《Anamnesis: Queen of the Apocalypse》


 Chapter 1 - Trust Me, This Is The Prologue

    As the sperm who won the race, as the mud who woke up, as a blob of carbon currently taking the shape of humans. You who are alive yet you are not, consciousness incubates itself slowly into you.


    Yeah, let''s start with you closing your eyes. Go on, are they closed? You bloody better be. Now open your eyes. Now, ladies and gentlemen, that is called¡ªdrumroll.


    ''blinking''.


    Okay, enough of the bad humor.


    If you put everything else out in your mind. All your anxieties, the neuroses, all the sensations of your body. You will find that underneath all of that is nothing but awareness.


    There''s no obvious ''you'' on the inside, there are no cute chibis pulling levers and pressing buttons, there''s no center to being conscious. It''s just presence. It''s just awareness. There are sensations, awareness of sensations, and then processes¡ªprobably most of them are automatic in nature.


    You, as a thing, don''t seem to have a center if you look for one.


    You, the conscious you, don''t really exist, not concretely, to be very simple about it.


    Fear is an automatic response in your brain to perceive scary shit, but fear itself is not under your conscious control. It''s automatic, and if it''s automatic, then that is not you.


    It is a thing your brain does, but it''s not a thing that ''conscious'' you do. So presumably, there is stuff in your brain that you don''t control and then there is stuff in your brain that you do control.


    Stuff that is you.


    Let''s find out where the line is, then, shall we?


    Well, for most of the day so far, you''ve been breathing and blinking automatically. Congratulations, keep it up¡ªbut now you''re thinking about it and so now you''re doing it manually.


    Then you forget all of it in a few minutes and the process becomes fully automatic once again.


    So that is not you.


    Now what about the things you like? Surely you as a literate human being are able to choose those, let''s say good music, for example. Good music activates the part of the brain dealing with euphoric reward responses or the bit that makes you feel nice. Okay, but do you ''choose'' to prefer hip hop over heavy metal or over the fantastic curdling sounds of two cats banging outside while calling out your name in nyan language?


    No, obviously not. Otherwise you would choose to prefer everything. Even though you can choose what to listen to, the preference itself¡ªwhat presses your musical, food-ish, and social activities is out of your control.


    So that is also not you.


    Okay, so let''s make the line clearer. You don''t control what scares you, you don''t control your basic survival stuff, you don''t control what you enjoy¡ªbut how about others?


    Balancing when you walk, falling asleep and then waking up, remembering who you are, where you''re, when you''re, or fetching memories in the first place, taking all the perceptions that are coming through your senses and turning them into coherent picture so that the world actually makes fucking sense.


    Or even processing everything at the same time, comprehending texts, colors, or pretty much everything. Most of it is automatic, at least not mediated by your conscience. Is there anything in your brain that you control, then?


    This is where the "Consciousness Strings" comes into play.


    Tiny and long strings that makes up the soul of someone, a frequency, a metaphysical matter that makes an animal a living being and you, as you.


    But it''s possible that the strings you encompass to be actually not you. Such as this unknown soul over here, right infront of you. Invisible and weak, as it already disperse itself like a scattering sakura blossom. Gently, you connect your ''strings'' into that weak consciousness to see what happened to her until you feel two suspicious entities judging you¡ªor her.


    "There have been numerous attempts, yet still to no avail," says the slumped down-to-earth one in kind motion. "It''s still not enough."


    "We wasted numerous cosmic eons for your forsaken feeble idea!" The outraged one smacks down the conceptual table. "There will be no Blue Wave!"


    "I can feel it, we''re close! We only need a little bit more¡ª"


    "No! We don''t have enough time!" The being then approaches forward, "Stop running."


    "I know."


    The red dissipates, and the anger turns into a sigh. "This will be the last."


    "I know. I''ll promise that this will be the last"


    "I''ll use everything I have. But this person, this person''s history has no glimmers and hope. This puny creature is pretty much a normal mortal."


    "Even the people at the funeral don''t exude much emotional conflict."


    "How miserable, died as a feeble stone in-between."


    You can feel the warmth, although forceful. Just like those social manipulations where you don''t even know who your friend and who aren''t.


    ''Life After Death'' knowledge acquired.


    "It was broken, but it still can go more."


    "The primordial won''t like us to tamper much, let''s get it done."


    "Yes."


    The final bell holds onto the crumbling today.


    Soon enough, you finally left behind your physical vessel. There is nothing but a dark void, and a warped space cultivating you with faith-induced energy. Now, you will never feel those judging eyes anymore.


    It will be temporary, you promised yourself. You also promised yourself that if there is a second chance to live to the fullest, you will take it.


    You will snatch it.


    Make lemonade out of it.


    And possibly, dethrone it.


    Seems crazy, but all of it is just a tiny mindset that you plan because of the ever-living boredom. Slowly, your memory dissipates. It all becomes a blur to you.


    12,000 years have passed by then.


    After the ever longing eternal incubation, your shell blooms. The burden is gone, your soul is now free.


    You think that you will be going to the cycle of reincarnation, but the path then branches before you.


    The world is guiding you, you couldn''t care less. The stream of life is trying to give you a new way.


    Before you know it, you open your eyes.


    Your vision is full of stars waving beneath the dark blue sea above. You caress the residues of sands beside you. The harsh and cold texture jolts your conscience mild enough to make you wonder where you are.


    You''re finally awake.


    It might only be your subconscious but you feel like your body has more weight than that of the average human body. Possibly because of the artificial burden from the slumber you''ve just ended, it could be an eternal rest as far as you know. Because to be honest, you don''t know much about anything either.


    Contradicting the overgrown slothiness, your muscles stiffen from the reaction of the current temperature as you stand jolted in a rush. Only the higher god knows what is in your mind right now. The good news is, you''re in a desert just as you predicted¡ªat the sub-zero deadly night time.


    "Long Leggy!" shouts someone from afar behind the hills of sands right in your direction. You also notice that you''re not in an extreme freezing rigid state of some sort.


    The serene winds caress you, those thoughts are enough to make you wipe the yellow grains on your unfamiliar outfit. Touching the warmth of stiff fabric makes you instinctively bend down your vision to see a glimpse of your appearance, although something on your chest is blocking the view. Actually, it was two heavy masses strapped to your chest¡ªa pair of mighty mountains, you couldn''t care less about it.


    ''I forgot my gender from all of that isolation, having a body is already a blessing.''


    While ignoring the obvious non-hostile lifeform approaching you in seconds, you analyze your apparel to find that you wore a multi-layered unknown jacket and flexible loose pants tucked into your boots. The colors is still unknown because the illumination from stars sure isn''t enough to let you see every spectrum of hues with naked eyes.


    A humanoid silhouette approaches you while gasping, tumbling left and right. You look down to see this person stop right in front of you, she then hunches down in fatigue and tries to sponge every available air into her cramped lungs.


    The panting sounds feminine, a short lass or it''s just you who''s incredibly taller.


    You couldn''t really distinguish her whole appearance beside the neck-length hair, she equipped herself with the same unfamiliar clothing with numerous medium-sized square pouches attached to her belt, strapped with many protection from head to toe unlike you, although not in a paranoid way. Her pair of glinting wrist-guard strikes you with the most impression.


    You glare at her, raising your left eyebrow.


    "Leggy, huft. Damn, you ran faster than a Grigoullas during mating season," she rants as her face is facing up towards you, her complexion shapes like a mature and slender person, which means that you''re just more towering than her, "I swear that you really need to chill! I see no goddamn spider! We''re in the desert for god-sake!"


    But Leggy? Who is that? Is it a name? A nickname? Codename? Decapitated limbs'' insurance? You don''t know anything or where in the hell this place is, to begin with. The longer you stay conscious, the more confused you''ll be.


    "Who are you?" A sentence slips from your lips. You''re also surprised by your own snowflake-soft soothing voice.


    "Haha, nice joke, Leggy. I also don''t know who the hell I am." She grins in such a mocking manner to the point that you snap from your confusion and tries to compete on who is kidding who.


    "You also don''t know me then," you say, despite the dumb ''Long Leggy'' could actually be your name.


    She steps back. "I know you," she says while adjusting her neck angle. Probably trying to not torture herself from staring at your face at point-blank range, "Well, you actually never told me your name so¡ª"


    "How about me? Do I know your name?" you say.


    "I think I''ve told you about mine a few months ago. Huh, I think I forgot."


    You fold both of your arms across your chess, trying to act natural. "Ayaya, how come you''re the one who is forgetful here?."


    "Hah! You don''t have much to say about this matter." She points out, while laughing at your abrupt curiosity. Although it was clear that she is not used to your newfound personality. "And since when would you even bother about small stuff such as names anyway? The last time you care about someone''s name is when we''re looking for a criminal called Larpdick."


    You can only snicker away, leading the situation to a mutual confirmation of both relationships.


    This conversation gives you a hint that this person is actually someone who knows you before you even came into this world, but this isn''t the time to start the existential crisis. You need to take every bit of information that you can get, indirectly. Because admit it, a transmigration where you didn''t get the person''s memory is just a straight-up existential crisis.


    Moreover, it seems like the former person in the past before you gained this body hasn''t told their name yet. Which makes you go into a trance for a bit on why this woman trusted you.


    You smirk, "So where are we?"


    "Still playing around? Gosh, what-shit-doodling of the ever forming cretin. We''re in area 678 currently doing a reconnaissance mission to search for a damned escaping Calamity." She then darts her eyes to the surroundings. "And possibly, trying to be successful at staying alive. You know, all of that scouting stuff."


    Calamity, she said it like it was some sort of entity or beast.


    Recalling her words, you try to structure some believable whimsical response, "Let''s hope that you''re not left behind when that Calamity appears."


    ''It''s a bad effort but better than nothing''.


    "Right." She then walks away, stops and then turns around, seeing an unmovable tower cluelessly admiring the night sky. A moment of silence ensues before she makes a whole wrinkle of annoyed face. "Really!?"


    You can only grin, although clueless.


    She hurls down a heavy sigh, "Fine! I''ll lead! Now hurry and grab your tits."


    "They are still bigger than yours."


    "Shut up!"


    Amused, your first interaction and you handled it well. Even though this conversation isn''t much of an event¡ªbut no, it''s a fundamental action you''ve committed to stay natural while assessing the situation. You might be regretting this in the future but living your life as a completely new person and hiding your past in the sands of time is truly a golden ticket to all of the stress your past world has given you. Even though there hasn''t any that can be dug from the sand of time, the burden was still there.


    You''re also being assured by her energetic and whimsical attitude towards you, making all of this possible. It seems like even though you can decide to sink into panic by pushing and being seriously agitating here, you actually wanted to be lowkey about everything.


    The winds stroke against you once again. Lagging behind, you then follow suit, trampling down the sands along the way.


    Although confident, you have so many questions on your mental projector left unanswered.


    After a while trekking, she decides to converse, "We only have two hours left to find any sort of clues for accomplishing this boring mission. I really don''t want to be a hunting target for any ''Angel'' deserter in the daytime."


    "An ''Angel''?"


    "Hee, bold question for someone who had fought them before."


    You almost break your mask, it''s time to lay low for a while considering that you don''t want your partner to start wondering if you''re really the Long Leggy she is supposed to be.


    You can actually tell your situation but you have your reason.


    She abruptly hunch down in caution, alerting the situation. "Wait! Something is off¡ª"


    An earthquake. Grumble and tremor permeate your whole body, you then anchor yourself deep into the sands. "What in the world!?"


    She hisses and then whispers in your direction "Don''t make any sounds!"


    "Ah, wokeh!" you whisper back, with a thumbs up.


    You can see her ransacking her numerous pouches. She then pulls out a gas mask with two filter respirators and puts it on her face in such a hurry.


    You pointed at yourself, trying to give her a hint if she has any more gas mask on her pouches because you''re actually panicking on what in the oblivion is currently happening, you can even feel the beads from your forehead begin to fall down as if some bad omens will happen if you don''t get that sort of breathing protection.


    She only replies to you with two arms gesturing an X mark.


    You examine your non-existent belongings.


    You had nothing.


    You''re screwed.


    An area around 50 meters from you starts to glow in dim green. The sands are tumbling up and down like popcorns on a comically large pan.


    Your face is even paler than before, you don''t know whether you want to keep your cool or stay rational to assess the situation¡ªthat is rather hard to comprehend because you can see some hostile intent emitted from behind. Possibly, your own partner.


    Skies shudder, winds clobber; the sea of sands spews out a large entity with numerous hands, towering 100 meters into the sky, it has a white bark-like exterior looked from afar as it dimly emits a weak green source of light. One of the arms is larger than the other, branching from the middle part of its torso.


    It emits a visible mist that smells really bad like some rotten potatoes. You pinch your nose hoping that you won''t die from this even though you already inhaled some proportion amount of mist.


    This must be the "Calamity." You think. It then spreads its wings and sets the windy trails against the gails. The thickness of the gusting winds are as dense as nails. It pierces the ground with its gargantuan arm, shaking the whole desert exponentially before extracting a massive skewering sword. The sword width is half the size of the morbid entity, and twice the length. You feel like this is something that only comes on a final boss area, definitely not on your first day of coming to this god-forsaken world.


    The woman jumps due to your high stature to face-slam you into the ground, forcefully proning you. "Code red! This is not our target!"


    You can still hear her voice clearly although muffled by the gas mask.


    Gritty and painfully bitter, you spit out the sand in your mouth before talking, "What is even our target!?"


    "Something that can''t kill you instantly!"


    "Then what is that mask for!?"


    "To protect myself from the substances of Timoreia!"


    "Timo-what!?"


    "Grade Nine Calamity with a three-times history of causing Singularity, they release a gas-like molecular virus that will revert an individual historical progress to the juncture of the past and forcefully reassembling all of your¡ª"


    "Speak in my language!"


    She pauses for a bit, then stares at your eyes. You can see her pinkish hair under the green illumination.


    She then throws her gaze into the monster again, "You will be reverted into a child." A chuckle permeates the air afterward.


    Alas, you''re still confused about how to assess the situation. "What does that even mean!?" Your pale face tries to terrorize your partner with a glare. "You don''t have any gas masks left!?"


    "I do!"


    Your eyes of disgust widen. "Then why didn''t you give it to me earlier?"


    "Hah! My true goal is out of your comprehension!!"


    Just as she said, you can''t comprehend her actions at all. Regrettable as it is, you can''t see it through the gas mask but you feel like she is grinning the whole time.


    Hemorrhaging, physical numbness, and your head feels like they are flying. It seems like the virus began to act up. You swear that you will pay this pettiness tens fold if you manage to survive. All worldly problems pale in comparison to your killing headache, both mentally and physically.


    She interjects your brain cramping thoughts, playfully reminding you, "We only need to hide, tighten our buttcheeks, and pray."


    And so, you prayed to the RNG.

 Chapter 2 - Desperate Occasion Of The Passionate Fool

    Surprisingly, the fearsome Calamity hasn''t noticed both of you yet.


    Although gritting your teeth, you still want to know your partner''s name. Still, in a prone position, you hurls your gaze at her once again. "I forgot your name, what was it again?" Showing a scornful laugh with a face full of pain.


    "I didn''t expect that giant tree''s disgusting odor could give you amnesia."


    "Who knows, this is your fault, to begin with, and I hate you."


    She anchors her elbow into the sands and rests her head on her palm as a crutch, leaning on her side. "Aww, I love you too."


    "That doesn''t answer my question."


    "I''ll tell you my name if we survive." Giving you a thumbs up.


    You regret your curiosity, although a realization hits you in the head right after. You then inspect the wild underground worm-like dragon as you realize that the horrid abomination of mother nature is glaring at you from afar while deliberately approaching your position.


    Surprisingly, you don''t feel any signs of life in the area beside you. Until you glance back and find your partner sprinting away at full speed.


    "How petty can you be!?"


    Anger acquired.


    Roses are red, violets are blue, your blood streams down from your mouth and you want to pluck every nail on your partner''s toe.


    You buckle up your strained body, pushing your weariness away because dying after a few hours of being reincarnated is stupid. So you say, "To hell with this!" And decide to hustle your aching muscles.


    Two people in one game, the marathon of stupidity. Unexpectedly, you manage to chase down the uncompassionate devilish rascal! Currently tailing two meters behind her with your considerable fitness and long legs.


    You start to think that your nickname was given to you because you''re remarkable at running, possibly with the ''away''.


    It doesn''t take more than ten seconds for you to horse into the unknown beside your very dependable partner.


    The wind pushes her pinkish hair, you can hear many thuds and clanks from her whole equipment when running.


    "It took you a while to notice the fact that our puny lives are in grave danger." Says her hustled lips beneath the gas mask.


    You close the distance between you and her, and then point at your face, "Blood won''t stop streaming down from my mouth, and I''m in great pain! Do something about it!"


    This isn''t your former boring world, if a whale-sized worm dragon who wields a sword two times longer than its size exists, then some magical healing property jizz and stuff should exist as well. Looking at her numerous pouches, there must be an item for first aid healing¡ªeven though your condition isn''t something to be treated with first-aid in the first place.


    She looks left and right, then gives you a thumbs up.


    Your disappointment is immeasurable.


    The powerhouse starts to diminish, you can''t feel your legs after the slavery that your brain did by keep telling the below meat-stick section of your body to pumps those overworked muscles like a cat threatened with a cold bath while gazing at their owner''s smelly hands.


    Your vision is not something to even question anymore. It was already fully painted with red, all you can do is trust your instinct, and maybe your amazing and very dependable partner.


    Behind those dimly red visions of yours, you can notice some dark area enveloping the ground at a visible speed.


    "GAAAAAAAAHH!!!"


    Your partner then suddenly pushes you away.


    Something blasts you off more, and the forces behind it are definitely not from your partner.


    An extremely huge chunk of metal is trying to meet-and-greet the ground by cleaving down the yellow sea of grains and separates you both like a wall, it only took several inches more to the left for half of your body to be a grinded meat on the desert as a raw minced dish special. You can see the Calamity that is still far away, that thing had just thrown a bloody massive sword accurate enough to almost split you in half. Fighting is not even on the options menu, grouping up and relying on your partner''s judgment seems to be the shiniest action you can take at this moment.


    You wipe the blood on your eyes.


    Many profanities are being thrown on the other side, some of them are pure sentences that can get a family-friendly television show to be canceled by toxic social media.


    The Calamity is approaching you, strafing down the sea of sands to get its hand on the sword.


    You worry about your partner''s well-being¡ª


    Probably not.


    "I''m not Long Leggy without reasons." You then sprint away enduring the pain.


    Reconciling with your partner at the end of the split ground, your partner takes out a small retractable launcher from her pouch.


    She loads the launcher with a strangely looking round, "I despise doing this every time we''re in danger."


    "Wait, why?"


    "You''ll know why, close your ears."


    The launcher propels the round into the sky, shrieking a sharp noise of eaten fuse from an explosive.


    Quite dumbfounded, you gaze at the elevating shiny thing. You''re wondering whether you want to give it a salute or protect your ears.


    You thought that it would only poof a little at the sky¡ªnot creating a sonic boom of an electromagnetic field kilometers across the vicinity.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"


    Your hearing, vision, and the whole fiber of your body are being tormented with an electrifying ride from ticket to hell. The blasts engulf everything in its path, it might scare away or hurt the Calamity but it also scares your soul from your body.


    Out of every scenario from multiple possibilities in the many world interpretations, this outcome might be one of the worst you could experience at this very moment. Hands on ears, mouth open, and electrocution on every nook and cranny of your muscles that turn your whole body to do a jarring rave party.


    The torment goes on for five minutes. Once it ends, both of you rest down your ultra tense stiff-as-rock body and fall like dead trees to the sands together at the same time, facing to the sky. All of that jazz and glitters¡ªwearing a fully unamused deadpan, you are forced to conserve the beautiful sceneries of constellations spreading their source of light to decorate the universe.


    "This sucks."


    "Told ya."


    Unlike a normal healthy human being, you managed to stay conscious the whole time. This amount of physical traumatic stress should already make a sane and insane person pass out.


    Are you a human at all?

 Chapter 3 - The Fighting Starts, Painfully Done!

    A flicker of bright light illuminates half of your vision in the sky for a second.


    You chuckle, "What was that?"


    "So we got ''that'' bitch this time, huh."


    "W-what do you mean by that!?"


    Suddenly, a sharp shining object strikes down just one meter to the left near your skull and blasts every bit of yellow grain into your face. Shudders overwhelm your marrow bone, as your sweats begin to rise instead of streaming down.


    "What in the actual fu¡ª" You spray out some amount of blood before being able to finish your sentence.


    Your partner stands on top of you.


    "Can you stand up? We need to defend this vicinity and wait for the reinforcement to arrive." Said her while reaching out a hand.


    "Ahahah, your help would be appreciated."


    After you stand although wobble around quite a bit, throwing a question should clear up this situation. "Tell me what is going on." You continues.


    She merely shrugs at you.


    You look to your left, finding a huge flag pole prevailing firm as its blue fiber of white shield insignia waving around the soothe gale.


    "What was that?"


    "A defense order."


    "So we''re gonna hold out this place!?"


    She gazes at you for a while, before throwing a glance at the surroundings. "So you really got amnesia, huh."


    "Pardon?"


    "Nothing, here! Catch this."


    She throws you a vial, you couldn''t catch it so you''re now searching for it on the sands. She continues, "That is a painkiller, I hope your body still knows some of those moves, or else we would be in big trouble."


    "Aren''t we supposed to run away?"


    "After sending that distress signal? Nah ah, we will hold the lane." She says while rummaging through the pouches. Something tells you that her actions towards you begin to change.


    She makes a narrow opening on her mask and drinks her vial, you also do so with yours. "The giant sword is still here but I couldn''t find the Calamity." She says after consuming the vials and then puts it again on her pouches.


    "Isn''t that bad?" You pry as you''re wondering what to do with the flask of the bitter liquid you just took. She reaches out her hand, you then give her the empty vial.


    Subsequently, out of all the items she gives you again, it was the very gas mask you sought. "It means that the distress signal is working out perfectly as it intended." She says.


    You can see her snickers behind the gas mask.


    After claiming it, you smash down the gas mask to the sands with every bit of vengeance in your heart after you get your hands on it. "Distress signal? More like a Distressing Signal!" You then stomp repeatedly at the given item.


    "Aiya, you better start wearing it before you inhale enough gas and turn into a fetus."


    You stop as you''re told, and then start to put on your gas mask after digging it out from the deep sea of grains. "Why didn''t you say so?" Some sands stuck at your nose and mouth but you couldn''t care less.


    Out of nowhere, the giant sword that was supposed to be on the ground is now accelerating at your position from the sky at high speed. In a blink of an eye, the sands then spew out a massive hand made out of stone as it holds the sword after taking the brute¡ªprotecting both of you.


    A huge amount of shockwaves are also discharged, you shield your upper body with your hand. The tremendous pressure is supposed to be enough to send someone flying a kilometer away, but something is holding your stance, rooting you to the surface until it ends.


    The giant arm radiates numerous hot pink substances in the pattern of a vein-like crack, holding the skewering sword to no rest. Furthermore, the Calamity tries to pull out its sword but the grips of the unknown savior might be stronger than it seems.


    You look down and find out that two hands with the same material as the huge one are gripping your legs to prevent you from getting blown away.


    "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Together with a cough, you could hear your partner''s anguish from her shaking body. There is a considerable amount of red liquid dripping down from her mask.


    The clutching hands on your legs disappear, another medium-sized one spews out from the sand in front of you, cradling a black sword with numerous pinkish cracks. The judgment sword is now there ready for you to grasp.


    "Take it! Without being aggressive, we will be overwhelmed!" Her gasping is reaching an extreme point, "Five minutes! Let''s survive for five minutes¡ªI''ll be the support!"


    "What can I even do with a mere sword!?"


    Let alone fighting, you''re just a normal human everyone can find in their daily life, wielding an object to protect is a foreign concept for you. Forget about your own life, the crack from the silent bell has changed you. The deep stillness has numbed the sinking heart, the abyss cessation from 12.000 years of being caressed by the void would dampen a normal person''s urge to fight their fate.


    You could only smile.


    As you''re not one of them.


    The huge arm is still grasping the sword with the weight of a mere two undying individuals.


    You take one step forward.


    "Fine by me! You might have noticed that I''m not your old Long Leggy anymore, but that doesn''t matter."


    Two steps.


    "Haaaaa, trying to blend with a mere gesture and act won''t save me from dying again."


    Three steps.


    "I had enough of the perpetual silence, it''s killing me."


    Last step.


    "If I may ask¡ªSweetie, how high is our chance to survive this?"


    She takes a sip of another vial, presumably the same painkiller. "10%."


    "Make that 1%, as I don''t know what the hell I''m doing."


    You could feel a smile behind that gas mask, "Sure do, partner."


    To not be weak, you need to trample the top.


    Violence is required.


    You grasp at the handle of the sword, you watch as the cracks glow even brighter, changing from pinkish light into the deep sea blue.


    "Hahaha, this is heavy." Probably due to your fatigues, you ignore the numbing pain physically, and mentally.


    Violence acquired.

 Chapter 4 - Army Of Arms

    Nothing is better than brute force to blast through every problem.


    4 minutes left.


    But the reality isn''t that kind.


    "Blasting in one!"


    "I''m not sure about this!"


    "Two!"


    "God please save me from this bitch!"


    "Three!"


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"


    She conjures a massive arm pushing you as you ride standing on the palm horizontally facing the Calamity. It was an extremely bad consensus at the end of possibilities, a literal ''don''t try this at home''. Many smaller arms also follow suit raging from the sands, some of them launch and soar faster than the one you ride. An elaborate dumb raid of long arms trying to reach the embodiment of destruction.


    Jarringly, that Calamity stares at your puny yet unorthodox attempt. It doesn''t even care about its massive sword anymore, as it reaches out and hurls its gargantuan arm.


    "Shit! Shit! Change the direction, dammit!"


    Horizontally, you balance your upper body and climb out through the crevice of the giant finger, pulling your body upward just right before the fist of the gargantuan smashes the massive black arm into crippling depression. The angle of the soaring arm you have just rode is a little sinking from the sky as the stopped force propels you forward faster than a naked burglar.


    The wind pushes your gas mask, grinding your face with an unfathomable discomfort. You still clench your sword tight, more than ever. There is both good news and bad news: The good news is that you''ve avoided the horrible death of getting crushed by a giant dragon, the bad news is that you''re accelerating into a lower angle into the sand before reaching the calamity. The possibility of getting ''crushed to death'' has become ''crashing to death''.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" You could only cry, in war cry, the pessimist one¡ªmonotonically.


    One of the small arms conjured by your partner manages to reach you and even passes at exponential speed. You grab it with your full trust in your support.


    Who might have wanted you dead.


    You can''t stress much about being passive-aggressive on your partner''s credibility, and just as you thought that she changed her attitude¡ªshe might have not.


    The arm that you grabbed might be actually your real doom as it goes straight into sharp elevation, accelerating into the Calamity''s face. You curse in as many different languages you could ever think of.


    Like a flying fish, you could see a considerable amount of arms soaring from below into a higher and farther height above you.


    It''s like witnessing a reverse rain.


    As suddenly, every arm scatters sharply into a zig-zag pattern, except the one you grab.


    3 minutes left.


    The numerous hands attached to the Calamity are vaguely disgusting as they flail and scratch the air. Many of them try to reach you as the friendly arms neutralize them one by one with destructive speed, self-destructing itself as the arms only shake them off from trailing you.


    "My god! Arms! There are arms everywhere!"


    The closer you are, the more you can see the hundreds of green eyes this creature has on the side of its sharp triangle-jaw head. It then opens its mouth wide enough to welcome you.


    You let go of your grip as you have enough acceleration and positions your sword into the front. As the wormy dragon crunches at the coming arm, you are crashing down into the neck of the beast like a spear piercing into the white bark-like exterior of a tree, planting yourself sideways¡ªand also smashing your head. "Goddammit!"


    Still grasping the handle, your sword then reforms and branches inside the Calamity, messing everything up as numerous black spikes emerge from every side of the beast''s neck. Although you''re almost dead getting skewered if not from your insane luck.


    Lightheaded, you feel your body is getting lighter, as you can see your jacket and the tuck on your boots are getting looser every second.


    Profanities are being thrown around.


    One of the beast''s hands is trying to smash you, you let go of the planted sword as another friendly arm catches you mid-air from a small crevice. You feel like a plastic bag while being held on by your jacket.


    2 minutes left.


    A part of the arm branches as the small one gives you a black sword''s hilt with a short blade. You take it, its length then grows ten times your size which might be currently shrinking by a second.


    "SHIT!" The sword also grows in weight, you can''t let it go yet but your arms might fall off from your torso with every tissue and muscle being stretched to its limit holding the long-ass sword.


    You thought it couldn''t get any worse as the arm that holds you builds up in speed and hurls you into the Calamity once again.


    "Why are you so fixated on sending me to that monster, dammit!"


    Sometimes people dream of flying like a bird, it''s all because they are not born that way. Even the avian might be bored to oblivion holding their breath just to migrate and avoid danger, scavenging and hunting for food. But now, you could think of one poem for this situation.


    Joy is bird.


    A fragile thing.


    Poised on starry.


    Bought in spring.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"


    A magnificent piece you thought of in the heaps of danger and very-probably-end-in-death scenario you were in.


    The gales blow the horn for the triumphant, the sands spectate the unbecoming of harsh challenge.


    You''ve gone too far in this.


    Crumble the foundation, the huge arm that is holding the gigantic skewering sword has been decapitated. The mighty Timoreia is wielding its bane once again and for all hope that might have lost, throwing a strike from below¡ªyou''re bracing for impact.


    You hurl up your weapon painstakingly.


    It clashes.


    1 minute left.


    The sword has been blasted while parrying.


    One of the scattering wind-scars rips your gas mask apart, together with all of your clothes. The burning friction from the daunting wind scorches the skin cells, sending extreme anguish into your pain receptors.


    You''ve promised yourself, it will be temporary, always.


    More black-rock arms are conjured up to grab the raging Calamity, only to be broken apart by the pure strength of the countless arms on every diameter of the bark-like tree massive dragon.


    You''ve impressed Timoreia.


    The wind whispers at you, "You''ve done your part. Long Leggy, G rank personnel of the Scout department. The Ragnarok squad has come to your aid."


    The painkiller has expired, your vision is blurry, you''ve lost too much blood. Naked in the cold but your heart has been warmed by the valiant figure in front of you. A courageous silhouette blocking the shine of the energy being gathered inside the jaw of the Calamity.


    She wields a giant lance, her lower body parts seem inhumanly larger on the thighs protected with steel machinery with sharp ends and cutter legs like a giant needle. You could see two pointy owl-like ears sticking out. Her body is facing the calamity but dimly you could see that her neck has just rotated 180¡ã as her sharp yellow glare pierces your soul.


    She smiles, "Be at ease, the Assailant is here."

 Chapter 5 - Late Instead Of Deceased

    Freefall. Three, four¡ªnumbers of meters to the floor. Trundle, the ground taunts, frail, and enthrall you by the round cycle of awe-exuded intolerance you couldn''t see before.


    The ever feeling of dying is what might have you''re currently experiencing right now. The thread has not been woven exponentially as you clench your consciousness together as hard as you can.


    "Man, dying again is not cool at all."


    An absent spiritual state is high on death''s door.


    Your thoughts of living in the moment force your eyes to open till the very end, accelerating more as you dive headfirst in the air, feeling alive yet near grave. Unbeknownst to the lady of death, all of your determination then wavers after you see a figure who radiates pink substances reaching for you at high velocity.


    Ironically, you can''t believe what might happen next, closing your eyes as you can fulfill your promise.


    Maybe nothing hasn''t changed at all.


    And then when you open your eyes again, all of your burdens disappear. As the generic hero from the tv shows you used to watch comes at the last moment, on their way to the rescue.


    In amaze, you rest your body and soul as your partner catches and embraces you within her arm in mid-air. You could see her stiff neck with many pink veins overflowing. What is she feeling right now is still a mystery, but you trust the one who carries you out of the danger, the feeling might be mutual. She looks so dignified, courageous, and bigger now, you can''t help but feel small with how your current physical self feels like.


    Leap after leap, both of you manage to escape from the dangerous gas in the proximity.


    Safe is what you''re feeling.


    Until you remember that this bastard almost killed you many times in such a short span.


    "Sweetie, you''re now a huggable little cinnamon. So small it was possible for me to princess-carry you." She let out a chuckle, "How is the ride?"


    "How is the ride, you ask?"


    With every bit of strength, you accumulate all of it into a single kick straight to her chin.


    Expelling yourself from each other, rolling and coating every fiber of your skins with a grainy objectively bitter substitute that already makes up the 98% of the desert, into your temporary sugar-coating phase like a damn sushi master who''s finishing their dragon rolls.


    Let alone standing up, you could only muster to reangle your neck as every bit of strength you consume is all gone to the possibly broken neck of a person that you wish to eat shit.


    It was worth it.


    "Bloody hell!" She agitatedly shouts.


    Instead of trying to conserve all of your whack-a-doodle dire needs of carbohydrates, you dart your gaze to the rascal although still lying on the ground, and reply gently, "Bloody hell!? You''re the bloody hell! Trusting you will end in a bloody bath and I''m in a perpetual hell!"


    Surprisingly, she seems to have more fortitude than you think. Maybe the damage was minimal with your current child-like physical playful kick. You''re a little bit disappointed.


    Little by little, she sluggishly walks up to you, throwing off her mask like it has served its true purpose.


    "I could just easily protect both of us till the very end, but I''m still curious so I want to prove my prediction, hahaha." She says as the blood drools from her mouth.


    "By almost killing me."


    "Hah! Not exactly, I killed you many times. I failed, it took four hundred forty four tries to make this outcome."


    You gaze straight into her exhausted face, furrowing your left eyebrow with disgusted lips which might actually be an expression of a machine that does not compute¡ªif you are one.


    She continues, "A deal is a deal and I''m not a deal breaker, unlike you. Or should I say, the old you."


    She finally stands firmly before you, reaching out her hand once again. Closing her gentle pink eyes, she tightly smiles, "The name''s Chronos. Your trusted lil'' reliable companion, but alas, memories might not last, yet I wish to start anew, so shall we? Dear partner."


    The hand attached to your torso won''t budge an inch. You can only admire her and the view of a heavenly battle in the background with few humanoid figures razing the sky as the flares and shockwaves are distributed throughout the vicinity.


    You can''t help but smile, you really want to accept her hand but you can only do it verbally.


    "I might not be your real partner."


    Yet she still acknowledges you.


    You don''t realize it but you stutter in embarrassment "If you really accept a deadweight like me, then I wouldn''t mind."


    "Cute."


    "Hmm?"


    "Nothing!"


    A huge explosion can be perceived like the first rocket launching ever done by a certain aeronautics and space administration in some apes'' world trying their clumsy hands to reach the moon. In this case it ends up becoming a clear destructive phenomenon timed magnificently as the sun rises from the grand yellow east, greeting all miserable life with warmth, and one of them is you.


    Chronos whines, "Uhm, my hand is getting a lil'' bit cramps here." As her hand is still waiting for your reply.


    "Oh right, you can keep your hand of yours. Just let me be here to enjoy the sunlight."


    "You''re not a plant."


    She throws you her first layers of clothing, the fabric is surprisingly rather hard and bendy stiff instead of flexible, giving you some shock of pain to some of your burnt skin.


    Chronos throws her gaze away from you, "At least hide your skin like a proper lady, as I don''t want to be called a predator¡ªand let''s move to somewhere safe, those battle-maniacs behind me are rather rough when things get heated."


    "Now?"


    "You don''t want some chunks of the calamity''s body parts flying right into your head, don''t you?"


    "I thought it was obvious that I can''t even move an inch of my leg¡ª"


    A chunk the size of your palm from the Timoreia''s body part strikes you down from the sky, hitting your forehead at rather dangerous speed, and knocking you unconscious.


    The reality shifts into a perpetual darkness left and right as far as you can see. It is the familiar void you make friends with, right after your deathbed. In front of you stand a reflection of someone, possibly yourself. Shutting down her eyes, she has a petite grey fresh exterior, a rather fluffy long silver hair that entices you to cuddle it until you realize your whole control of your physical appearance is close to none.


    You can only stare.


    What is the reason for all of this event? Why are you even forced to dwell within this body? What happened to the real owner?


    So many questions yet too little hint for the answer.


    Just before you can piece all of the puzzle together, a bright light greets your retinas as you tries to shield it with your hands, only to notice your left wrist is currently attached with a small tube, like an IV drips infusion from a see-through liquid pack. Your right wrist meanwhile is being infused with a rather unfamiliar blue liquid on the hanged pack.


    Although extremely annoying, your eyes slowly get accustomed to the bright source of light from the ceiling.


    Knocking can be heard.


    The door opens, revealing a familiar figure with a neck-length wavy pink hair. She''s still wearing her operational apparel ready like there is no tomorrow. It might be only a few days from the last dumpster fire.


    "You''re in a coma for two whole weeks." Chronos says without further ado, as if she reads your mind.


    "Urgh."


    Behind her appears another person, a rather tall and curvy short haired blonde with a long-eared owl''s feature sticking to the sides from her head, she wears seemingly informal clothing with no equipment for fighting whatsoever. The only problem you have with this person is the fact that she glares at you like you''ve killed her family and stole her purse. A rather stiff and scary expression for someone as attractive as her. Menacingly, she then approaches you.


    "Long Leggy, what is a green apple muffin to you?"


    "What!?" You instantly reply in panic, sounding like an aggravating person rather than a scared one.


    "Ah, so she really lost her memories." The blonde says.


    Chronos meanwhile is rummaging through her backpacks in the background, "Told ya."


    "W-who are you!? What do you want from me!?"


    "Relax, sweetie. Thuljas'' default expression is always like that from the day she was born."


    Thuljas turns her neck in a sharp turn inhumanely facing Chronos, "Refer me by my codename, Compose."


    "Right, right, Ms. Bleeding from Rain."


    Thuljas only monotonically replies, like she''s already got used to the possibly repeated bullshit, "It''s Rainbleed, Oh, Ms. Unsympathetic."


    "I''m utterly confused." You say.


    "Ah my apologies." She eerily snaps back her neck and glares at you, her smile contradicts her sharp glare that can turn people to feel guilty the moment their eyes meet. "Seeing your condition, I must bring you the bad news."

 Chapter 6 - Mana Basics 101

    "You''re dismissed from the Scout department, Long Leggy."


    Bearing no brain cells in process, you let out an anticlimactic, "Oh."


    It might be very detrimental news for the old owner of this body but somehow it doesn''t really affect you much.


    You then snap out from your stupendous expression and assert the situation, "Then what about Chronos?"


    Chronos replies, "I''ve just got back from shoving the resignation paper into the higher up, I''m pretty much unemployed now."


    You can see Thuljas is rather pleased in a very devilish manner with an eerie wide smile, "Huhuh, the Scout-dept is a rubbish income source choice in Vagant Association. I recommend applying for the Coalition department and the Assail¡ª"


    Chronos interrupts, "No, we won''t be joining the Assailant. Hahaha."


    "My pardon but I''m not talking to you."


    "I heard the senior on the Assailant is a real pain in the ass to deal with."


    "Your intention to brainwash our defenseless friend here is obvious."


    Without any understanding of the important topics they are arguing, your brain runs a lap in a circle trying to send the possible valid information into the temporal lobe, if there is any easy-to-digest data that can be processed to begin with. This situation will be immensely easy to understand if it didn''t feel like walking in a parking area full of maniacs in cars doing collateral damage.


    "I''m in utter confusion, is there any gentle soul that is able to give me a brief idea of the situation?"


    Thuljas throws her gaze at you, in a dubious heart-stopping manner.


    You slightly let out a whimper.


    "It seems like the age regression also regresses your memories." Says the menacing owl as she closes the distance of her gaze into your face.


    Still fiddling with the contents on her backpack, Chronos joins the conversation again, "Well, it was called amnesia for a reason." As she brings an instrument with an attached inflatable rubber cuff.


    "A sphygmomanometer?"


    "No, silly. It''s a ''Mana'' appraiser."


    Chronos then walks to your left side and pulls out the IV infusion forcefully from the body of a child.


    "Oi! Be gentle, Oi! GAAAAAAAAAA!??"


    "Hush, hush, you''ll be fine~"


    Looking from the spilling blood on your left arm, it just contradicts her words.


    Exponentially, the urge to punch her elevates statistically but your right arm is also on an infusion. Thuljas can only shake her head with a facepalm.


    Chronos then wraps your upper arm with the inflatable rubber cuff. The shocking turmoil from the sudden detachment of the IV infusion is still there doing a rave party beneath your wrist, your skin and pain receptors are more sensitive than numb as you try to tightly close your lips to prevent any saliva from spilling.


    "Compose, you need to sterilize and close the remaining infusion mark with cotton first."


    "Nah, she is a tough gal''."


    "NO I''M NOT!"


    As the devil tinkers with the device, you can feel that the rubber cuff begins to tighten and holy lord, your blood is getting pushed through the infusion mark as it creates a mini red water fountain.


    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"


    "Oy, Thuljas, is this room soundproof?"


    "It''s Rainbleed, and no, it isn''t."


    Your whole body exudes a flicker of blue light. Ignoring the collosal mind-numbing pain, you can feel a high concentration of energy unprocessed in your whole branching blood veins. The denser the energy you can trail is actually pathed into the tube of infusion on your right arm into the hanger pack of blue liquid.


    "Compose, how is the ''Mana'' level?"


    "It''s just like we predicted. Together with the body, the foundation is also regressed to the power level of an average child."


    In your near passed out consciousness, you are able to decipher some words that they say.


    Basically, you''ve become weak.


    The very word that haunts you to no end, you died because you''re weak, you failed because you''re weak, you embarrassed everyone because you''re weak.


    Denial is power.


    You''re not weak.


    "Ah, did you already teach her to absorb and process the ''Mana''?


    "Hell no, am I the kind of person who shares my knowledge willingly?"


    The liquid isn''t actually as dense. You search for the path and explore the so-called ''foundation''. The wasted essence has all been used to accelerate your natural regeneration capabilities but it feels out of place, your cells didn''t use all of the energy efficiently.


    To patch the problem, you search for the cause; it was the untrained use of subconscious nerves in your spine and it didn''t even try to use the massive amount of energy. Your whole body ignores the ''Mana'' as it roams every inch of your blood vessels as the unnatural non-ionizing radiation begins to naturally heal the tissues, helping the flow of oxygen, and the regeneration of blood cells.


    It might be the very reason why you felt like you never ran out of blood when you were fighting the hemorrhaging back then. As your former states might be storing this processed version of energy.


    Miraculously, the ''Mana'' hasn''t been processed yet but it can give you many benefits by just being a third-party support.


    Now you know what the blue liquid infusion is for.


    "Compose. She is in the appraisal process. Try to guide her consciousness to the foundation."


    You feel an unknown party exploring your veins, leaving guidelines as you follow all the mazes of exact shapes and turns to find a metaphorical orb hiding near your belly button.


    The orb is empty but the unknown party is giving you an example as it pours a few drops of ''Mana'' into the core. The core however, rejects the gifts from the meddling consciousness as it disperse immediately into nothing.


    "Sweetie, can you convert those ''Mana'' yet?"


    "I don''t know."


    "For starters, you can use a small tiny bit from the liquid ''Mana'' that is currently circling your whole blood flow."


    Chronos''s instructions are rather hard to trust, but it won''t hurt to try the guidance of your self-proclaimed reliable lil'' companion, it might cost your life though. Leaving the grudge aside, you try to branch out your consciousness and encircle a small amount of the liquid ''Mana''.


    "No, that is too big. Just take the miniscule."


    You do what Chronos tells by shrinking the perception into miniscule quantum of atoms.


    You''ve now known the true form of ''Mana''.


    It is actually a string.


    A numerous stretching fabric, few times the size of a planck-length curved with distinctive features different from each other can be perceived. The size is so small it almost reaches the unknown quantum realms. Maybe ''Mana'' has existed from the beginning of time and humans didn''t have the tech to detect the ravenous source of energy.


    Chronos continues, "And as you can see, there are thousands of types of strings, you only need to combine three different types of them and make a shape. Shrinking your consciousness into the size of the strings to temper it should do the job."


    Your consciousness touches the energetic strings, you can then connect the end into another, "I''ve connected two of them, do I need to make a loop?"


    "Well, feel free. It won''t change anything except creating a massive positive feedback and drastically increasing the output of the processed ''Mana'' to go Kabooooom~"


    "W-what should I do?"


    "Make an intersection, connect both of the ends to the middle part and connect the third''s end into the middle of the first and the second. Your shapes will determine the ''Mana'' quality."


    "Did I''ve just made a dic¡ª"


    "Hush, it was one of the best shapes you can use."


    The combined strings emit a drastic energy ten times stronger than before. The temperature nourishes the heated cells within your body as it pumps your blood and sends the oxygen more efficiently than the average working procedure of the cells at work.


    Your first ever processed ''Mana''. Excited, you can''t wait for more of your partner''s instructions. Although it was a little too jarring to have a phallus-shaped nuclear fusion to be your first achievement in this world.


    "Now transfer the ''fusion'' as a whole into your ''Mana Sea''."


    You guide the phallus-shaped ''Mana'' into the orb. Without any warning, your consciousness is transported into vast droughty land¡ªtogether with the phallus-shaped ''Mana'', the tiny glimmers react vigorously as it enters the realm.


    Just like an ice being put on top of a sizzling oil, the ''Mana'' then scatters creating a visible puddle the size of your feet.


    A whole new experience that no normal human has felt before.


    Mana acquired.


    Thuljas interjects, waking you up from the intense trance. "Usually, it takes years of training to be able to perceive ''Mana'', guess your muscle memory is still there after all."


    "Huh? How does that logic work?" Says Chronos.


    "To be honest, I''m not so sure either. But I already contacted my acquaintance on the CRI about this."


    You want to ask what is CRI until your partner suddenly answers the inaudible question like she is reading your mind, "Calamity Research Institute, buncha old nerd having a climax each time the association gave them the Calamity''s dic¡ª."


    "You can get sued for that." The owl says.


    A Calamity, the word of vagueness from the very start you embarked into this world. Only time will tell what it was, as you''re currently bearing the crest of ultimate sadism in your left wrist that hasn''t been treated at all.


    "Can I heal this using ''Mana''?" You say.


    "The process won''t be finished instantly, but you can try to control your ''Mana'' to simulate your blood cells to do all the work." Thuljas replies, "Your body is your shrine, I shall help your journey to strengthen yourself, as I''m hoping to see you soon as an Assailant personnel."


    Chronos finally unwraps the inflatable cuff from your upper left hand, "Or call the doctor."


    The owl glances at her watch.


    "But I''m afraid it was time for me to go."


    Chronos gives the departing owl a thumbs up, "You can leave the nursing to me!"


    You''re not sure about that.


    As Thuljas walks into the door, she stops right in front of the frame. Without facing the one she talks to¡ªshe says, "Long Leggy, are you sure you forgot what ''green apple muffin'' is to you?"


    "I''m sorry, I don''t know." You can only bitterly reply.


    "I see, I shall depart now then."


    The tall shining savior of yours ducks from the ceiling of the door, waving her hand as a farewell. Fate is fickle yet absolute, with enough belief; you''re sure that you will meet her again.


    And now you''re stuck with the audacious bitch.

 Chapter 7 - Hospitality

    Neamh, 14,025 AD. Now you''re in the world where Humanity has taken their last straw in the hinge of the broken catastrophe. Without knowing the exact years, the Earth had been attacked by an enigma of a celestial. Countless divine angels of destruction rain upon the Earth as giant monsters raised from mother nature''s womb. It was still unknown how humanity survived.


    On the other hand, there have been many changes especially in the society running the gear. After 10,000 years, the Earth is now labeled as Neamh, and pure humans were deemed as sacred royalty. Although currently there have been only 56 pure humans and 10 big families. The rest of the Neamh''s dweller are either an undying walking destruction, wanderless Angel, and numerous humanoids whose ancestors are the byproduct of bioengineering.


    Thousand years passed¡ªcomes Ethera Mana, one of the surviving humans who revolutionized the use of meta-physical energy that she labeled as Mana, drastically impacting the civilization with only 8% of the world''s domain where everything is occupied with literal destruction, keeping the torch alive.


    Or so that is what you can make sense of Chronos''s words.


    "And then it goes Kaboooom~"


    "I can''t count more on how many times you have said that."


    Without the IV infusion on your left arm, you''re currently using the other hand to consume an unknown spicy bread¡ªweirdly shaped but you couldn''t care less.


    "So what is the deal with the Vagant thingy association stuff?" You say.


    Munching her own snacks, she sits beside you on the edge of the bedside. "Vagant is just a name of someone who says ''fuck it'' when those gnarly things we call Calamity killed his wife, his son, his daughter, his grandkids, his second wife, his ex-wife¡ª"


    "Gosh, how long does this guy live?"


    "Around a couple of hundred years, and then he got skewered by an Angel."


    "So he is the one who made this organization?"


    "Nah, it was his fifth wife who made the association."


    "This is confusing."


    "You''ll get used to it."


    After a while, you notice your liquid-mana infusion''s pack is empty. All of the mana is currently cycling and permeating your blood. It is astonishing that your body is autonomously processing the raw mana after you''ve done it the first time, albeit at a tremendously slower pace¡ªprocessing the same phallus-shaped mana for two hours.


    She then takes out another big bag of jerkies, "The association is one of the prominent firepower for all of the races to survive, you can say that they deal with the dangerous stuff."


    "And what is all the department is for?"


    "There are six departments in total: Engineering, Assailant, Coalition, Scout, Research, and Guardian. All of the department names are self explanatory, unless your memory loss makes you forget what spicy bread is. But alas, your old self is always insisting me to keep a low profile within Scout-dept for a reason you haven''t told yet." She then takes a sip from her drinking-flask.


    "Sorry?"


    "Pwuah!" The content of the flask seems enticing. "There are ranks within each department. Although they serve a different purpose and category, cause all of them use alphabetical orders for G as the lowest, then triple SSS as the highest, I don''t want to go into detail as I''m sure you already have more questions in mind."


    "I think that''s all for now."


    Chronos has finished her lunch, "You will recover in no time at this rate, and then we should converse on how to pay the debt for your treatment." She then takes a handkerchief from one of her jacket''s pockets, wiping gently all of the sweats from her forehead.


    Looking at her pale face, you anxiously ask, "H-how does my treatment cost?"


    "Around 20,000 Kepler Coins."


    "H-how much 20,000 Kepler Coins worth?"


    She is somehow wearing glasses, "100 KC is enough to make both of us survive for a month, we still had 2,400KC back then. I paid 2,300KC so now we only have the money to survive for only one month, and that isn''t the worst thing about this situation."


    "W-what is it?"


    "Thuljas paid for our debts, and now we''re in debt with her." She says while biting her thumb.


    "Huh? Isn''t that a good thing?"


    "No! Gah! You won''t understand!"


    A moment of silence when Chronos is looking at her watch, throwing the glasses into the trash bin. She hurriedly packs up her stuff in haste, "Shit! I forgot to check the time!"


    "Where are you going?"


    "A side job." She blushes. "I''ll come again later in the evening! In the meantime, you better cultivate and explore your Mana Sea! The faster you breakthrough the better!"


    Without giving you a chance to say another word, Chronos disappears like a wind as she storms out from the room.


    A few minutes later, someone''s knocking at the door, "Miss Longy, may I come in?"


    It seems like someone had tempered your submitted name in this hospital.


    Without hesitation, you reply, "Come in."


    The door''s open, revealing a shut-eyed young woman with a feline trait wearing nurse attire as she pushes a trolley filled with strange medical equipment. Somehow you feels a little bit light on your fatigue as soon as she gestures one of her hand into the ceiling


    "Nya, so how are you feeling, Miss Longy?" The trolley then stops beside the bed. You can see a nametag on her right chest, spelled ''Nonir''


    "I''m good." You smile.


    She then checks many things about your condition using many instruments, treating the rough detaching of the IV infusion and also giving you some vitamins gummies as she moves away the packs from all of the infusion. You notice her change of expression when she sees the infusion mark Chronos had just pulled with no humane reasoning. Nonir bites her lower lip as her vein tightens like the world is nearing its doom. It might be you but it seems like this hospital deem their patients as rather important, unlike the one you''re brought to in your former life.


    Nonir changes your hospital gown, it feels like a child again all over as you awkwardly watch her undress you while she handles your hygiene. Casually talking to you and asks all about yourself in a playful manner, she also explains how severe your condition was back then when you''re being sent into the emergency room.


    You''re reconsidering your own status.


    "All done! Anything else, Miss Longy?"


    "If I may ask, how long will I reach full recovery?"


    "Nya, don''t worry. After some therapy tomorrow you''ll be dismissed from your treatment."


    She then suggests you to rest as she abides you a farewell as you do so too, leaving you all alone unrestrained. Recalling your partner''s words, you decide to go into your mana sea once again and see how many processed mana you''ve accumulated.


    Dry as ever, although you can see more small puddles than the first time. Once again you decide to create a new mana shape other than the phallus one.


    "Let''s try some random patterns first."


    As you stretch your consciousness, you then try many patterns: Twisted elongated stick, three leaf clovers, a weird-looking cup, and many more.


    Surprisingly, none of the processed value is stronger than the first shape you''ve created.


    "The heck, all of the mana shape is weaker than a dick!?"


    Before you know it, you have processed around 110 shapes of ready-to-use mana, plus 29 from your body autonomous converging.


    All of them make up the blue dots you can see on the dry ground as far as your perception can reach, but something feels lacking. Is it because the mana is scattered away from each other? An experiment is a must! The beats of excitement filled your meta-physical joy with the act of ''not knowing what the hell you''re doing''.


    True to your consciousness, you can manifest your own body within the mana sea. Strangely, as you dig a plot of land for the container of your mana¡ªwith your hands of course. You can feel the dryness, the heat, and hardness of the soil, it''s like another world in itself. All things considered, with enough effort; the processed mana is now all clumped together within a big small pool. It''s the size of a medium living room, and either by luck or some quantum physics bullshit, it emits soothing waves more ever so as the soil near the pool begins to grow some patch of grass. There is also no sense of fatigue when you''re done.


    After the trance, you are curious whether or not you can cast any miracle or something that you can deem as amazing.


    And well, you still can''t do shit.


    The raw mana within your blood has all been processed, leaving you nothing to do.


    You then decide to rest, cuddling your small hands beneath the blanket as coldness permeates the room.


    Void, the same empty space with nothing but darkness. It''s the same figure you saw in your first dream, this time her hair is purple instead of silver.


    And her red eyes are staring at you with killing intent.

 Chapter 8 - Dismissed From Hospital

    "Gah!?"


    You wake up in cold sweat, trying to get into your brain''s hippocampus and spam the delete button on the nightmare you''ve experienced.


    Little you know to notice a person who leans her head into the mattress of your bed besides you, still in her usual equipment. Sleeping innocently as the luscious sounds of her breathing entices the motherly urge to protect, no-matter-the-age as if it was only a number. Chronos might have done many questionable things but you can''t help but to mesmerize the view yourself, powered by the indulgence to touch those soft cheeks together with the urge to keep still to not wake her up.


    By human standard, the person you see right now is actually attractive¡ªminus the rotten personality. You''re wondering whether she is single or not.


    And then somehow you actually forgot what in the oblivion happened in your dream.


    You thank Chronos subconsciously.


    The day then goes on, Chronos wakes up. Nonir then comes to your room to guide you into the therapy area. With the help of a concentrated healing environment, two hours then passes before you are able to feel and use every part of your mechanical nerves throughout your body without any problem. Another couple of minutes is about signing all of the documents, there is no obstacle whatsoever, except the fact that Chronos was labeled as your guardian in one of the files.


    "Really?"


    "It was Thuljas''s idea."


    Albeit your current body is a little bit weak, but you''re as positive as ever. Although your partner has a questionable sense of fashion when it comes to your outfit, as she is dressing you in gothic-lolita before you get out of the hospital.


    "Really?"


    "It was courtesy from Thuljas, I hereby have no means of having money so she bought one for you. Hahaha, free clothes!"


    As you walk into the entrance, an exit; you can feel everyone is looking at you, either they think that you''re the child of a rich person or a complete weirdo. The door from the inside is made out of mirrors, there might be a reason as to why it was made that way. Without thinking too hard, you then once again dart your blue eyes with multiple dark rings, into every detail to analyze your own appearance¡ªblack and dark-blue, A-line petticoat layered with blue rose motifs and many frills, black pantyhose coating your legs, uncomfortable long heels, then your vibrant light-bluish sky of wavy long hair that''s unrestricted from all kind of head accessories.


    Biting your lower lips, the embarrassment is overwhelming but all of the clothing Thuljas sent is almost in the same theme. Although, you''re actually relieved as you managed to convince Chronos to not put any more accessories onto you like a doll back then.


    Your partner exudes a weird expression as she keeps her laughter from slipping out of her lips, "Be proud, you''re actually cute in that getup."


    "And I''m not proud of it.


    "Ah, I think having an adopted daughter is a fun idea."


    "Your future daughter must be suffering."


    The mirror-door yawns, revealing an orange sunshine upon the crowded metropolis'' silhouettes of time''s quill from the future to spill its ink''s shady-color choices to all of the seemingly geometric infrastructure. The fumes around the vicinity smell like wet grass as you lo and behold upon the overly polished asphalt''s reflection where eyes'' vision zooms into the gloomy yellow sun on the ground.


    All kinds of bipedal races are conversing, minding their own business; a harpy grasping the item given to them with their talons, a personified chimera, a few small child-like people with big round ears of a rodent, and much more. Their clothings is also unexpectedly eccentric and layered. You can see how stylish most of them look, definitely didn''t expect for a fashion to be revolutionary, together with life expectancy.


    A mere glance to the road is able to tickle your fancy, it''s the total polar opposite of what you''ve been experiencing right after you came to this world. Embarking your little feet, following the lead of your partner into somewhere that you forgot to ask because of the flabbergasting¡ªcrossing the road as your gaze encapsulates many kinds of unique transportation into your memory. None of the huge trucks and cars excrete any carbon-dioxide. Gloomy, but this era seems more environmentally cleaner than you think.


    Surprisingly, you actually blended with the background even with your little avant-garde choice of fashion. In a world where everyone is a stylist, nothing will stand out¡ªor so you think at the very moment.


    After walking for a while, both of you approach an unmanned car with a green square sign on top. You don''t want to question anything as your mind is still in the middle of processing information, ''this might be a good time to contemplate about life'' your brain whispers devilishly.


    Nonchalantly, both of you are now inside. The interior is clean and simplistic, there are four seats and instead of facing to the front per row, each two are positioned from each other. Chronos smug like usual, resting her chin into her palm delightfully.


    "Sector VED 04" Says your partner.


    A rather monotone voice replies from the speaker, "Affirmative, South-Citadel Sector 04 Vagant''s Engineering."


    "Somehow I was excited, where are we going?" You ask.


    "We will be going somewhere fun, and explosive."


    "Please don''t explode anything."


    "I didn''t promise."


    Fidgeting, you stare out from the window to the citadel architecture and everything abnormal from your former life.


    You can say that you''re nervous but excitement is truly contagious, even though you ended up acting like an unemployed person on the way to your first interview. Then again, your unemployed status is not an exaggeration.


    Few minutes later, you arrive at the destination. It is more like a massive bunker than a building, the sense of feeling small in this universe can be felt through an unrelated existential crisis, such as being a small fragile brat going into an unknown facility full of possible combustible materials. This is all only in your mind bearing the theory of why Chronos is looking peachy all the way here.


    There are two guards heavily armored in carbon-black from head to toe. From right to left, a slim woman and a jacked-up man; both of them have red and blue horns facing to their eyes respectively¡ªlooking at their level of badassness with their xeno mecha-like armor. You''re wondering if there are any jet-engines on their back to complete the ''human-size gundam'' packet.


    Chronos greets, "Good afternoon, sir!"


    "Ah, good afternoon. Compose, who is this young lady over here?" A rather masculine voice coming out from the presumably female you mistook, as there is no way that a woman''s voice can be this deep!


    "Masky, focus on the job." And a feminine stern voice is coming out from the one you think was male, there is no way that a female''s shoulder can be that wide!


    Masky replies, "Aren''t our job is to stand still and be intimidating?"


    "If that is your job then you''re already failed." Says the female?


    The slim man''s face approaches both of you as he tries to mute his whispering with his hand "Don''t mind her, she is still mad about losing to some random dude at the casino yesterday."


    A strange random event, both of you then wave at both although only one person waves back. Entering the infamous facility, the inside greets you with numerous machines and large contraptions being lifted, sent, and appraised.


    You can feel some curious gaze lurking at you.


    With Chronos leading, you pass by many diverse sizes of open workshops all minding their own business. Though, some are even helping each other or collaborating. After walking for a while, both of you get into a lift and go into the basement. The only thing different from the first floor is that the workshops here are working on all sorts of weaponry, a giant claymore being lifted by four people is one example. After many eye-gasm, both of you stop at a specific workshop on the most corner. Inhabited by a tall slouching man with two pairs of large antlers, wearing a bland white t-shirt currently striking a steel with a hammer on the anvil.


    "Yo! Carbonite, can I raise my debt one more time?"


    "My hammer doesn''t seek any more non-existent money waster. Speak! I might reconsider my vexation from seeing your face." Unfazed, he continues to hone his craft.


    Shrugging off the obvious enmity, she trifles around in an irritating manner, "Hey, lookie my daughter here! I want some freebies for her."


    "I''m not your daughter."


    The blacksmith interjects, "Young lady, I suggest you change your sense of fashion."


    "I knew it! Gothic-lolita is not the norm!"

 Chapter 9 - Mini-Minigun

    "Aww, how can you do that to my little Longy?"


    Carbonite sighs, "You still haven''t told me whose child you had kidnapped."


    Chronos moves to your behind, crouching as both of her index fingers push your cheeks. "Come on, this small and curious critter is Long Leggy."


    The blacksmith''s retinas shrinks, he stops his hammering and throws the hot bar of iron into the cooler roughly as tiny explosions erupt from the unfinished craft, changing the water''s color on the cooler into black. He immediately stands up, gaze locked into you.


    You gaze at him, nervous. Chronos'' fingers are still on your cheeks.


    He gaze at Chronos.


    Then he gazes at you.


    Then at Chronos.


    And then you.


    After a silence, the blacksmith''s mind sends a signal into his sinking bone marrow, coming back again to his brain to exude a pale frown of utter confusion. "What kind of sorcery is this?"


    "Timoreia''s."


    After hearing the word, he calms down, "I''ve promised someone to not make a deal with you."


    Your partner''s playful expression suddenly shifts into a cold, serious glare. "She is not the same as her." As she pinch your cheeks.


    Tightly gripping his fist, Carbonite takes one more breath to refrain from action rash.


    "Explain."


    You can see the man is hiding many spite. His eyes are full of malice towards you, especially towards your name.


    Back to the usual smug, your partner stands up, looking around at Carbonite''s workshop. "I''m busy. So let''s cut into the case, give me your junk."


    "What is even making you busy."


    "Pissing you off."


    "I regret asking that." He retracts his glare, possibly satisfied from your ''almost pissing herself'' look. The blacksmith then takes out a large box seemingly made out of metal, furiously. His right arm''s muscle begins to expand in green hue as he strikes the box, making cracks and then enlarging the cracks with both hands.


    Chronos folds her arms as her left index finger touches her chin, "Ah, Aekha''s capabilities of utilizing mana without a catalyst never fails to impress me."


    "How many times do I need to say this, we use our antlers for the casting medium. An assimilation without a catalyst is nigh impossible." He then throws the cracked lid into the collection of junks inside his workshop unfeigned. Probably reusing it for later.


    Your partner glances at you, tightly smiling. "Your nerdy kin, your nerdy chime. Just a lil'' information for my lil'' friend over here."


    You feel rather uncomfortable with the fact that your partner is exhibiting some questionable action like she is scheming something. It''s like playing along an encouraging charade orchestrated by one muse, either you decide to go off track or have your fates to be fully determined within the arms of a potentially dangerous being.


    Looking back again, unlike every other humanoid in this world. You don''t find any animalistic trait visible from Chronos. Despite the statement that there are only 56 pure humans left on this planet, is she one of them? Could she be lying?


    Who is she?


    The closest possible race she might be in is some kind of serpent people, because of her toxic tongue.


    Stupefied, the feeling of suspicion doesn''t last long until you see the content of the box.


    "I was supposed to recycle all of this." He sighs, "I''ll let you choose one of them if you''re agreeing to my request."


    Chronos pouts, "Aww come on, how stingy can you be?"


    The man then sits on a small foldable chair, "The golden fact that I''m letting my creation in the hand of the most despised Scout''s personnel is questionable."


    Carbonite is either referring to you, or your partner.


    "Nah, we''re not within the Scout-dept anymore."


    He sneers, "I see, you both finally got kicked?"


    "You can say that." Chronos replies, taking a glimpse of the box full of weapons.


    A wand, bladed close-range weapons, geometric cane, gyrojet lance, V-shaped chainsaw, shield with blades, blade with shield, and a small three rotary-barrelled machine gun. "A small Minigun!?"


    "You mean the Microgun?"


    "Microgun!? The child of a Minigun!?"


    "Minigun? Another variant of a Microgun? Regardless, that one is actually just me fiddling around with my low resources instead of trying to make a sale."


    "Minigun was supposed to be a bigger version of this." You say, as you hold the compatible Microgun and examine the exterior. It feels smooth and rather lightweight than what you might think of a gun.


    The blacksmith raises his eyebrows, piqued. He reaches for an almost torned blueprint from one of the shelves.


    "I got this from a trade, one of the analyses told me that this was a fossil from the Origin Era."


    The modern era where you came from. It is amazing that this fickle ancient scripture can even survive the harsh test of time. On some parts you can read ''XM214 Microgun'' although it''s surprisingly different from the one you''re currently holding, such as the obvious difference in caliber and the amount of barrel. The one you''re holding has a bigger caliber but only 3 barrels contradicting the blueprint which shows 6, it might have a lower rounds-per-minutes but the diameter is akin to that of rifle width, maybe more bigger.


    He then shows one of the ammunition, "I''ve made 80 prototype cartridges of .75, conducting mana essence with converter formation to create a cheap propellant that also acts as the stabilization system. One shot is capable of crushing a B-rank Calamity''s Armor."


    His big palm is cradling a 0,75 inches diameter sharp lead with 72 mm length, there are also three spiralling holes on its back. In which you noticed that it wasn''t a bullet, it was a whole small rocket as there is no propeller casing of gunpowder to launch the bullets. The whole thing is the goddamn bullet!


    Although bearing with miniscule knowledge of guns, you can at least differentiate which one is a bullet and which one is a rocket.


    Chronos interjects, "It seems like you''re rekindling some old artifact, why do you want to incinerate it?"


    "Cause nobody would definitely buy them if I put it on the market. It will just be an exotic item and you know how much I hate exotic goods." He sighs once again, "There is clearly a big potential as it can also be used by non caster, but self-loathing takes over and you two get the idea."


    Your eyes sparkle with anticipation, considering all choices of ''junk'' Carbonite have, most of them need you to close the distance and you''re not having a good time the last time you''re closing distance just to do damage, and casting instruments is a no go. So this isn''t much of a choice to begin with.


    "I''ll take this mini-minigun!"


    Carbonite shows a faint smile, he takes 20 of the Microgun ammunition and puts it in a small box. He then gives the box together with a yellow-striped white card on top of it, "Go to the testing chamber, this is my card."


    "As for me, I''ll be here for a while, as I have something to talk about with Mister Nerdy-Grumpy~." Says Chronos.


    Stacking both the box and the Microgun, you depart to the direction that Carbonite points with his finger. The excitement overwhelms the weight you carry, ''a couple of broken bones for shooting these baddies is worth it'' you think. Without too much focus on the path of your destination, you collide with an unknown person.


    The recoil knocks you down to the floor, looking up to see a flat-chested lady wearing a bendable dense-material robe and an oversized floating red collar with unknown symbols engraved. Fair white skins, she have a straight knee-length silver hair, smooth as silks¡ªit reflects a prism colors to the eyes.


    "Awawawa!?"


    Expressionless, she then helps you get up as both of you pick up the scattered fallen ammunition. Without saying a word, she gives you a piece of candy.


    "T-thanks!" You awkwardly say.


    She only nods, gazing at you from head to toe.


    "Ketanium! Your order is here!"


    The candy lady then approaches the source of the voice, departing from you.


    The same as her, you get back to the main objective, which is testing the gun! embark your little feet as you go!

 Chapter 10 - The Little Adventure Of Ketanium! [Yksi]

    Age, unknown. Birthplace, unknown. Race, unknown. Estimated power level¡ª


    Unknown.


    Many beings, people, monsters, undead, and parted souls sang their lullaby for the one and only menace lurking within the heart of future civilization. Nothing can tame the chaos itself, as it has none to harness, speckless.


    In the possession of four recorded ''Angels'', neutralized, present at the first Dodeca War, was not found in any record of printed history. Current occupation: VA''s personnel.


    The Vagant Association had been a longtime wall, forcing the renaissance of a new era where four major races stand as one.


    Aekha, the major race with the most mana conductivity. Freaks of nature where the majority still clings with tree and saps like herbivore do, can hardly be found on the overworld, but not anymore since the first movement of the renaissance. Can be negotiated.


    Aiseirigh, the unbecoming prideful dragon that resembles pure humans the most. Their horn is only for flaunting but they are ambitious, truly dangerous. Must be eradicated if possible.


    Tanomobi, the ageless rodents with an extremely higher survivability rate than all of the races, are still hidden within the claimed Calamity''s zone, yet they are hard to find. Doesn''t pose a threat but if they start to become more active, then drastic measures must be taken.


    Khazenkha, the lizard people with many subspecies. Currently holding the lane of defense on every possible border of Amos Citadel. Highest priority, they must be eradicated at all costs.


    Out of every crisis mission, my target is only one. Highly sought by every Private Military Company, the Coalition and Assailant department always tries everything to recruit her, yet she decided to rot away within the Scout department with inactivity for a couple of years. Not only that, many are aiming for her head even within the Citadel.


    Codenamed: Long Leggy.


    What a dumb name.


    Why would the ''Unforgiven'' give this unreasonable mission to me? I have no grudge against humanity or even the ''Angels'', I just want my tea time uninterrupted and the best pastry made by my archenemies. Is it that hard?


    It took two years for me to climb up to my current rank within the Scout department, and now my target has been discharged!? How can I tell the others I used as a pawn for this position? I already have too much debt!


    Alas, the world is unfair and so do I. A brown cheese pancake in the afternoon might be a good idea¡ª


    "Awawawa!?"


    A gothic-lolita!? That trend died forty years ago!


    Huh, she fell. Such a poor twerp who knows nothing about the world. I can''t sense any foundation within the brat either. Ignorance is truly the true form of imperialistic nature of egoistic mind from the little prison body called a child, whose brat is this? Younglings from one offspring mustn''t need dotting or love, they should have just been thrown into the wild and learn the very essence of survival as searing sands rekindle the soles of their feet with the feeling of pain, engraving their life with idealistic comprehension about the world.


    But cute is justice, what a nice fashion sense. I wonder if the candy I bought a while ago can appease the tremor of the bumping¡ªah, I forgot that she is carrying something, hmm? ammunition!? She is volunteering? Ah, such fine craftsmanship, a whole .75 caliber with mana gyrojet. Ah, I''m too focused on this piece of art. Is it for the cylinder gun? Hmm, it could be an exotic product from the looks of it. Ah, the young lady is troubled. Ah, the candy!


    "T-thanks!"


    Good, the little critter has regained her posture. This reminds me back in the day where everything is not a dumpster fire raging around the primordial realm for ''Unforgiven'' sake¡ª


    "Ketanium! Your order is here!"


    Perfect, let''s see what kind of abominations I got for using all of my KC for this random bidding. Living within a Citadel is really complicated. You need money for everything, it wouldn''t be surprising that an economic crisis can lead to a broken society. But that won''t matter as much for now, cause I need the adrenaline of my random-possibilities addiction. Then again, it was a little out of place for the meeting to be held here, maybe the owner of the bidden item is anxious? Hmm, I can''t understand.


    The male Aiseirighs with a sleek business suit hands me a briefcase, the service is astounding as always, the aesthetic of the briefcase is superior than my briefcase. It was a plus already.


    I''ll open it later.


    I got what I needed, although waiting one hour earlier than the supposed given time is an excruciatingly bad idea, a minus for my brain.


    Now, where is that Long-Legged bitch¡ª


    "Ah."


    This smell, my target''s companion, is in this vicinity, surprisingly. This must be the fate given to me by the ''Unforgiven'', if I can capture her, if I at least capture her¡ª


    No, I mustn''t act rashly. The world is huge and the dire needs of instant satisfaction can be the downfall to any living being, even the clouds from heaven won''t forgive my plea to them if something happens, every mortal for themselves, let''s just give the convoluted matters to the immortal.


    Firstly, to the toilet.


    Ah, the interior is fancy, it always impresses me with how they implement so many ideas into everyday facilities. A clone should suffice. No, the use of mana can be detected, a tiny one, a small itsy bitsy drone recorder. Why become a better person when you can be a successful one?


    Any information, a single information is crucial, knowing the enemies is the key to victory. Yes, my key is only meters away, I can get a higher position when I''m back to Tartarus, if I accomplish this, I can live a good wasteful life. My own familiars, my own private realm, my own happiness¡ª


    "Ah."


    What.


    "Fufufu."


    The music cheerfully takes over the background, the feeling of dread from the sudden appearance of someone has taken over my motivation to stay alive.


    "C-C-Compose!?"


    "A new assassin? Who sent you?"


    She stands there, inside the toilet booth, menacingly. Staring at me with a killing intent dense enough to overwhelm the sun, with the lil'' me currently bottomless as I''m trying to pretend to get calls from mother nature.


    Unfazed, the fearsome devil herself only shows a wide manic smile, "Ah, you''re one with the Calamities."


    "H-h-how do you know?"


    Instead of replying to my abrupt panic, she throws a fact at me. "Capturing me? Are you sure?"


    "EEEEEEKHH!?"


    Ah, I''m dead meat aren''t I? There is no time to question how she knows or whether she reads my mind and other unknown means. Such a painful death is perfect for the sinful me.


    "So what is your answer? Little rascal?" A sneer comes with a rather vague question.


    What should I reply?


    ''I want my tea time''.


    ''This is not how it should be''.


    ''Mogawa River''.


    "I-I will defect! I promise!"


    "How will I know if you wouldn''t defect again from us?"


    ''Good calming music''.


    ''Contradicting my nigh end''.


    ''Mogawa River''.


    Her face is getting closer, "Hmm, how about skewering? One hundred cuts? Does a Calamity need oxygen?"


    "Hikhs!!"


    The surrounding is getting darker, her eyes envelopes in black as numerous sharp nails gently threaten my own being, in my four hundred years of experience, this is the most harrowing event till this date.


    Slowly, a sharp scythe of painful death rising behind her.


    "Calamity. Must, Die."


    Ah, the tears won''t stop, am I crying? That doesn''t matter anymore, if I die, then so be it. Even if I died crying. Oh, mother nature, please grant me a place within your body as I seek retribution for what I''ve done for all of my lifetime.


    Ah, my bladder can''t contain the yellow tears on my body part below. I can''t think of any more haiku for this, please, for the first time. I don''t want to die, huuuu!


    Miserable, my anguish and cry for help lasted for a while, until I open my eyes to see no devil in my sight.


    "..."


    Ah, I''m a mess. Luckily, the briefcase is still here. Maybe opening it might cure my sadness.


    "..."


    A mere low-ranked forcefield talisman. I was scammed.


    Ah, I think I''m considering my retirement, probably confessing my old fixation on my crush one hundred years ago. Maybe if I''m lucky, I can end up marrying him and live a peaceful life. Integrating within the society isn''t a bad idea either, those barbaric folks won''t be able to crush the defense lines anyway. I can be a baker, make a stable living. And buy a plot of land. Probably becoming a better person, a better person, a better person.


    A better person.


    "..."


    I want to cry again.

 Chapter 11 - Dummy Is Afraid Of Bullets

    "Dear¡ª God."


    A vast private room as the inside is covered with many white safety boxes large enough to make you reconsider the math of this whole underground giant bunker, because it''s still mathematically insane to provide the personnel with a test room this big and golly you did see more on your way here. This is enough for you to confirm that with large power comes a large budget, and a large testing room for possible large weaponry.


    But your initial jaw drop doesn''t actually come from the huge platform of custody that confine you in private gunnery, it was actually from the marbling blue smoke that nuzzles your caliber''s hot searing muzzle from the blasted pseudo rocket.


    "T-this is cool, and weird, and cool."


    The name Microgun is a total lie, this is a semi-automatic mini rocket blaster! the cyclic rate is not as fast as a real minigun; in fact it was rather slow for its name. Although the mixed feeling is easily destroyed just like the blown up test-dummy currently blown up into a mess-dummy because of its debris scattered everywhere.


    Baffled enough, another three test-dummy pop up from the platform like a mole rat standing there mockingly to be annihilated. You abide by its arrogant smug aura and fire off three consecutive shots, two of them increase the amount of the lying debris while one of them blasted itself into the wall. The shock was absorbed by the white boxes so you don''t need to care about any collateral damage, except committing a dummy genocide.


    "Ah, it''s hard to hit the target if I fire it from my hip. What if I just throw away the whole minigun concept and use it like a rifle?


    With dumb idea comes a great curiosity. Because the round propels itself like a rocket, there is no recoil and it also surprisingly lightweight even with eight rounds¡ªmarvelous engineering of indescribable magazine system as it is also the part of the Microgun''s body, it works by putting the rounds into a hole on the side one by one and it automatically close if you insert eight in total.


    "Yosha." You put it into your shoulder height, cradling the belly with your left hand and aim at the surviving dummy.


    The sound of the smooth launch of the rounds soothes you once again with glee, and the sight of the scattered dummy''s inorganic intestine do amplify that feeling.


    "Ugh, I can''t be too carried away."


    Contradicting your own words, you annihilate every appearing dummy merrily.


    Time surprisingly flies fast.


    You waste all of the ammunition and come out from the testing room all sluggish from the side effects of the psychedelic adrenaline. Saying thank you to the reception. Holding the empty box and the blacksmith''s card together with your new blasting friend, you meet again with the flat chested young lady in the robe, despite the expressionless face, she appears to be more gloomy than usual. After an eye contact, she immediately approach you in snail pace.


    She stops you, glares into your soul for thirty two seconds until her hands offer the item she is holding from the beginning.


    "Take it, just, take it."


    The first time you hear her voice, it is a high pitched soft persimmon. She can be a good bed-time story reader with that fluffy dream inducing voice.


    You put aside the equipment you''re carrying and take the item she gives.


    Talisman acquired.


    A necklace with a square frame containing a small blue crystal, the frame has a glimmering faint green hue with small detailed inscription of formation? It''s neither a symbol nor an alphabet, but shapes meticulously arranged to create a certain path that is circling through all of the talisman.


    The silver lady then walks away slouching. Without being able to say "Thank you." In Front of her, you wish for her to have good luck in life and lessen her wordly burden.


    You decide to wear it and continue your sloth trekking into Carbonite''s workshop, you swear that you remember where but here you''re searching left and right until you see a familiar pink haired woman leaning into a machine near your friendly blacksmith.


    "No, I won''t let you use it. You will end up destroying the whole facility."


    "Aww come on. Oh, little Longy! How''s the testing session?" Says your partner still in her smugness finally letting go off the machinery.


    Putting all of the equipment aside, you reply, "Need more ammo."


    "Told ya she will enjoy it." Says Chronos.


    "Regardless, if all you said is true then I''m afraid you need to gear her up before people begin searching for Long Leggy." Carbonite darts his gaze into you. "Because¡ªyoung lady, trust me, you pissed off a lot of people."


    Even in exhaustion, your brain is able to process the sentence, resulting in you cursing your own luck as numerous mobs of people might be aiming their guns at your head for something that you haven''t done. Precisely, something that the old owner of this body has done. Carbonite''s sharp glare of abhor can still be felt even with his current laid back demeanor. It seems like you missed a lot of crucial information regarding this life''s past.


    "Oh yeah! Now that my daughter is here."


    "I''m not your child."


    She continues, "You can begin the deal that we''re talking about earlier for the toy." She points to the Microgun.


    "A deal? The Microgun isn''t free?"


    Carbonite sighs, "Nothing is free in this world, young lady."


    You regret saying that.


    The blacksmith takes out a crate containing the rest 60 rounds of ammunition for the Microgun, "Just be a freelance mercenary for me, bring this lazy uncle as many Yelper Ore you can acquire within the Kauhu Forest. That should help me save some budget for my craftsmanship."


    "Consider it''s done!" Says your partner with her usual thumbs up.


    "Wait!" You interject, "What is a Yelper Ore? Freelance mercenary? We''re gonna fight another monster!?"


    "Hush, less talking." Your partner picks you up into her shoulder together with the large crate of ammo on the other hand, stacking your blasting friend along.


    "I can walk by myself, dammit!"

 Chapter 12 - Chrolings

    "We''re lucky to get a Humvee." You say, "Just how many acquaintances can you exploit like that?"


    "You have no idea."


    With Chronos driving, you sit on the back seat, still in the state of unbelieving each time you throw your gaze out of the windows.


    Knees trembling, for a hesitant moment there you are frozen overwhelmed. Ruins are everywhere, deepening their bond with the bearer of chaos. Flash, lightning, fires fade, ashes rising, sky ablaze. You can imagine someone dying then brought to a higher place. Some might lie down and wait in a hiding shelter donning a frightened face. Such is the view quipped in their form giving you the uncomfortable sneer every second this armored vehicle goes deeper and deeper into the unknown. The outside of the citadel is not just dangerous, but it strikes fear in every of its admirers.


    A headless giant roaming without goals, the numerous plane-size airborne beasts searching for prey, a giant worm slithering the air up and down in waving motion, an enormous demonic warlock tearing another abomination with its fang, there are no serenity can be found in this state of time.


    "They won''t really attack us, right?" You ask.


    "I already applied a stealth formation into this baby." She glances around the wicked sceneries, "Don''t tell me that, you''re scared?"


    "Hah! Definitely not." Definitely yes, any normal modern human would shit their pants just by seeing this firsthand.


    Holding tight the Proto-Microgun, you can only wait for this transport to reach its destination, whatever that''ll be. You tried to close your eyes but you couldn''t ever be asleep with all of the anguish and wailing of those forsaken creatures.


    So instead, you close your eyes and spread your consciousness¡ªit is farming time! Unlike back then where the liquid mana is in your blood untroubled to convert. This moving convertible is actually not a good place as it disrupts the living hell out of your nerves, though you are finally successful at converting one mana shape after many tries.


    Few shapes later, you decide to rest due to heavy mental fatigue stretching out your consciousness more so than before.


    Strangely, you notice there isn''t any vast sign of desert after hours perceiving the harrowing sceneries.


    "Chronos, I wonder where in the desert both of us fought the Calamity back then."


    "Hmm?" Startles the driver, "Area 678?"


    "Yeah."


    "That one is more on the ''Blackhound Line'', around three days trip from our current location."


    Such a far location from your former hospital, now you''re wondering what kind of transportation they need to retrieve you.


    Not mentioning the diversity of this new civilization and their system, many are still following the old laws and some are a better version of it, but you can''t help but think that maybe those races of diverse shapes and sizes are flocking under the same ceiling only because everyone is on the brink end of the road. The wheel of progress might be frozen motionless but the frost reminded you that any intelligent being resembling the pure ancient, having the genetic pancake inherited from a mindless chaotic ape species called a Human does give them social traits afterall.


    Except Chronos, she is definitely not a human.


    Then again, what are you? You doesn''t have any unique trait or feature to differentiate yourself from the rest fantasy existence in this barren world. You''re told that human is a rare sight in this era, yet people sees you and Chronos in casual manner. Unless something has been hidden from you.


    After 8000 sheeps counting, you''ve arrived at your destination.


    The starting opening of the crude dark hue forest, occupied by an alarming rate of giant variants of oak tree that might concern the minister of forestry with a side of migraine. It is on the polar opposite of the scenery on your haunting journey. In here, light was orchestrated by the waving leaves, conjuring a perpetual dance into the shiny liquid orb of dew on the rich soil with life. Yes! There are surprisingly numerous amounts of life here, there are bugs, worms, and flowers if it counts. Although the plantation itself isn''t green, the gentle illumination against the grey bark until the scavenging roots has grandly emphasized the cruel beauty of this apocalypse.


    It is beautiful but it''s cruel, and everyone is possibly at fault.


    Rejoice, you''ve arrives at Kauhu Forest.


    You and your partner immediately occupy the absent ground with equipment, unpacking anything on the humvee''s trunk and you''re only following along not knowing what is what and why to how.


    "You have a lot of jerky bags." You say


    "Courtesy of myself."


    It does make you wonder, are there even any farmland or animal factories that produce any kinds of meats in the first place, especially after knowing that everything is already on the point of up the bullock.


    "Hmm, where did the meat even come from?" You curiously ask with a bit of innocence, playing along the role of someone who got memory loss.


    "Huh." Tilting her head, she looks into her right eyebrows trying to think of something, "Good question."


    You open the bag of endearing jerky, consuming it like a snack, "We''re still in the post-apocalyptic state, doesn''t that make you wonder how there are jerky packaged ready to be consumed like there is no self-conservation or something?"


    There might be cannibalism, or it''s the old monster hunting style but you''re sure that those abominations are too corrupt to be labeled as edible.


    "You have some sensible way of thinking for someone who lost her memories." She smirks, "I''m just playing with ya'', anybody could recreate healthy lumps of meat if they got the equipment and laboratory and a single cell of an ancient stock animal."


    "Woah." gaze still in awe, you take another bite of the jerky. "Doesn''t that mean there is no food scarcity?"


    Different from expectations, you thought that people were summoning food out of nowhere using magic, guess science still applies after all.


    "Nope, maybe in some places, yes. Not all favor the idea of food made in a laboratory. Plus the equipment itself is expensive and there is no way in hell people will be waiting for weeks for the single cell to be a meat at the size of a hand." After finishing setting up the base, she continues, "This stuff was mass produced by some company, and with a lot of money."


    Everything has been unpacked, now it leaves you two hands free snacking on the jerkies after the trip.


    Chronos sits on the ground, fiddling with a weird propeller contraption in front of her, "Okay now, how is the breakthrough going?"


    "Breakthrough?" You reply.


    "The mana converting process."


    You then explain the phenomenon of the gathered mana inside your mana sea.


    "Pfft!"


    "W-why laugh!"


    "Ahhh, it''s just funny that the mighty Long Leggy is talking about her discovery so enthusiastically like a child. You''re supposed to be an asshole and hella'' stiff, ya'' know?"


    "Well, I''m sorry if I''m not asshole enough to you."


    She leaves the contraption and reaches for a small paper inside her backpack, "Guess it''s time to teach you how to do an array, or formation, or whatever people call them."


    Nonchalantly, she prepares the paper, a blue crystal, and a small device.


    "Ah right, I forgot." She immediately retracts her action and goes to you, leaving the preparation behind.


    Chronos takes your palm and begins pressing her index finger into the center. A jolt travels through your veins as it forces your consciousness to appear on your mana sea, it feels like being dragged under a car but with less friction from the road, definitely something that you don''t want to feel again.


    The vast drought lands with a medium pond of overflowing mana, the surroundings are still dry as ever.


    Suddenly, three pink liquids drop from the sky of your mana sea, splashing and then sloppily restructuring itself into three small chibis resembling Chronos wearing a worker uniform and a safety helmet.


    "Ahaha, they are cute right?" Says your partner from the outside of the mana sea.


    Your consciousness inside pinch the cheeks from one of the chibis, it''s soft like a retractable marshmallow.


    "What do these critters do?"


    All three of them began to reassemble the pond. Simultaneously, one of them is digging the land beside the mana pool with their small hands like a madman-mole filled with fury dense enough to destroy the anger-o-meter, stacking up enough death soil. The other two swim and dive back and forth with the soil as both of them begin to place it on the center of the pool. Although you''re quite dumbfounded, they are cute while doing so.


    It takes a while until a small plot of land in the middle of the pool reaches the surface. Just like a devotee being blessed by mother nature, a green grass with concentrated blue hue envelops the tiny island. A sapling miraculously sprouts and is already visibly growing to twice your size. One of the chibis is infusing the mana on the pool into their right arms, strengthening their muscles, and smashing the hell out of the still arising timber to get the wood.


    Let''s just call the chibis, Chrolings.


    Chrolings acquired.


    The imagery is overly surreal to see a cute Chroling grow a muscle into that akin of a bodybuilder, it will surely haunt you until tomorrow.


    After being wrecked by an angry Chroling, the wood then regrows as if it was an octopus'' limbs. The other Chrolings begin to do the same, again and again until they have enough wood and begin to forcefully craft many equipment such as wood shovels, wood hoe, wood axe etc¡ªwith their bare hands. The sharp tools are being put into the mana pool as magic formation appears out from thin air and now they have a working wood axe with sharp black material of enchanted mana concentration on the blade.


    "What is this!? Minecraft!?"


    After creating a plank to walk into the ever growing source of wood. The Chrolings then build a small hut and a hammock, giving themselves a commodity to replenish their strength with comfort.


    "They will autonomously develop and help nourishing the inside and outside of your ''Mana Sea'', neat lil'' critters, right? They can also polymerize elements and even automate a whole mana circuit with thousands of blueprints! They can also control the pool formation for the biggest benefits! Not only that, they can also send a wave to the outside of your immune system, strengthening them, and being self aware of everything that happens outside! I can go on and on about their multi-benefits!"


    "Do everyone have these tiny workers inside them?"


    "Nope, this one is my sole creation. Those three will be yours from now on, they can also repel and arm themselves if there is any intruder." She smirks.


    Regaining your outer consciousness, your body feels lighter than before.


    Your partner then continues her preparation, "Your foundation will be made in no time, just practice your conversion."


    You try to examine your palms, "What exactly is this ''foundation'' you''re referring to?"


    "Your ''Mana Sea'' is your headquarters for both storing and conducting mana activity. A foundation is a platform for everything, you will need a lot of exploring but before that¡ª"


    She cast something into the blank paper as it wafts vertically into the air, numerous detailed two-dimensional contraptions at the size of sand grains are being formed at the very moment. It shines in bright pink, emphasizing her identity as the marker.


    "The coding of magic.. Partner, seep this knowledge of ''Mana Circuit'' into your very being."

 Chapter 13 - Chronod: Magic 101

    Magic in universal terms is actually meant to be a power to break, change, and apply an effect to an existence or event by using mysterious and supernatural forces. Flying carpet, conjuring a fireball out of nothing, making something disappear, making something appear. Such is the symphonic stereotype of human''s linear thoughts to deem anything borderline impossible as awe inspiring sorcery.


    Unlike ''Miracle'' which comes from divine intervention and is an absolute taboo to be analyzed, ''Magic'' is possible to be analyzed although it can only be understood by its master. When a person manages to decrypt the cryptic process of the so-called magic, the magic will reveal itself as none other than what people have utilized for the entirety of human''s civilization.


    It''s called ''Science''.


    That is the process of what you''re experiencing for the past one hour in the camp beside the informal entrance to Kauhu Forest. Although it was less science and more of cramming foreign subjects into your wimpy brain.


    "Pfft! You missed one fundamental command for the evocation!" Says Chronos, leaning on the backrest of a portable chair with a scornful sense of fulfilment. Already telling you everything you need to know and then asking you to do something you haven''t done or grasp yet, just like how teachers make their student''s exam questionnaire harder than in class.


    "Shut up!"


    The steps itself is by no means easy, it was so flexible yet confusing to the point that when a person has captured the essence of the very maze, that same person can achieve the same results with thousands of different and unorthodox methods, as there are millions of paths laid into the same exit. Although there are numerous serrated booby-traps on every corner of the maze so the trip itself isn''t really something you would call as enjoyable.


    From what you''ve learned for the past one hour, ''Mana'' is the very essence of the universe; from a scientific point of view it was actually a metaphysical property the size of string smaller than quarks, exuding multiple variables of frequency that make up the particles of objects and even atoms. At very least it has the same components that make up the whole universe, some of these strings don''t exude any frequency and aren''t related to any physical matters that make up any object, those strings are what people usually call as ''Unprocessed Mana''.


    "Come on, shorty. I''ve told you multiple times about the basics."


    "You told me the basics and THEN told me to do something only an intermediate could! This is like forcing a newborn child to sprint while they can only crawl!"


    "Oh so you do accept that you''re a toddler yourself~"


    "Shut up!"


    What you''re currently doing is trying to painstakingly engrave a blank paper with the correct formation to float to your bidding, although the process is beginning to lean onto the ''pain in the ass'' comfort zone, which is not.


    Beside the overly used paper you''re using, there is another filled with the right contraption although sketchy and very hard to read. An example given by your partner beforehand, ready for you to lo and behold even though following every single pattern is a hell of itself. Drawing with a consciousness is harder than using your weak arm.


    Holding her chuckle, she stomps the soil many times out of sheer comedic aspect you''ve done.


    "T-t-t-the great Long Leggy can''t draw. This is hilarious."


    "I feel like I''m being trolled here."


    Starting from the basic: Spell is an immediate assimilation of Mana Circuit to create an instantaneous one time effect and can also be referring for chain-reaction trigger of a long conjoined circuit, Formation is a large connected Mana Circuit that works as a contraption for continuous use or to be used repeatedly and an Array is mostly referring to an old larger Formation that people didn''t use much anymore.


    As for your task, you need to apply a ''Mana Circuit'' and wield the contraption with your consciousness like an unmanned drone. Mana Circuit is a pathway with multiple gates connected to a sequence of commands written in any ''language'' with clear meaning, but each gate can only hold one ''meaning'' and it is possible for the other gates to flow into the repeating circuit that can be controlled and augmented to another¡ªbasically, a programmer''s dream and nightmare.


    By utilizing the dense power source of ''Processed Mana'' from your Mana Sea, you are able to do some small alchemy to create a ''Conductor'' which is the sole material to construct the Mana Circuit. The contraption you made is an utter scribble, making some of the gates don''t work the way you connect it to. The dilemma then leads you to utter frustration and inside swearing verbose.


    Your partner, Chronos, only watches the unconditional firetruck trying to put out a fire from a blazing architecture with only a mere spoon, embracing your pain as you can see her grin that only transcends every time you make a mistake. Not only being creeped out, but you also want to blast your .75 caliber rounds into that god-awful provoking face.


    After so many trials and errors, you''ve finally perfected the art of ''Floating a Paper With Gusto'', which is really awesome and a great asset of tools in your arsenal to survive this wretched world¡ªthe very same world where a Titan brings their Cerberus for a walk at 7 am. Heck, It should be categorized as a supreme art at this point.


    You grab the amazing floating paper filled with two-dimensional contraption and then smash it onto the ground, "IT''S NOT!"


    Meanwhile, your very precious teacher is dying on the ground.


    "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"


    "I''m not an idiot, dammit!" You reach for your microgun, "The formation example you gave is a dumpster-fire mess of overcomplicating a simple shit!"


    After chambering one bullet into the gun, you take a stance and snipe the paper from where you stand with extreme aggression. The blast from the shot spills out the soil in every direction.


    Chronos takes a sharp breath, "B-b-but, it took you one hour and a half to realize the simple mathematics!" Before continuing her contagious wheezing, "It was god-awful stupid!"


    "SHUT UP!"


    ''Magic Circuit'' knowledge acquired.

 Chapter 14 - Lemon Drizzle: Into The Forest She Goes!

    Because of the blasted portable chair due to your slippery finger on the microgun trigger, intentionally; the pink devil sits on the ground, smirking while imitating the Buddha''s posture despite being the reincarnation of Satan himself. "Remember, an array, or formation, or whatever you call them¡ªwill only be activated if you pour your mana into it."


    With a beef jerky in your mouth, you reply, "Wokeh, undwerstood!"


    Using the knowledge from the ''Floating a Paper With Gusto'' and with the guidance of your companion, you smear your muscles and veins with a magic circuit: Increasing muscle density, increasing the ability of contraction resistance, fortifying veins, enhancing blood cells productivity, strengthening tissues, increasing heart rate, and converting mana into oxygen.


    This method is one of many to strengthen physical prowess. Newbies are heavily discouraged to perform this as they may not be able to balance all of the gates to each command from the circuit at the same time, which can actually be automated but it needs a more complex mana contraption and an established line to your mana sea, or so Chronos said.


    But that problem only applies to newbies, as you have Chrolings at your side. The adorable, bouncy, round, and midget devils; except that muscular one¡ªwho''ve made home in your finite storing realm.


    Channeling the contraption with your consciousness, you begin the casting process, "Ashura Body Array, activate!"


    The three Chrolings begin to pour the mana from the pond to the mana circuit, determining every amount of mana quantity and micro activity to the owner''s best.


    You ponder, "Hmm?"


    There is no change whatsoever in your body, as you hear the familiar laughter arise.


    "BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!"


    Another gyro-rocket is blasted into that pink assholery thugger, Just in case, you put another three rounds into the ammunition chamber slot.


    "WHAT IS IT THIS TIME!?"


    Leaping into the air, she landed smoothly into the ground unscathed. "W-w-wait! Lemme take a breath!" Before continues wheezing with weak knees.


    "Hurry up, before I want to try a faster target dummy."


    After technical mockery, she casually approaches you while shrugging.


    "You don''t have the optimal amount of mana to perform it." She takes a vial from one of her pouches, putting her forefinger into the tube as a neon pink liquid drips into a single bead. "You''re lucky that you''re using the my minions as the catalyst, or you''ll end up withering your mana sea into an unrecoverable state because your midget brain''s gonna be thinking, ''Do I need to pour more mana to make it work?''."


    She sways the vial left and right in a hypnotizing way.


    Still in discontent, you stare at the single bead within the vial. Like a singular oasis in the middle of the desert, it wouldn''t make a noticeable change for the whole continent. Just like the single bead, if you''re comparing it to the amount of painkiller you took before fighting Timoreia, then the consumable might not affect anything.


    Without any words, you understand that the liquid bead is the equivalent of your mana, and the vial is the determiner for the spell to work.


    Grunting, you put away your microgun, "You could''ve just told me that, you know?"


    "This method is more fun, ya'' know?"


    "For you."


    "Exactly."


    After more exercise and experimenting, you''ve encountered the dusk.


    Unlike the clear starry night you''ve experienced before, the sky is dark red with a singular monstrosity grinning as red drips from the edge of its mouth¡ªreplacing the moon.


    "Ah, it seems like you''re really unlucky to be hunting right at the killer dusk. How unfortunate~." She shrugs before continuing, "Then again, it means that you''ll encounter more calamity beasts on your hunt, so that''s a plus!"


    Knowing her, you definitely know that anything Chronos deem as a plus is definitely a disaster. Wait, what did she say?


    With a deadpan, you try to confirm your suspicion, "What do you mean by ''you''?"


    She tilts her head as her smile widens deviously.


    "We''re going to hunt together, right?"


    Her smile turns into a grin.


    "W-we''re going to hunt together, right!?"


    She walks past you, putting her palm into your shoulder, "My dear child, sometimes, the little bird must leave the nest."


    "Are you kidding me!? Also, I''m not your child!"


    Not long after, you find yourself in the middle of the forest. You mark each gigantic tree you pass by with your mana, a method used by many while traversing an unknown area¡ªor so you''re told. Still in the gothic lolita getup, strapping a giant empty backpack on your back with your microgun attached to it as you try to analyze the unholy scribble of a bipedal dinosaur-like creature on the piece of paper you''re holding, with the noticeable trait of having large fangs, completed with a badly written ''Yelper'' on the top side.


    You shifts your gaze into the ceiling of branches and leaves, orchestrating the red sky''s shadow within the frame.


    The breezy wind, the creepy howling from afar, the maniacal ambiance, and the numerous tears you''re holding of why you''re abiding this death-flag route.


    "IS THIS A SHOUNEN FORCED TRAINING ARC!?


    Your voice echoes throughout the forest.


    Nobody replies.


    "Okay, shouting is a bad idea."


    Recollecting the event before you begin venturing into this forest, there might be some important things you''ve been told to despite a devilish ''goodluck'' from Chronos.


    You remember one.


    ...


    "I have a special magic spell for you!"


    "I''m not taking it!!"


    "No, no, no! This is legit! It can help you out when you''re in a dire time!"


    "Fine, fine. Fire away."


    She smiled, hunched, and started to caress your hair, "It goes like this," she closed her eyes in deep trance as she began chanting the spell, "''The world is my lemonade, within my lemon veins, and my heart is a lemon grenade. Tock Tick, my time is yours''~"


    The same face, the same warmth that she exudes back then on the first day you trampled the sand from this world, right after she found out that you''re not the original Long Leggy.


    ...


    "If I recall it again, the chant doesn''t make any sense."


    Coming back to your senses, you notice a curious living-block of white in front of you, staring at you with its cute and goofy red eyes.


    "Okay?"


    The small cube launches itself into your abdomen at extreme velocity, resulting in some of your digested jerkies getting blasted away like a cannonball through your throat.


    With the backpack cushioning your fall, your mind is still wondering what in the oblivion is happening through the journey of sailing all the seven seas before you regain your consciousness.

 Chapter 15 - Murphys Law

    "Gah!?"


    You regain your consciousness half a minute after the grand knockout, reclaiming your balance as the very white cube appears in your view.


    The whole situation can actually be handled more peacefully as your adversary shows a hint of actually ''not trying to exude any aggressions intentionally'' and there is a fair chance that the skull crushing headbutt is actually just a way for the mysterious creature to communicate, but you didn''t actually think, so does your fight-or-flight response too.


    You reach for your microgun and send away the mini rocket into the dangerous creature, hoping that it will be eradicated.


    The explosion scatters the soil and some of nature''s veneer, waiting for the dust to settle.


    "Ah shite."


    The creature becomes bigger, as the middle of its body reveals an enormous set of sharp teeth ready to grind any organic matter. Turns out, the fight within the ''fight or flight'' didn''t really exist in the first place.


    The exterior of the mouth expands like a growing plant. Again, revealing the meaty texture beneath the gritty teeth.


    Seconds later, the white abomination unleashes an obnoxious screech.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAA!?" After all the action you took, you''re now ready to commence the ''flight'' on full throttle.


    Even though it has only been a few days in this world, you''re experiencing the vivid nostalgia of running away on top of sands and a mortal killer danger from behind.


    Sacre Bleu, mourns on tour with no guide to explore the forest unwillingly, dashing in and out through the plants and rocks like a stuntman galloping with a tail between their legs. With the horrid afterimage of the cube monster in mind, you run an excruciating marathon with no specific direction inside this nature challenging course filled with nature razor, slinking and dipping in a zigzag pattern unprofessionally.


    After the jolt of rush dissipates, you notice that there is no sign of the monster chasing you.


    All is fine and dandy now. The slight hint of smile on your face is the sign of temporary relief and unbelieving of what in the world is happening.


    The good news is¡ªyour gothic lolita set is surprisingly sturdier and flexible.


    But remember what Chronos said about ''Killer Dusk'', the very thing visibly unhinged under the red sky with sharp bloody teeth gazing down at the fumbling lost sheep within the forest. Maybe running around with no plans in mind was a tremendously bad idea after all.


    And another good news is¡ªyour feelings about the precarious trek on the forest roundabout proves to be a terrible action you made! Congratulations! You''re on your way to become a survival master!


    Cracks, jolt, and a heavy thud.


    A gigantic, garrulous, and extraterrestrial horror has been intrigued by your rash action within the forest. You immediately seek for any possible solution and try to bet your chance on hiding inside a small hollow cave within the foot of a nearby tree. The giant backpack can''t fit through the hole so you leave it outside and pray that the obvious indication won''t pique the interest of the monstrosity to even bother finding out what is inside this bad hiding spot of yours.


    No sounds have been made, except something unbelievably big moving through the forest, interacting with the leaves and bark of every tree.


    A sharp joint piercing in and out of the tree you''re dwelling, it quakes your soul down to its core.


    If god exists, there might be a slight chance that you will convert your belief upon any celestial being you can imagine to actually exist in this bizarre world.


    Sweats running down, suffocating the lungs and the heart. One, two, three, four, five, six¡ª


    Seven.


    Eight.


    Nine.


    Before you know it, your voiceless counting has reached 7246 seconds. Two hours, forty-six seconds, and an almost stopping rhythm from your breathing organ.


    In the end, you couldn''t even muster any courage to chant the magic spell that Chronos gave you, as if the scythe of the grim reaper is sealing your lips with the end of its blade.


    "Is it gone yet?"


    Taking the first galumph step within the cave, you gulp down the pent up saliva into your throat.


    Just like a madman surviving the bombing on the trench, you let out a cynical laugh before reality hits you like a hammer on the anvil, "I need to save up my ammunition for Chronos later."


    Analyzing the outside, your backpack is surprisingly still in shape with no change in any kinds of ways. Checking the exterior just to make sure to see if there is any damage, your expectations satisfy you with the results.


    "I hope I can detect the marks I placed from here."


    You pick up a nearby stick to use it as the magic circuit catalyst for a frequency receiver. As the marking you placed on the trees before is actually a low wavelength sender combined with a long distance trigger through a specific frequency. So by only making the ''switch'' contraption for the trigger of the said frequency, you can feel the distance and the exact location of all the marks you deployed.


    "A success!"


    The wooden stick then cripples afterward into a haze of dust blown into the sky. This is why a spell caster needs a catalyst tool for the evocation enhanced for continuous physical stress made by the combusting magic contraption.


    46 meters from the nearest marks, and it was actually the third of the closest markings to the campsite that Chronos currently relaxes, chewing the jerkies on a hammock with no burden in mind.


    "Thinking about it, I need to restock my ammo."


    Regrettably, you only came into the hunt with eight ammunition within the microgun as you thought that it would be something like a deer hunting session. A hunt is all about precision and patience but considering that your weapon doesn''t need actual precision to annihilate something, you believed you could just do a one KO move on everything you would encounter¡ªor so you thought.


    "''Crushing B-rank Calamity''s armor'', my ass."


    The small cube-like monster might actually be an S-rank, as there is no other explanation left to be argued.


    Without further ado, you march into the campsite with mixed feelings. Appallingly, there is no annoying pink-head asshole greeting you out of sadistic behavior.


    The place is trashed, there are three bipedal dinosaur-like creatures with big fangs, piercing their red gaze at you with visible discontent.


    Your mind is in chaos, you couldn''t analyze the situation properly. Only the images of many unwanted events come into mind.


    Sinking, chirps, chirps, the cotton of your coffin.. Your heart is sinking deep, deep, within the void.

 Chapter 16 - Heartwarming

    A mere rabbit in the lion''s den. Boiled, yet cold like winter. With a microgun ready, you strike the trigger like a flaring match to unleash the destructive power into one of the three beasts.


    The barrels cycle into the other, and the launching of the second rounds ignites the battlefield physically and mentally.


    Alerted, the beasts then scatters at high speed from another, avoiding the shot completely.


    You redirect your aiming into the left in the midst of the rush, then anchoring your front last steps into the moldy ground. The low friction makes you slide into the middle of between the flanking brutes, as you pull the trigger again to release the third shot right into its head.


    You couldn''t care less about the cadaver and turn around 180¡ã to intercept the last remaining fiend. The velocity of your microgun swinging is too intense to retract and aim so you pull the trigger right when the barrel has the beast in its sight while sparing no effort on stabilizing the microgun as if you''re a batter in a baseball.


    With no time to waste, you begin to check the surroundings. The fatigue from the flashy action you did has calmed you down from the mental breakdowns.


    That pink troll is by no means weak. So there might be another reason for her disappearance and the campsite trashing.


    What if she is currently intercepting the calamity? Speaking of that, you realize that the Humvee is nowhere in sight, is there a sudden importancy to the point that she leaves you behind? There is also a chance that there is a group of people who wanted both of you to die knowing the history of the original Long Leggy and Chronos'' hobby of pissing off people. It couldn''t be, is there a raid on the Citadel!?


    Out of all things you find, are three messed up boxes, and a considerably big crumpled paper containing a message: "I think I forgot something back on the basement, I left you with those jerkies in the boxes¡ª"


    You checked the box, there are no jerkies.


    "Just in case you starve and don''t know what to eat during the duration of my absence. I hope that you can survive till tomorrow! Oh! And don''t forget to retrieve at least three Yelper ore! I forgot to tell ya that the ore was located right on their humps¡ª"


    You take out the bad drawing of the Yelper and the trait is matching with the three beasts you''ve massacred.


    "Guess that one was solved." You murmur.


    You then continue to read the message, "I also hid the rest ammunition right behind the tree that I used for a hammock¡ª"


    "So you did relax in a hammock afterall!!"


    The rage and petty might be there, but you take a deep breath and read the rest of the letter, "On the side note, I also put a lighter and a portable cooking equipment out of instinct just in case that three Yelpers will snatch the jerkies because you''re late coming back to the campsite. Other than that, Goodluck!"


    ¡ª Chronos.


    It ends with a horribly drawn thumbs up gesture.


    "Oh nice."


    In the end, she does care a lot about you after all. To repay her gratitude even though you''re out of reach, you smash down the paper with full strength and begin to stomp the hell out of it.


    "SO YOU DO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER ALL!!"


    You then show your love and joy.


    "I HOPE THE CALAMITY EATS YOU ALIVE!"


    Time passes by, the flame faintly wavers, staining the brain with bitter charcoal flavor. The kind of pain that you usually complain about then learn to savor, either you will survive through this unneeded hardship that has been bestowed upon you or die trying. A do or die, dipping your toes to a swimming pool with sky height and an abyss deep.


    You want to ignore the three Yelper corpses you killed at first but there is a fair chance of a bigger predator getting attracted to the corpses'' smell, if the logic applies. There is also a carving knife along with the cooking utensils that is more of a combat equipment inside the box together with the microgun ammunition.


    With no experience whatsoever, you decide to carve out the infamous Yelper Ore crudely. The hide of this beast is warm and gritty, it is sturdier than you think. The power of the microgun''s rounds is no joke.


    But then the image of a cute sentient white cube with goofy eyes comes into your mind.


    "I hope I don''t see that thing ever again."


    The black liquid spurts out as you stab the corpse with the knife, your nose is overrun by the pungent smells of thick rust of iron. It is all over the place, even your clothing. With a folded deadpan of resentment; you couldn''t care less.


    As your knife buries itself into the black flesh, it hits a hard spot, searching for the roots. With enough power, you take out the crystalized heavy ore.


    Yelper Ore acquired.


    You do that for the other two until you have nothing left to do and begin to rekindle the campfire.


    The sky is still red, the unnerving Killer Dusk is still there. You couldn''t get accustomed to it as much as you wanted to.


    Playing with a stick through the embers, your eyes dazzle with the thought of what might come in the future. The world is already as surreal as it is, but the whole thing might be too overwhelming for a normal person like you. Aren''t your chances to survive in this world close to zero? The realization is there, the only left thing to do is to acknowledge it.


    But all that aside, do you really just want to give up and die again? Shallow doesn''t mean it doesn''t work, you learn many new things and more things to unravel.


    Alas, it''s time to take action.


    Because you''re not alone.


    The opposite direction from the forest, from afar.. A faint sound, a faint presence, a faint light.

 Chapter 17 - Heartwrenching

    When the swaying leaves in the air disappear into the tolls of clashing bells, it is a profoundly empty night. Uneventfully, everyone who knows the answer is washed away to the stars, sleeping.


    A single faint light from afar appears into the frame, little by little the shiny orbs ascend towards the sky and reddening, revealing a towering titan with a mass of glowing red muscles.


    Evening comes with no peace to bring, you pack all the ammunition and tools into your giant backpack as much as you can. The body becomes heavy, then freezes. You''re engulfed by the pressure and lose your vision in the haze of panic.


    You look into the red eyes and you see the face of the titan, the face that embodies anger and bloodlust.


    Fear, your mental barricade has decayed once again. It is the time to chant the magic spell if you ever need it, but it''s not the end yet; you only have one chance and the night is still young.


    You bite your lower lip and sprint as fast as you can into the forest, trekking into the nature course of razor once again with your adrenaline as the insurance. With both hands on a microgun, you venture as far as you can until the surrounding change and the red sky dyes itself into blue. The moon has gone back to normal, there are many luminescence particles swaying around the forest left and right, as if it had wandered the land with nothing left to discover.


    It feels like you''re in another world.


    The adrenaline dissipates, leaving fatigue and emptiness into your tired mind.


    "Where am I?" Leaves through your lips.


    A total 180¡ã change. The night is no longer hateful and unnerving, it is somber and empty now.


    Feeding your curiosity, those two little legs of yours have decided to expand its footprint into the unknown land.


    "Whoa." The scenery is reflected on your eyes, glowing mushrooms and the borderline of an iridescent flower field comes into frame. Huge wafting orbs are inhibiting the sacred land, they release glowing substances periodically while illuminating the night.


    You feel a gush of mana being converted the very moment you step into the wonderland. The Chrolings do the majority of the conversion while you are surrounded by many warm lights. A comfortable spastic light specs brighter than the bluest sky as it begins to dance around and clouds your senses.


    Massive amounts of mana is still surging continuously, to the point that the Chrolings needs to renovate the content of your mana sea to use this benefit to its fullest.


    Still in the euphoric state, you walk forward unconsciously in a hazy and numbing feel. You unstrap your backpack unconsciously and your microgun is barely dangling from your loose grip. Each step stimulates the growth of the mana conversion even more. You couldn''t tell on how long you''ve been walking in this eternal plane; your consciousness getting clearer when your eyes stare into a huge mirror, your reflection.


    The brooding tired abyss-blue eyes, the pale porcelain-white skin, and your silky straight bluish silver hair, and the little palm you reach out into the other side¡ªmesmerized.


    The reason why you''re feeling attracted to the mirror is still a mystery, but you will know soon enough.


    It smiles. Your reflection, it smiles.


    The eyes and hair redden to those of the Killer Dusk sky. A familiar feeling, the shackling sense of dread.


    "You look afraid, has your barricade decayed?" An eloquent and soft speech escapes from the figure''s lips behind the reflection sentiently, her palm pushes further into the mirror and cracks. The mirror corrodes in blue hues, exuding a bright light on its edge before saying farewell into the sky as glowy dust, leaving the eldritch horror behind. She grins, revealing sharp teeth¡ªthen taking your hanging hand and the other and putting them together. The microgun falls, you''re in your most vulnerable state.


    She shoves her face into yours, truly speaking eye to eye. Both of your lips almost touch, the skin is cold but soft. She then retracts from you as her expression enlivens, "You look promising."


    Her grip on both of your hands is getting tighter. The pressure is escalating to the level of bone-crushing, crippling your palm into a dried flower. Sharp pain runs through your whole body, ten times the amount on the mind. You were almost knocked unconscious and just when you thought that it couldn''t get any worse, she single handedly pulls your wrists with fragmented bones and hurls you into the sky diagonally.


    Your blood gushes up from the bottom to the brain, sending agony into every inch of your being. The Chrolings are doing their job of automating the formation for enhancing the natural healing process from your mana sea, barely forcing you to stay conscious as the Chrolings deem the situation on the body owner is too risky to pass away yet with a life-threatening threat nearby. A double-edged coping mechanism to push the owner further by letting them feel every anguish.


    3 seconds before impact¡ªyou feel someone is grabbing the back of your head. The Chrolings are now extending their own conscious thread, weaving through your whole body ins and outs until they clash with the talisman hanging from your neck, they immediately analyze the mana circuit, revealing it to be a forcefield formation. Without any seconds wasted, they immediately activate the circuit, 1000% overclock!


    2 seconds before impact¡ªclash, in a flash, your doppelganger destroys your defensive barrier the moment the forcefield touches her to shove away her grips as she nullifies the mana circuit with only a mere glance. Your talisman shatters, leaving an empty husk hanging from your neck.


    The moment before impact, your consciousness is fully rebooted right when the ground is only a finger-length before colliding with your face.

 Chapter 18 - The Three Chrolings: The Faithful Chronoa [Yksi]

    My name is Chronoa, I''m one of the three sisters made by Chronos, my sole creator. The three of us were born to nurture our new home! Our owner! Our master! She is cute, her dress is cute, I really wanted to pinch back her cheeks when she pinched me back then, but our protocol heavily discouraged us to do any contact intentionally with our owner. Even with that condition, I can''t help but try my best to develop this mana sea into a fierce foundation for my owner!


    She also unconsciously named us Chrolings! A truly befitting name! As expected of our owner!


    Surprisingly, we detected many hidden realm gates within the mana sea. There are also some hidden treasures buried deep inside the roots but we don''t have enough resources yet to uncover any of those.


    Despite the fact that my existence only consists of a massive self learning mana circuit, I''m rather grateful to be here together with Chromusa and Chroyu. We were having fun until a mean person with the same appearance as our master suddenly conducted an extreme hostility behavior. Not only that, she almost killed our owner, dislocating the organs out of their position with an extreme force, stopping the flow of blood cells to distribute oxygen. I took the initiative to enhance the veins and blood cells to gush and revert the dislocated organs into their position. It was a close call!


    Our action might hurt our owner very badly, but we can''t allow our master to die, especially without seeing herself to be amazed by our works, nurturing the mana sea!


    "Chromusa! I can''t do this anymore!"


    "Chroyu, the protocol is absolute."


    "B-but, I don''t want to harm my owner!"


    The situation is dire, Chroyu is a gentle Chroling but I can''t allow it to end, she needs to understand. We need to use everything we have to save the master.


    "CHROYU!" With the help of master''s processed mana, I use 10% of it to gain the access of Chroyu''s masterkey, forcing her circuit to abide by my bidding. I hate doing this, it was painful for Chroyu. I utterly despise this, this is not the way for us siblings to hurt each other, but it must be done.


    "NO! DON''T! CHRONOA! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"


    "HUUU! I''M SORRY! I''M SORRY! I''M SORRY!"


    "CHRONOA!! DON''T DO IT! DON''T HURT CHROYU!!"


    "HUEEEEEE!"


    I hate it, I''m in pain, this is not how it should happen, but it must be done.


    Chroyu''s main circuit is now accessible. It will hurt Chroyu the more she resists, but I''m willing to bear the consequences. With two main circuits combined, I''m able to duplicate the consciousness thread just like a master. With it, I can do both massive mana conversion and circuit evocation at the same time.


    "HEAL! HEAL! HEAL! DON''T DIE!! HUEEE!"


    "HUUU! CHRONOA! IT''S FINE! HUUU! DON''T HOLD BACK! FOR MASTER!"


    "NO! I DON''T WANNA! YOU WILL GET HURT MORE!"


    I can''t, this is too much. This is not how it was supposed to be!


    After overclocking our mana circuit by 150%, we are able to stabilize our owner''s bodily functions and sense, her consciousness will be fully rebooted in no time! I can stop harming Chroyu!


    It was hopeful until Chromusa noticed something. "CHRONOA! IMPACT! THERE WILL BE IMPACT!"


    5 seconds before impact¡ªI used as much mana as I can process and evoke a cushion formation to decrease the impact! Our owner is safe! Until a foreign object made contact with our master.


    "DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!"


    "HUUUUUUUUU!?"


    I shifted all of the energy into the thinking processor. It was near impossible to fix this situation. So instead of focusing on the mana sea, I decided to utilize anything, everything, for survival. Chromusa is supporting me, I musnt let her down!


    Luckily just in miniscule amount of time, I managed to detect a mana circuit of forcefield! But the mana crystal is defective, I can go further by making a ''Mana Line'' from the mana sea but it will only bring more pain to Chroyu.


    "DO IT! DO IT, CHRONOA!"


    No! Why are you hurting yourself, I hate you! You''re my sister!


    "DO IT! CHRONOA! DO IT!"


    Chromusa, not you too!? Why was it me who needed to do this!? I can''t, I can''t!


    "COWARD!"


    "HUUUUUUU!?"


    The gentle Chroyu is calling me a coward, this is so surreal. This is shameful, how could I hold myself to save my owner. Chroyu is right, I''m a coward.


    "I''M A COWARD! SO WHAT!"


    "SO DO IT!!!"


    "HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"


    Maximum construction speed, connecting the line to the circuit, initiating the circuit, tinkering the circuit for more output. Overclock! Overclock! Overclock! Overclock! Overclock! Overclock! Overclock! Overclock! Overclock!


    "OOOVEERRRCLOOOOCKKK!!!!!"


    A dense defensive field has been deployed, this should cushion the fall and propel the harmful agent!


    Suddenly, a strange force infiltrated the mana sea, forcing the disconnection of the Chroyu''s masterkey. It also ended up with the disconnection of the ''Mana Line'', immediately deactivating the circuit.


    "NOOOOOOO!!


    "IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!!!"


    The owner''s face was then grinded like a distorted meatball with the ground. The brain is still functioning, allowing us to hear the word of the devil on the outside.


    "So Chronos prepared this much for the next candidate, huh. I''m merely amused by her effort, but this is disappointing," said the devil.


    A strong force has crushed the owner''s left leg as the devil hurls her into a tree.


    "THE BEATING HAS STOPPED! THE HEART WON''T MOVE!"


    "MANA! NEED MORE MANA!"


    "BLOOD! LOSING BLOOD!"


    "OXYGEN 10%! 9%! 8%!"


    All of us are in an ordeal, until Chromusa forced us to shift our focus into her.


    "Stop! We can still make it!"


    "H-how!?"


    "I will use my ''heart''."


    "The Contingency: Rebirth Pill..."


    The three of us are implanted with a long term¡ªalmost an immortal lifespan, due to the ''heart'' our creator gave us, it was only a last resort theory but I couldn''t believe that we even needed to commence it.


    "C-CHROMUSA!?"


    "Chroyu, it will be fine."


    My body freezes, I can''t say anything, I don''t want to hear anything, I don''t want to see anything.


    Chromusa rips her heart open, her bodily liquid escaping to the drought land. She crushes her own heart in front of us, smiling, trying to not make us worry. It looks painful, she is in great pain, yet she smiles. We float, high, so high into the sky, almost touching the sun, it''s so warm.


    The mana from her heart floods the whole mana sea, a continent erupts from below. Her heart brings life to animals, forests, mountains, wisps, magical beasts, volcanoes, all of the owner''s hidden realm gates are all visible, and lastly¡ªthe soaring tree of Yggdrasils that absorb every culmination of her heart. The tree quickly dries and dissipates, leaving a single golden fruit. The fruit then shines a dazzling light, brighter than thousands of suns.


    The owner''s body then regenerates at extreme speed, even to the smallest dead skin. She is alive, she is safe, I couldn''t be more happier.


    "Chromusa..."


    I pat Chroyu''s shoulder from behind, "Chroyu..."


    Never forget, this tragedy shall be never forgotten. The Chrolings will always be three.. Chromusa will live within our ''heart''.

 Chapter 22 - Life-Saving Misunderstanding

    "Here, use this for your blood container, it will prove useful in the future." Says the oni, giving you an iridescent gourd made from the petals of the ethereal flower field.


    You gaze as your peripheral vision seeps into the sparkling container, "This is so pretty."


    "Ah, I can make a living out of these."


    You send all of your controlled blood into the gourd, the dark red fills the kanji symbol engraved on it and stains the light from the dead fruit with a delightful hue. You''re pretty content with the gift while the oni is sucking most of the crystalized flower into her own black gourd. With enough experience from reading and playing games, you guess that the black fruit bottle is actually a space pocket artifact or some kind.


    ''Crystal Flower Gourd" acquired.


    Strapping your backpack and readying the microgun, you bewilder the fever-dream scenery for one more time.


    "Ah, right."


    The oni prods your necklace talisman, giving it a good fix while also restocking the mana supply within the mana crystal, "Just in case."


    "Why are you helping me?" You ask, still not convinced of what has happened for the past few moments.


    "Hmm, probably because I wanted to do some good deeds once in a while."


    A troubled face then comes after that statement, as if she is reenacting some nightmare within her head.


    "Huh, why did you say that you wanted to kill me though?"


    "Eh? Did I say that?"


    Despite the blade on her palate, Lues shoves her words into the conversation, "Yweah kwiddo, ywou dwid."


    "Ah, ahaha, that is just a bluff. I''m referring to your father of course, I had no business with his child."


    "What!?"


    "Whwat!?"


    The oni continues, "Iyaaa, I still can''t believe that my target has already had two children¡ªa twin on top of that, I''m just weak with kids you know?"


    "Uhm."


    "Uwhm."


    Who is going to tell her?


    "So you''re targeting my dad?" You say, playing along.


    "Yeah, all I know is that he is actually called Long Leggy. But don''t worry, your dad is actually scum."


    "Have you met him before?"


    "I am, he looks like a female strangely." The oni then mumbles two words, "Big boobs."


    "Then don''t you think that she is my mother instead?"


    "Huh, isn''t Chronos your mother?"


    "Ahahahahah¡­"


    "Hwahwahwa¡­"


    "You can''t fool me, child. You have Chronos''s aura and almost identical soul wavelength with your father, but I still can''t grasp something." The oni ponders around with her palm fondling her chin, "If your father is a female, and Chronos is a female, and your evil twin¡ªspirit has an older soul but you''re actually a twin¡­"


    Her expression stiffens, before she gazes at you with extreme malice, "I found only one document of your existence and not your twin sister. Three days before that, all formation regarding Long Leggy had been crypted. Tell me, Little Longy, where did you live before the time you got to the hospital? What kind of catastrophe are you actually fighting against? There also has been an S rank calamity reported by the scout team made up of two people, your father is one of them. Was the heedful Long Leggy affected by the said calamity''s substances? Ah, and the name of the calamity is Timorea, does that ring any bell? Little Longy? or should I say, Long Leggy¡ª"


    "AHAHAHA YES! LONG LEGGY IS ACTUALLY MY FATHER!" No longer having the tolerance to let her into a conclusion, you immediately say something that might satisfy Chronos if she is here.


    The fierce oni retracts her hostility, shifting into a big smile as if she is proud of herself


    "Mmm, my judgement is right!"


    The person she is looking for is right in front of her! Ketanium is really powerful and that statement cannot be shaken, even your doppelganger was defeated effortlessly. Then again, this situation is really going in your favor¡ªor not.


    "Indweed, he is a scwum! Hwe left us when we were smoll! Whwat will ywu dwo if ya mweet our fatwer?" Asks Lues, trying to make the situation as worse as possible.


    "Ah, that will depend if he wanted a fast torture or a slow torture. We Oni have our own way to satisfy our client, especially if the target is a tiger who abandons their cubs."


    "Hwuh, that won''t do. Hwe actually already dulled his senses so ya need to work extra hwarder if ya want to torture hwim."


    "Ah, thank you for your advice."


    Without trying to make the situation more awkward and dangerous, you cut the conversation short and depart into the dot marked on the given map. You wave your hands with a smile to Ketanium, then you wave your middle finger to Lues as she replies with two middle fingers from both hands.


    You''ve avoided another death flag, and possibly raised another one with the misunderstanding. There will be a time where you need to act and fake your identity more to survive. Lying might be a sin but who gives a damn when you lose your head without doing so.


    From all the way of your journey to the indicated place while donning a troubled smile. A giant aztec gate surrounded by peripheral blue flame, as if the reluctant souls are trying to warn you about something.


    You swallow your saliva while gathering the courage to take another step forward. The moment you pass the gate, the reality changes as the sky dyes itself in crimson red. The ''Killer Dusk'' is there with its bloody exterior on the sky, still staring at you with a foreboding smile.


    "So guess I''m back to Kauhu Forest."


    The map begins to dissolve into dust, already fulfilling its purpose. Now it is up to you to survive until tomorrow morning¡ª


    "Chronos didn''t tell me when she would arrive."


    With more mana available than before, you send out the frequency to the marks on the tree you placed before. It takes a while before the signal is sent back.


    "Shit."


    The marked area from before is more than three kilometers from the place where you stand, it will take more than a day to go back to the campsite, unless you want to risk going back to the shady realm and meeting with the oni once again. But that plan itself is rather too risky as the one who might know the realm more than you pointed you out through this direction instead of the place you came from.


    Just as when you shift your view into the ancient gate, a small block of white comes crashing down and turns the gate into rubble.

 Chapter 23 - Shaky Shaky

    The familiar-looking fear inducing abomination has once again appeared in your view, smiling adorably with its sharp teeth hanging from the serrated bottom corner of its jaw.


    "The dreaded goofy white."


    Flight or fight!? You would never know, because currently the white cube is now rushing into you while your face becomes paler and stiff. The abomination caresses your left leg and purrs just like how a cat would.


    The forced sour smile of a prey trying to fake their fear and hostility is now forcing itself to spread through your whole face. You feel like it will not end well if you move an inch, the options have evolved into ''wry or cry''. The brain is immediately opening the switch for the adrenaline to spread into your bloodstream. Twitching, as if your body can''t handle the mental pressure from the adorable white cube critter.


    "T-the world is my lemonade! W-within my lemon veins! A-and my heart is a pomegranate, GYAAAAAAA¡ª"


    The critter used ''nibble''.


    It was really effective.


    A white foam is surging through your mouth, still standing. The unhindered waterfall splashes with the amount you can''t hold due to muscle shock. What a wonderful day.


    After a few minutes of contemplating, you cleared the mental barrier that fazed you with humiliation. You couldn''t help but curse yourself by getting the wrong idea about the li''l critter.


    "You are really, really, really scaring me, you know that?"


    The goofy eyes only stare at you with contentment, wiggling left and right because of excitement.


    You flick the white cube playfully, the cube comes back more excited than ever. It seems like it wants more.


    You flick the cube harder than before, the result is the same but with double the excitement.


    Disgusted, you put your determination into confirming your suspicion by kicking the critter as hard as you can, activating the 1% of ''Ashura Body Array'' into your feet.


    The creature expands and shrieks ominously for a sharp period of time until it stops and comes back for more.


    Unbelievable, your face becomes paler than an egg, "This li''l guy is a masochist."


    The mystery is solved, you accidentally charmed this weird creature with accidental brute force.


    "I have mixed feelings."


    Without further complications, you walk your way into the campsite. Without complaining, you strap a rigid expression as the white cube follows you merrily. The thud of the bouncing hard block is masking your cat-like footsteps. Knowing that the ''Killer Dusk'' is still on, you need to be wary all the time and considering that this creature is exponentially powerful with the defense higher than a B-rank calamity¡ªit seems like you will likely expect a less encounter from this point forward.


    Then again, this sentient dense-block was easily charmed by just the firepower of a single shot from the microgun. This little guy will probably be switching sides if it takes a more destructive aggression! You need to plan a contingency for that scenario. Because thinking about having your own ally switching sides just because the adversary can give them more pain is just awful.


    "¡ªI have a better idea."


    If taming exists, a spell or formation for taming and making the victim submit to its caster might exist as well. If only you can give the little creature more pain if he is doing what you told and demotivating him of he is disobeying, making him want to serve by your side forever. It might need training as well as you don''t want him to just standby waiting to be punished although you''re not sure whether the white block has the intelligence to differentiate a living being.


    "Might not hurt to try."


    You stop and hunch down to the little cube. Entering your mana sea, you asked for the Chrolings to change the base of the ''Blood Bending Virus'' circuit and strip off most of the property except the infecting command. With some crude tweaking and the Chrolings'' typosetting, you manage to create a ''Masochist Taming Virus''! With the chibi vessel of course, extra knowledge is also discovered in the middle of the experiment.


    ''Self-Made Masochist Taming Spell'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Masochist Taming Virus'' acquired.


    ''Masochist Obedience Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Pain Inducing Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Pain Killing Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Demotivating Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    "Fufufu, now let''s try this baby, shall we?"


    With the innocent goofy look from the cube creature, you send away the ''Masochist Taming Virus'' into the pervert. It took a while for the virus to find the sensory part of the critter before deploying and dissolving themselves into a small field of magic-circuit formation.


    The inside of the cube-like creature is actually just a gel and undescribable material latching into an orb as a core; a rather terrifying view. Putting your visionary sense into the chibi vessel might be something you regret doing, just like they all said¡ªcuriosity made the cat puke.


    Without a chant or verbose pact ritual like those akin to any fantasy cliche, you''ve successfully tamed the fearsome monster!


    ''Masochistic Guardian'' acquired.


    The horrible monster meanwhile, didn''t flinch for a second the moment your virus seeps their painful assimilation into this creature''s body. On second thought, this critter is actually in the middle of ecstasy, its googly eyes are cornering into the ceiling!


    "I''m starting to regret what I''m doing."


    For convenient use, you automate one command: to periodically give pain at different intervals with different sensations. Another ''switch'' has also been made within the mana sea in the form of a button, its purpose is to demotivate the overall stimulant by reducing the dopamine or a system working similar to it in immense amounts for a short period of time when pressed. Desirably, another button for inducing an extreme amount of pain has also been made.


    "I''m evil, really evil."


    The perfect carrot and stick approach¡ªfor a masochist. You''re disgusted by doing this but any possible action to raise your survival rate is a must.


    "Oh right, I haven''t named you yet."


    The adorable monster is wiggling.


    "How about Goyang? Yup, your name will be Goyang."


    You subconsciously command the Chrolings to push the ''pain'' button, resulting in a very happy Goyang.

 Chapter 24 - The Beginning Of The Calvacade

    Together with your newfound companion, you explore the inside of Kauhu Forest deeper than you could ever think of, it seems like it''s more than what meets from the eye.


    Still being shone by the crimson sky, you''ve developed a few spells for practical day to day usage. Then again, even if it really was categorized as ''spell''. It was more or less a body enhancement because all you ever did was augment them with beneficial jizz and stuff.


    ''Nutrient Absorption Enhancement'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Digestion Enhancement'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Harmful Substances Repellent (Weak)'' knowledge acquired.


    The results of accidentally eating a strange mushroom that melts into cheese when touched, turns out it was a parasitic organism that will infect the victim that consumes them by almost the same method you did for ''Blood Bending Virus''.


    As for the ''Nutrient Absorption Enhancement'', you''re low-key trying to grow faster to throw away your image of a kid, and probably shoving off your companion from using you as a play doll.


    "It was also worth it because the mushrooms are good."


    Aimlessly, it has been seven hours since you got out from the somber realm, either the bloody sky is eternal or the time is moving slower in which it doesn''t make sense at all. The worst scenario of transmigration is when you get into a weird and vicious world where most of the law doesn''t make sense until you break down the subject.


    You also did some training exercises where you''re trying to make Goyang be more active in blocking enemies'' attacks, like a portable auto shield! By hitting the dense block with a rock, you give him more ''pain''. The next is throwing a rock into a tree, strong enough until the rock was rebounded back. With a great angle, you''ve managed to align the rebound direction into yourself with Goyang in-between the projectile, then you give him the sensation he wanted. After doing it for a couple of times, Goyang immediately launches itself toward any kind of projectile that is directed to you, blocking the rebounded rock without him being in-between.


    You''re proud to have successfully trained your slave. Something within you is slowly awaken¡ª


    "Oh, another cheese mushroom!"


    Another delicious melting cheese is on its way into your stomach. It tasted like cheese, looks like cheese, and smells like cheese but more alluring than mozzarella. It will taste thousands times more delicious if you had the beef jerky with you right now.


    "It seems like searching for diverse culinary dishes will be one of my main goals from today. Can''t mentally survive without bad food for my palate!"


    New Goal: Becoming a Culinary Traveller!


    You tempt your slave¡ªpet Goyang to see if he needs to consume any kinds of fuel to survive. Viciously, he opens his serrated teeth and chomp down the mushroom on your palm. If you''re slower to retract your arms just now, you might die of blood loss from a severed hand.


    There hasn''t been any threat so far, it was more or less a walk in a park with your masochistic dog travelling aimlessly hoping to find something incredible to sate your other-worldly expectations, because all you''ve experienced from the first time you came into this world is nothing but pain.


    "Pain."


    Just in time where you almost die of boredom, you notice a familiar and dreadful shrieking slowly enveloping the forest.


    A gigantic centipede-like creature in the shape of garrulous human''s ribs with the main body as a spine donning a red tattoo all over its body. This is the first time you''re meeting it face to face instead of cowering yourself. Strangely enough, you''re not terrified like the first encounter you have with this monstrosity. It feels more of ''what I need to do to tame this thing''.


    You''ve acquired the sense to conquer.


    "Looking at you again, you''re quite beautiful."


    The strong jaw, the mountain-length armored torso, the million rib-like legs.


    You promised yourself that you will come back to Kauhu Forest to tame this Calamity, but this is not the time. As for now, your course of action is to¡ª


    "RUNN! GOYANG! RUN!"


    Rushing out ten meters ahead, you noticed that Goyang is standing still with joyous feeling, waiting to be screwed in and out.


    The Chrolings instantly push the ''demotivating'' button as you do a 180¡ã and rush back to your familiar, then sprint the hell out from that place.


    "ASHURA BODY ARRAYY!!"


    Before long, an invisible barrier is obstructing your path.


    "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"


    You place your hand into the shell of the forcefield, connecting the intricate layer with your mana sea to see if the Chrolings can do anything with it. Every second passed is a terrifying experience where you wait for your doom while bearing the chanceless hope to prevail. Your body shudders each time the sounds of the leaves and the violent scratching of the bark is getting more clearer.


    Just as when you close your eyes while contemplating heavily till you''re statistically more empty than Buddha, the barrier disappears for a moment and lets you fall over into the inside area. The moment you face-plant into the ground, the barrier is activated once again.


    Dumbfounded, you gaze at the ferocious face of the Calamity, stopping right in front of the barrier with no way of going in.


    Now instead of getting chased, you''re trapped. An ominous aura is emitted from the centerfold of the forcefield. The haze of dried and fresh blood is occupying 80% of your nose. The ground is getting more and more grey as you gaze into the center of everything.


    Will you go forward? Or will you wait for the inevitable death by doing nothing.


    Stress: 40%

 Chapter 25 - Fire And Blindness, Starting The Lemonade Machine

    Just like a cat, curiosity overwhelms your fear.


    The eeriness tingles your spine as you pull out your microgun, preparing to bear your hidden fangs to raze any threat. You''re engulfed, as you lose your vision in the haze of¡ª


    Horror.


    Each step you take is transporting you to another dimension where if savagery is a concept, it will be the magnum opus for the great parade attraction. Just like the death cavalcade, the corpses flowering with guts and hanging eyeballs are showcasing themselves in a meat market-like exhibition where the butcher is showing off their art with their victims being skewered into their own belongings.


    Can''t handle the pressure, the gush of acid and cheese within your guts is running away through your throat, pushing off any obstacles you make to prison them inside your meat vessel. Your legs are noodles, thousands of miasmic substances are slinking their way into your heart, clenching the bloodstream and your motivation to ever move forward.


    "This is fine, I need to get out of here."


    You go back to the barrier shell, nothing changes. The Calamity is gone and there is nothing you can do to temper the barrier in any kind of way.


    Goyang is caressing your leg once again, purring as if he is saying that everything will be okay.


    Monster, pain, suffering, mortal threat, all are trivial in the face of gore. Going in deeper is not a choice at all. Unless¡ª


    "Unless I''m lucky enough to get away from the predator."


    Even with all of the foreboding, you march forward to the hellish landscape. You''ve died thousands of times and one more might not hurt. Then again, you''re scared that there will be no other chance left but taking action is better than rotting away.


    Before diving into the solo raid, you put away your backpack as it might slow you down. Chamber the ammunition of the microgun and slip five more into the crevice of your gothic lolita dress. You haven''t noticed until now because the outfit actually has a self-repairing circuit. You want to take a look into it later.


    With all the mana accumulated for the past seven hours, you now can control the infected blood more smoothly than before. Not wanting to risk the precious crystal gourd, you put all of the controlled blood onto your right arms in the shape of a vein¡ªready to be used for any kind of situation.


    The killer moon is once again judging you. With the giant trees still in presence, you slinks and tiptoes your way into the reddish bush, holding Goyang with your left hand and microgun on the other. Just in case, the Chrolings are making a lot of ''Blood Bending Virus'' using the virus factory. You already prepare 20 viruses and send them on standby and more to come. Over preparing won''t hurt you in any way for this kind of dread. The more ready you are, the more confident you will be.


    Within your view the danger appears large, it is a giant white-fur ape the size of a house with numerous weapons from its victim''s resistance piercing its body, barely flinching the monster. One of them is a large broadsword making its way up its neck from end to end. A red geometric tattoo can be seen from its head to the feet, shaping a random pattern. Do those tattoos on the monster have meaning?


    Your soul then almost leaves your body unprepared as the savage ape suddenly darts its gaze into your crippled soul with no hesitation to stomp forward with its limbs. The earth shakes and so does your whole body. Quickly regaining your balance, you leap and slink into the back of a nearby tree, avoiding the mad rush. Until a pure force is blasting the middle of your towering barricade and makes a large hole.


    "I''m not ready, dammit!" You blast a shot into the giant hole with the savage on the other side. The round is occupied by three ''Blood Bending Virus'', waiting for glory as the explosion shrinks the air and implodes the surrounding area of the impact. Unfazed, the great ape didn''t flinch nor even startled a bit with the overflowing madness running through its spine, as the firepower couldn''t deal any damage to the exterior of this Calamity.


    But that doesn''t matter, you''re counting on the virus squadron getting ejected into the bloodstream of the ape. They dissolve but something is neutralizing them one by one before they can even deploy the mana circuit.


    "This will be tough, what is the deal with the difficulty spike!?"


    The ape peeks out from the large hole before splitting the skyscraping tree into two. The shockwave is too immense for your little body to handle, making you tumble and roll into an overly dangerous landscape filled with abandoned weaponry.


    Adrenaline is kicking, more ever than your fear. You take the rusty and large lance beside you, using the infected blood as a supporting horsepower to lift up the weapon twice the size of your little body.


    Just as when the lance is horizontally aimed, the ape is rushing once again. Using the 2% of the ''Ashura Body Array'' within your mana sea together with the pseudo muscle from the blood¡ªthe lance is speeding its way into the ape''s head.


    It pierces the outer skin as it stucks at the ape''s forehead but the mad rush hasn''t been weakened for a second. Utilizing the other end of the lance, the ape is sweeping the battleground like a bastard sword.


    You shift all of the blood into your lower limbs and dodge all of the consecutive sweeping. The adrenaline is overflowing, the cup can''t hold the water anymore.


    After all the sweeping, the great monkey is ending the combos by leaping to strike the ground. Your reflex is more on the offensive so you dodge the attack by evading forward into the bottom of the ape''s stomach.


    Putting all the controlled crimson red into the shape of a sharp blade on your left hand, you coat the tip with 30 compressed ''Blood Bending Virus''. Striking the stomach with the force of a meteor, the blade pierces deep into the flesh as the thick organisms of viruses sheltering one virus who is doing the infection.


    Something is definitely residing within the ape.


    The infection is successful; it then spreads like a plague with the overclocking from the Chrolings¡ªtemporarily immobilizing the Calamity. You hack and slash away, ending the blow with a closely executed shot into the big gap wound. Instantly increasing the distance with a huge leap right after.


    A miasmic dark crimson suddenly envelopes the ape''s body, the huge wound should have killed that monstrosity yet it is sending strike after strike. Goyang is keenly fast to absorb the meaningless damage by predicting the landing of each strike on the ground every time, which doesn''t give you any benefits whatsoever in this life and death situation.


    One of the uppercuts manage to land on your fragile body, destroying some of your ribs. The force propels you ten meters away headfirst as you land on the edge of a large sword. Using your microgun as a hard cushion, you''re lucky that it only cracks your skull a few millimeters deep.


    The fight isn''t over yet.


    Stress: 78%

 Chapter 26 - The World Gave You A Lemon

    The undying corpse of time shall drink the blood of an unheeding bleed.


    You are the said corpse that is ushering from the ground as you kiss the grey soil every time you move, tingling the skin with something worse than pain and tremor in the presence of a higher predator.


    It''s not pain you''re afraid of¡ªit is your inner self whispering that you won''t succeed.


    And it takes toll the very moment you stepped on this demonic ground even though your pariah''s eyes deem this action as stupid as worthless tirade. In the hope of erecting the blissful pride and victory, in the hope of overcoming your fear of a new world¡ª


    In the hope of not becoming your old self.


    "Help, help¡ª" Chimes from your lips that hate the taste of blood of your own brain. People are afraid to make a mistake, some strengthen their skull hard enough to replace those mistakes as an accident, but you don''t have a thick skull. You''re as weak as you can get when it comes to motivation and hypocrisy. When it already leads to this, it means that it was all your fault with no one else to blame.


    Stress: 118%


    "Shit!" Still having the slivers of adrenaline, you try to move any single piece of your body to no avail. The moment the ape in your frame appears large, that is the moment where your adrenaline is leaving. It''s leaving emptiness.


    A small cuboid shape of white is coming to save the day, it appears in front of you with its googly eyes with no worries of the world surrounding them. ''it must be nice'', you think.


    "HIIIIIIIIKHHHHEEEE!!!"


    The white cube expands to the same size of the ape as he shows his serrated happy teeth. Again, trying to tell you that ''it will be fine''. The Calamity is delivering its hurled strike into your savior.


    With no moment to think, the giant white retracts his jaw to chomp down the primal monkey, even though the force is strong but the zombie muscle of the mighty ape is sturdier and rougher. Coated by crimson clouds, the ape tears the jaw of white open into a naked centerfold, revealing the indescribable inside of your companion. The cube is trying his best to close his own jaw to grind the meat of those who are hostile to you. It ended with a heavy strike into the core of your new friend.


    The fluid and the dark green gelatin is being flung everywhere into the vicinity. You watch the scene as it unfolds.


    Stress: 458%


    Horrid, your eyes can''t believe what you''ve just seen, and your heart misses its heartbeat as the blood it delivers runs cold.


    For a person, it''s their heart. For a warrior, it''s their faith. The ape has run amok once again, boiling your blood in a hellfire of anguish and hatred. Goyang might only be on your side for a few hours but despite its need to feel pain, the critter has sympathy and caring emotion as he tries his best to smile for you. So pathetic, you have the urge to pay back the kindness but now you can''t. You can''t even prevent the death of a stupid, masochistic, dumbass cuboid square.


    Stress: 1,289%


    It feels bitter, it feels sour. This feeling, all of the pain accumulated, the future that will never come.


    You spite it all.


    Stress: 6,999%


    Acid, it''s acid, phytochemicals, tannins, heat, burning desire, a blender, and spite. The acid is running through your veins and the bloodstream is now sour. It washes and washes the impurities inside your body and your mind. The Chrolings notice this and amplify the wave to help it further¡ªa new realm has opened within your mana sea.


    ''Stress requirement has been reached.''


    ''Initiating the lemonade, access confirmed.''


    You used the acidic blood cell as the ingredients for the ''Blood Bending Virus''. The sourness amplifies the mana conductivity for the vessel, making it more aggressive and effective. The mass production has commenced.


    ''Blood Bending Sour Virus'' acquired.


    Using all the strength that has been left within your fragile body, you seek out the nearest pillar-like object as you barely avoid the strike of the ape, searching for insurance if your plan is foiled. Anchoring your footing by drilling the ground and branching the roots into the soil with blood, you wait for the next strike to land.


    10% Ashura Body Array.


    The crimson arm of the ape connects with your punch. Then again, why a punch? It''s not complicated, it''s all just a hint of mocking fate, life, and Fortune.


    Painful and firm, overclocking the infected blood with a more dense mass to help you stand on equal footing as the Calamity. The bone breaks and the blood is being grinded, spilling all over the place.


    "HURRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"


    More, you want more time, adrenaline is coursing with every stalling. Despite the ridiculous move and situation, it''s all been your plan from the start of the blendering.


    Sending a thousand ''Blood Bending Sour Virus'', neither new nor dried blood can resist the temptations of joining your parade of mortal massacring; all of them are striving for vengeance for their former owner.


    The perpetrator must pay! The dissector of flesh and wound shall be circumcised from head to toe until there is no more hate dripping from the skull of the fallen.


    In an instant the whole battlefield is now your ally, your blood, and your body. With no more strength to compete with the giant hulk of mass of the monstrosity, your last resisting muscle gives in. 10% of the blood from the battlefield is rushing into you, replacing the dead muscle caused by the immense stress you did to your body. That has also been your very goal. You might not believe in superstition, but you believe in your intuition.


    The better the pain, the bigger the stress, the more acidic your vein is.


    With no effort at all, you manage to outplay the Calamity in terms of raw strength. Blood is thicker than water, and with the help of the new type of virus, the infected blood''s flexibility is immensely increased¡ªby that means the magnetic force field and also the sheer mass of acceleration it can generate.


    "Stupid Chronos, this isn''t a spell chant at all."


    ''The Lamentor has come to conjure her hidden razor''.


    You''re engulfed and lose your vision in the haze of ''Dopamine''. A wide manic smile is etched into your face.


    Prideful, the ape won''t tolerate any defeat as it rushes once more into your direction.


    You manipulate the blood to hover half a meter from the ground into the air, feinting to attack as you go into the front of the ape''s skull and bash the hell out of it. The Calamity flinches, you conjure a giant spear of blood into the savage''s mouth, giving the sinner a bloody deepthroat. Reminiscing your former pain, you scramble the blood into the dirty new-friend-killer''s whole body and bloat the organs and tissues from inside, rupturing him completely.


    Once again the miasmic haze appears but you won''t stand still this time. Conjuring a fast spinning cyclone of blood, you trap the beast inside as the sharp winds shred and shake away all the haze. Rushing in, you grab the handle of the sword that is using the beast neck as its pedestal. Smashing sideways, you decapitate that morbid obese of an ass chime degenerate into the land where no sun is shining¡ªthe death, you''re hoping a painful death for the beast you''re torturing.


    The beast grabs its head and the large broadsword that is formerly sticking end to end on its neck. The hole on the neck reveals a horride spine that moves and prays to the red sky, spewing out the numerous rib-like legs. The appearance of the parasite is almost similar to the garrulous Calamity that is chasing you into this god-forsaken trap.


    Instead of fear and irritation, your veins are filled with joy.


    Using the infected blood to move your body; you raise both of your pinky fingers into the front, then tilting it into one and another. Can''t help but smilling with content, you begin to chant the stupid spell, "The world is my lemonade, within my lemon veins, and my heart''s a lemon grenade¡ª"


    Still in ''spite'', you changed the last sentence of the spell.


    "TO BRING YOU MY HELLISH APOCALYPSE!"

 Chapter 27 - Coalition Unit [Kolme]

    A successful raid had been commenced. The Vagant Coalition department had already hired 6 foreign squadrons, 12 mercenaries, and 3 A-rank Assault personnels totaling 46 professional individuals being sent to uncover the mystery behind area 666, coded: Aghanim. A white and black space with mystical law residing within the unique land.


    The infiltration to the Aghanim is bearing countless fruits for the dwellers of Neamh as they are on their way back to the homeland with research material and information, holding precious loot.


    It was a smooth sailing from the continuous reports headquarters had received until the Coalition Leader reported a sudden appearance of an Angel, resulting in heavy loss of individual resources and the precious equipment they had.


    Soon after, the Coalition Battalion finally reached the safe zone of Kauhu Forest. The survivors'' heart has been brought to joy as they sing and waste the scrumptious loots of war into their belly, especially after making contact with Humanity''s biggest threat. Until a bad omen came in the form of a ''Killer Dusk''.


    A dangerous and abnormal entity, origin: Unknown, rank: Unknown, expedition history: Unknown. The ominous and gigantic existence at the size of a moon has no absolute record of what it''s doing and its purpose. All they all know is that this terrifying Calamity will empower all the ''Beast Calamity'' and turn all the ''Unawakened Calamity'' into full-fledged Calamity, resulting in a heavy chaos erupted within its Crimson-Sky Field.


    There are two types of Calamity.


    A pure Calamity that spawns from a corrupted void of the Primordial Era that was triggered by the invasion from the Angels, nobody knows why they invade Earth to the point of hunting its residents for so many years. The white and valiant wings of the bible cupid didn''t gave any angelic benefits to humanity.


    The second is the Beast Calamity, they are basically an animal that already exists on earth that got corrupted by making contact with the void rupture, the transformation is not instant but somehow the ''Killer Dusk'' made it absolute.


    "How many are left?..." Says the Leader, a lion person who wears a striking golden armor and a devastated frown as he puts down a heavy shield of his. "I can''t send any frequency so we need at least one of us to survive long enough to send the data."


    A heavily armored lizard man is leaning his hand onto a tree with weak knees, holding off the pain of a one meter scar on his back and a broken arm barely attached to his shoulder. "Six, goddamn bloody six. This will be a dishonor for me to allow this to happen. It''s shameful."


    "Karas, enough, we''ve survived, we only need to carry the will of the fallen. Katrasia! how long will the barrier last!?"


    Katrasia answers, "As long as nobody tempers from the outside, nothing can ever leave¡­" With a meek voice, the female Aiseirigh with a dragon''s pair of horns is tinkering with the human-sized floating crystal-shaped contraption of her.


    "How dare you fucking deploy a barrier when Samera is still inside!?" Shouts the mourning brother of his fallen sister, gritting his teeth.


    The one who is holding him from running amok is a giant feline male, "Oy Razes, calm down. This is outside of the Citadel, everyone can die at any moment, no one is at fault. Katrasia is also feeling guilty of that accident."


    "So what if I did notice? It would be better if she becomes a decoy for us anyway."


    "YOU BITCH!" Razes then snaps his neck 180¡ã to face the cat, "FUCKING LET ME GO! ZACED!"


    "I TOLD YOU TO CALM DOWN!"


    The giant cat slams down his companion, pinning him down as Razes'' left hand slips to fling a crystal dart in the female Aiseirigh''s direction.


    The Leader, Arthurion, cast a defensive barrier using the slivers of his mana, "We''ve lost too many comrades, don''t shed anymore blood."


    On the corner of the safe space is an A-rank Assault personnel, codenamed: Blast, taking off the big machinery on his back that mixes the chemical for the variable of explosion. Unlike the others, he remains calm but that is what it looks like on the outside. Inside he is anxious of everything that is happening, tightening the protective gas mask on his face.


    He rummages through the contents of his pocket, taking out a small note of paper, ''Ask Ollie if in any doubt''.


    He takes out a clear glass bottle that he accidentally put on his chemical machine, thinking that the bottle is containing hydrogen fluoride. After putting it on the ground in front of him, he then asks the inanimate object as if it was a person.


    "When can I go home?"


    A silhouette of an upper body from a female with round rodent ears appears on the glass.


    "You buffoon! After you finish your job, of course!"


    Blast then asks again, "Everyone is fighting, I don''t understand, everyone is so enthusiastic before the sky becomes an apple."


    "Jeez, so it was all because of the ''Killer Dusk'', that scary thing appeared on the day of my second excavation too. It was hell I tell ya!"


    "Can you blow up that scary thing?"


    "Apparently, you cannot. Either you get out from here alone or run away alone. Huh, that''s one of the same..."


    "We can''t, a big monkey is blocking the exit to the other side. Saltpetre with mana essence can''t kill that thing, even a concentrated piranha solution."


    "Oh right, you almost killed me by putting this bottle on one of the slots."


    "Hehe, today has been hectic. Though I''m kinda curious what would happen if I turned this whole giant apple into an explosive." He says while reaching his arm into the sky, try to grab the ominous moon.


    "Not everything is explosive."


    "If anything can be a cake, why not an explosive?"


    Morbid scratchings of the trees'' bark and the rattling of the leaves echoes throughout the forest. The remaining 6 survivors hurriedly finish their frustrating argument and move into a better place.


    Katrasia had a bad feeling, as she insisted to the party to check back the barrier she made. She manages to convince them despite losing an arm after painstakingly dealing with the little brother of someone she used as a decoy intentionally. It is cruel but it must be done, otherwise the timing will be messed up and it will cause a total annihilation for the battalion.


    An Aiseirighian, the closest descendant of humans. A dragonoid person who puts pride into everything, and the company Katrasia comes from has its own council where ''killed in action'' is more dishonor than staying alive with great loss. They will give no salutations nor honor to the dead. It is also because the Aiseirigh is having a political war with the other races on how they would manage the damned society. Pulling the strings to the reluctant marionette, they are aiming to become the main driving force of everything all for the sake of their petty ambition.


    Their horns serve no real purpose, but it is their soul and identity.


    The total opposite of a Khazenka, the lizard people deem that solidarity is more important than pride, they seek out the other races and even force them to make an alliance through brute force all for the sake of the happiness of their future generations. A union is a must in a world where Calamity is roaming to every crevice of Neamh.


    While killing every Yelper and other low-grade Calamity on their way, the party of misfits found their way into the shell of the barrier.


    Katrasia retracts her right arm from holding the dripping flesh on her left arm to touch the barrier, "Someone got in."


    "Another Calamity?" Asks Arthurion.


    "A Calamity can''t break into the barrier, it has been modified by someone¡­"


    Blast, the one behind the rest of the party members, is asking his glass-bottle friend.


    "Do you think a person did that?"


    "Huh? Put me near the barrier."


    He then moves towards the barrier as the barrier is welcoming him by deactivating for a moment, and then trapping him inside.


    With a shudder, Katrasia is analyzing his own barrier meticulously. "H-how!?"


    "You''re right, Blasty, someone modified this barrier. I need you to be cautious because only a person with the knowledge of a Babel''s Sage can crack this complicated circuit flawlessly."


    "Gotcha, Ollie."


    "See!? I told you that this bitch is plotting something!" Says the owl.


    "Guys, you all need to wait outside as I check if Suolija is still there or not." Says Blast.


    Arthurion steps in, touching the barrier for a while until he gains access inside.


    The leader gives his speech, "Blast and I will examine the vicinity if there is any dangerous threat roaming by."


    "Oy-Oy, are you folks crazy?" Says the big cat, "That ape annihilated the majority of our battalion, don''t be dumber than the Ferrowl over there." As he gestures his head into Razes.


    Arthurion is poking his nose into the air, as he sponge all clouds of the guts and bloods from his fallen comrades.


    "I didn''t smell the killing intent and madness like before, it was worth checking knowing that fate is as fickle as it is. I''ll be making sure that five of you will step those feet inside the Citadel."


    They all nod reluctantly after a huge silence.


    "I''m also coming." Says Karas, "This oldman can take another hit."


    Leaving behind Katrasia, Zaced, and Razes, the three of them walk upon the demonic land once again with their determination at its peak. The smell of rotting blood, the exhibition of their failure is being emphasized by mother nature in the most audacious ways.


    Marching deftly, they are reaching into the opening to the space in front of the cave leading to the outside. The smell of blood is getting thicker and thicker until their vision meets the eye of a foreigner.


    A child, staring them down from above a torn carcass, the broken bones peaking out from the joints and the ribs piercing the abdomen like a bloody maw. Her legs hung over the head of the beast, barely missing the red jagged teeth. A child, in torn clothing of gothic-lolita style, swung her feet up and down like it was a swing in a playground. Veins traced from every exposed skin, faintly glowing under the red sky. That was when they noticed it, blood. Blood moving as the child commands, like a conductor to a band. A symphony named carnage.


    Despite having a petite body, the little girl is exuding a pressuring aura as dense as those who have breakthrough their mana sea and create a golden orb. Those kinds of people are usually referred to as a ''Senior'' in the cultivation world, where people cultivate their mana sea to reach the highest height of power and immortality. Then again, a pressuring presence doesn''t equal an immortal, but having manners to respect someone better than you is common sense.


    Both Karas and Arthurion are on their knees, bowing their heads, except for Blast who is still standing still while scratching his arm.

 Chapter 28 - After The Cause, Awkward After Pause

    The punishment has been sent to the perpetrator. Even though the parasite that hosts the ape''s body has managed to run away, you''re heavily relieved after venting it all on the poor calamity.


    "My, what a situation."


    You cannot help but sigh, the contamination of the red night. The eradication of the overflowing frustration, but no more. You draw a circle using blood on top of the dead carcass then drive yourself around the bend, trying to familiarize the control of your whole body movement as you waft using the manipulated blood, considering that your muscles seem bloody dead. The Chrolings meticulously tries to heal the delicate part of your body.


    Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is the paralysis of the body from at least the shoulders down. The paralysis is a result of damage to the spinal cord which prevents messages from the brain from being sent to the rest of the body. As in this case, extreme muscles'' stress from the intense fight.


    In the desperate attempt after the surging dopamine, you''re currently in great pain.


    "This is awkward."


    Your face is stiff, you want to cry but can''t, let alone smiling. The feeling of movement, you sit on top of the dead ape and swing your legs up and down in distress to keep yourself reminded that you''re not dead.


    This will be a good time to be alone and contemplate everything that has happened.


    "I''m Magan, codenamed Arthurion. Senior, please excuse my rudeness for me to ask¡ª" A lion person donning sleek golden armor with a large shield on his back, kneeling and bowing his head to you. "Is it by any chance that it was actually the senior who killed the corrupted Suolija?"


    ''I see, so the ape Calamity is named Suolija''.


    Next to the right of Arthurion is a gritty scaled lizard man, also kneeling and bowing despite the life-threatening wound and one of his arms barely connecting to the shoulder. The most human-like looking person next to the left of the lion might be the most confusing of them all, with a full protective gas mask and a large machinery on his back, he stood in laidback manners while scratching his arm.


    ''Why now out of all time!?'' is what you''re ranting inaudibly.


    "What if I say yes?" Your face frowns heavily pale from trying to stay conscious, bearing the pain of the fighting aftermath. Somehow you accidentally act rude and fierce, what if they''ll see it as an act of aggression!? You''re at the bottom of your mental performance, this will definitely not end well.


    Arthurion reply, "We will not doubt your words, Senior."


    Irritated by the stress and pain, your face goes pale as you stare unkindly at the foreigners. "Ah, so you''re going to take my hard earned loot?" Is what you say, hoping that it will be over quickly as it ends up becoming more provocative than the other side of speech.


    You died a little bit inside, ''Ah shit, I''m dead!!''


    "Certainly not! Senior! In the matter of fact, we''re really grateful to you for avenging our fallen brothers and sisters from the menace you''re currently sat upon."


    You manage to get away with it.


    It seems like all of the fresh blood on this forsaken glade came from Arthurion''s friend. It seems like he holds a great respect for you. Then again, the majority of blood you manipulate is from his very comrades. If you think about it again, using the dead as your own gain is very disrespectful, especially in front of someone who knows them.


    Cautious, all you do is stare as you''re trying to fabricate the next sentence you''re going to say, but the sudden movement from the guy with a gas mask startles you heavily as your face becomes pale¡ªand probably provocative.


    "How did you kill Suolija?" Asks the man with a chemical concocter on his back.


    ''Shit! Shit! Shit!'' he is probably asking because he didn''t believe you and now he is trying to uncover the truth, because even you haven''t fully believed that you are the one who killed that beast. His uncanny movement and lifeless gaze is proof of it!


    The unstable emotion makes your blood bending control become chaotic, as your vein-like blood exo-muscle begins to menacingly dissipate into a plasma like a fire. "...Why do you want to know?"


    The man then caresses his chin, "I trace a mana essence waste inside the Suolija, and also an implosion that might come from a gyro-jet type ammunition shot. I''m curious how you can replicate that."


    ''Ah, it must be from the microgun'' you can''t waste more mana for trying to grab the minigun that you left behind just as when you harnessed the power of the edgy blood technique back then. So instead you begin to act suspicious by dismissing the topic, "...Do I need to answer that?"


    "I''m just curious¡ª" In a sudden, Arthurion dunks the man''s head into the ground.


    "I heavily apologize for the rudeness this man exudes. He is just an A-rank Assault personnel from Vagant."


    ''Frick! I made the situation worse'', and an A-rank Assault personnel from Vagant!? Isn''t that the same rank as Thuljas!?


    Breathing in, breathing out¡ªimagining a force that keeps the falling feather to waft in the air. Still in stern and sharp gazing, you decide to ask for more information about this trio. "May I know what your purpose is?"


    You hope that they can play along.


    "I can''t tell you the sensitive information but we''re currently checking the exits to the other side of the forest because someone broke the barrier we put to contain the Suolija."


    So it was all because someone stupidly got in by accident, you know very well of that person.


    But the exit? There is an exit!?


    "What exit?" You ask.


    "Uhm, Senior. The exit is right behind you."


    You remember that there is a cave being protected by the savage ape.


    "Oh."


    This is awkward.


    The lizardman takes something out from his pouch, "Senior, you''re strong. I''m humbly offering you this Elemental Crystal, and let us pass through the exit in exchange."


    So they think that you''re one of those evil thugs. What a way to ruin your reputation in the best timing you can get.


    "I don''t want it." Is what you say instead of ''you don''t need to give me anything''.


    The lizard man takes out another object, "Please, Senior, consider it, let us through."


    It''s a black jagged knife with a flowering crimson pattern on the blade. The size also fits you really well for hand to hand combat, if you even know anything about it.


    There is no going back, you can only continue, "Drop both of them on the ground, and scatter out from my sight."


    The lizard shows his gratefulness, he then goes back to the direction they are coming from.


    "Where is he going?" You ask.


    Arthurion replies, "He is fetching the others, Senior."


    After a while, the lizardman then comes back with another three people. A huge bipedal cat person that might turn anyone to a furry lover, a woman with dragonoid-horns, and an owl person of the same race as Thuljas.


    It seems like the lizard man already explained the situation to the others as all of them slightly bow with their palms connected to the fist of the other hand, expressing their gratitude.


    You let them all go past the exit, which is something that you will do too after resting your mental constitution from the awful act.


    ''Elemental Crystal'' acquired.


    ''Raion Ouh Kah'' acquired.


    With sour protruded lips, you try to contain the unbecoming embarrassment. "I will never recover from this."


    Bitter, hateful, a sinful regret, and a mistake.. Just in one single day, you''ve tortured wild life, and extorted an innocent group of people. What could be worse?

 Chapter 29 - All Out Duel: Lues Vs Ketanium [Kolme]

    On another place.


    The bootleg-crucified phantom of Little Longy, the worn out oni from numerous battles, and the mountain of corpses from the overflowing eldritch flower abomination¡ªeach of them having their share of ¨­dachi skewered into their core.


    Lues is still stuck at the same tree with beams on her neck and palate as she holds the pain of mutinied boredom. "Ywa hwaven''t given awp ywet?"


    "Again, this is not my real body."


    "Bwat ya still hweel da pawin and swuff ey?"


    Sitting with legs crossed, Ketanium holds onto the blade of her long ¨­dachi, breaking herself to the limit and possibly the irritation she got from the ever babbling devil on the tree of confinement.


    "I think they are still coming."


    "Rwelease me, ail heelp ya!"


    The oni only replies with silence.


    The realm sends another wave of enemies, as voids start to open one after another, releasing an unknown Pure Calamity to kill whoever tries to put their footsteps into the somber land.


    With just a flick of a finger, the tan oni summons numerous ¨­dachis on top of every spawned Calamity. Every second is just a delirium torture to Lues as she drives herself into insanity, watching the same things over and over again¡ªhoping that something would change.


    How many days has it been? It might only have been a couple of hours outside but the lonely duo had been in the realm for months.


    But not all hope is lost, as Lues seeks her own hope in the field of madness. She waits and waits until the phantom blood from the drools has turned into a pond.


    "Hwahg??" Lues suddenly feels an enormous wave filling every inch of her existence. Acid, it''s acid, phytochemicals, tannins, heat, burning desire, a blender, and bloodlust.


    It takes no effort at all to destroy the circuit formation embedded on the long ¨­dachi, as she claws everything in 2 meters from her in just a blink. The malignant revenant has her mind set on taxing the oni''s life.


    "Hahaha, HAHAHAH, ah, so she did it. So soon, TOO SOON! soOOoo SOOON!!"


    The wicked fiend stomps and cracks a large area under her soles to ascend the mountains of dead eldritch-flowers; she gushes her gaze into the shocked oni.


    The oni intuitively flings a thousand slashes into the devil, each of them being parried one by one until the last vertical strike is grabbed by her adversary. Showing a whole expression of bliss, Lues pulls the ¨­dachi to move herself forward to land a painful smash with her enlarged arm made out of crimson darkness.


    A flash of red blade has been swung from below. Using the force of the punch, she takes the momentum and rotates at extreme velocity to deliver a mountain-ripping scar to the sky. Utilizing the enemy''s force to her own doom, a diamond-rare ideology used by an oni, in which most of them prefer to fight with all they have and raw strength.


    But alas, the winning strike couldn''t bring any victory in the presence of the devil.


    "Such a stinging slap! I like the massage, ten out of ten!"


    "Ah, feel free to have more then."


    Ketanium leaps into the sky, not to the devil, but the somber moon. High enough to enjoy the scenery of the vast realm where the dense barrier of light is visible as the corner of the realm. The gravitational force is different from Neamh, in that there is less friction to pierce the atmosphere.


    She lands on the surface of the moon, planting the long ¨­dachi she uses as she conjures a bus-length flaming-yellow metal pillar. Eyes with determination, she blasts herself away from the natural satellite to give a destructive present to the flower field.


    Watching everything unfold, Lues can only shrug, "It seems like this realm gave you too much mana, so sad, so sad. You can''t even go back to your main body to deliver that much amount!"


    The artificial meteor has brought its judgement into the flower field, as it lands on top of the menace''s head. The destructive power is enough to turn the entire realm into a wasteland.


    The oni is surprised that her adversary won''t kneel even with the massive amounts of mana she converts for pulling all that stunt. "It seems like having you gaining new heights of power is out of my calculation."


    "Aww, thank you! But can you please DIE!?"


    The fierce battle has commenced once again.


    Numerous ¨­dachis appear in the sky, raining down the whole land. The devil grabs one of them despite it falling down at the speed of sound. It is obvious that the oni is already putting a circuit that prevents unknown people from using the ¨­dachi. So despite the great pain it delivers, Lues will still be using it to mock the oni.


    A bullet hell, the devil flies to the sky to gain more speed, space, and momentum to dodge most of the raining metal while parrying them using the ¨­dachi.


    Not giving the brute any chance, all of the ¨­dachi that meets the ground is launched back to the sky and swirls to create a beautiful ''danmaku'' pattern.


    "So we''re playing ''danmaku'' now!? I''ll give you my spell card then!!"


    "Wait, that is not how it works!"


    The devil summons countless seeking dark balls to hunt down all of the ¨­dachis, although not being able to destroy the flying curved-blade, they can completely immobilize them. As of now, the shriveled metal is accumulating in a graveyard of metal sea.


    They then continue their intense wind-shattering combat on top of the sea of dead swords. Still enthusiastic enough to offer a conversation.


    "Mistress Imbecile, may I serve you a platter of your head?"


    "Ah, but I''m not hungry."


    "Oh right, I apologize. Change of plan! It seems like hell wants you back for some spa."


    "That is better. I will kindly take that offer then."


    An unstoppable force facing another unstoppable force, it will only end when both sides collide and break the space continuum. Both of them keep giving strike after strike, utilizing everything in the realm.


    "Bloody Oni! I hate your kin more than cockroaches."


    "Might as well annoy your enemies if you can''t kill them..."


    "What a bullock. If my ''hate'' is a ''feline'', then you will be the ''litter''."


    Using the ¨­dachi planted on the moon, Ketanium used all of her mana that was supposed to be brought into her main body after months of cultivation in the realm. With a ridiculously long mana line, she pulls down the ¨­dachi along with the moon.


    "Tch, you really want to kill me that bad!?"


    Both of them conjure a barrier of their own. The battle of endurance.


    The winner shall be the one who can survive the armageddon.


    And both of them make it out alive.


    Cracking each other''s own shelters, they breathe the rotten air of the broken land.


    "Gah! Fool! Dumbass! How many loose screws does it take to make the ultimate idiot!?" Rants Lues.


    "Hahaha, I applaud your strength, hah, next time we meet, I''ll treat you to some drinking party."


    "Heh, you better bring the best sake you have."


    "Hahaha, gotcha."


    Both are worn out, exhausted, and satisfied. With both on their last straw, they brandish their sharp claws and fangs¡ªalthough weary, both of them are going all out for the final blow.


    It ends with one winner, and one severed head.

 Chapter 30 - The Unbecoming - Arc 1 Fin

    Living being or shady things encapsulated by the sky of red to be crowded by the lack of hue. You''re tuned in, motionless. Ending the awkward thug act¡ªwelcome to the imaginary cinema of shame where you play an inaudible film for a round or two. Down on an unknown realm and time, surrounded by a gruesome view.


    You get down from the Suolija''s carcass and pick up the two offerings by the seemingly troubled and mourning group that you''ve successfully made their situation more difficult.


    The first object, Elemental Crystal. You sure as hell don''t know what it is but it looks and sounds precious, probably useful in the future.


    The second object, Jagged Black Knife. Again, you don''t know if it has any special abilities or something but you keep it because it looks cool.


    ''Maybe I can ask or give it to Mr. Carbonite for an upgrade'' is what you''re thinking.


    Still using the blood exo-muscle, you can''t help but feel uncanny with every movement you make. It feels different, just like how a doll being controlled by someone, a reluctant marionette.


    You''re making sure that there is nobody in the vicinity using the virus vessel that your factory is still generating to this moment. It''s rather nauseating to keep track of many vessel''s senses so you only use one of them to scout the area tediously.


    ''Yes, there is nobody around!''


    With a master degree of self piloting, you embark your little and painful journey to the backpack containing all of your belongings.


    Right there in the corner of your vision! A fat rucksack lazily idling by with no care in the world. Approaching forward, you notice that the barrier isn''t there anymore. It seems like the group of people back then had already deactivated the forcefield.


    ''Huee! Those guys didn''t steal anything from it! But wait, I think they came from a different direction.''


    Your mind wanders with haste of every possible scenario, reenacting that embarrassment.


    Satisfyingly enough, you fill up the crystal gourd with all the blood on the battlefield except the blood you used for controlling your dead muscle. Wafting formlessly from all directions they come! The container feels bottomless with every liter of dense red liquid it drinks, maybe in some other times you can have the chance of recreating your dream of being a sleek blood bender.


    ''Blood Overlord'', ''Blood Crystal Queen'', ''Crimson Manipulator''. The pain begins to dwindle as your mind is fading away into daydreaming numerous titles you make in your head, until a ridiculous one pops up to your attention.


    ''Queen of the Apocalypse.''


    ''Okay, that one is too much,'' you suppose. It will only be some pipe dream until you can kick the ass of Chronos when you meet her later. Jokingly, you begin to act like the revolver of the world just to ease your anxiety and mental trouble away.


    In just a short period of time, you''ve achieved many things that can be deemed as impossible for a normal human''s standards. You now have the knowledge to manipulate blood, you have defeated a crazy ass ape¡ªeven though you lost a potentially great partner in the process.


    That dream title, It is still crazy as it sounds.


    But will it remain to be a dream?


    A slash out of nowhere, a wave made of air. The invisible blade has destroyed your talisman with laser precision.


    Your sight quickly pursues the direction where the wind-scar came from. A familiar figure appears to the frame, clutching the hair of a severed head with its eyes scratched brutally. Just like a devil coming to forebode an armageddon, it breaks your daydreaming merriment in an instant. At least that way the fright didn''t hit like a mace.


    The current violent pain and the fighting record you''ve achieved couples of minutes ago has strengthened your mental tenacity. Instead of fear, you''re likely to be more cautious as you prepare the blood within the crystal gourd to create a spreading shield at any time.


    But unlike her usual scornful smile, she appears to be weary, discontent, and in pain. She is supposed to be able to regenerate using black substances all the time as if she is ethereal and invincible, as if she is out of this world. Now, she is battered with numerous scars that can be seen through her torn clothes and the fact that she inherited your child-like appearance, it just feels wrong.


    She looks human, except for the fact that she throws the shockwave using her middle finger.


    "Buckaroo, It''s been a long time, ey? How are ya doin''?" says Lues, forcing a convincing smile just so she can talk to you.


    "It has only been around eight hours since the last flipping session." You then slowly back down to take the black blade out from your backpack, trying to preserve your mana in case things get rough, "So, miss psycho, what is your deal with that severed head in your clutch?"


    "Oh right, sorry about that."


    She drops the tufts of hair, letting it roll on the ground. Closing her eyes, she puts both of her hands to the sky.


    She then continues, "Firstly, I''m here by no means of trying to be accusatory. I might have done you something gory but that is the past, no?"


    Lues shows a rather sincere expression even though she did you more than just a ''gory''.


    "I''m listening."


    "Lassie, I have no power now, so I''m offering you a tepid truce for the time being."


    "And then you will kill me?"


    "Heh, back then I would be. As of now, it will only make me a dull-witted idiot if I do that." She shows you her playful snickering.


    Processing her reasons, it might be connected with the ''mirror''.


    You put back the blade, showing her your trust.


    "I don''t mind a crazy homicidal bitch following around, if you''re sincere. I''m just your normal kind of person, trying to stay alive."


    You can see her eyes scanning at your blood-driven exo-muscle. She then sluggishly walks forward in a cheeky manner.


    "I thought that I''m blooming to be a different entity. Turns out it wasn''t an apple from the same tree, I''m just a parasitic branch living off by sucking the saps of my host. So forgive my unwiseness, I''ll kill you later when we''re not one of the same, capisce?" she says, showing her usual smirk.


    Which means that she will disappear if you die.


    You ignore her taunting and strap up your backpack, preparing to leave to the other side of the forest. Just as you are doing so, some word constructed by your subconscious is running away from your lips, "It must be tough, isn''t it?"


    She might be a psychopath, a doppelganger of death to its original, but you couldn''t help but feel pity as her battered appearance of yours is reminding you of the experience in this forest.


    ''it must be tough''.


    "How about you? It must be tough, isn''t it?" she asks.


    "It is, idiot, so don''t make my life harder than it is." You say, truthful to your feelings.


    "Turns out we''re rather similar, ay?"


    "Don''t care."


    Just as when you avert your eyes from her, she falls like a fallen tree. It might be a feint as far as you know but you don''t care if someone will call you impulsive and unwise. In panic, you approach and help her stand.


    She is actually becoming more pitiful than it seems, you couldn''t help but laugh. "Hahaha, you''re so energetic when you''re having a killing fest back then."


    "...D-Don''t joke around¡ªI''m running out of mana."


    You look left and right instinctively to search for something, only to find that nothing is useful in this situation.


    "You''re a part of me! I have some mana left, can you do anything to take some!?"


    "Oh right."


    She catches you by surprise by reaching her arm to your behind, incipiently shoving her mouth into yours. Your lips and her are caressing each other, gently soft and warm. You can feel something is leaving you, either it was your mana or your consciousness from the shock. It''s only a few seconds before she presses her tongue inside, colliding and plunging to explore your taste.


    Lues then pushes you down with both of you still connected, the backpack cushions your fall to keep the stimulus going. As if it wasn''t enough, she pins down both of your palms to your backpack exterior so you can''t run away. It takes a while before she retracts her french-kiss out, you can see the saliva is stretched as far till it falls on her lips and yours.


    She then puts on a smug face with pride, "Thanks for the meal."


    "Your-meal my ass!"


    She immediately floats away to make a proper distance while leaving you bamboozled, trying to recover from the sudden attack. The dark-red ominous aura she usually emits is back together with her repaired clothes.


    "Hey, it was your first and I''m making sure it was the best, no?"


    You only stare at her in embarrassment, "I feel tainted. Is it really necessary!?"


    "Nope, I''m just teasing ya! Beside, I''ve taken quite a liking of you."


    "Urgh, atleast change your appearance so it doesn''t feel awkward. I have mixed feelings with a real self-cest."


    "Hmm? If you say so."


    She only shifts her hairstyles and colors, from long crimson hair to darkish brown and short-clean bob style with a peculiar bang that covers both of her eyes.


    "I swear, you look like a ''hentai protagonist''."


    "I applaud you for getting that reference."


    Continuing the shape shifting, she ends up with a reddish black color with the same ''hentai protagonist'' hairstyle. It seems like there is no change in her complexion at all, she is only frick''ing with you.


    Dilly-dallying around. A tiny white block on your rear view appears large periodically, hopping around to your direction enthusiastically.


    "G-GOYANG!?"


    "Goyang!?"


    The dopamine from the kiss is turning into the ecstatic feeling of reuniting with your dog once again. You saw it with your own eyes that he was totally annihilated back then, but the reason why he is still alive doesn''t matter. What matters is that he is still here ready for you to accompany you on your journey once again.


    "Good boy, good boy!" you say, while injecting him with pain more and more.


    Goyang is twitching, that is the sign of happiness!


    "What kind of sick frick you''re doing to that poor lad¡ª"


    At that very moment, Lues realize that she is not the only one who have a screw loose.


    After trying to find your microgun on the messed up land, both of you go through the cave to meet with a an open glade. The rising dawn is greeting you with warmth in-between numerous giant trees, it''s been a while since you had this experience. Just normal sunlight showering your skin.


    The traumatic stress on your muscles hasn''t recovered, but your mental stress does. It''s only a slight act of kindness from nature to reward you with familiarity in this bizarre world.


    Lues, although she might be in the same state as you, she can float around in the air just like a feather in the sky, a deadly feather, and a smooth one.


    "Now I remember, you''re the one appearing in my dream back then in the hospital." you say.


    "Yepper."


    "Does Chronos know you?"


    "Oh, my love. She hates me to the core."


    "Perfect, I can watch a cat fight later."


    Two tired individuals walking toward the sun, trying to solve their own problem in their own way. Together with an immortal piece of block, the story shall be spilled by the time''s quill with ink onto the right page.


    Who would have thought, that the very being to make you embrace the pain is now floating near? Fate is a fickle thing after all.


    You''ve survived the ''night''.


    Arc 1: The Unbecoming Growth - End

 Chapter 31 - [[Extra Story Notification]]

    The rest of volume 1 from here and on will be about covering another story of a side plot that will not be relevant to the main plot for the meantime until the later arc. To proceed the main story, skip into the start of the second volume!


    This "Extra Story" is made by another writer with the pen name of TaffyCaster, he is my moderator and also my friend, feel free to check his work: Spirits for Masks!


    ¡ª


    Atsile of Zenonia.


    A curious child in the world of Neamh. Bare witness the becoming of Zenonia and the unbecoming of her humanity. The abyss comes for us all, they are more than monsters who destroy and wreak havoc among the society of men. Because behind each eye they impose, is a life who remembers the light before they are casted into the dark.


    Are you prepared to see what happens to the dead?

 Chapter 32 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Being Born [Kolme]

    The faintest smell of home can trigger a life worth of memories. Grinded ash, smoky flames, that hint of cinnamon that nudges the tongue. The cobwebs in her eye sockets, alighting when a soul enters and illuminates the body. Rising from the dust of a thousand years, rising from broken arms and rolling heads with torn ears, the puppet wakes up not in fear, but in confusion.


    An empty furnace littered with a burnt stone of some sort, a peeled window sticker painting an open grassy field, and a ladder beckoning her to escape from here. The handles clang with each step, the hatch was loose with opportunity and the view from above was just another room. A dresser toppled next to her, likely the burden that was supposed to weigh the hatch.


    Broken furniture atop broken furniture, glass shards with a colony of termites still ripping the wood apart despite how many years this place has been in shambles. The bugs scatter once they feel the ground shake, abandoning their predetermined line over a curious silhouette. Running, scuttering, uninteresting.


    There were half-eaten papers on a half-eaten table with no legs. The letters were foreign, unintelligible to a newborn. No matter how close she pulled the paper to her face, she couldn''t understand at that time that what she was looking at was a name. Only the image imprinted into the brain as she tosses the scrap of paper away.


    The puppet walked over the crackling floor. There was a door with a broken metal handle, a way to progress. She places her hand on the door, gentle vibrations from a colony, a civilisation inside the door. Hollowed out wood to make room for life.


    She pushed it, not even forcefully, and it collapsed from its dusted hinges. A resounding boom, cracks appearing on the surface of the door as more termites poured out in a panic onto the surface, onto the long rug of a hallway of some sort.


    The paint on the wall was discoloured, the floor creaking heavily underneath her feet with each step. She can still hear the clicking and ticking of those bugs, an endless rhyme stretching and filling in the silence. Or was this just the silence? A baby cannot tell such construct until they are told from someone else. All it knows is its basic motor function and perhaps an insatiable curiosity.


    Doors upon doors the puppet passed, windows upon windows that were just nothing but stickers barely hanging to a pipe-dream of the same open grass field. The floor barely held together beneath her weight, almost threatening to swallow her whole by collapsing on itself. The infant walked slower.


    Soon, there came to be an open door at the end of the hallway. There was a person sleeping on the floor. A person, a person to explain the wonders and questions trapped inside her synthetic cranium. Wisdom, yes, wisdom. A dumb puppet would want wisdom.


    So, she carefully treads through the unstable hallway, inching closer and closer to the sleeping person. Where am I? Who am I? What are you? Why are you sleeping? Why are these things falling off the walls? What are these small little things? These thoughts were what would be translated into incoherent hand gestures and wild fumblings.


    The puppet enters the room. The person faces away from her, pale and bald with some sort of a concave shape on both sides of its head. Thin frail hands poked out from its sleeves, an odd line of small white bones tracing down from its rear. The puppet prods it slightly as if she were a toddler trying to get the attention of an adult.


    Of course, a corpse will not respond, especially if it''s just a pile of skeletal remains. The puppet wraps her hands around the skull, accidentally snapping it from its fragile neck and brings it closer to her face. A spider crawls out from the skull''s eye socket, down to its canine teeth and onto her hand.


    Eight beady eyes, eight spindly limbs and two sharp fangs pointing at her hand. It was more interesting than the small termites, more fun to look at than scuttering little things. She drops the skull, letting it roll over the rigid floor in place for her new toy.


    It hops, and hops, and hops whenever her other hand approaches it. In between her fingers, up her forearm and onto her shoulder where the puppet accidentally swatted it off, the spider''s crumpled remains barely sticking to the palm of her hand. What a shame, it didn''t have a long shelf life.


    The careless infant glanced around the room. The furniture still stood, the small bugs haven''t yet touched this room it seems. Inside the dull surroundings, a nice red coat sticks out from an ajar dresser. It seemed to have stood through the testament of time, the fabric still holding together despite the owner being long dead. Dead, such a small word.


    Oh well, the puppet was more enamoured by the dazzling red coat than what death means. She was born mere minutes ago, there was life to explore! Although, her first act among the living was stealing a dead man''s property. Even if she learned what morals were the moment her soul blew into this body, she''d still take it.


    What good would fashion do for a corpse anyway?


    Without that thought in mind, she also took the black dress hanging beside it as well and the boots sitting inside the dresser. A note was clipped to the dress, right around the collar of it, covered in some sort of plastic. She didn''t question it. She doesn''t understand what it meant, and perhaps she thought it was a part of the outfit as well. The white is a nice contrast to the black.


    The puppet slips into her dress, her feet perfectly fitting the boots and the coat snuggling in nicely on her body or rather, perfectly as if it were tailor-made for her. She wouldn''t know, she doesn''t even know why she''s putting it on. Does it matter? A child would do things for no reason, they would do things because they can.


    And if the same logic applied, then the world would be a child as well. They would shake the ground, tear down the foundation of civilisation and destroy because it wanted to. So it did.


    The age-old furnish began toppling over one another as the ground itself rumbled like a baby being abruptly awoken from its dreams. The crib violently shook as it cried loudly¡ªno, shouting, shrieking maybe. Books sprawled across the floor, the dresser she robbed fell over her and perhaps even the roof threatened to collapse as well. If something was to rip this flimsy place apart, it was this and it was now.


    Each second, the room shakes harder than the last. It was more akin to a greedy child shaking a jar of candy than a seismic disaster, staring at the deliciously bright coloured sweets as they see it bump and crash into the glass and each other with those satisfying clinks.


    Repeatedly, the puppet slammed into the wall and back into the broken piles of furniture. It was hard to distinguish where she was, her face had collided with too many objects for her disorientated eyes to keep up. In those several seconds, the old wooden floors and walls could take so much.


    The glass jar shatters. The puppet finds herself falling, falling through the floor that had given in to the turmoil. Debris of whatever that was left was beside her inside this blinding scenery she finds herself in. Bright, everything was bright, the sun was above her. It shines, it shines every speck of her being. Can she touch it? Such a thing? Can she touch it?


    Idle thoughts of a doll, reaching her hand over the unreachable, not a single worry of the chasm she was falling into.


    For a while, she dreamt of a silly idea. For a while, she thought her hand would stretch over through the millions upon millions of kilometres to the sun. That is until she experienced submersion beneath a body of water.


    A brilliant splash, one of many.


    It was strange. Did the air get denser? How was she floating now all of a sudden? How did everything get darker again?


    The puppet flailed around in the river within the canyon, hastily rising up to the surface. Her dark hair drenched, her red coat and dress soaked, the doll still looked up among the rumbling waters. The valley was still shaking, rocks falling into the river and the hanging home barely keeping together. Yet, there was one thing that wasn''t there.


    The sun had disappeared, hidden away behind a colossal shadow. A tall building, the puppet had thought at first, then she saw it move ever so slowly.


    Eight limbs attached to a body, eight faces extending out to stretch the appendages to touch the earth and a pair of sharp fangs pointing at the soil. They all screamed in horror or what looks to be like it. It was an interesting big thing, but surely it was evil.. It cast the bright thing away, surely it was.

 Chapter 33 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Above [Kolme]

    The puppet stared, unable to paint the shock upon her stiff as stone face. What is that thing? What is that thing? What is that thing? What is that thing? What is that thing?


    The thought circulated inside her head as she witnessed it take another step, the land quaking before its terrifying might. Cracks formed within the walls of the ravine, chunks of it breaking off from it and into the water. The thing took another step and more of the world breaks. The small bits of hardened soil that overlooked the chasm were barely together now, the house was barely together now.


    And another step.


    The house fell, pieces of an old but new memory torn and falling. Directly on her.


    The puppet, though clumsily tried to escape, had found herself knocked down to the bottom of the river under heavy rubble that she had fallen from mere seconds ago. The sand brushed roughly against her skin, the dense water rushing into her eye sockets as she clawed at the water to swim away from it.


    She was fortunate that the house was made of wood, therefore having buoyancy. The puppet peaked her head up to the surface once again-- only to be suddenly crushed by a stray chunk of earth from the walls. This time, stuck for good under the river.


    Her bottom half was squashed beneath the slab, leaving her torso, arms and head free laying face up. Desperately, the doll tried to dig her way out, pull herself away from this trap yet to no avail, anything she did was merely futile.


    The earth begins to calm down, waters begin to ease in but she was still there, buried beneath the river. After a while, the puppet had stopped trying to escape, only laying dormant. Fishes swimming pass, only bothering to take a glance at her for her suitability to become a home for them before she swatted them away.


    The bright days danced by, the dark nights sang through. She remembered how dull it was, how there was little to observe, how the mold started to grow onto her precious clothing and skin. All she could do was wait. Just wait for something to happen again.


    Mayhaps the beast that plunged her into this trap would come back again and break another piece of the earth to slam her upper half down for good. Perhaps a passerby, one that is alive and can help her out of this predicament. Anything. Just to see what the world is like other than faded window stickers and a giant evil monster.


    One day, after the sun had set and the moon had risen, the puppet, almost covered in sand, woke up to something plunging into the river. A sword, a slim blade, had found itself cutting through the water as it slowly sank. There were traces of red liquid from the edges, mixing in with the clear freshwater until only faint smudges were left.


    The doll watched it, examining every inch of it until it rested onto the sands as well. Who would throw such a thing? Why is it oozing red? Can I reach it? Please, can I reach it?


    Her arms outstretched, desperately trying to grab the handle. In the process, she accidentally knocked it a little farther but miraculously, managed to snag it by the tips of her fingers. She quickly pulls it closer to her.


    The puppet traced her hand around the edges of the weapon. How can I use this? How can I use this? How can I use this? How can I use this? How can I use this?


    She looked at her abdomen, particularly, the one that was stuck beneath the chunk of earth. For a while, she stared at it, her fingers wrapping tightly around the handle before she raised the weapon and struck her own body with the pommel.


    It was difficult, the water was slowing down her movement but this was the only solution. Repeatedly slamming it onto her stomach, hours upon hours on end. Anything, anything to just be free from this dumb prison. The puppet didn''t care if it would have to crawl for the rest of its life, it''s a fair trade to at least see the light outside of this sickening river.


    When the sun had dawned, the blade had already fallen off from the swinging. It was hard to tell if her abdomen was damaged or not through the dress but she had to keep at it.


    The doll continued hammering her stomach. She can''t die from drowning, she can''t die from having her lower half chipped away, she can''t die at all. This was torture, and she refuses to live the rest of her life like this.


    Another day passes by. The doll was still chipping away her body.


    A week. She can trace a crack through the soaked fabric. It was small, but she was getting there. The pommel had long flattened, it was no different from a handle without one.


    Another week. Has it been another week? She doesn''t even know what a week was. She just knew she wanted to get out. She just knew how to swing her arm and slam it down onto her stomach.


    Another week, perhaps it was two now? She''s been in her self-destructive rhythmic motion for so long. A doll hoping that she''d break already.


    The sunlight breaks through the surface once again, on the same old doll that''s been in her ceaseless hopes to be free from her cage. The puppet placed her hand over her stomach. Just a little bit more, she thought. Just a little bit more and she''ll be able to pry herself apart.


    And so, with an almost obstructed handle, the pitiful doll that nobody cares for began hammering away again. The fishes had gotten used to her presence, merely passing by without a second thought. The broken blade from who knows when had already rusted, serving no other purpose other than being absolute rubbish.


    Hours seemingly passed, the sun had peaked over the sky once again, showering the land with its radiance and light. This light was, however, filtered when you''re beneath several metric tons of dirt that don''t seem to dilute into the water. So unlike the surface dwellers, she couldn''t enjoy it and unlike the fish, she couldn''t be free to swim either.


    But that was fine, she''ll be free soon. She''ll be free, and she''ll crawl out from this damned river water. She''ll clean out the mold in her eye sockets, she''ll find a prettier dress and a brighter jacket. She''ll find a way to get another pair of legs-- she doesn''t know how, but she will.


    The desperate puppet raises the useless handle one more time, more or less having been punching her stomach rather than using a pommel in her delirium. Whatever her fists were made of were much better anyway.


    Before she managed to, there was a rumble in the ground. The doll stops, freezing in motion.


    It''s here again.

 Chapter 34 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Curiosity [Kolme]

    Thumping.


    Each second, each moment spent underwater, her limbs locked like a figurine. The doll had only stared at the surface as the ground shook. The river was making ripples, each wave taller than the last.


    Though eyeless and expressionless, the puppet was scared. The jaded view of the sky slowly darkening, the fish swimming away from fear and walls beginning to crack again. It''s all happening again, just when she was so close to freedom.


    Eight faces that screamed terror, eight legs that shifted the land itself, serving no other purpose than to just cause natural disasters wherever it pleases. An unknown arrogance from a mindless beast, not once ever taking account for its actions. Evil, evil incarnate, that thing was, the doll cursed.


    It was evil. It needs to die. It needs to die today, it needs to die tomorrow, it needs to die forever and ever!


    The miserable puppet tightened her grasp on the handle and slammed it into her stomach again. She''ll be damned if she wants to be trapped again. Not when the lock is so close to breaking, not when the cage bars are finally bending, not when she''s finally tearing herself apart from this hell hole!


    No teeth to grind, no pain to feel, not even a pretty dress to wear. She misses the sunlight, she misses the air, she misses living. She misses living so much.


    So, so, much.


    A splash to another splash, sinking and sinking next to her. Next to the doll that''s destroying herself, next to the doll that didn''t even know what life is yet. Life that she wants back.


    She wants life.


    She wants life!


    She wants to live!


    The crack falls apart in the midst of the shaking. Her stomach had fallen in, finally. Her imaginary heart raced as the puppet tried to pry herself away from the rock with whatever strength that she had. Her fingers bent, digging into the very slab of the earth itself.


    The seismic quake was getting stronger the longer she stayed there. The world itself is falling apart, the world itself is being thrown around. The ravine might collapse even as more rocks and soil began to bury the river.


    The doll mentally grunts again as she pushes with all her might. A chunk of stone sunk into the river, one that would lead to her demise had she been placed just a teeny bit to the right. More bits of the land was falling in, the sun now completely covered by the arrogant monster.


    One of its long appendages stomped the ground, screaming and wailing, tossing whatever is standing on the surface and deep underground. At that moment, the quaking was pulling the delirious puppet away just at the right time she was attempting to pry herself again. Momentum and the strength of a cornered animal, it was just a matter of time until something snapped.


    Then, the poor doll felt light. Like the clouds she had only barely seen, like the birds that she doesn''t know the existence of. She was floating, with a torn dress and a tattered jacket. That is fine, she thought, she always repeated to herself that she''ll get more or make more.


    Is it even possible to recreate such fine silk? Ah, must be nice, she thought.


    The ground shakes again.


    And from that short state of calmness, comes a plunging state of mania. She was free from her tomb, but not from that wretched thing. That thing, that thing that can so easily put her back in another cage. Pin her down again, rob her from it all again.


    Her arms swung aimlessly in the water, the only reliable thing to get her out of this place. She tried to swing her legs too but she had forgotten that she needed to forsake them to be free. She''ll make more, she''ll make more or get more. There must be a way. Let there be.


    The river stream continued to flow with ripples, with the waves rising as high as they shouldn''t be. The doll still remained submerged, only focusing to swim forward as best as she could. The last time she resurfaced for whatever reason, it ended her getting stuck for who knows how long.


    She kept clawing forward, traces of fabric left behind in pursuit of a better place. Long until the shadows finally couldn''t chase her anymore, until the lands finally came to a halt, until that monster was nowhere in sight. She kept clawing forward through the running river.


    Until she truly was sure that was far, so far away from whatever that place was, whatever that thing was, she would continue to mindlessly swim like a poor salmon.


    The sun, one who had overlooked the doll''s endeavours from day one, is setting upon the horizon.


    The puppet was now drifting, both of her arms now letting themselves be dragged by the stream. She couldn''t feel exhaustion, but she was tired. She couldn''t feel pain, but she was tortured. The marionette lost her legs, she could still feel them kicking.


    It was when the moon finally peeked its head when the eyeless fish emerged from the depths of the river. The air was cold, the dancing wind of the valley blowing into her eye sockets when all of the water finally poured out. Though, the doll was struggling to maintain buoyancy, even in calm waters.


    After a while, the puppet finds herself crawling on the rocky shores of the river, climbing each boulder one at a time. Stone, to stone, to stone, to finally, a handful of grass had made contact with her fingers.


    Little blades of grass tickling her hands, scratching her dress and tattered face. Strange, these things were. Why do these green little things exist? What are these things attached beneath them? Buried beneath the dirt and soil, what are they?


    The doll had found herself mystified by just the simplest of things. The trees her hands placed, the barks were rougher than the smooth planks in the ruined house. The leaves that hang from the branches, the puppet reached upwards. So vibrant. Why are they vibrant? Why are the ones on the ground so pale and easy to tear apart?


    More and more questions come to the mind of the infant as she crawled deeper into the forest. Twigs and bugs were crawling on her dress and skin, rustling through bushes and shrubs. Through the dead of night where the gentle moon foresight her fate.


    The forest critters watch from a safe distance. The natural predators who took notice of her were wary, but not interested in a piece of statue that was just moving slowly. Though some of them took interest in her and every time they approached, the doll had only pretended to be dead. Rigid, refusing to move even an inch.


    From a reindeer with eyes around its entire body, a giant reptilian creature with an indomitably nasty spit oozing from its jaw, to a pack of canines who just walked over her redundant torso. They quite much didn''t show too much interest and she was glad that they didn''t.


    Despite this, the puppet continued to crawl through the forest. What way does she know anyway? What other choice was there? Only to just keep crawling, and crawling, and crawling. Uproot each grass in her journey, become dead quiet when an animal and continue to crawl again.


    And swat every spider she comes across.


    The moon tires as it rests once again, the sun taking its place over the forest.

 Chapter 35 - Atsile Of Zenonia: The Lizard Men [Kolme]

    The puppet was lying down in the middle of a clear open field, outside of the forest, away from that forsaken ravine. Where the wind sings, where these strange creatures with six legs graze on the grass, a whole flock of them. Together.


    Her hair stunk from the residue of that lizard animal thing, her clothing had paw prints all over them and she was sure that there was some bug inhabiting her cranium. Her fingers were stained with the earth, a noticeable trail of grass being ripped from the ground, the little bread crumbs of not to go back that way.


    She had just been looking at the flock, a blade of grass poking into her right eye socket. The biggest overlooks them all as they eat and rest under the sunlight. They were all mingling among each other, talking in a language that she wanted to know. Compassion, a word she doesn''t know but she wants to be a part of it.


    But if she crawls over, they''ll run away. They''ll run so far away from her that she won''t be able to see them again. So she''s just fine watching them like they''re watching her. Yes, watching. It feels nice, as much as it pangs her heart.


    Is it possible to be cared for and loved? Ah, must be nice, she thought.


    Then, something cuts through the air, a whizzing sound before it pierces into a neck. A resounding thud among the grazers as they scram all over the place. There was that red, that red that spilt over the dirt.


    The doll quickly raised her head. What''s happening? What''s happening? What was that thing? Why are they all running? Why is it lying down? Why isn''t it running with them?


    A pair of boots stomp the field, approaching the incapacitated animal. The machination in his arms folded into a more compact size before slotting it behind his waist, underneath that cylinder bag with metal sticks pointing out. A bipedal animal, a predator coming to claim its prize.


    There was another, running over with him. Smaller, carrying some sort of bag with it. She must be its young, feasting with her father. Yes, that must be it.


    Both with a head similar to that reptile from before, scales no less different in colour than the leaves and claws as sharp as a razor''s edge. The doll can imagine it, teeth sinking into the flesh, ripping the flesh apart before swallowing it whole.


    They stood before the dying grazer.


    The bigger one readjusted the position of the still breathing prey, grabbing ahold of the two ends of the metal stick. It struggled, tossing its legs around but the young had already gotten ahold of it. In a swift moment, a resounding snap, and it stops moving.


    The marionette had already familiarised herself with the food chain. She''s seen it happen in small forms. Insects eaten by lizards with long tongues spanning several meters., the grass eaters chased by these large beak creatures who ran faster with two legs as opposed to their six and getting pinned down by their talons before being eaten alive. The red water flowing down, the red water flowing down.


    But this one, this one that was happening acres away from her. It was a little different.


    The father stabs the meat but not with his claws, but with a sharp metallic object. Was he cutting the skin open? Is there a purpose to it? Why so?


    The doll wanted to crawl closer yet was afraid that they may do the same to her. So she continues to watch.


    The father seems to only choose a selective part of the body, a selective part of the meat to be placed inside the bag. Precisely cutting away the unwanted parts, severing the veins attached to the bones of the grazer, the lizard man was more efficient than a savage.


    When they were done, there was much meat left to be taken. Rather much strange, the doll thought. Why would they waste it? Are they picky eaters? Where does the food go? Small stomachs? What are stomachs?


    The small one seems to be struggling to carry the bag, her father offering to hold it for her but she refused. These bipedal creatures are peculiar, different from the rest who walk on their six or four, different from the screeching birds that run across the fields.


    In their stride to return to where they come from, the young point one of her fingers in a direction. Straight to where the doll was watching this whole time.


    The marionette quickly drops her head to the ground, her arms sprawled over the grass. They saw her, they saw her watching. Bad, this is bad. They rip her open too, they skin her alive as well. They''re not like the rest, they know, they know!


    Each second passing in the wind, the faking doll could hear their footsteps growing closer. The grass folding, crunching, until a shadow casts over her torso. The doll felt something wrapping around her head, a hand pulling her up.


    Her arms hung aimlessly, not even daring to move a single bit. Though eyeless, she can see the lizard man''s yellow eyes glaring right at her, the rows of teeth outlining his jaw.


    "Did some city folk drop their toy or something?" He hissed, his eyes travelling down to the plastic tag that miraculously was still attached to the puppet''s collar. "''For my favourite doll'', huh."


    "Can we keep her?" The little one eagerly asked.


    "We''re not collecting scraps, Lishah. We''re just cleaning up after some people who don''t know how to take care of their belongings." The father took a second look at the puppet. "Maybe someone actually threw this thing away. Looks worse for wear, if you ask me."


    "But I swear I saw it staring at us!"


    The reptile hummed at his daughter''s words.


    The puppet was the stiffest she''s ever been. They were going to do something to her, they were gonna crush her skull, they were gonna rip her apart bit by bit with their teeth and leave nothing behind for the forest to savour. She knows, she definitely knows it.


    The veins around the lizard man''s body suddenly glowed, travelling up his shoulders to his arms and finally the edge of his fingertips. And then, a stinging shock.


    The doll''s arms suddenly started flailing out of control, her neck whipping her head wildly forcing the lizard man holding her to throw her. She rolls around the grass, smoking out of every hole in her body. Screaming, she felt like screaming even though she couldn''t. All she could do was cover her eyes in the mix of it all, turning over and over again.


    The father and daughter pair looked at the doll, the daughter shocked and the father not.


    "It''s a Tekhanure." He merely said.


    "Those giant machine people?" The daughter asked. "Can we keep her?"


    "Lishah, they''re not pets you take in."


    "I''ll take good care of her!"


    "What did I just say?!"


    The lizard man covers his face and shakes his head, a sharp sighing from his slithering tongue.


    "I suppose we can''t just leave it here--"


    "Yay!"


    "We''re sending it to the chief."


    "Aww¡­"


    And when the pain that she finally recognised had subsided, the doll had found herself flying off the ground. Her collar was hung around the fingers of the lizard man, her dress and jacket barely scraping the grass.


    From the pleasant fields to the inner maws of the forest, the puppet felt nothing but dread.

 Chapter 36 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Plucked Flower [Kolme]

    Villages are difficult to come by during these times. In the age where creatures corrupted by the void run rampant, most would usually find comfort and rest behind tall walls of steel. Though, there are some who still upheld their old ways. Tribesfolk, the city people call them. The only way of living, they would reply.


    Life will find ways to prosper even when the abyss itself tries to corrupt the living. Flowers can bloom even on the steepest of cliffs, in the ruination of civilization or inside the heart of a dead beast. All it needs is sunlight and water to nurture it.


    Beautiful that they are, the little lizard daughter had plucked a nice golden one from a patch that grew along the way and tucked it in the doll''s messy hair. Five golden petals, basking under the sunlight.


    "There! You look much better!" Said the lizard girl. "Daylilies are blooming this season. I bet the florist has got a lot of pretty ones!"


    The doll did not understand a single word left from her mouth, opting to stay motionless in the hands of the father who was still eyeing her from the corner of his eye. Through his daughter''s cheerful laughter and struggle to carry the bag strapped to her, the huntsman was deep in thought.


    The attire that the puppet wears is worn out but what was interesting is that there were molds growing around parts of her clothing, mud stains around the torn edges and some moist parts around the inside of her head. Even a spider crawled out when he peered inside.


    This would suggest the doll was at some point thrown underwater or somewhere near one, left to rot before a Tekhanure had entered its body. But that doesn''t explain why the lower body is missing. Perhaps that was the reason why the doll was thrown away in the first place. Who would go through the hassle of fixing half of what is left?


    Still, they trek through. They pass by a small stream of water, separating from a nearby river. They pass by wandering forest critters, running away at the first sight of the hunter and his daughter. They pass by chatting and tweeting birds, wondering who or what was in the lizard man''s hand.


    "Ah, we''re close now! You see that, Celein? We''re almost at the village!" The young lizard shouted. Her father had quirked a brow.


    "Celein?" He asked.


    The girl nodded. "Yeah! Dolls are typically made from porcelain right? Hence, Celein."


    Then, the child leaned over to the named puppet, as if to get some validation from her.


    "Right, Celein?"


    No reaction still. Slight disappointment as the young lizard slumps.


    "Hm¡­"


    "Why not just call it ''Celine'' as opposed to ''Suh-luhn''? Ain''t it a bit weird?" Her father commented.


    "Mom told me to not be a carbon cutout of the other kids so I''m not gonna give her some dumb normal name!" She leans over to the anxious doll again. "Celein!"


    If there was anything, only the winds caught her profound naming technique. The marionette still refused to move. The daughter hummed again, a little frown on her little reptile face. It was like training a cat to react to its name yet it ignores its owner. Except this was a doll, and dolls aren''t typically made as pets.


    And so they trekked.


    Walls made from hardened steel appeared through the branches and twigs, tungsten plating taller than most of the trees in the forest. Though some people might find it restricting due to this iron cage that surrounds their home, most were willing to lock themselves away within a safe plot of land if they didn''t have to risk having monsters devouring and smashing their loved ones.


    Still, the city manages its influence even this far in the wild.


    The huntsman and his daughter step out from the forest and into the clearing that the village was built upon. A meadow that was rather similar to the grazers''. The wind still danced through the blades of grass and leaves all of the same.


    The little girl runs off ahead along the clear path that leads to the front gate of this village.


    "Heeeyyyy!!" She shouted. "Old man Chid! Open up!"


    A voice no less fitting of that title shouts from the other side. "How many times do I have to tell you to say the password first!?"


    "Geezer, this is the front gate. You know that it''s me. Just open up already!"


    At the sight, the huntsman sighs. At the sounds of the gate unlocking and heaving, the doll still remained still. At the other side of the gate, a fumbling and grumbling old lizard man. His scales had grown grey through the years, a scar over his hand that clutched a mechanised lance.


    He raises it¡ªbefore hitting the girl with the foot-end of the spear.


    "OW!"


    "Respect your elders."


    "That huuurrrttttt!!--" She whined before the gatekeeper raised his weapon again. The girl yelps.


    "Respect. Your. Elders."


    "Okay, okay."


    The little lizard rubbed her head as she grumbled aside. The gatekeeper, shaking his head, finally took notice of the father who had been holding the tattered little doll. To that, another sharp groan.


    "You''re bringing in rubbish now?" He commented.


    "It''s a Tekhanure." The huntsman replied.


    "Her name''s Celein, you old fart!"


    "What did I tell you?!"


    "WAAAAAAA-- RUN AWAYYY!!"


    Skittering across the grass with the heavy bag of meat in her hands, Lishah was off acres away from the old lizard man who didn''t even bother to give chase. Her father sighed again, rubbing his temples.


    "Sorry about that, Chid." He said. "Lishah''s been a bit too excited after we found this Tekhanure."


    The huntsman lifted his arm. The flower in the doll''s hair almost fell when she came face to face with the old gatekeeper. Chid scratched his chin, his teeth grinding against each other like the cogwheels turning in his head.


    In the puppet''s mind, however, was just a whirlwind of thoughts. What are those walls? Why are these walls here? Do these people hunt those grazers too? Who are you? Why were you screaming? Are you going to hurt me too? Please, please let me go..!


    "And what do you plan to do with it?" The gatekeeper finally asked.


    He lowers his arm. "I''m not sure yet. I''m planning on sending it to the chief first. If he decides to throw it out, then we throw it out."


    "Right then, I''ll let you be on your way."


    The grey-scaled Chid steps aside with an assuring nod though his yellow eyes were still glued to the doll. He had his questions but he knew not to ask them. The old lizard was too used to being left in the dark.


    "May Riviera watch you." The huntsman, still holding the doll by the collar, bid.


    "Ah¡­ right. For its blessing stretches upon the horizon."


    And off the huntsman went, on the dirt road that led to the nearby village. When the gatekeeper finally averted his eye from the huntsman''s ever-shrinking figure, he saw that the flower tucked in the puppet''s head had fallen off. Five golden petals, wilting under the overseeing sun.


    "What a pity¡­" The gatekeeper said. "It''s always the prettiest ones that get plucked out, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 37 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Four Eyed Man [Kolme]

    The huntsman and daughter reunite on their way to the settlement. The doll had been facing backwards, eyes glued to the walls that grew ever so smaller, to the grumpy old lizard that looked like a miniature figurine now. He was growling for most of the time back there, shouting to what she assumed was the little one.


    The doll didn''t like it. It felt like any moment, he could just stomp her face in or skewer her with that lance of his. The flower that had nestled in her hair slipped as well. She wanted to reach for it but she couldn''t. Left behind only to slowly rot on the road or perhaps it''ll still be there for her to pick up when she leaves¡ªif she does, that is.


    They arrived at the village. The number of bipedal animals had suddenly increased, mingling and conversing among one another near these rather formative structures with doors and windows on them. They seem to be mostly made of some sort of rock, in the future the doll will know as solid concrete.


    A majority of the flock, group or the more apt term, townsfolk, were reptiles. Some of them were behind these smaller structures made of wood with the roof being made of some coloured cloth tied to each corner. They were shouting but it wasn''t from anger. They were shouting to garner attention for something. The doll refused to move, still no matter how curious she was to glance.


    "Hey! Hart! Lishah!" One of the vendors called upon the huntsman and his daughter. "What''cha got over there?"


    Though many of the villagers were of lizard kin, there were an odd few who didn''t bear the same scales as them. The one with the squinty-eyes and antlers similar to the grazers was one of them. Black hair and a rather customer-friendly smile over her round face.


    "Celein!" The child immediately responded with her fingers pointed at the frightened doll. The vendor tilted her head.


    "Celein? Is that her name? Lishah, don''t tell me you''re gonna start a whole collection of rubbish like your daddy is?"


    "She''s not rubbish!" Lishah pouted, cheeks going red. "We''re bringing her home and I''m gonna take care of her!"


    The father groaned at his daughter''s antics for the fifth time today. The woman with the antlers chuckled, amused.


    "But really, Hart. What are you actually doing with that thing?" She asked.


    "It''s a Tekhanure." He repeated for the second time today. Rather suddenly, the vendor''s shut eyes opened like a pair of lightbulbs.


    "Ooh~. A Tekhanure." She pulls out her wallet. "How much?"


    "It''s not for sale you greedy woman."


    "Yeah! We''re taking her home!"


    "Aww, come on, Lishah. I promise I''ll give you a lollipop too for free."


    The horned woman produced a candy on a stick from her pocket. Obviously, the stubborn lizard girl didn''t agree, opting to just stare in disdain at her poor attempt. Another throwaway chuckle before she tucked the sweet back into her jacket''s pocket.


    "But, come on, Hart." She had turned her attention to the father. "Everything''s got a price. If you''re just gonna let little Lishah play a literal dollhouse with a Tekhanure then it''s just a waste of the poor thing."


    "Hey!"


    "What''s gotten you so interested?" Hart asked, still keeping a proper grip over the doll.


    "I''ve been itching myself to get an assistant nowadays. This business doesn''t quite run itself you see and another helping hand would be appreciated. Plus Tekhanures are pretty rare to find as well, much more one in a more human-shaped vessel." She whispers something under her breath and the crowded chatter of the market. "You also don''t have to pay them a wage."


    "Oen, when I say it''s not for sale, it''s not for sale. I''m sending it to the chief." He finally stated, sighing once again. The vendor let out an unsatisfied exhale.


    "Peh, you lizards and your chiefs." But her sharp grin returns rather quickly. "If that old bag isn''t interested either, you know who to call, Hart. A couple of odd calls from a person or two and I can fix myself an assistant! Hahahahaha!"


    The avaricious vendor''s laugh was an annoying one to the huntsman though he had gotten used to it. There were times he wondered why his wife is friends with a good-for-nothing greedy woman like her. The vials and bottles filled with different medicines and chemicals in front of her were much useful to the village as Oen knew the forest herbs more than the lizardmen who hunt somehow.


    It was the wisdom that comes with her kin, he concludes. It was just a shame that she uses it like this.


    They departed shortly after a few more lines of banter were given. In the whole conversation, in that whole interaction, the doll had been pondering back and forth. She''s been hearing the same word, one that struck her interest more than the make-believe name the little lizard gave her and the chief they ever so speak.


    Tekhanure. The huntsman referred to her as such, the gatekeeper referred to her as such, the vendor and the child as well. She never questioned what she was, the thought was not able to form into her mind yet. Her chipped fingers only spoke of the long tale she had under a river, no other words had occurred other than freedom was then.


    But now, now that she was free or, partially at least, she had the common idea to ask herself. What was she?


    These words haunting the doll''s mind were not of what she thought of. No, they bounced off of something. What was this? What was this?! The paranoia had suddenly set in, these words were things she doesn''t even know the meaning of! Where?! Where are they coming from?!


    No! No!-- No! I don''t understand! What are you?! What did you do to me?! Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!


    "Dad! Her head is shaking!"


    Neck, twisting, turning, spastic like the world itself had turned into a blur of images. The earth bequeaths her with their dirty presence, the insides of her head felt like a bell, ringing over and over again. She can feel roots growing inside her cranium, filling the empty head that had only been home to moss and water.


    Her mouth was cracking open, her hollow throat expanding and cracking her pale skin. Something soft was stuffing it, she could feel excess water flowing out through her eye sockets, something solid in the middle of it all. Her hands covered it, pain and pain. Shame and shame.


    Until she screamed to the red skies she never knew existed. She bloody screamed, a scream no ventriloquist can ever recreate, and the man standing before her was proud of it.


    "Are you in pain, Atsile?" The man asked. "Are you alive, Atsile?"


    The excess water streamed down her synthetic face. Her pupils shrunk, her voice hoarse. Yes, she was indeed alive. Alive and well-afraid.


    Everyone was gone. The huntsman, the child and the distant vendor. Only the man in black who pulled his hat and placed it over his well-adorned suit. The man with the four red eyes smiled.


    "We''ll see each other soon. Develop your perspective of the world, with the eyes I have granted you with, Atsile. Shout the anger and sadness in your heart, with the voice I have crowned you, Atsile. Understand the terrors that wreak Neamh, with the knowledge I have gifted you, Atsile. Do not be afraid to see, do not be afraid to speak. Do not be afraid to think. Neamh will desire much from you, but what do you desire from it?"


    It hurts, it hurts so much. It won''t stop, it won''t stop growing and stuffing her throat. It won''t stop blurring the world into this shade of scarlet. When does it stop? Please¡­ she wants it to stop. Please, she''s begging with whatever coherent voice she has.


    "What do you desire from Neamh, Atsile?"


    "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOOOPPPP!!"


    And in the flick of a finger, it did.


    The vendor from before was above her. The man from before had disappeared. Everybody is here, everybody is staring. Oen''s antlers were glowing, veins around her body sharing the same hue. Her eyes stared back into the doll''s new ones.


    Eyes that were crying.


    "Dear Ethos¡­" She whispered, her squinty eyes wide open as they could be.


    "Move aside! Move aside!" A group of uniformed people had rushed in. Oen respectfully moves away from the doll. One of them peers over to the huntsman.


    "Explain." The man with the horns demanded.


    "Tekhanure, found it in the forest, was planning on bringing it to the chief when her head started to spasm, sir!" He answered but his hands were still firmly intertwined with his daughter who was hiding behind him.


    "And you, Aekha?"


    Despite finding it rude, Oen remained steady and calm. "Eyes don''t just pop out of a doll like that. There were no traces of any sort of mana circuit on her body but there was a lingering thing."


    The vendor took another glance as if to confirm her already firm suspicion.


    "I sense the lingering presence of a Demon."

 Chapter 38 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Caged Animal [Kolme]

    Demon. It was one of the things that she''d painfully learn in those few seconds, carved into her brain like words on paper. Creatures born from the void the Angels opened, infecting the living, availing creatures that should just stay in fairy tales.


    The doll laid upon cold iron, eyes behind cracked skin, staring right back into the darkness she was thrown in. Her fingers intertwined with the cage, cages they use to lock away animals. If she repeatedly slams her hands upon these wrought bars then they''d surely get angry at her. Common logic that was crammed into her head.


    Common logic, common logic is based upon principles. Principles come from the experiences that people go through. Experiences can vary, but these experiences that formed this wisdom she has does not belong to her. People whom she never met, books she''s never read, all of it in her brain that she doesn''t even have. Tekhanures don''t even have brains, everything they know and remember is crammed into a core somewhere in their physical body. She doesn''t even know where her''s is.


    The puppet slid her hand down the cage''s metal bars, fighting back the urge to just hit her forehead against it. Children grow up and now that she has, she learned that she was a child. The common logic is that children learn naturally over years, over decades. The common logic is that they are nurtured by kind and loving parents. The common logic is that she''s not a child anymore.


    She learnt of things before she even made mistakes for it, no, her brain already made her think she''s dealt with the consequences of such things. The consequences for lying, the consequences for murder, the consequences for treason. She''s made to remember all of them like she''s guilty of them all.


    Because she''s now an adult, ripped from her infant era to the age of maturity, she understands what the word ''unfair'' means. Forced to open her eyes, forced to form opinions that are not hers, forced to think of situations that can make her puke. She hates it, she hates that man for making her think of this.


    So, she screamed her hate.


    "DAMN IT!!" Her hands crash into the wrought iron. "DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!"


    It''s because the doll understands that the anger swells up in her. It''s because she understands that the misery starts to pile up in her. It''s because she understands that the longing for the innocence she had, the innocence she didn''t know she had, was gone.


    The ringing grows louder, her knuckles cracking as one of her fingers falls off.


    "CURSE YOU!! CURSE YOU TO THE DEEPEST DITCH HELL HAS!!"


    The doll had never experienced anger or rather, her anger was muted even beneath the river she was buried in. If she were to dissect it, it''d be more or less her drive to survive even though she couldn''t die. Well, now she knows, and the more she thinks about it, the more it makes her want to break.


    Either that, or her voice breaks first.


    "I SWEAR I''LL GODDAMN SKIN YOUR BRAIN AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!! YOU MOTHERFU--"


    There was a click, a snap. In that split of a second, a mana circuit in the cage flares as it sends shockwaves of high voltage electricity from her fingertips to the edge of her foul tongue and because she can shout, the pain translates out of her mouth. The darkness reclines.


    A few seconds of plasma concentrated upon frying her core, a few seconds of feeling like her eyes are gonna melt and fall out like the tears that did, a few seconds of shrill screeching under a basement before a loud clang over the metal floor.


    Tekhanures do not feel pain unless their bodies have receptors for such a thing. Of course, people have figured out a way to inflict one without having the need for it. Magic is the most common form, the most common bridge for so many things, including torture and traps. Cages like these are always laced with some sort of sigil to pacify the animals inside. They rigged this one especially to hurt her.


    To hurt you, Atsile.


    The doll raised her head. The cage disappeared, the darkness cast away from the empty basement. A pair of fancy shoes in front of her face, the toes so sharp that they could stab her in the eye. The man crouched down, doing the same sympathetic gesture of taking off his hat, of wearing that apathetic look.


    "Atsile." The four-eyed man said. The puppet twitched upon hearing that name, her eyes unhinged and wide.


    "Now, before you shout profanities at--"


    "AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!"


    In a split second, the doll had lunged over the demon while shrieking like a lunatic. Her hands clutch the collar of his black vest, pinning him down on the unfamiliarly dry soil. Despite her curling up a fist to slug him across the jaw, fingers so itching to carve out his eyes as she screamed mere moments ago, the four-eyed man still bared his unimpressed look.


    "--me." He easily moved his head aside, his neck stretching and elongating to avoid a simple attack. "Calm yourself down, first."


    The doll felt a jolt, a jolt that was similar to when she was electrified alive but more muted and briefer when her arm connected with the ground. She winced, retracting her arm to rub her knuckles. The black devil sighed.


    "You felt that, didn''t you, Atsile?" He said. "Even those who lack can feel pain within the domain of their soul."


    "Domain of their soul?" She responded, still venomous. "What the hell are you on about?"


    "Your mana sea, Atsile. We stand within your barren soul."


    Effortlessly, the four-eyed man kicks the doll off of him. A muted grunt escaped her lips as she flung several feet away and upon the cracked earth, the clouds of dust erupting upon her landing. Aching, stinging, pain that she was spared for the first few months of her life with a side of watery eyes.


    "Do you feel the dry dust pelting your face?" He said. "I''ve taught about the fundamentals of a mana sea, have I not?"


    Nourish it, give it life. Your mana sea is an important part of your being. In order to awaken it, you must find it. In order to awaken it, your consciousness must be strong enough to detect it. A process that would take years for a normal person, cut short by a kind intervention.


    The puppet groans, holding her head with tufts of hair intertwined between the fingers. "Get out of my head, you cretin!"


    "I''m afraid you must first eject me from the domain of your soul first." The black devil blatantly spoke. "And to do that, you must cultivate the domain of your soul. I am helping you, Atsile."


    "Shut up, and what''s with the ''Atsile'' anyway?"


    "Why, it''s your name." He pats down the dust upon his shoulders and reaffirms his stance. "Do you not remember the document you ever so glossed over?"


    The doll squints. "That tiny little signature? You expect me to remember that?"


    "You could''ve been named ''Ezel'' too."


    "Ezel?"


    "It means donkey in a dead language."


    "Fuck you."


    Because she was taught how to socialise, Atsile was taught the middle finger. It was a shame that her middle had fallen off, both of them, conveniently. It didn''t stop her from trying.


    "You do realise you don''t have a middle finger."


    "So long as you understand the gesture, does it really matter?"


    "Here I bless you with decades upon decades of experience only to see you still act like a vapid child." He sighed, shaking his head like a disappointed parent.


    "I''m afraid I''m not looking to impress a bastard like you." Atsile grows vitriolic with each word. "Bequeathing knowledge, sight and voice-- I was just fine before you decided to make yourself known. Why didn''t you even help me when I was meters deep down a goddamn river!?"


    His dark eyes sharpen, bothered by her immature anger. "Who threw the sword into the lake? Do you ever ask yourself that?"


    "And pray tell how you did it?"


    "Like this"


    And the man flicked his hands. Something reflected, shining like glistening lines against the odd red sky. At that moment, Atsile felt herself lighter as she was pulled into the sky rather abruptly. The stagnant air as she twirls around helplessly, both of her arms quickly being tied by a slithering rope together before she was hung in front of the four-eyed man like meat hanging from a hook.


    "A string can be pulled, tied and cut. Your consciousness can be manipulated and tricked." His hand gently cupped her face. "Atsile, this is something you must understand. Compose, comprehend and see through."


    "So you''re a two-tongued devil who makes others do his bidding? Yeah, I believe that."


    An unamused frown upon his pale face, locks of black hair poking beneath his black hair. Black, upon black and black. If there was another thing Atsile can insult him, is that he looked too one-toned and boring. Droopy and disgusting, just like the person.


    There was a twitch beneath his eye before he grabbed the doll''s face and shoved her away like a swing.


    "Perhaps I showed myself too early, a misbehaviour on my part, Atsile." He turned his back upon her. "Perhaps you needed more time to cope with your newfound information. Humans are like that, aren''t they?"


    "Such a condes--" She swung away before coming back. "--cending way of apologizing--"


    And another swing.


    "I feel so--" The man quickly chops her throat without looking. The rest of the vocal words that came out of Atsile''s mouth were now gurgling noises and groans.


    "I will leave you to your devices for now, until you are ready to face me in a more¡­ favourable mood."


    The four-eyed man lowered his hat and outstretched his arm to catch Atsile by her shoulder. There were mild snappings around his wrist when it turned so unnaturally, likely dislocated from the arm. Reasons as to why he didn''t just turn around will remain as bullets of insults for the next occasion.


    "Think well, Atsile."


    "You fric--"


    Then, the darkness returned as the scarlet disappeared from sight.


    "--ing¡­"


    She was back in the cage she was in, alone with no thought to intrude her. The smoke still pertained along the rims of her hair and perhaps they''d leak from her mouth as well if she were to open it. After a moment of glancing back forth between each iron bar, the doll slumps and rests her head upon one. A bitter taste was accumulating.


    Whatever imaginary heart she had in her chest, it was palpitating with irritation. Whatever imaginary teeth she had, she grinded together. Whatever''s left of her fingers, she folded and clenched into a fist. Though fire may burn, it will fizzle and die out.


    Why or how the demon resides in her mana sea doesn''t really matter. At the end of the day, she recalled back to the Aiseirigh who threw her into this cage.


    "Keep it in here until we''ve done a full sweep of the village."


    And so, Atsile will remain here for who knows how long.


    And so, Atsile decided to wait and count the time with her eight fingers.


    One¡­ two¡­ three... four¡­ five....

 Chapter 39 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Regress [Kolme]

    Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-one¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-two¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-three¡­


    A week of waiting in darkness and she was still counting. A week of silence, nothing short of even a single drop of water in the basement or even a voice to pester her. Just the silence, the hushed and eerie silence looming over her neck.


    Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-eight¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-nine¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and ninety¡­


    She counted with two fingers less than the usual ten on a normal person''s hand, maybe she''ll become some counting champion in a petty tournament. Maybe she''ll be rewarded for having the most patience from having to sit in some dusty basement of that Aiseirigh. Perhaps the reward would be seeing that nice sun again, letting it graze through her pale and stained skin.


    Her eyes would sting, she''d be able to experience that with actual eyes. Watery eyes, staring at the sun, maybe she''ll go blind. These eyes hurt anyway, so that''s fine. It belonged to that accursed fiend, so who cares if they dry up and shrivel?


    Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and ninety-five¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and ninety-six¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and ninety-seven...


    She was still counting, each finger folding before straightening again to continue the ceaseless cycle. Numbers that go down will end to zero no matter how long it may be, numbers that go up can go on for infinity. What''s to say that they didn''t just throw her away like some unwanted rubbish and forgot about her? Some half-bodied rotten doll like her, her presence can just so easily slip by their minds.


    Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and ninety-eight¡­ Six hundred sixty-five thousand two hundred and ninety-nine¡­


    Her hands fell upon her shredded attire, foul and undesired. The doll, upon existing, never had much of anything. She had a lovely ashen black dress, a colourful and bright red coat and a desire to explore the world she''d been born into. All of them, torn and ripped, crumbled to dust.


    A princess locked away in a castle somewhere always had that small window where the sun breaks through the darkness, albeit they lie behind steel bars and impenetrable walls but hope still lies somewhere. She has hopes of a gallant knight slaying the evil dragon, she had hopes of the family working tirelessly to bring her back. Life before, and the will to return to warmth.


    Atsile can''t feel warmth, nor a life beyond this suffocating cage and basement. There were no windows, there were no people to rescue her. There were no knights, there was no father and mother. She came to be in the world, to nothing and she''ll die off somewhere, like nothing.


    Oh, what was she saying? She can''t die, she''s a Tekhanure. Wandering souls who perpetually reincarnate into things, giving life to menial objects. Destroyed? They revive and live again. And again, and again, and again and again and again-- it''s endless. The cycle, it''s endless.


    Atsile gripped the steel bars tightly, pressing her head backwards. Animals can live mindlessly for food, water and a mate. Humans get the time to develop reasons in life before they get worn out. Atsile only had lived for several months on this world and she was already tired of it.


    It was tempting to just smash her head against the cage again, to split her skull open and pry out whatever it is that grew inside it. It was that irking pulsing that started these hideous memories, memories that make her feel terrible and empty. What if she pulled all of her brains out then? Would she forget? Would her faith in the world be restored?


    Would that window called hope appear?


    Then, her head was in despair. It''ll be like breaking the walls here. Just like breaking her stomach to split away. She needs to break herself again to save herself again. Yes, that''s it. The answer.


    "Atsile."


    Before Atsile could do a hefty swing to her, the ceiling dispersed to a barren scarlet sky. The man had returned though his piercing shoes were nowhere to be found. Maybe if she opened her eyes, then she''ll see that dastardly sympathetic look in his eyes again.


    "Atsile." He said again, firmer and adamant. No reaction still, the doll was still but her ears aren''t covered.


    The four-eyed man extended his right hand before he whirl it. Atsile''s hands pry away from her fist, her wrist tied again to thin air. Her eyes were pinkish, red and dry with wet lines going down her porcelain face.


    The puppet looked at her puppeteer in disdain.


    "What do you want?" A simple question yet vitriol pertained within them. As usual, the man lowers his hat to his neck-tie.


    "Your window of hope." He twirled his fingers again and the strings detached themselves. Atsile didn''t bother to catch herself and allowed herself to kiss the dry earth headfirst.


    There was a fire buried in the ocean.


    "Hope? You? Don''t make me laugh." Her fingers dug into the soil as she rose from it. "You''re the one who did this to me, you sycophant."


    The black devil walked forward, delicate and precise between each crack of the dirt. "Then let''s consider this as relinquishing our relationship."


    The cold ocean boiled.


    "You think I believe you after all of this? You really damn think?"


    He crouched down to her height, his hat still in his hand before he produced something out of it. A lovely ashen black dress emerged, guided by his long hands as it draped over the dead soil and placed in front of the doll.


    Then, the evaporating waters ceased as the fire shrunk.


    The doll shook. "The hell''s this?"


    "The dress I sewed for you."


    "What?" Flabbergasted, her eyes widened.


    The bright and colourful red coat also manifests through the black hat, it overlayed the dress nicely under the scarlet firmament.


    "That feline corpse you found earlier during your birth." He leaned forward as if to whisper egregious into her ear, there was but a subtle smile. "That was me."


    There was a resounding smack. Atsile slapped the devil with the back of her right hand.


    "Don''t lie." She hissed. "Don''t you dare. Someone like you? Don''t even."


    "My child--"


    "Shut up. Just shut up. You¡­"


    The fire was nothing but dying embers now. If it was the truth or not, she was alone, and he was there. Beggars can''t be choosers, she''ll believe in whatever at this point. She was just pathetic.


    "Atsile, you are alive now, and I am here." His voice sounded different. That petty sympathy sounded different. Empathy, was it? Yes, that warm thing. Warmth, the warmth that she craves. If the warmth comes from the darkness, then that''s fine. A child would embrace a doll to fend off the cold nights.


    And so, the father outstretched both of his arms to ask a simple request. "Come, give your father a hug."


    And the embers died off too. Nothing but darkness remained in the abyss as the doll embraced the devil. Long forgotten of old pains as he strokes her wretched hair.


    The black devil lulled her into a gentle lullaby as she cried and wailed. Underneath the broken red sky, above the splintering earth.


    A father and daughter never meant to be.


    -

 Chapter 40 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Your Sin [Kolme]

    A string can be pulled, tied and cut. Those were the unnatural tempering that humans have been able to manipulate the strings of consciousness.


    For someone to be made aware of their domain inside them, they must train their consciousness to recognize the world within. A process that takes years to complete, and even then, that was simply the opening gates of obtaining power.


    Atsile''s was simply ripped open by her father''s hands. It was a necessary evil, he had said to her. Crowned with knowledge, embedded with eyes, blessed with a voice and the tailing pain that cracked her skin and soul stretched into a stark red landscape.


    To conquer such concepts fully would be impossible to say the least. The consciousness string is a malleable object down to the atomic level. From the smallest of chemical reactions be made intentionally with human thought to subverting reality itself to bend to your will. This was the cultivator''s tool and weapon, to harness the very thing named Mana.


    And Atsile had the pleasure of having every single detail of it wedged into her brain. She''d curse her father, but, what good daughter would try to do such a thing? She was grateful and she hated him at the same time.


    "If you would not spend every other second to insult me, then perhaps you''d progress faster in cultivation." Her father intruded the silence. Atsile held back from clicking her tongue instinctively, something she realized was an old habit of this ''memory'' she has. Memory that was written to belong to her.


    "Father, oh, father." The doll who had grown legs in her own world stood up from the barren soil, a single soft stem rising from the cracks. "May I plead for your patience? This dusty basement that they threw me in is not the most assimilating environment. I''m only getting a single drop every five hours."


    Atsile never learned to talk like this, but she did it like she had always done her whole life. From a fierce woman who had taken care of her from birth, taught the eloquence of nobility from the four-eyed man behind her with his pointy cat ears flopping down under his hat.


    He¡­ always had those ears, right? Or was it in her blind child-like rage from decades ago that she couldn''t really notice? Wait, has it been decades? Her eyes are all dried up and stung but it felt like it was so long ago since she last cried.


    Before the doll''s frail fingers could go over to touch the sockets of her organic eyes, another droplet fell from the everlasting scarlet sky. It fell through her sunken dark hair, dancing between them before finally dripping down upon the small stray leaf of the hopeful plant.


    It unnaturally grew just a centimeter more. Instead of the usual disappointment another person would gleam, Atsile quickly gazed upwards to the stained skies. Another droplet, landing a thud over her hard porcelain face before sliding off her chin.


    Then, another dew drop. Atsile stepped back, and counted the brief intervals. From five hours, to five seconds per each drop of mana from the environment she was absorbing. She felt a hand press itself gently on her shoulder.


    "They''re coming back for you." Her father merely said, staring up at the same red sky. "They''ve done a full sweep of the village, likely. I''m rather impressed that they''ve taken notice of my presence that quickly."


    "From your words, I can only assume they''ve come to lynch me." The puppet growled before shoving his stringent hand off. "Words of advice before I die because of you?"


    Over his pale skin, a toothy grin appeared under his four eyes. "There are openings to everything for a single thread to reach through. Be conscious enough to find it and exploit it. I''ve taught you what I should."


    "Taught me?" Atsile glanced away for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "My only memories were just isolation under a river because you wouldn''t help me!"


    How she was stuck under a slab of dirt because he threw her in as a means of training; because of that accursed monster shaking the very earth as she drowned and drowned until she couldn''t drown her soul; as she struggled to break apart from her submerged cage.


    Atsile twitched. That was what happened¡­ right? Yes, of course; it wasn''t.


    The black devil placed his index finger over her forehead, the long fingernail could scrape her skin if he wished.


    "A necessary choice, my daughter." As ghastly as his presence was his words. "But for now, you must wake up and brave those righteous ideologists."


    The doll felt her vision begin to distort, her body feeling like it was sliding backwards from the sudden shift in gravity. Velocity increasing with every second, the world suddenly turning into a blur of colours. Her bottom half burned into charcoal before detaching from her, her lovely red jacket and dress torn into asunders with it.


    As if she were falling from the depths of space and into the atmosphere of earth, the flames wrapped themselves around her like the warm and harsh welcome back to reality¨C before she felt herself slamming behind cold iron bars.


    Atsile jolted awake from her sleep. The dark and detestable prison still stayed the same as it did since the week she had counted to herself. But the silence, the silence was nulled by the sudden opening of the door.


    The puppet crawled forward and wrapped her broken fingers around the wrought bars of her cage. She couldn''t see the person coming towards her clearly. The cage wasn''t tall enough to allow her to do so.


    The boots echoed loudly with each step, approaching slowly until it stopped right in front of the cage. They weren''t particularly polished, they were quite worned out with patches of dirt still yet to be cleaned by the owner and she almost got a brief kiss of it as it kicked the cage bars.


    Atsile instinctively moved back, hearing the reverbing ringing of the iron pipes as her heart palpitated. A single haughty laugh followed after.


    "Good to see you''re still responsive, you cursed thing." A cracked voice of a man who had smoked for likely decades on end came to greet her. "You caused quite a stir and mess in our little peaceful village."


    The doll watched carefully as the man crouched down to her height. Even when she could see his knees bend, it was hard to even get a good glimpse at his face. Atsile could feel a strange emanating heat coming from his face. His large fingers flicked the iron bars.


    "Come on, say something." The man said, as if he was trying to communicate with a wild dog. Looking down on her, less alive than he was. Atsile opened her mouth to prove.


    "I didn''t hurt anyone in the village. Why am I caged here?" She had calmly asked before attempting to close her lips. It remained wide open, as if some invisible iron gag had tied itself around her face. Traces of mana were wrapped around her head.


    Chuckled did the man. "Why? Well, you''re not welcomed here, per se. Do you not recognize the harm that you carry?" On his other hand, was a key to the lock of her cage.


    Atsile struggled to close her mouth, her hand looking to undo the knot of the mana circuit but to no avail. The man dragged her by the throat, pulling her out of her prison as she fumbled incoherently. She was raised above ground, looking face to face with her captor.


    The horned man. He was an Aiseirigh, a race of genetically created dragons, the proudest folk all over Neamh. They used to appear closer to the monsters they aspire to become, but now they have slowly but surely reverted back to the beings whom they once were.


    His apathetic yellow eyes appeared glowing in the darkness, the heat that Atsile felt was the smoke that was escaping through his sharp rows of teeth. They glower into a smile, the scales on his face shifting.


    His other scaled hand grabbed her face, his fingers pushing into her mouth to pull out her tongue. Atsile tried her best to pry herself away from him but to no use, she was too frail and small to fight back.


    "Shh¡­ I''m just taking precautions." He only said, his index finger and middle finger had scissored themselves between the doll''s tongue. Only incomprehensible retorts were replied from Atsile.


    With the man''s sharp nail, he bent his thumb over and began drawing something over the top of the puppet''s tongue. Unnaturally, there was blood and it naturally flowed down to the side and spilled onto the floor. Atsile was gagging through the entire process, her hands repeatedly tapping on the Aiseirigh''s forearm to stop.


    "The more you struggle and thrash, the longer and more painful it will be so stay still." He had stated once his finger slipped slightly from the mana circuit drawing, leaking excess blood than needed. Even when it was only a few seconds later, the copper taste going to the back of her throat was accompanied by the stinging pain.


    When the circuit was finished, there was a brief moment of relief¨C for the Aiseirigh as he let the doll''s tongue go. It didn''t coil in naturally, no, it started twisting and tying itself like a rope. Tears streamed down from her eyes as all of her voice was suddenly silenced as well.


    As it wetted the Aiseirigh''s hand, he sighed. "Now, now, don''t cry. I''m only making sure the thing inside you doesn''t pull any fast ones."


    Voiceless choking, that was the only thing she could capably reply with. A blessing taken away so the devil may not speak. But if the tongue came from the devil¡­


    "Now, what do we do with those eyes?"

 Chapter 41 - Atsile Of Zenonia: Unrecognized [Kolme]

    Crowned with knowledge, embedded with eyes, and blessed with a voice that was being strangled by her own tongue. It left a noticeable lump in her throat, bits of porcelain dusting away. Atsile had no need to breathe, yet the desperation for air suddenly kicked in out of muscle memory.


    The first few minutes were spent inaudibly asphyxiating, holding her throat, trying to produce any other sound besides inciting pity. The pain would digress her small want to be witty. Through tear-ridden eyes, the Atsile felt herself be grabbed by the throat again, her small hands caught within the palm of the Aiseirigh.


    Something sharp was digging into the sockets of her eyes, mixing in red with the salt leaking unnaturally. She was afraid. Should she thrash her head? Should she just stay still? These wild thoughts reverberated and crashed back forth in her brain until the pain was accompanied by a pop.


    She could feel it. It was sticking out, a thin meat line as it sags over her face. And she couldn''t even scream. It hurted. She''d rather black out, she''d rather black out so badly. Please, please end this. I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!


    I''ll be a good girl! I''ll never disobey you again! Please! It hurts! It hurts! I didn''t mean to be like this! I didn''t mean to hurt anyone! I didn''t mean anything! Please¡­ I¡­ I just wanted to live¡­


    The second eye popped out, pulsating with a stream of blood. In the doll''s wordless frenzy, the Aiseirigh ripped them both out of her head. A small splat over his thick padded jacket, nothing different from yesterday.


    The dragon peeked inside the eyeless sockets. Atsile could feel the hot air blowing her head, every single wet dripping substance seeking out embraced by its warmth. A bloody mess was her sight, she couldn''t see anything; but she should be able to. He did not allow it.


    "Hmm¡­" The man stared at twirling flesh inside the doll''s cranium. It seemed rather alive but what was he gonna do? Crack her head open? He was gonna be the one cleaning the storage, knowing that he pissed off the janitor this week. He decided against it.


    But still, knowing that the demon inside was conscious enough to move, it was better to fully incapacitate it.


    The Aiseirigh placed his hand over Atsile''s left arm-- and ripped it off. It was painless or rather, even if it was, Atsile wouldn''t have felt it. She was strangled, blinded, and her consciousness was dimming.


    With another clack on the floor, Atsile no longer had limbs. She was just a torso with a bloody head, with dangling forearms stuck to her throat under the dragon''s massive hands. The forearms fell to the floor with the same brittle clack as well.


    ''It hurts, it hurts'' Her lips moved to no avail but only the struggling noises came out. ''Please, what did I do? I''ll fix it. I promise. I don''t want to get hurt anymore¡­''


    "Atsile! What happened?!"


    A child is crying. All ragged, a crack over her dusty porcelain face, wetted with tears. Arms came to hold her, carefully making sure that nothing else fell from the child''s body.


    "I''m sorry..! I''m sorry..!" The child cried. "Please..! Don''t kick me out, please..! I swear I won''t go against you again!"


    "Sweetie¡­ I would never¡­" The mother gently brushed away the tears. "Tell me, what happened?"


    "I¡­ I wanted to go out¡­ I wanted to play outside¡­ and then¡­ and then¡­"


    "Sshhh¡­ It''s fine, it''s fine." The mother wrapped her arms around the child''s body before lifting her up. "I''m sorry for not taking you out as often as you should be. Come on, let''s go. How about mommy go treat you to some ice cream?"


    The tears lessened. "Really..?"


    "Yeah! Mommy''s just got paid so let''s spend it on something big! Atsile, you know what a sundae is?" A bright smile over the clouds that dimmed the sky, breaking through them like sunshine over a storm. "Lots of ice cream in a cup!"


    "Really?! Really?!" And the bright sunshine reflected upon the daughter''s face as well. "Mommy! I want a sundae!"


    The mother lifted the child higher and placed her behind her head, her child''s legs hanging over her shoulders.


    "Alright then! One serving of sundae for my little angel is coming up!"


    With giggles of forgotten tears, the young doll child waved her arms around as her mother ran through the streets of the fortress-like city. The little angel, spreading her wings beneath the little world that she only comprehended.


    They didn''t have much, but this was more than enough. A roof over their heads, food on the table and resources for the young doll''s education; it must be nice to live in that world.


    She remembered vividly, how the frosty sundae was sweet with that rich syrup dripping over the colourful ice cream. Each scoop a cold treat to her tongue; that shouldn''t exist. Her face almost cracked even further too, her mother almost having a heart attack when a piece of her face fell on her lap.


    It hurted, most definitely. But it didn''t hurt as much. Her mother was there and the staff had a spare duct tape out in the back storage. That day was well for her, for both of them. The cafe even took a picture of them to hang them on a wall because of the fact that a living doll came to visit them. She even wrote her name on the photo!


    Atsile, the living doll and¡­ And¡­


    ¡­What was her mother''s name?


    No, it should be obvious what her mother''s name was. It was¡­ It was¡­


    Agariss.


    Yes, it was Agariss.


    Atsile the living doll and Agariss, her mother. Signed upon a picture full of memories and smiles.


    The door leading outside of the basement housed the thudding steps of the Aiseirigh. Clutched between his fingers was the head of a doll. The neck has been severed from the torso, the flesh from the doll''s cranium was almost hanging out, barely visible between the porcelain cracks.


    One of the guards outside of the basement storage shot a judgemental look at him.


    "...Should''ve known you were just dismantling the thing." The lizard man scoffed and the dragon man apathetically raised Atsile''s head.


    "It makes for easier packaging, plus incapacitation. I made sure that it couldn''t speak nor see."


    "You do know that the Tekhanure is also alive too, right?"


    The Aiseirigh shrugged. "They always come back. Once we separate the demon from the Tekhanure, we''ll have ourselves a little assistant around here once we register it."


    And the Khazenka groaned. "I doubt it''ll listen to any of us after what you did."


    The tall horned man rolled his eyes before turning away.


    "I do all of the dirty work as this village''s Vagant advisor and this is all the respect I get¡­"

 Chapter 42 - Old Tale To Tell

    Welcome back again to the wild, definitely not the west. Like a normal jog in the woods with your ''dog'' and ghostly doppelganger floating around to create a ragtag team of rather peculiar individuals.


    Only a few meters left to the nearest mark, the excessive use of your exo-muscle has actually made a peculiar red crystal core planted near the lake of your mana sea. You planned to ask Chronos or Lues about it later.


    "Oh yeah, Lues, do you know anything about this colorful crystal?'' you say as you showed the Elemental Crystal to her.


    Drifting on air as if she was lazily lying on a mattress, your reflection raises her head as if she were hanging by the edge of the bed. Her bangs flips, red eyes equally dazzlingly sharp as the crystal she gaze upon. A row of teeth reveals themselves from her smile.


    "Ohoho, such a treasure you got there! That was an Elemental Crystal. A ''Usurper'' usually used it to extract elemental essence to assimilate a spell or an array, but those people are fools. The best way to use it is shoving it up into your ''Athenaeum''." says Lues.


    "Usurper? Athenaeum? You mean a formation?"


    "Formation? What is that?"


    Recalling Chronos'' words, only the old generation use an ''array''. Which means that Lues is indeed some kind of ancient spirit locked by the original Long Leggy, if there is one to begin with, as far as you know.


    Lues begins to exude her theatrical attitude, conjuring a visual animation using her crimson cloud as she tells a tale of the old pantheon and how they find a hidden realm inside their body located on their belly near the button. Curious, the ancient then began to learn that they can store many specific matters and even knowledge inside, so they named it ''Athenaeum''.


    Not long after ''Athenaeum'' was founded, a noble human prodigy in the name of Ethera Mana developed the consciousness theory and how that it was all a one dimensional string that can exude frequency to affect other matter. Using the said ''string'', Ethera managed to create a revolutionary energy-conversion using consciousness.


    Ethera named the energy as ''Mana''. It was then used for many technological breakthroughs including unraveling the mystery of ''Athenaeum''. Because of the ongoing war with the Angels, warrior after warrior arise to usurp the menace from above. Those people who cultivate the mana to become inhuman and powerful are then known as ''Usurper''.


    Lues then ends the visual smoke screen like a closed book. "Now youngin'' started to call those kinds of folk a Cultivator cause the new generation is so driven by their greed and ego to become powerful for their own gain."


    "That is kinda sad actually, but realistic."


    Your ragtag party has reached the nearest mark you deployed, only a few meters left to the campsite!


    "As curious as I was, don''t you think that it would be better if you plant that Elemental Crystal now?" says Lues.


    "How you do that?"


    She gets close to grab the crystal on your hand to turn it into sparkling dust. Coating them with her crimson haze, she shoves all the dust down to your throat until it meets into the exterior of your mana sea. As if someone is infiltrating, the Chrolings are on high alert immediately as Lues forces her consciousness inside.


    "I see that you''re doing fine nurturing your ''Athenaeum'', have you explored the inside yet?"


    "Exploring?"


    She then puts the Elemental Crystal into the bottom of the lake, the liquid mana beginning to sparkle in different colors as if the crystal dissolved. Lues then puts a large array at the bottom of the sea to maintain the crystal from solvating, resulting in an almost infinite amount of elemental essence. With it, you now can cast more elemental spells more cost-effectively!


    Lues peeks at the cautious Chrolings before smirking. She instantly creates one exact replica of her in chibi shape, increasing the dweller population inside your mana sea by one. Though, the Chrolings are still wary of the new inhabitant.


    ''Lueling'' acquired.


    "I''m not sure why you all are putting a smaller version of yourself inside me," you rant.


    "Just in case something happens! Disaster often comes at great cavalcades, you know?"


    "Your verbose is too much for me to handle."


    While Lues is still within your mana sea coincidentally, you tried to ask about the red crystal planted near the mana lake.


    "Lues, do you know anything about the red crystal?"


    "Hmm? Honey, that is your ''technique core''. It was created by the repetitive use of circuit processing. This kind of core contains the proficiency and knowledge of certain techniques. You will become more and more competent at executing them the more dense the core is."


    "How to make them denser?"


    "By using the technique again and again!"


    Basically, it was the fruits of your effort you did on the blood bending technique by using them as a motoric movement replacement of your muscle.


    Being a cripple doesn''t sound too bad now. Although, something is bugging your mind.


    "Can someone steal my technique''s core?"


    "Yes! If they can absorb it, they will be able to learn the skill more quickly!"


    ''Ah this is bad'', you''re anxious if someone will snatch your hard work and effort from you.


    "H-how to prevent them!?"


    "You need to install a defense mechanism, these tiny critters are part of those."


    Chronos also mentioned that the Chrolings are able to fend off invaders, but the fact that they didn''t drive Lues away immediately shows that either they are scared of her, or they know that Lues means no ill intention but still in the suspicious area.


    You will research more of these when you have the time. As of now, you''ve actually reached the promised campsite!

 Chapter 43 - The Hopeful Chronoa [Yksi]

    One of the realms locked within the master''s mana sea has been reawakened, it keeps exuding weird substances to the inside and outside of the mana sea. Surprisingly, the unknown particles give many benefits to the owner as it spread throughout the bloodstream and a great mana sea nourisher. The only demerit is that the realm spews too much of them that we would need to use it on the mana sea to empower and enhance our facilities. If there is too much, the contamination will halt the mana conversion process.


    Even till now it keeps shooting those yellow-dark varicolored dust! Which is good and bad. Mostly good, but bad.


    Though we haven''t explored the unknown acidic realm, preparations are needed!


    Chroyu has also been working really hard to fix the spinal cord of the owner, there has been nothing wrong with the master''s body anymore but somehow the consciousness didn''t connect to the brain and didn''t give any chemical signal. As if, our master didn''t want her muscles to move anymore.


    But all of that pales in comparison to the current situation! A dread! A disaster in sheep''s clothing!


    "C-Chronoa! The newcomer has been acting weird until now, what should we do!?"


    Chroyu is right, the newcomer is really suspicious! The no-eye bangs crimson haired lady with the vampiric looking dress is scanning the surroundings while grinning, her sharp teeth are scary. Analyzing the owner''s memory, it seems like she is a Lueling, the autonomous worker vessel with the exact base circuit as us!


    So is she really one of us?


    "S-so, how are you?" says Chroyu, trying to strike a conversation.


    "Hmm? Ah, how rude of me for not introducing myself." The Lueling shows her curtsy. "My name is Malice, it was pleasant to meet with you two."


    She is one of us!


    "My name is Chronoa! And she is Chroyu!" I gesture my hand to my sister.


    "Ah yes, such lovely siblings you are. Is it fine for me to ask for a tour in this grand mana sea of our landlady?"


    "Yes! It is!"


    Both of us then give her a tour of the surroundings. Firstly, I showed her to the main lake where all the mana was stored in metaphysical liquid form so they could seep into the droughty land and nourish the surrounding zones. On the north, a cylinder-like machine with numerous pipes, which is working like an irrigation system so that the area the mana lake can affect will be immensely increased!


    "Such beautiful machinery!"


    "Huehue, you''re making us blush!"


    "But hmm, may I give a suggestion?"


    "Fire away!"


    "How about utilizing an autonomous-circuit irrigation vessel so the mana can cover more land for the infrastructure?"


    "Using a vessel?"


    It has never occurred to us to make another autonomous vessel. Actually, with the new Elemental Crystal that has been planted to the mana lake, we can build a droid but won''t that be a little inconvenient for them? I honestly think that the irrigation machine is enough for the land covering, as I can just add more pipes and more range when the mana lake becomes bigger.


    "Won''t that be counter productive?" I say.


    "It is!" She then points to the sky, "We can create a flying drone for carrying concentrated mana shards! Using the melting circuit, we can use them for a vast autonomous irrigation in the long run!"


    The cost and time is indeed cheaper than making the pipes which need various materials. Beside, using circuit-relied contraption is sometimes more efficient despite taking some share of the mana.


    "Chroyu! Note that!"


    Chroyu begins to note all of the concepts in her notebook faster than light.


    "So! So! What else is there for me to see!" says Malice.


    The new Lueling gives more enthusiasm than I expected, which is good! We need all the help we can get!


    After that, we take Malice to the east section from the lake. A large forestry with circuit factory in-between and a hill to the ''Blood Bending Virus'' factory that has been fully augmented with the new realm''s substances! Going in, Malice lo and behold the complex autonomous circuit creator as the vessel is being made together with the printed circuit.


    She looks at the glass enveloping the circuit print, "Don''t you think that the infiltration-factory copy needs to be optimized for faster production?" says Malice.


    "It indeed can be tinkered more, I''ll give you the access for editing!"


    The three of us then proceed to brainstorm more for optimization. With the new system we implemented, there will be a ''High Rank BBV Vessel''! The BBV stands for Blood Bending Virus.


    The high rank vessel can update the ongoing circuit on the infected blood cell that our owner manipulates, and because the vessel is connected to the new device we make, we can update it whole at any time and even change its trait!


    "So where are we going next!"


    The three of us then depart to the south section, the main headquarters of where the two of us are supposed to rest with much recreational amusement!


    "Oh, what is this intriguing object?" asks Malice.


    "That is a game console."


    After playing car games and maria sis'', we went farther south to find a single small structure with a lot of unfinished land. This will be the place where we will develop a mana sea''s defense after we nurture a golden core in the future. As for now, both Chroyu and I will manually fend off abnormal invaders! Our owner also began to develop a technique''s core, we mustn''t let anyone steal it.


    Going to the west, another large contraption with a big pipeline connected to the lake. An Autonomous Mana Conversion Device, AMCD for short. Because raw mana is literally everywhere, we used a pillar-like infrastructure that emulates the consciousness'' strings to capture and shape them into processed mana! It works autonomously as long as there is enough mana to activate it, which is only a tiny fraction of the benefits it gives!


    "What is this malicious mana shape you''re converting¡­" Malice comment.


    Chroyu and I put our deadpan expression, "A phallus."


    Malice pukes out a rainbow while standing still.


    We then add a smaller pillar near the large AMCD, which works as a conductor to filter a better mana quality from the contraption and also for our owner''s manual conversion!


    Farther to the west, stood a single small pillar.


    "What is this?" asks Malice.


    "That is the graveyard for our sister, her name is Chromusa!" says Chroyu.


    I take a deep breath, and smile, "She is mature, kind, and also reliable. In fact, the game console we played was one of her ideas."


    "My condolences." She moves forward near the small pillar, then hunches down. "I think we can recreate her."


    "How!?"


    She stands and faces us, "I don''t know how, yet. But as long as the water flows to the droughty land, as long as the wind will give its chime to let us breathe. We can bring your sister back if we reach the ''Athenaeum Citadel Type''!"


    "We can!"


    The calculation is hard but it''s not Impossible. If we can develop more advanced infrastructure and mana sea''s tech, we might be able to create and clone ourselves!


    And with that, we found our new goal.

 Chapter 44 - 12.000 Years, Uno Still Exists

    "So you met this uncanny harlot who calls herself ''lady luck'' and she says that I''ve killed you over 4443 times?"


    "Yepper, she also put all memories of it into my cranium. The pain is real."


    You put green-five into the ground.


    "Do I go to heaven when I mess you up?"


    "Nope, didn''t live long enough to see it."


    Goyang puts a green-six.


    "Bollocks!" Lues take one more ethereal card from the deck, a visible cherry-red small cloud is emitted from the card she takes.


    The three of you are now reoccupying the campsite, after your eyes gaze at the endless expectations on the ever stretching wasteland hoping for a Humvee and a pink haired someone, somehow your ultimately reliable companion named Chronos didn''t match the settled target. So in the midst of boredom, Lues conjures a surprisingly familiar card set made out of her crimson-mist material and now here you are.


    You put a yellow-six on top of the discarded cards as your nose pinpoints the location of the cooking pan cradling an almost-ready Yelper meat that Lues purified, topped with melting extra cheese mushrooms left on your backpack. The cooking sets do their job in this kind of situation, especially when you realize that you can purify the impurities from the beast calamity''s flesh.


    "I''ll prepare the meal, you two can duel for the meantime," you say, with a drool dripping from your mouth.


    "It baffles me that Goyang can play this sacred game."


    ''It baffles me on how an ancient spirit knows uno.''


    And another baffling thing is that your dummy, goofy, and perverted cube friend actually has a real capability of inverse-idiocy.


    You then use the black dagger to slice the meat into numerous cubes and serve it on a hardened-blood platter. Unlike the last time you tried to form a blade, now you''re able to assimilate almost anything you can think of, using the mysterious substances your Chroling has found. It will only be a matter of time until you can do many awesome tricks using blood manipulation.


    As for why there is no plate, that is because Chronos only leaves you with the cooking sets, not the eating sets.


    The Chrolings also put out a report about your quadriplegia. Is this the side effect of the acidic substances from the realm? The yellow-black varicolored dust proved to be very beneficial for your spell and circuit enhancing. Strangely, it also improves your consciousness constitution to branch an even longer ''string'' for conversion, enabling you for more effective mana gathering, and this is the total effect without mentioning the newly built ''Autonomous Mana Converter Device'' made by the Chrolings.


    Lues also did say something about exploring. Is commencing an adventure within your own mana sea a thing?


    "Meal is ready!" you say.


    Lues rubs her palms in anticipation, "Holy jolly, I''m curious of the flavor."


    Preparing beforehand, you seperate Goyang''s share on a smaller blood-plate. He seems to be enjoying it, as you also put a customized virus to temporarily enhance the pain receptors. Of course, it''s already served with pain in the first place..


    ''Aww, he''s so happy.''


    You can''t remember whether you actually had a pet in your former life back then, so seeing Goyang exuding such contentment is a new drug for you¡ªthis is also not mentioning the fact that you began to form some kind of addiction on inflicting an authorized pain on others.


    The jolt of adrenaline is something else but you''re making sure that you won''t go far into that road.


    "Oh yeah, I''m curious," you declare.


    Lues takes a big bite as the food floats to her bidding, in and out to the mouth. She then takes a pause. "Hmm? Anything I can help you with?"


    "My past, who am I? Fortune says that I''m a candidate, but a candidate for what? What is a Lamentor?"


    "My love, I think you need to learn a bit of proper manners." The juicy meat covered in cheese is wafting into her mouth, she chews it down with a plain expression until it''s ready to swallow. "Don''t ask such complicated things when someone is eating their delicious treat!"


    "Hmm, reasonable."


    Heartily, you make one set of fork and knife with the blood manipulation. Licking your lips with excitement, you slice a piece of meat and stab it while making sure that the cheese is covering the whole bite.


    Even without salt, you''re sure that you can die happily if you eat this everyday.


    "I wonder if the Citadel has this kind of food there."


    "I''m sure they do. life expectancy is high, the rich individuals might want delicious food rather than fancy clothes, you know?"


    "How do you know? you don''t even look like a rich person."


    "Rich people have standards, I have too, that means I''m a rich person."


    The sharp teeth are shown as she blasts her powerful smugness in every direction.


    Suddenly, the expected individual appears. Shoving her head into the bite pieces on the blood fork you hold, "Nwope, nobody alive in this era who could purify the void within the beast calamity. Only a certain someone from the past that I''ve killed could do that."


    Chronos appears with no indication and presence, she is just there. Munching on the bite-sized piece that was supposed to be yours!


    "The frick, Chronos! Go get your own meal!" you rant as she guides your hands from behind to take another bite piece, then eats it.


    "Mhmmw! It''s been a long time, isn''t that right?."


    "You''re welcome," replies Lues.


    The anger took over until you forcefully steal the whole meal and move into another position far from those two, pouting. Such audacity, as if leaving you alone is not enough, she has the impudence to take a bite of your precious meal!


    Lues condenses her meal into a small circular pill then swallows it in an instant to immediately focus on the long time acquaintance, "You''ve thought through all of this, didn''t cha?"


    "The existence of the Diemer Mirror is not within my plan, someone is sabotaging it. Or else my precious Long Leggy wouldn''t need to go through all of this." Contradicting her speech, she still dons that confident smile.


    "Aren''t you the one who made me go through all of this," you mumble softly.


    Lues absorbs the uno cards and other stuff she materializes before continuing to speak, "At least I''ll be watching over her from now on, you can rest assured."


    ''You two speak as if I''m the child or something.''


    "How suspicious¡ªregardless! let''s go back to the citadel. Something crucial will happen soon," says Chronos

 Chapter 45 - Going Back To The Citadel

    On the same Humvee as yesterday, you sit on the back seat with Goyang on your lap, still in the state of being overwhelmed as you throw your gaze out of the window.


    Ruins are everywhere, deepening their bond with the bearer of chaos. Flash, lightning, fires fade, ashes rising, and sky ablaze.


    "So Chronos, something happened on the citadel?" You ask.


    "The Coalition expedition team from 6 months ago came back with only a few of them surviving. They report the movement of many Origis Demons and an almost infinite number of Calamities. More importantly, they made contact with an ''Angel''. Oh! And also the appearance of a blood manipulating vampire in the form of a child." Chronos smirks.


    It was the six party team that you encountered back then. Something is wrong, the time gap is too small because you''ve met them and not depart that long. They couldn''t have just immediately back to the citadel the very moment Chronos is still there, the travel time is too far, they also don''t have any means of transportation except if someone is waiting for them outside of the forest with vehicle. considering that it usually took more than eight hours to go to the citadel from Kauhu Forest.


    Lues who is sitting beside you reminds you of something that might be critical, breaking the suspicious train of thoughts. "Things are going to get spicy, I wonder what will happen if they say someone is robbing them out of their treasury."


    "I''m screwed."


    "You''re screwed."


    "Though, serious question. What is an ''Angel''?" You''re by no means a fool who doesn''t know the divine existence that appears in many religious beliefs, but you''re wondering why they are so hostile and dangerous.


    "My love, that is actually the question many seek to answer for many years. Don''t make me teach you personally with that lips of yours~"


    Chronos suddenly stomps the brake for no reason, before crudely goes full throttle with the gas. "It seems like I regret having you here, what was it you''re called again now? Lewd-ass?"


    Lues who notices something, is trying to play with fire. "We already share our bodily fluid, fufufu." As she shows a big grin of victory to the pink-devil.


    You feel defiled.


    And if you''re being honest, you feel like you''re the victim here, and also the perpetrator by chances.


    Just like an ant seeing two lioness fight, what you''re spectating right now is Chronos driving without looking and a smug devil as both of them stare like they''re pointing knives at each other. You instinctively try to move away to the farthest corner of the backseat as you can before something happens. Luckily it ends up in a tie despite the ominous aura exuded by Chronos suffocating your lungs.


    The journey is long and boring, although Lues lessens the boredom by inviting you for an uno card duel throughout the wait.


    Chronos is a natural smiler, be it fake, insane or both but something about it after that quarrel with Lues sends shivers down your spine. It''s like the smile widened and not in a good way.


    You feel like you know what happens but after some consideration, you choose to become dense with mixed feeling.


    Without thinking too much, you continue your card duel with Lues, placing a wild over the red six. As you look up to see her reaction, the same chill went down your spine a second time. A rather scrunched up face, one shown in disgust. You finally made an astounding revelation that you should''ve realised earlier.


    You''re sandwiched between two monsters, monsters even worse than the calamity monkey thing you fought.


    Ignoring the choking killing intent, you can feel the driver is staring at your cuboid pet as both of your gazes meet.


    "It has been a while since I saw a small Tekhanur."


    "Tekhanur?" You ask.


    "Shorty''s pet? Now that you mention it, I didn''t feel any ''void'' from that little guy." Says Lues.


    She retracts her vision into the road, "That is no beast, it''s one of the rare kinds of artificial souls embedded themselves into physical objects. It might not be long until it will mature, heh."


    "This little guy is also immortal, I saw him getting torn into pieces and now here he is."


    Three hours later, the humvee reached the outside of the Amos Citadel. One kilometer left, an enormous wall can be perceived as tall enough to tower into the sky from where your current position is. Even from the clear, you find yourself marveling at it. Dark fortitude materials with glowing red giant circuit fortifications higher than most normal buildings could even dream of. Imposing, powerful and impenetrable. Although, as your vehicle approaches, you come to realize that there are people gathering near it. Many little dotted figures, staring at something. A commotion has happened, perhaps.


    Finally reaching the crowded field before the great wall, numerous people in different cloaks from some kind of organization are being supervised by a single tall humanoid machine of war. Standing at four meters in height, numerous long-range weapons are present on its back, currently patrolling its gaze from its small head which is kinda contradicting the futuristic torso of a giant


    Still inside the humvee, you tap the shoulder of Chronos from behind. "What is that big humanoid mech?"


    "That is the same kind as your little cubey, a Tekhanur, possibly an old one."


    "How come I never heard of them before?" Says Lues.


    Amused, Chronos giggles. "That is probably because you never go outside."


    "Seems fair."


    ''This ancient spirit is shocking me more and more.''


    Now you''re wondering if Goyang can become that cool one day. Staring at him, the block of white is staring you back with his googly eyes.


    Matching the angle of the vehicle window with the guard post, a sleek uniformed female with forward-striking dragon horns can be seen talking with Chronos.


    "Give me your ID."


    "Here''s mine." Says Chronos while showing the guard her identification card.


    "How about the other two and one of the Tekhanures on the back seat?"


    The guard is surprisingly perceptive, it seems like the people of law do give the right person for the right job.


    "Ah, my daughter hasn''t made her ID yet. The cubie over there is wild, and we didn''t have any license for it"


    "Alright then, the fee will be 50KC."


    You can see Chronos is dying inside. She shows her Kepler Coin Card, KCC for short. As the guard pulls up a scanner, you can see the holographic laser enveloping the card with a straight vertical and horizontal web.


    "I already took 50KC from your bank account." The female guard immediately shows a jeering smile, "You only have 35KC left."


    "My KC¡­"


    Chronos then drives into the Vagant Engineering Dept located in sector 04, the southern part of Amos Citadel. You''re still wondering where the other Vagant Association''s buildings are.


    Surprisingly, Lues has taken a liking for Goyang, as she is petting him nonstop and still going.


    "Oh yeah, I haven''t registered my daughter for KCC yet." Says Chronos.


    "We''re broke, and I''m not your daughter."


    "Don''t worry, there is no fee."


    And there it is, the gigantic bunker-like building.


    Vagant Engineering Dept Facility.

 Chapter 46 - Unexpected Vampire

    "Thanks for the free humvee, Garant!"


    "I''ll thank you for the service also, hehehe," says the foreign dragonoid.


    "Ohoho, you started selling your body now?" mocks Lues.


    "Why would I? In fact, I should''ve sold you instead. Considering that there are many petite body lovers on the blackmarket."


    "So what kind of service did you give?" you ask.


    Chronos shrugs, she then holds onto the straps of her giant backpack. "Just your normal competitive-killer scheme. You know, sabotage, explosion, killing, sabotage¡ª"


    "I can see that."


    "Chronos likes to be sabotaged, and sabotaging someone''s asshole," says Lues.


    The pink devil''s smile widens again. "I can do it now with your asshole."


    In the hope of trying to halt the future destruction as much as you can, you intrude the heated conversation with your curiosity. "Is this just me or are there more dragonoid demi-humans than the other races?"


    "You mean the Aiseirighians? They can be your perfect asshole or a perfect sacrifice in a group operation!" says Chronos.


    Ignoring the ominous remarks, you continue. "So they are called Aiseirighian?"


    "Individually, Aiseirigh is for the whole," says Lues.


    Walking away from the expansive garage to the elevator, you follow the two misfits trying to take each other down. The venomous hisses and the death threats became deaf upon your ears after hours of being within their presence. You felt like a kid sitting in between two parents on the verge of divorcing.


    Chronos sets the destination to B1.


    The elevator doors open as you finally arrive in the crowded massive space of a fantasy junky''s dream with weapons, and weapons! Everything is just a cluster foxtrot of a factory for blacksmiths to bless their warriors, so that they can take life without wasting too much time to feel sympathetic.


    Arriving at the memorable corner where you first met your microgun, the bulky and slouchy elk man is there feeling agitated as usual the moment Chronos and you appear in his vision.


    Chronos gives Carbonite the double gun pointing gesture with her hands. "Sup!"


    Feeling tired and wonky, the elk blacksmith only gives a deadpan. "Yeah, sup, you stole another kid again?"


    "Yup! I''m planning on selling the reddish one to the blackmarket."


    Lues, still maintaining her grin, shows the two of them her little middle finger. "Try me, bitch."


    "One is crimson and the other is enveloped by crimson blood. Don''t tell me that the shorty multiplied with the second stage of deformative genes."


    Carbonite stands, his height is more towering than the three of your party members as his eyes gaze with his usual angst surrounding him like a vengeful ghost, crossing both of his arms to his chest. "So how is the hunt?"


    "Quite laborious," replies Chronos, as she unpack three Yelper Ores and the other ten you hunt out of boredom, and also your meal.


    "I''m the one who is hunting."


    "Alright then, this saves me quite a lot. Hiring mercenaries is quite a costly method for obtaining these." Carbonite and the three of you store the ores into the place he points at. One by one, you miss the time where you can feel the texture and temperature of an object because your senses have also begun to paralyze.


    After everything is in its place, the blacksmith hunches down to close in on you. "So, Missy, what kind of weapon do you want?"


    The weapon that you want, something that can become your blade in a tight and awful situation, something that is compatible with your blood bending technique, something terrifying that can strike fear into your mortal enemies, while also working as a magnum opus for giant enemies.


    Remembering how cool the tan oni back then, you''ve decided. "I want an ¨­dachi," you say while gesturing the bended shapes of the blade with your hands like an opening rainbow.


    The ¨­dachi the oni held back then looks fearsome, it''s also long to cut through anything on its path. Now you''re only wondering about the durability considering that the siblings which are katanas are also quite fragile for a prolonged fight, the longer brother might be harder to maintain.


    You hurriedly take the crystal gourd from the backpack and show it, showcasing some of your capabilities of manipulating the blood.


    "You''re a vampire!?" he immediately remarks.


    A metaphorical shining lightbulb appears on top of Chronos''s head. "Surprise! Long Leggy is a vampire from the beginning." She''s lying.


    Her sudden action puts you in confusion as you''re sure that she is bullshiting again. Lues, who is beside you, begins to bite her own thumb with her sharp fang until she tastes her own blood before leaning her head to your ear.


    "Wait, you''re a vampire?" whispers Lues.


    "How would I know!?" you whisper back.


    "I see, so a suitable ¨­dachi for a vampire." Carbonite drowns himself into deep thoughts. "I think I can picture the schematic. Considering that Missy is literally using her own blood for motoric actions, I won''t ask how you got into that situation."


    ''Ah, he is perceptive.''


    It seems like the stereotypes of anything that involves blood is always related to a vampire. Now you''re wondering, there are fancy races in this world such as Aiseirigh and Aekha, then you have the creature from European folklore being preserved 12,000 years into the future. There must be nerds and librarians who are still using the ancient concepts for many things.


    His next sentence must be something along the lines of him being surprised to meet with an ancient.


    "Hmm, something that can match the ancient blood bending art¡ª"


    ''Yup, now I''m feeling really old all of a sudden.''


    The pink devil smirks, something of a silent chortle. Another victim to her lies, again.


    The pieces starts to makes sense now, an ancient vampire in the form of a child being discovered within Kauhu Forest, Chronos trying to convince the elk man that you''re a vampire¡ª


    It seems like she wants you to get noticed as the said vampire, depending on the situation, it can come with two different outcomes: People will fear you as it gives you some sense of seniority over the weak even though you''re weak yourself, Chronos can also use you as a shield if something arises, figuratively or literally. You don''t doubt either way


    And then the worst outcome, people will hunt you or even see you as an enemy as you haven''t known how they treat a blood lusting vampire. No wonder that the lion man and lizard man in the Kauhu Forest back then was so scared of you, which leads to the conclusion that the remaining one individual who stands firm not showing any hints of reluctance actually does know your real power level.


    Fear of the unknown is a prevalent thing, even outside of the regular humans you once knew.


    Lues also mentioned that the tan oni is one of the ''primordial'' at first, does ''primordial'' equal to a literal ancient?


    "You okay, Missy?" asks Carbonite.


    "I''m fine, really fine."


    Within your deep thinking, both of your partners are continuing their tongue wrestling of shitting each other.


    "Long Leggy, I do hate you but the past is the last." The tall blacksmith turns around to scan his tools, probably for your weapon. "You lost your memories and my daughter looks the same age as yours, just don''t be your former self and we will be cool."


    The angsty blacksmith seems to be more understanding than you thought.


    "I''ll make sure to remember it."


    Then, he turns his head to the bickering couple. You could see a reluctant sigh escape his lips.


    "Oy, Compose. How will you handle her true origin?"


    Chronos hums knowingly, "I''ll probably put a box on her head."

 Chapter 47 - Bank And Bakery.

    After settling the deal with Carbonite, the three of you depart from the facility to the bank on the western part of Amos Citadel, riding the same unmanned taxi through the extremely polished asphalt that makes you wonder whether they put a circuit formation, better road material, or pay someone to pave the road all the time.


    Arriving to the front of a majestic building that exudes ''aesthetic'' all over the place, your little foot drops to the ground out of the taxi''s platform. Just in case of earning unwanted attention, you pleaded to both of the devils to teach you some kind of concealment for the blood exo-muscle. Because you''re sure as hell that you can''t still lift an inch of your finger.


    ''Spell Concealment Technique'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Light Bending Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    ''Odors Concealment Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    And as expected, the passerby and the crowd didn''t react! The technique works by embedding the spell''s circuit with a light bending circuit to the outer exterior of hosted material, in your case, blood. With extra steps, they also taught you about how smell can be exterminated by directly destroying the microscopic molecules spreaded by any kind of substances before it reaches living being''s receptors.


    Let alone the exo-muscle, you can actually use this concept to hide your whole appearance! Although they told you that it can be detected with a more complex anti-circuit formation, so you can''t do it all the time.


    You did also ask if the bank had those kinds of formations within, knowing that it was called a ''bank'' because it stores money there and someone can steal it. But nope, they didn''t and when you asked "why?" Chronos laughs like a madman and repeatedly bashing the seat. You can only see Lues'' confused expression at that time.


    The glass doors open themselves, feeling like you''re coming to an avant garde company''s building rather than a bank.


    The inside is more normal than you thought, there are numerous ATM-like machines and numerous receptionist posts housed by glass and concrete.


    Although anxious, you strengthen your resolve as Chronos walks behind you to one of the receptionists.


    It takes a while for the registration, you''re quite bored as you can''t reach the high receptionist table, so you decide to indulge into your mana sea.


    The high rank BBV vessels made by your mana workers are proven to be extremely useful especially in this scenario. It does entice you to communicate with those cute critters but all they are doing is doing some gesture you couldn''t understand. The Lueling have been successfully blending with the Chrolings, it kinda reminds you of the third Chroling, where is she now?


    ''Oh yeah, I haven''t checked the new realm.''


    It was located on top of the mana lake, the gate looks like a warped space like a portal spewing the black-yellow varicolored substances nonstop. You concentrate your consciousness to manifest within your own mana sea. The workers are following you from behind to the sky above as if they know what you''re thinking.


    The propelling force is getting stronger and stronger, it gets extreme until your partner taps you out from your mana sea.


    "Your KCC is done!"


    "Tch."


    "Wait, why the ''tch''?"


    Another time, another day.


    "So how do you deposit the chips?" asks Lues.


    Tilting your head, you say, "Yeah, I haven''t seen real life coins too."


    "Pfft! There are no physical coins, you dummy!" Chronos then changes her gaze to Lues. "You idiot, Kepler Coin is a digital currency." She then gives you a small device together with the KCC. "This is the payment terminal."


    You looked at the rather thick yellow card with slick black stripes and glowing green designs, the payment terminal sports a scanner and a card holder with numeral inputs. It still amazes you that people are sending crypto currency now instead of crystal or gold coin as a currency in this fantasy world.


    "Hold your card and show the glowing green part to me," says Chronos as she puts her black KCC onto the payment terminal''s card holder on the top, a holographic rays then scans your cards until a beeping sound thuds three times from your card. "There, I''ve sent you 5KC into your account." She smirks.


    You then put your KCC onto the pocket payment terminal and push the ''balance'' button, Your balance is 5KC.


    "Fufufu, I wonder." Lues poke her fingertip into your card, causing your KCC to exude crimson cloudy pattern smoke until you see a frown instead of a grin on her face. "The protection is tight."


    Chronos unpacks her payment terminal. "Heh, told ya."


    "So where are we going to go next?" you ask.


    "I''ll teach ya how to do payments in public use so that you don''t embarrass yourself," says Chronos, donning her natural smile.


    The three of you reach for the unmanned taxi. Inside, Chronos inputs a command to the automatic driver, "22 Fervor Street, Bunyah Bakery."


    The machine speech replies, "Affirmative."


    ''So there is a bakery in this apocalyptic world.''


    You''re wondering if you can go back to the Kauhu Forest to pick more cheese mushrooms to combine with the doughy goodness 12,000 years into the future. The idea of pastries and desserts entices your brain with dopamine as you drool uncontrollably.


    Exiting the taxi, Chronos showcases the glorified destination with open arms, "We''ve arrived! This is my favorite bakery in Amos Citadel."


    "The scent of the bread making is flooding, this is nostalgic. I would die for another yeasty breakfast," says Lues.


    "No, don''t die."


    The ring of the mini bell when the three of you open the door feels more old-school than any sorcery and divine-tech you find in this world, the warm and orange themed bakery, showcasing different types of pastry and the familiar looking store receptionist that you didn''t expect would meet again.


    A flat chested untanned oni without the horns, her eyes are a mixed spectrum of colors as numerous prism silhouettes are reflected on her ponytail hairstyles. Porcelain-white, white eyebrows. This is no mistake.


    Her gaze meets with yours and the others, she retracts her face and then meets her eyes with you again with a professional forced smile.


    "Welcome to Bunyah Bakery! Is there any yeasty goodness my guests want to try?"

 Chapter 48 - Sakura Petals [Kolme]

    "Ah, shit."


    The undercover oni is being drenched in sweat but she''s able to conceal the obvious fear and hesitation by sending her main ''consciousness'' into a spare body ready to be used on the back alley of the bakery, leaving her main body auto piloted by a self-made artificial intelligence circuit.


    Chickening out, not wanting to experience the awful clusterfuck of a scenario that will happen when meeting Chronos'' family, she decides to leave all the anxiety to the lifeless pilot that is now taking over her true body.


    Rebooting¡ª


    Transfer success.


    Jolted awake, Ketanium spreads her control over the new body she has just overtook.


    The dark, mushy, stinky, and cramped place has taken over all her sensory feelings to puke internally.


    "It''s only a matter of time until I shift into a spare doll swimming in lava."


    Just like a window opening in the morning to suck in all of those fresh breaths of the dawn, she vents the ceiling of the dumpster from the inside. The escape is a success! With a side dish of horrible wet and rotten peanut butter intoxicating her sharp sense of smell. It shows how introverted Ketanium is when she is willing to waste a huge amount of mana to create a spare vessel beforehand just to avoid unwanted contact.


    Even if her main body dies, she can start all over if her consciousness is safe. The main reason for her survival till this moment is all because she is not afraid to let go of everything if she can live on.


    "This is worth it," she says. Reaching out from the pool of trash, Ketanium makes sure that there are no sudden ambushes from both directions of her vision before heaving a relieved sigh for the day.


    Tan skin with white perpetual eyebrows, eyelash, long hair reaching her hip, and on her forehead can be seen a pair of sharp horns with the hue shifting from her skin''s color to red on the end. Taking an item from her space-pocket, a set of white kunoichi clothes from her glory days.


    "Ah right, I''m still smelly."


    Ketanium deploys a spell circuit to erase bacteria and numerous molecular substances outside her body with pinpoint precision. Feeling like being reborn after the cleansing, she reaches her hand just as when an opening of her space pocket opens to retrieve a grimoire.


    Flicking through numerous pages, she stops at page 69. A special page with only a broken circuit array and triangular symbol with one eye in the middle of it. Ketanium places her finger into the old parchment as she shifts the fragmented circuit into a new one once again.


    A dark red portal appears.


    She marches in as the world around her changes into an unknown land coated by the night, and three horned figures wearing unique kimonos are present on top of a wooden rubble which was a prime shrine in the past. Partying and swaying their heads left and right as the alcohol dances in their joy, a genuine smile and the smell of a drunkard is being exuded. Weirdly enough, all of them are female.


    The moon appears cracked from afar and the wind shoves the pink petals from the sakura trees to enrich the land.


    "Oy, Saya! Here, take this!" says the farthest one from Ketanium. Tall and slender stature with jade hair, graciously balances the red ceramic plate full of sake as she throws the heavy gourd one handed to a new participant for their party.


    Ketanium catches the gourd with one hand, and then immediately sits cross legged with the weight of her troubles being taken away by the soothing drips from the nearby pond. "Righty ho, I think I need more sake since the last fight."


    "Ya still with those Tartarus brutes, my dear Saya?" asks the shortest one with long straight void hair. Unlike other oni, her horns are planted on the side of her head and not on the forehead, two menacingly strong bones of a beast that is longer than the oni''s limbs. With a cheeky smile and blushes, she points her unoccupied finger to Ketanium. "Ya can just call me if somebody is messing with ya!"


    "Saiko, Saya isn''t a brute like you. Who knows how many troubles she will get if you go over to Neamh," says the sophisticated oni with clean fiery red hair, sitting with straight posture as she shyly hides her drunkenness unlike the other two who''s wilder than any youkai combined. She gently pours the gourd into a cute cup she holds as she sips another liquid of alcohol into her throat. "You''re a ''Primordial'' so don''t embarrass the younglings."


    Saiko immediately retorts, "Younglings these, younglings that, who cares of ages in these times where ants from Neamh are troubled by a speck of void that comes from an error space fart! Isn''t that right? Tamomo?"


    The green haired lady, Tamomo, shifts her gaze away from her elder playfully. "Whatever you say, old Saiko."


    A smile permeates Saya as she meets and gathers with her old friend. "Reiyu, someone defeated me and it seems like I''m in need of another sake gourd, probably the best one, can you make one?"


    Reiyu immediately chugs the sake from her cute cup, revealing a face of an annoyed oni. "Oy! That kind of gourd isn''t something we give to strangers! How strong is she anyway?''


    "In some comparison, I flew the moon to her and she didn''t die."


    Reiyu spat out the sake on her throat. With red cheeks and tired eyes, she put her drinking set into her space pocket. "That is highly excessive of you to bash someone with a moon." Taking out a raw gourd with a jade scroll right after.


    "That ain''t really hard to do though, just look at Tamomo! That lass fricking broke the moon in this realm just because she didn''t like how the ground looks!" shouts Saiko, emphasizing the moon with her forefinger merrily.


    After taking another sip of sake, Saya stands up, alerting the other onis from the sudden mood change.


    "I do want to report something from the Tartarus'' current movements."

 Chapter 49 - Assailant Headquarter

    "I feel like a real parent now."


    "Nope, you''re far from it."


    You, Chronos, and Lues are back in the unmanned taxi on the way to a certain important place with three of you munching on the bread you''ve bought like a hamster. Yes, it takes 1.5KC to buy three loaves of bread. Once again, Goyang is currently on Lues'' lap. It seems both of them are on good terms now and it couldn''t make you more relieved.


    Then there was the familiar face that you encountered or rather, you recognise while buying the baked goods. Same pale skin at the Engineering, same crystalize white hair suddenly tucked away from ponytail behind her hood holding a tray of bread. Ketanium, idly looking at the shelves of food, facing away from the three of you.


    Or was it? You weren''t sure as you couldn''t get to take a closer look since Chronos had been practically holding your hand the entire time you were in the bakery like some sort of concerned mother. The thought never occurred to you to ask Chronos nor Lues about the suspicious person that has been standing stiff for minutes, mostly because you were afraid. Lues might already noticed it, and if she is the same person who gave you candy back then, you owe her more than a ''thank you''.


    But back then was a bad timing, you don''t want another severed head rolling.


    Your balance is now 3.5KC, according to the pocket terminal that read your card. Chronos made you pay for the food under the excuse of "Teaching you how to pay at the cashier, my beloved daughter~!".


    ''I don''t know what to feel about this.''


    Feeling a little bit curious, you ask, "So where do we go next?"


    "Vagant Assailant Department," replies Chronos with a heavy frown on her face.


    "Huh? I thought you hate being in one apartment with the owl lady?"


    "I am, but Coalition headquarters is in Kratos Citadel. We can''t waste more KC on travel expenses, especially when you two don''t have any ID."


    "Vagant Association, huh?" Lues stops eating for a moment. "Such a surprise for the valiant organization made by that old lady is still intact to this very day." And resumes munching.


    "The place with heaps of weapons is their Engineering section." The pink-haired lady snickers.


    "Huh, didn''t notice that, probably because you''ve been annoying me the whole time."


    "Heh, can say the same."


    You then recall the debt you had with Thuljas. "How about our debt?"


    "17,700KC. Well, you two will be the one who''s going to make money, hahaha," says Chronos.


    "Wait, you didn''t join?"


    "I''ll be going to Kratos Citadel. I have some matters with a few big shots about something rather controversial. You two be good girls after my departure, okay? It won''t be long, as I''ll be threatening them to send me to Amos Citadel''s outpost because I need to take care of my precious daughter!" she shifts her gaze onto the crimson lolita. "Not you, don''t ever hope of becoming my daughter."


    You only showcase your deadpan of disappointment.


    ''Yeah, you left your daughter alone in the wild, what a great parent you are.''


    "As if I want to be a psycho ruffian''s daughter," replies Lues, trying to hold herself from destroying the beautiful loaf of bread in her hand.


    Driving to the eastern parts of Amos Citadel, from afar a towering giant made for sheltering many facilities can be seen, even bigger than the Engineering headquarters on Amos Citadel. Chronos mentioned another Citadel existence that shows multiple civilizations trying to survive in the land of Neamh.


    So far you only know the Engineering and Assailant department''s location, there are still four left you don''t know. Chances are that this Citadel might only hold two of the grand headquarters from Vagant''s department. There might be multiple of the same department but the Coalition department is not within Amos Citadel.


    What does the Coalition department do anyway? It seems like they take care of both intel gathering and third party interference, but your mind has shifted from that thought and began to marvel at the distinguishable architecture of the great Assailant Headquarter.


    You arrive at the front of the building.


    Unlike the militaristic bunker on the Engineering department, the Assailant building looks more like a multi billionaire elite corporation of tech companies. Even the front looks more like an big office despite the word ''Assailant'' is etched on the dept''s name.


    ''This is no department, this is Tony Stork''s building!''


    There are two guards with the same fierce obsidian armor from head to toe just like the one on the Engineering section. Going in, one Aekha in a militaristic white uniform with a distinguished pair of elk''s horns, strapped with numerous accessories, such as the slick futuristic earpiece on both of her ears.


    The elk officer is taller than Chronos, even more towering than you and Lues. She then dons a smile in order to lower the intensity she emits with just a pure presence. "Welcome to the Vagant''s Assailant Headquarter, may I know your intention of coming here?"


    Chronos hunches down to rest both her hand on your shoulder and Lues''s. "These two over here will be applying to be personnel." She then throws a wide, seemingly manic smile into the officer.


    "I see, the two of you can ask the receptionist first to input your arrival. The staff will prepare the room, and in the meantime, feel free to rest on the longue." She throws away her gaze and then taps on her left earpiece, although soft but you can make out some of the sentence from her whispering, "Code 775, Blood Princess, Scenario Four."


    Are they referring to you? You feel anxious about this. There might be an ambush lurking behind every crevice of this building. You peek at Lues, she grins enthusiastically as usual. It really was a hit or miss to have two madmen as your companion.


    Moving forward, there are numerous personnels wearing the same tactical grey jacket, striping three thin glowing blue lines from right shoulder to bottoms end. On their right chest is a metallic logo of a Qilin, some of the unzipped wearers show a futuristic uniform and tie beneath the jacket and each of them have a name tag or some sort. Some of the personnel on the lobby are just lounging around, some have their equipment and armor instead of uniforms, some are running in a hurry, some are scrambling due to sudden deployment.


    It might be a harsh and a nice place for a first impression, you can''t wait to actually see what they have in store regarding the mission and others.


    There are four reception areas on the wide stretching post, the most on the left have their desk lower than the three and it was occupied with a young-looking brunette with big and round rodent ears. It might be made that way because of the race disparities in stature.


    You approach the receptionist the same height as yours, together with Lues, hoping for the process to be smooth.

 Chapter 50 - Deep Thinking

    "Yes, good afternoon! Li''l missy, how can I assist you?"


    The brunette receptionist shows you a befitting smile and hospitality, despite you feeling like she sees you as someone younger. Taking a closer look, you can see the word Pizzel is written on the nametag on her badge holder necklace.


    Your throat tightens. Despite you having been through more death scenarios than you can count on both of your hands, social interactions still freezes your mouth and numbs your tongue. A supposed vampire but can''t even hold a conversation with a receptionist.


    Fortunately, Lues came to the rescue.


    She floats and shoves her upper body forward to cradle her head with both of her backpalm on the desk. "My sister and I have taken a fancy into this organization, may there be any chances that the Assailant department will recruit more personnel for the time being?" she says with a confident smile.


    The petite woman mirrors Lues smile to a certain extent, squinting her eyes purposefully. This is probably one of those customer service techniques where they hide their discomfort from the weird customers. A prime example is you two.


    "I can input your data first to let the top brass know, could you tell me both of your names?"


    "Lues." With a flick of a finger, she moves out from the receptionist''s vision. "This one is Pitka."


    ''Another new name.''


    The receptionist is operating the device below the desk that you can''t see clearly. "I see, thank you very much. Both of you can wait at the longue until the interviewer is ready¡ªapproximately ten minutes from now. And with that, I wish you good luck for the test and trial!"


    "Thanks to you too," replies Lues.


    Now is the waiting game, ten minutes feels like forever especially when it comes to interviews and tests. You thought that this world is all about monsters and magic, so something about searching for jobs is out of your expectations. Who could''ve guess that there are still intelligent beings 12,000 years into the future, then again it was better than being the last surviving person on a broken earth with no shoulder to lean on. Although the current two individuals you can depend on are highly questionable in terms of personality.


    Thinking about it, you wonder if one person can take more than two departments at the same time. This might be a stupid idea, but you really want to get your hands on magic device craftsmanship ever so because of how mana circuit works. Imagination is a fun thing to explore and you had a couple of ideas with your current knowledge regarding the blue energy coding.


    About mana, why blue? Moreover, the one Chronos utilizes is neon pink colored and crimson red for Lues. Is there any special trait from person to person? The concept of unconnected metaphysical strings to create a mini fusion reactor is already sci-fi enough in this baffling world. Your technique core is also getting denser inch by inch with each second passing you''re moving using the blood exo-muscle, you might want to hide them somewhere safe within your athenaeum.


    So many things to keep in track of, having the Chrolings and Lueling save your mental energy or else you would already collapse from managing so many things at once. It seems like you need to learn how to multitask soon enough.


    ''Imagine that multitasking has a technique''s core.''


    "Oy, Pitka, are you listening?"


    "Awawa!?"


    "Daydreaming? Jeez, the prick and I have already conversed about something you need to keep in mind," says Chronos, sitting with the two of you at the pleasant lounge.


    Lues, meanwhile, is lying down on the couch as if the longue is her personal room. She materializes a pillow to snuggle with Goyang before facing you with her usual grin. "Firstly, your name will be Pitka from now on. Also, being a Vagant personnel will require you to make a codename. You can ask for them to name it or you can input it yourself¡ªbut be fret not! We already found a matching codename for you~"


    ''Will it be Razorblade!? Fafnir? Vampira? Blood Master?''


    The numerous possibilities of cool looking codenames makes you excited like a child opening a Christmas gift.


    "Lewd-ass will be taking ''Libera'', and you got ''Long Leggy''."


    "Oh¡­"


    ''ISN''T THAT THE SAME FROM BEFORE!?''


    They must be joking, surely those two are!


    "...You''re kidding, right? Come on! Tell me my actual codename!?"


    Lues replies with a powerful smile, "Long Leggy."


    ''AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡ª''


    The codename will usually be asked on the last phase either way. So it is time for a rebellion! You mustn''t let those two choose everything for you any longer! You need your own freedom! With maximum calculation, you decide to use another codename when they ask you after the trial. Yes! That dumb nickname will not be carried over and you really don''t want the enemies of this former body to hunt you like a heat seeking missile.


    ''Yes, a perfect plan.''


    Unexpectedly, the view of Chronos playing with a vial with an incomprehensible-colored liquid appears in the frame. "If I don''t see any ''Long Leggy'' on the new recruit list. This wonderful solution will be starting its journey into your stomach through your rectum."


    "YES!"


    Aborting the plan, it seems like the future won''t be something easy like a walk in a park. With mild agitation, you deem the situation is too much for you to let it go like that. "Don''t you think donning that codename will only alert my haters and the whole Vagant!?"


    "You''re not an idol, you have assassins and killers craving your ass, not a hater," says Chronos, still playing the dangerous vial as she shows you some dexterity tricks with it.


    "Besides, your former appearance is too memorable. Nobody would think that someone with ''Long Legs'' on their name to be a shorty. Moreover, you and I will be reckoning a pleasant experience given by the Assailant dept after this, because of the stuff you did in Kauhu Forest." Lues then sits like a proper guest after a while.


    "Shit."


    Chronos continues after her chortle, "The amount of people who would be offended by that codename can be counted on your hands. I assure you, my dear, there''s little to worry about~.."


    ''Why do they keep insisting that I have this name?''


    Ten minutes have passed, two Assailant personnels in their usual uniform under holographic capelets, probably someone in higher ranks. One is an Aiseirighian, the other is a new race with small feathers wings on their head.


    "Two of the entrants need to follow us to the examination room for an interview."


    Before going, Chronos sneakily slinks an unknown barrier formation to both of you.


    This is not going to end well.

 Chapter 51 - The Undying Dyaus Pita

    Following the two personnel, you and Lues have been passed by so many administration officers. At floor 11, the inside of the hallway is becoming gloomier in hue, coating basil green together with deep sea blue for the ceiling and walls. Unlike the bright and energetic lobby, the inside was built to remind everyone that we''re still in a war against Calamities.


    For safety purposes, you condense more blood on your exo-muscle as you can''t just bring your gourd to the interview. Feel free for anyone to call you paranoid, but being wary at all times is a blessing in disguise.


    Lues is also using short range telepathy, she explains that people can detect whether you have a Golden Orb or not unless you hide it. There aren''t any Usurpers here in the building, but it would be better to prepare if the questioner is trying to prod your power level.


    So she commands the Lueling to build an array inside your mana sea to spread an artificial Golden Orb''s wave in an unstatic state to replicate a barely hidden orb for more intimidation. Making your presence akin to those full fledged Cultivators and Usurpers.


    Even though you haven''t known much about Golden Orb yet, you still followed Lues''s guidance.


    The barrier Chronos'' put on both of you suddenly disappears.


    At the end of the hallway is an intersection and a giant airlock door. Although the four of you are taking another path, circling into the same quarter until meeting with another giant sliding door. Inside was a sophisticated interrogation room¡ªthere are supervisors on higher ground separated from the white room, only connected through multiple glass windows for them to see the specimen inside.


    In front of you is a table, a chair, and the interviewer with pairs of long thin antennae sprouting from her long black haired head. Her complexion is fair white and mostly human-like from what you can see. Even though she reminds you of an unkillable insect a little bit, a cockroach, wearing a special kind of uniform, a militaristic one just like the tall Aekha on the entrance.


    Her psycho red eyes and manic smiles are a clear sign that you will be having a bad time.


    "Miss Lues, follow me," says the Aiseirighian, leaving you alone to go inside while the woman with wings on her head is waiting outside.


    ''Shit.''


    The moment you step in, your concealment formation is interrupted by the variable circuit throughout the room. Revealing the crimson red exo-veins that you''re trying to hide this whole time. Although little, the interviewer''s smile widens.


    "Yes! YES! Please, take your seat, miss Pitka."


    Without trying to act suspicious, you sit on the given chair after nodding in fright.


    She continues, "It seems like I won''t be beating around the bush. But firstly first! My codename, my referral, my identity, Dyaus Pita." She reaches one of her jointed appendages hidden behind her long sleeves as she lays out her three clawed tarsus, greeting you for a handshake. "Just call me Pita! It was an immense pleasure meeting you on this terrible occasion."


    The intention is obvious, this is an interrogation! Not an interview! A clear threat that someone suddenly trying to join your organization is too suspicious for the higher up in Vagant to pass by. If you show any hesitation and weakness, they might abuse you for their own gain! There isn''t enough information to deem them as good willed contractors knowing that all corporations seek multiple benefits until one drops to the dumpster.


    Your right palm is touching her insect claws, shaking up and down.


    In order to free yourself from the unwanted scenario, you need to clear up their doubt while also trying to gain the same ground as them for a better consensus. The ancient old technique used by many great figures when haggling for agreement.


    You need to bluff.


    "So! Miss Pitka, may I know the very reason you want to apply to become a personnel here? Haven''t you become powerful enough to survive in your private realm? Hidden mansion?"


    ''As if I have a mansion!''


    A trap question, trying to gauge your power with your response and how controllable you can be depending on your choice of word. It might also show how hot headed you are. To match the image of a sophisticated royalty, you need to answer with verbose.


    With the help of your mana sea''s worker, your heartbeat and the dopamine hormones are being controlled to increase your concentration and composure. Trying to copy both of the madman that is always with you in travel, a fearsome manic smile and gaze is etched into your face.


    "Do I need one?¡ªisn''t my presence''s enough proof for you to be grateful?"


    Maieutics, this method of answering questions with questions, in order to let the questioner realize that they can find the answer by reasoning. A befitting way to show that you are confident to stay higher in status¡ªeven if you''re not.


    ''I don''t need any reason, I''m higher than all of you but I decided to humble myself to be reachable, but don''t you dare look down on me,'' Is your message, it might be interpreted differently but you''re sure that she is smart enough to catch the meaning.


    The interviewer tilts her head in an uncanny way. "Why now?"


    She gets your message, now you only need to convince her that you''re not a threat. She asks you ''why now?'' because there might be no other ancient or primordial reaching their hand to the mortals of Neamh.


    You shift your smile into a serious expression, trying to make her talk more personally because not all interrogators are harsh and manipulative from their core. "I''m not your enemy, Neamh is grieving, won''t hurt to accept my help, no?"


    They do it because it was their job to extract information. Then again, your fate on RNG is high, nothing will go wrong either way in the calculated outcomes.


    "So you know the state of the current Neamh." Dyaus Pita''s manic smile turns into a melancholic one as if she is concerned about something, stripping off the mask and personality she faked for the interview. "There is rarely a Primordial reaching their hand to us¡ª"


    She suddenly ascends her left feet into the air and smashes down the metal table into two, creating an immense shockwave, booming and shaking the fortified white room. Her smile turns into a grin, the pupil on her eyes dwindles. Not enough, she raises her right appendage arm and shows you one arthropod nail like a middle finger.


    "WE''VE FUCKING SURVIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND WE DON''T NEED WEAK ASS SYMPATHY FROM YOU!!"


    The interview has started.

 Chapter 52 - Another Leg From The Centipede

    ''This is more harrowing than I thought, this is terrifying! Job Interview is the worst afterall!''


    She then sits back to her surprisingly unscathed chair. Still with her anger, the interview will be continuing without the table.


    On the other side of her, is a clueless child who tries her best. Yes, that child is you, cold sweat is draining the blood on your head. If there is a mirror, you will be shocked at how pale you are.


    Alas, it seems like you''re just unlucky to get a demonic interviewer. Dyaus Pita might be stronger than Lues as the crimson devil''s current mana is the same as yours.


    With a flick of a tarsus finger, she disables all of the variables within the room that cancel your concealment, and immediately creates a forcefield from inside.


    "Those top brass won''t be seeing nor hearing the real us for a while. From their point of view, we''re just bantering each other like racist scum, so feel free to uncover your dipshit."


    "W-why would you do so?"


    She leans her head forward. "They mustn''t know that a weakling who is not even a primordial is here in front of me. I can see unique emitters to duplicate Golden Orb''s aura but that won''t fool a ''Usurper'' like me."


    The Chrolings and Lueling inside your mana sea are trembling in fear, knowing that their craft can easily be unfoiled by an unprecedented adversary. A Usurper, so she says. The same as Lues, an elder within this apocalypse.


    Before embarrassing yourself with those former antics you tried to pull, you instinctively stand and bow. "I''m sorry!!"


    "Tch, younglings these days. I admit your act is platinum but you''re doing it on the wrong goddamn person!" She stands, crosses her pair of appendages, and shifts her head up to look down on you. "Life''s a fucking bitch, you daft-high horse-looking-ass midget. If you think that we''re just some company who takes hard working people who risk their fucking ass at the frontlines so that you can get someone to massage your crinkly toe then you can get the hell out of my sight!"


    "I''M SORRYYYY!!!"


    You maintain your apologetic stands, an eerie pause ensues until the burning fire in her eyes flickers. Then, it fizzles out as she leans back on her chair.


    "A Citadel is a civilization, The Vagants are no different, the past is gone and the future is uncertain. Now tell me, tell me if the death of a wretch was just the centrepiece. Well, you don''t need to. Those lives that fly with hope are just another leg wrenched from the centipede. We''re a stampede, a legion proceeded when decreed. The Assailant is one of many boxes who send those hungry pawns on steed to the battlefield, we''re just the containers."


    After hearing her acknowledgement, you sit back into your chair.


    "How about the other?" you ask.


    "There is no other, we''re on our own asses. Most of the other organizations think that they are safe in their expensive bunkers. Vagants are the only ones who at least try to ensure the survival of those mortals. There might be vigilantes and other small secretive groups who are active to make this world a better place. In the end most of them don''t care, they don''t have sympathy. We''re the only organization who keeps the apocalypse at bay, a Citadel on itself is our idea."


    "Why are you saying this to me? Who are you?"


    "Just your dank cockroach trying to carry the weight of humanity on her shoulders, even though they don''t exist anymore."


    "How about the other 56?"


    "Those are humans, Humanity is dead."


    Both of you are contemplating the torn history of the world. It seems like Dyaus is not a mere cockroach who doesn''t have empathy. Her complexion and way of speech emphasizing the fall and the nigh end that the Vagant is currently keeping away.


    She continues, shrugging with glee, "As for why I''m doing this, I''m just making sure that there is no wretched primordial joining my precious branch! Others will be fooled by your act and I''m sure as hell they would aggro the heck out of me, I don''t want my wrath resulting in this building crumbling to dust because of misinformation."


    "W-won''t you get in trouble for that?"


    "Of course not, I''m one of the founders of Assailant, Dyaus Pita. Nice to meet you once again, twerp! Keep going with the act!"


    She disables the illusion forcefield and her fake manic smile is etched into her face again. With confidence, she continues, "Now, what is your reason for applying to be a personnel here?"


    You think deeply, something that doesn''t sound threatening, something that isn''t half assed, something that is not cheesy, something that is naive. The founder of the Assailant knows that you''re not a primordial. Chances are, the others are not. She wants you to keep acting like one to appease them that you''re on their side after a long time. Chronos must''ve thought of this, this is beneficial for you and her, and the other her.


    You pull out your Kepler Coins Card, slowly descending your gaze to the ground.


    "I like the bread made from this Citadel, and I need KC to buy it."


    A jolt of laughter permeates the room, so much that the embarrassment is coming back to you.


    "Dear gracious, I''m glad that the food provided here managed to tame a primordial on our side, HAHAHAHAHA!"


    "Ha-hahah-hahahaha!"


    "The Assailant will give you plenty of food of course, and with that." She winks and opens her pair of appendages wide as if she is welcoming you with open arms. "Welcome to the Vagant Association. Seizequill will be leading you to the Test Range." Before crossing her arms once again.


    "Follow me," says Seizequill suddenly appearing from behind.


    You throw another bow and proceed to leave the room together with the lady with wings on her head. She might be the same kin as Thuljas but you aren''t sure. As there is no troublesome variable circuit, you activate your concealment spell once again to hide your blood exo-muscle.


    Outside of the room, you meet a familiar figure together with an Aiseirighian.


    "Where have you been?"


    "Waiting room." Lues shrugs.


    "Don''t die."


    She gives you a thumbs up, you reply with another thumbs up, probably confusing the heck out of the two Assailant personnels. After that, you follow the lead of Seizequill.


    "Are you a Ferrowl?" you ask.


    "I''m a Ferrakhian, most of my kin are already extinct. Also, feel free to ask me anything," she says with a cocky smile, as if her statement about her dying race is only dust in the desert. A rather complacent one at that.


    Both of you get into the elevator, the Ferrakhian presses the B4 buttons.


    ''So there is also a basement floor on this tall building.''


    From floor 11 to the basement-4, it will take a while.


    "Does the founder usually handle the interview like that?" you ask.


    "Nope, we don''t even usually hold recruitment on normal days either."


    "So it was all because I''m a Primordial, huh. You aren''t scared?"


    "Nope, how could I be scared of a cute mistress like you?"


    She then gives you a wink.


    It seems like winking is a tradition here. You probably gonna have to wink a lot too, probably Chronos and Lues as well


    You shudder at the thought of both of them winking at you like idols. You regret it, actually.


    The lift has arrived, welcoming you to the Test Range.

 Chapter 53 - Experimentation

    A humongously wide open field made of fortified floors and ceilings, it might reach more than three kilometers from what you see. There are numerous square areas spaced 10 meters from each other and a single target pillar in the middle of them, having five-times the size of your little body. Each square area is about 15 meters, there are so many of them and you''re too lazy to count because of how vast this underground space is.


    Hundreds of personnel are present, they are practicing with the pillars by attacking them in any kinds of ways, whether it was spells, or an autocannon for fighter jets that one of them single handedly put on their shoulder. Holographic numbers then appear on top of the target pillar to determine the destructive potential of the attack.


    The pillar itself didn''t look like it was damaged at all, the Vagant Association could just make thousands and then make a great wall out of these masochist pillars.


    ''Wait, the Calamity might start to train their moves that way.''


    You and Seizequill are going for the vacant spot around ten testing-squares from the elevator, spectating the numerous stunt on the way. A male Ferrowl dashes, leaving an afterimage to strike the target pillar: 211 points. An Aiseirighian with a skimpy battlesuit has blasted the target pillar by summoning ten giant fireballs using the help of a human-size crystal-shape floating spell catalyst: 752 points.


    A physical attack might reach 600 points at best unless it was groundbreaking, there is one person that striked the target pillar using a giant rocket hammer with a hit worth 2566 points, resulting in a heavy shockwave to the surroundings as the perpetrator got complaints by the blown away victims.


    An offensive spell can reach 1000 points average although the caster immediately needs to drink a vial of liquid mana right after, it seems like an elemental spell consumes a lot of mana. Or so you think.


    You''re itching to try an elemental spell especially after Lues planted the Elemental Crystal at the bottom of your mana deposit. The amount of elemental essence in your mana sea is so dense that the trio workers are now constructing a specialized powerplant, just to make a preserved elemental fuel in numerous batteries. Preventing a natural disaster such as firestorms, lightning storms, heavy floods contaminating the mana lake, and many more tantrums from the mother nature of your athenaeum.


    Yes, all of them had happened inside your mana sea when you didn''t check it at the time and it seems like the natural disasters traumatized the trio a lot. Your miniature realm is becoming more and more earth-like, it''s still a blur whether it was good or not


    "The Test Range, simply just call it that because even the top brass doesn''t really know what to call this field," she says.


    "So much for a large organization."


    Almost arriving at the vacant testing area, a single crooked-looking individual with dragon horns, wearing the Assailant''s uniform suddenly occupies the square.


    Seizequill immediately shouts, "Operator! State your name!"


    "Aww come on, senior, I just want to flex my move to the newcomer."


    With just the tone of voice, the woman immediately identifies the annoying person, "C-rank personnel, Hegal from the Chassil Squadron. If your points are lower than the new recruit then I will send you for a pleasant expedition with the Coalition unit."


    "Be my guest! We will see if the kid has skill!"


    The confident man is running to build his momentum, simultaneously compressing a dark energy on his right palm. He then boosts himself to slide forward at high speed, leaving a line of purple flame on his track until he reaches the proximity of the target pillar, and blasts the quarter of the square area engulfed in purple flame.


    ''Holy shit, that was cool and nasty.''


    Holographic ''1778'' appears on top of the target pillar. It seems like he doesn''t even use any circuit catalyst such as staff and wand or anything to pull out that stunt, this man could''ve been a precious asset to the department if only he behaves more pleasant to the eyes.


    The male Aiseirighian is proud of himself, puffing his chest before facing you and his senior. "How''s that!?"


    "He is quite a talented operator, why is he still in C-rank?" you ask.


    Seizequill chuckles for a bit before answering, "Because of his personality."


    "Makes sense."


    "New kid! Show me your technique!" shouts Hagel.


    Seizequill takes out a wand for circuit medium and offers to borrow it, "Need one?"


    "Thank you, but I have my own way."


    With a rather mixed feeling, you step inside the square area, gazing at the large pillar from bottom to up.


    ''Hmm, what should I do? I haven''t learned any offensive spells besides the blood bending technique.''


    "Come on, new kid, you can do this!" mocks Hagel in the most exaggerating ways.


    "If she does it better than you, I will take half of your reward after the expedition."


    ''It seems like trying an unorthodox elemental spell will be fun, there is no demerit for me if I don''t reach the expected outcomes, I can just bluff my way out of here.''


    Putting both of your hands forward and each palm facing each other, you determine the place for the circuit to assimilate the spell into the center between both of your palms. You don''t need any casting media because the chibi virus vessel is already a great circuit conductor and you have tons of them preserved within your mana sea.


    Expelling quarters of your saved virus vessels, it''s like numerous metallic dust coming out from your body.


    You can see a fiendish smile etched on Seizequill face the moment you put your hands forward.


    ''Let''s try making fire, but what is fire actually?''


    You command one of the trio inside your mana sea to assimilate fire and send the information to your brain.


    ''I see.''


    Fire is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen. To assimilate the plasma, you only need fuel, oxygen, and energy. A jolt of electricity as the flicker will do. Once energy starts the reaction, it continues so long as fuel and oxygen are present.


    ''Knowledge of Fire'' acquired.


    With the elemental-essence coated mana as the fuel, you send a miniscule bead of processed mana into the determined location, and then you cast a circuit that uses magnetic forces to move electrons from one atom to another, resulting a jolt of electricity to lights the flame.


    ''Electricity Generator Circuit'' knowledge acquired.


    It burns in glory at the size of a basketball, having the bluish hue and red possibly because of the use of high quality mana.


    ''Fireball Spell'' knowledge acquired.


    With just 0.001% of your mana, you could create this amount of fire. The elemental crystal is donating greatly into this part.


    You glances at both of your spectators in curiosity, Seizequill''s twisting and haughty smirk has grown more while Hagel is reconsidering his life.


    Amusingly, you could hear what they are saying from your position.


    "How''s that? Hagel, that fire is the sign of a high quality mana."


    "Y-yes, that is surely some talented new recruit."


    And you haven''t started yet.

 Chapter 54 - Accidentally Creating A Sun

    The miniscule mana still combusts, of course, mana isn''t flammable by nature. It was all because of the alchemy process using your consciousness strings of turning the available mana into carbon and hydrogen, and it was all using the same mana that was used to fuel the flame.


    The flame is rather uncontrollable. You want to create a denser fireball which is really tricky to do it the first time. What does it need to condense plasma such as fire to be smaller while having the same mass? Something really bright, and hot.


    The Sun.


    You remember that the giant fireball in the sky does have the gravity to keep all the mass and molecules together, and your fireball too is no different. It needs a magnetic core, by hacking and brute combining all you know about magnetism and ferromagnetism circuit, you''re creating a very unique virus vessel that works like a planet core, pulling everything into the center and it does happen with all of the combustion flame.


    Because of the new virus core, hydrogen atoms compress and fuse together, creating helium. A process known as ''Nuclear Fusion''. As the gases heat up, atoms break apart into charged particles, turning the gas into plasma, and it repeats. With every fuel you feed into the bluish hue red mini sun, the size becomes bigger and bigger. You''re also increasing the gravity with the growth of the flame density.


    It takes you 10% of your mana until this point.


    ''Sun Creation Spell'' knowledge acquired.


    It''s hot! Extremely hot! You push forward the dense fireball to the front 3 meters in front of you by moving the core formation within the virus vessel core, a small fireball that doesn''t look so small anymore. The virus vessel probably has become an extremely small and hot ball of magma by now, though it is still a mystery of why the circuit formation remains to exist and working. Either that the circuit is metaphysical, or the property used to create the circuit is more crazy than you think.


    The fortified floor turns bright yellow, with each passing second you might end up destroying the floor instead!


    "That is a very dangerous fireball," says Seizequill. "Make sure you don''t end up destroying the facilities!"


    You only shrug your shoulders from the excitement, especially from the thought of this dangerous fireball in-between both of your palms might collapse at any moment. High concentration is a pain, and it is still a mystery of what will happen if it meets with the target pillar. Will the sun create a smaller version of supernova!? That will be dangerous, you need to replicate what Hagel did to concentrate the flame and minimize the energy explosion.


    It is obvious as hell that the moment the core meets with the pillar it will be the very doom of everything around the structure. Now you''re sweating from the anxiety of possible chances you''ll screw up.


    ''I don''t know how to make a forcefield yet, shit, what to do? What to do? What to do?!''


    Out of concern, you tinker some of the idle virus vessels and infect the oxygen instead. It is hard but you''ve managed to do the stupidest idea, condensing a thick layer of air when the energy release occurs.


    ''Here we go!''


    You blast the ''fireball'' away, it collides with the target pillar and shrinks before releasing the built up plasma. Scalding, the shockwave is so immense that you need to plant blood roots connected to your feet to maintain your position while being terrified of how big the explosion is. The air barrier shrinks the static explosion for ten seconds. The scorching field disperses right after and leaves a damaged floor as the target pillar took 6 seconds to regenerate, then holographic red numbers appear on top of it.


    25,777 points.


    It takes 40% of your total mana to pull off that move, and now it sure as hell convinces hundreds of spectators today that you''re one of the Primordial. Even though you''re not.


    Hagel''s lower jaw is hanging, waiting to be pulled. Seizequill playfully puts back his jaw into its place after a happy dance.


    "Welp, there is this nice expedition on a faraway land for a labyrinth exploration near Vajra Citadel, it will take 2 weeks to go there! I already commanded the rest of your squadron to get some nice rest for a week, so you will go there alone with a stranger after meeting up with the rest unit on Kratos Citadel!"


    The happy Ferrakhian taps the shoulder of the pitiful Aiseirighian, whispering into his ear, "And don''t forget to transfer half of the reward to my account, kay~?"


    "...Okay."


    You can see Hagel''s soul leaving his body.


    Seizequill comes to you and taps the shoulder of your petite figure. "Thanks for the amazing stunt! Let''s split the profit half and half when Hagel comes back."


    "I will appreciate it if you use that to fix the floor instead."


    The target pillar is overpowered, it regenerates as soon as it was destroyed, an intricate formation with high amounts of mana must be needed to maintain this Test Range. ''Replicating the pillar mechanism'' will be on your list on what you want to do next below the ''taming the garrulous centipede Calamity'' and probably the ''becoming a food gourmet''.


    People are crowding the space near you, talking about the collateral damage you caused. You''re pretty much the center of attention within the entirety of this floor. It feels nice and embarrassing, and you''re relieved that you didn''t accidentally kill someone. It''s all nice and dandy until a floating crimson devil arrives in your peripheral vision.


    "Oy! Buckaroo! Having fun without me, ey?" says Lues


    You show her your sour smile, telling that everything is alright, "Definitely."


    "Fetalis, what should I do now?"


    "I need to record your offensive potential, please be hostile with the target pillar in the middle of the square," says the tall Aiseirighian that accompanied Lues the whole time.


    "Gotcha."


    Everyone is watching, because you both have the same gothic lolita getup, the expectations are wilder than the wild west as it suffocates the air.


    Mildly airborne, the vampiric devil does the gun gestures with her right hand and shifts her shoulder to aim at the target pillar. A thin crimson beam is shot at the speed of sound, injecting the pillar with a spider veins pattern as the red lines overwhelms 5% of the inanimate victim periodically until everything on the pillar''s surface is bright red.


    The eerie spectacle goes on just like that for half minutes until the color dissipates and a glitched rows of holographic numbers materialize above the pillar.


    The number shows 99,999.

 Chapter 55 - The Insidious Rumor To The Ears Of Ratatoskr [Kolme]

    "Woez! I''m back from the logistics area! Did you know that there''s a Primordial in the Assailant Headquarters, right now!?"


    "I''m sleepy enough to choose my loot, help me catch a break by shutting up that mouth of yours."


    Floor B6, a facility for personnel to trade goods and Calamities'' materials from their hunt. Two Aekhas are conversing in front of their loot they got from the mission they''ve accomplished. One with a normal stature of a woman with fading grey hair and a small pair of reindeer antlers on her head, she takes the half a meter malignant purple bones of a medium-sized B rank Calamity with her gloved hands and then analyzes the item. After casting a spell to determine the quality of the marrow, Woez breaks the bone into two to see the precious treasure inside.


    "Ratatoskr, do you want these Vasaj''s bone marrows? It seems like we hit the jackpot, they''re pretty high quality. I don''t really need them to make my Orb''s shell so, you know, I don''t really need them."


    Ratatoskr, with her dull-darkish grey hair and broad palmate antlers twice the size of her petite body, tore her eyes away from her device. It seems like her eyes lit up when her partner said "Do you want" and "Vasaj''s bone marrows".


    "Oh! Yes please! Just leave them all to me! I''ll prepare the condensing formation later on at our secret hideout, ufufufufu~" She twiddles her fingers together like some comical villain in a children''s television show. "With all the nourishment ingredients available, I''ll be able to start cultivating breakthroughs for my Golden Orb! Honor, power, wealth and popularity! They''ll be mine!"


    "That''s nice." Woez rolled her eyes. "Make sure you tell your plans to the Vagant Association too."


    "Of course I will!" Then she pauses to give it some thought. "Wait, no I won''t! Anyway, look at this!"


    Ratatoskr pointed towards the speeding messages passing by the screen of her device. It was a group in a messaging app gossiping about the two new powerhouses that had joined the Assailant department.


    Ratatoskr continues, "Holy moose, one of them reaches the limit firepower cap on the Test Range."


    "Well, ain''t that great. The top brass would probably feed them most of the resources and suck up to them. The worst scenario is that those legendary beings would probably use our kindness and struggle then ditch us on ''Last Ark''."


    "Come on, be positive! We might be able to reclaim your homeland, I will be submitting a mission request with those two Primordials around."


    When a ping from the adaptive phone reaches Ratatoskr''s ears, she immediately opens the message and replies to them.


    "Hold on a sec¡ª"


    12,000 years into the future, a phone has been already discovered although recreating the golden age of internet is near impossible with massive cases of disruption from signal waves emitted from the Voids and Calamities. In the end, they can only recover 2% of the worldwide miracle with most of the satellites and databases being destroyed by the Calamities. The world lacks their media of entertainment, so they need to think fast to recreate smartphones as fast as they can.


    ''Adaptive User Interface Screen'' or ''AUIS'' in short. People usually refer to them as an Adaptive Phone. They are a mana circuit based smartphone priced at 45KC, replicating most of its predecessor''s utility, but their demerit is that they can be only used inside the Citadel where an in-built transmitter receptor will connect to the Wi-Fi within the forcefield of a Citadel. It can''t be utilized outside of a civilization because there is a case of an easily leaked access pattern where an intelligent Calamity tries to sabotage the transmission and give fake messages, attacking the database resulting in the degradation of information.


    While handling the deal with the other, a specialized operator for inside logistics that went by the codename of Dealer, who comes after seeing the two Aekhas stance getting ready for settling for their pay.


    The sleepy Aekha has finished separating the loot. "Dealer, we will be selling everything besides the bones, claws, ignitors, and fangs. Can you check the quality of scraps?"


    The Dealer checks the rest of the junk before pulling his calculator. "Most of them are in great condition, as expected of our huntress. That will be roughly 98KC, will an immediate payment be enough?"


    "You''re saying as if there is anything better than an immediate payment." says Woez.


    Finishing the deal, the Aekhas pack the chosen items into their black dodecahedron-shaped space pocket device, which is the size of an adult''s palm. A pricey device made by a talented magic-device craftsman from Kratos Citadel.


    "Oh yeah, Blast is already back from the expedition. I caught him online, want me to invite him for a while?" asks Ratatoskr.


    "Well feel free, I''ll be going to our apartment immediately. I need some sleep."


    "Have a nice rest!"


    Ratatoskr waves her hand to the ever-tired Aekha. Curious, she decides to check upon the testimony of the people that are still in the Test Range.


    After arriving, she sees a familiar person slouching with no energy.


    "Hagel! How are ya doin, sonny?"


    Instead of the pitiful Aiseirighian, a Ferrakhian senior appears from behind and answers the question for him, "Your usual, he is gambling with the wrong person."


    A dreadful pressure suddenly encapsulates every being of Ratatoskr. A suffocating amount of aura is being emitted by two sources of unimaginable power near her vicinity. She glances at the person near the senior, until two infamous figures appear in the frame.


    Unlike others, Ratatoskr is a hybrid of Tanomobi, the rodent people and the Aekhas even though her Aekha''s gene is dominating her trait, but she also has Tanomobi''s benefits of agelessness. Besides being young forever, she has heightened senses that she has cultivated to feel the slightest energy wafting in the air. As a cultivator in the ''hollow orb phase'', she can determine the two vampire''s mana depository.


    In her eyes, the pale petite figure with bluish silver hair is emitting a sun-dense blue flaming aura. Strangely, there are massive amounts of elemental essence presence within her and it''s dissolving into the air continuously to the point that she can make the area near her a cultivation zone. This case of emitting elemental essence from one''s body is unheard of. There is no way for a single person to create an elemental essence on their mana sea from nothing, let alone carefreely releasing them at massive amounts.


    Elemental Essence is an essential material needed to nourish a mana sea, as it gives the miniature realm a trait of mother nature and helps in conducting elemental-based assimilation and activities such as fire, water, wind, earth, and electricity with no difficulty. They are very rare to find and most of them are available by manually converting nature into condensed dust in a pure place with no void, which is almost impossible in this age of apocalypse. Despite all that, a more powerful and natural elemental essence exists within an elemental crystal which is more rare than finding a place to cultivate elemental essence.


    The other one playfully floats near her, donning the same gothic lolita getup, as expected from a vampire. She emits a crimson type of mana from a Blood God''s Golden Orb. An obvious giveaway is that she has one of the most unique types of Golden Orb. However, Ratatoskr immediately knows that this type of Golden Orb demands unfathomable sacrifice. The crimson Primordial might be more dangerous than she thought, as it sends cold shivers from thinking about what she had done to obtain the Golden Orb.


    As strange as it is, the blue Primordial doesn''t emit the same killing intent like the crimson one. Ratatoskr can feel that there is a Golden Orb inside of her but something feels off, the mana wavelength the blue Primordial emits is not something that has been processed and nourished by a Golden Orb. It''s just a pure high quality mana filled with elemental essence. Moreover, this is the first time that Ratatoskr can''t measure the real amount of the person she is sensing, because both of them clearly doesn''t have many mana, hell, it was lower than her but they somehow manage to topple her power.


    As scary as it is, Ratatoskr swallows her saliva and smiles.


    "Senior Seizequill, can you introduce me to the current newest recruits?"

 Chapter 56 - The Start Of Tactical Acumen Test

    "Why of course!" says Seizequill. Bringing the short Aekha with broad moose antlers twice the size of her head and gesturing her hand to introduce, "Miss Pitka and Miss Lues, this fine figure here will be your squad leader after a few more test initiations. Ratatoskr, A-rank Assailant operator. I hope you three can get along later!"


    "W-wai-wut I''m! Eh!? Khe-ueh!?" Visible confusion, a panicky intrusion for the petite lady that looks flustered and shocked. Well, it''s more of whammy panicking where one can''t let out a single word to the point of stuttering in both speech and action.


    The Ferrakhian is satisfied with her trolling, donning her evil squint and smile. Giving you and Lues a chance to lead the conversation. Precisely, to save the panic-stricken mistress from embarrassment.


    ''No need to be formal, a normal introduction is enough.''


    Wearing your innocent smile, you decide to take the lead of the ever-awkward short lady, "My name is Pitka, and she is Lues. It''s pleasant to meet you."


    Ratatoskr''s jittery gaze shakes her vision while she holds her right wrist anxiously, looking away from you before both of your eyes meet. "Ah, Yes! Yes, it''s nice to meet with you two too!"


    You could physically see the swollen ball of saliva collecting in her mouth go down her throat. She coughs, shaking her head a little bit as if to regain composure. "I will assume that it was your real name, the two of you can get your codename later. My real name is confidential and soon yours will be too. So for the meantime, refer to me as Ratatoskr! My achievement is known to be out of bounds! I mean, without bounds!"


    "Indeed, we can see that," you say.


    It might be a sudden realization but she immediately bows down her upper torso the exact 180¡ã. Moving away gracefully, Lues almost gets caught by her broad antlers until the moose lady realizes that she almost hit a primordial with her bowing.


    She looks up to check on Lues and then immediately starts bowing repeatedly. "Eeeekh!? I''m deeply sorry!!"


    Now you''re wondering how heavy those antlers are. Although it shocked you at first to see that a female Aekha can have broad and big antlers despite the original equivalent of Aekhas¡ªan elk, they don''t give the female genes the big and broad antlers. Either Ratatoskr is a transgender or the bioengineered DNA''s evolution made the female posses the same antlers similar to their male counterpart. Either way, her shoulders must be really sore, there are visible heavy stacks covered in loose Assailant uniform on her chest that you''re currently gazing upon. Not too big, and not too small. What a great view.


    Lues telepathically strikes a conversation, "Grandpa, you''re being a creep. You know that you can look at mine all you want, right?"


    You send back your message through the inaudible topic, "As good as it is, I can''t enjoy the chest of a psychopath."


    "Miss Ratatoskr, you''re in the Hollow Orb phase, correct?" asks Lues out of the blue.


    "Yes, is there anything you wanted to ask?''


    Lues floats forward a little bit, "You have great potential, don''t be in a rush. That''s all." She then shrugs, grinning to reveal her sharp teeth as usual.


    The Ferrakhian butts in, hanging her shoulder to the reluctant Aekha. "And with that, do you have anything left to say, Ratatoskr?"


    "Definitely not! Ma''am!"


    "With all of that set, you two will follow me for more examination," says Seizequill.


    Nodding, you and Lues follow the guide from your escorters.


    From floor B4 to B3, both of you are separated from each other and are taking a different test at the same time. The first test you have is a Tactical Acumen. They bring you to a fairly sized room with two senior personnel inside and a broad 5 meters long, 3 meters width holographic projecting table. The one taking notes doesn''t talk much, only the questioner introduces himself, codenamed Lazey. There are numerous questions being thrown around, with illustrations from the holograms about numerous terrain knowledge and some brain exercises about multiple scenarios. You manage to answer the 60% of them deftly considering that you have the vivid experience yourself with Suolija and Timorea, trying to match all logic and actively asking about more possibilities. It seems like you have finished the Tactical Acumen Test¡ªor so you think.


    The moment you think that it''s done, the broad long holographic table becomes a terrain interface with two sides of red and blue from both ends. A simulation game¡ªmore precisely, a war game. Each side represents Assailant Operators and Calamities. Lazey asks you to choose which sides first, and so you choose the Operators. Although you''re lowkey wanting to try the Calamity side, your conscience doesn''t let you to be seen as a Calamities supporter by the Examiner.


    You''re given 10 operators in total: 2 Fighters, 2 Vanguards, 2 Supporters, 2 Spellcasters, and 2 Snipers. Each has their own stats and skills depending on their classes. They are referred to as Fighter-1, Fighter-2, and so on for the rest. While the opposing side has an ominously large question mark, hiding the type of Calamities you will be facing.


    With RNG on your side, you hold onto your rope of hope tightly like a falling bull on the edge of a cliff.


    When the game starts, the opposing side is revealed to have 10 F-rank Calamities that look like the Yelpers you fought in Kauhu Forest, 3 C-rank Titan Type, and 1 B-rank Dragon type.


    ''What with this difficulty!? There is a hecking dragon!?''


    Let alone the dragon, the titan type Calamities were seven times bigger than the F-rank Calamities, and the dragon is slightly towering than that abomination! Then again, the battle map is wide and there are numerous terrain available for the strategy.


    ''This is harrowing.''

 Chapter 57 - Spear Over Shield

    Because of formality, the examiner will be telling the rules of the game.


    "We will take turns controlling each side of the spectrum, as for now. You will be controlling the Operators. Each class represents their abilities and all of them are driven by artificial intelligence , in which you can command them to the specific place individually or in a group. They will react like how a real person would, feel free to command them your way but some of the key-word examples would be: Attack, Hold-Position, Guard, Move, Search, and Retreat. You need to command them verbally and point to the destination with your finger or exclaim the mapping values of the grid system that you can see. There will also be wild encounters with numerous random percentages, so be careful. Anything else you want to ask?"


    "They will react like a real person?"


    "The digital operators will behave more skillfully if it was within their class''s purpose. Just like on the battlefield, there is a squad''s morale reducing with every mistake you make, and it will be up to you to act accordingly depending on every situation."


    Which means that there is a chance of the operators not confirming your command. This will be tricky, there are too many aspects needing to be considered. The random encounters will make it harder, and surely, the amount of main Calamities objectives existing on the board will make this an arduous mind-bending hellscape.


    The examiner''s objective is simple, to assess your critical thinking ability. The main score will be the objective of hunting the main 14 Calamities and reducing casualties from the team.


    This is not a board game, this is a test of innate instinct, to take information and interpret it. The inner intuition and initiative to implement inventive ideas, to be inquisitive. It is indicative of ingrained imagination to take inspiration and innovate. Which is why the first phase of the test is all about terrain and logical thinking. This leadership test will insure the unneeded injury in the real field by willy-nilly decision-making to be reconsidered, and looking at the pattern¡ªthe examiner will give the participant an important lesson and punish them for inattentiveness.


    Because ignorance induces incapacitation.


    The machine begins to speak, "The ''Hunt'' will commence. Scanning Players." A holographic ray scans your retinas and face. "Operator Lazey, Blood Princess. The clocks will turn in 3-2-1¡ª"


    The holograms become realistic as colors taint the 3d grid schematic, illustrating the mountainous domains with trees and wind blowing the rotors of a tarnished windmill. The majority of your side is on an abandoned farmland stretching into a mountain with numerous trees, while the opposite of the spectrum contradicts the green nature with a corrupted dark place with purple miasma traversing the quarter of the whole map. In comparison with the 5 meter long holographic table, one Operator is the size of your fingernail within the digital world¡ªshowing how big the hunting ground is.


    Having enough time to spare, you increase your blood flow and dopamine for focus while stimulating your brain for critical thinking.


    "The Assailants have 10 minutes to finish the Mission."


    With the grid positioning system from X and Y, the value is 1 cm2 per grid, spanning from the very top left corner on Lazey''s side as the middle coordinate of zero to 300 horizontally to the right, and zero to 500 vertically to your side. Because the middle of the coordinate is on the top left from your view, the value will be mirrored with the X becomes vertical and Y become horizontal and no minus values. The coordinates pinpointing will need to be verbally mentioned or pointed with your finger as the sensor will determine the landing of your pointing. The verbal coordinate command works by mentioning the X and Y values in consecutive action. So ''489,100'' means 489 cm to below from the top, 100 cm to the right


    ''A normal person will never understand this on the first try from the start, thank god that I''m cheating with a focus enhancing drug¡ªI mean, circuits here.''


    The examiner is taking the initiative. Lazey spread the Calamities all over the map, while making 2 of the Yelper to constantly scout and the rest is making two groups of four to seize many conventional high ground you can use for your Snipers, definitely a sting to your pride. The rest of the Titans, meanwhile, are roaming randomly throughout the map with the Dragon conquering the sky.


    Five classes to choose from and two from each section, you could either spread out with multiple squads or do the hunt and kill with all the operators deployed in one area. The thing is, the map is too big. Looking at each Operator''s stats, you might want to try giving each of them an objective while also making them have a side and main priority for each command.


    "Deploy Fighter-1, Vanguard-1, Vanguard-2, and Sniper-1 into ''223,134''!"


    Near the middle of the battlefield and on the dark side¡ªon top of the broad and rocky high ground with 4 Yelpers occupying it, you drop most of the melee units right into the danger with most benefits as soon as the game begins. A tactical position with an unobstructed 360¡ã view, a perfect place to build a fortification and snipe all of the high rank enemies.


    That is what you want the examiner to think, a bait for another plan. Anxiously, you still have 6 more Operators. You didn''t deploy all of them because you don''t know how the Operator''s AI works.


    A helicopter flies into the designated area and begins to drop the four Operators from the sky.


    "All Operators! Annihilate the four Yelpers and secure the Area!"


    Fighter-1 wore fair protection with a giant lance pointing to the ground, brutally piercing one of the Yelper, the intentionally airborne Sniper-1 manages to snipe one of them with a large anti-materiel rifle, and both of the Vanguards dive into position to secure the place and protect the leading Fighter until the Sniper lands another hit on the third Yelper.


    ''So this is how strong the average Vagants are.''


    They can land unscathed from the height of the drop and the incoming sudden deceleration of 50 meters off the ground; your plan was actually to secure the place so that Sniper-1 can support the melee unit when meeting the ground. To your surprise, the Sniper ends up making it all easier as you claim the first checkpoint to victory.


    This test purpose might also be to determine whether the test subject is reluctantly conservative, or a critical tactician. If you''re meant to take the lesson of this game into the real battlefield:


    "Don''t hesitate, strike your objective while it is hot, just like a hammer to the molten iron. Isn''t that right?" you say, donning your smile of confidence.


    The examiner can scramble the Calamities'' positions anytime and if he moves the heavy unit near the sniping point, you will be screwed by not seizing the chance.


    Lazey chuckles in response, "Indeed, the Assailant is doctrined to act fast and maximize the given information. There is no such thing as a waiting game when you have all the coordination you need, if you choose to be reluctant and post your Operators in a safe space, then you will be punished with 10 Yelpers and 4 Titans marching to your position, forcing the whole squadron to be on the defensive within the unfavorable terrain."


    ''It will result in a heavy blow, because the Assailant''s job is not to defend, let alone to keeping an ugly spot. They are meant to be used as a spear to pierce the core of the problem.''


    Moreover, the battlefield situation is naked to the Calamities'' side. This is not a hunt, this is the battle of initiatives!


    He grabs each end of the holographic table as his laid back demeanor is chipping from his inner cold steel, then continuing his speech. "Then again, you need to plan for everything. A first successful strike isn''t enough to win the game¡ª"


    All Titans are beginning to march into your Operators'' position. He is taking the bait.


    "Because this time, the Calamities also have all the coordination they need to hunt you down."

 Chapter 58 - Digitally Dead Dragon

    You have 1 Sniper, 1 Fighter, 2 Supporters, and 2 Spellcasters still waiting. To make the bait bigger and appetizing, you will deploy one more sniper on the beneficial checkpoint.


    "Deploy Sniper-2 and Supporter-1 on ''223,134''! Sniper-1, go aim at the nearest Titans! Fighter-1, dive into the forest and intercept the lone Titan conservatively then wait for pending orders!" In just a glance, your vision catches the glimpse of the rest of those pesky Yelpers approaching. "Vanguard-1, follow Fighter-1''s assault! Vanguard-2, expect some company!"


    The high ground will be your main advantage, the Titans are slow and the Dragon is far away below. Another helicopter comes as two personnel dive into the ground at the given coordinates, the Supporter operator has a human-sized metal conductor in crystal shape for the casting media, while the second Sniper falls together with an artillery arbalet.


    ''Seriously, this organization might deem a catapult user as a goddamn Sniper.''


    Those Yelpers might be a problem but you want to hide that, acting as if they are not a threat to give the examiner some push and go all out on area ''223,134'', because letting Vanguard-2 or Fighter-2 to go seek and destroy without the ranged support instead of waiting will only result in getting neutered. The dragon is the real threat here nonetheless, which is why you choose this good spot far away from it.


    "Why not deploy the rest of your personnel when victory shines on the horizon?" says Lazey.


    You reply, "That blinding light might be a nuke, having layers upon layers is more relieving, no?"


    Two of the Titans are almost near each other and only separated by the travel distance of both Snipers who cripple the behemoth''s moving speed from afar. Fighter-1 and Vanguard-1 make sure that the lone Titan is occupied, they might not be able to neutralize the giant but that is not their only purpose. Then somehow, the foreboden random-encounter happens.


    Five D-rank Orcish Calamities have spawned near the lone Titan, ambushing Fighter-1 and Vanguard-1 from the earth.


    5 minutes left.


    "Vanguard-1, sprint into ''198,211''! Supporter-1, fortify the vicinity! Snipers! Annihilate the newcomers!"


    ''198,211'' is a place with broken ruins, a good place to commence your second plan while dispersing your fastest operator from the bombardment. "Fighter-1! Retreat! And defend ''223,134''!"


    The Supporter acts without any given command. She imbues the ammunition for the artillery arbalest and anti-materiel rifle with more firepower, sweeping the Orcish clean from the board then continuing their pressure attack on the Titans. This information is more game-changing than anything you''ve perceived for this game.


    Lazey send his other command on the keypad, a privilege for the examiner. "Are you sure? Grouping up like that?"


    Awaken from the insatiable crave for order, the Dragon smashes the air to launch itself forward, resulting in a sonic boom despite not gaining much speed. The Yelpers also arrive within the edge of the camping Operators'' visions. Clashing hides and steel ensue as both of the Fighters deal with the 5 Yelpers, the other one is nowhere in sight. Two of the Titans are down, leaving only one giant behind to stomp down anything on its path.


    2 minutes left.


    The pressure, an all out attack is inevitable and the personnel''s class disparities makes it more clear that you can''t utilize the seek and destroy strategy. The adversary has much more firepower than you and splitting up your manpower will hurt your chain of command. Looking at Lazey''s tone, the Dragon Calamity might have an area of bombarding power, which is a clear sign that all of your Operators are in danger.


    You still have one more Supporter, and two Spellcasters. At first you''re reluctant because the stats don''t give much details about their spells and capabilities, now you know the supporter key-command and all that is left is the Spellcaster. From its name it''s obvious it will cast circuit spells, there is already a supporter which means that those Spellcasters are leaning more on the offensive skill trees from its utility counterpart. Reminiscing all the Offensive Spells casted on the Test Range, you are 100% sure they can synergize with the Supporter.


    Vanguard-1 has reached ''198,221'', now is the moment of truth.


    You free your right hand forward. "Deploy all reserve Operators on ''198,221''! Both Spellcasters, charge your best destructive spell and wait for my instructions! Supporter-2, Enhance the charged spell as your life depends on it! Vanguard-1! Incoming!"


    The 5 Yelpers have already been neutralized. Trying to sabotage your plan, the single-hiding Yelper launches itself into the Spellcasters. One downward slash is all that it takes for the Vanguard to prevent the ambush.


    "You think I don''t know that the last Yelper is hiding?" you say.


    Lazey smirk. "I thought you''re preoccupied with the frontline?"


    You''re not worried about the frontier as it has enough firepower to deal with the Titan and five Yelpers without casualties. The game has already ended the moment he lets you build up the casting on your Spellcasters.


    Not able to reach the mountainous domains in time, the dreaded Dragon carries its own death flag without its own consent as dopamine rewards you with heavenly pleasure.


    "Spellcasters, blast away that hideous chicken from my sight."


    An electrifying dark energy together with concentrated white flames split the ceiling of the hologram, churning the sky to defile everything in-between them and the target while leaving falling bits of limbs and guts to paint the nonexistent sky.


    The digital stopwatch freezes at ''00:46'' and the machine starts to speak, "The hunt is complete, the Assailant wins the battle."


    Clapping, a wide smile with sparkling eyes is planted deep within Lazey''s excitement. "Good game! Good game! This test has a 9.23% passing rate, especially after we make the Random Encounters absolute! Most of the contestants can''t react as fast as you, as expected of a primordial!"


    "Huehuehue~ wait, doesn''t that mean the Random Encounter is a plain lie!?"


    "Yup!"


    "Bruh."


    The next game begins with your playing the Calamities side. You had your fun, the real test is actually when the newbies begin the Assailant mode. In fact, the Calamities mode was supposed to be played earlier, where the player learns more of the Calamity and terrains the second time, watching how the examiner plays the Assailant side. Actually, Lazey wasn''t supposed to let you play the Operator''s side first. It was all an elaborate scheme of determining the new Primordial members'' data.


    Luckily enough, you get 3 B-rank Dragon and 7 Yelpers as your unit. No slow-moving, sitting-duckling, and useless bimbos they call ''Titans'' at your command. In the end, you win the second hunt by brute forcing all Dragons to incapacitate them one by one while having your Yelpers rush out in packs if Lazey plans any defensive maneuver.


    The next test is about ''Resilience''.

 Chapter 59 - This Is For Science!

    Thousands of intelligent life usually don''t have their physical assessment off the roof, but they can do language, if they can do language, they can do myth, if they can do myth, they can conquer the world.


    It took 12,000 years and another couple of days for you to realize that everything is in English, the speech of globalization, the universal language. That sign on the street and those little teensy weensy mockery that Lues and Chronos throw at each other, is actually a goddamn English sentence! It was a blessing that you, as a complementary byproduct from two unknown entities, can understand the speech that means, "Please go naked right now."


    "D-do I need to be naked?" you ask, shuddered by the uncomfortable thought of going into the room with multiple cameras butt-naked.


    Facing you, an Aekha in light-blue officer''s uniform and an intricate lab coat is currently putting on a hard-to-trust expression as she squints till the edges bend because of her wide devilish smile. "For maximizing data gathering, I would highly recommend you to have no obstruction in-between the nature of the course and your beautiful pale skin~"


    ''Why do I feel like they don''t see me as a mighty Primordial!?''''


    You''re wondering why do most of the people here in the future mostly exude a shrewd and scary expression, if it was a coping mechanism for those with inner confidence due to the lack of unsated sadistically predatory behavior, then you might as well join the parade to be an insane person.


    Truly, people have thousands of belongings in their life, it was all because they believe in the myth called money. ''If you give me this thingy and the numbery-wumber is right, then I shall give you this promised object'', and the myth works because most of us agree to play by the rule. It works in many ways: friendships, schools, communities, nations. It''s not that these things are lies, it''s just that they''re an abstraction that only lives in our head, and this is all possible because we have language.


    The very same language that suggests you to strip buttnaked and go into the chamber with many cameras ogling at their visionary target like it was amusing.


    With nothing to counter those data-freak mad scientists. You slowly shed your gothic lolita cocoon to reveal your exotic exterior with no obstruction left to protect you. Though there are no anti-cloaking circuits around so you can still hide the veins-like blood pattern on all of your body that moves you like a precise marionette.


    ''Just because I''m a primordial, they thought that I''m more than thousands years old in this young underaged body!''


    Then again, you''re not an underage inside so does it count as a crime for an adult stranger to infiltrate someone''s body that is still developing? Does it count as harassment to the old body''s owner the moment you take the cockpit out from its former pilot?


    With numerous stupendous thoughts flying inside your tiny brain, you pass through the airlock door and arrive in the middle of a circular chamber large enough to fit an elephant inside. The door blends with the surrounding so well that you might forget where it was if you scan after spinning around while closing your eyes.


    Beepings of warning ensues not long after you''re inside. The walls, floor, and ceiling begin to change into a holographic environment as if you''re teleported into another place.


    The first is a desert, hot sands scorching your feet, an immediate sunburn from the clear sky boils your blood with extreme heat. Without any pause, your athenaeum''s worker stabilizes your heat management and skin regeneration to reach the exact point where you feel nothing at all. It should be leaving you with some cents of sensation but your chronic quadriplegia might already reach the phase where it numbs half of your sensory touch on your skin.


    You can hear a speech bouncing into the simulation chamber.


    "Miss Pitka, can you perform constant movement?"


    "Uhm, sure, why not?"


    You couldn''t care less at this point.


    With no idea left of what you should be doing, you begin the stretching exercise that people usually do in the morning. What is the current time now? You wonder. It will probably be noon by now. Relinquishing the emptiness, you strive forward to the overlooked mystery in your entire adventure.


    "Why English?" As far as you know, humanity survived the judgement day by preparing an underground bunker for a couple of millennia below the surface and stalking the butt of an absolute monstrosity. The moment you come to this timeline, you''re also greeted by words from the English dictionary. Seriously, it is extremely baffling that the language of tea-wanker-colonial version 2.0 has made an eternal engraving on intelligent life till this very day. Is there really some unknown factor to it that makes the civilization resets their entire development where numerous wars against the Angel and Calamities peaked to the solid equilibrium where nothing changes for many thousands of years?


    The field you currently step on changes into that of the North Pole, if it still exists. Because you''re sure as hell that global warming would''ve already turned the ice into saltwater within the 12,000 years earth developed into the present. Then again, it would only happen if the carbon inside the earth''s atmosphere was constantly stagnating or rising, you haven''t known yet if the Calamity even breathed oxygen to begin with.


    Feeling empty, your feet are supposed to be stinging from the constant contact with the solid frozen water. The Chrolings and Lueling do their job well, allowing your legs to stretch unrestricted while you wear a fully unamused deadpan.


    "Can you do some poses?" asks the thirsty voice outside of this chamber through some invisible speakers.


    "No."


    It goes on and on and escalates from a rainy place to hellfire, a radioactive hellscape to a mind-bending landscape, deafening screams on the streetscape to the absolute silence that makes the ears deafen from the inaudible scrape, until an uncomfortable place where you want to escape.


    Your mana sea''s workers report many intruders trying to attack your soul and athenaeum on the last course. But be worry not as those pesky tea-wanker-colonial wannabes are not any more stronger than your cute chibis workling.


    The Resilience Test ends there, they give you back your gothic lolita dress with a satisfied smile.. Probably with some pictures of naked you in their computer''s hard drive.

 Chapter 60 - End Of The Session

    After that harrowing session, the test goes on like a semicolon, not a full stop.


    The third test is a literacy test, there is nothing wrong so far as you scribble the precious papers with sentences like some intelligent confidant. Sitting on an ergonomic chair with a small platform for writing attached to it feels like you''re back in school again. Listening to the hapless mouths of teachers and lousy dilly dallying of classmates who were actively preventing the message from the front speaker to be coherently audible for you. But why, why don''t you remember their faces? Why are you chipping the paper with black and dry ink from the ballpoint pen? Why do you scratch and tear the paper? Why is there a hole on everyone''s face?


    All those memories become a blur.


    The moment you realise it, you step on the brakes of your motoric exo-muscle, stopping the mindless writing of mundane questions on the paper. Feeling empty, everything feels empty as of late. To counteract the anti-comfort within your heart, you inject your brain with more dopamine.


    Concentration occurs when the brain''s prefrontal cortex, which controls high-level cognitive tasks, is awash with the right cocktail of neurotransmitters, hormones, and other body chemicals, particularly the ''pleasure chemical'' called ''dopamine''. Normally, humans can''t consciously manage the amount of those temporary drugs to control what you should feel, but after using the same method of relieving your anxiety with the carrot and stick approach, you feel addicted to it. There might be a side effect but it''s a must for you to increase your dopamine to get anything done.


    Because, why stop? It turns a deadly fight into a pleasure, you''re not too far gone into the spiral but laziness takes you over, so¡ª


    "And done, anything else?" you ask, giving the paper to the supervisor.


    "Thank you for following this test, miss Pitka." The supervisor then bows and leaves the room.


    The confident Ferrakhian appears in the frame. Either she will take you to another room for a test or something regarding the end of this examination charade.


    "Alright, Princess, that concludes the test! Your acquaintance by the name of Compose is currently waiting for the two of you in the lobby''s restaurant," says Seizequill, scribbling on the note while licking her lips. "The only thing left is your codename, do you want to suggest one or leave it to us to name you?"


    You raise your left eyebrow. "This feels too fast, normal recruitment isn''t like this, isn''t it?"


    "Definitely, not like we do this all the time."


    Remembering the unsatisfactory consensus, you look away from the Ferrakhian and just go straight to the door. "Long Leggy, the same as my former acquaintance."


    A little lie won''t hurt.


    "That is a precarious codename but sure! Oh, the elevator is on the right, by the way."


    You immediately turn your direction right after passing the doorway. "Appreciated."


    Another two figures follow your lead into the elevator, a telepathic transmission is being read out loud in your brain in the sound of a playful devil. "Yo! How''s the test for you?"


    "I feel tainted." you reply, through the same telepathy line.


    "You can just insist on going into the chamber still with your clothes, you know? Just, walk away, hahahah."


    "WHY I DIDN''T THINK OF THAT!?"


    "Anywho, I failed the Tactical Acumen test, sounds too complicated for my taste."


    "You''re a boomer, alright."


    The four of you reach the inside of the elevator. Seizequill then pushes the L button, going to the lobby.


    Seizequill with her smirk, Fetalis with his serious expression, Lues with her crazy grin, and you with the plain face obviously showing everyone who takes a glimpse to know that you''re dying inside.


    "You submit ''Long Leggy'' as your codename, right?" Is the message Lues sends to your inaudible transmitter.


    "Yeaaaahhhh, though, I''m wondering how you did that carnage on the test range. Doesn''t your mana come from me?"


    "Hmm~ those target pillars'' circuits are scoring the exerted force, not only one time, but overtime. Those plebeians keep sending temporary destruction within the blink of an eye. Of course, the pillar only scores those amounts of damage. The thing is, the pillar regenerates at a high speed so you can just cast a simple tint virus that duplicates while annihilating the material overtime and let the scoring system do their job."


    A ding sound can be heard, revealing the still crowded place full of third party and Assailant personnel. The windows and the far-open door of a small square scenery from afar, allowing your sight to be entranced by the night world within the colorful Citadel full of life from the building''s light and signs. Your gaze is far.


    Enamoring shines, of a familiar view that echoes in your mind. Was this a beckoning of your life before all of this? Before you just suddenly came to be. Came to be inside this body. A small hint of nostalgia, melancholy before it''s drowned out by the regular surge of dopamine in your brain.


    "Even from inside, you can tell that the citizens enjoy living here," you subconsciously say.


    "Better than the past, those people won''t fear the menace from outside of the wall," replies Lues.


    Seizequill interjects, "We''re trying hard to survive, of course. Not everyone is even trying though."


    There was a hint of vitriol in her words yet they were overshadowed. You shot her an unknowing sidelong glance as you exited the lift. What did she mean by that? Tapping her own earpiece, she uses some spells to obstruct your hearing. You couldn''t care less, or do you?


    The four of you then go to the quarter circle hallway to the back of the reception area. A fancy public restaurant can be seen where one of the circle tables is occupied with Chronos dining delightfully. A half quarter of her meal was already consumed alongside another quarter of a plate next to her. A sentient cube is also present on top of the table.


    One, two, three, four, five¡ªyou bloody damn wonder who''s plate was that for?!


    "CHROONOSSS!!"


    "Oh, there you guys are! Was waiting for you all."


    A messy dinner is in bound.


    After some dandy talk in the restaurant with the five misfits, both you and Lues are given your ID cards after a sleek feline operator with glasses comes bringing another slightly bigger obsidian black cards on the plate as if it''s an exotic food, of course, for the new personnel of Assailant. You then take a look at the bigger card, the golden sentence ''Operator Class'' is engraved on the top left within the frame.


    Codename: Long Leggy


    Department: Assailant


    Assailant Class: Aggressor/Tactician/Annihilator


    Race: Primordial/Vampire


    Rank: C


    Mana Conductivity: S


    Combat Experience: Unknown


    Tactical Acumen: A+


    Leadership: A


    Resilience: A


    Literacy Status: Literate

 Chapter 61 - Off You Go To Hotel

    C-rank Operator. You were hoping for a higher grade after all that A and the S-rank Mana Conductivity. It seems like skill doesn''t equal higher position in this case.


    Chronos, looking at your disappointed face immediately barges in to squish her soft left cheek then rubs it with yours, her voice then vibrates your face everytime she speaks, "The Personnel''s ranks refers to your feats and achievements, my dear. Don''t be saddened."


    "It''s logical not to immediately put two vampires on higher ranks as it will lead to some nasty scenarios," you assume.


    "Mhm~ Miss Pitka and Miss Lues will get their uniforms tomorrow," says Seizequill, currently standing with chocolate cake on a plate along with a fork in each respective hand. "For now, you two will be recommended to stay in a hotel."


    Fetalis then gives the recommendation letter to Lues. Chronos then slinks away to see the content of the letter.


    With Goyang on your cradle, Fetalis and Seizequill escort you to the outside. Bidding each other farewell, the three of you get inside the unmanned taxi with Chronos coming last as she waves to the two high ranking Assailants.


    The door slams shut as the taxi starts driving by itself. You glance at the two people you were sandwiched in¡ªagain. Why do you always decide to sit in the middle every time? Even though there is a wide vacant seat in front of you facing the middle of the car.


    "So, which hotel are we staying at?" You ask.


    "Gem Delight Hotel, my dear." Chronos answers, leaning back upon the soft cushion of the vehicle. "From the name, you''d know that it''s on 22 Ferver Street or what a lot of other people call it ''The King''s District''."


    "The King''s District?"


    "It''s basically the rich people''s side of the Citadel." Lues intervenes after giving the location they were going to a speaker in front of her, "A fitting place for someone of my repertoire."


    "Whoa there! Tone down on the gloating. Your ego''s already taller than your midget-sized body so there''s no need to try and inflate it more."


    "Says the person who''s more vapid than the one who looks like a child! The one who is supposed to be the most responsible out of all of us!" Lues fires back.


    "Pah! My only responsibility doesn''t include you on the list, you whiny little arrogant loli bitch. Go mingle with the Guardian Department, will you? They''re the only people who could rival you in ego!"


    The two continue bantering. It stops feeling like an argument with some serious consequences and more like children slapping each other over toys, but in this case, the toys are nukes.


    After a while, each of the ruckus makers are preoccupied with their own activity and so are you. Tuning into the evening broadcast, radio slumber of tomorrow''s forecast, radiology, and the news flash from society about the new riot of a newborn cult rising to seek official establishment in the beating heart of a fortified Citadels to be the inverse outcasts and spread their teachings.


    Chronos has been tinkering with the floating circuit on her right palm for a while. Lues who pats Goyang like her life depends on it, stares meticulously at the weird pink devil like an eagle seeing its relative doing suspiciously weird stuff, such as forcefully hammering its beak to a rock to no avail, until the rock somehow turns into something baffling.


    A smaller version of Chronos, a dangerously smug entity donning the appearance of your sadistic partner ten years younger, shorter, and longer hair. Wearing a rather red frilly skirt with the toppings of a small black poncho cloak that shades her white pantyhose to make a weird combination of dessert that is full of dubious energy and an overwhelming bad taste that is gargling within your mind.


    With great smugness comes an exceptionally haughty personality, this version of Chronos immediately crosses both of her arms to support the surprisingly stacked dumplings beneath as the cloak gets tighten, then proceed to escape her right arm to give Lues a big middle finger, "Chrolay, the name is Chrolay, so stop leering about my appearance like a fancy shoe."


    In a formal response, Lues sends back two middle fingers with extreme vigor, dropping Goyang like a falling stone then proceeds to wear the most annoying expression possible to show her great respect to the new kid. "The name is Lues, It''s extremely pleasant meeting you. Though don''t misunderstand, I''m not looking at you like a fancy shoe, I''m extremely curious about how much thee can bloody bleed."


    You dive into the middle of the friendly staring, trying to prevent the delay of the inevitable destruction of this taxi from two childress flipping each other. "Now, now, I hope you all can understand that we''re not in an open place and I''m sure as hell that we''re too broke to pay for all the future collateral damage that ensues."


    "We can just not pay," says Lues, still with both middle fingers.


    "AS IF!!"


    "Hahaha, Chrolay will replace me to supervise you two. As I''ll be off to Kratos Citadel after we reach the hotel," says Chronos, she then caresses her younger version with delight as if she is her savior for something petty. At the same time, her clone stares at you with no context.


    You put Goyang back into Lues'' hands as her flipping changes into a cradle for the goofy-eyed white. With the hostile act gone from her fingers, she sits back with a 180 mood change.


    "This is the first time I see you create a human-sized clone," states Lues. Back with her playful grin as she pets Goyang like a doting mother.


    "The same autonomous clones as those that I put on Pitka''s mana sea, can''t think of the circuits for the bigger version but now I can do it with some references from a certain Oni."


    As if she knows what is up, Lues shifts her gaze into the outside of the car through the window. "Abusing your power as always."


    Silence ensues, before nearing the front of the destination. Lues then lends Goyang to your hand as she prepares the recommendation letter. It seems like she is more excited than ever.


    The car stops, arriving at Gem Delight Hotel. You and Lues step into the ground once again, with Chrolay on her first step to the world she will eventually live on.


    "I''ll see ya two in a week!" Chronos waves like a hurricane before shutting up the door and blasting away from the scene with a sharp taxi drifting.


    ''You can manually drive the taxi!?''


    Standing tall before you, is a grandiose architecture of forty floors of layers that ascend to heaven. You can see some people with business suits and pricey clothings coming in and out through the automatic glass door after a small length of staircases stretching from the side into your direction. It feels like you were going to enter a palace of a kingdom, except it''s a hotel.


    It is a fitting structure for a place called ''The King''s District''. Although, the street did feel rather familiar, tastefully so.


    You look around and as you have suspected, the bakery from before is there, still with its light turned on, probably will close at midnight.


    You avert your eyes back to the hard-to-miss building.


    This hotel might be a little bit too fancy for the humble and awkward you but not like you can just reject the courtesy from the famous Vagants.


    "Gimme that," Chrolay takes the recommendation letter forcefully from Lues. You then let go off your pet and restrict the angry devil''s hands from behind just in time before blood is spilled in this place.


    Chrolay looks back and smirks, then takes the lead into going to the hotel.


    "This Chronos might be more problematic than I thought," you say.


    Forcing an annoyed smile, Lues replies, "She is not problematic, she''s just in dire need of getting a spear injection!"

 Chapter 62 - Flower Of Perspicacity

    The hospitality is a great delight. The moment Chrolay shows the recommendation letter, the three of you are sent to a presidential suite room where luxury lies in the hands of the rich. Floor 39, room number 393, one king sized bed connected to the living room is being messed up as the three of you lunge onto it and embrace the softness of wealth. Heck, there is even circuit formation to increase easeness like some drugs and multiple blue crystals that are spilling mana continuously.


    Your mana amount has been outstretched even though you used 42% back then on the Test Range and now you have 123% of your former mana amount. Thanks to the efficient mana gathering device that the workling made, you''re now the embodiment of a metaphysical vacuum cleaner, sucking every mana available into your body with ludicrous speed.


    If you''re speaking of selfishness, Lues takes your mana and Chrolay probably has her own portion, right?


    Back to the luxury president suite.


    "There is a kitchen, a bathtub, and the whole floor is basically this goddamn suite!" you exclaim.


    Lues immediately cooks some hot water in a circuit pot, preparing her tea. "Fufufu, this is the exquisite experience that I''ve longed for."


    Without a word, Chrolay sits on the couch like a shadow. Eventually you can hear some snoring from her after a while, she probably was tired from the whole shenanigans. Then again, she was made with the same schematic as the Chrolings, won''t that make her their little sister?


    Though, something feels missing.


    "My, my, MY MICROGUN!"


    "Be at ease," says Lues. "I''ve stored your weapon of destruction in this pocket space of mine." Gesturing her hand to reveal a twirling crimson smoke that might be the said ''pocket space''.


    "MY GOURD!?"


    The top of the gourd peeks out from the space pocket, letting you know that it''s there. Before you could grab it, Lues reclines her fingers to disperse the red dust.


    "But what need do you have of it right now?"


    "Just give it to me!"


    "When I feel like it." and the devil sipped her tea.


    Defeated, you slouch down onto the warm tushy bed before undressing yourself, only leaving the bodysuit and pantyhose to be the exterior of your skin. It seems like you''ve acknowledged yourself for being the current owner of this body.


    It felt like it was just yesterday that you found out that you had died so many times, wrestled with a giant ape to the point of getting crippled, and being misunderstood as a vampire. Well, it actually was yesterday but that was besides the point. Today is the reward for such torture, it is time to take it ease.


    Although overwhelmed by what has happened so far, you condense your consciousness to form a body within your mana sea. You have two Circuit factories, copying numerous ''Sun Creation Spell'' circuit scrolls ready to use whenever you want. The elemental essence battery is slowly turning into a mountain at this rate, and that is also not all of the elemental essences being preserved, half of them is being spewed out from your mana sea overtime.


    The construction of another Autonomous Mana Conversion Device is also in progress; you can see the three workling currently approaching you from three directions, all looking so excited about what is about to happen.


    Yes, it''s exploration time!


    With great expectations, you and the workling venture to the mysterious realm gate above. You''ve been itching to get there but you were halted back then while you were at the bank, this time you''ve got all the time you need.


    After some hard work of getting inside, the realm greets you with a breathtaking view of giant and dark golden bubbles occupying the ever stretching dark space. The inside of the bubble is random, it acts like a core as each bubble empowers the object within them with jolts of multicolored yellow-dark lightning overtime, every time the object is struck, it releases multiple dusts with the same color as the lighting.


    The Lueling and Chrolings are on their own adventure, analyzing the laws and nature of the new realm. Leaving their master to indulge the scenic euphoria from the view


    "Can I get them?"


    Some of the bubbles are smaller than the other, some are as big as a whole island.


    You choose the smallest one you can find, it''s a flower, inside a bubble the size of your head. You decide to start with one finger, the force ripples the exterior of the bubble as it unleashes more dust in every direction.


    ''Flower of Perspicacity'' acquired.


    Your instinct tells you to plant it on your athenaeum, and so you depart from the mysterious realm to seek a proper place to plant the flower in a hurry.


    ''Where? Where? Where!?''


    Dense mana can be felt in the vacant area on the far north beyond the irrigation system.


    ''There.''


    You put the precious flower to its roots on itself to the land. A sharp sensation travels through all of your veins and every neuron of the brain.


    A tape of memory is reeling within your head.


    It''s a story of a Primordial Ruler who failed to convince everyone into a union. He was the type of man who had the brains but not the book, implanted by millions of ideas, yet he decided to lock them all away, believing that kindness and trust is the gate to everything.


    Once in a while, gardening useless flora within his field is the only joy he can reap, not even trying to raise helpful medicinal plants or mushrooms, just flowers.


    Not long after, his naivety had led to his doom with numerous protesters from all across the realm coming to take his head. He died standing, out of all the trampled flowers, he managed to protect one.


    The flower has tasted the richness of blood.


    The memories after that event are a blur,


    The travelling roots from the flower have interrupted your blood exo-muscle. You''re brought back to the real world, laying down on the bed as you can feel something feels different.


    A surprise awaits you.


    "I-I-I CAN MOVE MY HAND!!"

 Chapter 63 - Narcissism

    The sensations reformat through all of your body, the hurdle for your spines to connect your motoric movement have been annihilated. The gushing acid dusts from the flower have once again assimilated themselves into your bloodstream and veins, this time with a denser amount. A solution is a sweater that you have to knit yourself, but having a knitting machine is by no means cheating or resourceful¡ªit''s a blessing.


    Life gave you lemonade, it''s time to quench the thirst and enjoy the taste.


    "I CAN MOVE!!"


    "Oh, you can move. Lovely." Lues lowers her head to sip her cup of tea again before she does a double take, blinking twice. "Wait, you can move?!"


    "I CAN MOVEEEE!!" You lunge at the floating crimson devil, swinging her around by the arm as the cup in her hand flies off into the wall and breaks. "THE REALM''S DUST IS HEALING MY SENSES!!"


    "EXCUSE ME?!"


    "CAN YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" Chronos'' clone, Chrolay, shouts as well. "IT''S LATE! DON''T YOU TWO NINCOMPOOPS UNDERSTAND WHEN TO BE QUI--" Lues collides with the angry child using the built-up momentum from your swinging, the three of you fall like bowling pins.


    "...Owwww."


    Down on your knees, your eyes are upon the two unconscious children. Standing up wobbly, it seems like your body needs a physiotherapy session even though it''s only a day or more and yet you feel stiffer than this whole building.


    "Shit, I need blood."


    Sensing up the infected blood, you find that the majority of them are splashed into bed like someone having a nasty period. Will it happen to you too knowing that you''re a female now? Although pissing feels natural to you, imagining blood coming from your private parts is scary.


    ''I''ll infect the blood right away so I can use them!''


    You soak all the blood you control and condense it into a tiny orb. There are no stains left after, this place is as good as new, except the mess from your playful swinging.


    Flower of Perspicacity, is the name of the flora you planted into your mana sea. Its roots are multicolored in golden and black just like the dust from its former realm. Pulsating, the colors move, enlarge, shrink, and collide. Weaving the resplendent and yin like its own entity with branching roots ever stretching to the outside of your athenaeum and into your brain.


    Ideas are popping up like popcorn for watching a movie, playing multiple variables of every memory you have and their outcomes on the big cinema with your neurons as the viewers.


    You wonder if you''re able to stretch the manipulated blood so thin but still thick enough to transfer information, frequency, and sounds. You wonder if your virus can be tinkered to infect a whole organism. You wonder if your taming virus is able to make you manipulate their vessel like your own. You wonder what this Golden Orb is and how to utilize them for your mana sea. You wonder if you can make an exact copy of yourself using your DNAs and mana with only just your blood as the materials.


    Strangely, you''re itching to augment the blood you manipulate with unassimilated mana first to achieve those things.


    "What is this insurmountable amount of thirst in my head¡­?"


    Lues'' eyes stop rolling like a barrel off a cliff, she immediately pins you down on the bed. Wiping the bangs out of the way with a circuit formation on her forehead, you spectate the killer eyes similar to those when you''re in flower fields back on Kauhu Forest, with less killing intent, and more concern.


    She connects her forehead with yours. Her consciousness strings are exploring every inch of your body then eventually, your mana sea. Lueling channels her own mana line to give her report to Lues'' consciousness. The metaphysical strings hold your body in place more than her hands pinning yours on the bed. Rather aware of the situation, you feel awkward


    Retracting all of her consciousness strings, a jolt stings your nerves as she sighs in relief. "You worried me for a sec."


    "And you frightened me for a sec," you say. "Now get up and tell me what is happening."


    "Hey, we''re in a romantic position here. Are you sure you want to miss this chance?''


    Your mind is telling you no, but your body, your body~


    "WHO SAYS THAT YOU TWO CAN FUCK LIKE RABBITS INFRONT OF ME!"


    Chrolay takes the thirsty rascal by pinning her on the shoulders and does a back-body-drop like a professional wrestler. Your mind tells you that the lass woke up because Chronos put some kind of radar in her head that would agitate her if Lues made suspicious bodily contact with you.


    "I HAVE A RADAR ON MY HEAD TO PINPOINT BOTH OF YOU RABBITS'' EXACT LOCATION WHEN IN HEAT!"


    ''Called it.''


    Both of them proceed to ensure physical contact more than Lues did with you but with some killing intent mixed into the bowl. Luckily enough, they seem to know where they are and decide to solve their argument with playful scratching and hair pulling. You ignore them as your head subconsciously looks into the ceiling to seek inspiration.


    The flowers continuously excrete an unknown vitamin that works like caffeine with no side effects. The stimulus is so strong it cleanses away all the fatigue and anxiety pent up to this very moment. Let alone to ditch sleep, you feel like you can bring an army and put civilization back to its former glory.


    No need to ask about what the flower is all about anymore. With enough given information and speculation, you manage to gather three possible conclusions in just half a minute.


    Firstly, the ''Acid Realm'' is what you''ll call them from now on, the realm is meant to preserve objects with a high subconscious attachment from sentient beings, cultivating them to reach greater heights. You still can''t grasp the concept of the golden bubbles but they definitely empower the items within them. This begs more questions¡ªdo ''Subconscious Strings'' discharge its essences into inanimate objects? Does it have essences to begin with? Recalling Chronos'' words, a Tekhanure such as Goyang embeds their artificial ''Soul'' into dead material to live.


    It''s obvious enough that the ''Soul'' is equal with ''Consciousness Strings'' in this case, if its essence has the same property, then you might want to experiment with it later as there is a chance for you to put more objects into the Acid Realm and cultivate them. There is also a high chance of other metaphysical strings that haven''t been found.


    And knowing that each object might have its own story, their experience of the world will matter on their effect and property when utilized. Such as the flower from the blood of a ruler with a blessed mind will give massive benefits in your creativity and critical thinking.


    Secondly, a larger pool of mana is inferior to denser mana with multiple properties. The concept of mana is so flexible that you might want to abuse the hell out of it, but you need to know how to insert objects from the outside world into your athenaeum first before adding stuff into the experiment. You need to ask the crimson devil first.


    Lues is a walking treasure of knowledge, especially in the long run, you might want to tame her as soon as you can before she finds a way to separate herself from you.


    Thirdly, you''re cute as fuck! Your adventure is still young, utilizing everything in your disposal or even your body is a must for you to obtain everything you desire.


    You walk into the standing tall mirror,


    ''Who is this cutie I wonder?''


    Narcissism acquired.

 Chapter 64 - Your Very First Artifact

    Silky straight bluish silver hair, you''re wondering if you can make it more attractive.


    Genuinely surprised¡ªyou no longer have anxiety-filled brooding eyes, your abyss-blue eyes with three dark rings are now brimming with curiosity and watchful desire.


    Modest chest for your delicate stature, slightly bigger hip than the waist. The original Long Leggy probably had a high potential to be a famous model if you look back at it again. Pale grey skin, no wonder people see you as a vampire, you''re even paler than Lues!


    It might be pleasing to the eyes, but it was rather too seductive, which is actually good bait but it will depend on your clothing. Something to talk about later.


    Now you''re wondering where the hell are the other clothes Thuljas sent back when you were hospitalized. Chronos left the backpack to Carbonite because we trust him. You also already asked the blacksmith about the dark dagger back then, it ended up with him needing to wait for his Khazenka friend and you need to wait for two days before that person comes back to Amos Citadel.


    "Lues, give me my gourd back," you persuade.


    "W-wait! Lemme, kick this bitch''s asses, FIRST!"


    Chrolay replies with more strength on her choking. "You horny, midget, pervert, idiot¡ª"


    You interject them once again, "Chrolay, do you like shaved ice?" Having crude ideas with some fun experimentation.


    "Hmm? Shaved ice?" She immediately stops.


    Using the chibi vessels as the casting media, you do your usual tiny bitsy bit of alchemy to create two hydrogen atoms from mana and take the oxygen from the air to combine them into H20, changing a subatomic spell into a continuous formation with gates circuit that repeats with the speed of sound to create billions of water molecules for a single drop of water, all of that in 5 seconds.


    ''Water Creation Spell'' knowledge acquired.


    You duplicate the formation to increase the converting speed, both of the children gaze at what you''re doing. Lues is confused while Chrolay seems to have taken an interest.


    They gaze at the ball of water between both of your palms as it enlarges with every second passing. Seeing that heat is equal to internal energy which includes the transfer of chemical composition or ''of energy''. You pinpoint the thermal substances then spread them all into the air and insulate the water orb from any heat energy using circuits, resulting in passive molecules that crystallize.


    The reason outer space is so cold is because a lower temperature is what you get when there are no sources of high temperature sources nearby, and isolating water with no heat energy instantly turns it into ice.


    ''I need to optimize it later somehow. Learning how to manipulate space must be nice.''


    ''Thermal Manipulation Spell'' knowledge acquired.


    "Woah." A sparks flicker on Chrolay''s eyes.


    "Lues, help¡­," you slightly whimper, getting overloaded from all the mathematics.


    Lues'' grin comes back. "Sure do," says her as she cuts the afloat ice orb into numerous micro dices.


    You take the ice into the bowl you''ve found in the kitchen. Strangely enough, you find the yellow-black ''Acid Dusts'' to have tannins and phytochemicals akin to lemon, which have ions in them. Sticking your tongue out, you try various variables to create citric acid and then condense them with water thick enough to be the shaved ice''s syrup, repeatedly tasting the mixture to have the exact sourness that can''t kill someone. You almost lose your tongue in the process but the knowledge elevates your curiosity further¡ªlike how in the world that you''re still alive with acid within your bloodstream!? The ''acid dusts'' also have more property than that of an acid, which heightens the question further of what they actually are.


    ''Citric Acid Creation Spell'' knowledge acquired?


    And with some sugar you find in a small jar inside the kitchen drawer, you used the poorly-made shaved ice to tame Chronos 2.0. She digs in with eyes awake to consume the unknown delight in the bowl.


    "Lues, my gourd."


    "Heee~ Sure."


    The crimson pocket space appears beside you with the crystal gourd peeking out, ready to be snatched. After acquiring your blood container, you burst it all out and condense them all into a small pill.


    "You''re gonna eat that?" ask Lues.


    "No, I want to know if I can infuse them with my mana."


    Placing them between your palms just like you used to, you force combine them with a heavy amount of mana in one go. Sadly, the blood pill rejects it.


    "My love~ To assimilate those metaphysical traits, you need to do it slowly because that converted mana is rich in properties so alchemy and brute force won''t work for this kind of augmentation," says Lues, in a sleeping position as if there is an invisible mattress in the air.


    "I see."


    Chrolay goes to sleep as soon as she finishes the bowl of shaved ice. It might be a bad idea to give a child something cold at night but she was not a normal child so it''s better to separate most of the logic you have from your former life and the current.


    You wasted all night awake to assimilate the high quality energy of your mana into the blood. The fusion was not fully complete but time is limited and before you know it, the ray of morning light rises from the balcony.


    The blood pill has become something more conductible, something more dense, something more¡ªpotentially destructive. With a glowing blue hue mixed with red, spewing out energy in and out like a primordial sun''s surface with none of them exiting the blood material while also brimming with elemental essence.


    Lues, who is always with you all the time, is astonished by the results. "Dear, do you know what you have created there in your hands?"


    "What is it?" You ask.


    "An age-old remnant from a time gone by or will be in the future, a magical ornament that differs from a natural object, a piece of work that an immortal will utilize to kill the menace above. Tell me, what do you call such a treasure that most people would hound you to grasp in their hand?"


    "...An artifact?"


    "Precisely and that one between your palms," She leans forward, eyes unmoving from yours. "Isn''t one to be trifled with."


    You stare back, an unknowing clump of saliva forms in your throat. "...Why are you being so vague?"


    Then, the devil laughs. "Ohoho¡­ who knows. Maybe I''m just giving you false confidence."


    It is nothing different for Lues to act mysterious and indirect but what''s important is that you''ve made something significant in your time in the hotel.


    Artifact acquired.

 Chapter 65 - New Uniforms

    You stretch the colliding hue of blue and red far and wide in the air like liquid, creating a scenic view of a hypnotizing world. Black rings glowing in blue ripples constantly in different places as the red liquid spew out elemental essences like an erupting volcano just for them to go through the other side and back like a never ending orbits, making a wave that will be engulfed by the glowing black rings.


    The amount is still the same but denser due to the augmentation of thousands of circuits and mana, which of course, results in a heavier mass. It''s more reactive to your command, resulting in a 300% increase in efficiency.


    Lues touches them as it ripples like an upside down pond. "As a creator, you need to name them."


    "Name them, huh." Because they are made from the blood of the fallen, which is already controversial enough. You''ll call it¡ª"Chi of Decidit."


    ''Chi of Decidit'' acquired.


    "Chi'' as in singular blood, gore, and consanguinity? Since when did you know some of the Youkai''s tongue?"


    "The oni you fought back then gave me the scroll for blood manipulation. My Chrolings decrypted them and two kanji symbols for blood are read as ''Ketsueki'', with only one of them it was read as ''Chi''," you say as your conniving smile widens in satisfaction.


    Having enough fun playing around, you condense them again into a pill then place them into the gourd, a satisfying plop sound echoes inside.


    The bell rings. You nonchalantly go to the door and peek outside through the peephole to find a female feline in an Assailant uniform with a thick iron wrist gauntlet on her left arm placed on her waist, her right white-gloved hand supporting the black visor of her white militaristic cap with two cat ears sticking out from a well designed holes for felines'' ears, and lastly, a professional smile you could trust. Two futuristic chests can be seen right in the middle of your view besides her. Excited, you immediately open the door and mirror her smile. An ID card is hanging by her neck, codenamed: Quickloss.


    Her slit pupils gaze at you, visibly going up and down your petite figure. The feline flinched and stiffened, to the you who only tilted your head in confusion. Because you were basically wearing your undergarments, the scenario felt like she was the pizza guy in a porno. There was a literal process she had to convince herself that you were a thousand year old vampire and such thoughts if known by a primordial would just mean she''d die in more than 33 ways.


    The feline gives a quick and haphazard salute. "Good morning! Operator Long Leggy. These two crates are sent by the top brass, senior Seizequill will be waiting for both of your arrival at 10 am, is there anything else you want to know?"


    "What are those crates for?" you ask.


    Lues floats toward the entrance to find you two, her eyes fixated on the high-tech boxes. "Oya, oya, so it has arrived. Our uniforms."


    "Of course!"


    Quickloss singlehandedly carries the big containers inside your president suite room. She then bids a farewell. You glance over the crates for a second and just like her codename, it''s quick to lose sight of her as she just disappears without leaving a sign of any sort. With the door closed inaudibly, it''s safe to assume that she is already outside on her way back to the headquarters after seeing a vampire in pantyhose and undergarments.


    The codenames of you and Lues are engraved on top of each chest, glowing in neon. Anticipation has never been as contagious as this moment. Fresh white smoke releases the moment you open the sturdy lid and gape at the content.


    There are few documents and the accessories of your uniform inside. You read one of the letters that tells you to wear it immediately as the moment you retrieve it and some manual about the accessories.


    Just at the right time when you don''t wear much clothing, you assemble all the pieces into your body and look into the mirror.


    Black-visored white peaked military cap with a Qilin symbol at the front that makes you look taller in appearance and pure presence. The usual pure-white Assailant uniform underneath the red trimmed multilayered black jacket with neon red rings that requires it to be inserted into three straps connected to the shoulder part to the end of the long sleeves as a stiff and wide cuffs which is rather a hassle to wear. Nevertheless, the small red hoops is surprisingly light and doesn''t do much friction with your hand joints.


    As the most top layers, you wear a black capelet with a tubular wide neck guard made of strong and stiff fabric stretching from shoulder to shoulder with grey line patterns that comes with a zipper¡ªit''s really convenient and comfortable to wear despite being rather heavy, you can''t look down well with it but why look down when you''re short?


    They also give you the option of wearing black short pants or a flexible business skirt. You could wear both but fighting in a skirt like that, no matter how they market it, will never assure you so you chose the black short pants. It''s comfortable too so it''s a win-win. You were still going to wear your pantyhose because it had been enchanted with the self repair circuit.


    You slide each of your feet into the loose armored heeled-boots with rather excessive plating on the knees, you put your mana into the circular device located on the beginning section of the heels and they immediately tighten comfortably as if it was part of your legs.


    ''I feel like this is too outrageous.''


    It does make you more intimidating but it feels like there are too many things going on. Each article of clothing is enchanted, it''d probably be for combat purposes, then again, having lesser clothing will give you more flexibility so this getup might actually be for formal or ceremonial events.


    You then shift your gaze at Lues who has finished her preparation on her own uniform. Everything is the same except that her accessories don''t come with the peaked military cap and the tubular neck-guard capelet. Instead, she got a spell conductor in the form of a cool-looking pair of wrist gauntlets.


    Curious, you check the other documents, explaining about numerous operator''s classes that come with their special accessories. You check your class on the Operator Class Card you got yesterday after the examination. Aggressor, Tactician, and Annihilator¡ªwhat is engraved on them.


    Shifting back to the documents, it seems like your peaked military cap comes from your Tactician Class, the complex multilayered jacket comes with the Aggressor Class, and your outlandish neck-guard capelet is the sign of your Annihilator Class. The Operator Class is hardly given to normal personnel in which you need to meet a certain criteria to gain one as a credential.


    Your hands are upon important files, stricken by the curiosity of your perspicacity.

 Chapter 66 - Appearance Vampire-Wise

    The Tactician is one of the rarer classes because it is only given to an operator with high strategic capabilities, someone who can command their comrades to victory with as few casualties as possible, a master strategist. Looks like the Assailants are deeply impressed by your performance on the hunting simulation. It''s still crude of them to give you this class without any field experience, is it because you''re a Primordial?


    An Aggressor might be a little bit misleading from its name but this class is heavily referring to specialized versions of Vanguards who have high perception to deal with upcoming enemies before full blown combat happens, especially in a dangerous Calamity Mission to prevent a ''Divine Banquet''. A Divine Banquet is a term for an innumerable number of Calamities rising in the middle of the mission, mostly resulting in a squad wipe.


    Then comes the Annihilator, a high end class that includes many traits of different classes. One of the basic requirements is to have a high resilience, considerable firepower, and tactical acumen. Though there is a rule written that this particular class can be stripped from the personnel if they exude any weaknesses. Which might also mean that they will be the face of the Assailants'' informational public power, as there will be many third party powers coming for you. Basically, they are the living target dummy for any opposition who wants to cripple the Assailant Department.


    Ironic, an organization fighting for the survival of all kin is being backstabbed by whom they protect to the point of needing bait for many assassination attempts. Makes you wonder how these races of demi-humans survive till this day.


    ''This part for ''Annihilator'' seems to be rather highly undisclosed, otherwise it won''t work.''


    You rip apart the Annihilator pages and immediately cast a fire spell to destroy any evidence of the purpose of the Annihilator.


    ''Either they made a blunder for giving this classified information, or they''re playing four dimensional chess and know that I''m assertive enough to do this.''


    But why do they trust you so much? Looking at the likelihood, it seems to be the former case.


    ''What a fitting name, Annihilator, a magnet to annihilate most of the problematic occurrences for the branch. Basically, they want me to be a meatshield for them.''


    There are still many documents to be read but something rather disturbing has just happened. It''s about Lues, casually showing you a dead torso of a person drained of its blood, devoid of any limbs and missing its head¡ª


    ''Don''t tell me that this is one of the agents trying to eliminate me!?''


    "There are still five mosquitos on the other side of the building. Sadly, they became intimidated after I did some magic show for them," says Lues as she converts the dead body into a pill, then casually crunching it like some snack. "Have you read the document?"


    "I did," you reply, meaning that she knows the situation with the Annihilator case. "By the way, you haven''t shown me your Operator Class Card."


    "Oh right!" A pocket space appears beside you with the card sticking out, ready to be taken.


    Codename: Liberia


    Department: Assailant


    Assailant Class: Aggressor/Slayer/Assassin


    Race: Primordial/Vampire


    Rank: C


    Mana Conductivity: SS


    Combat Experience: Unknown


    Tactical Acumen: E


    Leadership: B-


    Resilience: S


    Literacy Status: Literate


    You scan her apparel one more time and see no accessories for the Assassin Class. The mana conductor must be coming from the Slayer Class, probably some class with high firework-shows capabilities recalling what that crimson devil did back on the Test Range.


    Although from all of this ''Vampire'' gimmick, you notice something obvious missing. Both you and Lues are paler than a porcelain but neither does both of you have any vampiric trait according to their story and legend. Indeed that Lues and you rely on blood for your technique but that doesn''t qualify much to the proper standard on what vampires are known to look like. It will be extremely bad if a true Primordial sees two fakers in front of them sooner or later.


    "Lues, can you make my appearance more vampiric?" you ask, out of the blue. Giving back her operator-class card.


    "Hmm? No problemo."


    She does a little gun bang gesture as the imaginary bullet strikes the hell out of you like lightning. Heat, pain, and more pain. Most of the cells within your body are being rewritten. DNAs change, it took 10% of your mana to overclock the process as sharp pain induces while the anguish warms up to the side of your head. Your ears become longer and pointy similar to those of typical elf stereotypes. Hoping for two fangs to grow and sharpen, but instead, all of your teeth become those akin to Lues'' triangle shark teeth.


    "Since when did vampires have serrated teeth!?"


    "Huh, you mean the original four-pointy-canines akin to ancient predatory mammals? I feel like those kinds of fangs for sucking blood by jolting small holes on prey are rather inefficient." Lues then proudly shows you her big grin of saw-like teeth, zigzagging line like a nasty zipper. "With these serrated teeth, you can just reap the flesh and slurp on those red goodies!"


    "THAT IS NOT HOW VAMPIRISM WORKS!"


    The sudden changes make you feel uncomfortable, as you keep gritting your teeth because of how unusual it was. At least the pointy ears are on spot!


    Lues then follows as she engineers her ears, what could''ve gone wrong?


    You then remember that there will be breakfast at 7 am, half an hour from now on. It is mentioned on the recommendation letter that the three of you will be living in this hotel for one week. So might as well vacuum all of the luxury before sleeping on the streets.


    "Are you sure that we will be getting out of this room with this getup?" you ask.


    "Why not? It seems like there are quite many Vagants in this hotel."


    "THAT IS WHAT I MEANT!"


    And so, you end up going to the restaurant with that getup after waking up the sleeping Chrolay. Retrieving the breakfast vouchers from the reception, the three of you enjoy the scrumptious food from 12,000 into the future where humanity is dead, with a side of numerous people gazing like you''re some sort of attraction.


    You didn''t bring your peaked cap because it wasn''t necessary to show the world that you''re a Tactician, but somehow still wearing the thick protective petticoat which isn''t a petticoat at all. Nonetheless, it will end up the same as the rest of the killer agents are now aiming their guns at you, having your neck and shoulder protected might probably be more assuring.


    Then the breakfast ends without any chaos. The three of you then explore the hotel and meet some of the Vagant''s personnel living here. There is a massage room, spa, gym, swimming pool, and more stuff that was supposed to be inside a five star hotel.


    You''re itching to get your hands on new information and experimentation, but you managed to preserve either way as you don''t want to be a nerdy dopamine addict. The time then hits 09:30, it is time to enter the Assailant headquarter once again. Chrolay decides to stay at the hotel so you probably should be worrying about a certain someone who would **** you out of nowhere.


    "ATCHOO! Hueh, I feel like someone is talking about me," says Lues.


    "Must be your imagination."


    Inside the public unmanned-taxi, you''re on your way to sector 10 of the eastern part of Amos Citadel. A.K.A, Assailant Dept Headquarter.. It didn''t take long before the two of you arrived.

 Chapter 67 - Briefing With Ratatoskr [Kolme]

    "Is it clear? Ratatoskr?"


    "Again, pardon me?"


    Within a soundproof room on the 4th floor, Seizequill tries to shove down all the information of Ratatoskr''s next mission to no avail. It was all because within the briefings it involved two new recruits who were ancient vampires possibly originating from the Primordial Era.


    "W-why the Moose Squad? What about the Veilas Squad!? Or the Ragnarok Squad!?" Ratatoskr''s face is filled with anguish and despair as soon as the realization kicks in.


    The Ferrakhian only leans forward. "Because I trust you."


    In embarrassment at the sudden statement, Ratatoskr rotates her whole body into a wall and hurls a heavy punch full of disbelief. "THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE TIME FOR ME TO BE PROUD!"


    "In any case, the objective of the mission is to retrieve an Artifact on the ruins. The Scout Department already gave all the information you need." Seizequill packs up all the documents and offers it to her junior. "There is also a Grade Eight Calamity observed within the area, possibly an A-rank."


    The antiquated Graded Calamities is still in use within the G-to-S Ranking system where the grade indicates the resilience of the referred Calamity from one to ten, the system had changed where the calamity is ranked from their threat level instead of resilience as time passes. Despite this, the Grading is still used from Eight to Ten.


    Eight Grade Calamity refers to a highly resilient Calamity with almost no weaknesses, Grade Nine means the Calamities are immortal such as Timorea where it has been observed to be literally unkillable on many battlefield, and Grade Ten refers to a threat that is out of mortal comprehension such as the ''Killer Dusk'' who on the latest expedition appeared in Kauhu Forest, intercepting the returning Coalition Unit from the dreaded Aghanim.


    Ratatoskr immediately calls her squad member telepathically, the message is as follows, "Blast, Woez, Obrez. Briefing room 11, floor 4, now! Godspeed."


    Before her henchmen comes, two frightening figures can already be seen within the room, with a small cubed Tekhanure.


    "Good morning, both of you! Who is this little guy over here?" asks Seizequill, rather excited than pissing her pants like the other senior operator in the room.


    "His name is Goyang," replies the blue primordial with a smile. "He was supposed to be in the hotel with one of our companions but he managed to sneak into the transportation."


    The Ferrakhian touches the cube. "A Tekhanure is highly sought in battle, raise him well and you have a great warrior on your side. I assume that you don''t have the license but we can help with that."


    "Much appreciated, so where is our new squad leader, if I may ask?" asks Long Leggy.


    "Ehem."


    "AH YES! ''TIS I!" shouts the startled supposed-leader with a finger on chest and the other hand above her head in an awkward pose. It takes a while before she realizes her own blunder and fixes her dignified image as the squad leader. "I hope we can get along in the future. Ehem, forget about that pose, I''m just excited, that''s all."


    She is panicking, that''s all.


    Ratatoskr glances over their ID card hanging from their neck, Long Leggy for the blue primordial and Liberia for the fearsome red. She doesn''t want to question the naming sense for the new operator with a ''Dominus'' piece on the Vampire''s shoulder that signifies the status of a high-ranked class called the Annihilator.


    Leggy shoots a quick judgemental scan over Ratatoskr, the pitiful leader notices this as numerous nightmares encapsulate in her mind¡ª ''I definitely screwed up, she must be thinking why the hell that a mere cultivator in the hollow orb phase is becoming their leader, she must be thinking on how my pitiful life has been led to this state, why is she staring at me for so long!? Do they want my blood!? Woez, I''m sorry but I think that I won''t be alive before we avenge your homeland.''


    After the ten seconds glare, Ratatoskr has survived the onslaught. Liberia also scares her as how Ratatoskr can''t read the terrifying newbies'' mind with that suspicious bangs and grin all the time.


    Seizequill is curious. "Both of you have a slightly different appearance than the last. Seems like the rumors about shapeshifting vampires is true." She smirks.


    The blue Primordial shrugs, closing one of the eyes as she talks. "Of course. Nevertheless, I still wonder about what has been written about us by mortals after all."


    "As a matter of fact, we have our own Library on the 7th floor, do visit if you have the time." Seizequill then notices the arriving guest outside of the door.


    Deftly, two of the Moose Squad''s members come into the room. Lining up, an event where new faces try to read each other''s mind.


    A tired reindeer type Aekha with a compact crossbow at the size of her body even when folded, is strapped on her back. Wearing a long grey cloak outside of her Assailant uniform, she gives her salute. "Operator Woez, present."


    The other is a male Aiseirighian with two unliked restraining cuffs on each wrist that signify a pseudo-criminal history, a double-barrelled shotgun strapped on his back, and other ancient firearms can be seen strapped into his apparel. Wearing a tactical vest outside his uniform, he gives his salute. "Operator Obrez, present."


    Both of the two ignore the choking presence of the two Primordials.


    Realizing one of them is missing, the leader asks for a confirmation, "Where is Blast and Ollie?"


    "Blast has been in his garage for a while, making some explosives," replies Woez.


    The Ferrakhian taps at both of the newbies as she walks out of the room with no sounds.


    "We''ll go into his garage, but firstly, let me introduce both of you to our new members to the squad," says Ratatoskr with sweat running down from her forehead. She gestures unwillingly to the two powerhouses. "Long Leggy and Liberia, p-please introduce yourself."


    "Long Leggy, just call me by my real name, Pitka," says the vampire with a tactician cap, holding the goofy Tekhanure.


    The floating vampire seems doesn''t care much about the introduction as she proceeds to lay down in the air while her body is facing the wall. "Liberia, I''m not gonna kill anybody."


    "Woez, B-rank Huntress, it''s a pleasure for me to meet with both of you," she says as her expression tells otherwise.


    "Obrez, B-rank." His heavy voice with a thick russian accent fills the room. "I''m not the smartest guy, but I can be relied on."


    With a forced smile, Ratatoskr wipes her sweat once again as she opens the document.

 Chapter 68 - Horrible Misunderstanding

    ''Aaahh, acting is so hard, meeting new people is scary.''


    Barely breathing as shivers run down from every end of your limbs like a NASCAR championship held within your frightened body. You clench Goyang as hard as you can to prevent any suspicious move. This is your first day of work and it''s really nerve-wracking.


    Within a soundproofed room, together with three other people beside Lues, a briefing for the Moose Squad. An expert ''scourge and retrieve'' special force led by an A-rank genius Tactician, Ratatoskr. The reason why she doesn''t wear the peaked cap is because of her broad-palmate antlers not allowing her to do so. They only have four members as opposed to what a normal squad usually has, which already proves how professional they are. Both you and Lues are sent to this squad for the leader to evaluate the newbie on the field.


    "Without further ado, our mission will involve retrieving a high-grade Artifact at the site of ancient structures deep within the Calamities'' territory." Ratatoskr conjures a holographic map with numerous delicate circuits, recreating the destination in a smaller scale of reality. She then points to the middle area with a huge crater surrounded by a tall building rotten from many tears of the past. "Our target is a 2 meter columnar object, the chaotic energy within the abyss-shell is a clear trait of the target. According to data, this Artifact is classified as a wild M.A.D."


    At first, you only saw Ratatoskr as that short and cute senior in a high school setting, the one who has to manage everything and isn''t taken seriously. But this isn''t high school, this is a company that pulled mortal of Neamh together from the brink of chaos and this is a group where only the elite gather. Though she may not don the same cap as you because of her broad-palmate antlers, the cap doesn''t make the midget, the midget makes the cap.


    You also notice that she wears this plastered smile of sorts, every moment your eyes would meet there''s that immediate smile. It makes you nervous.


    From your experience in this world, you already knew that a fake smile meant something sinister went on inside their head. Lues and Chronos are the prime examples of this, it seems like your dream of getting guided by a cute senior Tactician will be impossible looking at how she really wants you out of her sight.


    Maybe showing an interest in the mission will soften your leader, especially as it also entices your curiosity as of late. "May I happen to know what the M.A.D signifies to?"


    Ratatoskr shoots a blank stare into the floor for a brief moment before winding you in her view with a big forced smile on her face.


    Your eyes are wide open, staring at her with rather serious manners. Mostly because you''re nervous and end up looking very intimidating while contemplating your action¡ª ''Shit! Did I screw up!? She must be thinking about how an uninformed newbie such as me managed to get into her professional squad! Even Dyaus Pita doesn''t care if I''m a primordial, she might already notice that I''m not a primordial from the first glance we met on the test range!''


    Your face pales as your stare sharpens¡ªand so does Ratatoskr who starts to squint and sweat.


    ''Dear god, she wants to boil me alive.''


    The leader finally regained her composure despite looking very obnoxious. "Ehem!" She starts pointing up as a gesture of explaining. "M.A.D is an abbreviation for Massive Augmented Destruction, it is one of the most dangerous categories for an Artifact ever created by mortal or immortal alike, in the hope of¡ª"


    Amidst the important explanation, a stare as sharp as an atomic needle pierces your weak mental aptitude from the dark grey-haired Aekha. As strange as it is, it''s scarier to be glared with hatred by your new coworker than a literal psychopath and monster, it makes you wonder what have you unknowingly done to make them hate you before even throwing a conversation or two.


    "Uhm, Miss Pitka? Are you listening?"


    ''Shit! I''m too focused on trying to find out why the reindeer lady is glaring at me to the point of ignoring most of the explanation¡­! Not only that I didn''t show respect to the senior, I also accidentally glared back which was also included as a hostile act to her team member!''


    "I-It seems like both you and Woez are having a really dangerous first impression of each other that I¡ª"


    Dense killing intent suddenly encapsulates the whole room with crimson red. An angry presence of a blood-red vampire menacingly showing her discontent to the reindeer girl with a frown grin shaped like a croissant. "Little girl, I hereby suggest you to use your eyes for a better purpose, unless you don''t want to keep it."


    Woez flinches as she retracts her glare into somewhere else, which is good because you didn''t want to get kicked out from the building because of your partner suddenly killing someone.


    The door opens to reveal a man in a gas mask and alchemical machinery on his back. "Yo! What''s up!"


    The very same person who didn''t flinch from your act back on Kauhu Forest, now stands tall in front of you. You can see the purple stare through the lenses of the mask, gathering the visual information as he tries to match your appearance with the one on his memory. Silence ensues as he shifts his gaze into Ratatoskr.


    This is dangerous, he might start hating you for extorting and to the point of getting him being smashed by the lion to the ground, he might have a grudge with you. Seriously, what are the odds of gods for putting all misfitted people in one spot, popping the hatch when the steam of blood sullies this building hot enough like a kettle at a boiling point.


    ''I need to think of every counter and excuse to prevent any conflict¡­!''


    He finally let out a speech, "Who are these two?"


    ''Bruh.''


    "You buffoon!" barks Ratatoskr like a military commander to her troops as she plants her team member''s head onto the solid floor with a loud shockwave. The former place for his head has been replaced by two straight legs, reminiscent of a certain pocket monster from a certain videogame. "Where is the salute!? And why this late!?"


    Many vials fall from the heavy contraption sticking on Blast''s back, some create tiny fireworks and some corrode or even damage the floor. A glass clear bottle also falls from the machine as you can hear a faint and feminine "EARTHQUAKE!?" sound from the bottle.


    His hands gesture of him trying to speak as his voice is muffled by the concrete floor strong enough to withstand an explosive, but definitely not a loli taller than you with wide moose antlers sticking out from her head.


    Ratatoskr sighs after a second passes to focus back on what she ought to do.


    "Ehem! Let''s get on our way, I''ll brief it again on the chopper. Obrez! Un-plant Blast and move!" She then shifts her gaze to both of you with her usual stiff smile, the area of her forehead is grey as she emits an ominous aura. "I hope you can get along with the team."


    "Lues, we''re screwed!" you say telepathically to your partner in crime.


    "Huh?" she replies. "What are you talking about?"


    ''SHE DOESN''T GET IT!''

 Chapter 69 - Airbase

    Arriving at the airbase right behind the multi-million dollar building, you see five smaller hangars surrounding a larger version.


    Blast rushes from behind after refilling the needed chemicals for his big box contraption, soon tailing the group.


    Following the three original members of the Moose Squad whose names are actually at the same absurdity level with the one who named you with two adjectives just because your former appearance has literal long legs. But as your eyes are gathering information of the post-apocalyptic military setting, it''s time to do the traditional mind-boggling question-mark to the world you''re currently living in.


    Firstly, do Aekhas have many subspecies? Because there have been many inconsistencies regarding their trait, and with their different kinds of antlers from their respective species, do they have tribes and other kinds of ways to divide uniqueness from their own kind?


    Secondly, how in the holy cheese-mushroom is there an airbase akin to those of the military 12,000 years in the future!? There is an aircraft for transportation!? Nevertheless, the amount is rather realistic for the mortals of Neamh trying to replicate the ancient technology of rocket and jet engine, then again, you haven''t seen any of the aircraft yet as they are really preserved within the small hangar like pickled vegetables.


    Considering how the world works, they probably replaced the engines with mana crystal and many of the ignition parts with circuits converting the mana into propelling power or just literally copied the schematics if they are the ''following the instruction manual with precision and originality'' kind of engineers.


    There is a female child-looking officer with big circular rodent ears in the usual uniform and a white tube scarf with red patterning, waiting in front of the small hangar with a laid back attitude.


    "Lues, I''ve seen many short rodent demi-humans, are they one of the majority?" you ask your crimson red friend in telepathy.


    Looking at her, it seems like she is currently enjoying the sight. "Tanomobi, they are ageless. It''s impossible to determine one''s age by any means without asking them directly, good at surviving doomsday and immune to many atomic interference. Their kin are smart and rational, I love those little creatures."


    ''Says the little creature.''


    "I''m Lafalz!" The Tanomobi immediately gives an energetic salute. "I''m an ace trainee transferred from the ''Aviation Arc'' academy from Kratos Citadel! Madam Fallout says that I will be your pilot for today, Ma''am!"


    "Good, I''ll be giving you the coordinates in flight, the mission priority is ''First Ark''," replies your leader.


    Behind the Tanomobi is a giant green box opened by its sides, and reveals a striking black aircraft that bore a fixed-wing design, albeit with a twist at the end of both wings are turboshafts with propellers in them, similar to tiltrotors 12,000 years ago.


    "As expected of the ''great lance'' of Vagant, you have a majestic vehicle in your arsenal," you say, showing your respect to the organization and how they are able to replicate one of the best and worst ways to transport personnel from the field.


    Ratatoskr''s face glimmers from your statement as she immediately spins one legged to face you, placing both palms on her waist with a confident and genuine smile. "Our helicopters are one of a kind. Built from scratch using a reference by ancient civilizations, our Engineering branch did a good job on this baby!"


    She looks proud of her explanation but that''s a tiltrotor! A tiltrotor and a helicopter are two different things!! There are striking similarities but they have major differences!


    ''Don''t tell me that they accidentally recreated a tiltrotor when trying to make a helicopter, or their library doesn''t explain much in detail of the difference between the two. This is like the Microgun case! They just put everything optimal that sounds plausible with their technologies, rendering the intended design useless and just call the thing with its original name!''


    Lafalz rushes into the cockpit to start the aircraft while the moose continues her lecture, "With its fine circuit engineering, it can travel in mach two with no interference inside!"


    ''That''s not a tiltrotor! That''s a glorified jet aircraft in rotorcraft clothing! Heck! I bet that the rotors didn''t do shit to the aviation process except ascending!''


    While the others are already boarding the plane, you stand still and realize something hidden in plain sight.


    ''Why do I know all these things?''


    Your past has been hidden from you, you believe that you''re a normal human from every bits of your memory of dying in stupid way on the hospital. Normal people won''t even care about what a tiltrotor is and what is not, normal people don''t know much about a rocket propelling pseudo-rocket ammunition for your microgun, unless you''re a military nerd or an internet addict in your past life, or an ''American'', but it still doesn''t feel quite right.


    ''Why?''


    Your fingers let''s Goyang go before you come back to reality as his concrete body thud.


    The Flower of Perspicacity has toughens your mind, the sudden pain of unlocked memory realization is crippling you down but this is not the time for that and you know it.


    "Long Leggy! What are ya standing still for? Get in!" shouts Lues.


    Existential crisis has no place within your heart. You pick up Goyang and move.


    Inside the glorified jet plane is a large space that might be able to hold twenty people. After your leader puts the coordinates for the mission on the navigation device near the cockpit, she comes back holding the same document as when you''re in the briefing room.


    The aircraft ascends at fair speeds up the sky, higher than the mammoth walls of the Citadel that exudes a clear middle-finger to any Calamities trying to infiltrate this behemoth of civilization.


    The fake tiltrotor then zooms in and breaks the speed of sound immediately as the inside suffers no sudden acceleration or any sort. If only they have more of these, and if all of those small hangars is the only home for this quote-on-quote helicopter. This is definitely not how physics works.


    The low amount of tiltrotors shows how important this aircraft is to the branch with the high amount of cost to create one or they are just trying to lower the amount to reduce maintenance cost¡ªif it even needs one considering that they can just put self repairing circuits inside.


    Perhaps they don''t want any high demand as it will give the lower class easy access and many foreigners or hazardous substances can be crudely imported to the Citadel without any inspection.


    Doing a blockade in one place is already handful enough.


    And upon the moving aircraft, Ratatoskr begins her re-briefing.

 Chapter 70 - Awkward Trip Before The Blast

    "Artifact retrieval, A rank quest, priority ''First Ark''. We will be diving into the center like droplets in the sea, I need one Aggressor, and one Watcher. Obrez and Blast must defend me at all cost, Woez will be the Watcher and Pitka will be switching between Vanguard and Aggressor with Libera." Your leader then looks at you and Lues, "Adapt and improvise."


    Ark Priority, just like the ship that Noah built to preserve life for the next generation to come. Recalling the contents within the documents on the hotel, it means as follows: Because the Citadel''s position isn''t mobile such as that of a Landship, which means that the Vagants need to prevent any future catastrophe¡ª


    ''Ark'' is the trait of the mission on how much weight you carry on your shoulder for the survival of the whole, everyone can make an ark this way, but the weight for each of them is different


    The First Ark, priority of life. Come back alive, first and foremost. Re-estimate, plan again, and strike again with a better grasp. It is the coward who kills the dragon. Do not be ashamed to retreat.


    The Second Ark, the mission is important. The reason you are deployed, the reason you are chosen. The reason we still live.


    The Third Ark, the success of this mission not only will matter to your pay grade, but to the people who need protection. We fight naught for greed, we fight for our families. We fight to protect, until there is nothing to protect.


    The Last Ark, there''s no going back. It is a one-way road. Your duties and responsibilities fall upon you, failure is not an option.


    Or so to speak, those were some that you remember from the top of your head. Such condescending words given to their employees. Of course, with each rule implemented, with each oath, there''s a special silver lining for the special situations that can happen in this godforsaken world.


    The Angel Ark, the God Ark, the Decade Ark, all the little details they decide to add just for the unfortunate occasions. You hope not to see them soon in your briefings.


    Ratatoskr then shows what will be expected in the magical holograms as she continues, "The ancient structures have been preserved by dense void fluctuations, resulting in many B-rank Calamities. And one of them is what I want both Libera and Pitka to neutralize temporarily.."


    "Temporarily?" ask Lues. "How about a capture?"


    The holograms show a mole rat with golden armor in flaming pattern, the back of the beast is a flaming ball akin to those in the sky but on a smaller scale.


    "Apparently, even if we can capture this Calamity, we can''t bring it home due to its size and its Grade Eight resilience," replies your leader.


    Now you''re wondering how big it is.


    The briefing was short and precise, your leader only reminds you of the terrain and how to deal with every Calamities in the area. As master strategists say, ''Know your enemies and yourself''. Ratatoskr is qualified to lead and you believe in her¡ªif only she stops forcing a terrible smile when both of your gaze meets, as a junior Tactician, you need to absorb as much knowledge as you can from your superior but it''s hard if she sees you as a troublesome child in her eyes.


    ''I need to prove my competency somehow!''


    And making your coworkers like you is one of them! Obrez seems really quiet, you''re wondering if he can speak a Russian or two. Woez is already waging war with you and Lues for no reason, in-between those moments, she looks calm and composed. Blast is the tricky one, and unlies Woez and Obrez, he is an A-rank akin to Ratatoskr.


    Lues who is bored, snatches Goyang away from your cradle and into her.


    Estimation: 4 minutes before arriving.


    You decided to strike a conversation in the rather silent and stiff atmosphere.


    "So how long did all of you work for Vagant?"


    Ratatoskr''s forehead pales again as it sharpens her grey eyes, as if you made a heavy mistake by asking.


    ''Why!? Is asking how long you work for Vagant taboo??''


    Woez who''s unfazed, ironically saves the day. "Ratatoskr and I joined the same day around two years ago, Obrez came one year after and Blast is someone we babysit."


    "If I''m a baby then Ollie would be a Fetus," says Blast.


    "I''m older than every single one of you!" A faint feminine voice can be heard from Blast''s machinery, the masked man then takes the source of the voice and holds it in front of him. "AND HOW MANY TIMES DO I TOLD YOU TO NOT PUT ME ON THAT MACHINE!?"


    "I thought you would find it comfy there, it''s warm, yes?" says the perpetrator.


    "I''M NOT A BIRD! Also, who are these new faces?"


    You immediately try to answer enthusiastically, while subconsciously looking like you''re angry due to your anxiety, "Pitka! And this one is Libera, my sister." As you gesture towards Lues.


    You can see a silhouette resembling Tanomobi inside the bottle. "Oohoho! Such rich mana coming from you two! The name''s Ollie! Also, the lady with a peaked cap needs to restrain her excessive elemental essences. Because everyone here has been cultivating it besides Blast."


    "Eugh!?" says everyone simultaneously except Lues, you, Blast, and his bottle.


    So every elemental essence you let go in the air can be used, this is bad as your adversary can use it when you face them. Then again, the fact that you''ve become a walking aromatic nourisher, means you can empower your allies and friends tremendously! This mindset clouds your question about why there is a sentient being inside the bottle.


    You let out a convincing smile so that the other won''t be guilty of taking your elemental essences. "Just take as much as you want, I''m not mad."


    They immediately stopped cultivating your elemental essence.


    ''WHY!?''


    Not long after, you peeks through the small window to see the ruins of a metropolis from your past era. The void might have preserved it but the life within didn''t last.


    Ratatoskr stands up.. "Everyone, welcome to the ''Ancient Work'', buckle up and prepare to dive in."

 Chapter 71 - Yaksa Raja

    Telepathically¡ª


    "Lues, how big is your pocket space?"


    "The size of your mothe¡ª"


    "Good, let''s capture the mole rat."


    "Ohoho, I like your idea."


    To gain more favorability, you''re planning on proving your worth by bringing home more loot for the team, in the hope of taming the Squad''s members'' impression of you. It''s always a miracle every time that one of the two psychopaths actually have the same mindset as yours. A crystal gourd is peeking out from a crimson pocket space, ready to take.


    A smile of satisfaction has been ingrained to both of you and Lues'' faces. It might be weird from the outside perspective but this union is what matters.


    "To gain their trust!"


    "To flex and show our dominance!"


    ''WE''RE DEFINITELY NOT IN THE SAME MINDSET!''


    At a high altitude above the sky, numerous flying Calamities can be seen beyond the cloud layer as the aircraft slows down and the ramp behind opens. The higher you are, the less dense the air is, and the less dense it is, the lower pressure it gets, and the lower pressure you have, the colder it is.. You noticed that there are numerous circuits that come into play for your comfortable breathing, even the pressure from the open ramp doesn''t sucks you out.


    "Go! Go! Go!"


    No safety, no protective equipment, no parachute, just the Assailant''s alma matter and weapons to hunt and scourge. All of you soar like falling stars avoiding multiple monstrosities until you pierce the dense yellow smoke to see inside the phenomenal capsule. Exhilaratingly, your peaked cap doesn''t fall by the friction and wind of you diving like a meteor¡ªeven a tailor is attentive enough to implant a circuit to keep your cap intact to your head.


    The view becomes bigger every passing moment as you can find a big crater the size of a baseball field with the described dangerous artifact in the middle of all the mess that ensues.


    400 meters off the ground.


    A giant bird-like Calamity blocks your path so you unsheathe your Chi of Decidit like a blade as the frame becomes clear once again. Meanwhile, Lues boosted herself tremendously at the speed of sound to take the first drops of blood from multiple low rank Calamities far ahead on the ground.


    Surprisingly, a new telepathic string has planted itself into your hearing like an earpiece, an iconic commanding voice of your leader can be heard, "ENGAGE! ENGAGE! STRIKE EVERYTHING NEAR THE CRATER!!"


    200 meters off the ground.


    Everyone begins to cast protective layers to brace for impact while on the offensive. The Chi of Decidit is enough to be your cushion but instead of going for a bang like your manic counterpart, you used the blood to decelerate as you scan your surroundings of tall apartments rotten by the sands of time.


    100 meters off the ground.


    Most of the flying threats have been taken care of by the reindeer girl, every large artificial bolt being shot by her giant crossbow have managed to decimate most of the bird-like monstrosity. The difficulty of strafing down while aiming an artillery crossbow is definitely not something to look down upon¡ªshe is the one who does the look-down.


    Explosions, numerous large explosions ensue to distract and reap most of the threat. Blast doesn''t even throw the explosive, his machine on his back does the work for him, taking carpet bombing to another whole level. Your leader is already on the crater together with Lues and Obrez, it''s time for you to shine and show your team what you could do!


    ''Annihilator is going to annihilate!''


    You shape your Chi of Decidit into hundreds of gnarly spears. Imitating what Blast does, you incorporate each of them with the virus vessel targeting circuit. Blasting off, as each of them adds into the chaos with numerous pierced Calamities'' blood nourishing the sands, the enhanced blood-bending virus will instantly turn every infected blood into a spear as the Chi of Decidit will link into new infected pools of blood, giving it the same trait as your Artifact.


    The chain reaction goes on until you meet the ground near the crater and condense all the blood into an orb to reform the Chi of Decidit. The amount of mana used is really family friendly because of how the Chi of Decidit''s substances have already incorporated huge amounts of elemental essence as a conductor, accumulating each time you absorb new infected blood.


    You named this move ''Blood Sign: Plague Of Massacre'' and gave one of your circuit factories to produce this complicated circuit command so it will be easier to do next time.


    ''Blood Sign: Plague Of Massacre'' technique acquired.


    Mana depository: 70%


    Kill count: 239


    ''This is enough to prove my worth to the team!''


    Both Blast and Woez land on top of the tall corroded apartment near the crater, intercepting the flying and ground enemies at the same time. Lues is still on his killing spree as Obrez guards Ratatoskr, currently extracting the artifact from malignant energy.


    A command is transmitted into your ears, ''Pitka, Libera! The mana signature of the Grade Eight Calamity has appeared! Approximatly 78 meters from my position. Woez! Can you locate the Calamity?"


    Woez''s voice echoes to your ears, "I see a huge black smoke ten o''clock from your position, Ratatoskr."


    "Libera, Pitka! Intercept the black smoke!"


    "Affirmative!" replies both of you.


    It''s time to grill the searing mole rat, keeping up with Lues'' speed as you fly into the location using your blood as the aviator. You and Lues lo and behold the menacing Calamity''s head sticking out with only a quarter of its body, and that quarter alone has reached the height of the tall ruins of multiple stories apartment. The temperature melts the ground as most of the matter was absorbed by the sun deep below behind the monstrosity''s back.


    ''Yaksa Raja'' is the name engraved on the documents for this behemoth. It''s almost impossible to kill this Calamity due to its resilience and regenerative ability.


    "Five minutes!" shouts Ratatoskr through the communication link. "Distract the Yaksa Raja from the crater before the Artifact is fully extracted!"


    "Oy, Lues, how in the bloody hell could we fit that inside your space pocket?" you say nonchalantly.


    "How about cutting it into pieces? About the regeneration, some preventive viruses might do the trick~"


    Wide grins are etched on your and Lues.


    It''s time to hunt.

 Chapter 72 - Accidental Misdirection

    Chi of Decidit''s blood quantity increased by 467%.


    Sparking into the battle, a humongous armored rat with the resilience of a star''s core is confused by the two floating entities above. Menacingly, the calm blood bender used her rippling blue and red artifact to cast the very same sun as the one on the beast''s back¡ªuntil the other entity slapped the caster with a metal gauntlet.


    "You fool! You want to kill us all!?!"


    You as that particular blood bender feels the stinging slap of that metal gauntlet. A tear of unfairness falls down from your eyes despite the blunder of your calculations of two colliding suns that might actually kill everyone in the ruins. So you disperse your spell and conjure a searing middle finger the size of an elephant composed of your Chi of Decidit.


    Trying to turn all of that anger you have into something useful for the mission, you hurl the middle finger down upon the massive calamity. "At least unequip your gauntlet first! That slap hurts like heeeeellllll¡ª"


    The mole rat casually chomps down the middle finger. A rather surprised look is shown by you and Lues, but nonetheless, the hunt continues.


    The sign of hatred then dissolves into contagious liquid, stretching like a web into every inch of Yaksa Raja and begins to infects the boiling beast''s blood. With the help of insurmountable elemental essences, you take over all the blood to prevent the Calamity from circulating its energy. Your Chi of Decidit gains a new trait.


    ''Boiling Blessing From The Sun'' Chi of Decidit''s trait acquired.


    Opposite of the newfound trait you absorbed, you harness all of your artifact''s liquid to spike down the temperature of the beast from within. Although you couldn''t freeze the beast completely due to the persistence heat from the literal sun minding its own business on the Calamity''s back. Not to mention wasting your mana to fuel the thermal isolation will take a tremendous toll on your mana depository.


    Because of the sudden drop of temperature, the beast tries to dig into the earth once again.


    "Oh no you don''t!" Lues dashes in after taking a chunk of your mana, coating her conductor gauntlets with two pairs of giant crimson arms with big chains on each, spiraling into her shoulder.


    You form more spears with your artifact to pin the rat''s limbs in its place. With no concept of pain, the beast tears off the limbs as it wiggles furiously like a deranged worm before Lues uppercuts the gigantic beast into the air above the hole made by the Calamity.


    A visible wave of energy is accumulating from the small sun into the beast''s body, the limbs begin to regenerate until you force open a giant gap using the part from Chi of Decidit residing within.


    You immediately lower the temperature more on the edges of the gaping wound, to prevent the regeneration and use the gap to inject more of your liquid artifact into the beast. With enough blood, you single handedly bloat the monstrosity from the inside as Lues leap high for another strike.


    In the air, the crimson arms transition to two pairs of huge chain-sword whips. Rotating to gain momentum, Lues launches herself while spinning with the crimson blades cutting everything on the 40 meters area indiscriminately. Ruins, sands, grounds, all have been diced except you. So considerate.


    Guts, hardened skin, muscle tissues, and a huge amount of hot and cold liquid of your artifact. All are being flung in every direction possible, one of the organs lands on Blast''s gas mask far away from your location, he only stands still with no reaction whatsoever. The firework is disgusting, especially on how the pieces have smashed themselves into your front from head to toe.


    ''I need to tell Lues what''s a half-assed consideration later on.''


    You notice that with every slash, the crimson devil inflicts the beast with more of your virus vessels, hinting you something.


    As if the time starts to slow down¡ªin one second, the fragments of the beast decelerate and freeze in the air. The sun shifts its color into red as the chopped pieces begin to rush to the sun.


    Taking the initiation, you reconfigure all of the virus vessels into a beacon for your Chi of Decidit. Not a second has passed yet the artifact already rushes to coat every fragment possible. Yes, even the one that lands on your coworker''s face.


    The beast can''t regenerate if every of its pieces are blocked from each other. The sun is still dangerous nonetheless, you''re wondering if your artifact can absorb it if you pour enough elemental essence¡ªbut that will kill the beast, the goal is to capture, not annihilate, despite your operator class.


    To reduce the mass of the Calamity, you disintegrate half of the disconnected fragments with melting heat using the Chi of Decidit''s new trait, it seems like you can increase the temperature to scalding magma with enough mana. Unlocking the rest fragments from your artifact, the beast comes out two times smaller than its first appearance.


    While you collect all of your artifact''s liquid, Lues appear beside you with a rather pondering look. "Ohoho, the smaller it becomes the cuter it is."


    "Don''t tell me, you want to keep it as a pet?" you reply with a concerned expression.


    She throws her gaze away from you. "No¡­"


    You then throw a harsh truth right off the bat, "You''re so readable¡ªbut unlike Goyang, that is a Calamity, we can''t keep it."


    "Aww."


    ''Soon enough, Lues, soon enough.'' You subconsciously gaze at the Chi of Decidit. ''Taming them won''t be impossible.''


    Yaksa Raja begins to accumulate more energy from the sun as the ball of searing heat shrinks into the size of a basketball. But unlike the magma ball, the beast has retained its size.


    "Now it''s wreaking havoc, and it''s rushing to the crater, shouldn''t we try to stop it?" asks the disappointed devil.


    "OF COURSE WE SHOULD!"


    Destroying every apartment ruin on its path, the Calamity rams through the debris and rubble as if they were mere stone. Desperate to search for more source of energy, the alluring malignant energy is leading the beast into the crater where the artifact extraction was taking place. It''s still far away from its destination and it doesn''t have much energy left to take from its sun, but your mana is getting thinner each time you or Lues tries to do shiny performance tricks, as your partner lives off your mana, so ending it faster should be beneficial for you.


    Both of you fly to chase down the fleeing Calamity. Ratatoskr should have already extracted the artifact by now, but the thought of Yaksa Raja reaching the crater and obstructing the mission is scary enough to boost your flying speed faster.


    ''Shit, Ratatoskr will definitely kick us out of the squad like this!''

 Chapter 73 - A Nice Chaos [Kolme]

    ''So many earthquakes, I wonder if those two are fine, they''re definitely fine, right? They''re mighty Primordial after all, RIGHT!? I can only sense the fearsome mana being used at a high amount, their position doesn''t change much as well. I think I remember clearly that I commanded them to keep the Calamity away from the crater¡­ DON''T TELL ME THAT THEY WANT TO SUBJUGATE THAT THING!?''


    With every second passing, Ratatoskr''s soul moves 2 inches away from her body. Nonetheless, it didn''t distract the extraction process. The malignant energy residing within the artifact caused by a long time preservation within the vicinity of a void spawns, which means that there is a void gate somewhere within this vicinity. The question of why, who''s the creator, and how the Artifact came to be is still a mystery.


    Then again, a prolonged activity within the proximity of a void gate will cause the high-ranked Calamities to rise from the unknown realm, and an S-rank Divine Banquet will occur!


    "Extraction complete!" shouts Ratatoskr to every ears of the mission participants while carrying the columnar artifact on her shoulder. "Woez! Keep the sky clean for our transport to come! Blast, support! Obrez, clear the area!"


    The Aiseirighian blasted away most of the low ranking Calamities with his gun, constantly switching firearms in the midst of reloading with magical shells. The one man army of defenders has been doing his job just fine until a chain reaction of collateral destruction appears within the sense of his eyes and ears, grumbling earth and rising sands smoke from afar.


    Obrez can only watch the vague abomination slowly getting bigger on his view as he shoots the packs of Calamities without batting an eye. "Ratatoskr, what in the cyka is that!?"


    "Lafalz, the sky is clear, retrieve us now!¡ªholy moose! That is big!!" A realization then comes to mind. "WAIT! WHY IS IT APPROACHING!? WHY DIDN''T I SENSE IT!?"


    Ratatoskr immediately shifts the communication channel into the two primordials. With a sour feeling, she tone down her voice to ask them gently of what is happening, "My dear teammates, may I ask, why is the Yaksa Raja approaching?"


    A raspy yet intimidating sound is being received by the moose lady, "That is a present for the team, I-It''s out of the box too soon."


    Ratatoskr''s stomach hurts, her blood is fading away from her face as a sour feeling overwhelms her tongue. ''Ah, so she wants to punish me after I sneakily cultivate the elemental essence she secrete. As if giving me a lesson directly isn''t worth it, she wants me to know that she can do worse if she wanted to¡­! Wait, doesn''t it mean that the lady is also giving me a chance to see if I can lead others and survive to gain her approval to be the leader!?''


    The ''helicopter'' arrives like a savior from above as rays of light shine down upon the dancing rotors. Lafalz on the cockpit window appears to be an angel in Ratatoskr''s fiery eyes.


    "All personnel! Retreat! The Artifact has been extracted!"


    Woez immediately dashes from ruin to ruin in less than 5 seconds. Blast destroys the building he is on to launch him into the crater direction while racking his kill count, wiping the unknown spilled guts on his lenses in the air.


    Usually the team tries to scavenge for some parts of Calamities but there are too many waves of beasts that is preventing them from doing so.


    The objective is the artifact, and staying alive is the priority.


    "Move! Move!"


    The Calamity has reached the end of the crater. Suddenly the monster is slashed into pieces by strange liquid strings, more guts and blood coating the vehicle and all of the team members. Despite that, the rotors still spin with the fragments of muscle tissues flinging out like clothes on a fan.


    One of the vampire sisters isolates most of the smithereens before the Calamity uses it to regenerate. Regressing in size, the small armored mole rat then leaps into the tiltrotor faster than a racing car.


    Woez shoots a bullseye from the ramp, stopping the momentum of the Calamity and takes a chunk off its body. The undying armored rat clenches upon its hope for the last time, using every bit of the sun''s energy to regenerate its small body and boost itself midair to the rest of the squad. The sun became a hot marble and Ratatoskr''s soul almost left her body


    Just as when it reaches the gaping ramp, Libera decapitates the mini Yaksa Raja''s head and quickly stores the weak still-alive body into his space pocket. Together with the human-size head of Yaksa Raja, two fearsome individuals enter the transport, with blood and guts as their accessories.


    Lafalz elevates the tiltrotor after confirming every operator inside. "Ascend!"


    The ramp closes, leaving the area before it''s overwhelmed by neverending waves of Calamities.


    High beyond the cloud, the other members still wonder what was their aim for bringing the infamous Calamity together with them. Obrez is back on his seat to check on his firearms, Blast is the same with his alchemical machine.


    They all saw the Primordials'' pocket space before the dive, Woez who is at the entrance took a glimpse of the body part of Yaksa Raja being put into the crimson vampire''s depository. She has taken an interest in the body part of the Calamity for putting more augmentation for her crossbow. In her mind, she is considering haggling the body part with the primordial if she can.


    Meanwhile, Ratatoskr is struck in fear. She might have passed her imaginary test but something sinister was perceived by her only, what is their goal? Does she lack the leadership for them to follow her command? Most importantly¡ª


    In Ratatoskr''s homeland, there is a tradition of planting a Calamity''s decapitated head into the front home of someone they hate utterly, facing to the door so that the home owners can see the clear warning or message the perpetrator is trying to send, ''watch yourself, may your end be absent of sackcloth and dust''.


    A rather proud¡ªuhm, sinister smile widens on Pitka''s face. The leader doesn''t even realize the even real sinister grin that Libera exudes with a morbid aura around her craving for dominance. Ratatoskr is too preoccupied on planning her survival from the dread of the blue vampire.


    Amidst all of this, Goyang is cleaning the leftovers after playing the Uno set given by Libera, to play with Lafalz inside the ''helicopter'' on the wait.

 Chapter 74 - An Offer On The Flight

    ''How did I do! Ratatoskr? I brought you one of the Grade Eight Calamity''s heads! Wait, why is your face pale? Is this not good enough!?''


    Deep inside, you''re disappointed but everything has its process. Making enemies will be detrimental for you in the long run, if only you can gain your current leader''s approval, it will be much easier to spread your influence within the Assailant Department.


    Your aim is not mere relationship and trust, that is the aftermath. Your endgame goal is to raise your influence and gather as much information as you can, strengthen yourself to convince others that you''re a Primordial¡ªeven though you''re not, and lastly, weaponry.


    Seeking a compromise to get your own workshop on the Engineering department or even Research dept will surely be beneficial for you as the Flower of Perspicacity raises your intellect like that of a genius. Then again, your heightened mind can''t comprehend why Ratatoskr who is in front of you is standing stiffer than a marble statue. Despite you showing your kindest smile.


    Thoughts run rampant in your mind as your ego fluctuates.


    ''Wait! Don''t tell me that it''s because I didn''t follow through her command!? Looking at it again, a strategist usually deems their pawn worth on how good they are at following orders, even a god slayer wouldn''t be much of a great teammate if their ears harbored an infection!''


    But you feel like you did the job better, despite not following orders, probably because of the last blunder that almost risked everyone in the team. Your stomach sinks in guilt.


    The inside of the tiltrotor is also a mess, though the others didn''t really mind it.


    ''Don''t tell me the leader is a clean freak!?''


    If that is the case, the flesh and intestines you and Lues pulled into the aircraft would''ve been the reason she''s in such distress!


    With a hastened flick, you command your Chi of Decidit to absorb every spilled guts and organs without touching the individuals. After having all the smithereens within your artifact, the augmented blood melts the impurities. You can feel something different on the Chi of Decidit after you do that, this needs to be researched later.


    With a wide proud smile, you have successfully cleaned everyone and everything inside the vehicle! As if you''re a new janitor still in a fresh motivated state with your artifact as the mop and bucket.


    The sour expression on Ratatoskr is dulled into awe, as if she misunderstood you from the beginning. Ignoring the grand scheme of things, it will be nice if you can have a non psycho friend along the way.


    Just like the usual, the leader makes a weird pose to regain her composure, standing on one feet with two clawing gestures to the side. "In any case! We''ve successfully retrieved the artifact! Good job! Good job!" She then makes a weird face expression akin to those cheesy kung fu poses. "And also congratulations to the two of our new members."


    Ratatoskr then offers her hands forward and continues, "We might be a ragtag full of misfits, but I hope we can get along."


    "Indeed." You shake her hands, not long after you think that everything is fine, her expression is plastered with that obnoxious sourness again. It tells you that everything is not fine between the two of you as it seems, it might only be a senior way of not showing their true nature and let the junior feel satisfaction by getting close with them despite being reluctant.


    Thinking about it makes your face also go sour like the one in front of you, the handshake ends up becoming a long awkward session for everyone in the ''helicopter''. Lues, meanwhile, feels disappointed as instead of getting more dominance and fear, the reindeer girl is haggling in the presence of the crimson devil with no hesitation or horror in her eyes.


    "1,000 KC. I can also pay you weekly for the next one month in 100 KC. At least allow me to buy the Sun Marble from Yaksa Raja, it will be a tremendous asset for both of us with this offer," says Woez in rapid succession. A reluctant grin can be seen on Lues'' face but she immediately sprays more shots before Lues can say anything. "I also have Vasaj''s bone marrow, two dark crystals, and a medium sized mana crystal¡ª"


    "Not my Vasaj''s bone marroowww!'''' Ratatoskr moans as her hand is still shaking with you.


    Lues immediately float to your back, cowering in fear from shady offers and transactions. "Pitka! Handle that scary businesswoman for me!" she says while gritting her sharp teeth.


    "Ugh.."


    It''s true that you''re planning on giving the crew more loot, but the sun marble seems to be working differently from a real sun and your interest is piqued from the differences. Then again, for the sake of developing a good relationship, you need to let that sun marble go.


    "I''ll take 500 KC, one ''Dark Crystal'', then the beast is yours," you say, as you''re curious about what this Dark Crystal she is talking about.


    "I think your offer is a steal. Do know that Yaksa Raja''s body parts are heavily sold more than 10,000 KC in the market with their high durability and resistance. I''m offering most of what I have with no intention of actually gaining a great offer. So think more of your decision."


    ''Holy shit! 10,000 KC minimum! Indeeds, this is a great steal for her, then again. My goal is to raise favorability, not money. It''s better to let that pink haired psycho earn those instead of me actually paying for the debt.''


    You glance at Lues, who is probably going to follow your decision regarding this. It seems like she is also interested in the ''Dark Crystal''.


    "Give me both of the ''Dark Crystal''." you say, as Lues gives her thumbs up to you. "As long as I can sleep and savor more scrumptious cuisines, then money isn''t an issue. Just take it as a token of generosity."


    Her tired eyes seem to narrow that much further. It must''ve felt quite unfair to have an offer this good, but it would be even more unfair to pass such an offer too. Judging by her silence, that was the dilemma she was wrestling with. Morality and benefits.


    But you weren''t there to debate about it.


    "If you don''t want it, I don''t care either." You cross your arms off from the awkward eternal handshake, forcing her to make a decision already.


    "Fine." A sigh after the answer. "You''ve got yourself a deal."


    "Some people just need to be prod before making decisions, don''t they? How unbecoming." The whining of the crimson devil didn''t escape your ears as you gave the Aekha a solemn agreement.


    And so comes to an end the first expedition. Though you are still certain the captain is still wary of you in some sort of sense and who knows what else Lues was gonna try and do because it''s Lues but from this small interaction, you feel a bit more calm.


    "Let''s unpack the goods in the loot center. " The flat voice of Woez breaks your bubble.


    The business deal isn''t quite over yet.. Quite the timing, the behemoth wall of Amos Citadel can be seen through the glass window.

 Chapter 75 - Sun Marble

    Floor B6, the loot center where successful squads gather from their mission to divide the loot or sell it to the market with third party service.


    In a free space, Lues scans the surroundings to measure the size needed for the Yaksa Raja capture.


    "This isn''t enough," Lues says with a deadpan.


    "WE ALREADY TOOK THE TWENTY METERS SPACE!"


    To further convince you, she lets you take a peek into the inside of the special pocket space that preserves the hunted beast.


    The inside is empty until your eyes catch the glimpse of the size of the armored rat. 80% of your vision is filled with the exterior of a flaming pattern engraved on its thick and hard skin. "Yeah, we need a bigger space than this, but wait¡ª"


    You send your Chi of Decidit inside as the virus within the artifact analyzes the beast inside out. The Yaksa Raja still collects the converted energy by the sun marble, strangely enough, it seems like the small ball of magma wasn''t actually a miniature sun at all. You focus the appraisal to the sphere of unrelenting fire, the thermal source in the form of plasma it emits doesn''t have the molecular structure with the sun you created with the spell you used.


    The sun marble is too precious to let go as data, so it takes you a while to copy the schematics of the immaculate nature of this unordinary object. With specific resources, you might be able to replicate the sun marble in the future!


    ''Sun Marble''s Schematic'' acquired.


    The energy it releases is actually the same akin to elemental essences but more plain and rough, but dense. The beast actually had this unbelievable energy reactor the whole time.


    "It takes a while," says the reindeer girl with desirous looks.


    Blast tries to peek into the pocket-space gate that eats half of your body. Anxiously, you can''t see their enthusiastic faces and begin to imagine an irritated complexion with their appearance plastered as the background. It''s horrifying. The adrenaline of social apprehension has made your productivity increase twice as fast. Constructing a blood placement to clean cut all the necessary parts that might prove to be useful for the squad''s members.


    After the preparation is set, all of the web-like multicolored liquid compresses delicately into the Yaksa Raja''s center with atomic sharpness. The head, the claws, the armor, the guts, the bones, the eyes, the brain, and the skull are separated perfectly. With some sip of anxiety and dopamine so you can enjoy the process. You have successfully divided the parts of Yaksa Raja.


    To prevent its regenerative ability, you isolate the sun marble with parts of your artifact. But what made the beast a living being and able to regenerate is still unknown. So you dig more into the sun marble until you find a strange metaphysical core that holds a complex schematic of commands akin to those of a magic circuit, but it wasn''t anything related to mana at all.


    The massive amounts of information overflow to your head as the virus vessels discover more variables into the mess of a command database. You free your muscles to lean by the gap of the pocket space for ten seconds before continuing.


    Not wanting to waste any astonishing discovery, you use 70% the amount of all available virus vessels to capture the formation of this unknown core for the worklings to examine within your mana sea. After the excruciating process was done, you cut multiple sections of the core formation to deactivate the Yaksa Raja as a whole. The Grade Eight Calamity is officially dead.


    To increase your imaginative social credit, you multitask your consciousness within your Athenaeum to write a report about the Yaksa Raja''s nature as the association might not have gotten any of this exquisite data and there might be a chance for you to get into the research department of Vagant.


    ''Dual Consciousness Tasking Capabilities'' acquired.


    ''Experimentation, ah~ thinking about all the things I could do with numerous resources.''


    Dual consciousness tasking is only possible because of the Flower of Perspicacity, on which it gives a huge benefit to your consciousness strings bending. You might want to check more of the treasure realm after this. Now back to the loot!


    You slowly bring them all out one by one. At first the folks exude this kind of amazed expression until it slowly escalates into a jaw drop every time the mountains of scraps pile up.


    "There!" you say, wiping both of your palms despite not doing anything that involves touching.


    "I think this is a harmful steal to both parties if I abide by this." Woez then takes out a dodecahedron-shaped gadget and KCC terminal from the shoulder bag she currently wore. She takes two dark beautiful crystals and ready her right hand to send the money to your bank account. "The payment will still be the same but the half will be your and Libera''s belongings."


    Goyang nudges your legs as you try to reason your pettiness with her wording. "Are we not both a part of the squad?"


    It''s still weird for you to settle into a trade for the loot within the squad, even if you and Lues are the one who captured it. Are each member''s achievement their own or they didn''t treat you and Lues as part of the team?


    On the inside, you''re mad at them but it might also be their way of showing respect to a more capable personnel, especially to two fake Primordials bearing the identity of vampires who bore shark teeth to rip flesh instead of sharp fangs to suck blood.


    "Uhm." Ratatoskr barges in, plastering her usual obnoxious smile while gesturing her hands to her explanation, "Both of you are counted as trainees because of the sudden operator deployment.. The loot both of you caught yourself will be officially your possession."

 Chapter 76 - Detachment

    You pick up Goyang and cradle him. "So when will our official squad placement happen then?"


    "Either you make your own by taking the forms and submitting them, or you can submit an application to the squad you want to be in. Some of the squad leaders there are doing their best recruiting new members to their team and you can check them at floor B1 quest center to see their recruitment," says the leader of the Moose Squad.


    ''I see, so it works like a guild''s party but more organized.''


    So it''s not fully authoritarian, the personnel will need to make choices to recruit the right member for the right job and also their composition. While this enhances the free will and teamwork of the members, the higher up needs to make each squad like another detachment where they can still interfere with their personnel. This makes you wonder if attachment exists for that particular reason.


    You take out your KCC to begin the transaction, Woez''s terminal scans your card until a beeping lights three times in green, you put your KCC at your terminal''s card holder and sees your account balance having 1,003.5 KC.


    You ramble, "I already told you to pay 500 KC instead."


    Woez puts a smile. "We can just sell those body parts again, besides, look at your surroundings. The buyers are waiting in anticipation for our resources, some operators from other squads are also preparing their wallets." She then offers you the Dark Crystals.


    "Goyang, take it." You move goyang near the Woez''s hands as he gently tries to pick up both of the crystals with his mouth, after two tries, he manages to carry the two precious objects with his horrifyingly cute teeth.


    And so you begin to choose which part of the beast you want to take.


    Lues hovers near to you who approaches the mountain pile of scraps. "Ideally, you want to take the bones and the armor, we can create another artifact with that. Want me to sort it out for you?"


    "Sure, just leave the sun marble to them."


    At first, her grin dissipates for a second. You can sense her consciousness is connected with the Lueling. After the Lueling reports the printed schematic of the sun marble, her nasty grin recovers. Just with that, each of the carefully picked scraps are sent into the pocket space in an instant, you''re still wondering how high Lues'' brain processing is, does she even have a brain?


    Knowing that the sun marble can fully recreate the beast from the neuron cells to the smallest details, does the memory carry over or every time it regenerates, it becomes a new individual? Does that work with Lues'' shape shifting? Is it even possible to detach consciousness strings from the physical vessel? A Tekhanure exists with that concept, so what makes a living being, living?


    Your mind immediately shifts into dark crystals on Goyang''s mouth. Curious, you wonder if you can change his shape into something else other than a cube.


    There have been many third party buyers flocking to both of you and Woez but you refuse to sell any of them as you abide the Moose squad a temporary farewell. It''s better to leave the dark crystals with Lues so you make Goyang hand over the crystals to her.


    While in your pet''s mouth, the crystal isn''t lazing around as it has already been fully appraised by your virus vessels. Just like the elemental essence, the crystal contains a natural energy but with something vast within. At first, you think that it has some kind of energy within but at the last minute of your dual consciousness processing.


    It has something to do with ''space''.


    Heading to B1 quest center together with Lues, both of you stick out like sore thumbs with the extra-menacing accessories.


    The hub center for any squad to take a mission, despite it being called a ''quest center'' and not a ''mission center''. There are numerous lounges and white-uniformed personnel scattered about, numerous sections and numerous holographic boards where operators in need of work check the available mission or request a submission to fill up the said missions. But those aren''t the thing you''re looking for, as you''re on your way to one of the five ''squad management'' receptionists.


    Standing before you, separated only by her post is a young and slender black haired figure with green minus and plus occupying on each of her eyes. The hanging ID card displays her codename, Sahkoinen. Although she looks human the most, you know that she clearly isn''t. "This is the squad management, how can I help you?"


    At first you glance back to Lues in the hope of her taking over the task of talking with the receptionist, but it seems like she doesn''t even know what you''re trying to do or even what she wants to do. After an awkward pause, you steel yourself to talk with the cute operator in front of you. "I want a brief information of what the squad is and how they operate."


    "The squad system operates in achievement credits where each singular branch of the squad will gain ''valiant points'' that can be converted later into a service depending on their achievement. There is a separate ranking for a squad in which the higher they are, the more they will be requested for high-end missions and wondrous awards."


    ''So competition is a must to gain better prestige and services.''


    After taking a breath, you ask, "May I know if I can offer a ''detachment'' to a squad I''m considering?"


    Detachment, a team that is separate from a larger battalion for a specific function or a permanent squad smaller than the main force. The term is often used to refer to a group of people assigned to a different base from the parent team, but in this case, it''s more of you saying that you want to make a squad that works under a parent squad.


    A green sparks travels from both of her eyes, still maintaining her professional smile, she replies, "Of course you can, although it might be detrimental to you if you''re new, Miss Long Leggy. Because whatever achievement you accomplish, the main squad of your branch will get the same achievement as you. Looking at your potential, I suggest you both make a standalone squad instead. But before running into assumptions, may I know which squad you want to attach to?"


    "The Moose Squad."


    "I see, I''ll tell the higher ups about this matter. No need for filling any forms, It will take one day to be processed, so both of you can try to take a duo mission or with the other as temporary members." Sahkoinen''s smile widens even more. "We''re also not in the shortage of personnel so both of you can be at ease before any further calling, a courtesy from senior Seizequill."


    ''Uwa, even the squad management looks after us.''

 Chapter 77 - Ferrowl Of Justice

    After getting the comfy synergy with Sahkoinen, you plan to gather more information about your senior. "Am I taking your time, Miss Sahkoinen?"


    "Ah, not at all! If you want to ask more, we might as well talk in the lounge." She then shifts her gaze into the other receptionist''s post beside her. "Millekha! I''ll be leaving my post!"


    A response is given, "Thirty minutes!"


    "Thanks!" Sahkoinen then grabs a can with a lightning sticker and straw from her bottom desk.


    ''They are really casual with each other.''


    Leaving the post, Sahkoinen guides both of you to the nearest available lounge. Just as when you thought that she might be a human, a long tail with a jagged dagger at the end is attached to her. Just as when you want to know what race she is, an inaudible message was sent to your brain by Lues. "She is an augmented Chimaera. Those with their bloodline carry thousands of different genes but in adulthood, they will only manifest three of them."


    "What a convenient plot device you are."


    "So what do the two of you want to know about?" asks her with that eternal smile of hers, a strawed can in her hand.


    While Lues caresses Goyang like usual, you soften your stiff expression to ask, "Tell me everything you know about Ragnarok Squad."


    You still remember that faint sharp stare by the gallant ferrowl gilded in valor. She is also one of your benefactors who paid for the hospital bill. As much as Chronos thickens her bad blood with her, paying her favor is undeniably one of your goals in the future.


    ''Thuljas, you did ask me what ''green apple muffin'' is to me, I''ll try my best to uncover it.''


    "Ragnarok Squad, hmm?" The chimaera takes a sip of her electrifying beverage. "They are Sky Specialists, primarily for fast and emergency deployment. Their leader, Rainbleed, is one of the greatest Tacticians and she alone can defy a ''Divine Banquet''. Totalling in 15 personnel and two detachments with 6 individuals each, her battalion is a great asset to Vagant despite not being the best Squad there is."


    "List me the top three," you firmly state.


    "Raion, Balmung, Madruk. Those three battalions are the leading power for the Assailant currently. Raion Squad is currently commencing an ''Angel Ark'' mission, Balmung Squad is scattered between Kongo and Kratos Citadel as those two became the frontline with the large ''void'' gate recently, an expedition to seal them will be held soon after a few weeks from now on."


    "How about the Madruk Squad?"


    "They are in the ''Decade Ark'' mission, sadly, the information is fully undisclosed."


    "I see." You peeks at the surroundings in awareness of something different, there is a group of nine wearing black uniforms and cloaks instead of white. "A guest from another department?"


    She notices what you''re saying before heaving a sigh. "It means that their members didn''t make it back, being an Assailant requires initiative and willpower, but sometimes it wasn''t enough. To respect the fallen, they wear the black cloak for three days after ending their comrade in sackcloth and dust, that is if there is any remains."


    While it seems like they are grieving, it also feels like a punishment and a message, ''don''t be like us'' was the atmosphere you were getting.


    The usual white uniform resembled gallantry and perfection, while the blood of the dead stained it into black.


    "Little Longy!" A shout from afar from a familiar someone, golden sharp eyes that can kill you with just a gaze, golden eyebrows and eyelashes, golden short hair and owl ears present rising to the back. A tall ferrowl, she wears the same Annihilator''s neck-guard capelet as you. Her heavy militaristic uniform stands out differently from the others. Despite her happy-go-lucky tone, her expression is as scary as ever.


    "Thuljas!"


    The moment she''s near, the ferrowl grab your head. "Rainbleed!" Thuljas then picks up the peaked cap and caress your head restlessly.


    Sahkoinen accidentally spits out the majority of the liquid in her mouth. She immediately stands firmer than a statue and gives her salute. "Madam Rainbleed!"


    "So this is where the infamous ''Primordials'' are. I also see that both of you''re talking about me. So who is the new fella?" she asks you, referring to the comfy crimson devil with the goofy Tekhanure on her lap.


    You don''t know if you can fully trust Thuljas yet, so you try to make it vague. "Libera, my companion¡ª"


    "Oh! Little Muffin! Long time no see!" Lues immediately replies herself, not even caring to glance at the ferrowl who asked.


    Thuljas frowns, her pupils shrink even further with her eyes'' veins rigidifying into geometric shapes as it traces all over her neck, illuminating her emotion to glow in golden hue. The hand that caresses your head stiffen into steel-like cold material where you''re unsure whether you will be crushed by the sheer strength from the leader of a battalion or anxiety attack. Harrowingly, her head rotates half of a circle to glare at the friendly receptionist.


    "Sahkoinen, go back to your post."


    "Yes, madam!"


    The Chimaera foresee the chaotic future that will ensue from the two dangerous individuals, so she runs into her post and begins the act of an unrelated passerby.


    Thuljas retracts her neck as she tilts her head to the left in an unsightly manner.. "You''re a one, mad, persistent, specter, Krotea."

 Chapter 78 - Lues Way Of Getting Out Of Trouble

    "No need to be wary." Lues puts Goyang aside as she stands on the sofa with her gauntlet-hands on her chest and the other towards the ceiling to magnify her praise. The hentai protagonist preaches her melody, with the artificial crimson wind pushing her long hair of void, shaped in straightness despite not being straight. "As my body and heart have now belonged to Long Leggy~"


    Thuljas shifts her gaze on you.


    "Awawawa, I swear! I haven''t done anything to her yet!"


    "So you are planning to?"


    "My love is planning to."


    "I''M NOT PLANNING TO! ALSO! FUN FACT! MY SKULL IS CRACKING!!!"


    It takes her a solid ten second to convince herself that Lues only joked around, despite how she wasn''t kidding around as she targets the nectar in your cave like camera''s in a very secure building for the last few days.


    "I see, I apologize." She just drops you to the soft cushion, blood starts to flow from your mouth. Is it logical for a vampire to slurp at her own blood? In the end, you let it fall to the protective capelet with no care in the world. With the tear of the wronged falling through your cheeks, you pick up the fallen peaked cap and wear it again to bear with the pain.


    The tracing veins dilute into the skin once again. As she sits on the opposing sofa, crossing her arms. "I didn''t know that our first reunion will involve a pervert menace in the same appearance as you. It seems like Compose owes me a lot of explanation."


    "A lot," you say. "So you two already know each other?"


    "The muffin is a fine lass who has a great sense of justice, you might be surprised by how she makes her own poses and quotes everytime she fights." Lues then picks up Goyang once again. "The ''Long Leggy'' you, Chronos, and this muffin messed me up really bad to the point that I can''t catch a break. Every hole in me is filled with their attack, even my throat and stomach hurt real bad back then."


    "Don''t listen to that pervert, she was supposed to be sealed within your mana sea. I thought that ''history regression'' wiped out her existence from the plane."


    "Too bad that didn''t work. Little Muffin?"


    The ferrowl ignores the crimson devil as she darts her eyes of absolute anger despite her being serene on the inside. "So what happened?"


    You recall some vague words that Chronos said back in Kauhu forest, something about someone sabotaging her plan. Without knowing the full context because you didn''t ask them anything, due to how logical it was for you ''not'' asking anything serious to a joker who makes your life worse than it''s. "Diemer Mirror, rings any bell?"


    "Diemer, hmm, I thought it was only a rumor, turns out the mirror exists after all."


    Lues floats above the crimson bed she conjures as she throws Goyang up in the air to see the little Tekhanure''s reaction. "Diemer Mirror, is a sentient artifact that will bring the worst out of the observer who peeks through the truth on their reflection inside the other world through the glass." Up Goyang goes, then down he goes.


    "I''ll send one of my detachments into an expedition to uncover more of the Kauhu Forest, although I''m impressed that you''re able to tame that scoundrel, Long Leggy," says the menacing ferrowl.


    Well, you didn''t do much but you''re relieved that there will be no massive collateral damage, either that your anxiety is overbearing, or Lady Luck is on your side despite giving you a special therapy about you dying countless times.


    "Don''t worry about me messing with your world, as I''ll mess someone up instead~"


    Having enough of the innuendos, you pout from the uncomfortable feeling you have because of your partner. "I swear, Lues, you need to drink and stop being thirsty."


    "So have you chosen the Squad you will be applying to, or making one?" asks Thuljas.


    "Moose Squad, we will be applying for a detachment," you say, rather proudly. You might need to prove your worth as a real member to the former team you''re in, first impression can be fixed! The cute senior might change her mind if you do better!


    Although you refrain from the act of simping, it ticks you off to have a single person having a bad image of you. The dread from your social anxiety already proves enough of how weak you are to mingle in society. Then again, you''re also regretful for not submitting the detachment request to Thuljas''s battalion instead, as you know their leader.


    The rice has already turned into a porridge, asking Sahkoinen to revoke the request will only make you an indecisive prick. It seems like you still have the sliver of humanity within you, being prideful of not wanting to change your act to be better is definitely one of them.


    Thuljas leans her head to the right, it seems like the owl tendencies are inherited to the ferrowl, as if the race name isn''t obvious enough. "Ratatoskr, she is a great leader. I''ll help the higher ups to approve it then."


    Then, the room deafens. A rather abrupt wailing of a siren interrupts, a hoarse voice shouts into the intercom alongside the blaring alarm.


    "Attention! All available personnel are deployed into Floor B9, neutralize the infiltrating threat and search for any suspicious activity within the building!! I repeat! All available personnel are deployed into floor B9¡ª"

 Chapter 79 - Mammon Greed [Kolme]

    "The Citadel''s concealment formation has been sabotaged! The perpetrator is hiding within our ranks, 127 seconds since the clogging with the agent whereabout estimated 200 meters within the core chamber. 27 personnel were neutralized, the Assailant has taken action by enmassing their entire available operators!"


    "What about the damage?"


    "There is an underground crack on the intersection of the Engineering and Assailant pathway to the core into the floor B7 of Assailants. Underground protective layers have been deployed, the Assailants are taking care of the infiltrating Calamities that come from the underground!"


    Another operator reporting, "Emergency! A wave of Calamities had been sighted by the Scout outpost from all wind direction!"


    "GIVE ME THE ESTIMATION!"


    "SIR! ESTIMATEDLY THERE WILL BE AROUND 27.982 AGENTS OF DESTRUCTION! SIR! MOST OF THEM ARE AN A RANK TO S RANK! SIR!"


    The center command is located within the center of the Citadel. Director Kryuges stands in front of 56 Scouts'' intelligence personnel amassing their fingers upon each of their holographic comms devices. A large screen panel is present, showcasing numerous large red dots filling up the corner of the screen that slowly approach the blue circle representing Amos Citadel in the middle.


    "NOTIFY THE SKYLINE FOR REINFORCEMENT!"


    "SIR! THE COMMUNICATION WAVE WAS DISRUPTED! SIR!"


    Suddenly, the big screen is replaced by the face of a raging woman with antennae. The screen constantly wobbles up and down as if the camera is being shaken.


    "KRYUUUGEESSS!"


    "MADAM DYAUS!"


    "KRYUUUUUUUUGEEEEEEEESSSSS!!"


    "MADAM DYAUUUSSSSS!"


    "GO FUCKING YEET YOURSELF TO THE SKYLINE! CONTACT BALMUNG BATALLION AND BRING ALL OF THOSE GUARD-BITCHES TO AMOS!"


    "YES! MA''M!" Kryuges shifts his determined gaze into one of the hard working operators. "YOU WILL BE IN CHARGE!"


    "WHAT!?" shouts the female Aiseirighian.


    Kryuges hurriedly leaves the comms chamber to the outside, every stomps echo through the protective hall due to his sheer size that is two times bigger than a normal Aiseirighian, which was already bigger than human average physique.


    The female Aiseirighian with the codename of Ashluck is left dumbfounded in the room, it takes five seconds before she regains her composure and begins to lead the Scouts comms center.


    Ashluck cast her right hand to the front, gallantly replacing the director in his abrupt absence. "WARN THE CITIZENS TO HIDE INSIDE AND SEND A PERMIT TO THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT TO ACTIVATE THE STRUCTURE FORTIFIER!"


    Upon the helipad on top of the Scout department building, Kryuges hears the announcement of action made by the Vagants.


    "All non-combatant mustn''t leave the buildings before further instructions. I repeat, every citizens must remains inside any building at any cost before further instructions¡ª"


    Pair of energy wings with jet propellers on each end has materialized from Kryuges''s back. The jet propulsion elevates him high up between the clouds and sky in a small amount of time before he spectates his precious Citadel, slowly getting shrouded by a massive protective barrier.


    "Souvelkan omne meita kaikia," Kryuges chants, which means ''may efforts protect us all'' in tribal Aiseirighian language.


    He boosts himself and leaves a sonic boom into the east where the Skyline is. Upon his journey, he glimpses a wave of vengeful monstrosity in many shapes, corroding the mountainous domain. Three Calamities try to reach Kruyges'' height by jumping despite not nearing him in the slightest. The old man has seen civilization rise and fall, he is not audacious enough to fly within their range even if he is able to annihilate most of them with ease¡ªbecause his mission is to connect with Skyline to request for reinforcement.


    Kryuges is going to do it anyway, as he carpet bombs his trail with hazardous explosions.


    He covers 4 kilometers in a mere five minutes, only to find the massive wave garrously lining to feast upon the Citadel.


    His deep manly voice lets out itself as he contemplates the disastrous event. "Why did the patrolling Scouts on the Silver Border didn''t notice this amount of Calamities? Have they been obliterated? But why Amos? There hasn''t been any sighted massive Void Gate in this part of the continent. Their movement is too orderly, wait¡ªdoesn''t that mean!?"


    Kryuges ascend more to see a citadel-sized sky shrouding entity where its body length can''t be captured in view from one direction, curling and unfurling from cloud to cloud. An A-rank basilisk mutated variant, Suuri Kaarme. Despite the difficulty of its subjugation due to its continental size, the massive serpent doesn''t have any world-ending capabilities except negating any communication waves within its vicinity.


    "A Suuri Kaarme purposely blocking the comms to the Skyline¡­ As expected¡ª" The old man coats his whole body with potent combustible substances before blasting off at sonic speed onto the serpent''s head, leaving a searing giant hole due to the aftermath of an insurmountable explosion before retracting his path into many intersections of the sky snake. He alone has dealt numerous fatal wounds to the Calamity before continuing his journey into the Skyline, ignoring the messed up carcass of continental beast falling to ground.


    "An ''Emperor Class'' has made its move. Amos mustn''t fall at all cost."


    Piercing the emergency barrier four times faster than the speed of sound, he has arrived at the Skyline. A grandeur high tech fortress in the sky meant for observation and communication, but why does Kruyges feel that something is wrong? The defensive turrets are all inactive, there is no barrier. The observer should''ve seen the raging monstrosity that was marching upon Neamh, then why didn''t they do anything?


    He lands at the stretching platform before rushing into the facility, only to find nobody on his way to the comms center. Ransacking the place for clues to no avail, Kryuges'' mind is filled with confusion.


    He finds nothing, as if there are no signs of life. Kryuges seek into the great hallway in desperation. A female figure in yellow corset dress is dancing with a dead skeleton, with the ceiling glass letting the ray of light shine down upon those two elegant partners. The wailing of the fallen makes for the music, the forbidden ball has been commenced. Then the dance ends, with the skeleton crumbles to dust and disperse into the wind.


    Two eyes with six red pupils glaring with hunger to the old man, coated in pale grey skin, and dons a vicious wide smile. She wears a painter''s beret with two black roses on each side of her head, emphasizing the long and extending light-golden puffy twintail that loops to create an infinity pattern. Both of her hands are protected by giant, riveted, and black gauntlets, with the wrist protection blooming out. Yellow corset dress with rigid expanding skirt until the thighs, as six humanoid legs can be seen branching from the same hip, each of them wearing black-steel boots with dimming yellow leggings tucked into the knee-high metal.


    "Mammon Greed, a God-Class Calamity." The old man gulps, before materializing two elephant-length sabers, readying his stance. "Souvelkan tuhk istueme tuon poleis shen."


    ''May my seat be placed in the afterlife.''

 Chapter 80 - Just Like The Old Time [Kolme]

    "Good, all according to plan, isn''t that right, ye little rascal?"


    "Indeed, according to my plan, that is."


    Within an unknown realm of hundreds of gears churning about, exist two individuals on portable chairs separated by a table. With no sense of time, it felt like the place itself isn''t bound with the concept of age, but the clock is ticking, they are ticking in distress for the two individuals within.


    There is no ceiling and no end to the cliff off the golden platform. It''s a long tube of space stretching in a circle with two passengers with their respective story and reason.


    The light in Dyaus'' eyes fades away as the cockroach leans her chin on the back of her hand, looking at the table in melancholy, not the person in front of her. "How many times did we do this?"


    "Around 28 times, Madam Dyaus."


    Dyaus hurls a sigh. "I gave you so many chances, yet your puny brain still can''t grasp an elementary aspect called the ''impossible''."


    "The longer the night lasts, the more dreams we''ll have."


    "Only a slight chance that a burglar will try to barge in. You''re just too hasty."


    "My hastiness is a sign of someone who did the same thing again and again with an improvement to proof their determination."


    "A determination soaked in vengeance is just a haze of delusion."


    "How about you? Your children, the Assailants. The crisis has impeded them and yet you''re here, playing this game with me."


    "Amos will not fall that easily. Besides, you''re the one who''s playing, I already quit from the start. Seizequill."


    The Ferrakhian only showcase her sharp smile and squints, before materializing a token on her grip and putting them onto the table one by one. "How so? in front of 45,000 Calamities?" She then put another. "Megiddo Carmlan, Mammon Greed, Terraklauses, Timoreia, Laum¡ª" On and on until the chips stack like mountains in front of her, in the end, she accumulates around 50 tokens on the table as her arsenal.


    "Bringing more than last time, huh."


    "Amos will fall."


    Dyaus throws another sigh. "Alright, so that is your bet." Slowly, she puts her own token onto the table. "Kryuges¡ª" And another, "Rainbleed, Sakai, Long Leggy, Libera, Anon, Ratatoskr, and lastly, Lafayette."


    The smile from the Ferrakhian fades. "Only seven? Sakai from Madruk Squad is still on ''Decade Ark'', Anon is dead, and those two primordials are fake, you know that, right?"


    Dyaus chuckles in response, ignoring that latest question. "Seven is more than enough for me to win the bet." Her tarsus claws the air to manifest a beating heart upon the table, with a visible string in red hue that is connecting to Dyaus'' chest. "Amos will not fall. Like usual, I put my life on the line."


    Seizequill smash the table with a thick tome, the tokens scatter beyond the platform and into the abyss. "50 years truce, and the tome of Solomon."


    "It doesn''t come with a lesser ring? Man, I feel cheated." Dyaus abruptly stands, opening her appendages as if she is welcoming. "Even if you challenge me many times and try to hurt what I deem precious, it will make me stronger. Once again, I will teach you what hopelessness is!"


    Seizequill had heard this line many, many, many times. Despite all of the broken results, she still moves with perseverance, as if she wants to prove herself. "Always putting everything on the line, always mocking me in every possible ways." She clicks her tongue. "You say Humanity is dead, then I''ll show you that the culmination of that very concept is present, RIGHT, IN, FRONT, OF, YOU!"


    "You''re not Humanity, you''re what they call ''grudge'', ''hatred'', and ''pettiness''. Even a dank ass cockroach like me can exude that more than you pimp who tries to act like a smartass with no sense of losing."


    Dyaus then continues, "You don''t know anything about Humanity, brat." Rather annoyed, the cockroach sits back again with his head hanging from the edge of the chair to view the churning gears behind. "You will never feel their warmth."


    The warmth that convinced Dyaus, one of their early creations back in the bunker, the warmth that made Dyaus believe in her own, and the very same warmth that heeds her to do anything to preserve the heritage of those ancient apes¡ªthe entirety of Neamh. Earth belongs to humans, and so the Neamh also belongs to their predecessor. For many thousands years, Dyaus Pita has carried the will of the ancients without rest, covering the lone fire that is humanity within a snowstorm, waiting for a summer that''s not even there.


    A single vengeful Ferrakhian won''t make it through her even with determination.


    The cockroach prods her temple as a transmitter circuit materializes around her finger. "Moose Squad''s leader, Ratatoskr, I''ve given you an official detachment squad for you to lead."


    "WHAT!?" The voice from the other side shouts. Spell castings and meat slashings can be heard, after an awkward amount of time, the moose of the moose squad begins to clarify her leader. "Ehem! Give me the name of the squad and personnel! I will surely lead them with my own life in hand!"


    "You''re given a squad of two C-rank operators. Here''s a little hint, their vessels are small yet impregnable, their sword can split the sky, their heart remains unthawed, their mind is the ignitor of a kiln, and their adversary will kneel to pray for their sin, they are¡ª"


    "W-wait! Don''t tell me!?"


    "Long Leggy¡ª"


    "Aaaaaaa¡ª"


    "And Libera."


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!??"


    What kind of enlightenment did the cockroach feel? Why does she believe in the two fake Primordials that don''t know anything? The Ferrakhian grew to spite that trait of hers.


    Dyaus can sense the little moose that freezes in terror from hearing those two names. After enough time to let the rising Tactician use their brain, Dyaus smiles so jeering at the vengeful Seizequill. "As for their squad name, I''ll give them¡ª"


    Ratatoskr ingrains the last bit of information into her mind, as the words echo through her ears again and again.


    "Zenon Squad."

 Chapter 81 - Stand As One

    "ENGAGE! ENGAGE!"


    "ALL CITIZENS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED!"


    "BARRIERS! CAST MORE BARRIERS! DON''T LET IT MOVE AN INCH!"


    The leak from the underground have resulted in numerous low rank Calamities surging. Most of them have been exterminated but a small flicker near an oil slick will spark a bigger flame, the sudden deactivation of the grand concealment formation and the chaos on the underground has piqued the hunger of Grade Nine Calamity with ''Singularity'' record, piercing up the ground and rendering most of the underground facility unaccessible.


    "CAST THE AIR ISOLATION FORMATION!"


    "MOLECULAR ISOLATOR HAS BEEN CASTED!"


    "CASTING OXYGEN SHIELD FOR THE FRONTLINERS!"


    A ''singularity'' is a crisis that can potentially lead into a world ending scenario, some of the recorded vile beasts have been researched so that the mortalSs of Neamh can pick up their weapon and fight back.


    In the middle of the Amos Citadel. A massive underground dragon with a thousand arms on every part of its body, two wings that can shift the gale. Upon the hole that it created is a horde of digger Calamities rushing to commence collateral damage.


    Timoreia, that name has been ingrained on your very skull for countless times. The existence, the perpetrator, and the very reason why your body was regressed into a child-like vampire until this moment¡ªnot mentioning the pink devil that is unsympathetic enough to let your appearance be downgraded.


    After fighting many of the low rank Calamities, you and Lues got separated from Thuljas. As for Goyang, don''t worry, that little guy seems to have an appetite for Calamities, enlarging its body to consume every vile beast on its path. Although you can use your ''Blood Sign'' technique to annihilate the battlefield, your instinct tells you to preserve your strength for what has to come earlier on.


    Admiring the disgusting monstrosity from the broken platform up on the surface, you ask, "Lues, can we kill that thing?"


    "Apparently not, we can contain it but not as easily as the armored mole." Lues still exude her cocky attitude despite having the same mana depository where one overusing can lead to both vessels'' doom.


    Every building on the surface was coated by a dense forcefield, this lead to the hole on the big street. There is also a faint barrier on the sky, which makes you wonder why they want to isolate the Calamity inside the Citadel. That is before everything becomes heavy and glimmering in faint yellow. You seek out the source to see a radiant ferrowl is airborne in the sky with a lance and a flag.


    The Timorea freezes, as an unknown humanoid doll with the looks of a girl grabbing the immortal Calamity and flies to the sky together like pinching a worm out from the ground. The sky barrier temporarily deactivates until the city-length dragon is plucked fully off from the Citadel''s beating heart.


    "Attention! Everyone!"


    A valiant ferrowl in the sky. With the background of a long monstrosity being extracted from the earth.


    The golden aura coming from her is dense, with some kind of nanomachine-like energy that works the same way as your virus vessels, but instead of infiltrating, the substances are healing, enhancing your physique by tremendously pumping a large amount of mana that emits a healing aura, enticing the cell to regenerate faster, while also increasing the urge to be more productive and heightens morale.


    ''Temporary Stamina Buff'' acquired.


    ''Temporary Mana Conductivity Buff'' acquired.


    ''Temporary Valor Buff'' acquired.


    The iron owl''s voice ruptures the sky.


    "This Citadel is our mark to history itself, our beating heart, our home, a shelter to whom we know. But heaven had decided to use our heart for their ''Divine Banquet''! It has been estimated that there will be 28,000 Calamities marching to our position from all directions."


    You can hear the voice of other personnel near you. "28,000!? We''re dead!"


    "This is a divine massacre, Amos will fall!!"


    "What are those people on Kratos doing!? This is the backline!"


    "Why this late!? There is no announcement from the Skyline!?"


    The fear and uncertainty stab everyone with the weight of life and death itself. Some are frozen in terror, some clench their fist, some cry, some kneel with weak knees, some are unsure, some are contemplating the future loss, some are melancholic to see that their home will be no more. Those are the 30% of all active Vagants within this Citadel.


    The rest 70% bear their fangs with extreme prejudice to the Calamities. Most of these patriotic personnel are the elders and seniors of the Vagants, knowing how firm their roots hold to the ground as their eyes glimpses their trauma of fallen comrades and families.


    After harvesting the numbers of determinate operators, Thuljas points her flag into the sky as the unknown Tekhanure throws the massive Timoreia away into the sky.


    "Mortals of Neamh! Sharpen your sword and fasten your armor! We are the Assailants! A wretched beast made of centipedes! A stampede! A legion who proceeds to consume everything when decreed! REMEMBER! WE''RE THE ABOMINATIONS WHO SURVIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGAINST THEM! AND WE WILL BE THERE TO SPITE THE SKY FOR ANOTHER THOUSAND YEARS!!"


    The whole Citadel fills with the radiant energy that Thuljas exuded, your view is upon the life of the leaves from a tree with the need to survive. Everyone who is even stronger than Thuljas heeds to her prayer, the one who felt weak suddenly feels strong from their companion''s willpower, this might be your first time seeing Thuljas'' eyes so brilliant and inspiring.


    "ALL OF YOU MUST STAND AS ONE! ABANDON YOU FEAR AND TEAR THAT FEEDS THE EGO OF THOSE FROM ABOVE! AMOS WILL NOT FALL!"


    ""AMOS WILL NOT FALL!""


    ""AMOS WILL NOT FALL!!""


    Everyone casted their weapon upon the sky, as they chant the words full of hope.


    ""OUR CITADEL''S HEART WILL TASTE THEIR FEAST!""

 Chapter 82 - Jaeger The Vast

    When the brink is not in the ring, in a blink there is a vast communication circuit that conjoins and branches to every Vagants within the Citadel.


    "All Assailants who received this voice message will hear different information¡ª" A voice of a raspy young man permeates your ears, the same technique that was used by Ratatoskr on your earlier mission but more on a large scale. "This is Jaeger speaking. C-rank operator Long Leggy, you will be sent to the west frontier and rendezvous with the leader of Moose Squad, Ratatoskr, and receive further instructions from there."


    Every personnel received a different command from the same voice simultaneously, as if it was already recorded by that one person or everyone got their own private artificial news bringer to their skull. Then again, if that man with the codename of ''Jaeger'' truly did this feat of giving specific messages to thousands of different individuals simultaneously alone, either he is a computer or his head is made up of quantum processors.


    ''I get to meet with the Moose Squad again!''


    It better be getting dispatched to a team of someone familiar in this important crisis than get mixed up with a total stranger with no synchronicity at the mix. Your existence is already abnormal but that doesn''t change the fact of how abnormal this world is compared to 12,000 years ago, then again, is this truly your original world?


    "Lues!" you say to the crimson devil who just found the sentient cube that was supposed to be your pet, slightly bigger than the last. "What Jaeger told you?"


    "We''ll be back to the Moose Squad on the west. I already sent some blood scouts and it seems like the Calamities will come in twenty minutes from now." Lues put Goyang on top of her head, glued with her own version of blood manipulation. "Hurry up, this is a great way to feed your artifact."


    As each personnel are scrambling about, the hole on the road made by Timoreia has been sealed by a repairing team from other organizations, they are clothed in brown coat with a material device on their back like those akin what Blast''s have but instead of chemicals, they are attached with a black magnetic core with some circuits that goes connected into a cube shaped mana crystal.


    ''The virus vessel can be a great help for analyzing things, they didn''t even realize I was peeking at them!''


    You couldn''t help but to be proud for thinking something this revolutionary


    "What are you smiling for?" asked Lues with pure curiosity, considering that you rarely smile in such a way. "Also, you looked rather nonchalant about the situation. A normal person with humanity in them would rather be petrified with those whooping five digit numbers on the Calamity counter. ''Oh no! The world that I know is about to end! Everyone will die! This is horrible!'' like that."


    Unlike everyone who mingle and stride on the ground, you and Lues fly high in medium height in a laid back manner.


    While coming up with a sentence, you''re trying to put your Chi of Decidit somewhere more tactical because holding the crystal gourd everywhere just to store your harrowingly liquid artifact and unsheathe them might be a rather of a hassle. "Might be me who is slowly becoming inhumane," you say. "Just can''t help but to not bother, much like what I wanted to do. I would rather think about myself first and just strive, just let the troublesome stuff be dealt with by those who want to deal with it."


    "That ''flower'' is starting to take tools on your mind, if I assume. The more you calculate and dig deeper than what you should, the more your rationality to lean more on logic and practicality, especially for self-gain." Lues then change her posture to her favorite sleeping position in the air whilst gaining momentum to the destination. "Don''t beat yourself to it. Power is everything, after all."


    "Of course, tell me your plan about enhancing the artifact." Looking at her big grin, you start to think of some possibilities and strike one of the nearest acts she could do. "If it includes using the vast wasteland, then I''ll ask for permission from Ratatoskr."


    "Aww you read me, that is so sweet."


    You parry her sudden flirting, "Foreboding your future shenanigans can''t be counted as affection, it was more of me trying to not stress myself if something happens outside of my jurisdiction."


    "Such a caring partner~"


    You go through the tall gap on the roadblock with many obsidian armored personnel near. It strikes you a wonder of who those securities are and why they are on every entry of the prominent building of this Citadel. Alas, all you could do is keep thinking and guessing, you might want to be more social and ask the people around you instead of cramping your brain to determine those possibly-mundane stuff.


    5 portable camps, 70 unknown armed infantry, 10 armed vehicles in the form of landships, and some more individuals with a non Assailant''s uniform. More to the right side of your field vision, you find the Ratatoskr currently in rendezvous with a man in a tactical vest, not donning any Vagant''s mark. The other Moose Squad''s members can be seen to prepare some kind of giant ballista with Blast and Woez working together to make special bolts for the ammunition.


    "Miss Ratatoskr, are you sure you want this amount of units?" says the feline with shades. "The east frontline has more than 500 personnel, I don''t think that with your squad and the others alone will be able to fend them off."


    "Mr. Barjed," Ratatoskr said with a confident expression. "The intel had shown that there was a Megiddo Carmlan sighted from the east."


    "I see, no wonder, then who will be the one who does the protocol?"


    Both of you arrived to the conversation with a salute. You forgot to report in because of the scary gaze from the tall burly man with cat ears, and because you didn''t report in, Lue doesn''t either.


    "Mr Rajed, meet two of our newest recruits." Ratatoskr gestures to the both of you, saving the awkward situation.


    "New recruits with a class of Annihilator and Slayer?" He says after probing his view into your accessories and Lues''. "Is this a sick joke?"


    ''Yes Mr. Barjed! This is unfair! A new recruit shouldn''t be tasked with an important position!''


    "The obvious joke in here would probably be you," says Lues, with her iconic frown grin like a croissant when she is agitated. "I don''t sense any mana coming from you at all, and yet you''re talking like you''re on the same height as that missy over there."


    ''Noooo! Lues you stupid demon! Don''t start a fight out of nowhere!''


    "Now, now! Let''s get along! I''m your Tactician for the east, so nice to meet with both of you again." The moose girl says with a more convincing smile than before before shifting her gaze to the bulky feline. "Mr. Rajed, prepare the M.A..D."

 Chapter 83 - Staff Of Pyakko

    12 minutes left before the Divine Banquet.


    A large vehicle comes from the west gate of Citadel. It stops six meters near you as a team of 6 donning heavy protection gear opens the back trunk cargo. Freezing white smoke arises through the trunk ceiling and into the surrounding like spilled glass of visible air. The team gets into the thick smoke before coming back cradling machinations with a peculiar magic device in the shape of a staff. The staff has branching points that bend after reaching a certain degree, textured with geometrical mana line upon densest and smooth material. You don''t know if appraising this dangerous artifact is legal or not.


    M.A.D, a Massive Augmented Destruction, a type of artifact created or founded with high limit potential. From reviving the dead or destroying a whole continent, the M.A.D could achieve many things despite having ''Destruction'' in its abbreviation sticking out like a killer with an axe on a horror flick. Only certified individuals with the verification from the ten big associations with Vagant in one of them, are permitted to use a M.A.D legally.


    "That is one dangerous artifact," Lues whispered telepathically. "I made around 6 artifacts with that level of complexity, it took me around 102 years to make them, then again, I''m not an artifact maker."


    "That was a sublime flex you just did there."


    But you do appraise it anyway.


    Soon, you realize that the artifact isn''t just a strong mana-condurable staff. That object, no, that existence of physical matter is actually a wrapped space continuum filled with abnormally large unknown substances and circuit contraption. Some of your virus vessels are lost and unattainable, the massive sudden gap of length sends a massive jolt of pain throughout your body, it feels like your consciousness strings are stretched far wide into the end of time and beyond.


    You insist on exploring the magnificent wonder more until the consciousness strings you used to connect with the virus vessel squadron are ripped apart. Knees weak, arms are heavy. You stand still unmoving, unconscious, until your worklings reboots your brain forcefully. The excruciating headache is still there, enough to make you go unconscious again but thanks to your chibi worker, it seems like you need to suffer for more just like that time during your first encounter with Lues.


    "Bloody hell!" Shouts the crimson devil telepathically. "You almost killed yourself, always tell me before putting your hand onto something unknown like this!" Her tones change, not that usual smug of her.


    You want to cry. "I learned my lesson now, painfully, extremely, painfully unfulfilling and unnecessary."


    Lues sighs. "I''ll look into the damage later, for now, you should contemplate and control your cat urge with a dog leash. You''re lucky that your ''soul'' is strong enough to withstand one of their branches literally ripped apart, even a primordial would scream in pain. What is your secret?"


    "Being socially anxious to the point you''re scared to show your pain," you say, as your heart sinks not from the depression, but from the imaginary tear that swallows your sadness.


    "Hahaha, didn''t know that an introvert was that powerful."


    The artifact is presented in front of Ratatoskr on a device. With a firm stance, the moose put her right hand to the sky. In a blink, the area around her hand turns red, secreting blue substances continuously.


    Slowly, she slowly tries to put her right onto the artifact, every inch her hand moves toward it, it burns brighter and volatile. The energy that was consumed is so huge that it repels everything near it. Until her palm is a finger away from touching it, the energy turns to nothing but blinding white. You can feel the jet-engine-like pressure both physically and audibly, in fact, it''s more like Ratatoskr is forcing her way forward face to face with a jet propeller.


    Her skin meets with the abnormal artifact. The pressure is gone, and the person you deem as Ratatoskr exudes more of a tyrant aura than before.


    Energy is gushing out through every hole of her body, her ears, her eyes, her nose, her mouth. It''s still mysterious whether she feels pain or a surge of power at that moment.


    She heavily walks into the vast wasteland, west away from the citadel. Pointing the staff into the sky, it responds in shudder with lighting.


    "Sahvelkan valoa!"


    One by one, numerous shrines and towers with giant crystals rise from the ground of the ever vast wasteland. Spawning wide and high as if there is a city built in an instant, taking the quarter size of Amos Citadel. The shrine emits an energy akin to your virus vessels, you try to comprehend it but the massive headache prevents you from doing so.


    But you do it anyway.


    It''s not a virus but more of a seeking nanomachine, after taking a look at the circuits, you send the schematic into your mana sea and let your Lueling and Chroling to work on it. It only takes a few seconds for them to send you back the results.


    Basically, it''s the type of virus that will wrap themselves into a certain targeted material. So more of like a crippling debuff depending on how you use it.


    A good idea for some of your future techniques with your Chi of Decidit. You want to try it now real bad but constructing a circuit from the ground up takes a lot of mental energy and currently, yours is at the bottom line.


    And just like that, Ratatoskr repulsively throws the artifact into the machinations at high precision and high speed. The machination cradles the M.A.D back to where it belongs. Just like a beaver basking in the sun, Ratatoskr lays down on the sandy ground, either she is trying to relax and fulfill her inner moose, or she is contemplating the meaning of life for the meantime.


    Strangely, nobody finds it weird and as they focus on their respective task.. It leads your brain in the good-ol pain to ask plainly what in the world has just happened.

 Chapter 84 - Before The Pyakko Domain

    "Yo, Ratatoskr, the Calamities are on sight near the Pyakko Domain," Woez says, poking the dead yet alive moose.


    With a deadpan that says ''I''m tired of this shit'', the leader casually replies, "Ready the ballista to snipe the Megiddo Carmlan, there will be the other Calamities joining the parade so we need to isolate it with a flank separating the thousands wave of beast with the SS-rank beast, make sure there are no more than 5 people emitting their killing intent to the Carmlan, or else we''re toast."


    "The ballista is ready, the sun marble was used as a catalyst and we might be able to take it down in 20 shots unless a mistake is made," says the reindeer girl.


    "Pick me up, I want to see our new member."


    Woez picks up the leader by the armpits and showcases her to both of you. Her expression becomes more confident yet leans more to snarky, or it was because of the smirk and the sweats she got, together with the pale forehead after both of you appear in the field of her vision.


    "Firstly and foremost, welcome to the Moose Squad! Again! We only have 5 minutes left so to make it quick, both of you have been dispatched officially as my detachment. Courtesy from Madam Dyaus, she named your team, Zenon Squad! Again, welcome to the Moose Battalion!"


    ""Please give us your guidance,"" says both of you, one is genuine with a bowing and the other is sarcastic.


    "So! We have an estimated amount of 10,000 Calamities from the west, the rest 9,998 is not threatening personally for me, but there are two that you need to be wary about." Ratatoskr smiled suspiciously. "The first is an SS-rank Calamity with the name of Megiddo Carmlan, that beast is sentient and will be more powerful and aggressive the more it feels threatened by killing intent, hence why the west frontline is absent from personnel unlike the other frontline."


    "What about the other one?" Lues ask.


    "Laum, an S-rank Calamity, this will be your target. Its appearance is humanoid so you can find it rather easily. The task is to separate Megiddo Carmlan from the other waves and let it go alone into the Pyakko Domain to assassinate Laum as fast as possible before it spreads its consciousness to control the other Calamities. Defend the line, don''t let any single monstrosity pass the edge of the Domain except the Carmlan, understand!?"


    "Yes, Ma''am!"


    "Aaah, don''t call me ma''am, I''m not that old, just refer to me as my codename, okay? So! Do you have any questions you wanted to ask?"


    You begin to speak out your mind, "Pyakko Domain, is it the whole area of the shrines and tower you summoned?"


    "Yup! Only a few people have the certification to use it, I''m one of them, and you clearly don''t want to use it." The way Ratatoskr throws the artifact and goes limp instantly is an obvious sign of why you don''t want to put your hand on that artifact. "The shrines will constantly cripple the designated Calamity, the towers are there for support as they can deal a large damage to those pesky scum-monstrosity! Their only weakness is that they are fragile, one sweep from A-rank Calamity is enough to destroy them."


    ''That information feels unrelated considering that you''ve summoned hundreds of them!''


    Dealing with the headache still, you clear your throat before asking, "Anything else?"


    "Nope, just don''t emit any killing intent to Megiddo Carmlan and you''ll be fine, Woez and Blast will be dealing with it."


    It is still unbelievable for a mere A rank Tactician to have their hand upon one of the strongest artifacts at that degree and even planning their own way of battle against thousands of Calamity with just one squad whilst the other frontline are packed with hundreds of personnel.


    "Is this just me," you speak to Lues through the telepathic channel. "Or the department forgot to put one more rank on Ratatoskr''s squad, if a squad led by an A rank is like this, then can S rank personnel amass thousands of troops or something!?"


    "I didn''t meddle with the Vagant much when I was still alive."


    "Aren''t you alive right now?"


    "You already stab through my heart that I''ve ''fallen'' for you."


    "Your escalating cheesiness disgust me."


    Both of you throw a salute to your leader and rush to the edge of Pyakko Domain. Zenon Squad sounds Greek and cool at the same time, it saves you the effort to come up with a name for the detachment squad. Then again, aren''t you supposed to be the one who should name your own squad? When you request to be in a detachment, does that mean the right to name the squad goes to the leader instead?


    Ratatoskr also mentioned Dyaus in her speech, it seems like the higher up watches your every movement, which is both uncomfortable and assuring at the same time. You only need to watch what you say and what your partner''s doing, social credit increases without needing to prove it all! That sounds wrong, you''re hoping that they didn''t check the hospital record.


    ''Thuljas might''ve already purged every document about me, then again I haven''t made it sure what kind of person she is.''


    Both of you land on top of one of the towers.


    Your thoughts switch as your eyes are fixated to the rising tidal wave of sands 40 meters into the air. One of them is a humongous black entity with folded numerous legs like those of a root, hundreds of eyes on its building sized head, creepy jaw with beard. You can see some blood drip from the edge of its teeth.


    That Calamity is marching at the utmost front, your instinct told you that this gigantic Calamity is the infamous Megiddo Carmlan.


    ''It was bigger than the titans and that giant centipede!''


    "Is that the Carmlan!?" you say as you share your eeriness to your partner.


    "It is, now it''s time for us to be the jackal and hunt that Laum."


    This might be the hardest event you''ve encountered so far.. Despite the edging stings on your cranium, your excitement is rising contagiously like uranium.

 Chapter 85 - Mana Mark

    The Megiddo Carmlan rumbles the earth with each stomp, its eerie screeching sends a shiver every ten seconds as if it wails in pain. Countless tentacles bulge out from its back, increasing its size and complexion by twice.


    All is fine and dandy as long as you don''t emit any killing intent for the beast to perceive, even the slightest would aggro the titanic monster. Lues manages to control her pressure really well despite her hot headed tendency. But how come a newbie like you is able to desensitize your own intent?


    Simple, you''re not.


    "Pitka, I think you should really get your treatment right here and now, ahahah."


    You used the throbbing pain by letting it all go and thinking of nothing, your mind is empty, there is no such thing circling or processed inside your tiny brain. Sometimes you wonder if you''re able to free yourself from all kinds of mortal pain. It seems like the chances for you to be able to do that is close to how Lues is able to be nice to others except you.


    White, and black, well, there is nothing actually, so don''t think much about it.


    Lues cast a temporary barrier after absorbing quarters of your mana unknowingly. Wet drool falls from the edge of your lips. Too much in pain to even bother with what she did to you while you''re unconscious. Perplexed, you then shift your gaze upon the great thin wall of transparent red.


    Despite the look of the barrier being visibly thin, it managed to isolate the Megiddo Carmlan from the marching army of monstrosities behind it..


    You wipe the suspicious saliva on your mouth that isn''t yours before asking, "This is the first time you took that much amount, how strong is the barrier?"


    "My Golden Core nourishes the mana I took from you by 40 times in quality, do some simple imaginary math and you could see how strong that barrier was," Lues says as she wafts around playfully with her usual cocky grin intact.


    "The resistance there looks fierce, are you sure it won''t break?"


    "Abso-bloody-lutely."


    And just like that, your first task of isolating the fearsome Megiddo Carmlan is done. The numerous shrines radiate massive amounts of crippling substances to the Calamity, despite the great quantity that can choke you to death rather quickly. Needless to say, it does little to the towering monster.


    The arcane towers with giant crystals cradled on top of them began to blast solid plasma beams one by one and continuously onto the Megiddo Carmlan. Together with the shrines, it can be estimated that it would deal damage with the forces akin to the zombie ape''s full blown smash thirteen times per second. You feel like watching someone playing a tower defense game. Kinda brings the hidden nostalgia within your lost memory.


    "I lowkey want to be able to do such a feat." You standby your Chi of Decidit in any case of sudden crisis. "So you want us to keep it like that?" you say, as you gesture to the barrier.


    "Of course not, my love. I do promise to commence something that will enhance your artifact more. But before moving there, you need a lot of mana, like, a lot."


    You look a little bit up to see Goyang ontop of her, his goofy eyes awaken your brain cells.


    Despite your mind being high from the progressing pain tolerance, you notice something about the Golden Core and mana transfer.


    "Lues, tell me anything about your Golden Orb, and how you''re able to produce 40 times the amount of energy you took from me."


    Tilting her head as her hands caresses her chin, Lues grinds her teeth as she explains, "A rather troublesome info dump to do in this kind of situation. But Golden Orb is a phase where you condense a specific kind of nourishment material and high amount of mana into a Hollow Orb after you create the shell. The composition, the formula, the place, the time, the traits of the mana sea will determine the quality of your Golden Orb."


    She then gestures her forefinger with a nonchalant expression.


    "After reaching that stage of cultivation, all of the mana you convert from then on will be amplified and processed by the orb into a higher quality of mana! Even your mana lake full of elemental essences can go beyond, heh."


    So constructing them takes time, you need a faster way to get high amounts of mana. "Lues, the mana that passes through your Golden Orb, can I convert it again into mine?"


    Ignoring the massive wave of Calamities scratching and sabotaging the barrier, Lues frowns a little bit. "Nobody relies on that method, because each strain of our converted mana is already a part of us, there is a mark from our soul that permeates that very existence of energy. To override that mark, it takes a complicated process where you need more preparation than the beginning of your Golden Orb construction."


    "Then how are you able to override mine?"


    "My Golden Orb is those of a higher rank, and your very existence is connected to mine, wait¡ª"


    "What if I keep connecting my consciousness on the mana while it was processed through yours?"


    The whole doppelganger and soul linking are the concepts needed to be explored. If the mana you two converted were a part of each other, then Lues and you would have the same mark due to having a similar wavelength like how the Oni back then told you that Lues and you look more like twins, siblings than a different person. There is some cryptic stuff lurking around that mirror that awakened the crimson devil.


    Lues shrugs. "It is certainly a possible feat but are you sure you want to do the process¡ª"


    With the severe headache still in the very bone of your being, your critical thinking is degraded and upgraded at the same time. Like how a drunkard begins to dance as if she knows how, you place both of your hands onto Lues'' shoulder and try to speak out the corrupted mind that is embodying your whole instinct right now.


    "Lues, do the kissing again."

 Chapter 86 - Blood God Golden Orb

    "Pitka, are you sure you''re thinking straight? I''m scared by this side of you."


    "Just do the thing, goddammit!"


    "Tch, it ain''t fun if you''re the one taking the initiative."


    Lues flick your forehead, the precise kinetic force renders you unconscious.


    You don''t know how long you have been unconscious for, probably only a couple seconds but you couldn''t help but think of how fragile you''re because of how you got knocked out from a flick. Waking up, a visible crimson string is connected from your athenaeum to Lues''. A strain of your soul is resonating with the sassy devil. A pathway of the soul, a spiritual wavelength.


    Annoyingly, you do remember that she just did the kissing method to tease you, somehow you''re rather disappointed for not getting what you wanted. Now you begin to imitate your partner''s way of discomfort, frowning and gritting your teeth until it shapes like a croissant.


    Lues places both of her palms in front of the pathway. "I''ll be taking bits of your mana, hold your consciousness still while grasping the converted energy."


    "Roger."


    Like a television connected by the wave station on a mindless channel of nostalgia. Smooth, the single strain of consciousness strings that takes a lump of mana as its vessel travels through the elongated path that feels like forever, even though it has only been 5 seconds.


    Your consciousness arrives at Lues'' gloomy miniature world, currently traveling at the speed of sound. Beasts of indescribable cosmic horror engulfs the sky as countless tiny devils fall down like breadcrumbs as the shattered pieces of the dark sky. Monstrosity, if Lues'' Athenaeum can be described in words, it should be a ''mind-bending nightmare''. Logic and common sense has left your brain. If Lues allows a normal mortal to peek inside her mana sea, the mortal would go insane and kill themselves right on the spot.


    ''Blood God''s Golden Orb'' traumatic experience has been acquired.


    If you looked at your partner right at this moment, you would indiscriminately attack her due to the sinister aura she exudes.


    Her voice distorts, as if the gap between you and her are separated by reality from the depth of the abyss to the unknown. You didn''t know her, she isn''t the Lues you knew. "I applaud your persistence, MorTal. How does it feel when the nightmare crawls inside your skin? With every fiber of space encapsulating your feeble and ignorant existence. I''M HAVING FuN, I''M AnGuiSh, SaTisfieD¡ªI''m in a really good mood as of now so I significantly toned down the content of my Athenaeum. I will give you a reward if you''re still alive by later."


    "What with the change of tone, Lues! You''re scaring the heck out of me! Did you get mad just because I''m asking for a kiss!?"


    Her Golden Orb doesn''t look like a Golden Orb at all, it''s a giant red, monstrous planet-sized circular god-like entity. As soon as the traveling lump of mana you reside awakens the giant monster, the Golden Orb yawns to devour you into the inside of its pure black.


    ''Are you sure that your athenaeum is even a miniature realm anymore!? It feels like a bloody alternate universe!''


    A tremoring crunch can be felt. The mana is then grinded with something extremely hot, you can''t see anything but the searing heat is akin to the sun itself. The experience didn''t affect your physical body but you can mentally feel it, the feeling of being destroyed again and rebuilt. The Golden Orb not only nourishes the mana she converts, but also forges it like how an iron ore is tempered into a steel by slamming a hammer again and again to remove impurities.


    After the forging, thousands of light comes surging into the lump of mana that isn''t so large anymore. It is then destroyed again, tempered, molded, carved, the process feels like years. And just like that, the mana is spewed out like excrement. Surprisingly, your soul is also tempered together with mana. The wound of the broken string is replaced by the natural properties of Lues'' mana sea, where it is supposed to be colorless, now dyed in crimson red.


    ''Flower of Perspicacity'' is evolving.


    ''Blood God''s Golden Orb'' detects evolution.


    ''Blood God''s Golden Orb'' gives its blessings.


    ''Blood Flower of Continuity'' acquired.


    Your body feels hot, it feels like it''s going to melt. Not trying to waste any time, you pull back the nourished mana from her mana sea. As soon as it reaches your athenaeum, the sky inside your miniature realm turns to red. The worklings shudder in fear of what has happened. You feel like something will go wrong if you don''t do anything. Until, the ''Flower of Perspicacity?'' is acting up.


    ''Blood Flower of Continuity'' is trying to confirm your soul.


    Soul is confirmed.


    ''Blood Flower of Continuity'' will transform to its owner''s state of soul and Mana sea.


    ''Serene Guardian of Continuity'' acquired.


    The flower transforms into the physical representation of you. She places her hand upon the sky and consumes the crimson energy into its body. The energy with your soul mark has been reclaimed again. After a while, the entity shoves her own hand into her mouth to take out a ''Blue Orb'' with the live illustration of the universe inside of it.


    ''Blue Orb'' Acquired.


    The ball of the universe emits a wave that amplifies any sort of energy within your mana sea, it''s like a pseudo Golden Orb. The amplification turns your mana quality ten times denser and stronger than before.


    Your headache is gone, but it is then replaced by the confusion of what in the actual pluck is happening.


    "Is this your present?"


    The distorted voice replies, "Yes."


    Aside from the morbid experience, the wave of Calamities manage to destroy the barrier.


    The entity inside your athenaeum grabs a single strain of your soul and attaches it to her. This allows you to control her directly like a marionette despite it having its own self awareness, while at the same time, the entity provides you a second thinking processor that you can use simultaneously.


    Double the mind, double the soul. You''re back to your physical body and notice a significant difference. Everything feels like moving at half speed.


    The sinister being in front of you has become Lues again.


    "Bullocks! What is happening!? I can''t remember shite!"

 Chapter 87 - New Bond: Family By Blood

    You split your Chi of Decidit into half. Ever so nonchalantly, it feels like a reward after overcoming the tribulation. Dopamine gives you the euphoric feeling for getting better than before. Positivity is your best weapon!


    "You''re scary back then, what is inside your mana sea anyway?" you say, playfully reminding the confused Lues. It seems like her cosmic horror side is too much for her to handle. Thankfully, Goyang is there attached to her head to calm her down.


    "Yeah, takes a while to reboot my own consciousness." She covers her face that was already half covered by her bangs, then opening them to reveal her usual upbeat grin¡ªa 180 degree change in an instant. "HURRAH! I''m back! Ehem, seems like the wavelength of your soul has affected my existence."


    With just a short sentence, your dual brains with dual conscious minds-- that makes four thinking processing power in total¡ªare able to grasp the meaning of your partner''s words. "So your original personality was overwhelmed by my resonance, this is only one of the times where you show your true color?"


    "Indeed, it looks like the forced resonance triggered my savagery." She strokes her bangs upward, opening only one of her eyes. You pause your circuit assimilation to perceive the dust of the universe within her right eye. "And it broke one of the seals that the former Long Leggy put back then."


    You then take one of the ''Blood Sign: Plague Of Massacre'' ready-to-use circuit schematics that was mass produced in your circuit factory. You conjure numerous soul-seeking spears of never ending massacre to deal with the stampeding Calamities from above and just to make sure that you can have a proper conversation in the middle of the war.


    "Is that your athenaeum!?"


    "Correct." The curtain of her bang is set free once again, hanging to capture the essence of a hentai protagonist. "I still have 5 seals left unbroken, let''s break them all!"


    "Oy oy! What benefits does it give to me!?" you say, suspicious of the fact that you don''t know she had more than one mana sea.


    She gestures with both of her hands as if she cradles something invisible on each palm. "I can''t kill you and you can''t kill me, might as well increase our survivability together."


    You notice one sprinting titan has slipped your Blood Sign: Plague Of Massacre as it shrugs off most of the lazer from the arcane tower. Annoyed, you deal with it personally by shaping half of your artifact into a spear. Casually shred the titan into pieces from afar before retracting the Chi of Decidit to your side again. "Alright then, we''re supposed to be sisters. So I think I can trust you well enough considering that we''re similar in a sense."


    You let out a nonchalant smirk.


    "So you did enjoy the roleplay."


    "Shut up!"


    "Well, guess having a soulbound sibling would be a great experience. Might as well become the real thing." Lues constructs an insignia made out of her crimson aura. An insignia shaped like a sun sheltered by a root-like canopy. She then bite her own tongue and uses the overflowing blood to fuel the insignia halfway. "At first, we''re bonded by soul, it''s the time for us to be bonded by blood. Now, fill up this insignia to finish the pact."


    You take off the glove from your right hand and then cut a wound on the centrepiece of your thumb with your sharp teeth. Using the virus vessel, you fill the insignia with your blood.


    Lues chants, "May we be untouchable while able to touch each other, not the same kin, but as one small family."


    The insignia condenses and launches itself into the sky. The sound of a firework can be heard with the crest enlarging for many to view.


    "T-that is a little bit too much, no?" you say, having a mixed feeling.


    "Fufufu, there is nothing better than to celebrate our new bond with a firework!"


    The embodiment of cosmic horror is gleefully enjoying her own theatrical explosion so enthusiastically, what a world. At least a smile is also etched onto your face.


    Multitasking the birth of the new relationship and the progress of the battlefield, you check the results of your Plague Of Massacre. It killed only 79 Calamities, although it gave them a good fight, suppressing them for some time. The returning part also brought you 421% more blood for your Chi of Decidit than the original projectile. Looks like you need to invent a stronger ''Blood Sign'' techniques.


    Still grinning like an idiot, Lues caresses her own chin. "You have enough mana to clone yourself using your artifact, you know?"


    "A clone¡­ I see!"


    A remarkable invention! Truly, a revolutionary ascension! After the bell is rung with the flowing inspiration, you just can''t help but immediately construct a behemoth of ideal imagination.


    But replicating yourself literally seems to be impossible, even with only the way of thinking processing. Taking what Lues said and interpreting it, she must have meant a physical vessel of a controllable or automated imitation of me.


    ''Having to control multiple bodies might be too stressful, especially more than one¡­ Then how about an AI like those of the workling?''


    The virus vessels are only counted as automatons, not an AI. Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes. Some specific applications of AI include expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition and machine vision.


    You want to build those.


    Using two of the two thinking processors, you code a circuit with Lueling and Chroling as the reference. Until the prototype is made.


    Even using two brains with dual consciousness tasking ability still fry your brain, both of them. The Serene Guardian inside your mana sea has its pupils up into the ceiling with drools falling down.


    ''Experimental Artificial Intelligent Foundation'' knowledge acquired.


    It''s rough, you don''t even know if it can be categorized as an AI. Because unlike the workling you based off of, your version of AI is just as premature as it can get, then again, you won''t really use them much other than easing your combat.


    Separating a quarter of your Chi of Decidit, you input the dense circuit formation which literally contains the aggression system from the virus vessel, the complex decision making, and a special memory storage to save the AI generation into a report database chip that will be sent to your mana for you and the workling to learn about their progress.


    And just like that, the quarter of your artifact has become the embodiment yourself, although without clothing which is unnecessary considering that there is no dangerous part to be shown and you''re in the post apocalyptic civilization for god sake, those Calamities will definitely not going to ogle at your red naked version, right?

 Chapter 88 - Chi Of Decidits Hivemind

    Your clone is vividly entrancing, because you take it from the part of your artifact to be the vessel for the clone. The red blood clone has this unstable blue hue that constantly appears and disappears, continuously spewing out part of itself until the airborne tiny bit of magma get engulfed again like that perpetual sea from the surface of the sun.


    "Impressive!" Claps Lues. "But dear, are you sure that you won''t put any references to the action? Your clone is like a newborn baby, can''t do anything without any input that they can imitate."


    "Aww, what a hassle. If only my past life was an A.I programmer, coding a circuit with no knowledge from scratch is hard, even with two brains."


    Just like game development, you create a three dimensional reference data system where you can input a move and command with it, together with all of the what-if and what-to-do gates connected to the command.


    Then you put in some of the basic combat moves for the AI to start.


    ''Kick'' is updated into the Clone''s AI


    ''Punch'' is updated into the Clone''s AI.


    ''Bite'' is updated into the Clone''s AI.


    You differentiate three kinds of state for everything besides the clone itself. Protect, Hostile, Neutral. You and Lues are in the ''Protect'' section.


    You don''t really want to hassle yourself in the future if you ever create more than one clone, so you make the mainframe to work like a neural network in a hivemind. When the first generation learns something, the data will be brought to the new body vessel that connects to the network.


    Then this is where artificial intelligence comes to play. Using the ''reward'' and ''punishment'' point system, you make the clone utterly hate and avoid ''punishment'' at all cost and encourage it to gather as many ''reward'' points like their life depends on it. Just like how you tame Goyang in the first place, but less sadistically.


    Like training a dog, you trick them to do what you want and give them a treat when they succeed, encouraging them to do it again to gain more treats. Then beat the dog with a stick if they do something you don''t like.


    ''Why is my AI learning process similar to training a dog!?''


    You set to clone to gain ''punishment'' everytime you and Lues are damaged by any means when they are active, this doesn''t include mental damage. To make them more active in the future, you want them to constantly avoid enemies'' attacks to prevent any unnecessary damage to the artifact, so a physical hit to their vessel will be a ''punishment'' point for them.


    ''So instead of taking a hit for their master, they will try to eradicate the Hostile before the enemies act, preventing both punishment, fufufu, I''m a genius!''


    Of course, you as their creator can command who or what will be in the ''Hostile'' or ''Protect'' section. Neutralizing a ''Hostile'' threat will give the clone a ''reward'' point to ensure their happiness, the faster they do it will add more ''reward'' point, simulating those of drug use.


    You''re beginning to question your morality.


    And so, you set every Calamity in the wide radius of the battlefield to be deemed as Hostile.


    Lues, who watches the process, says to herself, "Raising an artificial clone, this feels nostalgic. I created thousands of them, some are even developing a god-complex just because I left them for two thousand years."


    "Here you go again with the sublime flex."


    The clone twitch with the overflowing data that is coming. Somehow, instead of taking the babywalk, the clone takes a leap by launching itself into the crowd as it leaves a heavy sonic boom.


    Your clone hivemind has learned how to do ''Headbutt''.


    The clone has received a huge amount of ''reward'' points from the amount of ''Hostile''s it has neutralizes. The clone is happy, showing a wide pure smile of satisfaction.


    "Somehow, I feel bad, forcing a newborn to fight the moment they are walking upon this dreaded world."


    "Even I sometimes question your morality," says the crimson devil who bare a face full of disgust.


    "Someone who wasn''t hesitant to crush the wrist of a child has no right to talk about morality."


    A titan Calamity with four arms and a cannon as its head begins to show heavy aggression to your clone. A spherical ball of energy is shot from the titan''s barrel with pinpoint accuracy.


    The clone hasn''t felt the ''punishment'' yet, so it doesn''t do anything to the upcoming projectile that is seeking the clone''s head. It''s just like a child who has never seen a lion lunging at them and they don''t feel any sort of fear or realization.


    The sound of crushing air and disintegrated soil can be felt from afar. Your clone merely shrugs it off as the projectile deflects from the clone''s forehead into the ground. The clone is confused, it doesn''t know what happened until the system gives its ''punishment'' point.


    Your clone frowns so badly it''s mortifying to look at, tears of red blood falling to the ground with a faint "hikhs" can be heard from the pitiful newborn that has just been scolded.


    "I feel really bad!"


    "You should!"


    The clone tries to wipe its tear that its mere hand can''t awfully contain as the cries begin to echoes louder and louder, "Hueehueh, hikhs."


    "WHY I FEEL REALLY BAD!?


    "YOU MONSTER! LOOK WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"


    The moment after, your clone clenches its fist and slides forward to punch the Calamity that made her get scolded by the system. Even with your heightened mind and double speed visionary sense, the clone moves so fast it''s seen like it''s teleporting. And just like that, the normal punch has left an elongated tunnel of monstrous flesh behind the bully that gets warped by the sheer force from the punch.


    "LUES! WHAT HAVE JUST HAPPENED!?"


    Lues''s grin is unusually absent. She put a facepalm before dragging it into the chin. "... There is a consciousness wave that was emitted from your artifact, it seems like the upgrade gives your blood artifact a sentient consciousness."


    ''Chi of Decidit'' has developed consciousness strings.


    ''Chi of Decidit'' has achieved the first phase of a sentient artifact.


    She continues, "As of now, she has just been born to this world, there must be something that is triggering the syphon of consciousness within the AI system you input to the artifact.."


    "I-It''s was recorded in my mana sea! I''ll check on it later!"


    Although the clone has punished the bully, the ''reward'' point doesn''t instantly make a wide smile etched into its face. Instead, the clone exudes anger. In just half a minute, the clone keeps repeating the basic move you taught on its database to massacre every Calamity on sight. In its eyes, the monsters are nothing but bullies that will get the hivemind scolded by the system.


    Because the clone is still part of the artifact, input one more ''Blood Sign'' technique into your brain.


    ''Blood Sign: Mirage Of Carnage'' has been learned.


    Lues single handedly cleans up some of the Calamity that passed the raging clone. To fasten the pace, you take another quarter of the Chi of Decidit to create another clone. The hivemind from the artifact activates, and the emotion and knowledge of the first clone begin to surge into the second.


    The second clone immediately exudes an extreme killing intent with an awfully angry face.


    "I FEEL BAD!"

 Chapter 89 - The Messiah And The Cockroach [Kolme]

    "The Zenon Squad is doing their job well," Ratatoskr says her eyes are fixated upon the gigantic Calamity that slowly crushes every shrines and arcane towers she built with the M.A.D. "Obrez, has Blast positioned himself?"


    "Nyet," replies the gunman, scanning the battlefield with binoculars.


    To hunt Megiddo Carmlan, the Moose Squad employs a hidden and crippling tactic with the minimalistic use of mana activity. Even though the beast itself only got enhanced by the amount of killing intent it received, the beast will increase its aggression when its attacker uses any sort of Mana. Which is why Blast is currently trying to flank the beast to aggro while keeping the ballista manned by Woez hidden within the arcane tower.


    There is no communication to each side from Lues, to Blast. and to Ratatoskr. Everything is done with pure instinct, initiative, and synchronicity.


    And it''s shot. The ballista fired a bolt imbued with multiple chain reactions of explosives, travelling its destruction to the Megiddo Carmlan two times throughout its whole body.


    19 shots left.


    Blast takes his initiative, hurling a vial containing condensed azidoazide azide with superhuman strength 100 meters away from the beast to amplify the chain explosion from the bolt. 1-Diazidocarbamoyl-5-azidotetrazole is the most stable nitrogen explosive found without much tempering with mana. The compound is wildly¡ªridiculously endothermic, with a heat of formation of 357 kcal/mole, all of which energy is ready to come right back out at the first provocation.


    The dust is churning and mingling in the sky in a large mushroom cloud. Black smoke permeates the air made by the heavy physical damage that can take a whole city ablaze with dead souls and ashes. The combo is successful, reducing the required bolts by 5.


    14 shots left.


    A smile etched onto Ratatoskr''s face. "Plan A is a success, I didn''t know that it would end faster than I thought."


    Just as instantly the protocol was given by her leader, Woez skips the bolt for her ballista into the seventh bolt.


    13 shots left. Another explosion ensues, and the Calamity begins to get hostile, creating a sandstorm the size of the Citadel itself.


    The Megiddo Carmlan hasn''t been triggered. As for why it should never ever be met with a killing intent from more than 30 sources, the beast will erupt and transform into a hazardous Singularity of Grade Ten Immortal Enigma. It took 30 years for it to calm down; the last record the beast had was sinking a whole continent for 6 months before moving the tectonic plate beneath the ground itself to lift it again. The reason was unknown but there is only one truth that is obvious.


    A single mistake can cost 9 civilizations within this continent to crumble into dust. But survival? The mortals of Neamh are capable of such a feat. They are molded by it, living in constant fear and grudge against the void and the Angels. After the fall of many civilizations, Dyaus Pita has trusted the ''Last Ark'' into one peculiar squad.


    The Moose Squad is shouldering the life of many; Ratatoskr has gone through thousands of simulations within her mind and she trusts her squad more than ever.


    9 shots left. A blizzard of highly flammable substances engulf the storm. By the command of Ratatoskr, each order of bolts have their own uses.


    8 shots left. The ignitor set the blizzard aflame with hellfire, the Devil would feel like at home with this much heat. The shrines and the arcane tower are not affected by elements, as they keep crippling the gigantic beast


    7 shots left. Blast begins to use mana to balance the aggro, as the giant bolt that was shot sucks in all the flames as it pierce deep into the Calamity''s heart and set the hellfire free from there.


    6 shots left. Right at the terrifying head, a bolt with a sealing formation. The rest of the bolts till the 20th are the same.


    5 shots left. The upper body.


    4 shots left. The right limbs.


    3 shots left. The left limbs.


    2 shots left. The ground.


    Within the document of Vagant, Ratatoskr was a mere A tank Tactician, but in reality, she was the most capable mortal ever to execute any kind of mission


    100%, that is her success rate for every mission she accomplished. The Moose Squad believes in her, she can turn a ragtag volunteer army in need of a shower, into a global superpower. The very reason why she never ranks up, it''s to hide her reality bending capabilities.


    Nobody other than Dyaus Pita knows this.


    "Why, why Ratatoskr?" said the Ferrakhian within the churning realm. "You only pick her up for no reason like a stray cat in need of a shelter."


    "Wanna know why I give her the codename of Ratatoskr?" Dyaus closed her eyes, leaning her head onto her appendages "Ratatoskr, is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the eagle perched atop Yggdrasil, and the serpent N¨ªeh?ggr, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree."


    "What does it have anything to do with this?"


    "She is a messenger from the seams of reality, running down to the face of Neamh, holding the information of truth without the squirrel even knowing it. My Ratatoskr, I use her to change the future and reality."


    "Sometimes, I feel like you''re omnipotent, someone who can see through everything and achieve anything."


    "Heh, ya daft Ferrakhian. I''m not God, if I was, the Dodeca War wouldn''t happen, I would prevent tragedy, spread famine to my enemies, give my people bread, and become the next Jesus."


    "A cockroach would never be the Messiah."


    "Of course, because I''m the one who picks them."


    Dyaus shove one of her tokens to the middle of the table, representing Ratatoskr.


    At the same time, Ratatoskr channels her mana into each and every sealing bolt to activate the formation. "May there be light!"


    The last shot is the seal activation.


    Rumbles, the surviving shrines and arcane towers dissipate into golden particles, gathering onto the damaged surface of Megiddo Carmlan.


    "And may there be judgement!"


    Tremor erupts, the good kind.


    Megiddo Carmlan, an SS-rank Calamity, has been subdued.


    "Ahahah, now it was up to the Zenon Squad to find Laum before the dusk." Ratatoskr then taps into all members of the Zenon Squad.. "You two have one hour left to neutralize Laum, that''s all, godspeed."

 Chapter 90 - Lafayette [Kolme]

    "It seems like the Megiddo Carmlan has been subdued on the west frontier," says a young man in a cloak, holding a two-meter staff made out of steel. "The east and the south have been going good as well. Strangely enough, the north has been empty."


    "Something must''ve gone wrong," replies a harpy, preying on anything suspicious with her eyes. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Quite frankly¡­ Seems like our boss'' PMC is stationing a massive stronghold around 5 kilometers from here."


    "He''s rich."


    "He is rich."


    5 kilometers to the north from Amos, was a Tanomobi enshrined on a stylist chair on top of a fortress with 100 autocannons mowing down the numbers of Calamities rapidly akin to the garden variety front yard chore.


    A maid Tekhanure beside him reports, "Boss, there will be hundreds of S rank Calamities approaching, we''ve been aggroing almost every enemy on the Northern frontier. Some of the personnel on the backline are complaining that you''re racking the kill."


    The Tanomobi only sips his wine. "Take twenty million KC from the account and enhance the firepower of every turret. We will stay, just let those crybabies rant at the backline."


    "Affirmative."


    The maid channels her consciousness into the private bank account of her boss, taking 20,000,000KC. "Transaction complete, enhancement initiated."


    The Tekhanure drills her hands into the platform to branch her vessel; 100 autocannons'' ammunition refill and the turret''s base model is modified into a better version of itself that fires 20mm Uranium rounds at a thousand per minute. The fortress becomes bigger and reinforced with five extra floors that hold 10 artillery cannons at each side; any Calamities in the proximity of 100 meters near the fortress are obliterated without mercy, like a scrape on the gentleman''s plate.


    "Still no news from Kratos? Did the Silver Border Scout get obliterated?"


    "One of my surviving drones has reached there, only corpses and the contamination of the void can be found. No survivor, hell in a nutshell."


    "Devastating, they were such fine men¡­ I was planning to hold a supreme banquet there, one of my comrades in arms is stationed there." He stands up from his chair, mesmerizing the view of the brutality that he brings to the Calamities. "Luthis, put this on the future plan¡ª"


    "I''m ready."


    "After the crisis ends, donate one hundred billion KC to rebuild the Silver Border, and hold a ceremony for the fallen."


    "Affirmative." Luthis records the voice into her memory. Despite the broken communication, she had sent numerous signal waves nonstop in the hope that at least one of them would pierce the wave disruptor.


    A harpy landed on the platform, giving a salute to the short rodent. "Boss, we''re complaining."


    "If you ought to complain, don''t give me a salute and bare your fangs at me instead, and don''t call me boss."


    "Oh, okay." The harpy takes the suggestion literally, immediately pointing her talon towards her boss, hissing. "Lafayette! I want a pay raise!"


    "That is definitely not the complaint."


    "That was mine, others have started playing poker and football. One of the superiors destroyed the improvised football field and they are bored."


    Lafayette put a facepalm, "Luthis!"


    "Yes, boss."


    "Give each member of the battalion ten thousand KC into each of their accounts. Also, Mordekai."


    "Yes?" says the harpy.


    "You bared your fangs upon your superior, no pay raise."


    "Aww."


    "Any private message you wanted to send together with the transfer?" The maid stared at her boss.


    "Tell them to shut up."


    "Affirmative."


    Mordekai prepares herself to be airborne, flapping her wings. "I''ll be bringing the news!"


    "Be careful, don''t get shot,"


    Hating Calamities was his hobby, the billionaire Lafayette is a man of steel who sees every impurity like pubic hair on a bacon omelette. Volatile and lawful, he is one of the early Pantheons of Greed, until he was bored of everything and just decided to use his wealth for the greater good.


    "Luthis, how''s this scenery?"


    The scenery of impending doom to whoever rushed their way into the Calamity exclusion zone. Luthis has always been asked the same question every time she gets together with him in this kind of work.


    "Boring."


    "Is that so. Tell me, anything your father can give you?" Lafayette says, prodding Luthis despite his eyes being fixated upon the carnage, and not her.


    "Donuts."


    The father can only smile. "Sure do, let''s just get on with this and go home."


    The very reason Lafayette took away his title from being the Pantheon of Greed was because he met with a newborn Tekhanure, right after the God Slaying Era. An era where Deities aren''t to be trusted, a triangular war between the upper realm, Neamh, and heaven.


    After taking an arrow to the knee, he fled from the battlefield bringing a curious sphere of sentient mana crystal. At first it shaped itself into the shape of Lafayette, but after maturing enough, the Tekhanure takes the appearance of a female maid with a long pair of drill hair. This led the man of greed to get his hand on more information about Tekhanures itself. It was estimated that the young Luthis took that appearance because her father read a lot of maid magazines; somehow her father didn''t mind this progression.


    Since then they have lived together. Lafayette stopped caring for money; he can only waste the insurmountable amount of KC on his one hundred bank accounts. Sadly, the man of greed himself isn''t a reckless spender, he only pays for everything that is worth the price. This trait is also inherited by Luthis who was always with him all the time.


    This led many of his acquaintances to question, has the man of greed himself changed? Now, his current goal was to free this world from threats that could harm his daughter.


    "Boss, an SS-rank Calamity with the record of Singularity is approaching."


    "Give me the estimate."


    "Ten seconds, the middle of the fortress."


    "What bad timing."


    Rustling iron and destruction can be heard, rattling with an ear-piercing song. A towering crustacean has blasted off the platform right in front of Lafayette. Glaring at each other, the former Pantheon of Greed looks at his rude adversary unamused.


    "A Terraklause." The purple front armor and the rodent are only a meter apart from each other. The man gives himself another facepalm. "That platform and every turret you destroyed cost around more than one billion KC, do you have the money to pay for that?"


    Luthis immediately controls the steel of the platform into tentacles, gripping down the giant Calamity. The crustacean screeches, yet then in front of him stands still undaunted. Lashing out in distress, the Calamity shot a vaporizing beam of energy. Lafayette only leans his head slightly to avoid the destructive attack, still in the same position.


    Some of the destroyed autocannons had led to the marching resistance of thousands of Calamities approaching at a high rate through the blind angle. The Tanomobi only sighs.


    "Luthis, how many donuts would it take to obliterate this insignificant trash?"


    "I want the entire factory."


    "It will be yours."

 Chapter 91 - Mammon Greed Part Two [Kolme]

    "Feeble?" The iron lady of greed speaks her chime. "Glorification? Neither, have it enough? Many subjugations, many prey, more food yet delayed. Automation, expenditure classification."


    Heavy breathing, tremendous pain. The old man doesn''t speak as he knows that everything will decide his fate, even the act of his tongue.


    The fierce dragonoid only replies to the word gargling of his adversary with a stare. Kryuges loses both of his arms. The only way for him to fight is to use his teeth that clench a giant claymore. He is in turmoil, not because of the blood loss and pain, not by the searing fierce attack. He is deeply confused.


    ''What is this wicked woman saying!? Dear lord, it has been an hour and I have not a single clue!''


    Mammon plucks the air as if it was an instrument, the wave resonant in a path slithering into the column above before lunging down onto the old man.


    ''The left! No! The ground!''


    Suddenly, the wave travels in a loop as it stops advancing distantly in the air. No longer distracted, Kryuges leaps forward as the real attack travels through the ground to his foothold.


    ''As if! This old man has gone through many hardships!''


    "Unifications?"


    A portal suddenly appeared to engulf Mammon untraced, a small portal appears on top, left, diagonal angle near the right shoulder of Kryuges. Using his upper body strength, he jumps slightly before kicking the air to gain momentum and twisting his whole body with his teeth clenching tightly to his claymore. With it, he manages to slash all of the incoming drills from the portals into two fragmented shafts.


    A surprise drill emerges from the platform, hidden beneath the fortified floor. Kryuges slashes the air using his neck muscle to retract his body posture while airborne, dodging the surprise attack.


    ''MY MAGNUM OPUS IS SAFE!''


    The safety of his pelvis relieves him. Using pure instinct, the old man is too tough to die. He hurls the claymore in his mouth forward before shouting, "Devil! Show yourself!"


    He can''t run, the God-class Calamity was too attentive. She might be playing for all he knows considering that he hasn''t died yet. Then again, the killing intent is huge, but something feels wrong. The Calamity of greed is torturing, she is by no means trying to win, there is no trace of any life within the skyline either, something is off by a huge leap.


    Kryuges'' mind races through every sense he has, analyzing every bit of detail before coming to a conclusion.


    ''So that is how it is.''


    Kryuges forms a sword in the air, he grabs it with his teeth before throwing it midair, standing still until the sword pierce his skull.


    He is dead.


    But he isn''t.


    Both of his regenerate. No, it''s more like the time has reverted itself. He is outside of the Skyline, the sky is red and everything looks like it''s coming out of hell.


    "What in the mighty is happening?"


    He then notices something, an implanted formation within his heart. Curious, he appraises it before stabbing at his heart with another claymore after finding out that the formation was a curse.


    He is dead for good now.


    Until he opened his eyes.


    He is back with both of his elephant-sized swords on his still attached arms. The Mammon is there, laughing.


    "Luscious."


    He is sure that this is the real thing, before everything progresses the same way as before. Weak on both knees, but no arms to cushion the weight that his mind is carrying.


    "What in the world is happening?"


    The Mammon isn''t real, or is she? Kryuges noticed that he was banished into an artificial world by something unknown. The curse is etched on his heart, he then hurls another sword upward to wait for the sharp end to meet his skull.


    Heightening his sense and soul perception, he finally found out that something was binding his soul through another ludicrously long array of patterns into the inside of the pocket space gate. Before he could finally make sense of what was beyond the portal, he is brought again to the same loop, being outside of the broken Skyline with the red sky and hellish scene.


    But to make sure of something, he goes into the Skyline, the same place where the Mammon Greed was supposed to dance a harmonious melody with his skeleton partner.


    There is no one waiting for him.


    He stabbed his heart with a sword once again, but this time there is no gap in-between like the attempt before the last, there is no long arduous chain that is coming from a portal.


    He is back to the moment he brandishes two elephant-sized swords. He forced his way out of the skyline to only find nothing beyond it, an empty space unlike the world where it was clear sky red.


    Despite the loop, there is a repeating pattern. The obvious fact of Kryuges is that he is not within the original reality. Currently, he is in an artificial realm. A curse has been brought upon his soul through the heart to shift his present into the World X, the world of red, it might be hell as far as he knows it.


    ''So artificial realm, the red world, and artificial realm again.''


    This might be a discovery, finding another similar world with different traits and laws can be considered as world traveling, something that was thought thoroughly by numerous researchers.


    ''If I die again, there will be a gap in the chain in between realities.''


    And so he killed himself once more, traveling through the space time continuum. He shapes his consciousness strings into a dense spear, the moment the gap is in sight, he launches the spear to break the chain.


    If the pattern repeats, he should be coming back to World X. But he isn''t, his plan worked as he went back to his original world. Too bad that he''s late, he finds his real body mutilated into pieces of meat already by the vicious Calamity. The gaze pierces him, the eyes of a maniac.


    Is this the end?


    ''AS IF!''


    Using every energy he can utilize with his dense consciousness strings, he precisely recreates his whole body using the materials within the hall, reinforced steel, concrete. Rebuilding his vessel in an instant. The Mammon take a huge leap backward, alerted by the fierce determination from the old man.


    Apparently, the repeating world traveling has made his soul or consciousness to be hundred times stronger, a blessing in disguise. The old Aiseirighian snickers in nostalgia, as he is no longer a mortal.


    "Backfired, didn''t it? You have created a God-class Vagant operator.." He once again brandishes his favorite sword, but unlike before, his face is full of anticipation. "So why not taste some flavor from this old man?"

 Chapter 92 - Parallel Minds

    "Pitka, I think what you did was overkill."


    "I never knew it became like this!"


    Two of your clones sharpened their combat skills, preying upon the mindless Calamities with every brutal method possible as it gives them more ''reward'' points than it should, strangely. Collecting the blood and guts of their enemies, this allows you to create another one. Then three of them begin to create more mind-wavering massacres, and then you make another, and another.


    The unending cascade of murder and death ends with you creating around 35 killing machines that grows in ectasy everytime they get their hands on a hostile. As scary as it is, a maniacal laughter begins to permeate your ears.


    At first they still use the basic moveset you gave to them to fight, but after an amount of time passes and their craving for reward points begins to climb, numerous movements are recorded in their hive mind''s database and then sent into your mana sea.


    "Decapitation, skinning, 100 thousand slices¡ªwhat are they!? Serial killers!?"


    "Pitka, I''m so disappointed at you."


    "Why is it my fault!?"


    The sentient hive mind starts to exude critical sadism. Good news is, you have 35 supersoldiers that can annihilate even an A rank Calamities with ease. And in other news, you receive a peculiar message sent to your mana sea that was supposed to be the data report from the clones.


    ''Mama, did I do a good job?'' is the content.


    ''Mama!? They are calling me Mama!?''


    "What''s with the face?"


    "...The Chi of Decidit, the hivemind, they are trying to communicate, and they are calling me Mama."


    "Oh my." Lues puffs her cheeks in an attempt to contain her laughter. "So who''s the dad?"


    "This is not a joke! We need to find that Laum before sunset!"


    "Hmm." The crimson devil caresses her chin. "We''ve been searching for 20 minutes, even your clones didn''t find any humanoid Calamity."


    Both of you soar on the battlefield that is currently being wrecked by the incarnation of devils, which is strange. Because if they are the devils, that means you''re Satan.


    ''Why did it become like this!?''


    You only have a couple of minutes left to search for the target. Time was ticking, the sun was sinking into the horizon with each minute and you can''t afford to fail your first mission as a detachment. Though you''re wondering what the giant explosion and sky-high massive beam of light was all about. Did the main battalion succeed in subduing the Megiddo Carmlan?


    ''I might want to send one of my viruses to check what''s happening.''


    While your physical thinking processor focuses on the search, the guardian''s mind is in the task of controlling the virus while also scouting for any humanoid Calamity.


    Though this is beginning to become a hassle. There is some massive stress that goes on with the way you use your dual consciousness and your seperate brain. The thing is, you''re doing it all manually by yourself and although it didn''t strain as much as stress but the huge amount of information made by the quantiple multitasking slowly becomes a mildly uncomfortable feeling that grows.


    Dual consciousness is a passive effect given by the Flower of Perspicacity that allows you to multitask as if you have two consciousnesses. It''s not parallel, your mind is only amplified to be able to do two times the task your original brain could do.


    You still have around 30 minutes left to hunt for the Laum, so you decide to deal with the discomfort as fast as you can. Your consciousness strings are wider and stronger than before to the point that you can even convert mana 20 meters in radius near you. The next idea might be detrimental and fundamental at the same time.


    Parallel mind, sharing your body and mana sea management with fragmented consciousness, focusing on their specific task. Thing is, you don''t know if it will work like they are in unison where your multiple minds will work the same way and the same goal. The uncharted territory is scary no matter how you look at it.


    The benefit is also enticing, with a separate self AKA parallel minds or consciousness, you can maximize multitasking four times faster and more efficiently!


    ''For the sake of the other-self that I can slave!''


    Just imagine, having just one task to do while numerous others part of you manage the extra hassle that you were supposed to deal with when you only had one consciousness.


    Firstly, you rack your brain on the most efficient and the best appearing results of many methods you can do. But looking at your current knowledge about souls and consciousness, you can only cut and fragment your consciousness strings which will heavily impact your ability to control your virus vessels specifically, as you can no longer stretch out your consciousness to spy and appraise from afar. Utilizing dual consciousness to double the parallel mind splitting might be a good idea.


    You stop flying.


    "Hmm? Pitka?"


    You abort the virus controlling your mana sea''s guardian did. Forcefully, you try to modify your consciousness strings which is only possible because of how developed your soul is. The numerous strings emerge from one center, so you make the center to only hold four thicker strings and on the end of each string are the branches. While the process happens, insurmountable amounts of pain mock you of failure. The pain of plucking your own strings is equal to being diced alive hundred of times, but you have died more than thousands times already so tis'' only a scratch.


    Miraculously, the process is done and you notice that you''re one of the four branches, having its own separate mind. The other three branches feel the same way and eventually, an inner voice can be felt from the three other parallel consciousnesses.


    "Uhm, hello?"


    "Woooaaaa, that is trippy as hell!"


    "I would like to refrain from doing such acts again in the future."


    Are what those three other parallel minds are saying at the same time, you as one of part of the branching consciousness begin to communicate with the other parallel mind.


    "So, how do we operate now?"

 Chapter 93 - Logic, Anxiety, Brain, And Jackass

    "I suggest letting one of us lead the other three to maximize the efficiency we could gather in both action and information management¡ª"


    "Ehhhh, boring! Shut yer flabbergasting word jumbling mumbo jumbo, let''s just let each consciousness do to each of their own."


    "So, anarchy?"


    While the others are arguing, you as the most logical thinker from the three, immediately hijack the whole body again to reply the unsureness exuded by Lues. "Ah, just a mild headache, let''s scout the battlefield more."


    "I wonder if Laum is a cute girl or not," says the crimson devil, sneering a smile. "Joking aside, there is a chance that the Calamity is actually underground."


    "Plausible. I''ll command 10 of my clones to search for any wavelength underground and dig em up."


    "Fufufu, that will do."


    With the outside worldly matters being managed, you come back to the center of consciousness to see what those three are doing currently.


    "Buffoon! You buffoon! All of you are buffoons!" says the short tempered one. The most annoying and lazy out of the bunch, instead of thinking how to solve the problem, this part of parallel minds is blaming and running away from the center core dilemma instead of doing something. "Regardless, one of us has already piloted the body, can I just watch? Thanks!"


    "Nobody is allowing you! I would not allow any inefficient act within this mindframe! Go do something within the mana sea instead of going inactive!" says the one with the most leadership despite wanting all parts of the consciousness to act according to their maximum.


    You can''t help but feel pity for her. It''s really unpredictable that every fragment of parallel sides takes a specific trait of the original soul. You as part of it feel slightly dismissive.


    "So, the parallel mind has been set, d-do we follow one leader or act attentively?" says the one seemingly backing far away. The shy one are probably inheriting the social anxiety part of the consciousness.


    "You!" She is referring to you, "The ''Logic''! You will be handling the physical vessel!"


    "Okey dokey," you say nonchalantly.


    Quick to adapt, she lets those who are actively solving the problem outside of the consciousness to be capable of steering the physical vessel. Now you know who''s your ally in this predicament.


    Being told of what need to do is assuring sometimes because it will be their responsibility when it comes to consequences. Of course, you will try to be dependable as you can and not be the annoying part of your consciousness.


    "You!" The intelligent one points her part of the consciousness strings to the most far away conscience. "Control the mana sea''s Guardian and handle some calculation the main body receives."


    "Awawa, w-will do!"


    "And you! Wait, don''t build a wall within the center of consciousness!"


    "Muahahaha! You all can work all you want! I''ll just be sitting here on my throne with popcorn to watch everything being unveiled."


    "Don''t be selfish!"


    With all of the shenanigans, you unofficially named three others parallel minds that are definitely not in unison. The one with great leadership will don the name of ''Brain'', because you''re imagining her as a nerd with glasses who constantly rumbling every detail she caught.


    The unlikable consciousness will be referred to as ''Jacko'' because she is a jackass. The shy one will be called ''Anxie'' and you''re hoping that she will stay away from the control in any type of conversation in the future.


    ''Heh, social anxiety is no more.''


    Physically, you have two thinking processors: Your brain and your mana sea''s Guardian''s supporting brain.


    The dual consciousness buff only applies when the consciousness strings are connected to the thinking processor. So letting ''Brain'' in the brain with you would be the most beneficial action as of the moment.


    ''Heh, ''Brain'' in the brain.''


    "Oy, Brain. Just let Jacko coop up there for a while until we finish the worldly matter. Anxie is there to handle the report from the clones so I think we can function three times better than the original as of now."


    "Brain? Is that a nickname? Your naming sense is the same as those who give the original host''s referral and the main battalion squad. It would be highly annoying if you just put me in the brain section, because I know you would, while donning the nickname of ''Brain''¡ª"


    "Heheh, ''Brain'' in the brain."


    "I hate you."


    This feels like having a sibling more than your family pact with Lues.


    "So, I''m ''Anxie'' now?" says the consciousness within the Guardian. "I-is this because I''m not good enough that now my name is ''Anxie'' as if in anxiety?"


    The Guardian begins to frown as tears start falling down.


    Shocked like a sleeping person hearing the whistling of kettle, you immediately try to shower her with positivity. "You''re a good girl! Everybody loves you! You''re named ''Anxie'' because you keep the darkness away!"


    "Just what ''Logic'' says! You''re an irreplaceable asset to the consciousness! We have reached three times efficiency because you didn''t immediately isolate yourself like the Jackass on the consciousness center!" says Brain, following your cue.


    Anxie sniffs."I know both of you''re exaggerating but I''ll try my best." The Guardian wipes her tears and gives a thumbs up.


    "Logic, it seems like the plan to utilize the parallel minds bear rather small fruit." You can feel Brain is bowing down. "I deeply apologize for letting the original choose such a decision, I might be unreliable but I will bear the consequence by leading others."


    ''Oh no, ''Brain'' is actually the self-deprecating part of the original, not intelligent!''


    "No no! It was all our fault¡ªaccording to logic," you say, trying to convince the rational one to be high in morals. "You and I, together, will be the driving force of this undaunted vessel."


    "You''re cheesy."


    "I know."


    After gaining her confidence, Brain tries to make up what is happening. "It might be a theory, but separating one consciousness strings into four centers doesn''t actually make it a parallel mind because each of us bear a different trait of the original from each other. Although there is a significant ease of emotional stress depending on who takes the control."


    Brain knows her stuff. It seems like it will be more crowded from now on. With more crew to work on this unstable ship, you feel relieved.


    "Guys!" Anxie shouts from the mana sea. "The clones from Chi of Decidit have found a massive circuit formation pattern consisting of symbols and lines. The same one that holds our elemental crystal on the mana lake.


    "I-I think it was an ''Array'', we should report this to Lues."

 Chapter 94 - Laum And Mage Clone

    Within the wide parameters, a delicate array that meticulously hid beneath the wasteland. You command one of the angry clones currently torturing a turtle-like calamity with a happy expression to join the scouting team finding the continuation of the array.


    "Lues, can you tap in my clones?" you say, wondering if she can control the clone to view their vision. "I think they''ve found a hidden array."


    "Consider it done!" Lues places both of hands forward. Her wrist-gauntlets light up as she tries to use more mana than usual to control her clones.


    A report is sent to your mana sea from your Chi of Decidit''s hive mind. The message is as follows, ''Mama, someone tapped into the system, do we allow it? Is it papa?''


    ''No! The pact I made with Lues was a family pact¡ªwait.''


    Lues only mentioned that both of you are a small family in the chant, not siblings.


    ''Nooo!''


    "A high grade array," Lues states. She then tried to conjure a spherical lump of delicate circuits formation between her palms. "It is a dimensional array, we might hit a jackpot."


    "Dimensional array? That sounds ominous."


    Lues hurls the ball forward as it seeks the array like a hungry piranha, slamming into the ground. Dense energy disperses from it, visibly slithering to the center to reveal an entity not bound by the space around it.


    Your clones immediately treated the entity as high-level hostile. Ten of them rush to the center of the dying array with their hands dragging the ground before launching a strike.


    In just the blink of an eye, eight of the clones are turned into smithereens with just a slash from its limb. Elongated arms, armored from head to toe, a monstrous knight waiting for his enemies to come to him.


    "That thing must be Laum," says the crimson devil while she stretches her shoulders. "It seems like we should do it the hard way,"


    "No! Wait! Lemme try something first."


    Brain notices a variable from the humanoid Calamity. He didn''t move an inch from his place. Anxie scans the fluctuations of energy and she notes that Laum is currently building up something. She sends the data into you and Brain as she manages multiple reports from the clone''s hive mind while being in charge of commanding some of them to achieve the most efficient results.


    "This Calamity was hiding to recharge his energy!" Brain shouts within the consciousness headquarters. "The array was for him to build it up, even until now. We mustn''t let it finish!"


    "Anxie! Have you analyzed the dimensional array back then?"


    "Uhm, it separates the space from the outside world but not the time. I think it wasn''t powerful enough to do so, if he was going to unleash the energy then he might want to remove the barrier array in the end," Anxie says.


    "So the barrier was only for hiding?"


    "I have suggestions," Brain says. "We could try utilizing 20% of our deposited mana to entrap the Calamity into a dome that it can''t interact with! He didn''t move an inch, if he does, he might make the energy he accumulated to disperse, so why don''t we trap it?"


    Taking Brain''s suggestions into consideration, you continue your speech to Lues, "let''s trap it instead, I think he can''t even break our barrier without breaking the accumulated energy."


    "I''ll replicate the dimensional barrier where only I can tamper with, lend me some of your mana," she says with a grin.


    "Urgh, no kissing."


    But she does it anyway. You only have your cheeks red from the embarrassment.


    With the enormous amount of high quality mana she absorbs from you, Lues conjures a similar kind of array near the Laum. Blazing in crimson red as if the devil kindled it. The dimensional barrier looks translucent unlike the former barrier you perceive.


    And just like that, Laum is subdued.


    "It was easier than we thought," you say, donning a poker face.


    Lues taps her cranium to cast a communication line to your leader. "Zenon Squad reporting, Laum has been subdued."


    Ratatoskr connects you to the wavelength before replying, "Ahahahah! I see great work from both of you from here! Do report in if you want to switch being on the frontline."


    "Don''t worry about it chief," you say, happy after getting praise. "Both of us can handle it alone, the main squad can rest easy there."


    "I expect no less from both of you! We''ll be eating barbeque after this muahahaha!"


    You feel more confident in some way after seperating your consciousness. Well, the part of you. As the ''Logic'' of the crew, it seems like you can keep your superior having a good image of you if you can keep Anxie away from the controls.


    "Huwaa, I knew it! I''m a dead weight afterall!"


    "No!" You immediately reply to Anxie''s tantrum. "You''re not being a dead weight if we didn''t pull your weight to begin with!"


    "HUWEEEEEE!"


    Brain joins in. "Logic, you idiot!"


    "I''m not wrong! I''m telling the truth!"


    Seems like Anxie has enough IQ to deduce what the other parallel minds were thinking, this is what anxiety did to you back then, always overthinking and kept grabbing the bad assumption in hand rather than the positive one.


    From 35, you lose 8 of the clones. It seems like the hive mind is severely punished by the system. The guilt is contagious because somehow you don''t want to tinker with the system anymore as it might create an error to the sentient AI. However, it did empower their anger to hunt more Calamities on the battlefield like an even hungrier tiger.


    They also give you enough blood and material you can use to create more clones. But this time, you want to make a stronger variant.


    By adding more mana into the vessel, the swirling elemental essences begin to syphon with the metaphysical energy to create a mana core for the newest clones. Unlike the other clones, the latest one brims with strong blue as numerous wisps fly near it. You''ll call it the ''Mage Clone.''


    ''Mage Clone'' acquired.


    The hive mind immediately channel their connection to the newest specimen. Like usual, it makes an extremely angry face the moment it''s active. Numerous data is sent to the mana sea of how the hive mind is trying to adapt to the new feature of the unique clone vessel.


    As a reference, you input your Sun Creation''s circuit schematic for them to use and utilize. The hive mind is not only able to create a copy of the circuit immediately, but it also broke it down to learn the sub circuit formation like the Electricity Generator circuit, Magnetic Virus Vessel, Fireball Spell circuit, etc.


    ''We need destruction.''


    The Mage Clone leaves a sonic boom as it departs to the sky. She is at the height where the titan type Calamities can''t even reach her, looking down at those monstrosities as if they were ants. The clone then starts to cast the Sun Creation spell.


    Accumulating a fiery magma that disturbs the gravitation of anything that is near, the sand and some parts of the ground is sucked into the dense ball of plasma. It is ten times the size of the clone itself!


    The clone then hurls the sun into the never-ending horde of Calamities. It eats everything in its path before the clone shrinks the sun bomb to create a mini supernova.


    The destruction to the wasteland can be seen from the other frontline as the clone contracts the explosion to shapes like a pillar, clearing the gloomy clouds and illuminating the sky with red of carnage.

 Chapter 95 - Ares Clone

    The mage clone stopped moving for a couple of seconds before going limp while floating as if it''s dead on water.


    "That''s not a mage clone, that''s a suicide nuker."


    But the clone didn''t go limp for no reason, the mana core inside of it starts to convert mana automatically. All of the data is sent to your mana sea.


    "The developed mana core began to convert mana, is that even possible without consciousness strings?" you ask.


    "The clone is a part of the artifact itself and not the byproduct of it, the sentient consciousness is strong enough to convert mana from the surroundings."


    "That is really convenient."


    You create another two of them. 27 fighter clones and 3 mage clones. This amount of firepower is enough to annihilate almost anything on the battlefield, some of the high ranked Calamities did manage to fight with two or three clones toe to toe but they don''t know that the clone have a hive mind in which they can call in for backup and conquer the beast with sheer numbers.


    It''s night, the moon is out and your clones are fighting without rest for hours.


    You and Lues as the frontline of the western battleground did nothing but play Uno near the sealed Laum together with Goyang. Surprisingly, Laum is intelligent enough that he decides to give up on whatever his plan was and so the four of you play the uno out of boredom.


    "Did you fight here reluctantly?" you ask the three-meter knight.


    "GRAAAAHH!" Laum roars, putting a two-green on the ground separated from both of you by space.


    The spectacular move done by the knight has made the crimson devil disgusted. "Bleh! Skip!"


    Goyang puts four-green.


    "Hmm, I have too many materials, guess I''ll be doing something about it, so you folks can go on."


    "GRAAAAAHH!" the knight replies, as he bids you farewell.


    "If you are going to the rear, fetch us some snacks!" Lues says, getting overwhelmed by two uno grandmasters, or it''s just that she is bad at it.


    "I''m not going to the rear but might as well do it after checking with my clones."


    You soar high to the night sky aglow with a bright blanket of stars. The pale crescent moon shines like a silvery claw in the night sky, easing you cause it doesn''t have a giant bloody grin and is colored red.


    Together with the other parallel minds, except the jackass¡ªyou try to create another kind of clone that will achieve a decisive victory upon your enemies.


    "Uhm, is it fine to stretch the volume this big?"


    "Yes! Increase the density more!"


    "Might as well put more mana into it."


    The three of you have managed to create a monstrosity of war machines. The new clone''s size is ten times larger than your physical body. It possesses 8 mana cores and because it can shapeshift its body part at will, you give the hive mind permission to split the giant clone.


    With your enhanced memory, you scan the vague schematic of the microgun you saw back then in the engineering department and slam it into the database. The giant clone immediately develops its own version of microgun and shapes its hands into those.


    "Uhm, are you sure that we''re not overdoing it?"


    "There is no such thing as overdoing!"


    It had been great so far until there was a lack of energy within the vessel. The clone can''t handle too much material and mana core inside of it because they are constantly attracting each other.


    To solve this problem, the council of Pitka''s consciousness decides to condense the clone, shrinking it while turning all eight mana cores into layers within the center. In the end, your own size is the most stable state from the giant lump of blood.


    The new clone bore three wisps orbiting her at different angles. Illuminating the surroundings in light blue, the newest clone has the power to conjure 40 sun without pause.


    "I think we''ve created a monster."


    This might be what a scientist felt when they created the atomic bomb. They have gone too far.


    It might be a god that you''ve created, a god of war, born within the vicinity of Amos Citadel. You unconsciously named her Ares.


    ''Ares Clone'' acquired.


    Your own clone is looking down on you with its determined glare, clenching its fists. Numerous data is sent to your mana sea.


    "Uuwaa, it seems like the artifact''s consciousness is beginning to use all of the energy to nourish itself, it''s starting to become an adult now!"


    "Anxie! Quick! Develop a firewall for the system in case the hive mind is trying to break it!"


    In the middle of the chaos, the clone wafts forward to you. With only a meter from each other, the clone opens her arms.


    A message is sent to your mana sea, the content is as follows: ''Mama, hug me.''


    "Eh?"


    "Eh?"


    "Eh?"


    Still confused about what''s happening, you hug her as the clone begins to cuddle like a kid craving for affection.


    After the warming hugging session, Ares blast off into the ever sky high. Accumulating tremendous power between her palms, she replicates your technique, Blood Sign: Plague Of Massacre. She lets off the ball of pure energy as it slowly flies up and multiplies every second into blue spears, combusting a high amount of jolts constantly.


    When all of the spears faced the earth, it had already accumulated more than 1,000 spears ready to seek into the heart of impurities within this land.


    All of the spears emit an audible sonic boom before blasting off, giving an unending massacre to the neverending horde of Calamities.


    Even after half an hour, the carnage doesn''t end. Ares alone have killed over 3,000 of high rank Calamities.. As the spear becomes her soldier, the savage clone joins the battle with the others.

 Chapter 96 - Anon The Dullahan [Kolme]

    "As of now, the west frontier, north, and south has been going smoothly. Ratatoskr and her squad had neutralized the Megiddo Carmlan and her detachment had been clearing more than 2 kilometers west out of any Calamities. Those two alone have accumulated enough credit to be promoted to A-rank if you tell me."


    The tired man with a raspy voice, leaning on his swivel chair like no care in the world. He types with the keyboard at a pace faster than a normal mortal could do. Still in the middle of writing, he continues.


    "Lafayette alone has cleared 5 kilometers of the north frontier; he has neutralized a Terraklause. Meanwhile, Rainbleed''s battalion has defeated three high rank Calamities in the south."


    "How about the east?" asks another officer, waiting for the tired man''s report to continue.


    "The east has been unstable, especially when the night enshrouds the battlefield." He then sipped on a cup of coffee with one hand before continuing his typing journey.


    "Let''s ask for a couple of personnel in the west frontier to help with the east."


    "That''s not needed."


    "What?"


    "Anon is coming."


    "Anon was already dead."


    "It was the word of director Dyaus Pita, ''Anon will come, she will come from the east when the moon is at its fullest''."


    "It''s a crescent moon now, and the raids from the east will only increase in amount!"


    "You forgot who Anon is."


    "Pardon?"


    "You will see, I''ll be relaying a message to the east that reinforcements will come."


    "I trust you, Jaeger."


    The officer leaves the chamber.


    The quantum computer of the Assailant, Jaeger. A man who can solve numerous dreaded math problems at the age of 8, the only man that isn''t an immortal who could parallel process a thought to more than a thousand souls simultaneously.


    He joined the Assailant as an officer. Capable of extreme calculation, he was an irreplaceable asset to Vagant overall, especially within Amos Vagant''s headquarters. Anything a normal person could achieve, he could achieve it tenfold.


    The departing officer can only sigh. "Jaeger, I believe in you."


    Meanwhile, somewhere deep down beneath the ground, 6 kilometers from Amos Citadel.


    A timer starts ringing, and disturbed voice of a female with a deep tone.


    "Mmhhh? Is it time yet?"


    Buried, the entity brutally expands the cramped space of soil with an intent alone. It''s a floating head, dirty red hair that would be in neck length if only she had a neck, a diagonal stitched intersection of two cutted skin can also be seen on her face. Yawning, her brain tries to process her existence with thoughts and reasons.


    "Shit! Where is my body!?"


    The floating head scrambles around, still in denial that she is just a floating head.


    "Oh right, what is my purpose again? Hmmmmmmmm, I think Dyaus mentioned something."


    She looks at the timer and realizes that she has been sleeping for 50 years.


    "Holy shit! Damn you Dyaus! You said that you''d put me in a coffin! And now I''m literally underground with only my head intact!"


    The floating head channels her consciousness to see what the view looks like above the ground, only to find thousands of Calamities marching in one direction.


    "What is this amount!? A Divine Banquet!?"


    She then pierces the ground above to be spewed out like a pea. One of the canine-types, Calamity, tries to eat her, only to be eaten by the floating head.


    "GRRRRR! WARF! WARF!" she barks.


    Single-headedly, she manages to triumph out of twenty Calamities with only her bites. After mindlessly searching and getting head-bashed by the stampede, she finally finds her body buried under the rubble. Complete with a dirty Assailant uniform and a tubular turtleneck capelet, the same kind of accessories that an Annihilator would usually wear.


    Gritting her teeth, she channels her consciousness into the headless body as it starts to move according to her will. The last piece of the puzzle is now in its place, with her body now connected, she can now access her mana sea and utilize her deposited mana.


    With an agitated expression, her hands grab the head and slam it into the place where it belongs. "Seriously, at least put me beside my body."


    Inside one of the uniform''s pockets, is a giant purple ribbon. From the 50 years it has stayed in her breast-pocket, it still somehow pertained to its colour. She tied the ribbon around her hair.


    With the uncomfortable feeling now absent, she slaps the air nonchalantly. The sharp shockwave has decapitated numerous Calamities, some instantly killing them while some manage to survive and begin to rush at the peculiar individual.


    "Huh, 37 kills. Man, I''m getting rusty."


    She gestures her forefinger upward, and all of the Calamities she killed are starting to rise from the dead.


    "Kill."


    With ten times stronger than the original, the headless Calamities brutally attack the other monstrosity near them. A cheeky smirk is present on the necromancer. One of the headless horse-type monsters bearing ten meters in height approaches her.


    She leaps, to the sky, rolling ten times in the air before landing perfectly with two feet connected on top of the horse-type Calamity. The kinetic energy makes her head slip from her body as she desperately tries to catch it, luckily it''s a close call.


    "Phew, that''s uncool. I wonder if Dyaus left any more messages."


    The curious necromancer starts to search her own uniform once again, she then finds a single small piece of paper that says: ''Protect Amos Citadel.''


    "Huh? Their target was Amos?" The woman darts her vision into the surroundings to find the faint source of light made by a sky-high barrier on top of the titan-walls. "There''s Amos!"


    The dullahan is on her headless horse. Her ride gallantly moves forward to where Amos Citadel is. Together with the followers from the dead, they hack and tear every enemy along the way


    Head cradled on her waist in one hand, and the other hand on her chin below a grin. The reinforcement is on the way.


    "Anon is coming!"

 Chapter 97 - Comrade In Arm [Kolme]

    "How is Anon still alive?" The Ferrakhian''s composure had finally broken into shuddering. Her meticulously planned moment foiled one by one as if the gods witnessed her hubris. "I already killed her."


    "This is why you never win against me." Dyaus chuckles, tapping on her adaptive phone with no care as Seizequill struggles to justify the busting of her delicate culmination of hard work.


    "Her head isn''t intact, what did you do to her?"


    "Hmm?" The cockroach peeked without changing her face direction. "She has always been like that, although I did make her keep her identity a secret within the Assailant."


    "I have access to every level 5 information there is." The Ferrakhian throws a sharp glare, seething for the few times it has ever been in her life.


    "You think I''ll be documenting that? Pfft! Wait a sec, I need to save this one."


    Seizequill leans back on her chair, her posture slumping as she massages her temples from the sudden headache caused by the stress pounding her brain."Sometimes I forget that I''m dealing with an asshole. Still, what is Anon exactly?"


    "You are actually right all along."


    "Pardon?"


    "Anon was already dead. She''s an undead, a knight from an ancient tomb made by the power of faith through myth and legend."


    "Wait, doesn''t that mean¡ª"


    "Yes, she is a deity."


    A deity, an entire being, exists through the accumulation of subconscious strings. Just like how Tekhanures are born through the course of nature, deities were formerly an object or a non existent thing made into reality because people held feelings and emotions for them, the feeling and inscribed memory that they were real.


    "Weren''t most of them annihilated in the God Slaying Era?" asks the Ferrakhian.


    "They were but Anon was a young deity, she didn''t even know that she was one."


    Books told stories through the papers'' work of ink and words. Some of them were passed down and even founded as relics from the ancient civilizations before the Judgement Day. The story of the Dullahan has its own fans within a small village somewhere far from this land, and that was a long time ago.


    "I picked her up, you won''t get a word from her," says the cockroach nonchalantly.


    "Picking a deity as if they were cherries, truly a befitting word for someone as old as you."


    "This is why you should respect your elders, we''re just more capable than you young''un, hah!"


    The war with the Calamities is almost everlasting,


    A day has passed, and the logistics personnel begin to prepare immediate scrambles to the frontline. Ratatoskr is then finally able to hold a rendezvous with her detachment thanks to Pitka''s clones. With a barbecue in the middle surrounded by Moose Battalion''s personnel, the atmosphere is lively on the battlefield.


    ''Huwaa, she is still as scary as always,'' Ratatoskr thought. ''I was only able to keep my composure due to the pressure of the Last Ark madam Dyaus gave me. Now that the real threat was neutralized, I''m going to deal with my menacing detachment for the rest of my working lifespan! I''m going to be killed!''


    Although her mind is a mess and a half, she''s able to keep her speech with a confident smile and composure. Probably because she''s getting used to it. "Now that Miss Pitka and Liberia have literally dealt with the frontline passively, we can celebrate the becoming of our new family to the Moose Squad!"


    "Truly, you all speak too highly of us," says the light-blue haired vampire, putting her best smile to assure everyone she was not a threat.


    Liberia obviously did not care about showing any form of courtesy towards her superiors. Although, she is already being less menacing and more mild with Goyang cradled in her arms like a pet owner holding her cat.


    "Seems like we''re an official battalion now," says Obrez, holding a couple bottles of liquor in both hands. "What do we call the specialization of Zenon Squad now?"


    "Most likely, I''ll be assigning Zenon as an Annihilation Squad," replies Ratatoskr. "Like literally, just see that red army massacring Calamities."


    The reindeer girl takes a bite on the meat while it''s burning hot. "I''m curious about what they are."


    "Those clones are actually made by the blood of those Calamities." Pitka gestures her forefinger up. "The artifact I use, of course. By essentially creating a hive mind using an AI''s algorithm, they can learn and adapt by themselves."


    "I see, so such a spell does exist. Quite amusing that a Primordial knew the word ''AI'' and ''Algorithm''," Woez says.


    "We read mortal''s literature a lot."


    Blood manipulation is an ancient technique. It wasn''t even written on the Citadel''s network or in any way. The concept of using blood as the medium of casting and contagious domination was found out to be rather hard to conceptualize because of the numerous variables required. Using virus vessels for a spell catalyst is also unheard of.


    "Come on, Blast, you haven''t said anything to our newcomers." Prod Ratatoskr to the silent man.


    The shadow within the bottle he holds barges into the conversation. "Yeah, Blast, you need to socialize more."


    "So, Ollie, I see that you have the presence of Tanomobi." The crimson devil begins to show her curiosity. "Quite a hassle to say but I''m pondering how you ended up there."


    "Ohohoho, you want to listen to my story?"


    "No," Blast immediately replies together with a chuckle. "Your story takes hours."


    "It won''t, it won''t."


    "Last time you said that, it stretched on twice as long with even more monotonous details." He flicks the glass of Ollie''s cage. The bottled rat huffs like an old woman.


    "Oiii! I told you to stop hitting the glass bottle!!"


    Suddenly, numerous communication lines are connecting to every personnel of Moose Battalion.


    "Operator Jaeger''s speaking, this message was meant for operator Ratatoskr but the whole squad and its detachment must hear it for better clarity.


    "An urgent Ark has been concluded, there is a possibility of a God-Class Calamity approaching from the west with extreme prejudice and could be detected from miles away by sticking like a sore thumb on the radar.


    "This mission is an S-rank Last Ark. To ensure the survival of this Citadel, we want to borrow the strength of the Moose Battalion to smite this radical source of mana. The higher up expects the usual from you, Ratatoskr.


    "Godspeed."


    The Moose Squad glance among each other before finally falling upon their leader who stands up with a sigh. Relaxing is a necessity for the mind to not strain itself, but at the end of the day, there is no rest for the wicked.


    "You heard ''em. Time to get back to work!"

 Chapter 98 - Primordial

    Whilst the others use a vehicle to go to the gathering destination, both you and Lues fly at the speed of an aircraft, but definitely not the aircraft from this era that breaks the speed of sound.


    Circling the gigantic entity that was once the Megiddo Carmlan, the Calamity, although alive and breathing, it feels hollow as if there is nothing inside. Surrounded by pillars enshrouded with circuits formation, the view gives you goosebumps while also promising you hope, knowing that there are capable people in this world that could subdue that monstrosity.


    Less work for you.


    "Except Thuljas and her squad, I see few people that are able to fly, is it not the norm?" you ask your presumably sister on the airborne jog.


    "I guess the era has moved forward and leaned to the other slab of stone," Lues remarks. "Few thousand years ago, numerous individuals with valiant hearts were flying from place to place by using artifacts. This might be me but artifacts have been getting rarer and rarer now."


    And she is right, you did notice that fewer people use the artifact now. Even when Timoreia struck through the heart of Amos Citadel, there were only two people who used an artifact.


    "Any reason for it?"


    "Many factors might come into play actually. Technology, tradition, teaching, maturing mindset, laziness¡ª"


    "Laziness, how even laziness comes into play?"


    "Cultivating is harsh, unlike you who have strong soul strings, others need to train them for many years before they are able to gather mana. And probably because of the lack of willpower, the consciousness training might''ve deteriorated for the past hundred years."


    "I never asked this until now because I''m afraid to agitate you, but what are you anyway?"


    Without any haste, both of you''re adapting to the speed of the vehicle your team is on. To focus on clarity on how this conversation turns out to be.


    The ever grinning devil shows some interest in your question. "I thought you don''t care!"


    "I do care! There were too many mysteries! Like what was the reason that the original Long Leggy and Thuljas have for sealing you!"


    "Ahahaha! Starting from the second question, they sealed me because I''m trying to rule the world."


    "... What?"


    A huge bomb is dropped, you thought that crimson devil was only a troublemaker or some sort of old criminal back then. Now you knew that she is crimson on every inch of her being.


    "I was supposed to not tell you about this but I''m actually a Primordial."


    "... What?"


    The second bomb is dropped, not only that she was some kind of evil demonic overlord, she was also an ancient being, which is obvious but still shocking.


    Turns out, she is the real deal all along. Then you''re curious on how Dyaus lets her go considering that the cockroach lady utterly despises Primordials.


    As if she''s reading your mind, she immediately answered it while changing her flying position into her sleeping pose. "Dyaus Pita wasn''t strong enough to notice my soul. Because of the mirror incident, I''m actually more related to your race both in genetic and wavelength, as if you''re duplicating, it can be said that I''m also Pitka and we would be twins if I didn''t change my appearance." She chuckled.


    Brain and Anxie are doing the thinking, compiling this important discussion into a document. Together with plans and counter contingency that was related to your future predictions when Lues finds a way to separate the connection between you two to become a singular entity.


    Then one question floats around your head, what are Primordials exactly? All you''ve been hearing and assuming was some kind of an ancient and stellar strong deity-like being from another plane. This case might be more complicated than you thought.


    Before your tongue is able to make out a sentence, Ares Clone has been aggressively reporting a dense mana signature from ten kilometers away. It''s a feat that she is able to detect. You might want to construct a communication device to the sentient mindhive to reward them with praise.


    As a single mother of a hive mind, you''re proud.


    ''That is a hella weird mindset, but I''m digging it.''


    You''re the creator of the clone hive mind, so being happy with your creation accomplishment is nothing out of ordinary.


    As for the situation, Brain has an idea. To fully prepare for the encounter with this infamous god-class Calamity, you send one mage clone to the approaching behemoth of mana. Every piece of data is important knowing that this is your first S-rank mission with the shortest explanation ever.


    Though you''re fully ready in terms of mana deposit. As your passive mana gathering device made by the worklings has been upgraded to convert two times faster, and now they are putting five more in your mana sea.


    ''At this rate, my mana lake will become a mana sea within my ''mana sea''.''


    At this point, referring to your depository realm as Mana Sea is no longer effective. Athenaeum is more effective for a referral to your miniature realm from now on.


    As the journey is still going to take a while. You decide to ask Lues about the Primordial.


    "Lues, what are the Primordial actually?"


    She throws a shocked expression before moving her mouth. "You actually don''t know about it?"


    "I don''t!"


    "Pfft! So all this time, you don''t actually know what your role is, all along."


    "Urgh, it''s my fault for not asking."


    She giggles for a bit before facing forward again. "Primordial, they are called the Primordial because they are older than Neamh itself."


    "You''re a grandma then."


    "Hush! In actuality, mortals of Neamh don''t even know what Primordials truly are. They see us as arrogant and prideful beings that don''t want to lend them a hand."


    "Are you saying this because of Dyaus?"


    "Not exactly, it''s the same in many legends, they were seen as those who lived beyond the Ancient Era before the Judgement Days. While we''re older than that, some of us are older than this universe itself."


    "Are there many of them?"


    "The Primordials? Ahahaha, more than the whole mortal in Neamhs combined. Most of us are just so secretive in our own realm, it''s the same just like humans and ants, they don''t want clingy insects keep biting them to chase away an anteater, probably because we don''t care or even understand to care."


    Humans, Lues are using the humans and ants analogy where the world has less humans than the entire civilian population inside the Citadel. Does this signify that Lues are there before and in the event of Judgement Day?


    Primordials are confusing.