The train stopped.

Sylvia heard the rattling of opening doors and the shuffling of men as the light engulfed the woman, who viewed the scene from the body of a child.

"Hey... are you sure she isn't going to kill us?"

"Don't... don't be scared. She can't... no... she won't kill us. Doctor Lichtenburg guaranteed that."

"But... even if he made such a guarantee... can we really trust that?"

A few laborers seemed to be nervously conversing as they entered the cargo hold, hesitant to move on with the duty of moving the caged creature to her destination.

"I mean... this thing... it survived a nuke, right?"

The men spoke in trembling voices as they surrounded the girl, each of the four grabbing one corner of the cage.

"And if it can survive something like that... then isn't this thing basically unkillable?"

"Gentlemen.... I believe you are all mistaken."

A voice spoke out from the entrance, shocking each of the men as they turned around with surprise to see the Doctor standing there with a smile.

"D-Doctor-"

"It is true that for now she has been completed... but that is only because I have taken her as far as she can be taken with mere... science."

Entering the room, the man walked past each of the men, standing above the cage as he crossed his arms with pride, looking upon his creation.

"However... there are things in this world that are beyond even science."

With a smirk, the man thinned his eyes as he gazed upon the child.

"And because of that… in order to face such a threat, we require something that is considered by all definitions of the word... to be unkillable."

----

Loaded in a truck, darkness once more enveloped the girl.

The bumpy road was uncomfortable, and perhaps if she was a normal girl she would have become carsick.

However she was no normal girl.

She was an experiment.

'I... should not think too much.'

The concept of thinking on one's own was something which was reserved for humans.

It was her duty to do nothing more than follow the orders of the Doctor.

Therefore, even something such as thinking was disobedience.

'But... but...'

From that dark place, cramped and alone, the girl couldn't help but to think.

'The thoughts keep on coming into my head.'

Gazing upon her hand, the girl looked at herself with a bitter expression, puckering her lips as she held in her tears.

'If I'm not a human... then what am I?'

Grabbing her hand to stop the trembling - a representation of fear - the girl knew that such a thing was nothing less than rebellion.

For fear was a human emotion.

And it was not something that she was allowed.

Recalling the terrified expressions of those humans, the girl began to wonder if perhaps she had become too powerful.

She had been taught that humans were the epitome of everything.

Strength.

Intelligence.

Power.

Capability.

Yet... it was because of the intelligence of the humans... that she too had been given power.

Someone as weak as she was, helpless before the humans, had been granted an ultimate gift.

Yet perhaps through the power that the humans had granted her... she had surpassed even them.

'That... that cannot be.'

'Such thoughts... should never be allowed.'

'Humans are... more powerful and wise than any others. And it would be impossible-'

Impossible for me to become more powerful than them.

This was the thought that the girl was about to have, however she then realized something.

'Would that mean that something is impossible... for humans?'

Widening her eyes, the girl came to a realization.

Such a thing could not be.

For nothing was impossible to them.

Taking in a deep breath, the girl looked down at her body, unsure if this was even its true form.

Or if she even had a true form.

'Am I truly... nothing more than a monster?'

----

What was true?

What was false?

Number One did not know.

Everything seemed to contradict itself.

'This... this is why I was forbidden from thinking on my own.'

As the truck came to a stop, One realized that she had arrived at the destination.

The doors opened, and once more the light of the sun shined on One.

A light which she was not usually able to experience.

The men rushed in, unlocking the cage and unchaining the girl with fearful expressions, and she was quickly led out to where the Doctor was waiting.

They were in front of a cavern.

"One. There is an enemy waiting inside this place. You are to defeat that enemy, and you are to protect me. Is that understood?"

"I understand."

With an immediate response, the girl stepped forward, taking the lead as the body guard of her master.

Such a thing was unusual - for she had never before been allowed outside except for experimentation.

Yet now... she was given a goal.

A purpose.

A mission.

Into that cavern, the girl stepped forward as she led the group, watching carefully around her to ensure that no attacks would catch her off guard.

They walked and they walked, soon coming across a large door.

The girl did not know what to do, and found herself at a loss.

'Eh?'

However, before she could do anything, the Doctor stepped forward, approaching a keypad and pressing a series of buttons in a particular order.

"The enemy is inside this place. It is time, One."

With a smile, the doors opened before the man as he spread his arms wide - as if he was trying to grasp the entire world within them.

"It is time for you to show me the results of my experimentation."

Before that figure, even One felt small.

Insignificant.

And once more, she was reminded of what she was.

A tool for this man to use.

A weapon.

Yet she was a weapon... who would now be forced to think.

A weapon which would have to act with purpose and intent... reading the will of its owner.

And even to the girl who had endured such a trial... this overwhelmed her.

'Who knew... that thinking could cause so much pain?'

----

"Your Eminence... it would appear that he has returned."

Standing in front of an empty throne, the blue haired warrior waited patiently, apparently speaking to nobody.

[Is that so?]

A voice responded, however this voice was not something which was present in this place.

It was something which existed outside of space.

[I see. Then... do your best. And if he can defeat you in your current state... then I will allow him to be the one to rupture this world.]

The warrior nodded promptly.

"And what if he loses to me?", she asked.

A pause came, and silence dawned upon the room.

Then, a feminine laugh.

[Hahaha... if he cannot even defeat you... then he has no place in being the one to receive a reward from me. Is that not right, my other self?]

[Yes... that is true. After all... I've even gone through the effort to give him a handicap. Defeating me and myself would be impossible... so instead I will only expect him to defeat you... in your current state.]

[Now go on, Mackayla.]

[Show me whether he is worthy of becoming the villain... in this story of mine.]

With a nod, the warrior smiled.

"As you wish, your eminence."

The smile curled around her expression, soon filling itself with immense amounts of sadism.

"But your eminence... What about the hero?"

[Ah... haha... the hero, eh?]

At this statement, the voice could not help but to bawl out into laughter.

[Hahaha!!! A hero... ah.... that's a good one.]

[Mackayla... you should already know.]

[There are no heroes in this world.]

[There are those who are powerless and die pitifully, in a heroic attempt to achieve something that they are incapable of...]

[And those facades who are overwhelmingly powerful... who never sacrifice anything and only protect others so long as victory is easily within their grasp.]

[But for a true hero to come about... they must face adversity... and overcome it.]

[And such a thing... only happens in a story.]

With a snicker, the woman laughed lightly as she mocked everything in this world.

[Unfortunately for its characters... this is a story written by myself.]

[A wretched and demented author.]

----

"Now go fi-"

[It doesn't work like that.]

Victor found himself standing before that door, motioning for One to enter the room on her own.

However his words were interrupted by the cold demonic voice of THAT THING.

[I said before that you may bring whatever weapons you could come up with... but what I did NOT say was that you were to reassign this fight to someone else.]

Stopped in his tracks, Victor thinned his golden eyes as the voice condescended upon him - a tone which he could not stand.

[You are to be the one to defeat my little soldier... therefore even if you bring a weapon, you must still be the one to wield it. Even those who control a tank from the inside... are still putting themselves at risk of being destroyed.]

[And yet... you try and command a soldier of yours to fight your own battle while you sit back from safety?]

[Hahaha... we will not allow you to do such a thing.]

[But if you insist on battling in such a manner... then I suppose I could get involved in this fight myself.]

[However, be warned, human.]

[I am giving you an opportunity to WIN against me.]

[And the moment I step on the battlefield, that opportunity will vanish from existence.]

[Just as your weapon... and perhaps even this entire world.]

Thus, Victor came to a realization.

There was no running.

There would be no sitting back and awaiting the news of Victory.

If he wanted to be victorious and obtain such rewards... he would have to put his own body on the line.

'One... can protect me. She is powerful enough to survive a nuclear warhead... and she is loyal enough to never allow an attack to fall upon me. Therefore... so long as the opponent is not that demon... I will win.'

With this thought, the man smiled.

'Very well, demon.'

'I will take up your challenge then... and my creation will win against yours.'

----

The man and the girl walked through the hallway.

Not a single other person was present.

For they would just get in the way.

'Even if I can easily replace those who were to die... There is no reason to go through such efforts to train new personnel for such reasons. How fortunate for them.'

Taking a deep breath, the man walked forth with confidence in each step.

Was his confidence baseless?

Or was it justified?

He was about to find out.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the final door opened without prompt, as if welcoming him and the girl to this demented place.

'This is where I will take control of this world... by harnessing a power which exists outside of it.'

Thus, the two entered.

Slave and master.

Experiment and scientist.

Human and abomination.

"Ah... I see you've finally arrived. It took you quite a while, didn't it?"

As the two entered the darkened room, they were greeted with the silhouette of the knightly woman.

"Now then... let's see what you've come up with."

With the snap of her finger, the chandeliers above lit up with the green glow of a strange fire.

The face of the woman was revealed, and displayed on this face was a mocking grin.

However this grin soon turned to a grand smile as the woman burst out into a fit of laughter.

"HAHAHA!!! A little girl? This is what you bring to fight me? You must be underestimating me."

Yet as she said this, the expression of the woman immediately shifted to become as serious as death.

Unsheathing her sword, the woman pointed towards the girl from across the room, the red carpet laying beneath them.

"Did you really expect me to say something like that... when you've placed this monster before me?"

Closing her eyes, the woman approached the two, slowly stepping forward as she swung her sword about in preparation for the battle.

"In a game of cards... the higher value will defeat the one with the lower value. This is an absolute rule used in many games. Poker... War... and so on and so forth."

As the distance between the two decreased, Number One stepped in front of Victor, gazing upon her opponent as she came to the realization that this was the woman she was supposed to kill.

"And it would seem that you have brought an Ace."

Breathing in, the woman opened her eyes with a smile.

The air around them froze as the woman stopped, no longer closing the distance as she flipped the sword to her left hand.

"A card which appears to hold the lowest value... one which by all means should be defeated by each and every other card... yet this is by appearance alone."

As if time itself had stopped, the words of the woman shook even Victor to his very core as he felt the sensation of death approaching.

"And for whatever reason, despite its appearance... this card is the most powerful of all."

Then, in that instant, something happened.

Something.

Yet that something was something which Victor could not perceive.

As if he was being shown a picture and then flipping directly to the next, the scene before him changed in the blink of an eye - and as he opened his eye he witnessed the results of this encounter.

A sword was just inches from his throat.

And wrapped around this sword, preventing it from moving any further, was the hair of the girl known as Experiment Number One.

"What do you think you're doing to the Doctor?", Number One asked the woman who had so suddenly turned her attacks on the man.

"Hm? What do you mean, girl? After all... this is a fight between myself and this man. Therefore... is it not the correct decision to attack him?"

Jumping back and taking distance, the woman prepared herself as she retook an offensive stance.

"You see... while I knew that you would be able to stop my attack with ease... I had to find something out."

At that moment, the eyes of the woman changed.

As if they were swirling around in madness, chills were once more sent down the spine of the man as he realized once more that the person he was fighting was a force beyond humanity.

'She... will not defeat Number One... there is... no chance...'

Victor told himself this, however as he gazed into those madness filled eyes, he himself did not know if such a thing was true.

"If there were such a thing as a card which changed its value based upon the person who wielded it... then that would be very similar to this situation."

It was at that moment that an aura of power surrounded the woman, whose body began to glow red as her skin changed its color.

"And I needed to find out... just what value you have while that man is the one who holds you in his palm. But how fortunate for him."

Dropping her sword, the woman placed her two hands together as she flashed a wretched smile, gazing upon the two with insanity.

"You happened to remain an Ace."

And in that instant, the entire room lit up.

Flames exploded forth from the hands of the woman, creating an intense spiral that was aimed straight for Number One.

The girl immediately reacted to such an attack, holding out her hand as it transformed into the shape of a tube.

And then, the tube began to suck the flames in like a vacuum.

"Heh.... how interesting.... to think that you could use such strange power... I suppose that would be known as MAGIC."

Watching from behind as he was protected by the girl, the scientist spoke as his servant endured the flames for his sake.

"However... My experiment has been equipped with quite a significant amount of HEAT RESISTANCE. Have you ever heard of... specific heat?"

As he explained, the woman who produced the torrent of flames seemed to up the strength, however even as she did so the vacuum which One created increased as well, absorbing such flames without effort.

"Each object requires a certain amount of energy in order for the temperature to be raised. Some objects require large amounts of energy to heat, while others can be heated with only small amounts of energy. And Number One here happens to have a specific heat capacity that is so grand... that she can survive even the energy emitted by Nuclear warheads."

With a victorious sneer, the scientist explained as the torrent continued to rage, to the point where the entire floor underneath it had been shattered and destroyed - yet not a single shred of shrapnel came his way.

For Number One ensured that such a thing did not happen.

With her hair and tentacles that grew from her body, she shot them out at rapid speeds, defending the man from even the slightest breeze even whilst a tornado of flame raged in front of her.

"While that may be true... does that not mean that there exists an amount of energy which CAN eliminate her?"

However the woman, who spoke with a grating tone as she devolved into laughter, said these words.

"Hahaha.... how foolish of you, human... to think that you would come against even a slave of her Eminence with a FINITE amount of power."

At that instant, the flames turned white.

Like a blowtorch, yet far hotter and more precise, the flames that emitted from the hands of the woman became like a weapon that pushed the girl back.

The child dug her feet into the ground, slowly forced back as she was overwhelmed with pain, and Victor witnessed as her limbs slowly disintegrated.

'Eh?'

'What... is this?'

'She is being overwhelmed... with mere flames?'

'Just how much power.... does this woman have?'

'Just how much energy... can she produce?'

Yet unyielding before the power, One took a step forward.

Even as she slid backwards, she slammed her foot into the ground, digging it so deep that she could not be pressed back.

Then once again, she took a step.

As if she was wading through a valley of snow, the stone ground below her became a foothold, and her footprints were marked into it as she walked through the sea of fire.

And as she did this, the woman widened her eyes in surprise - yet that surprise soon turned to pleasure.

"Hahaha!!! How wonderful... you are similar to myself... completely devoted to your master... completely and utterly loyal without question... ah... there is such a similarity in the two of us... however I suppose there is a difference as well."

At that instant, the flames turned off.

It was only a moment.

Victor was not able to watch what had happened, however in that instant, Experiment Number One disappeared from his eyes.

And if he were able to see her - then perhaps he truly would have been terrified of his own creation.

"Die, enemy."

Victor looked to see the completely seared front half of the girl, with a sharpened tentacle pierced straight through the stomach of the warrior.

"Ah... the difference between myself and you... is that my master is not relying on my own victory."

Spitting out a volley of blood, One lifted the woman up into the air before slamming her onto the ground, dropping her as she hit the cold stone with another spit of blood.

"Cough! Ugh!! Heh... and because of that... cough.... the power she granted me... was only a tiny fraction of what I would normally be allowed to use."

The woman was met with a thousand tentacles that wrapped around her, piercing into her body in every location as the monster above her sucked her dry of every fluid within her.

"My duty has been fulfilled. Forgive me your Eminence... cough... for even in this handicapped state... this is still my loss."

These were the last words of the woman before she became completely dried up, withering into nothing but a shell of skin and bone.

"Heh.... heh.... how wonderful... I've done it.... I've defeated... that woman's subordinate... hah... hah..."

His eyes becoming filled with veins, Victor held his mouth as his expression became one of victory - though the madness was evident in his laughter.

"I've won.... all thanks to my experiments... All thanks to MY hard work... I created something which was capable of defeating... even THAT."

Gazing up, the man smiled as he looked around him with glee.

"Number One. This is MY victory."

Yet not a single word of praise was spoken - nor a word of thanks.

Instead... This man took all the credit for himself.

[You.... truly are perfect for the role which I have decided for you.]

At that moment, the overwhelming voice of the woman spoke into the mind of the two, who were left alone in that chamber - its throne completely empty.

[If this were not a world on a plane below me... then without a doubt I would have deemed you as scum to be eliminated from this world. However... that is not the case. You are quite lucky, Victor Lichtenburg.]

At the words of the woman who spoke from such a victorious position even after having lost, the scientist's expression filled with irritation.

"You... haha... enough of your riddles, demon. I have won. My creation won against yours. Now give me what I was promised."

[And what if I were to say no?]

At that instant, a blank expression came across the man.

He opened his mouth, so shocked that he could not even say anything.

"What... What do you mean by that? This... this was not the deal-"

[Yes... I suppose that is correct. I am someone who follows through on my promises. However, what if I was not?]

At that instant, a vision played in the mind of Victor.

He witnessed the girl which he considered to be his prized creation explode into chunks of flesh - so many pieces flying about that he couldn’t even comprehend that such a thing had once been a human.

‘Wha…’

Falling to his knees in defeat, the man watched as his creation - which had survived even nuclear weaponry and defeated such a monstrosity - was reduced to NOTHING.

Yet in the next instant, as if waking up from a dream, the girl was standing in front of him once more.

As if time itself had reset, he now found himself a few moments prior to the horrid memories - the blood and guts no longer flayed upon him.

[I do keep my promises. Therefore… here you are.]

Appearing before the man were a number of runes - blue spheres which were transparent.

Each of them contained a word inside them which could be seen through the glassy rock.

[But you know... you were making a deal with a demon. What would you have done if I had decided to go back on my word?]

The woman spoke to Victor, digging away at his mind as he ignored her words, uselessly attempting to block them out.

[You are naive... selfish... greedy... envious... you lust for power, and are willing to throw those around you away in an instant.]

'I do not care... I do not care... for I am the winner. I will be the one to obtain these powers... and I will use them to escalate humanity... to a completely different plane.'

Victor had these thoughts as the voice continued to rebuke him, but even so he smiled all the more - for his plan was successful.

[You are the worst type of scum... a man who plots and plans... and seeks to use everything and everyone to your advantage.]

[And perhaps... I am not so different.]

[Yet even so... you should be careful.]

[Because even if there are no heroes in this world... that means that the enemies you face will all be VILLAINS.]