[Skill Activation: Golden Light]
Devilish beasts quivered at the sight of it. Wind had been beckoned from the activation alone, the breath before the mighty shout. The [Excalibur Valfyre] was held high as divine light pulsated through the beautiful steel and the beasts hissed feeling the magic eat away at its demonic flesh.
The Magnanimous King narrowed her eyes upon the enemy and locked her jaw. A pathetic horde. The front-most was pushed back by the resulting winds. If they were that easy to move, then it’d take a soft nudge to send them back from whence they came.
“Begone!” she ushered as her hair flew loose and wild with tempest, and set the [Valfyre] towards the enemy.
They could not howl before the light eviscerated them into dust and ash.
Monarch had achieved enough skill with [Golden Light] where it wouldn’t cause collateral damage to property or allies; here, she had to be mindful of what extent she would use her strength. Otherwise there wouldn’t be much of a city after she was done.
But pessimistically, that future was staring at her right now. Monarch looked over the streets of Windvent and found desolation as far as she was willing to see: a once prosperous city taken to war and nowhere was sacred. She did not allow the negativity to overwhelm her thoughts and instead sought the path forward, the only path, where peace was carved by the sword and kept safe under its edge.
The enemies of the world must fall, she decided.
[Skill Activation: Reins of Heaven]
Beneath her a sunlight stallion manifested into being, his body a translucent blonde from mane to horsetail. Monarch shouted a determined “Yah!” and commanded her companion to take flight high into the air, soaring above the rooftops of Windvent, seeing the Pillar’s energy being stolen to feed the Miracle. Most pressingly, however, was the war taken place throughout the borough. Fires snaking over rooftops. Smoke blowing in great plumes.
Before she could observe the area further, she was attracted to a band of unknown aerial beasts. Lots of them in the skies now, in flocks and entourages, many of which assaulting the ground forces or helicopters that had gunners firing thick bolts of ballistic fire.
The stallion marched faster, and with [Golden Light] still activated coursing through the [Valfyre], it took only one slash to clip their wings and have them drop like heavy stones. Monarch gave herself the responsibility to clear the skies more, becoming a fierce comet shooting across the fiery air and slaying any vulture who dared to prey on her people and brethren.
She didn’t know how long she was caught up in the battle. The thrill of flight on horseback—how exciting was it?—while having nothing but easy pickings. A pleasure for her warrior heart. But she couldn’t indulge in the pastime, not when she had the responsibility of a Guild Master and an unbreakable guardian of Ordo and humanity.
She searched the borough for additional threats. Distantly she heard wails, and about a mile north there was a large gecko-looking thing that was currently biting down on the corner of a building. And more pockets of goons, counting at least two dozen with a single glance. We aren’t slaying them fast enough. I’m not sure how much longer Ordo can withstand this endless horde. I haven’t heard a thing from Seraph or from the Baptists. What in the world are they doing?
Clenching her teeth, she thought about how much she wanted to tackle the Miracle alone, a reckless death contributed nothing. Monarch whipped the [Reins of Heaven], found a familiar spark of lightning and thunder, and rode off to the location as fast as her steed could dash. And considering this was nothing but a manifestation, he could go pretty fast.
She arrived at the Kabuki-Ordo Theatre in a couple of minutes, cleaving away at any threats as easily as swiping a broom. Heroic Park had been emptied out, replaced with soldiers instead of refugees as the latter was corralled into the theatre itself for protection. When her fellow warriors saw the [Golden Light], there were cheers amongst the rifles and praises from the Slayers, especially the Royals who looked to her as a symbol of hope.
Landing on the ground, casings rolling underneath the horse’s hooves, he dissipated into dust as Monarch swiftly used the monumentum to enter a brisk walk, cape flapping like a mighty eagle’s wings.
She spotted her Slayers positioned near fortifications, using the brief respite to check themselves and prepare for the inevitable next wave. Levin was getting healed, Fusil was checking his ethersand rifle, then one of her coordinators hurriedly ran up to her.
“Monarch, ma’am!” she cried, her headphones shaking precariously around her neck. “There’s a new broadcast in the [Public Channels] and on the radios!”
Finally. “A counterattack?”
The coordinator nodded.
“What does Seraph need?”
A flash of hesitation struck, and the coordinator answered.
~~~
“Are you fuckin’ insane?!” Montana was moments away from punching Mystic before Lyressa hurriedly stepped between them, shoving her hands against their chests, hoping to avert a civil war in the middle of a worse war.
“Calm down, Montana!” Lyressa pleaded as he pushed and pushed, wanting blood and his pink teeth was begging for it, and she was barely able to keep him back. “Please! I implore you to calm yourself as it won't do any good—!”
“‘Any good’?! He’s trying to get us killed!” Montana roared, spit flying from his battle-worn lips as an arm tried to grab at Mystic. That was when Lyressa physically forced him back a couple feet. “Get him to stand down or I’ll do it—!”
“You’re not in any position to make threats to me, American!” Mystic declared as some of his followers stood behind him, much too comfortable to start a conflict with their fellow guildmates. No one else here wants this. “While the Miracle sits there unprotected, Seraph hasn’t given any orders to engage! If no one’s capitalizing on this opportunity then I will! This isn’t a negotiation but courtesy, and if you want to stand in my way, then by all means, I’m not afraid to put down a traitor—!”
“What the hell did you just call me—?!”
“There’s no need for that rhetoric!” cried Lyressa, putting both hands against Montana as the temperature was simply escalating from here. Oh, to whatever gods are out there, what must I say and do to prevent a full skirmish from breaking out?
“Then go, you and your lot have already turned your backs on us. Your absence will be a relief.” A large man with wild snow hair took Lyressa’s side: Fenrir. “Go and kill yourselves fighting Wonder.” He paused for emphasis, understanding the twisted expression in the man’s eyes. “But the little homewrecker doesn’t want that, does he?”
He’s trying to drum up support, Lyressa concluded as she looked around the area. So many members of Glory Guild were here, and all of them were watching, and surely they were sending constant updates to the rest throughout the city.
Mystic was an opportunistic man, but wisdom was knowing which opportunity was not to be seized.
Because no matter how much one may agree with his position, that with every second of Seraph’s inaction meant a second of suffering, the absence of Archknell was a wound that kept getting scratched at.
Yet that did not mean they automatically sided with Lyressa. Simply put, if the positions of power were reversed—that Mystic was the Acting Guild Master and she the rogue Head Officer—many would follow his order out of respect and obligation. Of course there'd be a few rebels but the culture was that: follow strength and trust in their leadership.
It was Louis’s will that kept Glory Guild together.
Mystic was fighting against it. His fist clenched white yet his face was red. Suddenly the redness lightened somewhat and he pointed a finger at Fenrir, rigid like metal. “I know you’d prefer that, but at the end of the day: We. Are. Brothers. If I’m marching off a cliff, will you stand and watch? If I’m fighting against God, are you going to stand there and watch me suffer?”
He spoke like a politician. Lyressa could not completely understand that comparison but Montana often said that, and despite her lack of context she felt these words stir something inside her soul. A horribly manipulative man, trying to exploit camaraderie for his own gain.
Lyressa didn’t know what to do, however. How could she even begin to amend this situation?
Veins bulged in Fenrir’s head. “Why don’t you—?”
“Remind yourself what Archknell wanted from us,” Mystic said, glowering. There was no warmth in his eyes. Lyressa had never met a man who looked so hateful yet hiding behind such large words. “And remind yourself what Archknell wanted from us. If the Acting Guild Master can’t grant his wish, then that’s no commander at all.”
Louis never wanted you as his Vice Guild Master. However the words never left her tongue. It was forced halfway through her throat but they refused to leave. The pressure of an audience paralyzed her. The expectation of success taunted her. The sheer hostility of man baffled her.
Her greatest fights were in her thoughts, but they were not strong enough to lift a single finger.
She didn’t know how long her silence was. A few seconds? A few minutes or perhaps a few hours. It mattered not. Any unspoken stretch of time would be seen as a failure in Mystic’s perspective. He was an opportunistic man, and his wisdom was knowing to take any opportunity he could get.
She could not disagree: her failure was worth capitalizing, because she was ill-fitted for the position.
The silence was broken by a man’s loud footsteps. There, he had the recent communications, and a personal request to the members of Glory Guild in Creekwood.
From the Baptists.
~~~
“Calibration completed!” Alma cried to the others, slamming the hatch and hopping off the platform.
Neither Yatsar nor Thunderstrike Hammer caught what he said. In fact Alma wasn’t quite sure if he said what he said either. The hangar’s thin steel walls rattled, sweat poured down their chins and their robes had taken on a deeper, unsanitary color. Outside the large doors had platoons rushing out the gates and helicopters whirred violently, taking flight.
Combat sounded so close that Alma was perpetually afraid of getting hit by a stray missile or a magical artillery bolt. But his fear of horribly dying to the Comets was the stronger, which was why he was here in the first place. After seeing the supernovas that the Lesser Miracle, Wonder, had created, the superweapon needed to be completed pronto. And it wasn’t. There had to be a third set of hands, then.
However it wasn’t like his help was appreciated when Thunderstrike saw him standing around, resulting in a heart-stopping tirade of insults (reminding him of his academic research during university). Before Alma knew it, he was suddenly put on harsh physical labor, pushing heavy and delicate mechanisms up a ramp and onto the main vehicle.
Where Yatsar had a plate open, doing the wiring within.
“Yatsar!” Alma pleaded to him, but he didn’t catch his desperate cries. “Yatsar!”
That time, Yatsar noticed. He found his fellow Journey, let go of his tool which levitated in the air as if put in zero gravity, and helped Alma place the mechanism in its rightful place, near the base of the weapon.
Collaborating, they communicated to slot the pieces together.
As Alma was busy drilling, he asked Yatsar over the noise, “Do you think this will work?!”
“What?!” he replied.
“Can this kill the Comet?!”
“I don’t know!” Alma wasn’t expecting a truthful answer—Lord, he’d prefer being lied to. The chaos outside did nothing to ease the chaos inside. Yatsar elaborated, “We extracted the anti-divinity property from the [Godslayer Claymore] and combined multiple effects from other high-grade items but we literally do not know until we try! What you see here is basically a child’s clay sculpture, sticking in anything he can find!”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I want you to give me hope! Certainty!” Alma joked, doing his best to smile but he knew it was unconvincing. He wasn’t that good at jokes but he needed anything to make his heart feel lighter.
Yatsar cocked his head to the side. “There is a one-hundred percent chance of an explosion!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Which one do you prefer: several kilometers away or a few feet in front of you?”
“I dislike your sense of humor, Yatsar!” As the two of them finished placing the part, the air had suddenly grown very oppressive. Alma recognized this sensation too well over the past day.
Hairs stood tall on his arms, frozen.
The Righteous Jin Tiehan, Blackviper, and Catalyst entered the hangar. The latter-most couldn’t care less of what was going on, but Blackviper seemed to be very curious about their progress. Curious and impatient, for obvious reasons.
But the Perfected Cultivator, in spite of the city-wide attack, was more inquisitive than distressed. As expected. You couldn’t comprehend the mental framework of outliers. Not unless you were a psychologist with years of study. Alma hoped to never make the same idiotic mistake again.
He met the vile eyes of the Vice Guild Master and faced a handsome yet sadistic smile—a reminder of what Alma had been complicit in: the unethical seizure of the corpse of Fragment Carn during Operation Wolf Prowl.
“Men!” cried Righteous Jin Tiehan with his hands characteristically behind his back. “I have received personal orders from the Dawn Baptists! We have been given the honor to personally deliver the killing blow to the Miracle!”
His commanding voice silenced all other noise. Thunderstrike Hammer went quiet, obedient even, and that was rare. Alma should enjoy the feeling.
“We haven’t completed it just yet, but what does Seraph ask of us?” inquired Yatsar.
“A location has been picked out for you. The truck is operable, yes? So start driving and complete the weapon on the way there,” ordered the Martial before his handsome smile became odd, having a strange glint that had been matched in his eyes. “We have a very unique experience ahead of us, everyone.”
He paused to enjoy a small, excited chuckle.
“Because Seraph did not give us orders. Conqueror had.”
~~~
“Kashan, do you trust me?” Sera asked during the beginning of the Disaster, some time after the events of Operation Scorcher. Nathan had taken it upon himself to deal with the Cosmic Beasts called in by the Comets, so it was just the two of them holding the fort here in Ordo.
Ariella was safe in Primordial Zero, and Sera had taken up the position beside the General of the Army to bring security to this wonderful city once more.
But there was one thing troubling Kashan, and it wasn’t the fact that he was the Acting Guild Master of Angels. He turned to his long-time friend as they stood on the rooftop of some building in Dawns, observing the clean-up efforts of the battlefield of Operation Scorcher, smelling blood and acid in the air.
“I do,” Kashan began, “but I have to say: this has to be the most reckless decision you’ve made yet. Don’t tell me that I don’t understand, though. Compared to you and your husband, I'm the only one who has a brain to think with.”
“Haha, that's exactly why I want your advice." The Angel lowered her head and her smile from his tease faded. "You’ve always been the most cautious out of the three of us—“
“And whenever you start with that, I suddenly get a lot more worried.”
Sera had a muted chuckle. “You’re right to be. I’m placing a lot of faith into the greater mechanics of the multiverse, and I’m praying every second I have that we will achieve a good outcome at the end.”
Not a worse outcome, knowing Archknell’s death. “Well, you have a very strange definition of ‘advice’ because you already did it. You’ve done it, you made the decision. So I think you want to be reassured, don’t you?”
He saw right through her and she knew it. “Yes, you're right. You’re right… You're right completely. Please tell me it’s the correct decision. Please tell me that the years we spent watching Alexander and the others won’t be wasted. That I haven’t ordered innocent people to die. You know how paranoid Nathan and I can be: this mystery involving Helodrake Aethfell and the Almagest, it has already tormented our world once. Once!”
I remember the conversations. You and Nathan were unsatisfied with how the Great Crisis ended, and that dissatisfaction led to paranoia: fretting over loose ends, trying to solve mysteries with zero clues. I always thought you were being silly at times, rightfully concerned in others, and now…
“Your conspiracy theory is correct,” Kashan reassured her with a gentle smile, hearing the jingle of his earrings. “So seeing that I’ve been proven thoroughly wrong, I think you made the right decision. We need to put our trust in Alexander Shen—he might just be the man we need to tip the balance in our favor.”
In that strange, strange man who found himself in the center of the largest multiversal soap opera there is.
Kashan blinked a few times in an attempt to get his brain working again. He stared upwards into the night where galaxies had exploded, and across the borough of Flares, there were combat and artillery and magick blasting little ants in the sky. Running around him were more people than he could count including his own Angels.
He glanced at the Slayer System, seeing the direct message that Sera had sent him just a few minutes ago.
> Seraph:
>
> Conqueror now commands the Dawn Baptists and is leading the operation against Wonder. Orders coming very soon.
Kashan sighed. “Good on him, I guess…” But then he rubbed his eyes before looking beyond the Ordo Outbreak Barrier, hoping to see a friend. “Is this what you expected from him, Nathan?”
~~~
“Six teams,” declared Alexander. “We will be divided into six teams. To start simple, Echo Team will meet up with the Journeys to escort the Wonder Superweapon to its designated location—which we will determine soon—where it will have a clean shot at taking the bastard out once we collapse the demesne. Foxtrot will directly head to Creekwood and make fucking sure that Wonder stays there so Echo can take the shot. Once the Superweapon fires, Foxtrot will ensure the Sungrazer’s death. It’s simple but as we all know, anything involving the Sungazers will be anything but.
“Alpha through Delta will have the most important job: each team will travel to one of the Four Pillars carrying a piece of Devoy. They will access the Heart of the Pillar—the massive mana crystal powering it—and use the Void God’s powers as a scalpel and not a hammer. Because during Wolf Prowl, he was able to deactivate the defenses to Pereyra’s demesne. And since Wonder is forcibly siphoning mana from the Pillars…” And we can assume that no matter what the engineers do, they can’t stop it, “…then it might just be possible for Devoy to sever the connection between Heart and Miracle but not Heart and Barrier, then maintain that breakage for as long as possible. Remember what Althea said: once Wonder starts losing power, it will compensate for the loss. Meaning, if we cut the connection to one Pillar, the rest will drain faster. The most optimal strategy is to disconnect simultaneously but that’s the dream: do not hesitate to plug Devoy in if necessary.
“That’s how we can put the bastard in the grave!”
The Dawn Baptists were taken aback by his plan and their minds raced through the details, and whispers moved. But Alexander knew they would agree. This was the best way to solve the puzzle: using Devoy’s powers as a Void God, using the Wonder Superweapon, using every hand at their disposal.
This was how!
Initiate stepped forward. “The demesne has shut down spatial abilities. We can’t teleport our way there. We’ll be put in danger.”
“I know.” I implied it when I mentioned Althea’s comment. “But the city is waiting for orders.” Alexander pointed to the array of monitors. “And they will listen to us. We’ll communicate with the Slayers and secure a passage to our destinations. The Royals are in Windvent; Glory in Creekwood; Martials in Dawns; and Angels in Flares. Not to mention the rifles and other Slayers present. We’ll be the core of each team but we’ll have as much support as we can scavenge!”
Alexander took a deep breath and turned to Seraph, who was deep in thought. “That’s why I need to make a direct request, Seraph: Transfer the leadership of the Dawn Baptists to me.”
The petition had transformed the thoughtful mutters into a stunned silence, the most unsettling silence that Alexander experienced yet, as he stood on the public square. Worse than any presentation he had to give or having to introduce himself to a high-ranker. This was the most outrageous demand he had to one of the most respected Slayers in the entire world.
He imagined it now, the headlines: ‘The imperious Conqueror attempts to wrestle control from the Guild Master of Angels!’ This was bullshit that Mystic would pull, but unlike the guild-wrecker this was the best path forward.
Unlike Prominence, who had wormed his way into the chair of the Vice Guild Master of Oasis. The Bastard looked on at Conqueror and the shared history between them seemed to flash in his eyes, and seeing that young man now, he sneered. What do you think you’re doing, Alex? was what his glare said, and despite the handsome mask he put on, he squeaked out a laugh and checked on what his men thought. Some imagined it silly, but some, like Jackhammer, was taking this seriously.
Because Alexander had support. His own Slayer Team was hesitant at the idea but they knew what he was capable of; they were the ones who’d constantly pushed him to be better, to exploit his abilities to the fullest potential. Then there were Systemic Works and Slayers from other guilds, who had worked with and heard about his accomplishments achieved in such a short amount of time.
But most of all, the echoes of the Previous Earth rang.
Conqueror, Alexander spoke to his otherself, who was probably laying in a grave now, what was it like when you first emerged into the spotlight? Was it something like this?
But regardless of his support and opposition, the Angel had the final say.
So Alexander continued, making a direct plea to her, “I’ll repeat myself: transfer the Dawn Baptists to me, and I will reach out for support. Seraph, you’re an SS-Rank Slayer. There’s a good chance you’ll see combat and change the tide on the battlefield. But guess what? I’m still just an E-Rank Pseudo; my combat ability is limited. But you can’t say the same for my commanding. All I need to do is to stay here with Sage and lead you all from the Encampment.”
Prominence protested, “You can’t be serious—!”
“Shut the hell up.”
“Who exactly do you think you are—?"
“That’s enough, Prominence!” Seraph barked, and it was her voice that got the Bastard to bite his tongue. A steady, piercing gaze turned Alexander’s heart inside out, and she kept it without blinking, without compromising.
This was a challenge, and Alexander fought.
She told him in a soft, authoritative voice, “I have no major criticisms with your proposition. It’s clever, splitting Devoy into quarters to attack the connection between the Pillars and the Miracle. But you do understand the request you’re making, Conqueror?”
“I do.”
“Do you believe you can do it? Can you lead us to victory?”
“I will.”
Seraph’s face twitched slightly, a few muscles moving, but that said everything. She twirled around and faced the entirety of the Dawn Baptists. “Does anyone object to Conqueror’s plan or his request for transfer? Other than Prominence?”
Prominence wanted to be angry but he couldn’t help but smile to himself at the insanity of it.
Nobody spoke out.
Leona and Althea met him with more adoration than he knew.
Alexander felt like he could cry.
“Okay,” Seraph muttered as if she was in disbelief. “Okay!” she exclaimed, to make herself believe. “Then it’s settled! Conqueror, the Baptists are yours. How are we doing this?”
Alexander smiled.
~
[Wonder Counteroffensive] - The Day Where We Bring Down Comets COMMAND [Encampment] Conqueror, Sage, Third Paradise (Construction Crew), Artisans of House of Engineers ALPHA [Flares] Victor (Devoy Carrier), Votary, Celestial War Empress, Rector, additional forces BRAVO [Dawns] Forest Master (Devoy Carrier), Spirit Beast Queen, Righteous Jin Tiehan, additional forces CHARLIE [Windvent] Uprise (Devoy Carrier), Operator, Levin, Fusil, additional forces DELTA [Creekwood] Evenfall (Devoy Carrier), Problem, Montana, Fenrir, additional forces ECHO [Superweapon] Three Distinct Journeys (Alma, Thunderstrike Hammer, Yatsar), Gul, Blackviper, Initiate (Devoy Carrier), Task Force Duskheads, additional forces FOXTROT [Wonder] Seraph, Firebrand, Master Jin Junjie, Monarch, Prominence (with Oasis), Mystic Faction, Silverhonor, additional forces
~
[Main Quest]
Perilous City-State
This is the final battle to determine the fate of the Slayer Capital. Conqueror, you have taken command of the Dawn Baptists and spearheaded the counteroffensive against the Kreutz Suzgrazer's final push to destroy the city and launch chaos across the globe. The Natural Order of the World is put a jeopardy here.
Difficulty
???
Victory Condition
The Lesser Miracle, Wonder, is subjugated
The Forger, Ikeya, is subjugated
The Lesser Caller, Kreutz, is subjugated
Optional: Successfully complete the quest without the direct intervention of the Earthwill
Defeat Condition
Ordo, the Slayer Capital, is destroyed
Rewards
Outcome-Dependent