Ander awoke to various sirens going off in his home he had previously been a Slayer Base and moved to his combat gear in a hurry. His specially made kimono was a dark green with white stripes while his black enchanted plates hidden inside the cloth protected him from stray attacks and missiles. Opening the doorway, he heard Chyio begin to rise.
“What’s going on?”
“Trouble.”Ander stated as a salamander around 600 feet long from head to tail and 300 feet tall and proportionality wide… He had a dangerous sense of Deja Vu. As it covered itself in flames and landed on the city square killing hundreds before Ander could get a good look at it.
“Wait up. I’ll...”
“Stay here! There isn’t much time and I need to go all out! Catch up when you're fully awake and ready.” Ander blasted at the Salamander approaching the speed of light and landed a claw filled with black lighting on its right eye. The limb was destroyed, yet the creature's tail countered. Sending the young warrior through three skyscrapers before he could reorient himself.
Two eyes grew on the creature's head, one on its forehead and another to the right of its empty right eye stalk.
Putting both of his hands together, Ander surrounded the creature in a cage of electricity. “Dark Lightning Rend!”
Then with effort powered by his soul, he closed the cage causing cauterized flesh to fall off the creature and then fall to the ground as it was turned into thousands of small chunks to fall off of it and disintegrate.
Ander let out a sigh of relief as he used a good portion of his power to end the beast quickly. Only that wasn’t the only Salamander he had to deal with as thirty more began to fall from a purple hole in the sky.
Before the monsters could land however a field erupted all over the planet causing the sky to turn green and every human without magic or supernatural abilities vanished.
“Oh than the gods.”
“No. Thank me.” Ander heard Kyrion’s voice from above and squinted at the purple-hued sky.
“What's going on?” Ander asked.
“Humans of Earth, It is I, Commander Of Unity and Peace, Voice of Kaolad! We have moved everyone who can fight to a world in between reality and chaos. Time will pass much slower here and it will last until you manage to eliminate the threat or I've run out of power! Due to the nature of my powers, you will receive rewards for clearing the monsters that attack humans here. I have also sent our army to assist! You will need to fight well and pace yourself. Good luck.” The voice said to everyone from above.
“Ander, these monsters are full of divine essence. Each one of those big ones buys me twelve hours or 12 resurrections. After 200 die I should be able to bring back those who died on the initial assault. Then those who die here, but I can't fight myself.”
“Resurrections?”
“It’s limited but yes I can bring people back now if they died very recently and leave behind a portion of their soul. But doing so on such a scale will likely leave me weakened when I manage to go back to my body.”
“What exactly is going on?”
“I don’t know. Karl says this is a scouting force from another Multiversal branch. I need to go, or I risk losing my humanity.” Kyrion’s consciousness vanished.
Ander absorbed his expended divine essence along with a little from the creature's corpse. It took him around five minutes to do so as the rest of this country's defenders took to the field.
Chiyo appeared armored, with a white oni mask over her face. “Still don’t want my help?”
“It wasn’t that. Had I known that barrier was coming I would have waited. We need to kill 200 of those things to save everyone who died prior. My Commander just got much stronger.”
“Don’t you usually call him a captain?”
“A captain usually fights with a group of people under him. Kyrion can’t currently fight without good reason, and my friend is commanding humanity. Therefore now he’s a Commander, kind of a sideways promotion. But still a promotion.”
“I’ll need to have words with him.”
“His people have been reviving the recent dead for a while now. 2 days seems to be his current limit on how long has.”
Chiyo drew her blade. “Less talking for now, more fighting.”
Ander smiled at that prospect. “I didn’t know it was possible to love you more than I already did.”
The duo charged towards the hoard of salamanders.
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Issac, Mocha, Jin, Mira, and Lee, were covered in body-fitting armor with their respective colors. Kilo drove up with Sean on a blue motorcycle and swerved to a stop. A diminutive woman with red hair and green eyes climbed out of the sidecar.
“I’m Kilo’s cousin Dwenevere. Anyway, I heard that he’s been training you and granting you powers. Are you ready to be defenders of Unity and Peace?”
“Nope.”They said in unison.
“Good good. Wait what?”
“We plan on staying independent.” Lee stated.
“I’m a proud member of Cerberus.” Jin added.
“I’m focused on Football and Basketball when that season comes around.”Issac crossed his arms.
“I’m preoccupied with my club president's business.”
“My private life is much too complicated.” Moca looked at Sean.
Sean sighed. “Well I’m in. They have a decent Esper rehabilitation program. I’ve even gotten to meet some of my relatives. Not that I recognized them.”
“He put me in charge as deputy commander while he’s gone.” Kilo sighed.
“Ugh. Fine. Sheesh, you get these anyways.” Everyone except for Jin received a key.
“Pressing the button will summon your mechs. They are designed to moved based on your levels of understanding and video games. Issac, yous will be an extension of your body. Moca, yours plays like an fps with a controller. Lee, you get a fight stick, with a few extra functions. Mira, you get a mouse and keyboard. Jin, Sean, and Kilo will have altered versions of the base models. You should be able to catch on quickly.They were designed with your playstyles in mind. So if anyone went easy on Kyrion, during a game. He’ll know.”
“He’s worse than my four year old brother. At least I can teach him how to button mash.” Lee sighed.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“How is he doing? I haven’t spoken to him since he took me home.” Moca didn’t recall playing games with him either. She did enjoy online first-person shooters but…
“I was informed that he kidnapped you. Then took you somewhere safe.” Mira stated.
Sean’s expression grew violent for the briefest of moments as he recalled the person who took everything from him. Turning away from the group, he took two pills causing his rage to settle.
“No time for that now. Get in your machines. Each one should be able to go toe to toe with those large monsters. The comms are active, just focus on who you need to speak to and it will work. Otherwise, we have people to save.”
“So, where is the great Kao, anyway. He isn’t fighting.”
“The spell he’s using to protect the other side has made him a target for a mass of monsters. His army is currently fighting them off to keep the spell going. He can’t afford to push his body further in its current state.” Kilo stated.
“What does that mean?” Mira asked, concerned.
“He cheated the system to get here and has been skipping steps to gain power that rivals gods back home. His body is either going to die due to poisoning or adapt in a way that will mutate him greatly. He appears to have stopped right outside of that wall but granting that much power has begun to pay dividends and it’s slowly but surely pushing at that edge. This is ontop of obtaining half of his shards before reaching the expert tier. He’s burning his own life like a stick of dynamite for a world he has no business being in. Which is why I’m assisting.”
“Well, that's likely the only pep talk we’ll be getting. I say we fight and get this over with.” Issac pressed the button on his key causing a mech wearing a green bear skin cloak with various sharp spikes on its mobile frame as well as retractable cleats, and knuckle dusters with claw-like gauntlets that could shoot magic if he sent it through the connection.
“Guess I’m next.” Moca received a more humanoid mech with four arms, each of which held a different gun and a long sharp skeletal tail extended behind it. Its build was agile and light with parts that could be discarded for speed and maneuverability. The weapons are capable of being used as boosters when necessary. The machine was built to react to Moca’s slightly boosted perception and wind magic.
Lee looked like a giant fighting game character that focused on counters, throws, and interrupts, although it also seemed equipped with coils on its arms and legs. The white machine seemed to have a semblance of sentience as it placed a hand in front of Lee for him to climb onto as a seat in the middle of its chest opened revealing seats.
Mira’s mech was black, with the black cowl over its head and a cloak flowing down its back. The mech was lithe and seemed to only have a magical sniper, a weapon capable of firing rounds of single-target death on anything it hit.
Jin had a sword and could use fire magic. Nothing special at all. It did not enhance his esper abilities or rewrite causality. It was just a normal Red machine.
“Allright. You should be safe in those. Where is the other one? Didn’t I call everybody?”
“Sera, was one of the brainwashed espers. The people acting as her parents vanished along with her.” Moca didn’t meet Kilo’s eyes.
“Thats what I get for being out of the loop. When did this happen?”
“I went to her house around a week ago. Nobody was there, she was a part of the Slayers of Humanity?” Issac scratched his head.
“Likely another victim. Did anyone go in, or did you just look.” Sean asked.
“I did go in. No one was there, the place was tidy, albeit dusty, but nothing seemed off.”Issac sighed.
“How did…”Dwen started.
“No time for that! We’ll get back to you. If we find her we’ll let you know.”
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Kyrion woke up with a migraine as though his skull was trying to split in half as blood flowed from his nose and right arm. Pulling the limb up, Kyrion noted 41 odd green eyes had grown on his arms like growths, and through each one, he could see and manipulate.
As that realization kicked in, Kyrion focused on maintaining a human shape watching as the eyes faded into him and various holes in the limb vanished.
“Must have been my imagination.” As the raspy words left his parched throat. The sensation of over a thousand-dimensional holes above the world opened simultaneously, dropping monsters and aliens from somewhere else onto the planet before he could react. The blood all over his currently trashed borrowed room went unnoticed as he felt his body pulse in response.
Coughing, a bloody octopus the size of a marshmallow landed in front of him. Each of its miniature suction cups held lamprey-like teeth and it had gotten inside of him somehow. Stepping on the creature Kyrion noticed that along with his blood, the creature he’d just destroyed had a similar scent to the smell in his room.
Kyrion placed both hands on his chest. “Purge Body!”
Enveloped in purple and white flames, various parasites hiding in and around him were eliminated and cleansed causing him to fall to a knee, breathing heavily.
Two eyes opened on Kyrion’s right arm starting. Waiting for a response.
“If you are the thorns. Blink and never appear like this again.”
Kyrion watched the eyes vanish into his arm and sighed. “I’m turning into a monster. A demon, that isn’t good. Ari, what's going on?”
“Monsters have appeared worldwide. News stations haven’t had a chance to show whats going on, but there have already been deaths. This appears to be a scouting force.”
“Worldwide? Deaths? I can’t have that.” Kyrion put on his uniform as the Commander and teleported to the cold Mt.Everest where the vast majority of monsters seemed to have appeared.
Kyion then summoned Ceres, as well as the blue long dragon, and the giant serpent from this planet's neighbor. Krion’s white scarf grew until it was the size of an 18-wheeler and charged towards a newly opening rift and dived in causing it to close. Its eyes glow a bright light and it roars that of a truck horn. Only to fall out of another rift moments later. That rift closed right after as it curled up chewing on the remains of monsters.
Kyrion felt numerous pleas from his healers bombard him at once with requests for resurrections, healing, power, and safety. The migraine returned as this time over a hundred eyes opened on his arm, Thousands of thorns appeared, each geometric triangle holding a single green eye. Each one opened a window in Kyrion’s mind that showed him a new sight.
“Do you want to help?”Kyrion asked and felt that they did wish to serve.
Noting Kyrion poured his divine essence into the triangles, his power spreading outward as he did. He commanded them to surround the planet. Watching as tens of thousands more left his arm and surrounded it. All of Kyrion’s focus was on limiting his sight, and senses. Focusing on his friends as he covered the world in a barrier of spatial mana and separated everything remotely magical or supernatural from the planet. The drain on his soul was giant but within his absurd regeneration if he was to consume coins to power it.
As his powers reached a limited omniscience he felt that pushing himself further would cause him to cease to be what he was. He wouldn't be able to move while crafting this space. He’d made himself an anchor and covered the world in a barrier.
“Oi Dwen, I need to speak with Kilo and Cedric!”
Dwen responded with telepathy. “On it You’re connected via telepathy.”
“Kilo, gather or clubmates they are quite strong and the mechs are done. Use those to protect that continent. The more you defeat the better.”
“I’ll do what I can.” Kilo stated.
“Cedric. The code is 21619897239661475, use that to get into the vault in Quebec. It's in the vaults under the bank. There are a few caches spread all obut I haven't been able to figure out what else they have there.”
“Really! How did you memorize those numbers! I get why now! But! Ugh…Three days earlier would have been convenient.”
“I’ll rush you there.” Kyrion connected the two locations and constructed a portal to Cedric and the hanger.
“I’m in. Now what…Did…Oh. Those are some big weapons…”
“There is also a hangar with flying vehicles. Get your people in and out.” Kyrion commanded before moving back to Dwen.
“Yes?”
“I need you to get Sean in on it as well. Ari, contact Alpha and Omega.”
“They are already fighting on the front lines. They have split the animal army. The Penguins are flying a few carriers over the ocean towards Africa and Europe. Omega in Africa, Alpha in Europe. You’re healers need direction, give them a divine proclamation. I’ll patch you in. Adlib a speech.”
“People of Kao! I offer you a chance to assist me. I need you all to offer up an item you value. And in a moment you’ll receive a touch of my power. Whenever a monster dies, its power will go to the item if you hold it up. 3/4th will go into the rest the item which will be able to resurrect and heal beyond your limit. At this time I can not resurrect anyone in this space. Humanity must survive and for that I will let you know. The item will be capable of firing my version of divine judgment. The spell is called Divine Spear, it won’t harm people or our animal allies but the monsters will be affected. Don’t focus on attacking however, lives are more important than damage. Another message will go out shortly.” Kyrion granted all of his followers a new spell based on his knowledge. Kyrion turned his focus to Karl.
“Karl, enchant all the items to those specifications. Also, this entire area is my domain; currently you can treat it as your dungeon. I can’t absorb all this power, I need it to go into other places.”
“A deception, the power goes to you. You're essentially getting them to take a quarter of the power into your items.”
“Correct and since my priests are mostly limited to the United Continent, due to restrictions It’s fewer trips I’ll need for project Christmas.” Kyrion stated before focusing on a massive influx of power as he sensed the power of something Ander eliminated went mostly to him.
“Now for project, offload the excess to Ander by having him kill a good portion.” Kyrion sent a connection to his friend.
“Too long. But I will inform everyone of the changes in your stead. Further rewards will be delayed to the end however.”