Nine Tailed System 158 Shirome the Undead

Inside a house in a forest, Chrome came from the entrance with a smile on her face.

Chrome: I'm home! Now then, let's see how much my original flesh culture grew today.

[Marco: Orginal-what?]

[La Croix: Don't interrupt me.]

At the other side of the room, there was La Croix, or Shirome, without the horns on her head and symbol on her forehead, and she was wearing glasses.

Shirome: Ah, it's Chrome. Watch out for the new Hidden drug I purchased. (AN: Cocaine XD) I haven't labeled it yet, but it's on the refrigerator shelf. It's dangerous stuff, do watch out.

Chrome: Yeah yeah yeah, got it.

Skipping ahead in high spirits, Chrome headed into the laboratory. She's engrossed in seeing if the new enzyme she developed was able to accelerate the growth of her flesh culture.

Shirome: …

To determine the property of the flesh culture, she'll need to use the black dye. ANd the black dye looks identical to the Hidden drug she just bought… If that drug reacts with the protein in the flesh, it will cause a huge explosion.

Shirome: That girl… She'd mix them up, wouldn't she?

Knowing her sister, Shirome turned nervous, and she ran into the laboratory to move her Hidden drug before Chrome has the chance to mix it up.

Shirome: Hey, Chrome! That chemical on the refrigerator shelf…!

Chrome: Oh, sister! What's wrong?

Chrome turned toward Shirome, with the bottle in her hand. That black liquid is the Hidden drug, without a doubt. The steady drip of black liquid flows over the flesh culture as Shirome's eyes widened in horror.

Shirome: Chrome, get down!!

She jumped over Chrome, protecting her, and guess what?

No, it isn't the Flying Spaghetti Monster, it is an explosion that rocked the laboratory.

And when Shirome turned conscious, she found herself in the floor. She couldn't even feel her own body.

Shirome: Chrome… Is safe…

Shirome looked down, and saw Chrome still breathing, but there was something horrible next to the unconscious Chrome… Her lower half of her own body.

She stared at it for a few seconds, refusing to believe her own eyes.

Shirome: …

There was nothing attached to her body below her own chest. But she took a determined expression insteading of screaming the living shit out of her almost gone lungs.

Shirome: 'My consciousness will fade due to hemorrhagic shock, then cardiac arrest thirty seconds later… There's no treatment possible.'

She summoned her own magic, freezing the wounded parts of her body and replacing them with undead tissue, substituting her blood for an anti-rot liquid. She imprints in her own brain her body's design and function. Since it was her own body, it only took her 1 second to analyze it.

Shirome: 'Will I make it in time? Before I faint…'

It was never heard before from a necromancer… Using their own powers to turn themselves in something like a lich…

Shirome: 'I did it in time… But…'

Now she was undead… Using her genius-level skills…

Shirome: 'But… Am I still truly Shirome? Or… Am I just a corpse with the personality and memories of the one who was known as Shirome…?'

[Back]

Chrome: That's why you left right after that accident…

La Croix: If you knew I had died during that accident, you would have been at a loss. So with the leftover affection Shirome had for you, I left before you awoke.

Marco's eyes softened a bit, and put away the hand that held her head, but he still blocked her movements with his other hand.

La Croix: After that, I settled down here in my own research laboratory. Aside from my own techniques, my emotions and thoughts slowly dulled. At that rate, I truly will become just a corpse…

Afraid of my own fate, I put forth everything into finding a way to return zombies to life. I paved that path of mine with countless corpses in the process… If I was Shirome… If I was truly your sister, I never would have done that.

Chrome: Sister…

La Croix: ...I never feel guilt. No matter how many I kill. As I am now, I can do whatever I want without a guilty conscience. I am La Croix. One who will do anything and everything to achieve my objective. Shirome, your sister, died a long time ago.

With that La Croix closed her eyes, and said.

La Croix: ...Chrome, kill me. You know the rules well. Anyone who practices the Artiste art outside of the family must be eliminated.

Chrome slowly let out tears and closed her eyes, while letting out small sounds.

La Croix: Don't hesitate, do as you've been taught. I'm already dead anyway.

Chrome: Eternal peace to your lost body… Earth becomes earth again, as the corpse becomes inanimate flesh.

With tears in her eyes, she made a magical sign in the air as she chanted. Marco lifted Shirome, or La Croix up, and placed her in front of him, like a shield, then a flash of white magic poured forth from her hands.

Chrome: Oh Corpse, return to your grave.

[Shirome]: Thank you, Chrome… My dear Sister…

La Croix's body turned to dust, and vanished in the air, finally starting her eternal sleep.

Alice came back to the room some time ago, and crossed her arms while closing her eyes.

Alice: ...At the very end, she yearned for her sister.

Marco: ...Let's go, Alice, our job is not done yet…

Alice: Yes… My body.

Chrome: ...Thank you for leaving alone now…

Alice: I'm sure the device is at the deepest parts… And we need to talk about that "thing".

She was talking about the armor around Marco and the Doomblade, he stopped using the Kurama Gate, before surprisingly the armor evaporated in crimson smoke, leaving him with his clothes and the Doomblade still at his back, attached through magic.

[Later]

They reached a place that was almost alike the basement in Grangold.

Marco: Alright…

However, Alice was shocked.

Alice: The device itself is made of holy energy!?

As Alice got to the device, she punched it, but her fist passed right through, without even scratching it.

Marco: Let's see…

Marco unsheathed his Doomblade, before slashing the device, but the blade passed through, surprising Marco. However he could feel a disturbance with the holy magic.

Alice: It must be similar to the "Gate of Heaven", and composed of extremely pure holy energy. To modify the device to this degree… It seems those angel bastards really didn't want me getting my body back. I'm stomped on this one, Marco.

Marco: Hoho, you think I would leave it like that?

Marco smirked while Alice looked at him.

Alice: Give up, even that strange blade can't… damage… it…

Alice noticed that the Doomblade started to give her a creepy feeling to her soul, and saw that the blade started to turn black, before glowing with darkness.

Marco: Dark Overlord…

Then he smashed the device with the blade made of primordial darkness, crushing it on a single blow and making a small crater under it. A shocked loli Alice started to glow, before she turned back to her true form.

Alice: What… What was that…

Marco: We have a lot to talk about... But first of all, we need to get out.

Alice looked at her own hands, before looking back at the Doomblade, however, she learned that everything about Marco was abnormal, so she let it go for the moment and left from the mansion with the rescued prisoners.

*Ding*

*27832/??? saved.*

Then Marco, an adult Alice and Chrome spoke outside of the Biolabs before the first two left.

Marco: Alright, Chrome, what will you do now?

Chrome: I'll continue my research, and hone my crafts. Even if the Monster Lord is angry at me, I'll keep trying to restore the honor of the Artiste Family…

Alice: ...I'm in good mood now, so I'll exempt you from the Artiste ban in the Monster Lord's Castle. You did your duty well in this incident.

At this, Chrome let out a big smile.

Chrome: Monster Lord…

Alice: ...But Necromancy is forbidden. It is absolutely forbidden, especially in front of me.

Marco: *Sigh*

Alice: I know of the three major techniques passed down the Artiste family. Zombie Arts, Necromancy… And Doll-Making. I have no issue with your Doll-Making arts. In my position as Monster Lord, I grant you a free license to pursue that avenue of dark magic study.

Chrome frowned and said.

Chrome: Hum hum… Doll-Making skills… I was only taught the basics when I was small, but…

Then she let out a challenging smirk.

Chrome: ...But that may be interesting. I'll look through our secret books, and relearn all of the lost arts!

Marco: Good luck…

Chrome: I'm in your debt for many reasons, Marco. I wish you well too, Monster Lord. I'll perfect the Doll-Making arts, and visit the Monster Lord's Castle…

Alice smiled and said.

Alice: Yes, do your best.

Chrome: Well then, goodbye!

Then Chrome left Marco and Alice alone.

Alice: I'm looking forward to seeing the lost Doll-Making art of the Artiste family. We need to regain peace soon so we can witness it!

Marco: Whatever, I just want to eat something… Unfortunately our backpack is empty…

Alice: Then let's go to San Ilia for a moment… I'm getting hungry too.

And so, they reached Diane and took off to San Ilia for a small pause…

[SPECIAL QUESTS]

1st. Achieve coexistence between Monsters and Humans

2nd. Kill Illias

3rd. Return to Lucifina's grave

4th. Visit every places in Illias Continent, Sentora and Hellgondo

5th. Make Alice happy

[EVENT QUEST]

1st. Kill Illias

2nd. Save as many people as possible: [27832/???]

3rd. Defeat or Kill Promestein

4th. Defeat or Kill Black Alice

5th. [Optional] Kill as many angels as possible: [88/???]

Chapter end