Idol Gunner [Yuri Villainess LitRPG]

-WARNING-

The following track is classified as a Category S Danger by the Coalition

Danger Type - Propaganda

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Manta was not prepared to die just yet, but she still braced herself for the inevitable. In the few seconds before that giant’s feet crushed her, she wished for a brighter future for Netsolnia. She apologized to the Goddess Aalarma for letting her down. She hoped that Region Y would not be razed to the ground, and still rise back from the ashes. Manta Nak prayed that by some miracle, she might survive.

Crouching down, eyes shut, face creased, she screamed in agony before the foot could reach her. Shaking, she waited for it to end her life. And waited, and waited. It didn’t happen. For some reason, she kept shaking, and nothing ended her momentary misery. Instead, when she turned and looked up, she found two things that she hadn’t expected.

The first was darkness. She was under the giant’s foot, and it had completely covered the area around her. Other than a few rays of illumination peeking through small openings, there was nothing in terms of brightness.

The second was what had saved her. Right above her was a shield. A circular metal shield with a green glow on its edges. While that itself was of normal size, the glow extended outwards and acted as a larger circular barrier between herself and the giant. What could only be described as a green energy field surrounded her and stopped the foot from touching the ground. All of it extended from that shield.

Who had thrown it? Someone must have placed it there before she could die. It wasn’t Angel, since Manta would have known about this beforehand. Angel wasn’t one to keep something this interesting to herself. It must have been someone else, then. Someone that she did not know yet. Who could possibly have this much power, after all?

Once the giant moves, you must scramble.

The voice echoing in her head was most certainly of the Goddess. Hands still instinctually covering her head, Manta nodded and whispered a confirmation. But since the giant refused to move, for some reason, she decided to ask something while she had time.

“Is this you, Goddess? Are these your powers?”

They were.

“They…were?”

They’re yours now.

“Wh-at?”

The giant finally moved. Its foot rose, letting light and air in. The shield and its energy field vanished, leaving Manta free to roll backwards and get out of the enemy’s range. On the other side, she noticed Angel running to find a hiding spot before settling on jumping through an open window.

Ignoring the two of them, the giant kept moving forward with a fireball in its hand. It must have stopped earlier because it was throwing another one. For now, Manta needed to go to Angel and let her know that she was safe. The poor girl was probably traumatized thinking that Manta was dead.

Warriors send me offerings by burning their old weapons, do they not?

“When they get new ones after being promoted, yes…”

Manta whispered as she slowly made her way to the door. The giant hadn’t noticed them yet, but making too much noise would alert it. Once upon a time, it had been thought that giants could not hear well because of the distance between their heads and the ground below. But that could not be further from the truth. The size of their ears and the organs within them made them more capable of hearing smaller sounds. Their body made up for the distance with ease.

Those weapons rest with me even today, for I have no use for them. There is no battle I fight.

“The shield just now was one of those?” Manta guessed, taking another quick step towards the house Angel had gone into.

Yes. And now the rest of them are yours, too. I have given you part of my power, child, and you must use it as you wish.

She stopped, gulping. Part of the Goddess’ power was hers now? But why? Was she even worthy of such a reward? What the Goddess Aalarma was trying to say was that hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of these weapons were not at Manta’s fingertips. She did not need to carry a single sword, because she could just ask for one instead. Just ask, and she would get weapons that the heroes of Netsolnia had used in their great battles.

Reaching the door, Manta took a deep breath and started to open it. The giant was far enough away for sound to not be too much of a problem, but it still helped to be careful. Creaking, the door opened.

One minute. For one minute, you can use any of these weapons. After that, however, it must succumb to its age, and you must ask for another.

“That…makes sense.”

Manta swung the door open, breathing with relief to know that she was in the clear. But not for long. She stepped into the door, and a knife swung for her neck. Blocking it with her right hand and pushing the woman behind it backwards. As Angel fell to the floor, Manta bent down and covered her mouth.

“It’s me. Don’t scream.”

Angel nodded, and she let go of her mouth.

“How did you…”

“Long story,” Manta replied. “Or, well, short story, but I don’t have the time for that either. We need to get out of here. The giant’s moved, so we leave the house and then make a run for the gate.”

“What about Neon?” She asked. “You said he’s coming. We can’t leave without him.”

“He said…to meet him at the gate, alright? He’ll be here, and he’ll get out with us. The last thing he needs is us doubting his skills and courage. If he said he’s coming, then it means that he’s coming. We need to save ourselves first.”

“Y-yeah.”

Angel gave her a weak nod and got up. Manta stood after her and took a peek out of the window. The giant had moved quite far away, but the danger had not completely disappeared. A group of seven enemy soldiers appeared from the same route she had come. All of them wore armor covered in blood, and two of them carried captured women on their backs.

Unfortunately, Manta recognized them. Her blood boiled at the very sight. One of them, in particular, had been standing with her daughter in that safe haven the citizens had created. The other one had been with her aging parents. If they had been kidnapped, then the blood on the soldiers…

How do I do this, Manta thought. She closed her eyes and hoped to have a bow in her hand. A bow and a few arrows. By the time she thought about them and opened her eyes, they were there in her hand already. A metallic bow and four arrows, all with the same green glow around their edges.

“What the fuck?” Angel whispered, prodding the bow to confirm it was real. “How did you do that?”

“I’ll explain later.” Manta nocked one of the arrows and aimed it through the window. Her first target would be one of the soldiers who had captured the women.

You need not close your eyes, child. Just ask, and they shall come to you. They are yours, after all.

Manta nodded and shot the arrow. Cutting through the dusty air, it flew straight into the gap between the soldier’s chest plate and helmet. It lodged into the man’s neck, and the woman on his back fell down. Blood spurted out of the small wound as the dead man fell down, giving the woman time to scream and make a run for it.

The other soldiers, alerted, took their shields out and held them against their necks. The man with the captured daughter threw her towards the nearest wall to empty his hands. By the time she crashed against the stone and groaned, Manta’s second arrow had zoomed through the others and pierced through his neck, too. The second soldier fell down, leaving five remaining.

Angel took her knife out and kicked open the door, screaming to attract attention and give her friend a chance. A stupid idea, of course. Manta did not know if it would work, but she asked for another shield, and it appeared in her hands. The bow still remained. She threw the shield towards Angel, but it disappeared in the air, leaving her running towards the enemy with just a small blade.

Only Manta could use the weapons that she summoned.

Quickly, she nocked another arrow on the bow and shot. This one hit a helmet and clattered to the floor. The last arrow was prepared as she shot once more, but only managed to catch the enemy in his arm. The arrow hit the man’s elbow, causing minor pain.

The soldiers went to fight with Angel. She blocked an oncoming attack with her knife, but was pushed backwards by the soldier fighting her. Two more followed. Manta jumped out of the window and summoned a spear, running straight for the man she had already injured with her arrow.

She aimed for his stomach, but he managed to push her weapon aside. The spear hung in the air right beside him, giving Manta space to cover and push up against the man. Getting a dagger in her other hand, she pushed the weapon towards the soldier’s neck, but was deflected once more.

“Manta! Stop!”

The soldier barked a command with his quivering lips. The voice, familiar. And now that she looked carefully, his jaw was distinct enough to give her proof.

Neon Terra pushed her backwards and jumped out of the way. He must have changed his armor to get out of the city. Still, putting distance between the two of them, he nodded and looked at the others. It would be easy from here if she did not give him away. The two of them could take the four others with Angel’s help.

She was currently being pushed further into the house they had just come from, thrashed against the door to get her inside. Manta changed her positioning and got to the left of the house. Readying her spear, she threw it at the soldier who was directly forcing Angel in. The tip of the heavy weapon drove straight through the man’s helmet and pierced his head to reach the doorframe.

Held right there, the body blocked the door, protecting Angel for the time being.

Three remaining meant that Neon could finally let go of his little façade. He raised his sword and went for the neck of the soldier nearest to him. Redirected by some quick reflexes, his attack was thwarted, but provided enough shock to allow Manta some time to move. As Neon moved away with the soldier he had decided upon, she pulled out a sword from the aether and rushed one of the other two.

At the same time, Angel reached out for the spear that had attacked the soldier at the door. The moment her hand touched the handle, however, it dissolved into nothing. The body attached to it fell to the floor, giving her a clear view of the single confused enemy standing right behind it.

She did not let go of the chance. Pushing her knife up, she took advantage of the suddenness to stab him in the neck. The blade pushed through his skin, and the soldier croaked before falling to the ground. Angel, with her hand tightened around the blade, fell down with him. As she did, the blood spurting out covered her face.

To the right, Neon looked at her in shock and moved with haste. A few decisive clangs and he got the opportunity to twirl the opponent’s blade around and drop it to the floor. Leaving the enemy unarmed, he stabbed him in the face with his sword and let it fall to the ground. In the next instant, he threw the helmet off his own face and ran to his girlfriend.

Left as the last one with an opponent, Manta did not take time either. She had asked for a simple sword, and gotten it. But no matter what she tried, the enemy did not give in. Every swing was blocked, and every piercing movement was redirected. Every time she tried to catch him off-guard to kick his shins, he managed to jump away and get out of the danger zone.

So, she went for the neck once more. As expected, the enemy soldier brought his blade up, blocked, and pushed back. This, however, meant that his entire lower half was left unguarded. He would jump away if he saw her hips twisting for a kick, but she did not intend to do that. Summoning a whip, she thwacked it against the armor on his thigh and pulled back.

Caught off-guard, the man fell down, and his block was misplaced. Manta’s blade found the man’s neck and cut through.

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The three of them sat outside the gates, far enough away to watch as the giants trampled through the city and destroyed it in its entirety.

For the first time in her life, Angel had been covered in blood. Despite being so close to a man and a woman who did this for a living, she had never been much of a fighter herself. Wrapped up in Neon’s arms, she shivered at the mere prospect of having taken a life. Every time she looked down at her body, she felt like there was more and more blood.

Sitting beside the two of them, Manta gave her a pat on the head while looking at the destruction of her city. The ruin that she had caused. The two women had refused to come with them. They had decided to run back to that safe haven to find their families, even though Manta had tried to explain that it was a fool’s errand.

If only she had had the same courage that they did.

Or was it stupidity?

The Goddess Aalarma whispered in her head a few words of wisdom.

“I ran from my city. They ran to their people.” Manta answered. “I do not feel wise, Goddess.”

There is courage in running away, Manta. You cannot save someone without saving yourself first. Two might have lived, at least. Now all of them have lost their lives.

“They’re…”

Dead. I cannot feel their souls, child. There is nobody remaining in the city. Not a single man, woman, or child alive in that rubble.

“I killed them. All of them. I did this…” Manta shook her head, looking away from Angel and Neon before standing up and averting her eyes from Region Y’s only settlement.

“Manta?” Neon asked, standing up behind her with Angel in tow.

What is done is done. There are things you are destined for, Manta Nak. You have an entire world to save, child. The only path in your eyes shall be forward.

“What world, Goddess?” Manta ignored Angel, even as the girl touched her shoulder to provide her comfort. “The world which sends innocents to die fighting these demons from another world? They slaughter hundreds of thousands, and we keep sending them more prey. What world is that, Goddess?”

The same world you must save.

An image of the Goddess Aalarma flashed in her head. Along with her, the face of one of those off-worlders. Someone with a face with sharp features. A rather pale color that was closer to a brown or yellow. As alien as an alien could be. Above her head, her hair was black. It reached down to her waist in two different offshoots, one from each side. After showing her that image, the Goddess returned to her once more.

The men who put themselves in charge are destroying my children, Manta. If they send innocents, you must stop them. It is your destiny to save the world, child, and it is your destiny to save your brothers and sisters. Do not let these men get in the way.

“Do what with them?”

What else is there other than to take control? You must crush the demon threat, child. To do that, you must control our people. You must lead them to a future where they can defend against these monsters.

“Yeah…” Manta nodded and started walking. Region Y was gone. It was not coming back. She had destroyed it, and there was no changing the fact. If there was one thing she could do, it was to take revenge for it.

“Manta, where are you going?”

She wanted to reply, but she couldn’t. There was a weight in her throat that prevented her from speaking up. Perhaps it was her conviction that weighed her down. There were men out there who were sending innocents to die. Sending poor folk who were not ready to face the destruction they did, all so that those at the top could get more time.

If she was to save Netsolnia, she would need to take them out first.

Manta looked back at Neon and Angel, nodded, and continued to talk. Towards the Upper Regions.