After all the craziness of Zeke’s experimental rune tattoos, it wasn’t much of a surprise to find every soldier around them invigorated by their fight.

Hearing that Zeke, a Runist, learned Kinetic Perception and Unarmed Mastery, along with Mikella displaying that massive amount of growth by not just maxing out another weapon mastery, but even learning Mana Perception–that got everyone to get off their asses to train.

While the tattooing process was painful, leveling skills was the next thing on their list, much to Zacharia’s approval. However, he still looked shame-faced to find out that most of his soldiers didn’t have the mettle to compare to Zeke.

Mikella made sure to keep reminding him of that whenever she spotted him. Zeke had to stop her from bullying the man despite him showing not a single flying fuck about it. He also noticed Val doing the same to the chuckling Cloud as well, much to his own chagrin.

Though, the two did have a personal talk together regarding Zeke’s runes. He knew this was about to come eventually, so he relayed everything that he had done to her. In return, Mikella revealed her own feelings.

“I guess I just felt betrayed. Like… I know you had a good reason, but still. We’re supposed to be partners. Who else can I trust in this world other than you?”

“You’re right,” Zeke nodded. “And I’m sorry. I just… I sort of knew that you would be against it. But that still isn’t a good excuse to keep it a secret.”

He apologized again which finally got Mikella to wave it off.

“It’s fine. I’m just venting a little. I guess the whole thing is just getting into my head. What’s with the angel and Clara…” Mikella let out a deep breath. It was filled with all the anxiety that she and Zeke shared together. “But I know better now. Just promise me one thing.”

“Sure, anything.”

Zeke was prepared to give in to every demand to get her apology. Despite it being for a good cause, and Zeke improved by leaps and bounds compared to before, he still felt guilty for lying to Mikella–even if it was just a white lie.

She grinned. “Make sure to bring your A-game every time we spar. Now that you showed me what you got, I don’t wanna hold back anymore against you.”

Zeke chuckled wryly. “Just make sure to keep the bone breaking to a minimum, okay? I only got so much mana to spend.”

She had the decency to blush at that, and of course jab at his arm with all of her empowered Strength to match her embarrassment.

He never had a problem at all, even if his arm was sore. He wanted her to go all out against him. He felt that this way, she can improve herself just as much as he did.

And if he was honest… she never looked more beautiful during that moment. When he saw her charging after him, pulling out her weapons and using them to batter against his barrier… he saw her really up close.

Sure, she was getting burnt beyond measure, and there was a manic look in her eyes that would scare normal folks who didn’t know her. But Zeke? That visage never felt so natural for her. It was like seeing an animal stuck in a cage for a long time finally released into the wild.

It was primal and pristine, all at the same time. It was beautiful. Of course, he doesn’t intend to reveal these thoughts to her at all, or to anyone else for that matter. He felt those feelings were personal, and kept them close to the chest.

If he was the only one to see her in such a state, even if it was a little selfish, he would be happy.

Throughout the rest of the day, they explained their goals, their training regimen, and what they plan to do. It felt like there was barely any hours left before they had to rest for the morning. They could go without any sleep for a few days, but having natural rest now would be beneficial as there wasn’t anything to be worried about.

Zeke did some minor tweaks to his runes, with Mikella in tow this time giving her insights. Cloud and Val were at their homes now, and it was about time for Zeke to start working by himself. He appreciated Cloud’s help so far, but he felt that he should be the one to steer the path on his own now, which Cloud was more than okay with.

Though, that didn’t stop Mikella from watching the scene as she marveled at the sight of his working. He felt a little giddy and nervous at the same time when she spoke up.

“It’s pretty badass that you can tattoo yourself,” Mikella said off-handedly, getting Zeke to feel flushed.

“Uhh, thanks…” He honestly didn’t know how to accept the praise, his cheeks burning from the honesty.

“So, what’s the plan?” She asked.

“For now, I just wanna stabilize the runes. I can increase my stats to half of my Spirit stat. Anymore and they’ll blow up and leave me limbless.”

“Kinda like what happened to me,” Mikella nodded.

“Again, I didn’t think it would be that bad. Sorry about that…” Zeke grimaced, but Mikella waved it off.

“It’s fine. Sucks that I can’t do it, but this made it all the better for you. It’s something only you can do. Just… don’t blow yourself up, okay?”

“Considering my luck, that might actually happen.”

Zeke readily accepted the slap from Mikella on the arm, stinging his already sore arm. It was still good to know she had faith in him in not doing so.

…..

Even with all the training, the supplies they gathered, and the preparation they have done for this day, Zeke still felt his mouth dry up at the thought of future battles.

Mikella also showed a bit of hesitation, though it was only because he knew how her face reacts whenever they head out. Everyone else would see a face scowling, ready for combat. For him, he saw a look of worry on her face, and he was sure Clara was filling about 50 to 60% of her entire mind.

They saw the entire group lined up in a perfect formation. There was no hint of incompetence or hesitation in their steps as Zacharia stepped up in front of them all. His stance was absolutely perfect–no fidgeting or shaking like some of the other soldiers Zeke could pick out.

“Today we will march towards the fortress and take on the Bastion army that has invaded the biodome,” Zacharia shouted. His usually rumbling voice was replaced with a roar like a lion’s. “Remember what I have told you–These are the same soldiers that have ruthlessly slaughtered the innocent of Eve Glade, and tried to capture the Unity Core that has been granted by none other than the king himself! That alone is enough of a death warrant, and we shall be the ones to deliver it to them!”

The soldiers roared in agreement, stomping their feet and raising their fists. In that short moment, they settled down to let Zacharia speak again.

Talk about uniformity, Zeke thought as Zacharia continued.

“We have already planned that I shall step down from the leadership role for this conquest, and instead, Moars will take on the commanding post!”

Zacharia stepped aside to reveal another soldier, but this one was nearly as big as Zacharia’s near 7-feet tall self. The man was decked in leather armor from neck to toe, with several plates covering his vitals. He had a large double-bladed battleaxe strapped behind his back, with slicked black hair combed behind with clear precision. He had a hard look on his face, and a large scar that split across his face diagonally.

This man, Moars, was as intimidating as possible, but throughout the weeks they’ve known him, Moars is actually pretty chill. At first, they were worried that Moars was like the clone to Zacharia and Piker, but he talked as though he was stoned half the time. His actions and demeanor made Zeke think of him as the potheads in his old world, and wondered whether he truly was stoned out of his mind.

They were clearly wrong. He was chill and relaxed, but when he fought and gave orders, he was truly a wreckoning to their enemies. He clearly keeps up his persona of work and personal life in check as he stood upright, his fists behind his back as he was presented by Zacharia. He was also one of the oldest of the group, reaching in his thirties while at the highest Expert stage at Level 53.

Everyone else also agreed that this was the right call, as while Piker is a worthy leader in his own right, he was still young and clearly gave Moars the respect he deserved for not just being the oldest and strongest, but also the wisest when it came to directing a platoon.

“I know each of you has questions as to why both I and the rest of the Lords are separating from the group. We have good information that there is another strange singularity happening near the fortress, and we will take every measure to ensure to take that singularity out before returning to the fight at hand. Your duty is to ensure that the Bastion bastards won’t take over the fortress before we do! Will you let them?!”

“No!”

Everyone shouted in unison, and Zacharia nodded with a pleased frown. Zeke let out a heavy breath as the soldiers got ready to set off.

For now, the army will set off at a marching pace towards the fortress, taking the path that they made. This way, they can get over to the fortress with minimal time and effort, wasting no resources on the way.

As the army set off, the base was left entirely desolate. The only thing remaining were the buildings they built beforehand and the generator creating the small dome. They still needed to make sure that the way to the elevator is blocked off to avoid the Bastion army finding it, and should they happen to find a way to destroy the barrier surrounding the base, they won’t find anything of value, and the generator can easily be replaced. They were also certain that without the runists that created the elevator, they wouldn't be able to get off scot-free before the units returned to fight them off.

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Still, this is all in theory whether the Bastion army still had Experts like before during the ambush. However, they made it clear that they must have brought in their own Journeyman, and only planned on stalling the fights rather than outright taking them out. While Zacharia was ambitious for the sake of the kingdom, he wasn’t going to needlessly sacrifice soldiers if possible.

So, the small team consisting of Zeke, Mikella, Myra, Piker, and the Journeyman left for their own path. At first, they considered going the natural way, considering that they have to be secretive on approaching the tower again with the army back there.

However, the Journeymen decided on a different route, and this time they asked Zeke for help.

Using his barrier and forming it into a ball that surrounded them, he reformed it to change it into a durable barrier built for speed. It was almost like the Superball, except without the jumping. They needed to be discreet, but they also needed to be quick as they had to settle the tower business before taking on the army and the tower.

With Cloud and Zeke working together, they created intrinsic runes that connected the ball-like barrier with the group members, automatically charging it with their own kinetic energy. It was the same concept as Zeke did before back from the undeath tower. Finally, Zeke affixed them in their place with more freedom. That way, they can shift and move their necks without having to be turned into meat paste as they travel.

Once they got everything in order, Zeke put his hand up and focused his will into the barrier to move. With the runes charging it with kinetic energy from the others, the barrier slowly moved forward. His own Kinetic Perception made it even better for him to control the barrier.

The barrier started moving, and before long the speed ramped up as Zeke became the metaphorical driver in the barrier as they literally drove across the forest ground.

Apparently in this world, there were skills such as this that allowed people to travel as quickly as possible with others in tow, something like creating a metal boat that could fly through the air, or a water bubble to get through to lava.

This was effectively the cheapest option they have–completely free.

…..

“Whoo!” Val shouted, her face swiveling left and right as the scenery around them changed in a blink of an eye.

“Val, you shouldn’t shout!” Cloud said, though the look on his face and tone of voice showed that he wasn’t exactly having the time of his life.

Meanwhile, Zacharia was as stoic as always, but Mikella did notice that he was gripping onto his crossed arms tighter than normal. Was he nervous or excited? Either way, she can’t blame him.

Before, she was utterly frightened of jumping straight down into the abyss the last time they were in a barrier, but now she couldn’t help but smile and laugh as she saw the scenery around her. They were making incredible pace, and every time a crystal monster would come in, Zeke would either drive by them or straight up crash into them. It was only the weaker creatures such as the crystal foxes and birds, as the bisons were too tough to handle with a simple drive-by.

Still, the free XP between her and Zeke was always good for her. But she instead looked to Zeke who was focused on driving to their destination. There was clear perspiration on his forehead as Zeke breathed heavily. It took a lot out of him to remain so focused. With Mana Perception on hand, she could understand just how much focus there is to maneuver mana like this.

“Zeke, when we get over this, I want Clara to see this,” Mikella said, taking his attention while his eyes kept looking forward. “She’s going to love this!”

“Y-You think?” Zeke asked. “Won’t she get scared?”

“She’s a little adrenaline junkie like me,” Mikella smiled. “Plus, she always loved being in car rides.”

“Not sure whether the first line was good to hear for me,” Zeke said, but he smiled as he looked forward again. His face changed now, and he looked relaxed. He also made the drive with his barrier somewhat pleasant, as though he was experimenting with Clara in tow.

Mikella watched over to Myra who was just staring and gaping at the sight, with Piker beside Mikella pressing his lips tight. He apparently didn’t take kindly to the last ride, and still he looked uncomfortable. Figuring it was impossible to talk to him, she turned to Myra instead.

“Whatchu looking at, you damn freak?” Myra said with contempt in her voice. Normally that would’ve pissed her off, but Mikella smiled deviously at her instead.

“Aww, you still grumpy about me maxing out Spear Mastery?” She teased.

“Yes,” Myra grumbled, looking away with a scowl on her face. “Damn prodigies and their incredible talent.”

“Myra, that’s not appropriate,” Val ceased her laughter and joy to reprimand Myra with a serious look. “Even if Mikella is a freak of nature, you shouldn't be saying such things.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Myra said, sounding defeated.

“Hey, you didn’t do any better!” Mikella called out, but Val only shrugged a shoulder before turning to the scene around her.

“Zeke, you got to let Ana be here too! This is so much fun!”

“Sure, I can bring both Clara and Ana, but we gotta pick an area that’s safer than this. I’m not sure if the forests outside are as safe,” Zeke said, liking the pleasant conversation to stave off the hard focus.

“...Cloud, your wife is truly adamant,” Zacharia said, still gripping tight on his arms.

“That’s Val for you,” Cloud responded, surprising Mikella from how the two somehow could agree to this together.

All the while, Val completely ignored them as they traveled in literal style.

…..

It took them only a few hours before they reached the location where they last spotted the tower. Thankfully, they came in here with less people as having more in the barrier would have destabilized the barrier’s integrity. Still, Zeke had to take a massive breather as he plopped down on his ass, breathing heavily.

Mikella offered a waterskin to him to which Zeke gladly accepted. Out of everyone, Zeke poured in more mana and stamina throughout the ride, and they were nearing empty by the look of his collar slightly glowing, showing that he was reaching his limit. Even worse was his stamina drain, considering that he only just unlocked Kinetic Perception recently.

Mikella looked up, seeing the tower for herself in the distance. It still looked as giant as always, and more uncomfortable emotions passed through her system as Myra stepped up.

“You okay?” She asked Zeke, getting him to nod. Then, she turned to Mikella. “You guys don’t think it’ll be as bad as the last one, right?”

“Judging from our experiences,” Mikella turned back to her. “The first one was a simple dungeon dive. The last one was literally hell. So, here’s to hoping we don’t run into water zones or something.”

“Don't’...hah… jinx us!” Zeke said, nearly shouting the last part out as Mikella slammed her hands on her mouth.

“Whoops…”

“I don’t know what that is, but I don’t like it,” Myra grimaced. “I don’t think water and I mix well.”

“It’ll be fine if that’s the case,” Piker stepped up, looking a lot more refreshed than before. Apparently being out of the driving barrier was doing wonders. “I can just freeze it and give us a place to breathe.”

“Hell yeah!” Myra shouted.

“But that means you can’t do anything if it happens,” Mikella said, pointing at Myra.

“Aww…”

Val giggled as she approached the team. Then she looked up at the tower, her amusement vanishing. “Do you think the bastion army entered the tower yet?”

“I’m not sure,” Cloud shook his head. His color also looked better as he answered. “The tower and the fortress could be the same for everyone else. Or they won’t care. Either way, we need to head in there and get to the end before our team hits a snag.”

“Then let’s get moving. Zeke, can you move?” Zacharia asked, getting Zeke to nod as he stood up.

“Yeah, I just need a breather. I can walk fine.”

“Alright,” Zacharia nodded. “Everyone, get in formation. With Zeke’s Mana gone, we need to be ready for anything.”

Everyone nodded as the Experts prepared their weapons. She wasn’t sure, but having maxed out both Sword and Spear Masteries to Rare rarity somehow enhanced Mikella’s body. It didn’t show through her status, but she felt nimbler, stronger, and in better control. She was also certain that she could control her lightning attunement far easier–especially with Mana Perception now included in her kit.

She was ready for anything, and with Zeke by her side, nothing can stand against her.

The team headed towards the tower, and when they approached the base of said tower, they saw that the fortress’ walls covered the entirety around it.

They also made sure that none of the Bastion warriors were around to find them. Mikella went ahead, her Cloak of Darkness covering her to scope out the scene.

She saw that the Bastion army soldiers were far away on their own side, settling supplies and other crates down in their giant encampment.

She spotted only a few Experts, according to her senses. Though she can’t quite tell what the other soldiers were like. They felt strange, almost as if something was clouding her senses.

Still, she ran away before she could get spotted and returned back to the others in front of the tower. She took off her cloak as she let out a breath while retelling what she saw.

“So now we need to head over the fortress wall to get to the tower,” Piker said. “But how do we–”

Before Piker could say anything, Zeke conjured barriers to make a staircase over the giant fortress walls. After careful consideration, Zeke also made the staircase somewhat transparent, making it difficult for anyone without super good eyesight to see obvious stairs moving upwards.

“Okay, good plan,” Piker mentioned, nodding to Zeke, but he still had a frown. “But I’m talking about getting up there without being spotted.”

Zeke paused at that, then he smirked. “I got something. Hold on.”

He made another barrier, but this time it formed all around the staircase above, almost like a ceiling. His pen rose up into the air and drew on it, and before long the entire staircase disappeared.

When Zeke entered the covered staircase from the outside, Mikella’s eyes widened to find him suddenly disappearing into mid-air.

In other words, entering the covered staircase would look invisible to anyone else seeing outside.

Myra whistled. “Wow, he turned invisible!”

“Shh,” Val hushed. “It’ll only work if we’re quiet. So, shall we?”

“We got no time to lose,” Zacharia said, stepping over to the covered staircase and disappearing into it as well.

It was these moments that Mikella felt envious of Zeke’s knack for these magical goodies. But she knew better than anyone how much hard work he put into those runes, getting her to smile at the thought as she headed inside. She noticed some of the bastion soldiers coming over, possibly a patrol trying to survey the surroundings.

They turned over to their side, only to just return back to facing the front. They don’t even realize that a small team of soldiers were going up the walls of the fortress with ease, utterly invisible. Upon closer inspection, Mikella saw that the soldiers were level 51, the high stages of Expert.

She wondered whether the folks that she killed back during the ambush were any stronger or less leveled than them, but she put that thought to the side as they made it over the top of the wall, then jumped down with the barriers.

Soon, they made it over to the tower at hand. At first glance, it didn’t seem all that different. But everyone with senses could tell the strange air it was giving off. It was a wonder why the Bastion soldiers hadn't investigated this as nobody saw any patrols shifting around the place.

The air felt stifling, almost like the last one they visited. The atmosphere shifted entirely, transforming it and making it more dense, difficult to breathe in.

“Alright, it’s your turn,” Cloud said as he faced the two. “Get ready.”

Myra and Piker readied themselves, their faces static and expressionless. Val looked over with a concern on her face while Zacharia stared at the distance, looking over to see any more soldiers.

Mikella and Zeke faced each other, then nodded. When they approached the tower, they could feel the atmosphere… changing.

Her Mana Perception picked up the strange energy coiling around the tower and themselves. That bit of energy was straining across each other more than anything else. Was this their connection to each other, calling out to the tower?

She faced back at the tower, putting those thoughts to the side. Last time, they were just fumbling about. Now, they knew what to do. The two, in unison, poured their mental power over to the tower, forcing it to open. In a matter of moments, the air stifled and stunted.

It began to warp around itself, energy forming at the center before a large circular portal appeared over the base of the tower. It was loud, and so the two turned back to the others, nodding in return.

They have little time before the soldiers came in to see what had happened, so they ran in towards the portal, already knowing what was ahead.

Mikella could only pray that it would just be easy to get hit and not turn into a zombie as her entire world faded to black.