by L. M. Kerr
Micheal's arm flickered.
For the first time, a warbling hiss echoed out as the Monster Class Morenkai abruptly jumped backwards, its arms shifting in front of it in a protective shield. The creature bent low to the ground as its mouth hung open, its body shaking slightly.
Behind its crossed arms, a long, thin line of acidic, black blood trailed across its chest, dripping down its body and sizzling as it made contact with the air.
Micheal's arm ached as he sheathed his blade from the attack, knowing that he'd almost overextended himself. The power of his body was greatly boosted but, in the end, this Strength didn't truly belong to him.
When Micheal saw the results of his attack, he couldn't help but sigh.
He had failed to cut through the Morenkai, even using Advanced Tier Sword Energy and his full, boosted power. The cut he'd left on it had made it bleed, but only superficially.
He had forged a perfect opportunity, taking it completely by surprise in a vulnerable position, and yet still failed to seriously injure it.
'Really? Geez, how do people kill these things?' This was getting a bit ridiculous. Would he have to combine his Advanced Tier Sword Energy with a super powerful Impact Release blow? Such a solution came with its own issues, namely the small number of impacts he could hold at one time. Aiming for its open mouth might've worked better, but he couldn't have counted on that when he prepared, and attacking it at the angle he had been at wasn't feasible.
'Very well. Back to the main plan.' Micheal instantly made up his mind.
In the meanwhile, the Monster Class Morenkai had grown fully serious. Its open mouth was nowhere to be seen as it tapped at the wound on its chest. The slash had already stopped leaking blood, but the scar was still there, and would remain permanently.
It began to lope forward at a slower, more controlled place as it charged right at Micheal.
Micheal didn't wait for it to arrive this time.
He tapped on his Spatial Ring, bringing out one last object.
A large, metal ball.
More specifically, a 50 pound (23kg) Ironite Cannonball, something he purchased from the Shop for 600 Points. It was durable and able to withstand great blows, intended to be fired by a huge, Iron Dragon Cannon.
Micheal's arm tingled as he held the heavy, bowling ball-sized object out in front of him, pointing his arm directly at the incoming Morenkai. He winked at the creature as he set his feet,
"See you in a bit."
'Impact Release: Bulldozer.'
His arm felt warm as a huge, overwhelming explosion of force concentrated right into the palm of his hand and connected with the Ironite Cannonball.
A tiny, split instant later…
The Ironite Cannonball shot forward like a rocket, transforming into a literal blur that even Micheal's eyes couldn't fully track.
The Monster Class Morenkai might be incredibly tanky and tough, but there were some things it couldn't change. One of those things were the Laws of Physics, and more specifically, the conservation of momentum.
This was an idea he'd gotten from Shin, a way he could utilize his Impact Release Ability in a pretty effective way.
The Ironite Cannonball moved too quickly, and with too much surprise, for the green skinned Morenkai to dodge. It knocked into the Morenkai and, with a resounding and widely echoing thud, sent the creature flying backwards into the air. The Morenkai didn't even have a chance to claw at the ground as it was blasted off the rooftop and sent flying over to the next one.
The exchange between the two felt like it had lasted an hour to Micheal, but in actuality, had taken up less than a minute. As Micheal watched the creature helplessly fly through the air, he took a deep breath.
The set of Ivory Skin Leather Armor the Godfather Organization had given him flickered into existence around him, covering him in a protective layer. Two Life Orbs floated out next to him as he then raced over to the edge of the skyscraper, preparing to jump off it.
He let out his deep breath as he reached past the armor and into his shirt, pulling his Aura Nullification Necklace up around his neck.
He gazed at it briefly before nodding staunchly.
He then took it off.
For a tense moment, nothing happened.
An instant later, however…
Micheal's entire body shivered as he felt a half dozen extremely predatory creatures focus their full and undivided senses on him, coming from all around him.
.
Chapter 62
"Today you'll be working with a few of our other new Sub-Executives." Executive Andrew talked cheerfully next to Shin as they walked up the staircase. Shin smiled eagerly back, apparently enjoying the conversation.
Behind the duo, the quiet Executive Montecarlo followed, walking in step with Sophia.
It had taken some persuading, but Shin had managed to convince them to allow Sophia to come with him. As his teammate and ally, it was imperative that they learn how to work together as a unit, or at least, that was his excuse.
Sophia was well enough to walk, run, and even get in a duel if she needed to. She wasn't fully recovered, but at least at 60% or 70%.
Executive Andrew had been against it at first. Somewhat unexpectedly, it had been the silent Executive Montecarlo that approved of and allowed her presence. Andrew gave in after he heard that, simply shrugging and accepting it.
"Oh? I wasn't aware that we had any other new ones apart from me." Shin replied, his voice containing a hint of a question.
Andrew shrugged,
"They're brand new, just like you. Newer, in fact, both personally approved of by the Godfather himself. They passed their tests with flying colors and seem to both have extensive combat experience, though they are still gaining experience when it comes to, you know…" The Executive waved his hand in the air, motioning at the world around them.
Shin nodded back. The First Layer, and everything that came with it, was pretty freaky in its own right.
"Besides, there is a Contribution Point reward for this mission. I noticed you haven't really taken any missions yet, so this will be a solid first one to take." Andrew gave him a thumbs up.
They continued up the stairs as a group, leaving the Medical Bay. Outside, the daylight glimmered in the sky above, giving the day a happy edge.
They followed a meandering path across several skyscrapers, moving towards another location in the inner territory of the Godfather Organization. They walked past a relatively small number of guards, a smaller amount than usual.
When Shin asked about this, Andrew replied with a simple explanation.
"Too many people are passing through our territory, headed for The Towers. Most of them have middling strength at best, but are determined to move on to the next Layer regardless. Patrolling takes up a huge amount of manpower nowadays." He shook his head,
"With this Wave, people seem to be swarming across the Great Bridges en masse, overwhelming the Morenkai with numbers." Roughly 20% of the Wave was already within the Main Cluster, while the remaining 80% still occupied the side Clusters. That was a huge sum, one that was increasing every day.
Even if most of the new Chosen were D or C Rankers, with enough numbers, crossing the Great Bridge wouldn't be an issue. While they wouldn't be able to cross as speedily as Micheal had, they could still make decent enough time. Many of the new Chosen were led by stronger 3rd or 2nd Wavers, following them as leaders to move forward.
If Micheal had been here, he would've nodded silently. This was exactly how things had happened in his previous life. The emergence of the Great Bridge, and the idea that humanity could escape this hellish Layer, was a huge motivator for many people.
A short amount of time later, the group arrived at one prestigious looking skyscraper. This one towered over nearby skyscrapers, but wasn't tall enough to be considered a full-fledged Tower. It was colored a pale blue and had several additions to it's rooftop.
A multitude of umbrellas, tables, and chairs were set up, as
if this was an outside patio restaurant. Several men and women could be seen dining in these chairs, relaxing and talking to their comrades. A few couches were set up near the center of the rooftop, surrounding a large, glowing blue fire.
When Sophia saw all of this, her mouth fell slightly open. This was the nicest, and most Earth-like area, that she had seen yet. Shin took it in stride, having already been here before.
"Ah, there they are." Executive Andrew smiled as he waltzed right towards the couches set up in the center of the roof. Shin followed quickly behind him.
The bridge they were walking on was a metal one that had guardrails set into it. As Sophia walked from the bridge to the rooftop, she felt herself walk through an invisible membrane of sorts.
It was like walking through a curtain of water, one that she couldn't see but could feel. It was a cool feeling that startled her as she felt it.
Executive Montecarlo noticed her surprise.
"There's a barrier set up to block anything that is moving above a certain speed. It's caused by the Barrier Flame." His voice was quiet and terse, using as few words as possible to make the explanation. As he spoke, he flicked a finger towards the blue fire in the center of the roof.
"Oh? Thank you." Sophia thanked the man, her eyes studying him for a brief moment. The Executive didn't talk much, but he seemed to have a good heart. The fact that he argued to let her come had greatly raised her opinion of him.
They followed behind Andrew, quickly reaching the center of the rooftop. There were no visible guards on here, but Sophia vaguely got the feeling that she was being watched. She frowned when she felt this.
'If my Soul wasn't still recovering, I'd probably be able to pinpoint where the guards are hidden with my eyes.' She shook the stray thought from her mind as she gazed upon Shin's energetic figure.
"Hello, my fellow Sub-Executives! It's so great to finally meet some of my juniors!" Shin's face had a huge smile on it as he greeted the two men that were sitting on the couch.
The first man had light brown skin and wore a set of loose, white leather pants and a brown vest, with long brown hair that was wrapped up in a bun. In his ears, Sophia noticed a pair of tan hearing aids.
The second was a huge, burly man with short blonde hair. Instead of normal clothes, he wore a full set of dark red armor. Sophia had no idea how he wore it so casually given that it was warm outside. He must've been sweating something fierce.
"I've heard a lot about you, Shin." The big, burly man laughed as he stood up, holding out a hand.
"I'm Vladimir, but you can call me Vlad." Shin shook the man's hand.
"Ah, well, I suppose I should introduce myself too. I am Asim." Asim's bun shifted slightly as he stood and held out a hand to Shin as well.
"Nice to meetcha!" Shin replied as he shook Asim's hand, his eyes lighting up as his voice took on a hint of grandeur,
"This may be our first meeting, my fellow Sub-Executives, but it won't be our last. Cheers to our new alliance!" Shin's chest puffed up as he enjoyed playing his role.
If Micheal had been here, his jaw would've dropped off and fallen to the floor as he saw the two future S Rankers, elite members of historically powerful First Layer forces that greatly affected the history of humanity, roped into becoming Sub-Executives in the Godfather Organization.
"The same, the same." Asim simply smiled in a good-natured way,
"This meeting certainly is going better than Vlad and I's, eh?" Asim elbowed Vlad in the side and then winced as he bashed against Vlad's armor.
Vlad snorted.
"Well. At least no one is trying to kill each other yet." He shrugged.
"Oh? Did you two get in a fight?" Shin interjected, curious.
"It was something like that, Shin-bo." Executive Andrew butted in as he smiled and greeted the two Sub-Executives.
"According to the report we have, the two were about to break out into a fight over a misunderstanding."
"Oi!" Vlad objected, his eyes flashing,
"I was having a bad day." He finished lamely.
"Hm? So it was a willful misunderstanding, then?" Andrew smiled.
Vlad simply snorted again.
Asim broke in here, bridging the discussion as he explained to Shin,
"Before anything happened between us, we actually got attacked by a masked warrior. His actions and words, from what we've learned from the Godfather Organization, place him as a member of the Purgatory church, though they've denied everything." Asim shrugged nonchalantly, as if it didn't bother him at all.
Sophia's eyes flickered when she heard that.
'A masked man attacked them? Micheal..?' She held the thought in her head for a moment before shaking it off as a coincidence.
Shin then introduced Sophia, interrupting her thoughts.
The group of Sub-Executives and Sophia talked for a few minutes as they all sat down patiently. The two Executives didn't sit down, but instead walked a little bit off to the side to talk quietly to each other.
Sophia took the time to learn a bit more about this duo. They didn't go into any details, but she could vaguely pick up that both of them had experienced some very tragic or traumatic event relatively recently.
The duo didn't let that drag them down, however, and maintained a pretty positive attitude. They both had a very strong force of will, that much was apparent.
They had ended up joining the Godfather Organization after hearing of its mission in person and being personally recruited by the Godfather himself. Both had originally had thoughts on establishing their own forces, and were still doing that, but as part of the Godfather Organization instead of being fully independent.
Finally, after several minutes passed, the person they were waiting for finally appeared on the rooftops, emerging from the skyscraper beneath them.
"She's here." Executive Montecarlo spotted her first.
Hansama Babel, a possessor of the Limited Global Blind Seer Ability, known to many simply as 'The Seer,' and the creator of the Main Cluster Ranking List.
She had long grey hair that was tied up in an ornate, and rather large, braid. She walked with pristine grace, dressed in a long, blue dress. She looked to be in her late 50s or early 60s, with a lined face that gave off a vaguely grandmotherly feeling.
Her most distinctive feature were her foggy, near completely white eyes.
The Limited Global Blind Seer Ability was a very powerful Ability, but it was one that came with a cost.
Anyone that picked it would become blind.
Of course, for Hansama, that hadn't been a big issue. She was already blind before arriving in the First Layer due to a genetic defect that caused her to lose her vision in her mid 20s.
Following quickly behind the Seer was a man that instantly reminded Shin of the new Sub-Executive he had just met, Vladimir.
It was a man dressed in a full suit of white metal armor. He, just like Vladimir, was a giant of a man, standing a bit more than 2 meters tall. His armor had a vaguely archaic look to it and was covered in fanciful designs. A huge, 3 meter long greatsword was strapped to his back, locked in securely. His face, and his identity in general, was hidden beneath the armor.
Shin wrinkled his nose slightly when he saw how tall the man was. Why was everyone he was meeting today so tall? Even the Seer herself stood just a hand shorter than he was, well above average for a woman.
Despite being blind, the woman walked right to where they were standing with purpose.
"Hansama! It's so good to see you again!" Executive Andrew's voice boomed out as he greeted her energetically.
"Andrew." A confident, strong feminine voice returned as the Seer smiled and nodded at him,
"It's good to see you as well, young one."
The Seer paused for a moment as she turned and nodded at Executive Montecarlo. He nodded back silently.
She then scanned, somehow, Shin, Sophia, and the other two Sub-Executives.
"These are the helpers that you've got for me?" She opi
ned, smiling gently at them.
Before Andrew could respond, Shin butted in.
"Yes, ma'am! I'm Shin, Shin Hopefell!" Shin walked up and held out a hand, smiling back at her.
The still-blind woman didn't take his hand and instead replied,
"It's nice to meet you, young one." Her smile widened a fraction as she nodded her head. A hint of amusement could be seen in her lips, easily missed if one didn't know her well.
Shin rather unsmoothly jerked his hand back as he remembered she was blind and brought it up to his hair, acting like he had just been raising it to run through his hair. Sophia rolled her eyes.
"You're a Seer, huh? My best friend is a kind of Seer too, ya know!" Shin hurriedly changed the subject to cover his embarrassment.
Sophia barely resisted the urge to send a glare over at Shin. While it wasn't unknown that Micheal was a Seer, the Godfather Organization was well aware, it wasn't the brightest idea to give away information for no reason.
"Oh, really? How interesting. No, I didn't know that. I don't believe I've met this friend of yours." The Seer's voice contained a hint of genuine curiosity. She was not the type to loudly project her emotions, Sophia observed.
Shin sniffed disapprovingly, as if the woman had failed some unspoken test.
Executive Andrew finally butted back in and seized control of the conversation,
"There will be time enough for introductions in a little bit. First, let me give you all a full explanation of what your mission is for today." The man gestured at the Sub-Executives and continued,
"The Seer will be going around the Godfather Organization's territory, traveling to pick up, uh, future magic stuff." Executive Andrew's explanation stuttered to a rather incomplete halt as he gestured vaguely at the Seer.
Hansama came to his rescue, adding her own explanation,
"I must seek the Lines of Fate that guard all beings. The more I can sense, the better the image of the future I can project. Traveling through your territory here will help me to better create an image of the future of the Godfather Organization."