Reborn- Apocalypse 2

by L. M. Kerr

  "W-what the h-hell." A stuttered, enraged response echoed in the air as a bedraggled, armored figure stood up.

  Vladimir's face was pale as he breathed haggardly, wielding his spear out in front of him as he glared at Micheal. The air around Vladimir took on a faint, sparkling glow, a unique Aura appearing around his body.

  Vladimir had a powerful body and was a talented warrior. Micheal recalled him having a variety of Abilities, including the Martial Body Type, a power that boosted his speed, endurance, and physical power, upping his physique across the board.

  His other main Ability was the Limited Wonder Touch Ability, for 55,000 Points. The Ability allowed him to imbue his attacks with mysterious Wonder Energy.

  This Wonder Energy transformed every attack he did, giving them special effects or attributes. It was an Ability that was extremely difficult to guard against, even more so considering his combat experience and powerful body.

  While the man could shrug off the explosive pressure that had slammed into him, he wasn't the almighty warrior that he would become in the future. Such an impact still stunned the him of now, though it couldn't hold him long.

  And, despite going down, he rose extremely quickly, preventing any direct follow-up attacks from occurring.

  "How dare you!" General Asim's irate voice echoed out as he got to his feet as well, looking considerably better off when compared to Vladimir. The man was covered in dust from the explosive blast, but otherwise appeared mostly unaffected.

  'Ah. He's got a general long-range Defensive Artifact.' Micheal instantly made the snap judgement call. The man's Artifact was able to protect him, but not nullify the effects of the explosion entirely.

  An aura of light began to burst out around Asim as he stalked forward, wielding his saber in his hand. The air around him fluttered, a rectangle of light spreading.

  Micheal instantly recognized the man's signature Limited Type Ability, the Limited Forsaken Matrix Type.

  This power boosted the power of his Soul and did little else for his other stats. What it did do was give him the Ability to emit a 'Forsaken Aura.'

  This Aura was a magically generated energy field that did something rather incredible, something that couldn't be blocked or stopped by any means.

  It inverted a target's senses.

  Down became up, left became right. One's vision became flipped as their perception of the world abruptly changed. Hearing something coming from the left actually meant it was coming from the right. Smelling something from below meant the scent originated from above.

  All senses that could be inverted were, though there seemed to be a few magical rules or exceptions to this mysterious power. Using it put a great deal of strain on one's Soul as they drew upon the latent energy of reality, and the power of their Soul, to let it function.

  "What exactly do you think you're doing?!" General Asim took the lead as he rushed towards Micheal, his entire body trembling with purpose.

  Behind him, Vladimir had recovered, moving forward cautiously on his own. He seemed to be on guard against both Micheal and Asim.

  Everyone else was still down and groaning.

  "The Church does not allow for those that murder and sin." Micheal shrugged shamelessly as he blamed everything on the Purgatory Church, an organization that, in his opinion, caused humanity nothing but grief as they developed, continuing,

  "You two have brought this upon yourselves with your evil intentions." Only the fanatics of the church would talk like this.

  Micheal didn't particularly want to become mortal enemies with either man. Both figures were destined to become very powerful in the First Layer in the future. Even with his identity newly hidden and obscured, unrelated to any of his previous ones, there was a very small chance he might be discovered.

  On the other hand, by the time either man became extremely strong, Micheal planned on being long gone. Their future potential was significant, but in history, it was limited to the First Layer. As a result, the aid they provided humanity was quite limited. The harm they did was far more damaging.

  Other ways to stop the two from fighting existed. Perhaps he could talk to them after showing off his powers or explain his old memories. He might even be able to stop them from fighting by pretending to be an irate Emissary.

  However, none of those methods were guaranteed to prevent either side from holding a grudge or forming a seed of hatred that would go on to develop horrifying consequences. His memories of the future were already diverging and the strength he held wasn't as powerful as he led people to believe. He couldn't be absolutely certain.

  As a result… Micheal was not willing to take risks when it came to the stability of the First Layer, something that would be extremely important for humanity's development.

  By becoming a 'villain' in their eyes and forcing them to work together… Micheal was confident he could change that. Maybe the two would become close allies and move up in the Layers, becoming pillars of humanity.

  All of that depended on if he could actually survive and hold off two future S Rankers that both possessed natural combat prowess and extremely deadly Abilities, however.

  Micheal's hands flickered as he abruptly reached for the sniper rifle that was tucked on his back.

  Then, in one smooth and well-practiced motion, he whipped the gun around.

  Micheal fired 3 shots in quick succession. His rifle condensed energy from the air in less than a 10th of a second, allowing him to fire off the bullets with ease.

  Each bullet slammed into a glowing blue shield that floated in front of General Asim's person. The first bullet stopped him in his tracks, the second one sent him sliding backwards, and the third one knocked him off his feet, forcing him to stamp his foot on the ground after flipping back, forcibly halting his progress.

  Vladimir watched all of this, his eyes cold as he took a few tentative steps forward. He held his spear out carefully in front of him, his full attention on Micheal, though he didn't make any big movements or attacks.

  Micheal frowned when he saw this,

  'No, no, no. If I'm going to be the villain, you better work just as hard to be the hero.'

  Micheal's body jerked to the side as he sidestepped, jumping 6 meters forward and to his right in one abrupt motion. He used his Cloud Stepping Shoes to help guide the movement, moving unnervingly quickly to any onlookers.

  In a split second, he arrived right next to one of the downed members of the Dragon Slayer Guild.

  "What do you-"

  "Arrrrgh!"

  'Sorry!'

  Micheal sent the downed warrior a silent apology as he shot the man in the leg.

  He carefully guided the shot, making it look casual and random, while avoiding any major arteries, veins, or bones.

  Blood spurted out of the man's leg. The warrior had been wearing a set of black leather armor, with a large sword wielded in his hands. Micheal's special bullet had pierced through that in a heartbeat, rocketing into the man.

  Vladimir leapt at Micheal, his eyes flashing with red light as he jumped to his teammate's rescue. Colorful energy fluttered around the man as he charged, his spear piercing forward mercilessly.

  "Die!" The Wonder King's yell was terse as he raced forward to attack, holding back nothing.

  In that same moment, General Asim had recovered from being knocked backwards by Micheal's bullets. The warrior was sprinting towards Micheal as well, this time with his saber out and forward, ready to try and deflect any stray shots.

  As Micheal saw the two powerful, future S Rankers charging at him angrily, his heart jumped off beat slightly.

  He was facing up against two foes that had been legends of the First Layer in his past life. He had a ton of experience, but these two didn't become S Rankers for no reason. Even with their sub-optimal Abilitiy choices, they would've become hugely powerful warriors if they had continued climbing the Layers.

  The sniper rifle he wore vanished from his hands as he stored it in his Spatial Ring.


  A moment later, two plain, but gleaming black axes, appeared in his hands, rippling with near-invisible Sword Energy.

  Obsidian Axes, a weapon that cost 4,000 Points each in the shop. Sword Energy could be used on other weapons, albeit with a somewhat lessened efficiency. Each one of these axes was sturdy enough to last for a single extended fight, even if he used Advanced Tier Sword Energy.

  He smacked the two axes together, his eyes gleaming with energy.

  'Let's finish this.'

  .

  Chapter 38

  The Wonder King Vladimir reached Micheal first.

  The man wielded his long spear with precision as he landed in front of Micheal and thrust it forward. His movements spoke of long practice and skill, something he must've carried with him from before he arrived in the First Layer.

  As he thrust it, his leg stamped hard on the ground, propelling himself with the maximum amount of force he could muster.

  'Oh, come on! His body is already on par with some A Rankers! How is that fair?!' The first thing Micheal noticed was the man's physical strength and speed. He groaned when he observed this, cursing all S Rankers, future and past.

  Unlike Micheal, the Wonder King didn't limit himself in Ability choice, and instead went for all the most powerful Abilities he was able to afford on the First Layer, including a Type Ability. While these Ability choices were sub-optimal in the grand scheme of things, on the First Layer, they were some of the best available. Thankfully, the man hadn't had too much time to gather Points or experience yet, and still lacked some of his future, signature powers.

  From the historical records Micheal had read, both the Wonder King and General Asim had started their journey by wiping out most of the criminals and gangs in their respective Clusters, vastly boosting their Points early on and letting them purchase a slew of powers. While it wasn't enough to boost them all the way to their legendary status, it was enough to power them up significantly.

  Even if one didn't buy the most optimal Abilities, it didn't mean it was impossible to become powerful. Micheal's original Ability choices had been extremely sub-optimal, yet he still managed to become a member of the top 50,000 humans in existence at the time, though largely because of his fanatic obsession with training his Sword Mastery.

  When the man struck out, the Wonder King's attack speed was considerable. The spear pierced through the air, aimed directly at Micheal's chest with exacting skill.

  Micheal's right arm drew up as he brought his first Obsidian Axe to intercept the head of the man's spear. While his raw speed and strength weren't on par with the Wonder King's, his attack speed was roughly equal, or even slightly superior, thanks to his years of experience and training.

  The axe and spear clashed loudly, the metal shrieking as the majority of force from the blow was redirected. Micheal sent the man's spear off to the right, cutting through the air.

  At the same time, white light flashed and an odd, unsettling sensation fell upon his shoulders. For a brief, split second, his mind felt incredibly thick and clouded.

  Micheal's Aura Nullification Necklace flashed dimly beneath his robe.

  The unsettling sensation and clouding of his mind immediately stopped and vanished.

  The deflected attack sent Vladimir barreling forward. The warrior hadn't expected Micheal to be able to skillfully deflect and redirect the force behind his blow in the tiny moment Micheal had to react to it.

  However, despite tumbling forward, the Wonder King lowered his shoulder and turned it into a body slam, aiming at Micheal's side. He made the attack all in one motion, perfectly transitioning to a strike.

  If Micheal had been affected by the man's Ability that slowed his mind, the attack might have worked.

  Unfortunately for the man, Micheal had come in prepared.

  Micheal's right knuckle tapped on the man's left shoulder.

  'Impact Release: Monster Truck.' He released one of the three stored impacts he'd prepared.

  For a single, frantic moment, Vladimir seemed to stand absolutely still.

  The next, the man's body was rocketed backwards as a huge impact slammed into him, sending him flying. He veritably flew across the roof, soaring through the air until he slammed into the shed that opened up into the bowels of the skyscraper with a resounding thunk.

  The man somehow managed to keep a grip on his spear, one that loosened as he bounced off the wall of the shed and fell to the ground where he lay still, in a collapsed mess.

  Micheal spun to his left as he finished sending the Wonder King flying, his eyes flicked to the side as he zeroed in on the Arabian General Asim.

  Asim had rushed forward as soon as he recovered from sliding backwards. Micheal's exchange with Vladimir had been brief, but just long enough for Asim to have covered half the distance between Micheal and himself.

  Micheal snorted when he saw this, his eyes watching the white Aura that surrounded the man, knowing he needed to avoid it at all costs.

  The muscles in Micheal's left arm bulged as he raised his Obsidian axe into the air…

  And then chucked it at the charging fighter with all his might.

  The Arabian General had been in the process of raising his saber, prepared to block Micheal's attack when it came down. After seeing the blow that Vladimir had suffered, the man had assumed Micheal would come in for close combat.

  After all, this was the first time either of them had met or should have heard of each other, and Asim had met very few people that knew of or would recognize his unique Ability.

  However… given the Arabian General's extremely powerful Ability, one that Micheal wasn't confident his Aura Nullification Necklace would block, agreeing to fight him at close range would be suicidal.

  Asim's Ability didn't make him invincible, but Micheal had read it was extremely hard to adjust to. It was part of what made him so dangerous as an S Ranker.

  His Ability was one that not only was nearly impossible to block, but also nearly impossible to prepare for. It was also one that was nearly impossible to control, something stated in the Ability description itself, leading almost everyone to avoid picking it. Asim managed by being a genius, a feat few could replicate.

  Thus, Micheal's best resort was to not give him a chance to get near him at all.

  The Obsidian Axe slashed through the air, covered in a layer of rippling red Sword Energy. In a fraction of a second, it reached the chest of the Arabian General.

  Once more, the General's Defensive Artifact activated, absorbing the brunt of the impact. Just like the previous time, the impact of the blow seemed to be intangibly transferred to Asim to some degree.

  Most Defensive Artifacts had some amount of force nullification, but usually weren't able to nullify everything. Strong impacts would send the user backwards or tumbling, and extremely strong ones could break past the barrier their Defensive Artifact formed.

  Before it could collide with the man's chest, his Obsidian Axe first clashed with the man's saber.

  A flurry of sparks shot out into the air as the large, black axehead rammed into the sleek, grey metal saber. A faint, metallic ripping noise echoed out as the two weapons collided.

  Roughly 0.1 seconds later…

  The saber was split in twain, sheared completely through as Micheal's axe continued onward and then promptly smashed into the Arabian General's Defensive Artifact. The blow shattered the Obsidian Axe, but not before the full power of its strike was passed forward.

  The power of Micheal's Advanced Tier Sword Energy couldn't be ignored. His weapon was so incredibly sharp it defied normal logic. While Asim's saber had certainly been a treasure he purchased from the Shop, it was nowhere near the quality of weapon that would be required to stand up to one of Micheal's full powered attacks.

  Neither Asim nor Vladimir had trained, yet, in any of the Weapon Mastery Abilities. Each of these types of Abilities were fairly similar in concept, the meditation and focus required almost identical for each one. For someone who
had been here just a month or two, however…

  They simply hadn't had enough time to fully realize the potential of the Ability. There weren't many experts on the First Layer that possessed any Weapon Mastery Abilities.

  Experts that did possess similar Abilities were far more common on the Second Layer.

  Asim's Defensive Artifact projected several glowing shields right in front of him. Micheal's attack was strong enough to partially blow past them, forcing Asim back nearly a dozen meters and causing him to flip over and slam into the ground.

  Blood spurted from Asim's lips as he landed. To his credit, he instantly recovered and stood up, holding the damaged remnants of his saber in a guard position. His face had grown pale, however, as he glared daggers at Micheal.

  Micheal had recognized the effects of the man's Artifact. It was a Soul Shield Necklace, an Artifact that only cost 40,000 Points in the Shop. It was relatively cheap, but relied heavily on the user's Soul stat. Excessively damaging attacks, like the one Micheal hit with, were not fully blockable and would transfer some of the damage to the user's Soul.

  A moment passed.

  Asim's top half of his saber clanged off the ground, while the remnants of Micheal's Obsidian Axe pittered and pattered, spreading a small clump of rock-like debris.

  Despite the man's injury, Asim held steady and even took a few steps forward in that moment, his courageous spirit guiding him forth.

  Just as Micheal was focusing on the Arabian General, Micheal saw his eyes twitch.

  Micheal instantly ducked down and leaned backwards, bringing his one remaining Obsidian Axe in front of his chest.

  Not a moment later, a vicious spear strike knocked into his axe, sending him flying backwards. The force of the blow caused him to fly up several meters into the air.

  Standing on the roof wielding the spear, with blood dripping down his face, was none other than the Wonder King. A large indention could be seen on his red armor, several large cracks from the force of Micheal's impact running up and down it. The man cradled his left arm as he attacked, using only his right one to wield his spear.