Reborn- Apocalypse 2

by L. M. Kerr

  'Race forward! If I can pick up enough speed, I should be fine! We're almost-' Just as he was in the midst of thinking, his veins pounding with adrenaline, Micheal's heart dropped.

  For, jumping out a few dozen meters in front of him was the bedraggled form of the green skinned Morenkai from the beginning.

  The subsequent battle and explosions had knocked it ahead of the other Morenkai, putting it in an ideal position to block him and slow him down.

  When Micheal saw this, he prepared for the worst but still continued to rush forward fearlessly. With his exacting skill and skilled eyes, he had confidence he'd be able to dodge the Monster Class Morenkai's ambush with enough time to keep flying.

  His confidence fell to tatters, however, as he got close enough to the green skinned Morenkai.

  For, as he came within 10 meters of the green skinned Morenkai, the creature raised its right arm and revealed a small, round object that glinted with silver light.

  A Repulsor Grenade.

  Shock flitted onto Micheal's face as his jaw dropped.

  'Did it… did it intercept the bomb, somehow, and manage to save it away to use now?' Imagining that any Morenkai could do something so complex was like a foreign emotion to him, yet the truth of the matter stood before him, clear as day.

  That was definitely one of the Repulsor Grenades he had thrown and missed with.

  And he was already within range of its explosive power.

  The green skinned creature lobbed the explosive at him at a speed comparable to his own.

  Micheal couldn't dodge it. He couldn't block it. He couldn't even destroy it.

  The only thing he could do was tank the blow.

  That thought flashed through his mind as he stared at the Repulsor Granade, watching in almost slow motion as it flew through the air and collided with a Life Orb he had shot out instantly as he realized of the bomb's existence.

  The subsequent explosion didn't damage his Life Orb, but the same could not be said for him.

  That impact knocked him off balance and sent him flying backwards, his mind slightly dazed at the concussive force of the blast. He instantly recovered his balance, however, using his Life Orbs to right himself. His mind recovered similarly quickly, his powerful body taking and throwing away most of the blow.

  However, in that tiny, split second that he was vulnerable…

  He arrived right in front of one of the slower Monster Class Morenkai, the red, muscular one with bulging arms, that had just arrived on the scene.

  A wrenching pain tore through his body as that creature saw his arrival and then, promptly and without hesitation, ripped off Micheal's left arm.

  .

  Chapter 64

  A wave of pain slammed into Micheal's consciousness. The pure agony of having your bones, muscles, and flesh stretch, crack, and be torn from you could not be described with mere words. Blood spurted from the injury as it formed, scattering the air with red mist.

  His expensive, Ivory Skin Leather Armor provided to him by the Godfather Organization only managed to slow the Monster Class Morenkai down for a split second. The creature had simply pulled past that resistance, crushing his body.

  As the agony swept through him, he forced his way past it, his iron will sealing the pain away in a tiny corner of his mind as he reacted.

  In the exact moment that his left arm was ripped off, his right arm shot up and latched onto the face of the muscular Monster Class Morenkai.

  The moment he managed that, he activated an Ability.

  A warm feeling spread through his arm as he used up the second of his stored impacts.

  'Impact Release: Bulldozer.'

  A monstrous explosion of force slammed directly into the head of the muscular red Morenkai. It took a literal bulldozer to the face, concentrated in a single palm.

  The impact sent the creature flipping backwards through the air, sailing dozens of meters away from Micheal. It slammed into one of the skyscraper walls, ricocheted off it, and then, with a resounding thunk, smashed down hard into a second skyscraper.

  Coincidentally, it landed on one of the few open lounge outcroppings instead of falling all the way to the ground. It lay out on the ledge, stunned but not dead as it tried to get up and failed. The huge impact had left it disoriented, though whether or not it took any permanent injuries remained to be seen. Micheal wouldn't place any bets on it.

  Right after, Micheal went with his emergency backup plan.

  He used his Cloud Stepping Shoes to jump as high as he could into the air. And then he repeated this, over and over till he rose more than 100 meters into the air.

  While he jumped, he focused on the gaping hole that had been his left arm. Using techniques he'd learned over the years, blood stopped flowing from the injury as he flexed the muscles in his shoulder and used his Ki to seal off the veins and arteries. The measure was a temporary one that could only last for a few minutes, but it was enough for now.

  A lightheaded feeling filled his mind, but not enough to force him into unconsciousness. His quick thinking had prevented him from losing too much blood.

  He used his right hand to activate his Spatial Ring, grateful he wore it on his main hand. He withdrew a Mid-Tier Healing Pill and immediately consumed it, feeling its medical powers wash over him. While it wouldn't be nearly enough to heal him, it would be enough to stave off the pain for the next dozen minutes and ease his focus.

  While all of this happened, the Morenkai down below were not sitting around idle.

  The creatures continued to lock onto him despite his great height. While it was true that he was now flying high in the air, his speed had been greatly reduced as a result. He was gliding with his Life Orbs now, instead of rushing forward as fast as possible.

  The next several minutes had slowed down to a convoluted, long-distance chase.

  Micheal maintained his great height using his Cloud Stepping Shoes. His speed wasn't fast, but it was enough to get close to the Godfather's location thanks to the frantic progress he'd made earlier.

  The Monster Class Morenkai continued to harass him. Several times they leapt extremely high into the air, high enough to reach him to attack. He was able to see all of them coming thanks to the distance and lob a few bombs at them, but the creatures had already begun to adapt to that.

  They used each other to jump, twist, or throw in their efforts to attack him. He was rapidly beginning to struggle against this as he flew, the lack of his left arm combined with blood loss causing his consciousness to waver.

  His only consolation was that none of these Monster Class Morenkai seemed to be ones that could use energy-based attacks. In fact, as far as he knew, there was only one Monster Class Morenkai in history that could do that, and it wasn't present.

  In the end, it all came down to how much distance he'd covered before he was forced to glide and the Ivory Skin Leather Armor he was wearing.

  While the armor had proven ineffective when it came to stopping his arm from being ripped off, it managed to absorb enough of the impacts the Monster Class Morenkai landed on him to keep him alive. He also stored two new impacts this way, just in cases.

  And, as his body began to fail, his ribs cracked and most of his organs ruptured, the results spoke for themselves.

  He could now see the ordained skyscraper just a couple of blocks away, far down below.

  As he came close, one final Morenkai reached him for an attack. One of the Monster Twins.

  The creature attacked him from behind, its right arm lashing towards his head as he leaned forward on his Life Orbs. Micheal's reaction speed was dulled thanks to the condition of his body, giving it enough time to get too close for safety, but he didn't mind.

  For, in his right hand was a full dozen Repulsor Grenades, held together by an invisible string of Ki.

  With a gentle smile on his face, he lobbed all dozen of them behind, right at the Monster Class Morenkai, and then instantly cradled his right arm, protecting it. His Ashari Blade abru
ptly disappeared as it, and its sheath, was stored in his Spatial Ring.

  A millisecond later, a split moment before that Morenkai was about to rip into him, a chain explosion shook the air and sent the creature flying backwards, knocking it away helplessly.

  At the same time, the shockwave collided with Micheal's battered body…

  And killed him, boosts and all.

  A huge rain of red blood spattered out into the air as his corpse was blasted forward, rocketing towards one specific skyscraper like a missile. The explosion had knocked him at a speed that was far faster than his own traveling speed, though likely because around 40% of his body had disintegrated.

  In just a couple of seconds, he flew through the air and smacked down hard on the skyscraper where a certain man was currently sitting at, waiting patiently.

  With almost uncanny precision, his corpse smacked down on the rooftop and flipped over twice before it slid towards the center of the roof, leaving a trail of red. The remains of his body then came to an abrupt halt as a raised foot landed on him, freezing his momentum.

  "Well." Head Cameron looked down at Micheal's dead body with a hint of shock as he stepped on it, preventing it from flopping into him.

  He was still sitting on the throne he had brought out, looking like an almighty ruler. Micheal had not only managed to predict the angle of his explosion, he had even managed to aim where he would land on the roof itself.

  "You look like shit, kid."

  A shimmer of light surrounded Micheal's corpse.

  A moment later, his fully healed body appeared, dressed in his now-fully restored Ivory Skin Leather Armor.

  "Good to see you too, old man." Micheal replied slowly, blinking at the world around him as he got used to not being dead.

  Two loud thuds sounded off as the Monster Twins landed on the rooftop, interrupting him.

  "I see you've managed to bring the party to me." Cameron's gaze latched onto the two Morenkai, his voice deepening.

  A split second later, five more thuds rang out as the rest of the Monster Class Morenkai landed.

  "What the-What the hell did you do?" Cameron's mouth fell open in shock as he looked at the much larger than anticipated number of Monster Class Morenkai. The creatures stood in their variety of shapes, their heads all pointed towards Micheal.

  Micheal shrugged.

  "I've been told I have a talent for pissing off large groups of people."

  "…" The Godfather glared at him reproachfully.

  "I left them a bad Yelp review." Micheal channeled his inner Shin.

  "…"

  "I only tipped them 2%."

  "…"

  "I didn't use a turn signal before switching lanes."

  Head Cameron sighed, covering his face in a long-suffering motion.

  "Are you and Shin, perchance, related?"

  The Monster Class Morenkai didn't just sit around as they quipped.

  By the time Cameron finished saying that, all seven of them were blasting through the air in a lightning-fast attack. Despite the extended battle with Micheal, none of them were seriously injured. Even the red, muscular one that Micheal had hit with a bulldozer in the face seemed to have fully recovered, though it was hard to tell for sure.

  As Micheal predicted, his boosts had completely worn off with his revival. As a result, he was mostly unable to react in time. He could only watch as the creatures rushed towards them, his Ashari Blade appearing in his hands as he adopted a guard position. Energy gathered in his limbs as he readied himself, prepared to use a backup plan, just in case.

  All of the Monster Class Morenkai were, not unexpectedly, still targeting Micheal.

  "Can you not see we are talking?" Cameron's voice became incredibly cold as it boomed out loud, filled with a force of presence that caused even Micheal to shiver for a split second. It was a voice that held the responsibility of millions, a weathered, powerful voice that shook the air.

  The Monster Class Morenkai were only meters away when he uttered a single phrase, one full of incredible, unrestrained majesty, as he activated various Abilities. A voice that demanded respect, the voice of one of the most powerful men in the entire First Layer.

  "Kneel."

  The air trembled.

  Seven loud thuds echoed out.

  The Morenkai knelt.

  .. .. .. .. .. ..

  Meanwhile…

  .. .. .. .. .. ..

  Back at the skyscraper Micheal had originally caused a ruckus at, two furtive figures could be seen, fleeing from several large masses of Morenkai.

  One of those figures was a man Micheal was familiar with. The field expert, Doctor Rosphen. The man's body had several minor injuries, but despite that, the doctor seemed ecstatic as he yelled out to his comrade.

  "Tandrum! This is really it! We've finally got it!" His voice was filled with such excitement, it was almost like they weren't being chased by a horde of monsters as they fled across several skyscrapers on foot.

  "Is it really that notable?" The speaker was an unfamiliar man, but one Micheal would've found vaguely familiar if he saw him. It was a lanky, blond-haired man dressed in a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeved grey shirt. He had a large, hooked nose and piercing green eyes that glowed with green light. In his hands, he held a walking stick and, of all things, had a backpack on.

  As he ran, he carried himself with an air of absolute confidence, as if the dozens of Abnormals and regular Morenkai at their back were no threat at all.

  "Absolutely! This data is incredible, our projections seem to be spot on! The Monster Class Nest really is the key to everything!" Rosphen nodded in a hurried fashion.

  As they spoke, the two continued to flee. Both of them rapidly outpaced the chasing Morenkai, their bodies transforming into blurs as they crossed bridge after bridge in a mad rush. In no time at all, they easily outpaced their followers, moving with long experience.

  "We just need to get this all back to Isaiah. With what we have here though, Tandrum, I'm confident we can finish our dream…" Ropshen's voice was full of passion as he continued,

  "We can make the First Layer safe!"

  .

  Chapter 65

  Seven loud thuds rang out as the rushing Monster Class Morenkai skidded to a halt and, in unison, were forced to their knees.

  Head Cameron's force of presence had become overwhelming. The throne he sat on glowed with white light, causing Micheal to realize that it must be an Artifact and not just a simple decorative chair. The man's eyes glowed with green light, the tell-tale sign that he was using his signature gravity manipulation Ability.

  The air in front of them was visibly distorted, ever so slightly. Micheal hadn't been able to see this when he was within range of the gravity zone, back when he first met Head Cameron, but could see it now from the outside.

  This gravity, combined with the huge pressure Cameron was giving off, had visibly frozen all seven Monster Class Morenkai. It was an incredible feat. Creatures that he had struggled to slow down were all of a sudden unable to even move.

  Micheal's eyes widened as he witnessed this scene, a feeling of genuine respect and awe filling his heart as he stood next to Head Cameron.

  After a split second, he withdrew several throwing knives from his Spatial Ring. He began to concentrate a layer of Sword Energy on them as he zeroed in on the Monster Class Morenkai.

  "Don't. You'll disturb the Field."

  Before he could do anything, Head Cameron's voice interrupted his concentration. Micheal glanced back at the Godfather, his face neutral as he replied,

  "What?" He studied the man for a moment.

  Despite having the Monster Class Morenkai clearly trapped, Cameron wasn't doing anything other than sit and stare at the creatures.

  The Head never turned away from the Morenkai as he responded to Micheal,

  "My gravity alone isn't enough to hold them." Cameron waved at the Artifact he was sitting on as he went on,

  "This is a False Heaven'
s Throne, a Limited Artifact that cost 188,000 Points in the Shop. We got it from an Irregular, it's the only one of its kind here on the First." Cameron casually continued, talking in a relaxed manner as if he wasn't just a few meters away from a pack of ravenous monsters,

  "It projects a Field of Presence that amplifies my Gravity Domain Type and my Ki, all in a synergistic way. Anything that disturbs that Field will cancel the effects out and give them a chance to move. This is a secret, so don't tell anyone." The Godfather's voice took on a dark edge as he finished.

  "Oh." Micheal nodded, understanding. He had never heard of this Artifact, or this synergy, but it wasn't too shocking. There were, in total, tens of thousands of Artifacts one could purchase in the Shop, counting all the subcategories one could open and expand. The same applied for Abilities.

  The fact that the Godfather acquired one from an Irregular, and that this was the only one of its kind on the First Layer, really just went to show the incredible resources the Godfather Organization possessed.

  He blinked as he realized they were at an impasse. However, he was only stuck for a moment before he remembered they didn't actually need to kill the Monster Class Morenkai. Just stall them out till the research team finished.

  "How long can you hold them here? Do you need me to do anything else?" Micheal continued as he studied the Monster Class Morenkai. He found his hands oddly itching, as if he felt he should at least be doing something. Sitting around and letting someone else do the work with powerful enemies nearby… it felt odd.

  "No… not in the state you're in." Despite not looking at Micheal, the man was somehow able to tell that his stats had fallen compared to his boosted state.

  "Well… then… I'll go?" After a minute, Micheal slowly muttered out a response.

  "Yep, sounds good to me." Cameron smiled slightly,

  "Whatever they want, they're clearly targeting you, but their senses aren't unlimited. You head back first and get out of their range, I'll head back after a couple of minutes. I might not be able to kill them all, but I can at least prevent them from being able to harm me." Holding the 7 Monster Class Morenkai still seemed to be his limit, but from the way he talked, Micheal gathered that the powerful S Ranker wasn't in any real danger.