Chapter 51: Alliance

Seeing the mission completion prompt, Ain breathed out in relief, especially at the awarded ninety-four points. It was the right bet to adhere to the mission task! As Hugo shared his sentiment, new virtual prompts appeared in their vision.

[B-class Mission]

[Head to the Northern City Defense Facility and join the battle against Nighthawk.]

Once again, the mission description was brief, but these instructions were sufficient. After understanding their task, Hugo said to Ain, “What should we do with this guy?” He pointed at Mr. Slader. Ain replied, “He’s no longer a part of our mission. Just knock him out to be safe.”

Several seconds later, a rover bolted out of the abandoned warehouse. This was their opponents’ rover. Theirs had suffered some damage on the way here. As they flew a couple of meters above the ground, Ain glanced out of the window. All around them, panicked civilians were in mayhem as they evacuated the buildings towards the designated shelters. Vehicles moved about chaotically as a thin layer of dust floated about. In the distance, past the numerous skyscrapers, thick black smoke surged into the skies. “That should be the NCDF, right?” Hugo asked, driving the rover. Ain responded, “Most likely. That’s where the missile attacked.” He continued, “This is a B-class mission so we might face several Initiated Rank-1s, or even a Branded Rank-1. No matter what, let’s prioritize our own safety first.” Neither of them wanted to fail this mission.

“It’s a good thing we’ve faced Branded Rank-1s before,” Hugo commented. Ain expressed his agreement. After their experience with the Infernal Tiger, they’d deliberately accepted a mission to hunt a Branded Rank-1 Spirit Beast. Having been prepared beforehand, the battle had been much smoother.

As they approached their target, the devastation caused by the missile became even more evident. The buildings nearby suffered damage to varying degrees, from shattered windows to total structural collapse. Emergency vehicles were blaring sirens, some assisting the trapped civilians while others rushed towards the NCDF. “Everything is so real… The desperation in their eyes, their cries for help…” Hugo lamented. In his mind, he knew that this was Cyberspace, a virtual world. However, the palpable emotions triggered by the sights around him were undeniable. In the absence of cognizant focus, he’d find himself drowning in this false reality. It was a hypnotically strange sensation.

Ain remained silent. He understood Hugo’s feelings. During the Intelligence Test, he’d also lost himself in Cyberspace, suffering vertigo upon glancing down from high up. After that experience, he’d keenly retained the awareness of a false reality. This was vastly due to Wisdom Root. Otherwise, it was easy to overlook this fact in the heat of the moment, just as Hugo did earlier. With these thoughts in mind, they finally reached their destination ten minutes later.

Usually, fifty meters of vacant space surrounded the Northern City Defense Facility. This was a secure perimeter established by the NCDF, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from approaching. However, at this moment, the secure perimeter was no more. It’d morphed into a chaotic battlefield with thousands of combatants. The NCDF’s squadrons in white battle armor, outnumbered by the enemy, were miserably defending against Nighthawk’s fierce assault. Nighthawk’s armed forces donned black mechanical armor with helmets shaped like a hawk’s head. The hawk’s eyes revealed a red eerie glow, sublimating their ferocious appearance. The combatants on both sides were armed with combinations of hot and cold weapons. Laser beams and energy bullets intermixed with swords and shields exhibited a deadly dance amidst the brilliant light show. Small explosions and battle cries echoed across the battlefield.

At a distance, hidden from view, Ain and Hugo disembarked from their rover. Ain carefully observed the battlefield before glancing at the remnants of a shattered, dome-shaped energy shield around the facility. “Mr. Slader said that Nighthawk’s goal is to destroy the northern city region’s shield generator inside the NCDF. Looks like they haven’t made it inside the facility yet,” Ain determined. Hugo looked at the battlefield worriedly, “Aren’t there too many of them? Those guns don’t seem weak…”

“Scree!” While they were observing, Ace urgently alerted the pair from the skies. “There are two participants approaching from behind!” Hugo quickly revealed his spirit pet’s findings. He turned around with haste, preparing for battle. Nox also dove into Ain, using Possession. Next, while turning around, Ain’s figure vanished from sight.

Just seconds later, the aforementioned spirit masters appeared from around the corner. It was two teenagers, a boy and a girl. Their movements were cautious. Upon spotting Hugo, who’d already prepared an Aero Blast, their eyes instantly shook. “Careful!” Just as the boy shouted, and was about to dodge, he suddenly paused. It was the same for the girl; she’d also paused. Hugo, about to release his spell, and Ain, stealthily approaching the newcomers, were no different. All of them halted their actions simultaneously. A virtual prompt had appeared in their eyes.

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[Allies detected – Frans Vaughan and Paula Mayr]

[Allies detected – Ain Weisman and Hugo Ravenfall]

[An alliance has been established for the duration of this mission.]

“Huh? Alliance? We can do that?” Hugo blurted in surprise. The Aero Blast in his hand dissipated into the wind.

Frans Vaughan and Paula Mayr, the two newcomers, were just as surprised at the unexpected occurrence. Frans and Paula were similar in age to Ain and Hugo. Frans had blue eyes that seemed to reflect the vast oceans and blonde hair styled into classy curtains. His well-defined jawline and sharp eyebrows exuded a princely visage, appearing handsome and charming. Standing beside him, Paula’s forest-green hair was tied into a short ponytail as her bright green eyes contained immense vitality. Her white skin was fair and unblemished, adding to her cute and lively appearance with her petite stature.

Regaining his bearings, Frans suddenly asked, “Where’s your partner?” Hearing this, Hugo grinned and looked behind them. Frans and Paula subconsciously followed his gaze. Right on cue, only two meters away, Ain’s figure silently manifested from thin air. Seeing this, Frans’ eyes twitched as Paula exclaimed, “You were behind us?!” If they’d really fought… Realizing the unexpected danger they’d walked into caused them to shudder. Despite the confidence in their own abilities, the possibility of an assassination was always intimidating. Especially when they’d failed to discover Ain’s presence.

What followed were some brief introductions. Afterward, Paula turned to Ain, asking, “Ain, you’re the one who placed first in the Intelligence Test, right?” Frans looked over curiously. Ain nodded, “Yes.” In fact, he wasn’t unfamiliar with their names either.

“Frans, weren’t you first place in the Combat Test?” Hugo stated inquisitively. Frans smiled modestly. “I was just lucky.”

Ain, who’d memorized all the top scorers, added, “Paula was second place in the Machinist Test.”

“That’s right!” Paula was happy to confirm. She continued, “One of my goals in Arcane Heart is to study as a Machinist!”

“Machinist? Is that your mechanical spirit pet?” Hugo asked interestedly while glancing at Paula’s right arm that was adorned in a mechanical gauntlet. Its metallic surface was vibrant green with dazzling silver patterns.

“That’s right. I named its species Emerald Mega Tyrant! Its personal name is Emerald. I call it Emy for short.” Paula rapidly introduced, her eyes shining with excitement. The topic of machinists had seemingly flipped a switch inside her. Just as she was about to continue, Frans quickly interjected, “Paula, let’s focus on the mission.” Hearing this, Paula’s enthusiasm instantly deflated like a pierced balloon. Frans continued, “Since we’ll be working together, let’s briefly explain our abilities. I’ve contracted a light-aspect spirit pet. I’m good at both long-range attacks and close-combat.”

“Light-aspect? I’ve never encountered it before,” Hugo said in wonder. Ain was also interested in Frans’ abilities. He’d only seen some light-aspect spirit beasts in Liberty Firm’s catalog. After Frans, Paula explained, “Emy has the wood aspect. Right now, I’m good at support with control and healing abilities. I also have a long-range attack.”

Nodding, Hugo used his thumb to point at Ace flying above, “Ace is a wind-aspect Grand Eagle. We’re good at long-range attacks. My innate talent, Wind God’s Blessing, can strengthen our wind-aspect abilities.”

“You have a god’s blessing?!” Paula uttered in surprise. Frans’ expression revealed hints of amazement as well. Hugo smiled sheepishly, “Yeah. The consumption is a little high, so I can’t use it with every attack.”

Ain observed their shocked expression, fully aware of the reason. Initially, he didn’t care upon learning of Hugo’s innate talent through Scan. Only after searching on Cyberspace did he gain a better understanding. Blessings were a common but extremely useful innate talent. They could passively increase affinity for a particular aspect. More importantly, they allowed spirit masters to boost abilities of that aspect. They could strengthen their spells, martial arts, meditation techniques, and even augment their spirit pets’ skills. While this power was still within the limits of their rank, it still granted an advantage over their peers. However, this was only the case for normal blessings. What Hugo awakened was a god’s blessing!

God’s blessings. These were exceedingly rare innate talents, vastly superior to normal blessings. In principle, their effects were almost identical, with the god’s blessings providing a greater augment. Remarkably, this higher augment allowed spirit masters to display power beyond their own rank. Hugo’s lethal attack on the Infernal Tiger was the perfect example. As an Initiated Rank-1 Spirit Master, he’d instantly killed a Branded Rank-1 Spirit Beast with a single attack! Of course, Stratos Lance, the spell he’d used, was powerful in itself. Aside from this great boost, the god’s blessings granted another unique ability. This mystical ability was known as the god form. The information Ain discovered was limited, but the god form was supposedly a powerful trump card. From their reactions, Frans and Paula definitely knew more than him.

Ain’s speculation was correct. Frans and Paula had greater access to information. Upon learning of his innate talent, Hugo’s prowess in their hearts was instantly elevated. Ain allowed them a few seconds to digest the information before introducing his own abilities. “I’ve contracted a ghost-aspect spirit pet. I’m capable of close-combat and stealth. I can also attack from range.”

Ain’s repertoire seemed lackluster compared to the shock they experienced from Hugo, but neither of them underestimated him. It hadn’t been long since they’d almost fallen prey to him…