[One hour before the start of the mission]
“Mr. Reed, all of the monsters in this area have been killed.”
“Good job, Daniel. You and your squad can take some much-deserved rest.”
“Thank you, sir!”
With a sharp but quick salute, Daniel left the building I was currently stationed in. It’s been a few hours since the arrival of monsters that appeared all over the world. I’ve been receiving messages from the president and the other cabinet members about the whole situation, and the one word I would use to describe it is chaos.
When I was standing in front of the Dungeon portal, I and the superhumans I’d called on were fortunate enough to receive a small wave of monsters. They were easy to dispatch, but we couldn’t rest. More monsters were appearing from the ground and the air- their destination New York City. Leaving the church behind, we all came running to help evacuate the cities while simultaneously subjugating the monsters. Just now we have just finished killing a horde of them in one sector. Well, I didn’t really do much since all I did was issue orders and commands to the able body.
I was sitting in a small office that serves as a bunker in New York City. Many civilians are taking refuge inside the cramped building as superhumans patrol the outskirts, eliminating any monsters that linger nearby. From time to time I would soothe the restless by giving them encouraging speeches and informing them the superhumans will deal with the threat. While I may be putting up a front, I still feel bad for lying to these folk. We are in deep trouble after that announcement from that lifeless man from the video. Not to mention everyone, including those who aren’t superhumans, got some weird message notifying us about a mission that will commence in one hour. Because of that inauspicious message, I have had my guard up as I sat on an office chair, thinking about what to do next. Before I knew it, that one hour went by in a flash, and a blue screen arose with an ominous message.
[Would you like to participate in the Tower of Strength?]
[If you press yes, you will gain the powers of a superhuman as you take on the fearsome Tower of Strength and have access to the S.O. If you press no, then you will not be able to participate in the Tower of Strength and no changes will be made to your physique.]
[Yes or No]
These strings of sentences had my heart racing. I could attain the power of a superhuman? A power envied by most?
Alas, due to my careful nature, I decided to pry into this situation even further. I called out to Daniel who just so happened to be passing by outside my window by tapping on the window. In about a minute, Daniel was standing in front of me.
“Did you call for me, Mr. Reed?” Daniel asked.
“You received the message too, right?”
Daniel furrowed his brow. “The message? Are you talking about the one that said the First Stage will begin shortly? Please wait a moment while preparations are finalized? Yea, that message has everyone riled up.”
What? He received an entirely different message than me? He also said that everyone is riled up because of it, meaning that the superhumans all have the same message as he does. Wait! Could it be?!
“Daniel, call one of the refugees to my office, pronto,” I ordered. Without another word, the superhuman rushed out of the office and brought back a middle-aged woman with graying hair.
“Hello, madam. Sorry for calling you at such late notice. I just have one question for you,” I said calmly.
“Y-Yes?” The woman glanced around anxiously. Her clothes were tattered and had some dried blood on her blue jeans. Though her clothes have gone through much, she seems relatively fine.
“Have you received a message about the Tower of Strength? And gaining the powers of a superhuman?”
The lady stared at me with her mouth hanging open. “You know about that too? I thought I was going crazy!”
I frowned at the woman's words and said, “Daniel, go fetch another one. I need to confirm something.”
Daniel nodded and retrieved another refuge, this time a little girl with pigtails and a pink dress.
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“Hey there sweety. I want to ask you a simple question. After that, you can go back.”
The girl shook her head without replying.
“Good. Well, have you received a message about participating in the Tower of Strength?”
The girl once again nodded her head without saying a single word. In the corner of my eye, I could see Daniel glancing at all three of us, wide-eyed. This all but confirmed my suspicions. Those who aren’t superhumans are given the opportunity to gain the powers of a superhuman by participating in this Tower of Strength while the superhumans are forced to enter anyways. The situation was worse than I thought. Informing the president and other officials was the top priority.
“What choice did you guys choose when you saw the message?” I quickly asked, a hard lump forming in my throat. Deep down, I wish that these two chose no, especially the little girl.
“Thinking it was just my imagination or some kind of ruse, I quickly tapped no,” the woman answered matter-of-factly. After her answer, we all turned out heads at the girl, waiting for her answer.
“…I-I was going to press no, b-but some s-stranger shoved me, so I pressed… y-yes,” she stammered, tears slowly forming in her eyes. The whole room was quiet as small sniffles filled the room. No one knew what to say or what to do in this situation. But what we did know, was that the world is going through big changes soon. A new wave of superhumans was being born in front of our very eyes, which is both a good and a horrible thing in this drastic landscape.
****
“Cardinal, the preparations are complete.”
“…Thank you, archbishop Thath.”
I, Cardinal Nicholas, am now standing over all nine of the archbishops I have gathered, all wearing robes of pure white. They were all kneeling with their heads hung low and a fist to their chests, signifying that they have given their hearts and soul to I, and to the gods. The final member of the archbishops has yet to arrive, but she is a special case, so I’ll let it slide. I must proceed with the plans.
“I will make this quick since we do not have time on our side. Due to the gods will, both planet Earth and Athiens are now one of the same. While our previous mission given to us by the gods has been completed, we are still not finished! We have a new goal now. We archbishops, no… we athios must conquer this planet all for the sake of the gods!”
Yes, it is the gods will that we, who are blessed with their power, shall be the ones to rule over all! All for the sake of the Pillars who want to rule with an iron fist!
“Before the conquest, we must address the problem at hand!” I roared, taking another step forward. “Everyone on this planet, humans and athios, are granted the privilege of using the S.O., a mystical entity that only the gods have full control of! This S.O. is the reason why these humans are able to gain strength comparable to ours! But the tides have turned now that athios are able to access this system. The athios species are far superior to humans, and we must show them our terrifying strength. If we do not strike the humans first, then our whole species will be annihilated by them! Which is where the problem arrives. I need half of you to participate in the stages, and the other half to join me as we convince the athios to join our cause.”
After finishing my speech, one of the archbishops quickly rose their hands. It was archbishop Zolvo, ranked third of the archbishops in strength.
“I will participate in the stages.”
“So will I,” said archbishop Talia, ranked ninth of the archbishops. “I want to grow stronger for archbishops Catalina’s sake and enact my revenge.”
“I, archbishop Ringo will join, if the Cardinal allows it.” Ringo ranked sixth of the archbishops whispered.
“Choro and I will head in too. I’m curious about what is inside this Tower of Strength,” a raspy voice spoke.
“Do not speak for me, Evant. I’m capable of forming words,” a short man snapped. Choro is ranked fifth among the archbishops while Evant, an old but vigorous man, is ranked eighth.
I clasped my hands in excitement. “Splendid! You five will participate in the stages while the others will work closely by my side. Any complaints about this?”
“No, Cardinal!” They all roared in unison.
“Perfect. Those who are entering the Tower of Strength may leave. I have much to discuss with the remaining archbishops.”
“Yes!” The five cried out, departing the area in the blink of an eye, leaving us five alone. Soon after, I heard boots crunching against earthy soil. I didn’t even have to turn my back to know who it was.
“Ah, you’ve finally arrived, the final archbishop,” I smiled.
“I had to find the perfect opportunity to slip away from someone,” a beautiful voice replied.
“Spare me the details another time. I was just about to go over the rest of the plan with your new colleagues.”
“Wonderful…”
The woman took her spot next to one of the quiet archbishops. Instead of kneeling like the rest of them, she stood up firmly with folded arms. None of the archbishops reprimanded the woman, noticing that I wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
A person familiar with Earth working with me is a blessing in disguise. She will provide me information and resources needed to comfortably go forward with our plans. I’ve heard that she is of high ranking in this world, so her assistance will be invaluable. This new archbishop is also strong too, probably stronger than Thath or even Zolvo, though I have yet to witness her true strength. Never in a million years would I have expected a human of this caliber to approach me first, asking for a mutual alliance of all things. Traitors are present not only in us athios, but humans too.
Either way, things are coming along smoothly. With both planets now merged into one, all landmasses that used to be in Athiens are now here. The Ashia continent, North and South Osmen, Bellagros, and even the Forbidden Area have been transported here. Truly a remarkable power the gods have shown to us feeble mortals. A power to revere, but to be awestruck of… Someday, I hope to have even a snippet of that power within me. I don’t dare dream of being stronger than the gods- no one can be. It is merely a delusion and a death wish to even think about. I am fine with just being fortunate enough to witness their spectacle right here. Far down below their feet like the insignificant maggot I am.
I will make everyone- humans, athios, and monsters bow down to them. And it all starts with initiating a war between species and seizing control of the new world.