COI C95
The rise of the early morning, where the sun is not yet casts its dawn. There are still light under its light bluish fog, strange phenomenon to the eyes of the citizens but warnings uphold to the others who keep it on watch. Evacuation had already been done last night and the barriers had already built since the discovery. Pure made runes and no other mana that the dust would take. Surprising onlookers to see the fog, the call of the horns from the elves have finally draw near. To those who keep watch always keep hearing of it multiple times, but nonetheless they were helped to the very end.
One last sight they have to witness is the ray of lights through the winds flowing with dusts. Now dispersed as the elves are slowly backing away, the dusts are there into a dense fog, wondering what it can do through the elven magic. The sounds of their horns keep going as the dangers are coming. Tired as ordered not to use their magic and runs back as much of their stamina. It is starting, the invasion of the monsters is gathered in the northern border of Isekai City.
Many people gathered around in groups according to their districts. Secretly divided through opinions and ideologues, but the home is still where they can only escape among themselves. Mihayara District’s personnel, Taiyou Industry’s hard-working men, South Shore Bay’s City Guild adventurers, Chojima District’s residential volunteers, and Fuku City’s newly formed adventurers. They look at each other as they have stretched their differences for far too long, but the enemy they are facing are the monsters that only some of them know.
All districts representative gathered around for the first time since the city states leaders visit. Mihayara District’s representative; the mayor’s advisor, Taiyou’s Industrial Manager; Kubo, The City Guild’s leader: King, Chojima District’s House of Association leader; Ban and Fuku City’s Infamous cult leader; Bokushi Hidari. All of them gathered on the highway as they look at the numbers of people being gathered. All five of them show bitter look among each other as they watch over the people they brought. They have shown no proper truce, but for old man Ban, he doesn’t care any of this rival stuff as he doesn’t take politics seriously.
The advisor speaks with everyone’s concern. “I’m glad all of us agreed that the situation until now is already clear in front of us. Monsters are attacking and it was not some animal behavior from our researchers but motivated actions. The demons had full control in this matter, and with King’s adventurers, we are able to find the source”
King shows them the information, from Flashes raw data with the researchers finalized conclusion. The district leaders see something they could not understand of its behavior.
Kubo said to them “They reacted out of starving on mana, but the monsters gathered around and start eating amongst each other. This is some strange behavior. Old man Ban, do you understand any of this?”
“Cough* I’m not sure and neither with the others who are only helping the manpower. I have given them those failsafe things and hope they are willing to take risk to keep the defense up and running”
Bokushi thinks the same “I for one agreed with old man Ban, I recently made reform with those people I brought. They are immature, worse of all still maintain their living in the city lifestyle. Will the city guild and the government able to maintain morale?”
King and the advisor look at each other then turn to Manager Kubo. The advisor answers them while looking at her. “That’s why we set it up in ranks. The main idea we had last time to finish the infrastructure to Enders Bridge. The supplies needed for the materials to improve the city defense”
Kubo focuses on her device and see the progress from what Advisor mentioned. “I understand that we need it to expand our production. The elves had done so far to stall, and planning to block the monsters’ routes will just delay the inevitable. My workers are transferring the machinery to the border just to make trenches”
The leaders see the disadvantages from what they are concern. All of the people are willing to defend, the Taiyou’s Industrial workers are doing their best to build the defenses with limited fuels and other equipment made for the able fighters, but they are too invaluable to put them at the front as they are able to operate them effectively than any group. Old man Ban’s volunteers are there for support measure, people had healing magic and other skills to help the wounded and the manpower to hold off the monsters in the defensive. Mihayara’s personnel are people who work with the government, mostly of them are police and experienced security.
The City Guild has the number of experienced and diverse people with their powerful abilities. That wouldn’t be enough where they need rune items to deal against mana eating monsters, the police can do it but would it be enough to hold. Lastly people from Fuku City, they are recently newcomers and able to reform themselves to be part of society again. Then again, there are a lot of inexperience who are not properly discipline and the scandal already setting out from the rumors of illegal groups such as gangs. Bokushi had already admitted the flaws he had, but was able for that district to contribute after months of isolation since the people decided to stay.
The reputation of the people from Fuku City was not too kindly of their last night conversation. Let them not forget the second identity shared with the defectors, unlucky fools who partnered with them but less so when they meet them personally. The disguised doppelgangers are twisted as it planned, but manifest to be the best survivors outside from the city. Others had some exceptions, but too few to mention when ungrateful people stood to the stand in the internet beyond midnight.
Today’s recent event that they read on the internet to the rest of the chat after their sleep, the ‘adventurers’ who continue on and on in social media until it reached 3AM in the morning. Somehow, they look well rested. Their grudges remain firm as they look at them with defiance. The Fuku adventurers they were called, the old true city nuisance of society. The disguised defectors couldn’t agree more, as they wore the faces of the people who stayed up last night being arrogant and show off to tell the people behind their backs, and making them being despised for their enjoyment.
The argument pursues on differently. “You people are getting yourself into trouble. We have experienced outside of the city and face numerous monsters except to the east. To think you are acting like us before without realizing the values of mana. Hey . . . Speak up, what’s with the silent treatment, huh?”
“I guess those guys are all talks in the internet and now look at them being all quiet. when this is done, I’ll report to the guild because of your bad behaviors. These kids, they are not grateful that the past disaster was the swarm. That magic barrier was . . .”
They moved on as other more people passed by to smack talk like any other.
The love of scolding to the bad people is good enough for them to show how much they work so hard then being mock. The disguised defectors are in both circumstances they have to do. Those crazed posers had to post the most ludicrous claims that they are far better than them. Even shout out their wild late-night horsing around to prove they can do better when tired. Promoting their ‘easy’ way of life, the people are been eyeing on them since that scandal. They are starting to wonder what will that boss from Fuku City will say to this. One of the disguised, who was not part of the scandal yet being group up, had other things to worry about.
“Will they bully us?”
The disguised adventurers replied loudly. “Not in our life, we rented this identity to get access through the district and with their device on hand. They are going to see how wrong they are messing with us . . . Why am I saying this to the guy who used me as a scapegoat? Ah!”
“You have to admit that won’t change the fact that we have their faces in order to not to get caught. Assholes, every one of them who posted it on social media”
“This is a city we once knew. The same people and the same attitude, having powers got us all riled up and others gone insane when they can’t go home. No one here is innocent to the least”
One of the Scraypers saw what was happening and the idiotic scandal had already caused problems. She heads toward them as others had already spreading gossips.
“Welcome to the fantasy world, I don’t know what kind of world this is and it is turn to shit before all of us entered. I am glad we survived for this long as we were facing what world disasters trying to do. We will see some parts of the city being destroyed soon”
Disguised adventurers laugh
“What so funny?”
“Sorry, old jokes last longer than I remember. Then I’ll be living in a dark city again, let’s hope you guys wanted it too if we let fall”
They look at each other as much as disgust as they thought to their doubles.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have much of a choice as we left the city. We come here to seek refuge or maybe we missed the city life. So forgetful, we are the reason why we left in the first place . . . Sigh* Which to choose; play dumb and get hurt letting our doubles laugh at us, they didn’t care their reputation anyway. Or prove them wrong as their doubles make them proof of their arrogance wasn’t a lie after all”
The Scraypers honestly response “Those clever little fuck ups”
“Mind your words missy, there will always time”
They look at their devices and see the mirror of themselves. The irony of their expression as disguised adventurers said to themselves. “They don’t, this expression we have. Their faces are not as healthy as we tried to make it realistic”
They turn and see each other’s faces. Flawed skin, less attractive, and many less expectations of their expression matched to original, these are natural faces that the real world had to offer. They turn to the profile pictures from the original users, heavily edited and magic tinted through their skin. One of them is a girl and couldn’t stay silent and said,
“What happened if I adjust that bitch face? Can she able to stop my spells (evil laughter)”
The Scraypers listen that woman’s intention as she remembered that these are still defectors. Power driven and dangerous people, she steps away as more and more people are surrounding them. The more they speak ill of themselves, the worse it gets in their morale as a group. The people from other districts or the defectors, the winner will always the people remained hiding inside Fuku City. This is something they need to remember, and others will be secretly filmed the fight as see who is the wrong here. They never changed, the people from another world.
The sun finally rises and the light stretches from the sea. The people are stationed through the north where the police are the first to the front, second are the city guild, third line for the industrial workers, fourth and last line both the Fuku adventures and the volunteers. The sight of the quake is emerging close to the barrier. The roots appeared from the ground and the dust eradicate it as soon as it uprooted to the surface. The noise of the trees is crumbling and it’s breaking apart like twigs. Behind the where more roots uprooted, the parts of the land sink down as the monsters arise.
The northern barriers, covered with fog of dusts, with solid barriers inside the magic barrier held by the police and other experienced personnel. Waiting for the attack to approach, the dense smoke of dust is there forming silhouette, as it clears, they are coming, charging, and everything with it that they have prepared for. Orders are called
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Take the first shot, there is no need to use melee with our improvised incendiary weapons. With our failsafe we will be gladly return safely to the next rally point, but take heed and run back. We are not sacrificing ourselves today”
“YES MA’AM!”
Every earpiece they have and visor equip on their eyes both communication and information, they are fully prepared to take aim under the dense blurry of the light bluish fog. A huge lump of cloud burst to the air mixing with the fog, like current of water gushing out then lies down as dusts fell to the ground. The first monsters arose from the ground moving in carrying its massive back. The police check their visors to identify this monster. Close look as they remembered when it all started. Root bites’ nest, the swarm limpers, as it reaches to the magic barrier.
It comes close with their mouth spewing with dusts. The police saw the abominations as it looks alive but physically torn and dried. The nest was supposed to be movable like an organism, now it tainted with magic writings and holes that drips nothing but dusts inside of it. It morphed into a monster, a creature to they believe is undead. Only its legs are thin and feet still wide as a stump remained on its original feature. The insect like creature, becomes a glowing crystallized monstrosity showing off its innards to the city barrier.
The police open fire as the flames stretch further away to the back of the other swarm limpers. Fires fueled with biofuels and their processed materialized radiation from Alga’s light. Alga’s light spread as it neutralized the dust effectiveness. Limiting what the flames contains with it, the monsters burned into dust and crumbles in seconds. A wall of flames persists where they stand where the Alga’s light is, then slowly dissipates where the dust attracts the healthy flames to burnt out, but it takes time. The first monsters charge failed, but the cloud bursting to the air continue to go up. The police pointed it as something breaks free form the dust fog.
Root bites are coming with more flying monsters joining along the way. The police sergeant calls out the police chief
“Ma’am, we can’t reach it with our incendiary weapons. We are holding at the front as more and more are attacking the barrier”
“Then give the signal to the operators, or the people at the back of our line. Protect the upper barrier as we are focusing here”
“Yes Ma’am!”
The personnel at the back are switching to the front as their fuel tanks start to run out. Another wall of flames coming its way as the monsters stretch further with little numbers after escaping the dust fog.
The police maneuvered themselves to block every advance that the monster made, through the entire massive hundred kilometer stretch of segment of the barrier. They reach one of the barriers getting breached to the choke points they made. Rune barriers place only to the monsters on foot causing pushed back whenever it passed through the city barrier. The flying monsters, from above, pushed themselves inside. The police are slowly moving back as the monsters from above are coming their way. Another order called out
“Take to the choke points, ready your weapons as more of them are coming”
Another earthquake to the east side is stretching to fall. More monsters and dust fogs leak through to the surface, a monster with a faint aura around it disappears where the dust engulf it. The second line, the adventurers gulp down their throats as the S ranks remembered it clearly.
“Last night they weren’t kidding, something was up and we saw it right here. Demons’ puppets, their minions will be attacking too”
They have expected it would happen eventually. They join the elves and surveying underground. Facing those monsters underground with so much capabilities it had against them, now they are here. A sight a relief for the others who succeeded.
“They are just minions, but be careful that one of them might took control one of us if we are not too careful”
“Will the police personnel able to handle it?”
“What are you talking about!? The plan was they are suppressing the masses, while we are taking out the major threats”
The adventurers look at the swarms as the personnel were easily taken it out with their weapons. One after the other, cleanse away through fire as it remains outside of the barrier. Their worries still spoke out to them
“This is going to get worse when the fuels run out”
A sergeant and his group run to them as they barely hear them at the front. “Did anyone of you hear our request?!”
They all stumbled as they never hear him, then one of the adventurers pointed on something on his uniform. “Wait, was is that?”
Sergeant looks at his uniform as he sees a weird shimmers on his collar. He quickly picks it out and exposed an insect stuck to him.
“It’s a root bites but . . . wait a minute, it has magic”
They look around as one of the mages cast a wave around them as they already being swarmed with insects.
“We’re not ready for this”
Meanwhile at the command post, Manager Kubo received a call from the third line.
“Ma’am we detect insects swarming to the air. It sneakily flew here as weren’t able to see it. Somehow, it managed to get through the barrier hiding among the smoke. We can’t give contact at the front nor the second line. . . Bzzt”
The call was cut as magic rises at the second line. King calls out to his group
“What the hell? Sun’s skies! Saint Heroes! Anyone! What’s happen in your position . . . Hey!”
The advisor hears them struggling to get contact one of their own people and tries to call the police chief. “Is there anything wrong over there? Hey! Chief!”
Same problem as them, he looks across the distance where the everyone above them already aiming at the air. The blurred imagery he couldn’t see from afar and such the sounds of the people out there is still not able giving contact one another. He looks at the two district leaders; Old man Ban is calmly communicating with the volunteers as his signal is not yet jammed while cult leader Bokushi watching the battlefield vigorously.
The signal returns as a call for report is happening in the second line. Buzzing sounds keep churning around the signal as King barely hears anything they said. Through his device to translate the verbal to texts, he read it out loud to the other leaders.
“Demonic magic is coming from the insects, don’t send the suppliers to the front. Request help from the Fuku adventurers”
King finished reading the texts. Confused to read again as he tries to reach out Hidari “Fuku adventurers?”
The cult leader sighs “I’m guessing they will be the one resupplying. The defense is not looking both good for all of us here”
The cult leader calls out to his people. His telepathic ability reaches some of them to those he had entrusted to. The gang members heard him and proceed to find the people who can help them. “Second line is requesting for help. All people to gather at their location will be immediately heading the monster directly”
Words spread further as others tried to reevaluate their roles. One of the underdogs who stayed near the corner at the northern barrier were reached out by the gang members.
“You heard the boss, go get there and help them”
Flashes looks at them and nodded, the expression he gives turned frustration as he looks at his inventory that the double gives him. A secret camera that acts like a third person view as it can record every action he makes when the fight starts. The gang members told him with a straight and serious tone.
“The boss orders it and he want to tell you something, here!”
A fake earpiece places on his hand, making the pretentious game more elaborate. Playing the part as he immediately hears the cult leader’s voice without even place it near his ear. He speaks to him businesslike.
“The front needs left, do whatever you can to help them and continue your role as much opportunity you can have”
“Yes, boss”
Through Flashes’ thoughts as he sends to it to him. No other further conversation needed with his equipment are in preparation. The fake chubby belly and with flabby muscle in each part of his body, where he is going to hide his components and other gadgets. The place where he goes already erupt something they weren’t prepare. The sounds of fear still remained silent. the people he passes by say something around here.
“A tank monster is able to use their failsafe. It pushing them back to the second phase, don’t let that huge bug get close to you”
The insects, root bites, were under control by demon’s magic. They hid well with a blur and more of them get passed the dusty fog. The demonic magic had caused many nuances by sheer spells coordinating with those monsters. The root bites were able to summon one of the demons’ puppets as one after the other. The insects had summoned different. A humongous beetle that is a size of an elephant, but its shells painted with unknown symbolic features. However, it has no forearm limbs and a head. They can’t define it any further as it attacks as it dug only a half of its body on the ground and burrow through like a mound of soil moving at the frontline.
It pulls up from the ground as one of the adventurers rides on top of it. An opportunity upheld as they tried to strike it down with their rune weapons. Its carapace shell broken through as white fluids leaks out. The adventurers work together and try to break its shell. The monster struggle to move as it is cornered by a handful of people. They are struggling to pull their weapons out as they see the white fluids sticking on to theem. They said with a grunt
“Grr! It won’t come off. Its blood is too sticky . . .!”
“This is not magic. Its own blood is like glue”
The monster turns around and showing its arms and head.
It hid something inside of its shell and reveals it. They raised their defenses and shields as something is coming out of it. Stone runes appeared on its limbs, written in demonic writings and sigils, they pulled back. It shines brightly while the others trying to break free from the sticky glue. The adventurers turn around pulled out their range weapons and opened fire. Gunshots hit the monster’s stone runes as it activated. A spell activates and able to cast against their rune weapons. It shines them by its light and their failsafe forced them to leave. The stone runes eventually break where the adventurers able to hits its weak spots
Flashes and the other Fuku adventurers saw it. They look at it with the annoyingly smile on their faces and whispering one another with resentment and caution.
“What are we going do to make those bastards pay?”
The others start to laugh crazily about her response “You’re focusing too much of your doubles right now”
“I know how to deal those demon sigils but I’m not be the one to get the spotlight”
“That does it, she gone mad from the scandal we . . .”
The insect burrows towards them and they dash forward. “. . . We need to get that blocks on its head or forelimbs out before we get back to the rally point”
Others weren’t too lucky where the weapons sticking out from its sticky blood as they tripped forward. They move aside as they are trying to surround one of them.
“You there! Do you know how to deal with runes?”
“No”
The woman quickly says it as the other Fuku adventurers tried not to turn their heads from her obvious lie. The woman she takes her identity had some personal issues. If she tries to act like this in the middle of a siege, then what else she won’t be doing for the rest of her skills.
The adventurers order them as they busy handling the monster.
“Set your RAP to ‘finishing blows’, we need the help we could get to deal its carapace shell”
They look at the monster where the demonic runes are casting its spell like a beam. It slowly building up as the rune weapons were able to break it without any efffort. They pulled back and reorganized their skill sets. Open up their UIs and search the skill lists or trees that the adventurer requested. Others have found it but they max it to the point of suspicion, while the others found the alternative but it’s too personal and it is their secret list.
Flashes looks at their troubled faces and gives each of them, except her, his downgrade items.
“Use this and lower the stats of your required action points”
“Just called it RAP, we need to fit in with their terms”
“I am, as a smartass”
“Heh, alright and thanks”
They insert it to their equipment as the effects weakening their stats entirely. It was meant as a weapon to lessen the strength of enemies’ control and other separatable magic to segregate the monsters and the creations. To them however, they know they will get weaker but their annoying pride to share the glory of the faces of their borrowers will not take the credit of their own powers. They weakening their finishing blows from lethal to punishing, they hold up and begin charging at the monster.
The adventurers continue to back away as it tries to reach close to them. They block the demonic rune sigil as they can as its rune appeared and shining brightly onto them. They cast their magic to block it as the demonic runes is breaking their magic defenses. Their magic control was able to not letting mana to stretch further to its head. Yet it wasn’t enough, the monster able to tug the magic, and the adventurer pulled the mana as the monster fights for it and uses its head to cast down a beam. It cuts off the mana and took what half of it. They see it eats the mana and begins to heal itself.
The leaking of its body as a stick of glue starts to materializing but weighing down from the rune items. It’s arm and head are leaking through the white fluid and spray all around. They evacuated the area as the glue piled heavily in large chunks, it swings around the fluid as it turns into a web. They continue to move back until the webbing stopped. The spray of the web in the air materialized. It goes closer to one of them and activates the sigil with its head. A light spark to its face then disappears. The others managed to break free using fire but trapped with another thread as they move one step, even with magic, they got stuck in the end. They can’t fight back like this and the monster is coming for another attack.
The web is enforced by the sigil, cursing them to stop their abilities. They look at the monster with its demonic rune aiming at them. The chanting sound of spells is coming behind them where the Fuku adventurers move in with a flash. All who were caught from the flash froze up including the monster. To the side where one of them wasn’t part of the picture. This is their opportunity. Just one Fuku adventurer pulled out a scroll, placing it to the monster. Other adventurers follow as the motion between them and the monster starting to return back to their normal pace.
The flash loses its effect and begins to move slowly, decaying faster, back to the right sequence in motion. The rune weapons negate their spell but the monster takes it in through its web. Consumed indefinitely, its limbs start to appear and the sigils are getting clearer to see. A powerful carapace quills appeared on its back plucked away the rune weapons sticking on it. Fuku adventurers reach those weapons from its shell as the demonic runes are forcing their failsafe to activate. One by one they disappeared after the other, with landing hits shatter its shell. Breaking it apart where the stone runes exposed to where the adventurers’ range weapons can shoot.
Few fires through and pierced through its demonic runes, shattering further and piercing where the white fluids implode in the inside. It tumbles to the side of the impact where more projectiles are firing. A barrage of long-distance wooden ball projectiles coming from the third line, the monster fell and the runes crumbling to the ground. The remaining adventurers stood there and watch the blast with such thunderous fire. The Fuku adventurers were sent back inside the city with only less than a handful left.
Flashes almost used his ultimate but the fight is not over yet. More and more waves of webs spraying to the air with lighter like silk laying on the ground as threads. The adventurers from across the next battlefield are calling out,
“There is more of them at the other side, keep going or we won’t be enough to defend the third line”
Flashes nodded and sees who are left. The woman who complains and one random guy who survived breaking through the monster’s runes. They look at her in the eyes if she continues her grudge. She annoyingly gritted her teeth with frustration.
“OK! I should’ve stopped the rune effects . . .”
They push her forward and they don’t believe the word she says. The battle continues.
Into the battlefield where the fronts are now losing their numbers by the advantaged giant insectoid with stone demonic runes replaced its head and forelimbs. The third line is forcing to rain down the white landscape. The personnel are forcing themselves to go to the chokepoints while the adventurers will lure the monsters secluded from the main solid barriers. The Fuku adventurers are joining in as reinforcements with supplies to bring to the personnel. Once they bring the load supply to them, they can’t resupply back as hundreds of monsters appeared from the ground.