by L. M. Kerr
The man was currently writing down notes furiously in a notepad he had brought, chewing on his unlit cigar.
"Yes, I see. If this method works, there are some Abilities that could recreate a similar effect as Miss Morgan's Fairy Eyes. There are even some Artifacts that might work, considering the low intelligence of the Morenkai." The Boss caught on to the value of Micheal's claims, treating everything he said seriously.
"What of the second method? You mentioned it could be an easier alternative." As Shigun spoke, Micheal's eyes drifted to the side slightly.
He had constantly kept his attention on Bloody Iron Arm Cain, this entire time. Whether through his peripheral vision or just by occasional glances, nothing the man did was out of Micheal's knowledge.
And, at that exact moment, Micheal saw him fiddle slightly with a watch on his wrist.
The moment he saw this, Micheal's eyes took on a cold light. He slowly began to walk forward, maintaining a warm smile as if he was going to go explain the answer to Boss Shigun's question in detail.
RUMBLE
"Huh?! What was that?!" Everyone froze, save for Micheal who continued walking. At the same time, however, he nodded.
'Here they come.'
The Black Flag Pirates were beginning their attack.
.
Chapter 64: Bomb
"The building is shaking? No, it's just waves of air from some type of large scale Ability or effect." Boss Shigun, throughout all of this, remained motionless as he made an observation. He held his cane at the ready, his eyes zeroing in on Micheal.
"You wouldn't happen to know what this is, would you, Friend Micheal?" His voice was dangerously calm.
The rumbling continued for a few more moments before eerily falling silent. Just like the Black Flag Pirates did in many of the attacks Micheal was aware of in the future, they started it off with a rather unique tactic.
They blocked off all entrances to the roof, sealing the building with a difficult to remove magical barrier, one that would last roughly 20-30 minutes.
It was now only possible to leave through the ground floor or the various, scattered lounges. It was a solid tactic that would prevent targets from easily escaping. Few humans would dare to brave the streets where the Morenkai flocked, even those of considerable strength.
'They'll be rushing downward at a steady pace, clearing each floor.' Micheal thought, his face revealing nothing.
'They don't know we're on the ground floor, not yet.'
By now, Micheal was standing only a few meters away. He had stopped walking as Shigun began to talk, staring at the Boss of the Stardust Godfather Organization Branch.
He then did something rather unexpected.
"While I'm not familiar with exactly what this is, this feels like the attacking method of the Black Flag Pirates."
He outright told the Boss what was happening.
"H-huh?!" Bloody Iron Arm Cain's eyes widened in shock when he heard this, glaring at Micheal suspiciously for a split second.
The other soldiers reacted in shock as well, a deluge of shouts echoing,
"What the hell?!"
"It's an ambush!?"
"They're traitors!"
Several of them pointed guns at Micheal and Sophia. Despite their apparent anger, none of them fired without orders. Instead, their eyes filled with wariness as they stayed on guard, proving themselves as elite, disciplined fighters.
"Hold." Shigun held his hand out, but not at the elite soldiers.
Instead, it was to stop both the Offensive and Defensive Team Leaders. Martin had pulled out an enormous black hammer from a Spatial Ring while Cain's body took on a threatening, metallic glint. Micheal snorted derisively when he saw Cain's antics.
"I don't believe you would be that stupid." Shigun continued, his eyes boring into Micheal. At the same time, he reached down and pulled out a clunky phone from his Spatial Ring and threw it to Bloody Iron Arm Cain.
"Cain. Call for backup immediately." The wisdom that led to him becoming the leader of the Stardust Branch showed through as he coordinated and prepared for the unexpected ambush.
"If this is the start of an attack by the Black Flag Pirates, how would you know? You aren't with the Black Flag Pirates. I'm certain of that." Shigun's voice brooked no room for argument. All the waiting elite soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, still aimed at Sophia and Micheal.
"You're right. I'm not with the Black Flag Pirates. If I was, I would've had Sophia use her Fairy Eyes to beguile you and your men." Micheal began, a small smile on his face.
"As to how I know this is an attack… I am a Seer." He shrugged.
"You are… a Seer?" Boss Shigun narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. Before the rumbling started, I had a vision that showed me the future." He lied shamelessly.
"What kind of excuse is that? I say we kill him, here and now." Officer Martin remained unconvinced as he barked out orders,
"Squad 1 and 2 cover the southern entrances, squads 3 and 4 the northern ones! Be ready to attack!" Martin took a dangerous step forward as he looked at Micheal, hauling his oversized hammer over his shoulder as he prepared to go on the offensive.
Immediately the guards split off into smaller groups and coordinated as they aimed at each door, staying near the center of the room. Despite the potential threat Micheal seemed to raise, they followed the orders without question.
Cain, in that period of time, had dutifully made a phone call, seemingly messaging the HQ to send for backup. Thanks to their close location, it would only take a short period of time for reinforcements to arrive if they were called in.
"I'm of the same mind as Martin, Boss. This entire situation stinks." Cain took a step forward as well, his entire body glinting as he set Shigun's phone on the ground. As a Steel Body Type user, Cain was a fearless expert when it came to close combat, a powerful B Ranker.
Shigun, in the meanwhile, stared at Micheal. The Boss's expression was still emotionless, his face impassive.
"You saw a vision, Friend Micheal, right? What did you see in it?" He queried.
"Oh, I saw quite a few interesting things. When it comes to this attack, however…" A small smile appeared on Micheal's face,
"I think your Defensive Team Leader Cain has much more to share about it than I could."
"Huh?" Cain's eyes widened for a split second before he donned an outraged appearance. A split second of panic appeared and then vanished instantly, as if it had never been.
"That's ridiculous! He's trying to split us apart while we are being attacked! Do not let him tear us apart." Cain's eyes went red as he jumped forward, aiming to kill Micheal instantly. A flicker of rage crossed his face, appearing to be righteous anger at being falsely accused.
"Sophia!" Micheal called out as he saw the incoming attack, raising a hand.
In a split second, a pink aura spread as the temperature dropped several degrees.
Cain stumbled down to one knee, clutching at his head as Sophia's Fairy Eyes hit him. His mind was stunned in a mire of confusion as he tried to shake off the powerful Ability, forcibly repressing it.
Cain's mental defenses were well above the average thanks to his long time here. He had the Strong Defense Ability, a power that cost 40,000 Points and enhanced the defensive prowess of its user, including their defense against mental or soul-based attacks.
As a result, Sophia's attack only took him down for a few seconds. Still, that was more than enough time for Micheal to dodge him, sidestepping. Cain's metallic body tumbled down and fell to the floor, clanging against the solid ground.
"Woah!" Officer Martin looked between Micheal and Cain, his oversized hammer held aloft. He didn't attack, however, instead looking to Boss Shigun for orders.
"What are you trying to say, Friend Micheal?" Boss Shigun's eyes had never left Micheal, remaining in the exact same spot as he had before.
"Let's put it this way…" Micheal nodded at the still stunned figure of Cain,
"Why don't you ask him what happened to Jasmine, the former Scouting Team Leader?" He began,
"Or how about Gabriel, the former Internal Team Leader?" He waved his hand at the downed warrior.
"They both died under rather suspicious circumstances, where only Cain was there as a witness, right?"
Micheal's voice cut through the air like a knife.
While he didn't have any clear memories of all the drama and betrayal that had happened here, he already knew who the traitor in the Stardust Branch of the Godfather Organization was. Using that, he was able to work backwards and find several strings of suspicious incidents after doing some intelligence gathering, all relating to Cain.
It seemed clear his betrayal of the Godfather Organization had happened many weeks ago, well in advance.
"If I recall, Cain seemed quite eager to convince you that this expedition would be a good idea." Micheal continued.
When Micheal had talked to Shigun, planning the future expedition if things went well with the Dragon Building Liquid, it had been Cain that stepped forward, agreeing to the plan. Cain had urged everything onward, helping to convince Martin and Shigun that it was a good idea.
"In the vision I saw… I saw Officer Cain betray you in the middle of a dangerous fight, stabbing you in the chest." Micheal finished with one last remark,
"I bet if you check that phone, he won't even have contacted your HQ for reinforcements."
Cain had just finished recovering and was getting back to his feet when he heard all of this. His face began to twitch as the words echoed in his ears, as if he was unable to control himself.
"Bullshit!" The man clenched his fists, gathering his bearings as he yelled out, his eyes almost popping,
"This is clearly an attempt to divide us so that our attackers have the advantage. Why would I ever want to betray the Family? There is nothing I would gain!" Cain's words had a certain amount of logic in them. There wasn't that much to gain by betraying the Godfather Organization. If it wasn't for the shocked look Micheal had seen on the man's face for a split second, he might've almost seemed believable.
'Well, not much to gain if you have morals, anyway.' Micheal noted.
At that exact moment, as everything grew incredibly tense, a couple of shouts echoed out from the stairwell off to the side.
"All clear on the 4th! Moving down!"
"There's noise from the first floor!"
"Move, move!"
There were four separate stairwells that led to the ground floor of the skyscraper they were in. Each one was dimly lit and rather small, with tight close quarters that didn't allow for a large amount of maneuvering, one of the reasons Micheal had picked this skyscraper out ahead of time.
A few other echoed shouts followed, echoing from the other stairwells, as the forces of the Black Flag Pirates made their arrival very loud and clear, not bothering to be stealthy. Their method of locking down a building drew a large amount of attention, nullifying any further surprises they might hold.
"They're here! We can't waste time with this fool anymore!" Cain's voice was harried as he made a jerking motion at Micheal. He didn't advance forward, however, his eyes focused on the Godfather Boss. Cain seemed to be on edge, his body tense.
The fact that Shigun hadn't taken action in all of this time was a sign in and of itself that Micheal's words had an impact.
"Don't tell me you believe this fool! At the very least, save it till after we fight off this attack!" Cain exclaimed, his voice exasperated, the very picture of an innocent man.
Shigun stared on, a frown on his face.
"Well, I do have one last thing to add." Micheal began, giving Cain a cheerful smile and receiving a murderous glare in return.
"I told you I saw a vision before the building rumbled… I actually saw that vision quite a bit before the building rumbled." His eyes flashed,
"So it's not wrong to say I was aware of at least something happening here. I'm guilty of that, though I wasn't sure on the specifics." As his words echoed, the frown on Shigun's face deepened. At the same time, Micheal slowly moved his hand over to his Spatial Ring, bringing out a small, grey metal remote.
The most annoying risk Micheal faced wasn't from the super powerful leaders on each team. After all, there was only a very small number of them, and they were likely to be distracted by the elite forces of the Stardust Godfather Organization Branch.
Rather, it was the lower level fighters. A stray bullet could easily kill Micheal in a single shot. He might be superhuman, but he was very far from invincible.
Knowing that the Black Flag Pirates and a horde of subordinates would be coming after them…
Well, it would've been downright rude of him to not have prepared a welcome gift.
"As a sign of my sincerity, I set up a few countermeasures to handle whatever or whoever tried to stop this meeting."
He held the metal clicker up for them to see.
And then immediately tapped on it.
click
"…"
Golden Bell Leaves, Flash Powder, Burn Flurry Crystals.
Each one was a unique ingredient that could be purchased from the Artifacts section of the Holy Shop. They had a variety of uses, from alchemical conceptions that could enhance one's strength to power sources for certain types of energy weapons, to chemical ingredients that could enhance the power of certain potions.
Micheal had obtained substantial amounts of each of these ingredients, back at the Open Market.
In the future, it would be discovered that these three separate ingredients, when combined with certain amounts of water and sealed inside a box that doesn't allow any light in…
They would become extremely volatile.
Right now, in each of the four stairwells, a box could be seen attached to the bottom of the section of stairs that led down from the third floor. This box was heavily taped on and blended into the stairs overhead. If one wasn't looking for it, it would be easily overlooked.
At the base of each box, a tiny red device could be seen. A Remote Lighter, purchasable from the Shop for only a few hundred Points.
Dozens of figures were currently moving down the stairs. Men and women dressed in fatigues, some in body armor, all wielding guns. Some of them were Vampires while others had the telltale grey hair of werewolves. All of them, however, were charging downward fearlessly.
The noise they had made down here had drawn their ambushers to conclude they were on the first floor.
When Micheal tapped on the clicker he was holding, the lighter on all 4 of these boxes abruptly lit, instantly lighting the box on fire.
"…"
BOOOOOOOOOM
WHOOOOOOSH
The instant this happened, a gargantuan explosion echoed as a wave of molten fire and air blasted up and down in each of the four stairwells, incinerating almost everyone in them. The cramped, close quarters greatly enhanced the power of the blast, acting as a tunnel that trapped the flames and reflected them back and forth, over and over.
No screams of agony or horror managed to escape the stairwell as the explosion blasted out, shaking the air and setting the building to rumbling.
In a single, frantic moment, before he had even spotted an enemy, Micheal wiped out a bit more than 80% of the attackers.
.
—- Points Obtained —-
Points: 41,928
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Chapter 65: React
'42,000 Points? It's smaller than I thought I'd get. Did they bring fewer men than in the first timeline?' The thought flashed through his mind in an instant.
The explosion took almost everyone by surprise.
The combination of ingredients that Micheal had concocted was known to some as Concentrated Burn Liquid, a well-known concoction that he'd made quite a few times in his original timeline, for situations where brute strength wouldn't suffice and a little heat could prove useful.
In terms of overall explosiveness, it was one of the best explosives that could be cr
eated on the First Layer, and a powerful and useful explosive on later Layers. While its ingredients weren't exactly cheap, they were reliable and as long as the liquid wasn't kept exposed to heat or light, it wouldn't explode on its own.
The Concentrated Burn Liquid was especially effective in enclosed places. It relied upon searing the air and setting it literally aflame. In an open area like the rooftops, its effects would fizzle out shortly after activation.
While it could set off a small chain reaction, the large amount of air would spread the liquid too thin for it to sustain itself for longer than a second or two.
In an enclosed space, however, where air couldn't easily rush in, its overall power was much higher. It had more time to fully spread, maintaining its coherency for longer. It was an excellent tool that didn't have too many negatives when used indoors.
BOOOOM
The flames didn't do much damage to the building itself, only leaving some burn marks in the stairwells. The unnaturally resilient buildings of the First Layer stayed true to their magical reputation, remaining virtually unharmed.
"Woah?!"
"What the hell!"
"Is it part of their attack?"
The guards from the Godfather Organization yelped in surprise, a few mutterings spreading out. They maintained their intense awareness, however, their gaze never straying from their assigned doors.
"This was your doing?" Shigun stared at Micheal, his eyes wide in shock. Micheal had finally managed to change his expressionless appearance.
"Yes, my sight as a Seer clued me in to their attack, but I couldn't be certain. I made some preparations ahead of time." He replied steadily, his voice projecting absolute confidence.
"What if we had men up there?! You could've killed all of us! This is insane!" Officer Cain broke in, glaring at Micheal in rebuke. He was clearly an inch from jumping to attack, but restrained himself, instead glancing at Boss Shigun.
"You didn't, though, did you?" Micheal blinked, his face giving away nothing. Internally, he rolled his eyes, seeing right through Cain's act.