Sensing Tatsuki's unusual expression, Yukino asked, "Is something wrong?"
"…"
Tatsuki lightly shook his head. In fact, there was nothing problematic about the Alien Queen herself—she was indeed the biggest boss of this game. Perhaps terrifying for Chika and the others, but for him she was as frail as any small fry he could crush with a fingertip.
What really surprised Tatsuki was the Alien Queen's other set of memories—her recollection of battling some other creatures, very much like Predators, in a barren land that clearly wasn't aboard this warship. These were beings from somewhere else. 'This in-game creature apparently had a real memory?'
From the Alien Queen's perspective, it felt like she lived somewhere real, then was forcibly transported here—she didn't seem like a mere fabricated game monster. The apocalypse game was anything but simple. Maybe it intersected with reality in some deeper way, which was why it qualified as an apocalypse.
Tatsuki stayed silent, lost in thought. Megumi noticed his solemn look. "Tatsuki-kun?"
"I'm fine—just reflecting on some things." He cast the topic aside. "It's time for us to clear this game."
"You've fully explored this warship?" asked Yukino, puzzled.
"Not at all. These corridors and piping go up, down, left, right—countless rooms and levels. We can't possibly check it all."
Sure, he could destroy the ship in one go, but that might kill the others before the game ended, or fling him into space with no way back. So he patted the Alien Queen's big head.
"She's the key. She can summon all the xenomorphs here."
Yukino was startled. "All of them? How many is that?"
"Probably tens of thousands."
"T-tens of thousands of those monsters…" Chika and Marin turned pale as they imagined a surging tide of black aliens. Too awful to contemplate.
"For me, it's no big deal," Tatsuki went on. "As long as I'm here, they can't hurt you. Don't worry about the acid blood either—just kill them. No problem."
Inviting him into this apocalypse game might've been the biggest mistake the system ever made. Raising a hand, he formed a visible wind barrier around the group.
"This will shield you from splattering blood."
That said, Tatsuki directly commanded the Queen to call in every xenomorph.
"Hsssss!"
The queen shrieked, and the surrounding xenomorphs opened their mouths to respond—only for Tatsuki to glare.
Bang, bang, bang…
Like a chain of firecrackers, all of their heads exploded. He didn't want that aggravating noise. Pleased, he patted the queen. She promptly lowered her head. Next, Tatsuki casually sat on top of it, beckoning Megumi over, then pulled her into his arms.
"Mmph!"
Even the normally composed Megumi felt shy with everyone watching—particularly since they both still wore these snug suits. Settling into Tatsuki's lap, she keenly felt the firm heat beneath her. He called over to the others.
"I'll handle things on this side. You guys do your best over there."
Then, with the Queen's huge body turned around, it blocked everyone's line of sight.
"…"
Yukino, speechless, gripped her weapon. She didn't know why, but she also stripped off the bulky anti-corrosion armor, picked up a gun, and began shooting at the xenomorphs flooding in from various entrances. Her onslaught was unusually fierce, surprising Marin and Chika.
"…Master truly is sinful," Kanae murmured, seeing right through Yukino's mindset and heaving a small sigh.
Tatsuki only guarded this corridor. Whatever came at him was pulverized by invisible pressure. On the far side, more aliens emerged, but he wasn't worried. Kanae was over there assisting. The kills would still credit him with points. A very handy assistant, indeed.
…
"Mgh… this…"
In the midst of mentally controlling xenomorphs so they'd kill each other, Kanae suddenly felt an odd sensation in her body. Her legs pressed together, lips clamped tight, her gaze drifting toward Tatsuki's location, eyes brimming with mortification and haze.
'He's really doing that even now…?'
A flush of pleasure coursed through her. In the puzzlement of Chika and the others, Kanae bit her lip.
"K-Kanae, are you all right? You're not overusing your power, are you?" Chika asked with concern, not daring to remove her anti-corrosion suit.
"Mm…y-yes…that's it!"
Kanae propped herself against a wall, a teardrop forming at the corner of her eye. Overwhelmed with shame, she seized on Chika's misunderstanding. The three actually believed Kanae was just exhausted, so they told her to take a break—and fired away even more intensely themselves.
Marin even purchased a second laser gun, dual-wielding them.
…
Meanwhile, on Tatsuki's side, Megumi also held two guns—one in each hand. Laser gun in her left, and "Tatsuki's gun" in her right. Of course, Tatsuki wasn't doing anything absurd, but simply "keeping the gun from misfiring." He was also controlling xenomorph numbers while guiding her aim with his right hand to help her shoot. With his left…somewhere on Megumi.
Megumi's eyes drooped half-lidded; her breaths came out hot and humid through parted lips, a hint of pink tongue showing, white teeth trembling.
…
This "game," in every sense, was turning into a shooting game.
The "final shot" would be Tatsuki's.
Driven to a frenetic pace, his breathing ragged, Megumi had a vague sense of it. Surprised at his blazing look, she parted her rosy lips in a hazy, seductive air, leaning down slowly.
"…"
That final shot rang out, exhaling a scorching muzzle flare, splashing across the corridor. The last stray xenomorph's head burst with a spray of gore.
"Gulp, gulp!"
All ammunition consumed. Megumi proactively cleared the barrel, carefully ensuring the muzzle was fully empty.
…
Right at this same moment, after half a day of rampant slaughter…
Finally, no more xenomorphs appeared.
A corridor stretching as far as the eye could see was filled with shredded limbs. Floors, ceilings, walls—everything riddled with holes from corrosive alien blood.
Over on that side, the group slumped against the wall. Marin and Chika had also shed the heavy anti-corrosion suits, letting the fairly skimpy battle suits remain—legs spread as they leaned exhaustedly, no regard for ladylike posture.
They were drenched in sweat, arms and legs limp as though they couldn't move at all. Particularly their fingers, which spasmed from so much trigger-pulling.
Kanae crouched in the middle, knees hugged close, burying her face. The other three were worried.
"Huh!"
Hearing her muffled noise, they weren't sure if it was just imagination, but Kanae's body trembled again. Before they could ask, Tatsuki and Megumi arrived. The two looked calm, as if nothing had transpired.
"…"
Raising her face from her knees, Kanae's teary eyes gave Tatsuki a glare, then she turned into light, slipping back into him with a resentful gaze.
Tatsuki, quite clear on the reason, coughed twice and explained: "Ahem, Kanae's just too tired, so she's gone to rest."
The three finally relaxed.
Tatsuki scanned them, seeing how drained they were. Even Yukino sat with legs spread, her suit's tight fit outlining perfect curves. He'd assumed they'd react strongly if he stared, but Chika just lay there in total surrender, even relaxing her legs more.
"Look all you want. I can't move anyway."
"I… I'm done for, never been this worn out. Feels like I'll die," Marin echoed listlessly.
Even Yukino, though not as slack as them, wasn't bothering to cover up. She too was exhausted. The sight made Tatsuki uncertain whether to laugh or cry—he hadn't expected a final feast for the eyes at the last moment. Good thing Megumi had helped him release stress, or he'd be stiffly aroused again.
He clapped his hands. "Good news, folks—we're about to clear the game."
Right then, the last living Alien Queen—despite having served as Tatsuki's seat—was casually sliced into pieces by wind blades. Tatsuki showed it no mercy.
In that instant, the system prompt arrived.
[All xenomorphs have been eliminated! Apocalypse Game ended!]
[Space Battleship, 5 people survived!]
[Congratulations on surviving and clearing the game!]
[Automatic return commencing!]
"It's over!" On hearing that, Chika and Marin perked up.
Yukino also tried to stand. "Huh?"
Her hand touched a patch of warm fluid on the floor. Kanae had been sitting there earlier; perhaps it was just sweat. She didn't dwell on it. Yukino propped herself up, glimpsing Megumi holding Tatsuki's hand, then lowered her gaze.
Return time arrived, and the five vanished.
…
"My clothes are still here… the fatigue's gone." Tatsuki was back to normal, seated on the sofa. The women in the kitchen were still busy cooking.
"Eh? Where's Kanae?" Sayuri realized Kanae suddenly vanished.
"Kanae went to rest. She's a sword spirit, sort of special," he responded casually.
"I see. Well, let her know dinner'll be ready soon—she was so eager before," Sayuri said.
Actually, Kanae was so embarrassed that she refused to come out. Tatsuki mentally told her, "There'll be many more times in the future—you'll get used to it eventually."
Ding!
A new phone message arrived. Yukino, Marin, and Megumi each texted him, all asking if he was safely back. He answered them all "Yes, I'm fine."
…
Megumi: "It seems I got a new ability called Presence Concealment. It's a stealth-type skill."
Tatsuki: "?"
Presence Concealment? Tatsuki was startled. She already had minimal presence, now an invisibility power? She's basically going full Hassan…
Megumi: "If I hide my presence, might you be unable to see me?"
Tatsuki: "Never. I'll always notice you, Megumi!"
Megumi: "Hehe, that makes me very happy. Tatsuki-kun, see you on Monday."
Tatsuki: "If you want to see me sooner, just text. I'll come right away."
Megumi: "I appreciate that, but it's all right—take care of your own things. I want to stay with you for the long haul, so I don't mind a little short-term separation. Oh, right—introduce me to the others sometime? I don't want to make things difficult for you."
Tatsuki: "Sure. I understand."
'Megumi… so kind, so wonderful.' He recalled her heartfelt confession, and his pulse quickened. She truly stirred his heart.
….
Yukino: "Tatsuki-kun, thank you again for saving me."
Tatsuki: "Well, you are my maid, Yukino-chan."
Yukino: "Yukino-chan…? Fine…"
Tatsuki: "??? Hey, who are you? Where's the real Yukino?!?"
Yukino: "…"
Yukino: "I am Yukino Yukinoshita!"
Yukino: "I might need your help on Sunday—thanks in advance. Bye."
Yukino lay on her couch, phone in hand, dazed.
"Yukino-chan…" She murmured that name, feeling a subtle happiness in her chest, right hand pressed to her heart. 'What is this feeling?' She buried her face in a pillow, not wanting to overthink, just wanting to feel it.
…
Marin Kitagawa: "Tatsuki-kun, remember tomorrow's cosplay expo!"
Tatsuki: "Yeah, I haven't forgotten. And you remember my reward, right?"
Marin: "…"
Marin: "Ugh! You're still on about that? You've already seen everything… W-what more do you want?"
Tatsuki: "Sometimes wearing clothes is also tempting. You've heard of uniform seduction? Gonna bail out on our deal?"
Marin: "Hmph! I keep my promises—just wait till tomorrow. You'll be stunned!"
"Oh?" Tatsuki was intrigued. She spoke so boldly. Possibly she'd gained something from the apocalypse game? That was worth looking forward to.
As for Fujiwara Chika, he didn't have her contact info, so he couldn't guess her reaction. With her personality, she was probably exclaiming something like "Chika's back in action!" after returning. All of them had killed plenty of xenomorphs, so they'd each likely gained good rewards.
He himself had a considerable haul. Checking his stats.
[Apocalypse Points]: 744000
During the game, he'd killed around 70,000 xenomorphs, netting 702,000 points. Time to indulge!
Opening the ability enhancement module, the first priority was upgrading Vector Manipulation:
[50,000 Apocalypse Points consumed, Gemstone: Vector Manipulation upgraded to lv6!]