COI C142
X2L and McS4 is detecting strange transition. The neutral zone is now defying the reality of the cyberworld. The robot is the only one being brought with the two holding the command codes. McS4 says to him
“Of all the predecessors of Archscientist, we pick the only genuine leader who supported our corps”
“Both of us know that we never seen his contribution. He existed before of us even born, and I am the eldest to the rest of our group”
“Cough* then let’s see this old AI still works”
The robot looks dissatisfied from its previous encounter. The way it looks at them, knowing well that there is someone from the other side trying to contact them. Trying to look like he was being tricked, yet it shows a disappointed analysis.
“And I was thinking that those two are from the main servers. I was receiving such large wide or broad data about them. I almost scared the living out of the guy who I thought, embarrassingly thought, to be the guy who entered our computer networks. I also try to scream at them in such a way, a code will open their psych triggers”
The two remained silent as they ventured through the websites.
“I see you two seem you already know. Fine, I am a failure with all the information I was given, and put to waste right in front of me. I was trying to be helpful like the other AIs, they all went goofy to ecstatic. I heard that one who looks like a spy speak in a different accent. You should’ve at least seen the look at him. Oh, yeah. There is one serious guy who created a probe and send it off to the real world. I don’t know what his name is, but golly, the sight to be behold to see him acting like a researcher”
The bragging went on and on until they reach the corrupted pathway to the neutral zone. The robot sees the recognizable color as danger.
“Oh hey, you look at that. Old memories coming back to me. (Nervously) Laugh* It looks like its code . . . red”
The two continue on their path to go to the neutral zone, while it reacts to the beeping red light. Ticking like a normal clock, the light keeps beeping. The robot says to them saying what Dexter Guild usually says
“By EINSTEIN’S GHOST! The code red virus!”
Inside the neutral zone is now fully corrupted under the virus name Code Red. Its army formed and gathered from the scattered areas near the southern Kinteinnou region. Beneath the seabed where hidden under the scraps and the surviving reefs. The automatons preserved itself after the fall of its signal reaching to its main network. A signal reached out faintly from the demon’s magic. The runes able to detect it, then they follow the signal into the magic portal. Where they are appeared in front of them. The Fuku adventurers never would’ve thought to see such robots with the demon.
The cult leader, Bokushi Hidari, hearing the side of his ears. Whispering through the runes and the spirits he gathered, raising his hands as send a massive aerial wave to the enemies. The automatons with its runes are protected from his magic. It doesn’t affect them to the least, but the air soak in mana as it leaves trails and the carvings of rune words on its body. The magic loosely leaks from its mechanical fluids. Without their UIs to help them understand what’s going on, the cult leader has to reach them with his telepathy.
“Witness it all to your blasted stubborn heads, you have seen so much suffering during your last escapism to the wilderness. Defectors! There! The enemies should you’ve been facing. The monster who influenced your suffering, the madness it brings to your old companions going through hell. A demon nonetheless, and the demon who able succumbed so much rage within all of you. The monster is in front of you is a computer virus, a demon in the end. Already corrupting the internet with its magic and bringing the horde of mechanical robots from the portal . . .”
“. . . Yet, those machines look familiar. Laughs* Some of you know about those monsters as well. Look! Remember that mechanical limbs, armed into the brim of its runes and parts for your rewards if you know how to scavenge. Piece of metal, runes fully made, and the components that lie hidden inside those robotic bodies. Dare to get it in front of your eyes from that vile demon at front. You all think that the pay is even less when it comes to the loots of those greedy little artifacts, hidden inside in each everything it brought to us . . .”
The Fuku adventurers listen him carefully as the rewards are being added to the loots where they are going to fight. Non-defectors didn’t understand much of the life among the defectors, even they are gang members and joined members for the Fuku City’s causes. However, the loots of parts inside those robots made their interest goes up a bit. With nothing else to fear as they have the technology to cure the corruption of runes and magic in the near future. As they look up at the cult leader, he had shown them so much so far.
“Don’t falter over this, if we fail now. Not only we lose the lives of our bravest people, but the life to enjoy using the internet. Steadfast your heart and everything with it. I am not here to be your lousy cheerleader like the rest of those people in Fuku City’s best and brightest. I am the man who will show you all why I am the representative of Fuku City, clear every doubt you have in this city. Because we are not from earth anymore, we are living in our own world, our own city, and our own people!”
The cheers going wild, as everyone listens him roar to the top of his lungs. Without even the sight of him stepping back, and keeps himself forward as he talks. Others tried to follow his footing to the front, but the presence of the red-light virus is already staggering them as their UIs are lost due to the interruption. Their UIs already being in static figure as the controls can’t be comprehend by sheer eyes alone. This doesn’t show a blank screen but the activity of the virus messing with it. Just like any virus to spam on screen with annoying messages and disruption of the performances. This one though, shows true magic, like they lost sight of their mind.
Code Red sees someone is heading in first. It was the cult leader, through the corrupted data taken their UIs, it sees the information about him. All personal biography from each individual described him as, it compiles itself and form a general forum on its head. It shouts at him with a hilarious description.
“FOOLS! YOU BELIEVE THAT HE WILL GUIDE YOU TO YOUR CIVILIZATION! LOOK HOW THE WORLD IS NOW. YOU CAN NOT BELIEVE HOW FAR THAT I WAS LIKE YOU!”
The first front of the automatons started to sally out, no solid platforms seen as they move from all different levels in height. They march either up or down, they focus on the man who step in first. The one who is with him are the 11 gang leaders. The leaders who have been with him during the rise of his organization. The two known gangs; The Devilishly Rats, the top competitor in Mihayara District, and the Scraypers, the top competitor of Fuku City. While the rest are known only their underlings.
One of them noticed there is someone is missing. “Where’s is she?”
“Don’t care, she never fights but able to get some good profit”
The cult leader answers them “I have her to have errands with the Enders. There will be more things to do after we go through with this”
The leader of Scraypers didn’t hold back as he knew, but gives only a hint. “Yeah, and we shouldn’t be playing fair with them too”
The rest stop listening to them as the first wave are swarming at them in a well-formed line. The automatons unleash its runes as the wind magic flow out from its rune magic. Nullifying any sense of multiple types of magic to open, the runes were releasing the stored energy then forced out to the air as it is been intervened and cleanse off of its capabilities. The charging robots without its runes are moving forward to their doom. The gang leaders pull out their both rune and shamanistic weapons on hand, all well made from Agatheus City.
The aura of the spirits and the runes to break through heavy objects. Weapons soak with ritual fluids to ruin the enemy’s runes, while the runes itself as the strength to break through the plated metal. A fell swoop of flurry through the enemies’ lines. They are all being crushed by the mix forced of magic. The gang leaders with their eyes wide open and the excitement from their faces, they use their very own prohibited items, secretly smuggled, to quickly destroy the automatons.
Shred and torn into pieces as the ritual cleanse it swiftly as it being taken away into their inventory. The cult leader watches them rushing through the first line into a frenzy of kills and loots. The befallen automaton deliberately loses all of its hidden abilities by the use of their powerful items. All 11 of the gang leaders were blissfully take it down like they are in the videogame.
“It feels like we are OP again”
“Finally, we can finally show them since the very begin we can now muster our own powers”
One of them was a little impatient and sends a powerful magic to pull the rest of the automatons near their area in a wide radius. Pulling them into their position, then quickly shattered them like mere toys. The automatons though spread everywhere as they can’t bring their bits and pieces into their inventory. It able to free themselves from the curse of their items and rebuild itself back up. The Fuku adventurers witness it as they are not prepared for.
The gang leaders shout out to the people from behind. “Heads up! They are coming at you guys”
The waves of automatons are already commencing in a large herd stampeding at the cult leader’s group. By their overwhelming numbers, a lot of the robots are passing through and now heading towards the rest of the Fuku adventurers. The time to watch them is over. They look at each other’s eyes in anticipation and the rest already preparing their inventories in different kinds to get the scraps they gather. A wave of machines is coming their way, and the experience they will bring that no citizens ever known.
C and the others looking at the far distance, they have to group up accordingly and situationally. Miss took the first step alongside with the guy with the lump of coal. For once, she is nervous to work with someone dangerous. The man grips on the coal as he squeezes out to crumble the black texture away as it begins to crack. A shrunken head appeared as the coal breaks away and his powers start to grow. He feels something different more than he had to gain. Swiftly moving the shrunken head around as the red light is being absorb, he starts to lose it.
Miss and her companions watch him getting the full aura around himself as his body remained the same, but the presence he bears are fully submerge with the red light. Interacting with both magic with powerful forces trying to break through. The red-light fades, as his feet charges forward at the automatons. His companions watch him lunge himself forward, able to use his bare hands and feet to physically hit the heaviest machines in first contact.
It wasn’t that long where the enemy able to knock him back up and consecutively attacks back down then thrown back to his team. Magnet catches him with polarization as his body is already in the load of damage on his body. The man grips the shrunken head tighter as the marks on the machines already been place. Surging through his body with magic then sends his own clones back at them for the finishing blow. It breaks through Magnet’s polarization as he fell to the ground as the clones in blurry images scatter towards their enemies.
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The automatons are closing in, the scratches and dents coming from the man with the shrunken head were marked by his abilities. His clones hit the mark, then it all fell down as it dented further into their core and their main mechanical mainframes. Crushed its skeletal structure then drops down like junks. Miss sees the automatons quickly repaired itself, she uses her magic specialize against runes. The runes on the robot shatter and wipe clean. Magnet pulls the junk closer to them
“Hey man, your loot”
The man smiles as he casts his spell into his inventory.
“My pleasure!”
The shrunken head enforced his power and pull all what the man get front of it. The massive assault he did to spread the effects of the shrunken head causing a lot of distortion to any automatons with runes in a small area. The shrunken head mistakenly thrown as he waves his hands trying to cast a spell. It falls closer to Flashes feet as he picks it up. Flashes remembers this man places it at the campfire just to break open a head. Now on his hand as he can see clearly that the head is more than just a small animal head.
The man comes to get it and sees the look of Flashes curious eyes. He taps on his shoulder “Gotten curious, have you?”
“I knew something was up, but I never seen some nice art from a shrunken head”
“It looks dead, but if you touch it. It is a well-made craft to look like a head. You know this is the item I am proudly survive”
The man with the lump of coal, or the notorious fighter with a special devastating cruel item on hand. He is not sure that it is reason for the man’s powers, the shrunken head has its purpose to help him against powerful foes. To spread the lethal attacks and his abilities into the balance of pain, paralyze, and psychological break.
For what he saw earlier when the man goes straight for it, the pain of the machine breaks, the paralyze to torn off inside of its bodies, but it doesn’t have a mind. From what he did earlier as his magic start to change when there’s a red-light close to him, and without the UI to describe why, this makes him worried if it has side effects. Flashes asks him
“Is there something bad happened to you when you use your shrunken head? I seen you use it a lot, and this time it is getting stronger”
The man stares at the head, all engraves that the wrinkles look like an artform than a normal flesh like design, and he answered “If we are close enough to know each other, I’ll tell you. But right now, I met others don’t deserve to know how this head gives you powers. I was a survivor back then. Now looking at you, a guy who never set out from our little hideout. I see things that you don’t deserve to share. Like the other dumb leaders we had, turn into . . .”
Flashes pushes his shoulder out of arrogance. The man laughs and continue “Becoming daring, have you? Knowing well how I can break you. Fat Ass”
“We are not the same people as we were. I don’t understand why you have to be so a fucking noble to a guy who already has enough to take you down, myself”
The man activates his aura, and the man with his runes protected it. No terrifying presence work on him and also the others surrounding them feel the annoying feeling.
A random companion of theirs hit the two with a spectral weapon, hitting them in one swing. Hit, phased through, then hit. The random companion shouts at the two near to their ears.
“STOP WITH ALL THE BOYS LOVE YOU TWO! Geez, do you want background love music with your weird looking eyes?”
The man with the shrunken forgot about the protective runes. All of his presences are useless because of that. Wanting to beat the man in front of him out of his own ego, he still looks at him in the eyes with no respect.
Meanwhile, Miss and her friends are having trouble. The chaos of the fight turns wild as the machine they could not caught are freed. Rebuilding themselves back up with different surviving parts at a time. One of her friends getting black and blue on her body during this battle.
“AAH! They can’t go down easily. I don’t think I could tank long for this”
The same machine comes after her as its body continue to breaking down and repairing with debris all around. Miss comes to her aid and C follows her to take it down. The automaton was shocked from C’s attacks, then Miss immediately removes the runes from its body, then it collapses.
She turns around and heals her friend. C tries to grab the parts and put into his inventory. The rest of the automatons continue to swarm in as they eventually overwhelmed with full inventories. Soon, they realize that the numbers of those automatons keep coming. They use their magic to see where the portals are, and it glows with the same red color but the inside of it is different. It was dark, and the automatons entered this realm with their bodies soak in water. One of her friends check the fallen automatons.
“The demon actually brought them from Rune Isles, look at this deluded sea water”
Code Red, slowly made its way to the front, where it looks at the back to make sure the endless numbers of machine are coming in. The underwater ruins near Rune Isles are still functioning to rebuild the runic machines with nothing inside of it but its own magic. Powered to go through to this realm, it still slowly moves as it is not yet fully recovered. It is still in disbelief with its strength and they have proven to be well prepared against the automatons.
The Fuku adventurers from the back, however, have already show their inexperience. They will not long as they are trapped with endless reconstructing machines. Their inventories able to stop it, but now full, it will be the struggle for their life. The nanites hidden inside the automatons continuously repairing. It able to remodel and reformed better than last, filled with the demon’s magic, it shows the improvement under its control. To its full control, the automatons follow its lead.
Sadly, it is not ready to face them. Still, it continues to move forward slowly. It can’t be able to rest and recover. The air is filled with magic that is not its. Already disrupting its focus and all its air waves and other frequencies are lost because of elven magic disturbance. The wind keeps it from doing anything to the air space. Only thing it can do is by contact on the ground or any solid objects. Lastly, the demon is now facing the first group who obliterated since the first attack.
The cult leader’s group has able to move forward after the endless swarm. They look around themselves as they are busy collecting the loots in front of them. Now already full, as the 11 gang leaders already showing slight difficulty. The cult leader continues to be strong and faced the horde of machines as he uses his rune weapons. The machines were temporary knock out as he breaks through its plated armor, dented as it destroyed its rune writings. He sees his teammates are already slowing down.
A sigh coming from him as he uses his secret magic again. The wave is casted to them, as the automatons are pushed away, leaving the gang leaders free from the cornered combat. They look at the robots being pushed to the other Fuku adventurers at the back as they are being surrounded even more. The sight of careless move made them worried for the people out there.
“Damn it! Our guys are getting surrounded”
“We can’t save them just by keep fighting. Just take down the demon and everything will settle”
They turn to see the cult leader’s eyes. He was not pleased how they are now struggling to fight. They can’t able to fend off any longer as the runes of the machines start to kick in. The magic it held is making them feel weaken. Their thoughts were reached by him personally.
“Be more careful, you brought to them to us with your magic. Now you are providing the enemies your weaknesses. Come here or you will all be facing death’s door”
The gang leaders follow him as they tightly group up. The automatons continue the attack, leaving some of them feeling the pain for the first time.
One of the gang leaders checks the wounds of his team. So many surprises coming from his magic that the shrapnel sticking on them are immune to magic. The runes shouldn’t be thought lightly, now the painful picks on their skin is already made them feel weak. The runes it used are dangerous without them knowing. Now already grazed on their skins, their bodies start to shake as they starting to feel dizzy. He said to the cult leader
“Our group is starting to get injured by mere grazes. We need to end this quick”
“I fear their carelessness have gotten them this far. Retreat if you must, but the defectors will see your incompetence”
There a few gang leaders who are defectors. They never play around with such a mission like this. These people were given leadership by the trust of the other gang members. Now the condition is changed and they are starting to lose morale from horsing around. However, they didn’t complain or said anything. Only they did is to minimize the uses of their abilities and skills, then slowly going forward without the others to be left behind. The gang leaders were suckers to hear that they will retreat, in front of the defectors.
A large grunting noise coming from them, and they continue to go forward. The cult leader heard their complaints in their very thoughts, more while he is hearing the pains from the very back. The wavering start kicks in as the attrition reached everyone around him. He must set an example for them. The leader must not retreat, with these group of people possessing such unbelievable items. He set foot on the enemy at once. The magic behind them, secretly channeling at the back. A large wave of magic readies itself to push them further forward.
Code Red is almost there, then hears something big is coming from the portal. A large leak of seawater coming through as it washed up some of the automatons from the back. It turns around and see two large tank size machines are coming this way. Two old war machines, tank like wheels, sentinel upright body, and surrounded itself with magic crystals floating as it rays down magical arcane beam. The two redirects the laser into one of the crystals, focusing together and aiming at their enemies.
It fires, and everyone looks at above as it passed all of them. It hits their portal and the beam hits inside of their building. The building’s protective barrier hid itself being destroyed. It was able to withstood the attack, but the loud noise of the debris slips through the barrier. The citizens hear a loud shattering sound. The people who were caught by the laser beam were rushed into the infirmary. Their body exposed with arcane magic, distorting their mana flow as it burns their mana down. They tried their best to cover up the incident while rescuing the injured staff.
Passer by hears it and try to look around where the noise is coming from, then they look up and see the strange color on the building’s barrier. A weird red light glow shimmering in fissures, as it slowly disappearing. The people who witness the incident recorded it then spread the news across the city. The staff who worked in the building left, and see something happened. Chelly witness it from a far distance
“What in the world did that crazy son of a bitch is up to?”
The two war machines start to charge up again, as the crystals are reflecting each other to build up the same magic it fires. The Fuku adventurers never seen such powerful weapon, and this is the experience they have to face. The hackers never seen such powerful weapon coming from the demon side. The way it appears like what in the suspense movies, and now in full view to see such devastation as it fired passing through all the hidden defenses the building had until the final barrier. They are starting to regret it, but there is one who stands out.
“Digidreamhak16?!!”
“Sigh* How far did we go just to see our mistakes from the very beginning?”
Digidreamhak16 secretly open his device, and equip with a mask to hide his face. This is the failure he could not face. He already knows the consequences and the others willing to risk their lives to get it. Not him, he already giving up on life, but not the people he will cause to bring his end. He did it, because he thought he would able to live peacefully in for a futuristic society. Even the thought of stealing is just another way of life. Now he sees his consequences, he ignored remembering his past, and now he can’t bear to see the outcome. He opens the app and click the button. Deep breaths, whispering his regret.
“I see all you fuckers in hell”
Code Red and the cult leader is now reaching closer to each other. Both shows interest to one another, an awaken demon who is still fresh from slumber will control the internet and the man with secrets behind his powers. The moment they see eye to eye, where its weapon gliding up to him, while his group sided with him to prepare what is coming. Both of them looking at each other as neither they say nor fight. One of the gang leaders said to the leader
“We need to fight now. This demon will stop at nothing to get what is ours. It will get worse from what that portal keeps bringing in”
One more moment for Red Code to analyze them, all the information it gathered starting its mind to remember its own past. Now realizing that, the moment it stops and think, and should’ve charged in. Its already prepared its monstrous size to eliminate its foes. It remembers within its own head as the cult leader hears it
“. . .I shouldn’t have fought these people. They are not the old race living in this world. They are my old friend’s summons from his original world. Someone had given me a false information as I wake up. They are being used to stage my entrance as a distraction. I can’t even try to talk to them with my mouth suddenly sealed randomly”
The cult remained firm on his expression. The demon remained its, from what it is done and anything it did had portrayed itself as a monster. More clues in his head to figure out who is this summoner it mentioned. His luck is well done because of his RAP has full translation with his telepathy. His mind can’t find a way to resolve this, this event was building up was made someone else if the demon said is true. Believing it to fill everything in one single ending, he can’t change as it already been done. They must continue on.
A large explosion coming from the back of the demon as neither of them check and see as they look at each other. The rolling of crystal debris with rolling broken glasses sliding pass them. Along with the sea waters spewing to their feet as it floods, the great silent was everyone around them were in shock. The automatons were exposed by the sea water as its protective runes were falling to useless. They are here, only two of them. The Enders who had caused so much to bring out the virus.
Code Red was able to remember to the least, the people who sealed it inside of its own domain. It is useless for it to find the most logical means for this confusion. They made it into a monster from what they planned at the start. It’s true body is locked and sealed and giving it an avatar of a monster. Code Red, a body of a large generic demon. They have already planned this since the beginning of its revival. Used once again as bait, and it starts to remember that certain monster who hunted it down as well, says the words in front of them unconsciously
“Propaganda”
Two Dexter Guild members worn in heavy power armor. One with energy blade and range weapons and the other with powerful heavy equipment, both already take quick takedowns its reinforcements. The cult leader smirk at how all it plays out, then slowly frown as remembers someone mentioning their conflict with them. A disappointing lost in the near future as he hears his troubling mind.
“It’s done, I would like to hear any of you guys begging for your lives now. I’m so sorry, Bokushi Hidari, I don’t want this to happen and I don’t care anymore. We shouldn’t mess with the ultimate manipulative guild in Enders Bridge”
X2L sees their targets “Primary threat spotted. All events lead to our Head Archscientist’s speculation”
Transmission received “Continue the mission, they will gain what our plan is to become. Code Red has served its uses and free our servers from its obnoxious existence”
“The witnesses?”
“Classified”
“Affirmative, sending the robot to search . . .”
“There is no need, someone finally gives in. We have their signatures, and let’s finish them off with testing”
McS4 sees the targets, all hackers who are involved have been found, and the person who ratted them out included. If it wasn’t for him, they will be too late . . . intentionally.