Reborn: Apocalypse (A LitRPG Story)(Volume 1)

by L. M. Kerr

  Micheal's left leg broke in 8 spots and his right leg broke in 9. His lower body, including hips, femur, and parts of his spine all cracked or bruised, his low Endurance notwithstanding. A wave of pain washed over him as he was rammed by the bear, pain that he forcibly ignored.

  His body was hurled into the ground like a ragdoll, bouncing back into air. He slammed down and skidded off till he was around 5 meters away from Jason, somewhat close to the recovering form of Lord Byron. Micheal came to a rather abrupt halt here, somehow managing to stop himself.

  "GROWWWLLLL?!" A confused and agonized growl echoed in the air as Micheal looked up, maintaining his consciousness.

  Ravager Jason's bear form stood in the middle of the room, the hilts of two swords planted firmly between each shoulder and his head. Blood dripped down from the blades, each one a deadly wound in their own right.

  When Jason charged at Micheal, the brown barrier that protected the man thanks to his shielding Artifact had shifted its focus. Instead of covering his whole body, it covered his head in a denser glow.

  Right before he slammed into Micheal, the barrier had shifted again as the warrior saw where Micheal's blades were pointed. It moved to cover the front of his shoulders, protecting them.

  Micheal's abrupt jerk and repositioning of his swords had circumvented that, slipping them under the barrier and cutting deep into Jason's flesh.

  "GROWWLL!" The Ravager took a stumbling step forward, coughing up blood. The wounds that Micheal had delivered were serious but not fatal for a creature of its size. Its body shook as it tried to drive the swords out.

  As Micheal saw this, he slowly raised his right hand. He'd slightly torn several muscles and some ligaments, enough to make the movement shaky but not impossible.

  He smiled grimly.

  'Twirl around and come back.'

  The two swords quivered.

  Ravager Jason's huge bear form shook for a brief moment.

  A second later, an explosion of blood and gore stained the air as Micheal's two blades flew out from Ravager Jason's wounds, sailing across the ground floor to clang on the ground near him. The huge bear form immediately collapsed to the ground, the light going out of its eyes.

  Right behind those two swords, two dimly glowing blue orbs emerged, covered in blood.

  .

  —-Points Obtained—-

  Points: 4,108

  .

  In the instant that he had stabbed the Arkian Bear, Micheal had thrown two Life Orbs, soaring out from his hands. They had shot forward under the cover of his swords, hiding beneath the metal blades. When his swords stabbed into the bear, the Orbs slid in with them.

  Micheal had found, through experimentation, that it was possible to coat his Life Orbs with a thin layer of Sword Energy. While this layer wasn't comparable to what he could coat his swords with, and could only last a few seconds, it was enough to cause serious damage.

  When the Life Orbs got inside the large form of the Arkian Bear, the rest had been child's play. While the outside of the bear was tough and durable, and it would be realistically impossible to pierce through it with his Life Orbs, its insides were far more vulnerable…

  Micheal literally ripped the bear apart from the inside out, killing the Full Transformation User in one shot.

  "Nicely done, lad!" Officer Martin finally noticed the impact Micheal had had, killing both Silent Viper and Ravager Jason. The warrior cheered him on as he faced off against Cain, entering a stalemate. Despite not having a type, Martin focused on Endurance and Strength, just like Cain. He would be able to hold on for a few more minutes without problem.

  "Keep it up! Reinforcements will be here shortly!" The few remaining guards from the Godfather Organization focused their efforts on aiding Martin, bearing bullets and blades as they attacked Cain.

  "Sophia, help Martin when you can, I need a second to recover! Watch out for the Morenkai!" Micheal's legs were broken, preventing him from standing. He made no moves to use up a Life Orb, however, sitting as if waiting for something.

  By now, a good dozen Morenkai were rushing towards all of the combatants, drawn by all the noise. Sophia had recovered enough that she could control a pair that were running at her, turning them into bodyguards.

  BOOM

  Pirate Lord Brandon and Boss Shigun were still fighting, trading explosive blow after blow with each other, cane and axe colliding loudly. They casually killed several Morenkai on accident, their duel not one that just anyone could step into.

  "You bastard!"

  Pirate Lord Byron had finally recovered enough to stand, an Artifact on his wrist glowing as a few bullets fell to the ground. A few of the guards from the Godfather Organization had taken shots at him when he was stunned, trying to take him out to no avail.

  When the Pirate Lord saw what Micheal had done, the man was enraged. A faint, wavering yellow glow surrounded the man as he charged at Micheal, his fists trembling. While the glow wasn't as powerful as before, his Mana Body still unstable, it was more than enough to make him a dangerous threat.

  Micheal shifted his body so he could see the Pirate Lord. It took Byron only a single second to reach him, his eyes blazing ferociously.

  The Pirate Lord didn't hesitate at all, immediately punching directly down at Micheal's face. Micheal was in no condition to dodge, his ruined legs preventing even a slide or duck backwards.

  Still, he managed to dodge anyway, ignoring logic.

  His entire body shifted to the left and forward as he commanded his two returning Life Orbs to knock into him. The impact threw him into Pirate Lord Byron as if he had launched forward without using his legs or arms, something that looked incredibly unnatural.

  The launch caught Byron off guard, but the man didn't let up, confident in his Abilities. He simply lowered his shoulder and rammed it into Micheal's chest, shattering several of his ribs. Even without his Mana Body, Byron's physical stats placed him at more than twice as strong as Micheal.

  Micheal didn't try to absorb the impact, focused on minimizing the blow instead so that he didn't die outright. And thanks to that, despite crushing a dozen of his ribs and collapsing both of his lungs, the blow didn't kill Micheal.

  As a result, Micheal's right hand flopped forward and just lightly tapped the powerful A Ranker on the neck.

  A bloody rictus of a smile appeared on Micheal's face.

  'Impact Release!'

  His mind focused on the blow he had absorbed from Ravager Jason. A multiple tons, massive Arkian Bear that had rammed into him with maximum force.

  Cool energy fluctuated in Micheal's soul as his Ability activated. The energy he had stored from that blow seemed to shiver.

  A moment later, that energy rushed forward from his hand, forming an exact equal to the blow Micheal had taken from the Arkian Bear. A gargantuan, multi-ton blow concentrated right on the neck of Pirate Lord Byron.

  CRACK

  There was no suspense.

  Getting hit by a bear of that size was like getting rammed by a car. Even for a superhuman of Byron's stature, taking a car-sized impact to the neck while his Mana Body was unstable meant almost certain death. Whatever Artifacts he had, whatever Abilities he had, all of them failed to hold up.

  The Pirate Lord's neck snapped like a twig.

  .

  —-Points Obtained—-

  Points: 10,208

  .

  Micheal's body tumbled onto the ground, his heart palpitating as it failed. The last thought he had was a cheerful one.

  'That went well.'

  Everything faded to black.

  Micheal died.

  WHOOSH

  crack

  One of his Life Orbs shattered, leaving him with two Life Orbs remaining. Warm, comfortable energy serenaded Micheal's soul, writhing.

  Micheal came back to life.

  He blinked as he came to, his nice suit ragged and covered in holes, but his body hale and hearty. Exhaustion tugged at him, something he pushed to the side
as he looked up, his eyes focusing in on the duel between Pirate Lord Brandon and Boss Shigun.

  'Let's finish this.'

  .

  Chapter 70: Finale

  It took Micheal a few seconds to take in his surroundings as he came back to life. His emotions were swept up with wonder and awe for a brief moment.

  It was incredibly difficult to put himself in situations where he knew he was going to die. If this had been his old body with his old Abilities, he would've been many times more cautious.

  If his Ability didn't work or was neutralized somehow without his knowledge, his next death would be his last, and he wouldn't even know. It was vaguely terrifying, even for him, a veteran of the 7 Layers.

  He didn't fear death. He only feared that he would fail to change the future, and leave humanity doomed.

  He looked to his left and right, taking in the situation.

  Bloody Iron Arm Cain was being forced back. The remaining elite guards of the Godfather Organization and Officer Martin were all piling onto him, making it impossible for him to act.

  Sophia, meanwhile, had formed a cadre of Morenkai that were guarding her as she ran towards him.

  "Micheal! Behind you!" She waved at him, her voice full of urgency.

  Micheal instinctively ducked and rolled.

  WHOOSH

  Not a moment later, the black arm of a Morenkai smashed right where he had been standing.

  Behind him, four Morenkai were moving to attack, with more of the shambling creatures stepping in from the doors. They probably had around a minute till more than 30 Morenkai poured in, and even more after.

  With a silent flick of his wrist, Micheal sent two Life Orb soaring forward.

  THUD

  THUD

  The Orbs smacked into the two closest Morenkai, sending them flying back. He winced slightly at the impact, feeling a tiny sensation of strain.

  'My soul is getting stressed.' His Soul stat was still average. It was notoriously hard to increase the Soul stat, especially on the First Layer. He had a few ideas on how to get around that, but all of them would take time.

  With that thought in mind, Micheal ran directly at the Morenkai. He slid slightly on the ground as he moved, picking up the two White Steel Swords.

  SHKK

  SHKK

  In a smooth, graceful motion, Micheal leapt into the air and brought his swords across in a full slash. His arms were merely a blur as he simultaneously beheaded both Morenkai, acidic black blood spattering behind him.

  .

  —-Points Obtained—-

  Points: 9

  .

  —-Points Obtained—-

  Points: 11

  .

  "We're good!" He gave Sophia a reassuring thumbs up.

  He then turned his focus back to the last important place he was needed.

  The battle between Lord Brandon and Boss Shigun.

  "Hahaha! Look at that, Brandon!" Boss Shigun's voice echoed as he slid backwards, one of Pirate Lord Brandon's blows sending him back a few steps. Shigun's movements were tired, the blood loss and injuries he'd taken showing their toll.

  "Your fellow Pirate Lord is dead!" Shigun's voice was full of shameless glee as his eyes darted to the side.

  "You- you- Byron is dead?!" Brandon's voice was harried and shocked, horror filling it as he glanced to the side, seeing Byron's corpse. His eyes were rage-filled as he looked at it and then Micheal who was still near it.

  Internally, Shigun felt just as surprised.

  'How on earth did that brat manage to kill Byron?! And he also killed Ravager Jason and the Silent Viper?!' Pure, unadulterated shock filled him when he looked at the mysterious Irregular. He was filled with a sense of newfound respect, his inability to understand the Irregular solidifying his opinion. This was definitely someone to try and recruit as an ally, not rebuke.

  'Is he even truly an Irregular?' He even slightly doubted the intel he received despite being confident it was accurate.

  "Hahaha, yes Byron is! You have no chance of succeeding now! Reinforcements will be here in less than 2 minutes!" Shigun's graceful demeanor was nowhere to be seen as he pounded his chest.

  "That's what you murdering freaks get! Hahaha!" Shigun's voice was rather unfitting of a 'Godfather Boss,' not that it bothered Micheal.

  BOOM

  A bolt of lightning shot out from Shigun's Thunderbar Cane, slamming into Brandon, taking advantage of his distraction. The energy zapped through the Pirate Lord's armor, shocking the man.

  Brandon's condition wasn't much better than Shigun's. Despite his powerful armor due to his Type, he had taken several injuries in the battle with the Godfather Organization Branch Boss.

  "Arrrgh!" Shigun rained down half a dozen blows with his cane before Brandon managed to ward him off using his Returner Axe.

  "Damn it!" With only a single arm and most of his team dead, Brandon's eyes grew bloodshot as he glared at the Red Titan form of Shigun.

  "Fuck!" He cursed out loud, stamping his foot down hard as he casually bashed in the skull of a Morenkai that had charged at him. Blood dripped down his armored arm, down onto the handle of his Returner Axe as he breathed heavily.

  "It's over, Brandon. Accept your death." Shigun stalked forward.

  Micheal, in the meanwhile, had finished taking care of the remaining Morenkai that were near him. He waved Sophia off, yelling at her,

  "Protect yourself and get to the stairwell!" He pointed at one specific doorway off to the side. Martin and his men could deal with the traitor Cain and any Morenkai that came their way, at this point Sophia's impact on the battle was settled.

  Her Fairy Eyes were useful, but Micheal doubted that Brandon went into a battle with them for a second time without having some sort of protective Artifact to lessen its effects. More importantly, she wouldn't be able to protect herself from Morenkai if she was using the Ability on Brandon. The Demon Fairy of the future could, but Sophia wasn't at that level yet.

  "Alright!" Sophia nodded fiercely. Her entire body was shaking with adrenaline as everything unfolded around her, her knife clutched in her hand. She moved to follow Micheal's plan, ordering her Morenkai to follow.

  Micheal turned his full focus onto Pirate Lord Brandon. He began to jog towards the man, clutching his two blades tightly.

  "This… this is impossible! How could it end up like this?" Brandon was still arguing with Shigun. The fight between the two had stalled briefly as they talked, Brandon in despair while Shigun was relishing the victory and waiting for reinforcements.

  "It is because you foolishly overestimated your strength." Shigun replied. As he spoke, he tapped on a Spatial Ring, pulling out a glowing white pill. It was a Mid-Tier Healing Pill, one of the best Healing Pills that could be bought from the Shop in the First Layer. It cost 8,000 Points, a full 100 times more expensive than a Low-Tier Healing Pill.

  'A wounded animal is more ferocious than a healthy one, especially if backed into a corner.' Micheal nodded as he saw Shigun prepare.

  "This is your fault! You murdering bastard!" Brandon's eyes blazed as he ground his teeth, glaring at Micheal as he charged over.

  "That's a bit rich coming from you, huh?" Micheal replied as he reached them, stopping just a few meters away.

  "Arrgh! Fuck! First my arm, then all of this… How are you even alive?! You should've died back then, even if I didn't get the kill!" The Pirate Lord lost all decorum as he realized the enormity of the situation he was in, starting to rant.

  Abruptly, he began to laugh out loud, delirium seeping into his voice.

  "Hahahaha, fine, fine." Brandon casually flipped his axe into the air, his entire demeanor changing as a crazed look appeared in his eyes.

  An instant later, a short rope appeared with several round objects tied into it. Micheal's eyes widened as he realized what he was looking at.

  12 Gnomish Explosive Bombs, explosives that cost 6,000 Points each in the shop, were rolled up and secured within this rope. Gnomish E
xplosive Bombs were a step above the Close Impact Bombs or Repulser Grenades that Micheal had handled. Each one was enough to level a rooftop. 12 together… was enough to kill everyone in this room.

  'He… he stored a suicide vest in his Spatial Ring?!' Micheal stared, genuinely surprised. To even have something like this prepared…

  After a moment he realized it was likely something the Pirate Lord would force a subordinate to wear for some type of suicide attack. The reprobate likely never intended to use it himself.

  "Martin! Men! Retreat immediately! Ignore the traitor!" Boss Shigun's voice echoed as he immediately gave his order, his eyes widening. At the same time, he stood his ground calmly, not taking even a single step backwards. He stopped firing energy blasts at the Pirate Lord, clearly worried about setting the bombs off.

  'Boss Shigun is a real man at least, but also rather foolish.' Micheal observed in the split second he took to process everything. Shigun's brave actions reminded him of something Shin would do.

  "If I'm dying today, I'll take you all with me!" The Pirate Lord's voice was full of madness as he took a step forward and then broke into a mad sprint, the bombs wrapping around his chest.

  He didn't start by running towards Boss Shigun as Micheal expected. Instead, the man came right for Micheal, having lost most reason as he realized his death was likely inevitable. It seemed his hatred for Micheal superseded his hatred for Shigun.

  'Well, if he just blows himself up on me, I don't even need to- Wait! Oh no!' Micheal's heart dropped, horrified as he realized something,

  'If I let him kill himself on his own, how am I going to get his Points?!' He also would greatly prefer it if Boss Shigun and his men survived.

  "Young lad, escape while you can! I will hold him off!" Boss Shigun sprinted to try and intercept the Pirate Lord, yelling at Micheal to retreat. Shigun's movements were unsteady from blood loss, his reaction delayed.

  'Commendable.' Micheal stopped focusing his attention on Shigun as, in just a split second, Pirate Lord Brandon landed in front of him, swinging his large axe right at Micheal's head.

  'Ah! Thank goodness! He's only trying to murder me with his axe, he isn't going to kill himself directly!' He realized, a cheerful smile appearing. He could handle that.