are monsters!"
"Monster!"