Chapter 105: The Crimson Contract
The hangar was a graveyard of shattered glass and sparking wires. The shadow-like mist of the Parasite continued to seep out of Mina's throat, a distorted, faceless version of Ren's own brother. As the dark energy detached itself, Mina's body began to turn translucent, her heartbeat slowing to a rhythmic thud that sounded like a fading drum.
No! Ren's mind screamed, his new eye zooming in on her vitals. The bond is too deep. If that thing fully detaches, her soul will go with it. She's not just a vessel anymore; she's become the anchor.
Ren didn't hesitate. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his shoulder and the exhaustion in his limbs, he lunged forward. He didn't attack the shadow; he dove toward Mina. The Parasite, feeling the sudden surge of Ren's sapphire Vane energy, hissed in retreat. Like a serpent scurrying back into its hole, the dark mist surged back into Mina's mouth, her eyes snapping open with that sickly purple glow once again.
But Ren had anticipated this. He knew he couldn't keep dodging forever. He needed to stabilize her body so she could fight the intruder from the inside.
"I'm sorry, Mina... forgive me for this," Ren whispered, his voice thick with regret.
Before the Parasite could regain full motor control of her limbs, Ren stepped into her guard. He didn't use a blade or a blast of energy. Instead, he pulled back his right fist, centering every ounce of his remaining Vane energy into a single, concentrated point.
"Soul-Hiting Strike!"
Ren's fist buried itself into Mina's stomach. It wasn't a strike intended to crush bone or rupture organs. It was a frequency-based attack—a technique he had learned during his elite training in the Real World to disrupt internal energy flows. The shockwave bypassed her physical skin and hit the Parasite's essence directly.
Mina's breath left her in a sharp gasp. Her head dropped forward, her body folding over Ren's arm. The purple glow in her eyes flickered and died, replaced by a dull, confused brown. For the first time in hours, the "Occupant" was paralyzed, staggered by the precision of the blow.
Mina's hands feebly grabbed at Ren's shirt, her consciousness clawing its way back to the surface. She looked up, her face inches from his.
Ren didn't let go. He reached up, cupping her face with both of his hands. His palms were stained with his own blood, and his eyes were filled with a desperate, burning intensity.
There's no other way, Ren thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. In this world, Vane energy is tied to the essence of life. To transfer enough energy to keep her heart beating against that monster, I'd usually have to mix our blood and make her drink it. But I can't wound her more. I can't let her bleed out.
In the medical texts of the Petrified Land, there was a forbidden mention of "Mucosal Transfer"—a method of energy sharing that was instantaneous but required absolute intimacy.
Mina looked at him, her eyes wide with shock, fear, and a hint of the girl who had admired him from afar. Before she could utter a word, Ren leaned in.
Next second, Ren pressed his lips against hers.
Mina froze. A lightning bolt of pure, sapphire-blue light erupted at the point of contact. To an outsider, it might have looked like a moment of passion amidst the ruins, but to Ren and Mina, it was a violent, overwhelming flood of power.
Ren forced his Vane energy—the raw, disciplined power of an Army Officer—through the connection. He felt it leave his chest, a burning heat that traveled through his throat and into hers. It wasn't just energy; it was his resolve, his memories of the Real World, and his vow to protect Hana.
Mina's entire body arched, her toes barely touching the ground. The sapphire light began to swirl around them, forming a protective cocoon that pushed back the shadows of the hangar. Inside her, the Parasite shrieked in agony as the "Pure Vane" acted like holy water against a demon. The purple corruption was forced into the corners of her mind, suppressed by the sheer volume of Ren's sacrifice.
Mina's face flushed a deep crimson. She was overwhelmed—by the energy, by the physical sensation, and by the realization of what Ren was doing for her. She felt her strength returning, her heart beating with a new, artificial vigor provided by the man holding her.
When Ren finally pulled away, a thin trail of blue energy lingered between them for a second before vanishing. Ren stumbled back, his face deathly pale. He had given her nearly everything. He was running on empty, his vision flickering as the blue tint of his new eye faded to a dull grey.
Mina stood there, trembling, her hand touching her lips. She wasn't possessed anymore, but she wasn't the same Mina either. She could feel him inside her—his strength, his pain, and the cold, metallic hum of his Vane.
"Ren..." she whispered, her voice finally her own. "Why... why would you...?"
"You're... stable now," Ren panted, leaning against the Red Knightmare Frame for support. "The Parasite is... suppressed. But it's still there. My energy is the only thing... keeping the door locked."
The Outer World: The Symphony of Destruction
As the two of them stood in the silence of the bunker, the world outside was screaming.
The Onyx Reach had officially crossed the "Dead Zone." Their Knightmare Frames were now engaging the border guards of Athelgard. The mages of the border tried to cast protective circles, but the heavy-caliber shells of the Onyx machines shattered the magical barriers like glass.
"Vane energy is useless against cold iron!" the Onyx commander laughed as his machine crushed a defensive turret.
In the Iron Archipelago, the first wave of amphibious units had made landfall. They were moving toward the Potion Refineries, the very source of Athelgard's economic power. If the refineries fell, the nation would be paralyzed.
At the Kimo Estate, the situation had turned tragic. Kimo sat by his wife's bed, watching her chest rise and fall in shallow, uneven intervals. Suddenly, her eyes opened, but they weren't looking at him.
"The boy..." she whispered, her voice sounding like dry leaves. "The boy with the blue eye... he is giving her his soul. Kimo... our daughter is no longer just ours."
Kimo stood up, his face hardening into a mask of stone. He realized now that the "trade" with Spero was a lie from the beginning. Everything was connected—Ren, Mina, the war, and the fall of the King.
The Bunker: The Final Stand
Ren looked at the Red Knightmare Frame, then back at Mina. He could hear the distant thud of explosions echoing down the ventilation shafts. The three-day countdown was still ticking, but the world wouldn't wait for him to heal.
"Spero is coming for us," Ren said, his voice regaining its steel. "And he's not coming for a trade. He's coming to finish what he started."
Mina looked at her hands, which were now glowing with a faint, sapphire light. She looked at the Purple Knightmare Frame behind her.
"Let him come," Mina said, her voice filled with a new, reinforced authority. "He thinks he can use my family to destroy this world. But he doesn't know that I have the Butcher's soul in me now."
She turned toward the control console of the hangar. "Ren, get into the Red Frame. We don't have three days. We have tonight."
Ren nodded, his hand reaching for the cockpit latch. The fight for Hana, for Mina, and for the very soul of Athelgard was no longer a shadow war. It was a mechanical revolution.