by L. M. Kerr
By this point, she was desperately trying to gasp for air as oxygen in her blood began to run out. Off to the side and out of sight, Number 6 watched all of this dispassionately, a hand raised as if he was deciding whether to act or not.
'I… cannot die… here…' Her vision began to grow blurry as her lungs burned.
"Goodbye." Number 10's voice was cold as she clenched down hard.
Blood pounded in Sophia's ears. She could hear Shin's agonized moans, Number 10's sneering laugh. A small breeze brushed onto the roof, rustling the vines that extruded off of Number 10's body.
As she tasted the scent of blood in the air and her consciousness began to waver, Sophia realized something.
Micheal wasn't coming.
She was alone.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Something in Sophia's mind snapped.
All of a sudden, Sophia felt as if her entire body had been electrified. Every cell she possessed seem to tingle, her senses expanding. She felt as if her mind was operating faster, as if her body was more responsive.
In that moment, several things seemed to fall into place and come clear to Sophia.
Sophia opened her eyes, staring back into what she could see of Number 10's glaring visage.
Sophia then bit down hard on her own tongue.
"Hmm?" Number 10 blinked in surprise.
Blood gushed from the wound, filling Sophia's mouth in a matter of seconds. It had a raw, tangy scent that was unpleasant but filled Sophia with a sense of confidence.
A split second later, Sophia welled up the blood and then spat it out, right into Number 10's eyes.
"Aggh!" Instinctively, Number 10 let go of Sophia's throat and jerked her hand up to her face. For a split second, the woman raised up her mask, revealing a gorgeous, brown-skinned face with features that looked as if they had been carved by a greek artist. A delicate looking nose, high cheekbones, dainty lips. The only things staining it were the two splotches of blood that were spattered on her eyes.
Despite her shock, Number 10 didn't lessen her vines' grip on Sophia's arms and legs.
However, removing her mask and letting go of Sophia's throat was more than enough.
Sophia used that instant of freedom to viciously headbutt the woman in the face.
Number 10's delicate nose broke, spattering blood on Sophia's face as she fell back. The woman let out a shriek of agony as she fell, covering her face in a defensive posture. The cocoon of vines that had wrapped around Sophia flailed about, sending her flying backwards.
Sophia winced slightly, feeling pain sweep over her forehead as she tumbled in the air. Despite attacking Number 10's vulnerable nose, it felt almost as if she was trying to headbutt a brick wall. She succeeded, but it was extremely painful. All of the A Rankers had extremely tough physical bodies, built up by high Endurance stats.
"Kill her, Spear Tiger!" Number 10 screamed out loud as she quickly recovered, the vines around her expanding in the air as she jumped back up. The last Sophia saw of her face was her gushing blood as the A Ranker donned her mask, covering up the bloody injury.
"Interesting." Number 6 muttered slowly as he lifted up his spear and pointed it at Sophia.
Before he could act, however, and as Sophia was breathing in air with a vengeance, she jerked her head up and stared at Number 6.
Her eyes began to glow.
Sophia's eyes didn't glow pink this time, or any color that she consciously controlled.
Instead, they glowed a deep, blood-colored red.
The air around her dropped in temperature drastically. Small particles of frozen water tinkled as they fell from the air, iced over in mid-air.
Number 6 grunted as the Aura Nullification Necklace he wore activated, light fluttering from it. Despite that, the man froze, still affected by her powers.
When Number 10 saw this, she yelled out loud and charged over at Sophia without hesitation. The various vines around her twisted, shooting forward.
Before she got far, however, Sophia's eyes flicked onto Number 10. She then began to consciously split her attention, most of it centered on Number 6, but a portion of it focused on Number 10.
She wasn't aware that she could do this, but in the heat of the moment, she forced her body and mind to cooperate.
Blood began to drip down her cheeks, trickling out of her eyeballs.
Number 10 froze in her tracks, stuttering to a halt as she stopped moving.
A sudden, tense silence swept over the rooftop as Sophia's Fairy Eyes Ability managed to restrain both Number 6 and Number 10, despite Number 6's Defensive Artifact. Sophia's Ability and raw determination were just enough to overwhelm the Artifact's defenses, though not enough to give her free reign.
Several seconds passed. These seconds passed into a minute, and then into a couple of minutes. Blood continued to trickle down from her eyes.
Sophia's body began to shiver and her chest heaved. She was still recovering from all of her injuries, and yet she was now forcing herself to go beyond its limits. Her body felt incredibly alive, she was able to sense every single part of her with startling clarity, but certain things could not be changed.
"D-d, she's a demon!" Number 10 was the first of the duo to shiver free from Sophia's Fairy Eyes. Most of Sophia's focus was on the more dangerous of the two, Number 6. With the Defensive Artifact he wore, the best Sophia could do was force him into a stalemate where neither of them could move.
Number 10's heart was currently running aflux with fear as she stared at Sophia.
Sophia had gained a horrifying visage. Her eyes were flashing with red light while trails of tears dripped down them. Her body was trembling and her face had donned a twisted frown.
"I-I-I…" Number 10 stuttered as she took a few steps forward. Sophia's eyes flickered to glance at her, but was unable to stir up any effort to stop her. Number 6 was demanding her full attention.
"I'll kill…" Before Number 10 could finish her sentence…
Shin ran up and punched her in the face.
"You won't harm a hair on her body!" Shin's breathing was haggard as he moved, his face pale with blood loss. He had recovered from his shock, just barely, but enough to see Sophia was in trouble and lash out as soon as he could.
Sophia could have kissed the man when she saw this, a wave of relief sweeping through her. She pushed that aside as she continued to focus on Number 6, feeling her concentration start to wane. Slowly, the warrior was breaking free from her control.
Her Soul stat was simply far too low in comparison to theirs.
"Shin… Get… help…" She managed as she felt herself about to lose control.
And, with an almost audible crack, Sophia's body swayed as Number 6 broke free from her control. She was left gasping and wheezing as her mind fluttered, the mental backlash barely containable.
Shin looked as if he wanted to say something. Before he could do anything at all, however…
"General Pedro!" A slew of voices broke out over the rooftop as several of the armed guards from down below rushed out through the entry shed. More than a dozen of them quickly filed out, pulling out guns and various other weapons as they saw the scene of battle.
"Sub-Executive Shin!" Almost at the same time, a loud yell echoed in the air as a blond haired man dressed in a long white overcoat appeared on a neighboring skyscraper. The man held a large, electric sword in his hand that glowed with energy and gave off the appearance of a powerful fighter.
Shin recognized him instantly. Electricor, one of the 6 powerful Executives that helped lead the Godfather Organization.
"10. We need to leave, now." Number 6 made a waving motion with his hand as he stored his spear. His other hand clutched at his head, as if Sophia's Fairy Eyes had left him with a blinding headache.
Immediately, several glass doors appeared on the rooftop.
One spawned next to Number 9's dead body. Number 6's arm reached through this one and then stored Number 9's cor
pse, snatching up his Storage Ring in the process. He then jumped backwards through one that appeared right behind him.
Number 10 took one last glare at Sophia, her eyes spitting hatred so venomous it could practically be felt as she jumped through a glass door that had spawned next to her.
"Count your days, whore." Number 10 left Sophia with one last, hate-fueled message as the Numbers members vanished from the rooftop.
Sophia smiled softly. She blinked as she looked around the roof.
The world around her turned black as she then collapsed, falling into the sweet embrace of darkness. The last thing she remembered was Shin's worried yell and then dive to catch her.
.
Chapter 48
Some amount of time later…
Garen Olsteis folded his hands together slowly as he looked out the window in front of him. The morning light gleamed as dawn crossed the horizon, visible even behind thousands of obstructing buildings. The building Garen was in was a Tower, giving him a powerful vantage point.
Garen was a handsome man. He had a chiseled face and body, muscular and toned from long practice. He wore a simple white shirt and a pair of black slacks, with a claymore strapped to his waist. The air around him seemed to glow slightly, giving him an incredibly heroic and powerful appearance.
Unlike the rest of the Numbers, he did not wear a mask.
"Prime refused to enact the Nest Feeding plan expansion." A voice cut softly into the air, coming from behind Garen's back.
Garen sighed.
"Prime's stances seldom change. For all the benefits he brings us, for all his overwhelming strength and genius, his unwillingness to do what must be done is his weakness." As he finished speaking, he shook his head and turned around.
The room he was standing in was a stark, mostly empty boardroom that had been renovated with a single desk and two chairs on either side. Garen stood on the side next to the window, while a masked figure with the number 6 carved into their mask stood on the other side.
"You aren't wrong, Mr 1." The Spear Tiger's voice was placid as he replied, as if he didn't care how Garen would respond either way. He used Garen's second most common nickname, Mr 1.
Garen noted that without showing a hint of emotion on his face. Number 6 was a battle addict that cared only to increase his level of Spear Mastery, an odd Ability he'd picked up that boosted his combat prowess. He'd even gone as far as to spare enemies in order to give them a chance to grow stronger.
A thought process like that was utterly foolish. Garen would immediately obliterate any opponent he faced, using the full totality of his power without holding back. He never took risks unless he was certain they would pay off.
Still, the man's thought process made him an extremely trustworthy ally, one that was easily controlled and befriended. Even Garen needed someone to talk to, to help him think things through.
"I know I'm not." Garen shrugged,
"It's just how he is." He respected Director Prime immensely, but the man simply didn't have the heart for the job they needed to do.
"Only when one group holds absolute strength can peace truly be found." Garen's words were full of passion as he spoke, conveying his message as if he was practicing a speech he was planning on giving,
"We cannot allow things to spiral further out of control. We have already missed our first best opportunity to increase our overall power. Our relative newness in the Main Cluster holds us back, especially with this so-called 'Great Arrival' causing so much chaos. We must act now." As he finished speaking, he held up a clenched fist and then slowly let it drop.
He turned his focus back to Number 6.
"Well? Think he'll buy it?" Garen smiled slightly.
Number 6 looked at Garen for a moment before shrugging.
"If I was the type to care about such things, I might be convinced." The Spear Tiger's response was decidedly unhelpful.
Garen sighed again, this one sounding long-suffering,
"In the end, it doesn't matter. Prime's got his Four Corners and half of the Cell Captains slaving away for him. Even without our help, he'll be fine."
Numbers 2 down to Numbers 5 were called the 'Four Corners' due to their strong teamwork and powerful Abilities that held certain similarities. All four were Supreme A Rankers and formed a group that held devastating potential, unwaveringly loyal to Director Prime.
The Nightrunners were split up in a similar manner to the Godfather Organization. They had Cell Captains that controlled large areas and patrolled them, keeping the peace. They didn't have an exterior force like the Angels Arcadia Emissaries, but instead had a direct up-and-down power sorting.
Thus far, only a single Cell Captain had ever risen naturally to become a Numbers member. All the others were specially recruited by Director Prime.
That particular Cell Captain was none other than Garen, a man that rose to the rank of Number 1 purely through his own determination. His identity was already publicly known, and hence, he didn't wear a mask.
There was silence in the room as neither Garen nor Number 6 spoke. Daylight sparkled outside, belying the gloomy atmosphere inside the room.
"Number 9 may have fallen, but his death was not in vain." Garen broke the silence as he tapped on his Spatial Ring, bringing something out.
He raised the object up, holding it near the window and letting light fall upon it.
It was a small, cracked black orb. One that Micheal would've found very familiar.
A cracked and broken Nest Core. The same one Micheal had given Sophia.
"You got the results back already?" Number 6 perked up, his eyes starting to gleam with interest.
After the battle with Sophia and Shin, Number 6 and Number 10 had fled. However, Number 10 insisted on gathering as much intel as possible on who their enemies were. As a result of that, a Spatial Ring had turned up, something Crane had left with the Old Airwing Military Alliance. That ring was promptly stolen, and this Nest Core had been located inside it.
"Yes. Number 13 managed to commune with the Seer early on. The results were even more positive than I expected." Garen smiled a small smile, one that failed to reach his eyes.
"The Nest Feeding program for the Nightrunners is dead in the water. Prime won't work with us, but that doesn't mean others won't." Garen continued,
"Number 10 will make contact with the Purgatory Church. Their influence has rapidly begun to expand as their numbers of converts exploded because of the Great Arrival. We will use them to expand the program, their leadership seems amenable to the general idea." He nodded,
"Despite his objections, I think Director Prime will stand by us in the end. Even if the entire Cluster turned against us, I can't see him stepping away." Garen's voice carried in the air as he went on,
"As for this here…" The leader of the Numbers tapped on it slowly, green Earth Tier Ki energy crackling around his fingers as he held it up.
"It has to do with a mission I have for you, Number 6, and that 'Spear Mastery' Ability you control…"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
The morning of the next day…
Micheal woke up as usual. He felt excited to greet the day, his rest perfectly cozy and warm.
He did his regular routine as he got ready. He worked out hard, putting his body to the test as he trained until he couldn't train anymore. He relied purely on physical power, not drawing upon his Ki.
He used to have to crush a Life Orb due to the strenuous training, but his body had finally reached a level where working that hard gave almost no positive benefits over simply working out at a moderately extreme, but safe, level.
He then spent a half hour in meditation as he focused on his Ki.
The Earth Tier energy in his body was purer than the Mortal Tier by an entire level. It was because of this that his strength could continue to expand. At this stage, the energy was still toughening up the various veins that ran throughout his body.
Once he reached the Middle Stage of the Earth Tier, his vei
ns would have grown fully able to handle the energy, allowing him to use it more efficiently, faster, and to more effect.
One thing led to another, and he showered, ate breakfast, got dressed in a sharp looking suit, though not necessarily in that order, and quickly left his room, traveling back on his way.
The morning was in full stride as he travelled through the territory of the Godfather Organization. As he moved, he saw, somewhat to his surprise, hundreds of differently sized groups of people moving about.
Some moved in small groups of two or three, while others moved in large groups of 10 or 12. Each group contained a mix of men and women, armed with swords, guns, and a variety of other weapons. Some members gave off strange auras or energy, but most seemed pretty standard.
'Oh wow. The Great Arrival has already reached this far, huh?' The huge mass of people seemed to have sprung up overnight. The Godfather Organization had likely been vetting groups as they moved deeper into their territory, allowing only a limited number this far in.
Alongside these thronging groups were hundreds of Morenkai.
The black skinned creatures were extremely active due to the sheer volume of new people in the Main Cluster.
Micheal passed by more than a dozen separate battle sights as humans took out the dangerous creatures, hunting down Points. In the same time, he also saw several patrols of the Godfather Organization guards, recognizable due to their customary suit outfit.
Each patrol was accompanied by a large number of young recruits, adolescents and teenagers alike. The young were not spared the fury of the 7 Layers, all beings could die equally, regardless of age. Thus, high-level training was a necessity, including live-fire exercises like these.
The other members of the Big 3 accepted youths and children if necessary, but not in nearly the numbers the Godfather Organization did. Per the records Micheal had read, the Godfather Organization took care of more than 85% of humans that were under the age of 16.
The warriors of the Godfather Organization were out in force today. The Great Arrival had stirred up a huge amount of trouble, much of which was only beginning to develop.