Mason sat behind a burned armored vehicle, the sounds of gunfire with occasional tank rounds being fired were heard all around him.

"Hehe..." He chuckled to himself, never having felt anything like this in a long time.

He stood up, taking out his luger and snapping his fingers, forming 5 rifles made out of pure mana.

"Shit! He's a mage!" One person yelled in the distance.

"Well no shit! He can turn dead men into soldiers!" Another yelled.

Mason stepped from behind the burned vehicle, seeing that the majority of the enemies had fallen back.

"Huh. Usually they're more stupid... 'He's just one guy! Get him!' is what they usually say," Mason sighed. "Fuck."

The rifles disappeared. Mason walked forward toward the base. There was a small little checkpoint, usually meant for checking in. It was abandoned now.

He jumped over the small barrier, now inside the base of Forgelyke. The immediate smell of metal and burning fuels filled his nostrils.

"Did they seriously abandon this place? It's weapons galore out here." He said, looking around. There were buildings bunched up together, like a brutalist style of architecture.

These buildings were primarily meant for people to stay in, but also to stash weapons.

Mason turned to his left, a perfectly preserved corpse standing there. The eyes stayed a milky white, but it still looked like a normal person. "What is it?"

"We've found a lab." The person said, him talking surprising Mason a little.

"You can talk, eh?" Mason lifted up the helm of his trench coat, revealing a book at his side. He took the book out, the cover being a mix of metal and flesh.

"Your name will be Ika-27. Until you can prove yourself, that'll be your name. Not many can talk, so the potential is there." The book began to flip through pages rapidly, names blurring by.

Suddenly, a red light burst from the book, Ika's body stretching and contorting before being sucked into the book. "Only those with the potential to overthrow countries can be my summons."

Mason's eyes shifted to someone peeking from behind a corner. When they noticed they were spotted, they ran.

Mason sighed, following them; he knew it was more than likely going to be a trap, but he loved the thrill.

As he turned the corner, he found a bunch of soldiers kneeling on one knee, guns aimed at him.

"Forgot that this was one the more advanced nations." He said, noticing a truck with a steel white box behind them.

"Oh?" They began to open fire. A mana forcefield was deployed, the bullets bouncing off.

He pointed the luger at them, shooting their heads one by one.

"Open the door!" One of them yelled, getting shot in the head.

A soldier jumped onto the back of the truck, going behind the steel box. Cranking could be heard from behind as the door began to get lifted up.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"..." Mason stood there, waiting. "You know... The best weapon technology you have are all single fire weapons... I'm not an expert on weapons, but I don't want to call what you have muskets... They look similar in design though. You have a bigger gun in there?"

As the door was halfway open, a large gray hand grabbed it, the very grip crumpling the stainless steel door.

It forces the door open, the inside of the box completely black. The way the sun was positioned, it was behind the box.

Mason saw glowing green eyes on the inside, they were narrowed as they seemed to be locked into him.

"We lost 7 men just loading him into the truck! Good luck!" The man peered from behind the steel box.

In a blur, the figure dashed out of the box, sending the truck off the ground slightly.

He crashed into Mason, creating a cloud of smoke.

The man behind the box got off the truck, wanting to watch the scene unfold.

When the smoke cleared, the soldier was stunned to see the large, hulking figure struggle against Mason.

"Get him! Ivan!" The soldier yelled at the figure.

Ivan was a man with gray skin, standing at an impressive 7'8. He had green hair that went to shoulder length, and he wore no shirt, only baggy, ripped pants. He has various scars on his muscular frame, one going from his neck to his abdomen.

He held a greatsword that was black in color, being around 7 feet itself. It wasn't too thin, having a tiny bit of thickness to it. Its guard was in the shape of a star and was yellow in color. The hilt was pointy, looking as if it was meant for piercing.

Mason had caught the greatsword with one hand, his arm shaking a little as blood began to soak his glove. "Stupid beast!"

He disappeared, Ivan getting struck on his face right when he reappeared in the air.

Ivan grabbed the back of his coat, throwing him into the ground and kicking him back.

Mason backflipped, landing on the wall of the building. As he looked up, he saw a razor thin arc being sent at him. He dodged out of the way and landed on the ground.

He turned around, watching as the building was cut clean in two. "That could've been nasty."

Ivan roared and began to run forward, dashing up to Mason.

Mason immediately turned around, his hand glowing with a black aura.

Ivan swung his sword, but found that he actually clashed with Mason's fist.

"You'll make a fine summon." The two clashed for a few seconds; Ivan brought down his sword, but Mason sidestepped and grinned, a shotgun poking out of the ground.

Ivan tilted his head to the side, however it was too late. The shotgun fired and blasted off part of his face.

"I SIMPLY MUST HAVE YOU!" Mason yelled, the book phasing through his trench coat helm and suddenly, a large creature was summoned behind him.

It had the body of a serpent, having arms and legs as well as 4 wings. It's length was about 70 feet.

Ivan swung his sword, but the beast was faster, swiping at him and knocking him into a building, causing it to crumble.

Mason clapped his hands together, summoning a variety of automatic weapons. They were similar to modern day weaponry, though not of this time period. "Unleash that hell."

They began to open fire, a barrage of bullets causing smoke and dust to kick up.

As they were hailing fire on Ivan, Mason formed a metallic spear, laughing. "Your flesh is weak!" He impaled Ivan with the spear.

As the dust cleared, Mason watched as Ivan laid dead, littered with bullet holes and the spear slowly sinking into him.

"You realize the weakness of your flesh now, no?" The serpent-like creature disappeared, Mason staring at Ivan as he watched him stand up completely docile.

The soldier that had been watching the whole thing was shocked. "I-impossible!" He turned around to run, but Michael was standing right behind him, back in his original uniform with the suspenders.

He pointed a gun at him and shot him clean in the head. "Done here?"

Mason nodded as Ivan was consumed into the book. "Now all that's left is to wait for Amelia."