Chapter 23 So, You're The One.

With the entire world basing almost all of their military might on mechas, it should not come as a surprise that some crazy genius scientist out there would create some sort of ultimate virus that could shut down a mecha completely.

Such a virus would be worth TRILLIONS of dollars. If it was sold successfully, of course. I could not even begin to imagine the horrors the seller would have to go through.

In this evil world, without enough power, owning a priceless treasure is a crime punishable by death.

If it was developed by a world power and utilized correctly, a superpower could easily wipe out the other superpower and gain full overlord status of the entire world. In fact, a second tier power could probably do that as well, albeit with far greater difficulty.

It was a game-changing virus, and much was at stake.

With such a powerful motivator, and with humanity's ingenuity, it was only a matter of time until the mecha virus or its equivalent was created.

And apparently, the time was at hand.

I became the first victim of the first working prototype of the mecha virus.

As viruses go, it was extra malicious and extra concupiscent.

Sorry? Oh. Horny. Concupiscent means horny.

As soon as that green, acid-like substance hit my mecha hands, it just melted and disappeared, like water poured on parched land.

"Take that you bastard!" Amelia Dragonos snarled viciously. "I know you've got your hands on devour! Now go to sleep… and let me cut you up like a pig like you did to my mecha!"

A deep sense of foreboding crashed into my entire being as all of my attention fell upon the spot where the substance hit my hand. I immediately directed my red energy towards it to stop whatever that managed to enter my hand from spreading deeper into my body.

But I was too late. That damned horny mecha virus replicated itself so fast that by the time my red energy reached my right arm, it was already a powerful force that smashed the red energy apart.

I 'stared' in horror as the green virus host coursed up my arms.

What I did next probably saved my life. And it should serve as a powerful reminder to all my enemies. I would do all it takes to survive, and I would have no qualms whatsoever, in doing it immediately.

Including cutting off my own arm.

SLASH!

A sharp layer of metal sliced through my right arm at my shoulder and stopped the green virus from entering my main body. My right arm, along with Amelia Dragonos still stuck in her cage, fell down to the ground.

Next to me, Emma screamed out in shock.

However, I paid them no attention. I was slightly too late. A tiny portion of the virus had managed to enter my body!

It quickly exploded in size and a tiny bit became a small blob in an instant.

But thankfully, my red energy was at the ready and in full force.

I gritted my teeth, fought down the near-blinding waves of pain and sent every single bit of my red energy to swarm the growing green blob of viruses.

An intense battle immediately erupted. The green mecha virus was somehow able to destroy my red energy very easily. But it was a suicidal sort of attack. For every bit of red energy it destroyed, it too lost a little bit of itself.

And because only a tiny bit managed to enter my body, I was able to send my red energy in a suicidal attack against it at a rate that outpaced its growth.

For a few crucial seconds, my life teetered on the balance. The red energy level within my body plummeted with heart wrenching speed.

I could sense both my red energy and the green blob dwindling down rapidly.

Which one would prevail?

If the green energy prevailed, I was as good as dead.

It is extremely difficult to express the mix of emotions I was feeling at that moment. On one hand, I was dealing with the pain of losing my right arm. And I was also extremely horrified at the potency of the virus.

A little part of me was also downright pissed at Amelia Dragonos, but it was relegated to the back of my mind at that moment.

Mostly though, I was in dismay. "Is this it?" I remember thinking as my heart plunged into near despair. "I knew it was too good to be true. But... I DON'T WANT IT TO END! I WON'T LET IT END THIS WAY! FIGHT ON!"

I squeezed out every little bit of red energy from all of the muscles in my body and sent them to die along with the tiny blob of green virus which was about to destroy the final tiny bit of red energy in my body.

Thankfully, it proved to be sufficient.

With nary a flourish, the final bit of red energy managed to wipe out that green virus completely.

The battle within my body for my life and my future was over.

I had won.

But at a horrendous, horrendous cost. I lost my right arm.

And all of the red energy within me was gone.

Flooded with deep relief after a life-or-death battle, and also because of the incredible blood loss, I blacked out.

I barely remembered what happened in the next few hours.

Emma wouldn't tell me anything about those few hours when I asked her, and I only had snippets of what happened in my memory.

Most of what I know, I read from the news.

"The Lake Andrews Fiasco" they call it.

It is such an inaccurate name.

It's real name should be "Emma's Revenge" or better yet, "Emma's First Time Piloting A Mecha".

No?

I remember hearing a lot of her voice.

Panicked at first. But then it became strangely soothing and very persuasive.

I remember doing a little bit of this and that in response to her soothing voice as I went in and out of consciousness.

"... … Can you do that?"

"Controls, Justin. Let me help you. Do you want me to help you? Yes? Then please listen to me. I need control over your mecha…"

"Joysticks. Can you make joysticks? You can? Excellent! You're so great, Justin. You're a really strong person. There you go…"

BANG!

"Take that you…"

… …

BOOM!

"DAMN IT! Just die already!"

… ...

"Justin. Hey, they are catching up. Can you make…"

"Justin? Fly Justin fly! Look, there's a bird. Do you want to join it up in the sky?"

"Justin! Give me control over your flight system! JUSTIN! Ah, well done! Good job… You can go back to sleep…"

"Justin. Justin. Hey. Retract your armor. Keep it all inside you. Can you do that? Retract your armor. Retract, yes that's it. Here, this too. It's your right arm…"

And then there was a different voice.

"We need her blood now if we want to save his life. Only Emma…"

When I finally woke up after what seemed like a long time, I found myself in a beautiful room styled in Ancient Chinese decoration.

"So. You're the young man who saved my granddaughter." An aged voice rang out powerfully from somewhere beside me.