I would reach Outer Bank X tomorrow, but my head was aching from what I might see when I get there. More than a day had passed since dungeons appeared en masse again, if a city was faced with strong monsters, its outcome would already be decided by now. I hoped for the best, but I prepared myself for the more than likely scenario of destruction that I might see tomorrow.
I wanted to keep to myself tonight, so after flying around this third city and healing any that were badly injured, I found a destroyed building to get into to sleep for the night. I went into a high rise building that was badly damaged and found an enclosed room to stay in where I took out some of the food in my storage rings and finally ate something today while thinking about the future
---
Early in the morning when dawn broke, I rose from the destroyed building and continued my way towards Outer Bank X. There was a long-distance with only the Barrens to look at before I reached the next city. The cl.u.s.ters of monsters were becoming more frequent as I went further out of the Empire, leaving me with a heavy heart as more of my conjectures were turning out to be true. The groups of beasts in the Barrens were only met with death as dark flames, explosive cold blasts, or chaining lightning decimated their ranks. I was releasing all of my anger onto them, but it seemed to be ever so increasing.
I passed through another city that I recalled was right before Outer Bank X, and the sight did not bode well for what I would be seeing from now on. All around me was carnage, with beasts running rampant and very few survivors in sight. I looked at the city below me in anger and sadness as the bloody sight laid itself bare
Lightning rained down as it chained from beast to beast, destroying anything it came across as my rage continued to build up. I was angry at the beasts, but I was also angry at myself and many others in the empire.
The most powerful hunters were stationed and concentrated in the cities further inland. It seemed only natural as they held higher-ranked dungeons and they were required to clear them. Even I left Outer Bank X to go to a core defense city that held higher ranking dungeons. But this natural thing meant there were very few powerful hunters in the outer cities of the empire
Nobody had ever expected dungeons to appear en masse again, but they did. With these cities having a few rank B hunters and many more lower-ranking ones, how could they handle it if a rank A dungeon appeared and a dungeon break occurred?
Unless they were lucky enough for more powerful hunters to naturally awaken and take the lead in defending them, some cities faced complete destruction. Similar to the first advent of the apocalypse, many deaths will occur throughout the world until those truly powerful begin to fully mobilize.
The only sliver of hope was people hiding in underground bunkers as the monsters roamed above them, only left to wait for a chance of survival. I looked at the destroyed city while taking down the beasts in the most excruciating ways possible, hoping many people were able to hide themselves and bunker down in some of the purposefully created shelters.
Chapter 49 - Rage against an unknown enemy
The process didn't take too long as extremely terrifying rank A skills rained down on the beasts until all that was left was charred or mangled bodies. I repeatedly used [War Cry] while flying across the skies to see if there were any people lucky enough to evade the rampage of the beasts
I already observed some underground structures broken through and the people huddled inside killed, but expected some to be luckier in such a large city. A few hunters and people began rising out minutes after I began using [War Cry], fear and despair on their faces as they looked at the city they used to know
The city was very large and widespread with collections of people far apart, so I gave them all a singular message. The path towards the inner cities of the empire was cleared, and they should start making their way there.
I continued to increase the number of [Core]s, [Skill Book]s, and [Item]s from the many BOSSes I had been taking down on the way here, so I used my gut and chose people and hunters that seemed to hold another emotion besides fear for the beasts that did this to them. I looked for any people with rage on their faces and handed out many of the cores, skills, and items that were useless to me. This would strengthen them and make them strive to do even more
I spent a few hours in this city, trying to quickly wrap up the rescue and strengthen process so I could head towards Outer Bank X. I flew with apprehension towards the old city I used to live in as I knew I would be subjected to a similar scene
I reached the broken walls of Outer Bank X after another hour of killing groups of beasts roaming the Barrens, and even though I was prepared for the scenes of destruction, I still felt a pain in my chest. Similar to the city before, monsters roamed free with many people brutally dead across the city
My heart felt the growing rage that I had nowhere to aim to besides the mindless beasts that continued their destruction. I wanted to find those responsible for this. I wanted to find the enemy that continued to play with us and the lives of billions. But they were nowhere to be found, only mindless beasts continuing their destruction
I repeated what I did in the previous city with a heavy heart as the monsters fell to a variety of my destructive skills as I looked for any survivors in the city. The process repeated itself similarly, with thousands of people being lucky enough to hide in underground bunkers all over the city and not be found by the pursuing beasts
None of the hunters I knew in this city were anywhere to be found. The confident face of the female hunter that spoke without regard passed through my mind. She was nowhere to be found. I flew around the city as I located the destroyed structure of the dilapidated apartment I used to live in. The building was half destroyed with no signs of life. Where my lodging used to be was now just air, with rubble on the ground being all that was was left of it. Emptiness that I didn't think I could feel pervaded my body as I took my time and watched this scene
I had watched so many of these scenes of death and misery that I thought I couldn't get anymore enraged, but I was wrong. I reigned in my emotions as I passed out skill books, items, and cores to the many people remaining alive in the city while telling a similar message as before, for them to head towards the standing cities of the Empire
I rose to the skies and looked at the destroyed Outer Bank X for the last time as I moved even faster, making it my goal to comb through the periphery of the Empire and destroy as many groups of beasts as I could.
Another day passed and I was able to pass by a few hunter groups led by rank A hunters that were carrying out a similar mission to mine. It took a few days for the hunters to stabilize their cities and start sending out more squads to purge the beasts populating the Barrens and give aid to other cities. I could also see regiments of soldiers in huge lines of trucks carrying supplies heading straight to the defense line where the collision with the horde of monsters would soon occur
I helped any hunters and people that required aid while giving out skill books to awaken even more hunters that still had the will to fight. I was killing so many monsters of lower ranks that the many rings I had were nearly filling up, making me very generous in giving away the resources I held. I would give more than half away whenever I came across regiments of soldiers led by Vice Admirals or Admirals. They would be putting their lives on the line soon enough, strengthening their ranks before this fight would still be beneficial
The Blessed Empire was large, with many cities populating it, but I wasn't moving alone in the Empire. The cities and people that could be saved were saved in the next few days, with more and more hunters congregating to the last defense line getting ready for the brutal fight
I was able to take down five more rank A BOSSes while moving these past few days, providing me with an abundance of cores that brought my attributes all the way to 300 for [Vitality] and [Strength] even without putting the attributes from the support skills into account. The rank A [Focus] attributes were given to the military as I still had no use for
them, the blank attribute not changing the slightest no matter how many I absorbed
Three skills and two items also dropped from these rank A BOSSes, the skills being [Void Slash- Cut the area in front of you with a swing of your sword], [Expansion- Burn your energy to expand your body to its limits], and [Pain Resistance- The perception of pain in your body is dulled]. I learned the [Expansion] and [Pain Resistance] in a blink and put away [Void Slash] that I wouldn't be using for now. I could use both of the items, one being a rank A storage ring and the other was [Emperor's Boots], granting me a boost in speed that further enhanced my already fast [Flight]
The time was quickly approaching as the horde neared the Empire, and I went towards the defense line to meet the coming enemies head-on while trying to minimize the deaths of hunters as much as possible. They had erected a wall and trenches that stretched for miles left and right where many hunter soldiers were stationed.
The Empire was preparing for this horde for a while now, and the sudden appearance of new dungeons and beasts had only damaged parts of the defense line that were repaired as soon as the hunters took back control.
I placed the colorful [Fairy's Wings] into my ring as I flew towards one of the command centers. My figure put the already tense hunters on high alert, but ecstatic expressions rose on their faces as soon as they saw it was me. I had been moving across the Empire rapidly these past few days, becoming widely known as more and more of the hunters I saved moved around. I had also met with the military regiments multiple times and provided them with the loot that was filling my rings, making many of the hunters in the military excited when I neared
I landed on top of the wall lined up with soldiers as I looked out to the wide expanse of Barrens before us. A horde of hundreds of thousands of beast would soon be upon us from this quiet stretch of land
Chapter 50 - Collision between opposing forces
As hunters prepared to face the monsters with the moving landmass of a turtle at the lead in the Blessed Empire, other hunters were banding together to stand against the tyranny of the black dragon in the United Federation.
With the continued aid from the Empire, a coalition of forces was created consisting of hunters from each of the nearby countries and the Empire. The person leading this coalition of hunters was the Dark Sword, Kazuhiko. His power was renowned in the United Federation and he was among the strongest hunters to take the lead against the terror of the dragon.
The Black Dragon continued to propagate its forces, increasing its influence towards the surrounding countries in the span of the week. The hunters from the overtaken countries had no choice but to listen to the commands of the beast that held the lives of their loved ones in its hands.
The beast would not act a majority of the time, staying behind the ranks of its crowds of monsters and only stepping in whenever a powerful hunter was making a stand. Its power was destructive and nobody could stand against it. The combination of The Dark Sword, along with other peak rank A hunters was what the forces were hoping to stand against the power of the dragon. Only time will tell, as the two forces neared one another. A collision between the coalition of hunters and beasts was imminent.
---
On the defense line at the outer periphery of the empire. A hunter was holding a long staff as he looked at the scene around him. To his left and right were rows of hunters holding mage staffs similar to his and even more holding exquisite bows in their hands.
Below him were even more hunters holding a variety of shields, swords, and other close combat weapons. They were ready to put their lives on the line for the beasts that were coming. His hand that was holding the staff was trembling as he began to feel the ground beneath him to do the same.
Dust was quickly rising on the horizon, signaling the coming of the monsters. The trembling hunter turned his head towards one of the command centers where he could see the powerful hunters of the empire congregating. Standing on the lead of these hunters was a man with dark hair and a radiant fair complexion. His body donned an ethereal purple armor that vaunted strength. He stood at the forefront, overlooking the walls and the people with an expression that seemed to give off conviction.
The trembling weapon in the hunter's hands settled just a little at this scene. He knew this hunter that assured the fears of many of the people here. His regiment was about to be overtaken by a pack of beasts led by a rank A TITAN on their way here, and this man appeared out of nowhere with powerful skills that took care of the beasts that were about to take their lives as if it was nothing. It was this strength that gave many hunters hope of seeing the next day in one piece
The dust on the horizon continued to grow larger as more small dots could be seen with the n.a.k.e.d eye. As time passed, the small dots could be seen getting larger and larger at every step. The hunters were prepared, those with long-ranged weapons and spells protected on top of the makeshift walls, with hunters hoisting large shields and broadswords moving forward to meet the incoming enemy.
The horde of beasts was becoming clear in the eyes of the hunters as a conglomeration of all types of beasts became apparent. From apes to lions, all the way to extremely oversized poisonous toads, they were all rushing towards them with eyes filled with bloodl.u.s.t.
Their hearts became firm as they prepared to clash with the waves of monsters. Noah Osmont, the hunter that many people were placing their hopes on, rose in the air as the beasts neared. Other hunters with flying summons also filled the skies as a huge black eagle could be seen not too far away, a famous hunter was also seen with their signature white pegasus, and even more hunters with bats or other winged beasts appeared
Skills were prepared as everybody felt their energy bubbling at full capacity. Much of the horde was now visible, and to the far back was a hideously misshapen turtle that had green pulsating spikes poking out of its hard shell. Its size seemed larger than 20 meters as it took world-shaking steps towards the crowd of humans in front of it, each of its steps shaking the land
Noah acted first as a cry rang out from him, invigorating the hunters all around and easing their fears. His hand rose to the skies as a long staff appeared pointing forward. Multiple five-meter circles came to light in the air, dark red flames spurting out towards the incoming beasts as [Infernal Purge] was cast. The circles increased exponentially as time passed, making the skies above the beasts look hellish as the flames flew down towards them
Hunters saw this destructive power coming from their side and cheered, their spirits lifted as they prepared skills of their own.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Chaos had begun as the flames reached down and burnt everything they touched. At the same time, blue streaks of lightning were shooting down, traveling through ranks of monsters as if they were connected by a rope. [Arc Lightning] was also being continuously cast towards the coming beasts as they began falling in droves from the skills of just one hunter
ROAAAR!
A thundering sound was heard as the TITAN of a turtle spread its wide jaws open...and a green pillar of energy shot out towards the hunter causing such destruction.
ZOOM!
The green pillar of energy hit the air as hunters scrambled to move aside, Noah's figure disappearing from where it was and appearing even closer to the horde of beasts as other skills were cast. Immense dark spears began to form around him as [Spear of Destiny] was also used, when a drastic change occurred!
An alarmed expression rose from Noah's face as people began to feel another source of power that wasn't coming from the turtle come to light. Something shot through the skies at extreme speeds towards the figure of Noah, smashing into him in less than a second.
BOOM!
It felt like the skies had cracked as multiple defense skills were destroyed. Noah's body was knocked quite a distance back as it came to stabilize in the air. A grisly wound was on his body as only a mass of wriggling flesh could be seen protruding from his right shoulder. His entire right arm was gone!
A pain
ed expression rose from him as multiple golden lights began to descend and [Ultra Regeneration] was cast multiple times. The beast that had appeared in front of Noah had a humanoid appearance, but with wings and a stinger that shone in a piercing light coming from its body. It seemed like a grotesque mixture of a humanoid mosquito as it raised its sharp stinger upwards in an unnatural manner and licked the blood and flesh coming off of it. It was only two meters in size, but its power felt no less than the turtle moving on the ground
Chapter 51 - Not one, but two!
I felt such an intense level of pain that I would have blacked out if I didn't have [Pain Resistance] activated. While I was targeting the enormous moving landmass of a beast below, something else that was moving in the dark almost took my life.
Were it not for the many defense skills like [Diamond Skin], [Hard Body], [Golden Halo], and many more that layered my body at all times, it might not be only an arm I was missing
The pain was increasing as [Ultra Regeneration] and [Guardian's Light] continued to fall onto my body and regenerate my arm at a quick pace.
The formation of bones and muscle was excruciating, and I could only focus on flying and using [Instant Transfer] against the beast that began moving towards me again
The hunters with flying beasts on our side had met with their opponents in the skies, and there was nobody else to lend a hand as everyone had their hands full.
I kept my eyes on this grotesque mosquito that moved at quick speeds, dodging the stinger coming towards me by a hair's breadth each time as I waited to move my focus from the regenerating arm and retaliate with my own skills
BOOM! BOOM!
I was under huge pressure as green beams of light continued to come out of the wide jaws of the turtle and decimate the area around me.
It had focused its attacks on me and continued throwing them out as the stinger of the mosquito continued to try and pierce me once more.
Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse c1-705 Page 24