CHAPTER IX
A barren desert on the coast of the American continent. It was unclear exactly what had transpired, but at this moment, Alisa was bowing deeply, prostrating herself to apologize to Kaizo. She felt immense guilt for her negligence in controlling the helicopter, which had caused it to swerve and slam into the ground with violent force. Behind them, the wreckage of the helicopter was being consumed by massive flames. Dianne was supporting Kyle, who appeared to be quite injured.
"Did we lose anything other than the helicopter?" Kaizo asked as he forced Alisa to stand up.
"The jet thrusters you built for us were incinerated inside," Kyle replied.
"That's not a problem. So, the conclusion is that we are all fine, and we can immediately continue our journey," Kaizo said.
The four of them gathered to discuss their next move. After moving past the joking phase, their minds unified on one primary focus: finding a way to spend the night comfortably. Kaizo suggested building a new car that could be used the next morning, but Dianne refused, arguing that sleeping inside a vehicle often made one's bones ache. Kyle suggested they look for camping gear to set up a tent large enough for all of them, but Dianne refused again, stating that two tents would be better. Everyone was confused by Dianne's behavior, but after a moment of thought, Kaizo smiled and agreed.
"You don't need to feel hesitant about asking for my help. Our goal isn't to be a nature-loving gang, but to save the world. We need something instant and effective, right?" Kaizo spoke.
"It probably is for the best, but I was afraid you'd get bored if there were no group activities," Kyle countered.
"True. So, in my opinion, while Kaizo and I clear the campsite, you two can start looking for fuel for the campfire," Alisa suggested.
Dianne immediately agreed with an enthusiastic response, catching Kyle off guard. Kyle tried to suggest that he and Kaizo should be the ones to go look for fuel, but Dianne immediately grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away. For a moment, Kyle looked at Kaizo, who simply smiled and gave him a thumbs-up as if to encourage him.
Alisa approached Kaizo to ask him to start working. Drawing from his experience, Kaizo suggested a campsite in a wide field a few meters from their current location. They needed a spot that allowed them to see in all directions without obstacles; if they set it up where they were now, the wreckage of the helicopter would block their line of sight. The problem was that from where they stood, several Symbiotes of various types and sizes could clearly be seen wandering around.
"We are the craziest couple in the universe, Kaizo," Alisa remarked.
"Since when did we become a couple?" Kaizo asked.
"Since you slept in my arms?" Alisa answered.
"Good grief, you... even though you know we will eventually part, why do you still care? We can just be 'friends,'" Kaizo stated.
"Yes, we are friends—with a few extra benefits," Alisa muttered.
Hearing that made Kaizo turn to stare at Alisa in confusion. Alisa immediately changed the subject.
"Anyway, with our strength, do you think those demons will cry?" Alisa asked.
"This party is going to be fun, babe!" Kaizo replied.
"Wait, did you just call me 'babe'?" Alisa acted flustered, her face turning as red as a deep-colored apple.
"What if I did? I'm an expert at controlling people. Now, even if I were to shackle you, you would still obey," Kaizo teased.
"Now I'm starting to get excited about finding a way to make you stay here after the mission is over. I've thought of many plans in my head," Alisa laughed.
"'Symbiotes will never cry'—that is what they know. But for us, and especially for me facing them, 'Symbiotes can cry,'" Kaizo said, before putting his arm around Alisa and kissing her forehead.
Alisa let out a shout of joy. She couldn't contain herself and immediately leaped down, beginning to decapitate Symbiotes with her plasma sword. Kaizo watched, laughed, and followed her down, not wanting to miss out on the big party below.
Meanwhile, Dianne and Kyle had just arrived at a Symbiote forest. Finding actual trees was difficult, but the wood from "The Colony" Symbiotes still functioned like ordinary wood. Kyle was attacked by a group of "The Sloth One" Symbiotes, but they were not difficult opponents. Despite their large and stocky bodies, they weren't enough to withstand the plasma lasers from Kyle and Dianne's pistols. The two of them searched for fallen, dry branches. They collected quite a bit in a short time. To keep things from getting dull, Dianne struck up a conversation with Kyle as they picked up sticks.
"I really can't wait for the moment we visit the Great Pyramid of Giza."
"We'll get there. That is one of my biggest motivations," Kyle replied.
Dianne smiled and looked at Kyle, who returned the smile.
"Captain, what should we name our child?" Dianne asked.
Kyle immediately coughed upon hearing that.
"I haven't thought that far ahead, Dianne, but why are you already—"
"Our lives won't end after we visit the pyramids, Captain. There will surely be a continuation. I won't think too much about choosing, because I already know you," Dianne answered.
Kyle felt incredibly happy, but he didn't forget one thing: no one knew if they would be accepted later. The current Dianne was no longer just a Meta-human. Organic flesh and blood had begun to grow back, which meant she was a Symbiote. If the metal patch on her neck were removed, she might turn against humanity.
As Kyle was drowned in his thoughts, he snapped back to reality when Dianne called him; she had walked quite far ahead. Dianne discovered that they were currently in the ruins of a city that had been overgrown by these Symbiote trees. Dianne tried to search for something. Kyle, having just been daydreaming, suddenly asked, "Do you think we can save the world?"
The question came out so abruptly that Dianne went silent, unable to believe her Captain was doubting his dream again.
"Didn't we discuss this? Kaizo's arrival for us means nature is still on our side, Captain. Why are you doubting? Do you not want me—"
"But Kaizo came with bad news. Now the Earth's life is no more than three months. Is that a good thing? Obviously not," Kyle interrupted. "Are you sure the world will accept us? Even if they didn't believe the slanders before, they won't tolerate what you are now. You are a Symbiote, feared by all of humanity!"
"Now I'm also starting to think, why do we want to find a way to save the world? They threw us away, yet we are trying to save them. It's better to let this world end. I will take you to enjoy our last moments in this world; I think that's better," Kyle added.
Unconsciously, tears began to well up in Dianne's eyes. However, she held back her sadness and continued her work, trying to find something buried in the ruins.
"Captain, this is a sign from nature. We must not give up under any circumstances," Dianne said.
"What is it?" Kyle tried to see what Dianne had found.
Dianne turned around, a faint smile on her face as if she had found proof of hope. She pulled a thin piece of cloth from the ground.
"I don't know, maybe a movie prop," Dianne said as she unfolded the cloth, revealing something unexpected. "I'm not sure what you think, Captain, but as a child, I loved this," Dianne said, looking truly calm as she stared at the fabric.
It was a tattered cloth that had been buried in the ground for years, but what was visible in the center of the fabric felt beautiful: a shield logo with the letter 'S' inside it.
"Let everything you see be as it was when you first saw it. Everything is good; there is no such thing as evil. Let that vision remain. We will still be heroes even if we are eventually cast out by humanity, because that is why I believe in you, Captain," Dianne said.
Kyle stared at her in deep contemplation. Without him realizing it, tears began to fall from his eyes, hitting the ground and being absorbed by the earth.
Suddenly, a massive explosion occurred right near the wreckage of their helicopter. Dianne and Kyle immediately rushed to pick up the firewood and began running at full speed.
When they returned, they saw a massive plume of smoke. Alisa arrived, looking exhausted. Dianne asked about Kaizo's whereabouts, but Alisa didn't answer. Pointing her index finger toward the thick smoke, she laughed and said, "Kaizo is there."
Kyle and Dianne stared at the smoke and began to see the silhouette of someone partially obscured. Something fluttered on his back; he was floating in an upright posture. Kyle finally understood Dianne's motivation. "Someone powerful has been sent to them; that means he can save the world. Perhaps later he can create a cure for the Radiate virus infection. With the existence of a universal hero, they still have a hope worth fighting for," Kyle's heart whispered to him.
Kaizo descended slowly as the thick smoke from the explosion he created to slaughter the remaining Symbiotes dissipated. In doing so, he accidentally revealed an underground room because the explosion had destroyed the ground above it.
The four of them began discussing their next step. Should they stay focused on the Arkae Tower, or would investigating this basement speed up their progress?
Kyle noticed something. Several familiar logos were visible on the walls of the basement. A simple three-line symbol forming a futuristic triangular pattern with a dot in the middle. It was the logo of the international technology company, Spielcorp—owned by the Spielberg family and now controlled by its successor, Markus Spielberg, the president of Olympus. With that fact established, they decided to continue their journey by exploring this basement, as there might be a conspiracy behind everything happening.
Inside the basement, the lights along the metal-clad corridor were still shining brightly. It felt like being back on Olympus. Unbeknownst to them, Markus received information about intruders in the basement. By pressing a button from Olympus, he could control the entire building, even though he didn't know who had come or what their purpose was.
Dianne stopped immediately when she heard many doors opening, even though they had only passed one automatic door. Dianne gave a warning, and everyone instantly went into combat mode.
In an instant, the clean, quiet steel corridor turned into a hell full of noise and blood. Dozens of Symbiotes of various types tried to attack the four of them from both the front and the back. There was no choice but to fight. Kyle and Alisa held their position by taking out the swarm coming from behind, while Kaizo and Dianne pushed forward. Using his power, Kaizo simply formed his hand into a shooting pose and launched a barrage of gunfire that shattered the Symbiote lines. Alisa and Kyle worked in unison; the combination of two trained soldiers created a killing machine that could eliminate those nearby or far away. Dianne worked with Kaizo, firing continuously without worrying about her weapon needing sunlight to recharge. Similarly, Alisa's plasma sword and Kyle's plasma rifle began to run out of energy because they weren't receiving direct sunlight.
Feeling pressured, Kaizo created a temporary barrier out of stones he manifested, then clenched his fists. From there, light slowly rose to illuminate the darkness. The brilliant glow grew brighter, blinding them. Unexpectedly, after the light temporarily obscured their vision with a brilliant white glare, their weapons were suddenly fully recharged. Kaizo drew his sword, and Kyle ordered them all to be ready.
Finally, the Symbiotes managed to break through the simple defense. Shards of stone and dust flew, but Kaizo repelled them all so they wouldn't hit the group. Instead, the fragments bounced back at the Symbiotes at insane speeds, taking down several of them.
The battle resumed, with Kaizo once again starting a playlist on the music player in his pocket, signaling once more that the Symbiotes were in danger.
After a battle that lasted about ten minutes and twelve seconds, all the Symbiotes were finally defeated, their bodies utterly destroyed. Some lights flickered while others were smashed. Some sections of the steel walls were dented, and others were scarred by plasma sword slashes. Dianne and Kyle's clothes were tattered from facing the Symbiotes directly. Some scratch wounds could be fixed. Kaizo offered new clothes to Kyle and Dianne, which they immediately accepted. Not forgetting Alisa, Kaizo also repaired the red cloth she wore, which clearly touched her. They all changed their clothes right then and there. This actually made Kaizo feel a bit uncomfortable, and he tried to ask about it, but Dianne said that as long as it was just them there, she wouldn't mind; Kyle agreed. Alisa just smiled to herself after receiving Kaizo's help.
After the exhausting fight, Kyle finally led them all to continue the journey. Fortunately, Markus did not know he had lost; based on the radar, even dead Symbiotes were still recorded at those coordinates. He also received information about severe damage in the combat area, making him think they were dead, so he closed the controls and went back to his duties. The location records of the four could not be sent because the "star" Kaizo created earlier had jammed the satellite imagery, making it impossible to know their whereabouts. They were all considered vanished from observation.
After walking through a very long corridor and passing through the holding cells where the Symbiotes had been kept, they finally arrived in a more spacious room. A sign there indicated it was the control room for the Tower of Babel—the giant tower created to move all humans to the Olympus ship. Now the Tower of Babel had collapsed, and nothing remained but rubble, meaning no one could go home through that tower. Kyle looked through the records in the room; they contained technical details regarding the transfer of Earth's citizens to Olympus and how the teleportation machines worked.
From behind, right next to an open door, Dianne's voice called them all. It turned out to be the archive room of Spielcorp. The place was filled with long shelves containing hundreds of neatly organized folders. Alisa took a small folder and began reading it. The others approached Alisa to read along, but instead of finding clues, they discovered a shocking fact. The company had used extreme methods to market their weapons technology. By establishing a relationship with America, they could exploit the government to invade other countries. The whole world believed their goal was to fulfill scriptural prophecy, but the truth was painful. This company had repeatedly orchestrated wars and colonization—not for territory, but for terror. They intentionally committed acts of terror, hacked citizen data, conducted drone surveillance, and even carried out bombings just to demonstrate how their weapons and devices would be useful in a real war. Those horrific broadcasts were then secretly distributed to presidents around the world to entice them into buying Spielcorp products.
The shocking facts were heart-wrenching. Kyle went silent, Alisa vomited, Dianne cried, and Kaizo cursed repeatedly with a hoarse voice. In the same folder, they found a cassette. When they played it through a computer recently repaired by Kaizo, the video was horrifying. There was original footage of planes dropping bombs, vlog-style recordings of their soldiers walking alone while shooting civilians who had no escape, and videos of soldiers partying with alcohol on the walls they built to quarantine an entire country. There were amateur videos showing the brutal treatment of elderly prisoners of war, indecent footage of soldiers toyed with a female prisoner, and even direct recordings of children being forced to eat the remains of their own parents, cooked "deliciously" by their chefs.
Everything was officially documented by the company. The footage showing the use of their gadgets was distributed, while the raw violence was kept as entertainment for the soldiers. Even after all this chaos happened, they remained in power and completely untouched.
"You people are truly monsters. No wonder all of this happened. 'Radiate Virus,' huh? I think it's more fitting to call it a 'Judgment Virus'!" Kaizo said.
Kyle, Dianne, and Alisa just lowered their heads in shame. They were ashamed to admit these were the actions of their people, even if they had been the ones opposing it all from the beginning. Humanity should be ashamed when the person sent down to save them witnessed their cruelty in the world.
At this point, Kaizo was actually reluctant to help them. He felt that if the world were saved, these atrocities would simply happen again. However, he suddenly remembered someone. In his world, someone three years older than Kaizo had led the most powerful kingdom. A superpower kingdom. He had once had a brief conversation with him when they crossed paths on a street. He had only been joking, but the way the King responded was truly friendly and without arrogance. A firm, fair, and wise King. Not only that, the red cloak that always hung behind his leather armor was a source of happiness for everyone. Countless times that King had saved people. He was respected not because of his strength to kill criminals and monsters, but because his strength had a philosophy: "The Defender of Humanity." He had the power to create portals, and there was a meaning to his being born with that power: he came to save, not to destroy. Whether it was an enemy or a friend, if they were in danger, they needed to be saved. As long as someone lived, there was always a chance for repentance. Remembering that, Kaizo finally understood why the people in the sky called him a hero. It wasn't a compliment; it was a target he had to achieve.
Kyle then spoke to Kaizo, "If you feel we don't deserve to be saved, we have no right to stop you from leaving and letting us die."
"No. A hero doesn't give up on love; a hero doesn't give up on dreams. I believe that as long as you live, you will have a chance to change. I will still help you. Maybe a 'good person' is just a 'bad kid' who grew up. So, I will turn you all into those bad kids," Kaizo said.
Kyle smiled and thanked him. He hugged Dianne, who finally calmed down, while Alisa immediately cheered with joy, jumping up to hug Kaizo.
Kyle looked at his friends and realized something. Fate had brought them together for a purpose. Although it wasn't clear what that was, the important thing was that they now had a goal and would stay together.