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Chapter 383: Clashing and Trashing
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A downpour of [Players] flooded Jeremiah at just the right moment when the resounding warning signal changed tempo and intensity, shifting to a continuous loud cry of the sirens... indicating the arrival of a bone-chilling ominous vibe.
The blue sky started to darken as clouds roiled and boiled as if a God was angry at the city.
CRACKLE!!!
CRACKLE!!!
Lightning danced within the dark boiling clouds that within mere minutes, the brightness of this day along with the festive mood of the Capital is now replaced by a furtive feeling of danger.
Not seeing the blueness of the sky was reason enough for some shops to close down, people in the streets to cower, and even the hotels with all their towering mights… to lower down the height of the Light Towers and shrink to the ground.
Of all the cities of Terroa, the [Seats] now begun to notice that only Jeremiah had this phenomena.
In a certain office, in fact, “Kira”, disguised as the Ambassador, looked at the report on his panel, beaming a smile as he turned to his side.
There, Gats was seated along with a few people that wore a “clown” black jacket uniform, seeming to be just at the end of a negotiation.
Gats stood up and offered a hand at which the leader of the group of five “clown guild” members took the hand, wearing the insignia of the Blue Card Legion on their left shoulders while their own “clown” emblem was emblazoned on their right.
“Then to a more wonderful partnership.” Gats bid a smile at the leader.
“Hehe… the Heavenly Father will be very happy with you, Sir Gats.”
“The pleasure is mine.” Gats as smiling sincerely and even Kira who specialized in deception may not be able to find a flaw on him.
Is Gats just faking it for the sake of benefits or is he really allying himself to the Heavenly Father with all his heart?
Blue Card Legion was secretly founded by Gats in the shadows yet now, 50% of its members are all connected to this “Heavenly Father” —to the one and only Alfred Pegasus!
Gats then faced Kira who changed back to her real form and wore her trademark ‘indifferent’ pair of eyebrows which couldn’t affect the way Gats was treating her in any way.
“I am moving up my plans.” he said with a stern look on his face. “Your Intel is really valuable this time. What do you want as reward?”
Her fake indifference broke apart and she wore a beaming grin, “How about you make me cum at least eight times… in person… I’d even cross the oceans for you.”
Kira wore a provocative expression but Gats, as he was, maintained his stance, “My price ain’t low for a night, girl…”
“Fufu… I have money… and body… and skills…”
“But those aren’t what I want. Actually, is that all you can offer for my time? I’d be disappointed.”
Kira felt the indifference from him despite the set of double-meaning words he’d said.
She wasn’t offended and said, “Actually, just how about telling me who you really are, Gats? Of all the people in The Legion, you’re the only one I don’t know the origin of. You even found me and already knew about my ability even if I never told anyone about it.”
Gats chuckled, swiping the air to change his gear and pulled out a T-Device. He was all business which made Kira pout playfully.
“Well then, missy, I don’t mind playing with you.”
“You know I’m not cheap, Oder.”
“Come on, Kira, no using of real world names.”
“Hehe… alright then, tonight, in your dreams, I will be there.”
The man, Oder, otherwise known as “Wowmali”, was the leader of the Riddler’s Guise Guild and with just his name alone; you could already guess what his guild’s disposition is.
Gats then wore a serious mask of expression, “I want you all ready in case something unexpected happens we have to change the plans. Be on the standby until I contact you. Is that understood?”
He was speaking as the Leader of The Legion.
Wowmali shrugged, “You’re my boss.”
Kira silently gestured a hand in subservience as she put the other on her chest. It was a knightly action from old times to their superiors. It was not even an inch womanly.
With a press of a button, Gats reappeared next to Jeremiah where the sky had gone darker with the advent of the demons.
“Hm? As expected. The attack’s centered here.”
Gats already knew that Siva was the White Knight who kicked him in the chest. It angered him so just thinking about that humiliation.
He cracked his fists as he gazed at the south-eastern horizon.
“Are you going to steal my game again?”
The reason why he worked his way to the inner circles of the Human Society is because of his racial quests: [To be The Ruler].
Humans, in this world, despite being weak, were favoured by The Teacher —a legendary being of unimaginable origins and mysterious wisdom.
In order to be respected in Terroa, a set of iron fists are what’s needed. And in order to be able to rule the Humans as their king, he had to have the very thing that sores as their weakness.
He doesn’t care about the things happening in the background of the game. All he wanted is to become stronger through his own means.
Pride.
Glory.
Ego.
Call it the stubbornness of men. It’s all the same.
Gats had the ability… he even made a real-world prince cower before him. Why can’t he subdue a bunch of people made up of calculable data?
He was close… he was very close!
“And all of a sudden you came.” He couldn’t help but hiss. “First, you took away Apus Epirus, now, you’re also threatening to take my goal away? I let you off the first time because you caught me off guard… but there won’t be a next.”
Declaring to himself, Gats wore a grey hooded long coat, looking like an assassin from another game, as he made his way towards the venue of the city’s grand event… hoping that the mess will be bigger this time so he can sneak in the facility.
*****
Passing through the exosphere, the warships in a swarm formation that doesn’t have any kind of actual ‘form’ descended in a steady pace; one big warship at a time.
Their hulls were resistant to the plasma sphere that occurs when a foreign object create friction with the air particles so as a result, although they were falling to the surface at a speed of 100m/s —around 0.3Ma (Mach Speed), when it’s viewed from afar, the fact that they’re burning up piece by piece like meteors was even more ominously frightening than when they do.
What more, something even massively larger was falling behind them!
The sheer size of this mothership was terrifying to the utmost degree; even just the black spots, those smaller warships, were enough to cause unimaginable horror to the people far from the cities who saw their descent.
“By the gods…”
“Is this doomsday?”
“Are we going to die here today?”
The NPCs were starting to panic. Even with the confidence boost that the Light Towers gave, it’s still causing these NPCs to shiver as they rattled, in fear of what was fast approaching.
RUMBLEEEEE~!!
Eventually, the sound of the wind barrier being crushed by the size of that massive mothership is being transmitted as low humming to the skin.
Their ears picked up the sound of it late. Their hearts skipping beats, slowing down, they all held their breaths as they saw the large swarm open up a path for the bottom most tip of that massive object… boring down at them like an inverted pyramid —no— it was a giant obelisk spear!
Earlier, it was covered by the demons’ warships and was only registered as a massive object.
If it was a flat mothership, they could use all the Light Towers of Terroa to concentrate its light-reflective capability to slowly pierce through its hull layers and bring it down for every attack.
Now, however, the reason why the [Seats] were startled to motion was because of its shape.
If that object falls down in any city, that city will be destroyed… or decimated at the least.
“Bring up the barrier!”
Right now, the trajectory of its descent was being calculated but it was sure since yesterday that its point of descent was the continent of Zenturo.
Now…
Everyone from the Global War Council was sure that Jeremiah was its target.
“If that falls to the capital…” the Head Elder of the Council of Elders was agape as he panted at his seat, looking at the projected sky of the city.
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“Raise the barrier!” the order was given and the translucent crystal dome of Mana formed above the city to protect its entirety.
Slowly, black clouds began to gather above them as the seemingly slow descent of the mothership cast a shadow to the surrounding lands.
The mothership’s body wasn’t burning… it was the air itself that was being burnt!
At 50km above, the Council Head gave another order, “Focus energy to the barrier. Increase the height of the shield to max. Concentrate layers to anti-physical defense and prepare the dispersion and supplementary effects of the Light Towers!”
The transparent barrier extended upwards, the very apex of its dome reaching 10km from the streets of the 300+km Castle City.
Resplendent and beautiful, the undulating waves of Mana outlined the beautiful rainbow reflected on its magnificent surface inside.
It was a sight on its own.
Light flashed as the Light Towers were used like a medium… Mages upon Mages gathered at the bottom of each towers. They cast a magic spell that sent the Light Rock’s anti-plasma properties to the barrier dome.
With the series of Support Mages on reserve, this tactic of the Council Head will be reinforced every hour, persistently.
“Deploy warships! Apply defensive formations!”
Not only Jeremiah, even the small countries close to them also prepared their own defensive lines and although they can’t squander the Mana reserves of their cities like what Jeremiah did, they can still do their best to defend themselves when needed.
HUMMMM~!!
Gradually, the armada entered the mesosphere, and at the height of 40+km from the surface of Terroa’s o-zone layer… the swarm split apart and formed their first actual formation.
It looked like a 4-sided maw as it opened up to reveal that image of a humanoid monster with four limbs 15km in size.
”By the Gods!!”
Many collapsed at the sight of it.
When compared to the Dragon that attacked the City of Alexandria, this was three times bigger and even more sinister than the latter. It caused more fear in a global scale.
Maki didn’t even think twice to project this image to the entire Global War Council.
Now wasn’t the time for them to selfishly divide and chase personal intentions.
Siva also felt enraged and called out to the ones who didn’t leave after his outburst earlier.
“Thankfully, you imbeciles weren’t all too late. If I hadn’t intervened and allowed you fuckers to still sit on your arses until this mothership revealed itself, you’d all be saying your prayers right at this very moment.”
Being called imbeciles was one thing but Siva’s unbridled tongue even addressed them as just a bunch of “fuckers” who sits on their arse in times of emergencies.
His words wrung true.
It hurts.
It was humiliating.
It was ireful.
It was an insult… but it was fucking true.
“Just you wait!” by now, the Pontifex cursed.
Siva’s lips curved to a “W” —as if a gangster who just heard something mock-worthy.
“Huuuuh? You’re going to drag your old bones to my territory and curse me? Is that what you’re going to do? Huh?”
“Motherf—who do you think you are? You come barging in on a meeting of the highest personage of this planet and speak as if you’re above any of us and now you insult us like you own everything in this planet? Who do you think you are!!!”
Siva snorted, “Heh. Pontifex of the Divine Crown Theocracy…… remember the words I’ve spoken earlier and the words you said just now. When I remove this mask and I don’t see you coming up to my doorsteps the next day, you can be sure then that I will be the one visiting you instead.”
Pontifex Romano was incensed. “Insolent fool! I am a Pontifex of the highest order! I am one who represents the Gods! How dare you challenge the authority of the divine beings!”
Gaia’s ears panted. ‘Of all the people you asked that question…’
She wanted to speak up but she was interrupted by an incessantly skin-crawling laughter of pure and unadulterated mockery.
“How dare I challenge a mere representative of a false religion worshipping the dead Gods? Haha, hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA….”
Many people’s brows twitched at this clear and uninhibited show of mockery of the Gods. Afraid of being implicated by a random lightning from the heavens… even if they’re just the Real@D renderings of their true selves, those close to Siva’s throne instinctively backed away from him.
Now, only Gaia was the one left beside him.
“Your Excellency, Lady Oracle, please step away from that fool or you might regret being close to him when the anger of the Gods descend upon his mockery!”
“Lady Oracle, please come to the safe zone here beside me.”
“No, come here, Lady Oracle…”
In the surface continents, the Circle of Magi’s influence was restricted to the upper echelons of the huge countries. But in the Inner Continents, Gaia, who founded her own organization that had gained its own status as an independent country with a huge influence to the entire power grid of the Inner Continents’ powers, was not only one of the most beautiful personage of the current era, but was also a powerful ally once you gain her good will and attention… not to mention even she herself if you managed to get her weakness.
There are rumors that she was fond of beautiful people so there was actually no reason as to why these guys won’t get a double take once they get the chance to peek under her skirt.
And most especially at the influence of the Circle of Magi to the devastated countries in the surface continents of Terroa; when you gain the support of the Enchantment Temple that she had founded as a branch of the Circle of Magi in the surface continents, you can almost do whatever the hell you want with no one questioning your motive or even your own actions regardless of the level of their consequences.
In reality, is there a reason why Gaia should get away from Siva?
When all else fails and push comes to magically casting a shove spell, she can just abandon all of her reservation and awaken the sleeping monster deep in the recesses of his mind to save Terroa from the demons.
It was better to destroy it all —as a last resort— than to see the world enslaved to the wills of the Heavenly Father, Pegasus, and the corruption of the Devil Gods who never knew contentment.
Gaia made a sigh as she stood up and walked beside Siva, on an angle and position meant for a mere subordinate —no— in fact, her lowered posture even told their eyes that she was only a mere attendant when in the same room as Siva—
—this White Knight.
At this point, everyone’s jaws had dropped as low as their skeletal structures permitted it.
“Huh?”
Their minds went “Uhhhh…” and their eyes went “?_?“ as they tried to process what this scene in front of them meant. It was like a 20GB computer program being processed by a Pentium-2 PC… it was a brain cell-destroying sight to behold.
“L-lady Oracle…” Pontifex Romano couldn’t even believe his eyes as his brain sent the signal to speak what came first from the bottom most pit of his soul, “…that’s….. that’s the wrong side.”
As supposedly smart as his genes are, even this usually dignified and not-easily-irritated Pontifex of a large nation of religious people aren’t able to escape the puzzling spectacle of a dignified and beauty-personified Miss Oracle standing behind a mysteriously doubtful person like a servant.
Nevertheless, it was happening.
Gaia “The Oracle”, respected across the entire Inner Continental domain as someone who has both power and authority in her hands... was standing like a little kitten awaiting orders behind the person who had just mocked not only them but even the Gods they all respected and even deemed as their own ancestors.
By now, yes, there are two sides of people in the conference room: those who were furious at Siva and are on the side of the Pontifex; then the side where Siva, on his throne, was attended by Gaia.
A pin needle would drop and everyone here in this room would still hear it.
The silence was that profound.
“Just… who are you…” asked someone dumbly.
“I don’t have the fucking time to answer you shitheads’ questions. I gave you a warning earlier and if you still don’t treat my words sincerely and seriously, you can be assured that after these demons attack had been vanquished… I will pay you all a visit and beat your bones right in front of your family. I am not a good person and I will do what I say….. so get a move on. Immediately!”
“““!@$^%)@!*&%(^$”””
Caught off guard, if they agree, they will only prove Siva’s position as someone higher than them; if they don’t then what if he was someone they can’t afford to offend and he actually makes a visit and beat their bones to powder?
They were even called shitheads!
F*cking—!#@$%^*&—Grrrrhhhmmmm...!!
At this moment, the first to recover was someone seated alongside Gaia’s [Top Seat] position. It was a middle-aged looking man with red pupils, black hair, and a single, little fang peeking out of his left lower lip. He was of a Werewolf Lineage.
Looking at Gaia with a confused look, he then pointed his vision at Siva, speaking with a stern and clear intent of defiance, “I don’t know what your relationship with The Oracle is, but we of the Cynthiana Republic will never be ordered and oppressed by an unknown masked individual that doesn’t even have the guts and the spine to tell us his name, not to mention show his face.”
Siva narrowed his eyes and he felt really angry at the moment. If these people were actually right here and now, he would have smashed all their face in and buried them on their seats.
Alas, the only people here were the same people that was in the Facility down below.
They were in the middle of an emergency and all his time are running out.
Any moment now, the demons will attack a city.
It was one thing if it attacks with a Plasma Burst but what if it used that gigantic obelisk a weapon to attack a city?
Devastation was assured.
And what if…
That was what Siva feared the most so as much as possible, he wanted these people —especially those in the ‘surface continents’— to act as if this attack could very well be a deciding factor to their own lives.
If these guys are normal, would he still be doing this: intimidating them, threatening them, hurling around his weight; giving them enough reason to move their arses and protect what should have been protected in the first place?
Hell no!
If these guys were normal, they should have done so in the first ring of the alarm and wouldn’t be talking bullshit about the Humans being free of their [instructions] or not, and wait until he had to intervene to do so.
He came here to make these people realize their mistakes and make them move their asses. And though he managed to persuade them to move, his temper got a hold of him —yet again— and caused them to clash with his own continuously shortening patience.
His agitation to Baron’s safety in an unknown city that might get attacked was adding fire to his fuse and it wasn’t something he can control for he was indeed at the edge of his seat wracking his brains out on how to find and protect him at all costs.
He should have been preparing his contingency plans in regards to his oath instead of being here but because Higginson was powerless and that Maki’s identity must be kept a secret at all cost, he so had to drag his feet here and tell these bunch of pampered babies to act befitting their own statuses.
And yet now, he was being challenged?
“You. Mother. Fuckers.”
WHOOSH…
An invisible pressure descended in the room and Gaia’s face paled as he was swept by the [Spirit] of murder that Siva was releasing.
There was a hairline difference between a [Battle Intent] and [Bloodlust].
Battle Intent are released by those seasoned men and women who had seen the colors of the eyes of death. It was an invisible pressure that can intimidate weak-hearted individuals and make them kneel down from fear or respect their spirit.
Violence… was the end result of releasing it.
Bloodlust, however, was violence layered with a desire for murder… to take one’s life, to kill, to slaughter, to commit a massacre.
Those who can release it had tasted blood and murder not just once but countless times. Either it’s by killing monsters or people, bloodlust is a weapon upon itself and this can make weaklings kneel in submission, or worse-case-scenario, kill them by strangling their spirits.
Siva’s bloodlust was unconsciously released and he himself didn’t realize it.
Gaia’s complexion paled and she panted for air albeit it was miniscule and only seasoned people of similar experiences can trace the little amounts of nervousness that she was exuding.
Siva hasn’t even moved but Gaia was already in the verge of collapsing. As a Werewolf who lived his life for The Hunt, he wasn’t unfamiliar with her expressions.
Despite being a mere Real@D rendering, he can patch a few clues here and there, and at this very moment itself, Siva’s short silence and Gaia’s face twitching in discomfort told him that Siva was unconsciously releasing the pressure of his will to murder on his surroundings.
THUD!
A dull sound echoed. Everyone turned to the source and saw Higginson Bollard clasping his chest as he collapsed on the floor, panting.
Siva was woken up and he turned to Gaia who didn’t waste a moment as she attended to him.
Siva flexed his neck, hissing behind his mask.
“Those of you who are in the Inner Continents, I can let you off but that doesn’t mean that you are not going to join this defensive effort to defend the surface from the attack of the demon armada.”
When Siva paused, he directed his gaze to the Werewolf, “Cynthiana Republic, is it? Artemis’s little children... valiant and just… respectful of the other races and cared religiously to the holiness of the ritual of The Hunt… tell me… by now… do you still find it odd that no matter how hard you look, you can’t find her legacy?”
CRACK!
CRACK!!
Through the hidden surround sound speakers in the room, everyone could hear the crackling of his bones as the delegate of Cynthiana Republic clenched his fists so hard, it seemed to be bleeding.
“Who are you and where do you live?”
Siva stood from his throne and with a ripple in the fabric of space, the throne collapsed into a few ‘parts’ of the BMA before vanishing as if it was sucked in by something.
He stood in front of the Werewolf delegate and floated as to level his face to the tall man.
Siva hissed, “Asgard.”
“Asgard. I will remember it. And who should I find when I pay my visit?”
Siva came closer, whispering to his ear a threat and as well as a friendly secret, “Siva.”
The man’s eyes went wide, he held his breath.
But Siva was already floating away from him and then addressed the rest of the crowd, “I already gave ya’ll my stance in this matter. If you fail to comply with the demands of the contract, you all will pay dearly for every lives lost in this attack, in my sincerest and utmost care.”
Of course, the delegates were incensed. And yet before anyone could even begin to speak a word of defiance, Siva already waved a hand and also declared in a-matter-of-factly way, “This meeting is adjourned.”
TUT!!
The call ended. The room went silent and even the lights began to dimly lit up one by one.
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He reveals his fangs!!!
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Next Chapter: Altair’s decree…
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