Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 16 - The Machine God

Chapter 16 – The Machine God

My mind is a void, an expanse of nothingness. The only sensation grounding me is the weight of Myrrh's lifeless body cradled in my arms. Her warmth hasn't yet faded, her skin still soft and pliable, and her expression peaceful, as if she's merely sleeping. But the reality is far grimmer—blood continues to spill from the jagged wound in her chest, painting her pale skin in a ghastly crimson.

I glance at my trembling hand, the one supporting her back, and it's slick with blood. Her blood. It's everywhere, coating my arms, staining the ground. A shudder races down my spine, yet for the fifth time, I feel it—numbness beginning to ebb away, the edges of awareness sharpening again.

"Medic... I need a medic!" My voice cracks as it echoes through the desolation.

But it's a fool's plea, a delusion I'm clinging to. Her vital organs are shredded beyond repair, and with every passing second, her body grows colder, her blood drained from the gaping wound. Yet, some part of me, stubborn and frantic, refuses to accept that Myrrh is gone.

I look up, my eyes sweeping over the wreckage around me. The world has become a graveyard of ruins—crumbling buildings reduced to heaps of stone, highways now nothing but yawning craters, and the children's park, once a place of laughter, now crushed under debris. The hospital in the distance, our last hope, is being swallowed whole by the spiked tentacles of the Cosmic Beast.

Not a single living soul stirs in the devastation. Farther away, I spot the twisted remains of three, maybe four bodies, victims claimed by the chaos when the Cosmic Beasts rampaged through the city. Flames flicker and rise, spreading like an unrelenting plague. It feels like I'm the only survivor, trapped in this nightmare.

This scene... I've witnessed it before.

It felt eerily familiar—just like when I was four, during the Christmas Siege. The scene before me was nearly identical: nothing but ruin and carnage as far as I could see. Destruction wrapped the world in a suffocating silence. The bat-like Cosmic Beast stirred, finally locking its eight glowing crimson eyes onto me. From the earth beneath, its tentacles erupted like twisted trees, reaching for the sky, curling toward me.

But this time, there would be no savior, no last-minute rescue. It was just me—alone—clutching the cold, lifeless body of the WAIFU in my arms. I held her tight, desperate for a single wish. A wish that she could work a miracle.

"OIJ(^@R#@()!" The Cosmic Beast's voice reverberated through the shattered streets, a bone-rattling roar. Its tentacles, dozens of them, rose into the air and arched above me, forming a menacing dome that would soon come crashing down, slicing me into oblivion.

I don't want to die. Not here. Not like this. I haven't done anything yet. My entire life has been spent training to be a support unit, to protect the WAIFUs. And now, all of that effort—will it be in vain? Am I really going to die before I achieve that dream? Before I could prove I was worthy? Before Myrrh and I even had a chance?

Her once lively face flashed in my mind—Myrrh, smiling, her cheeks tinged pink as we gazed from the rooftops. Even though we stood as enemies, I couldn't help but feel the deep frustration within me. I had failed her. I had failed to protect that beautiful smile.

"Myrrh... Forgive me," I whispered, my voice barely audible, as I hugged her limp body closer.

I closed my eyes, surrendering to the inevitable, waiting for the cold embrace of death that I knew would come next.

But death did not come.

"YOU DON'T WANT HER LIFE TO END HERE, DO YOU?"

The voice thundered directly inside my head, loud and threatening. My heart pounded in my chest as I opened my eyes, and I found myself somewhere... else.