by L. M. Kerr
After a few split seconds, the Aura visibly floated and surrounded two warriors in particular. These two were hulking brutes with the Strength-boosting Great Ape Type.
When the silver Aura surrounded them, their bodies twitched slightly. Both warriors held up their hands and flexed them, moving them around in rapid punching motions, adjusting their bodies to their now-enhanced agility.
Micheal studied their reactions, trying to gauge how much faster they had become. He wasn’t able to come up with an exact estimate, but could tell it had to be significant. They were moving unnaturally fast for their large stature, packing a huge punch with now-abnormal speed.
He watched as each of these huge fighters pulled out a long spear, holding it at the ready. It took the duo only a few seconds to adapt, showing a level of skill that could only be learned from repeated practice.
The silver Aura didn’t spread to anyone else, but instead remained solely on these two.
It was likely the leader’s limit was boosting two other people’s speed, if Micheal had to wager a guess. This was only the Second Layer, after all; his Soul stat could only be so high.
Abruptly, the leader of the group vanished as he turned around and walked inside the building.
The other 11 members of the Beasts of Providence remained outside, spreading out. A few of them began to clamber up on the roof while others of them went inside. All of them remained tense, as if waiting.
Rainwater dripped down Micheal’s nose as he realized what they were doing.
The Celestial Silverback user had left his entire squad of warriors behind and was invading the Farian research center entirely on his own. Micheal could sense his presence gradually vanishing as he moved inside some sort of secret entrance, his energy signature disappearing entirely.
‘Ah. Then… they’re for me.’ As soon as that thought clicked in Micheal’s head, he instantly stood up. His gaze was cautious as he spotted the two speed-boosted Great Apes, but he donned a smile, nevertheless.
They had been so worried about Micheal, the leader of this group had left every warrior he had on hand behind in an attempt to stop him. He might even have assumed Micheal was an elite team of warriors, instead of just one man working alone, and planned accordingly.
‘Well then. Let’s not keep them waiting.’
Without any fanfare or warning, Micheal jumped off the roof.
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Chapter 45
Micheal’s decision to jump down and attack was a calculated one.
He could have elected to pull out some type of long-range weaponry and attacked from afar. However, given that there were 11 enemies he needed to face, and that all of them were highly skilled elites, there was a large chance at least a few of them would wield Defensive Artifacts that could deflect or block long-ranged attacks.
Moments after he began to attack, he would definitely have to suffer through a brutal counter-attack. Unless literally none of them had long-ranged Defensive Artifacts, a gamble Micheal wasn’t willing to take, his ambush would fail and he would be overwhelmed in terms of sheer firepower.
This would force him to adapt and draw the battle out, turning into an extended conflict that would take quite a while to resolve.
If defeating them was his only objective, this would actually be the best decision. After all, even if his ambush only injured or killed a few of them, that alone would make the battle much easier.
Unfortunately, this battle was a race against time. He needed to take down these warriors as quickly as possible in order to rescue Myla Hannis and prevent her death. He couldn't afford to waste time.
Thus, in lieu of a surprise barrage, Micheal opted to cover as much ground as possible before being discovered, knowing his combat experience would truly shine at close quarters.
All these thoughts and more raced through Micheal’s head as he activated his Temporal Bubble Ability, causing his descent to speed up. He had jumped by leaning over the edge of the roof, diving forward rapidly to make this movement even quicker.
Thus, it took him only a couple of seconds to hit the ground, a mere dozen or so meters away from the nearest warrior.
It was a man with the Blue Tailed Monkey Type. He stood a head taller than the average human in his transformed state, the metal armor he wore stretching to cover his body. In his hands were a pair of general broadswords that gleamed slightly, despite the clouded sky above.
It took only a split second for all 11 people present to register Micheal’s presence. Almost as one, 11 heads snapped to stare at him.
Micheal took full advantage of that split second as he immediately sent his 10 titanium threads forward, keeping them low to the ground instead of splaying them through the air, avoiding giving his enemy even an extra half-second to react.
The earth was ripped apart, shards of stone, puddles of water, and blades of grass sent flying as his threads laid waste to all in their path. Micheal's abrupt attack came with the element of surprise and was blurringly fast, but was also very difficult to control due to the little time he had to launch it. No one but a Grandmaster would be able to maintain it, especially while sprinting forward.
Glowing red Sword Energy continued to pulsate up and down the threads, preventing them from losing any speed as they sliced through the air and ground like a relentless wave of death.
Thanks to this, the target of Micheal’s attack had no feasible way to block the blow.
Instead of trying to dodge the attack or raise his weapons to shield himself, however, the warrior simply looked at the incoming metal threads and then shrugged.
Less than a heartbeat later…
The warrior’s body transformed into a blur as he abruptly flew backwards around 5 meters. This movement looked incredibly unnatural, as if a rope had been looped around him and jerked him away, out of nowhere.
This extra 5 meters might seem insignificant, but it gave the warrior just enough space to backflip through the air, his lean build letting him leap all the way back to the rooftop of the warehouse behind him.
‘Damn. He has Fast Retreat.’ Micheal frowned.
The Fast Retreat Ability was a power that cost 155,400 Points in the Shop.
It did exactly what the name implied, an Ability that allowed its user to fall back quickly. It was never a popular Ability — most people preferred ones that boosted their combat potential or modified their Stats in a more direct way — but it was one Micheal had seen from time to time. While it put a decent amount of strain on one’s Soul, it was also an excellent positional Ability in a pinch.
Micheal had already committed himself to the attack, so he followed through with it anyway, despite the lack of a direct target.
He jerked his hands to the right as he twisted the metal threads, slicing them towards the front of the warehouse where a trio of Great Ape users were standing, wielding large, stone war hammers in their hands.
In the background, Micheal could sense the 11 fighters preparing to attack back.
There were three White Tailed Spring Monkey users on the roof that had brought out a string of long-ranged weapons, from an energy-based assault rifle to a familiar-looking set of throwing stars to even a pair of metal javelins.
Two other Blue Tailed Monkey users that were on the ground began to charge towards Micheal from his left, each of them wielding two large broadswords, like the first warrior Micheal had targeted. That particular fighter was still flying through the air towards the roof of the warehouse.
As for the last two Great Ape users, the ones that had been speed-boosted by the Celestial Silverback…
The moment they noticed Micheal’s attack, both of them had jumped up into the air and were hurtling towards Micheal right now, wielding a long spear each.
Micheal diverted the threads on his left hand, sending them upwards towards the duo that were flying towards him. He kept the ones on his right hand cutting forward towards the hammer-wielding warriors on the ground, maintaining his line of attack. In the same m
ovement, one of his fingers lightly tapped on his Spatial Ring.
These three particular Great Ape users were standing right next to one of the metal Artifacts that was maintaining the signal-blocking bubble that was preventing the Farians from calling for help. If they stepped away, Micheal’s attack would obliterate the Artifact and likely destroy the bubble, ruining their plan. Because of that, the Great Ape users were forced to take his attack without dodging.
One last second passed.
His attack landed.
The five metal threads from his right Silk Strider Glove slammed into the three grounded Great Ape users with the relentless fury of a Grandmaster.
All three of them, in an attempt to stave off the attack, had held their stone war hammers out in front of them, one up high and one down low. Each of these hammers was covered with a layer of red, Advanced Tier Hammer Energy, bolstering their power.
A colossal ‘crack!’ echoed out as the warriors were slammed backwards, forced to take a step back due to the sheer power Micheal’s threads had built up as they whipped forward. The ground beneath the defenders shattered, bits of dirt and stone scattering.
However, instead of letting the metal threads wrap around them and rip into them, the trio used their war hammers to knock into each thread and smash downwards.
The collision of Hammer Energy and Sword Energy exploded into a colorful display of light as the three Great Ape users successfully redirected the attack. The metal threads were all slammed into the earth, effectively neutralizing Micheal’s attack.
Meanwhile, in the air above, the two speed-enhanced warriors collided with the titanium threads Micheal had sent into the air.
The duo wielded their long spears in an almost delicate manner, very at odds with how Hammer Energy was traditionally used, as they knocked against each metal thread Micheal had sent up with precision.
Each of these warriors was putting their full, undivided attention into their spear attack, while Micheal was forced to split his attention ten ways, using his Sword Energy to help guide each of the titanium threads as best he could.
As a result, the two Great Ape users were able to adeptly deflect two of the metal threads, sending them flying out of range.
As for the remaining three…
Their spears directly blasted into the threads with the full force of an enhanced Great Ape, Peak Earth Tier Ki Cultivation, Advanced Tier Hammer Energy-blow.
And, for the first time since Micheal had brought out the weapon, the main weakness of his metal threads was finally revealed.
When his titanium strings met that blow, they snapped like they were twigs.
His metal threads were extremely strong and potent, able to conduct Sword Energy in ways that usually only Master Tier Sword Energy could be used in. Their high range was their best quality, as was their adaptability and sheer surprise factor.
Very, very few enemies had any experience dealing with a weapon like this. Even basic defense could be a challenge if you hadn’t fought someone using metal threads before.
However, this weapon was not invincible, and there was a good reason Micheal progressed through the later Layers using a sword, not metal threads.
In any type of extended conflict, the durability of his threads could not compare to that of a real sword. Even if the threads were made from the same material as his sword, even if they were made from a stronger and more durable substance, they simply could not compare to the endurance of an actual blade.
Thus far, Micheal’s battles had all been short skirmishes or lightning-fast ambushes. He never gave his opponent time to think, let alone time to try to wear down his weapons or do much to directly confront them.
Now, however, facing a coordinated assault of eleven highly skilled elites, some boosted to be even more difficult to handle, Micheal had to adapt.
The two speed-boosted Great Ape warriors successfully broke through his guard, blasting past his defensive threads like they were nothing. They smashed down on the ground hard, cracking the earth as they landed and sending up a spray of water.
However, Micheal’s frenzied charge had caught them by surprise. He had sprinted forward with absolutely zero regard for the two Great Ape users, leaving his back entirely open and undefended. As a result, Micheal was already several meters away the moment the two warriors touched down.
The warriors’ eyes narrowed as they saw this, a hint of ridicule appearing in their gaze. In unison, the two warriors crouched down while lofting their spears upward, preparing to dash forward and impale Micheal. Their movements were smooth and well-practiced, without a hint of an opening.
And it was at this moment that the two elites noticed three round, metallic objects lying on the ground roughly half a meter in front of them.
Micheal smiled.
Three rippling explosions shook the air as the trio of Gnomish Explosive Bombs that Micheal had dropped exploded, activated with a simple thought.
Gnomish Explosive Bombs cost 6,000 Points and were linked to the soul of the person that controlled them, so long as you had touched them within the past 30 seconds. They carried a hefty amount of eruptive force that was relatively cost-effective, at least compared to the small number of other explosives that could be purchased in the Shop.
They were also the same explosives that Pirate Lord Brandon of the Black Flag Pirates had tried to use in a last-resort suicide attack, back when Micheal was in the Stardust Cluster of the First Layer.
The Blue Tailed Monkey user he had tried to cut down had genuinely been his first target. However, the real goal behind this entire attack was to find a way to take out, or injure, the two speed-boosted Great Ape users.
His initial plan had been to lure them in to rescue their ally, forcing them to launch a charging counterattack. When the two speed-boosted warriors instead decided to leap up over his attack, trying to trap Micheal in and attack him from behind, Micheal opted to lay a trap of his own.
All it took was a single tap of his Spatial Ring to pull the bombs out. He swatted them down with his right hand, in the same motion he used to lead his metal threads forward.
After that, everything else fell into place.
Micheal had never been a fan of subterfuge or sneak attacks, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him from seizing every conceivable advantage he could find in a fight like this.
The searing explosion knocked Micheal, and almost everyone else, off their feet. The three White Tailed Spring Monkey users on the rooftop managed to hold steady, their enhanced agility and flexibility letting them shake off the brunt of the explosion, but all of the other warriors stumbled unsteadily.
Micheal’s green robe was something he had purchased from the Shop, but didn’t have any special properties. It was durable, but not like a real Artifact would be, something he had chosen purposefully.
It was extremely rare to see anyone but a human wear Artifacts as armor here on the Second Layer, at least within the territory of the Divine Might Sect and the Silent Sword Sect.
The Farians lacked the means to acquire many Artifacts like that, and such tools would constrict their own Bloodline Magic and wings. The Byrens, on the other hand, put an irrational amount of importance in the concept of honor and certain principles of battle. Wearing powerful armor was seen as something shameful to do.
A warrior as skilled as Micheal, using unorthodox Martial Arts, attacking the Beasts of Providence when they were attacking not humanity, but the Farians…
What else could he be but a Byren?
A Gemless Byren, one that had lost the green gem that was set in the forehead of every Byren, but a Byren nevertheless. Nothing else would make sense.
As long as he could keep any Seeds that had directly fought him from returning to Constantine, it was a near fool-proof disguise. The Vile King might be extremely intelligent, but he wasn’t omniscient.
Micheal felt a wash of heat, pain, and then numbness as his back was burned, the upper back half of his robe burning aw
ay, revealing a now-ruby-red back.
He ducked and rolled forward as the shockwave of the explosion fully hit him, doing his best to avoid any serious injuries. His back screamed in protest when it hit the ground, the numbness vanishing as he exerted it. The cool rain sizzled and helped soothe his back, but did little else.
He got back to his feet just a moment later, a sheen of sweat covering his forehead as his body tried to go into shock. He forced his way past that as he blinked, whipping his head to the right and left.
The blast had thrown him close to the warehouse and his subsequent roll had brought him even farther forward.
As a result, as soon as he got to his feet, Micheal found himself surrounded by the original trio of towering Great Ape users that he had attacked.
The fighters had been farther away from the explosion, in addition to having heavier, more stable statures compared to Micheal. Thus, they were able to recover rather quickly, despite being taken by surprise.
The four warriors stared at each other for a tense moment as time seemed to freeze. Micheal’s full, undivided attention zeroed in on the fighters, leaving him no time to check how effective his bombs had been.
Even Micheal was a bit taken aback. The blast had forced him into a more or less uncontrolled roll to avoid breaking any bones. To have landed right in the middle of the group... well, he didn’t know whether to call it good or bad luck.
Time resumed.
The Great Ape users all immediately lashed out at Micheal, massive stone war hammers, rippling with Advanced Tier Hammer Energy, crashing towards Micheal from all sides. The towering Adapted Humans left Micheal with no escape route, hitting from all angles as they went for the kill.
Micheal’s gaze was calm as he took this in, exhaling sharply.
Micheal didn’t bring out a sword, nor did he try to draw out more titanium threads, or attempt to escape.
Instead, he simply raised his hands upward, towards the avalanche of crushing attacks...
And then, a heartbeat later…
He began to dance.
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