================================
Chapter 384: Double-A Appears
================================
“We will also go.” Siva said and looked at Maki at the other side of the door, “That’s Baal, Lord of the Gap, otherwise known as [Belphegor of the Sloth]. He will not hesitate to use that big lance to pierce its way through to the underground facility so we can’t let it strike its first attack. We will retreat to the safest place we can that I know of.”
Maki’s expression shook but he soon recovered and looked at him, “I’ve already prepare what you asked me. We’re ready.”
Siva nodded.
“Deploy your defensive matrix and get ready to make the jump. We might get away from Baal, but we can’t escape from those Colossal Warships.”
At that moment, behind Maki, appeared Thorn, Volt’s and the others’ faces… they were called here by Maki, as secretly prompted by Cortana in the midst of the scene earlier.
Volt asked, “Is it really that serious?”
“Yes. Prepare for the jump. We will switch places to Jeremiah.”
There was no time to dally.
Siva had given the thumbs up to let the Humans who can’t fight to escape to Asgard. The rest of the fighters, however, will stay to Jeremiah as a decoy and also as additional manpower to help it fight against the invasion.
Flashes of light erupted as a massive amount of people were gathered in a large area inside the Pandora.
A particularly rarer kind of T-Device was on the hands of the members of The Company as they teleported one after another, bringing the old, the young, and the women towards Asgard.
Just a minute later, only those warriors were left in the now gigantic and quiet metallic colony.
“Are you sure you’ve scanned everything?” Siva asked Maki. “There are no other people left?”
Maki nodded, still skeptical at what Siva was about to do, “Higginson’s batch is the last batch.”
“Alright.”
The group, led by Siva, Maki, Gaia, and the rest, went outside the Colony… into a mountain peak somewhere in the Misty Peaks Mountain Range.
Siva took a moment to appreciate the ingenuous thinking of hiding a massive colony in a naturally mist-filled place such as Misty Peaks.
Sadly, it was a barren place that was unsuitable to produce crops. Even now, the Humans were all relying to the ‘flavored’ ration bars that they make from the ‘trades’ they have made in The Alliance.
Now, however, they have already totally cut off all their avenues for food trades, all for the sake of this time’s survival.
Thinking about it, everything happened because of Siva and no matter how much he told himself that this doesn’t concern him and his goals, what would Baron say if he found out about it in the near future?
As such, Siva’s “Humanity” led him to thinking it all over and over and finally decided to help the Humans gain at least a steady ground to help themselves up.
Everyone was looking up towards the boiling and seething black clouds above them.
This are all attracted by the Plasma Radiation that Baal’s “Warship Body” —that mothership— was making.
“Even at this distance, it’s already creating this big reaction to the planet…” murmured Volt.
They were all busy looking up that only Maki and Galatea —one of her fleshly body at that— and Scion, were the only people paying attention to the kneeling Siva.
He was kneeling at the still open door that their group had just escaped to. His hands were on the metallic floor that bordered at the rock edge.
“What are you doing?” asked Thorn.
“I’m taking away the colony with us.”
“…”
Logically speaking, this should be impossible. But because he had the [Inventory Plus Ultra], there was no such thing as impossible in regards to the feat of actually directly storing a warship inside his [Inventory].
Thorn’s face was twitching.
Volt sneered, “You know you’re going to get a headache when he answered so why still ask?”
Thorn actually didn’t refute. He actually forgot all about it.
The Pandora Colony and the 1km-large facility underground, were 6km in its entirety.
It took Siva three minutes to finally utter his first word after kneeling there and seemingly fixing his focus on what he was doing.
“Done.”
CHUB!!!
With a gentle ripple in space, a massive mountain right in front of everyone disappeared without a trace and left only a gaping large hole that sized up to 5km in front of them.
“…”
No body made a noise —no, they can’t make any noise from the shock— except for the surprised and utterly shaken Scion.
“Ah! That… that… did you… eh... EEEEEHHH?!!”
They knew that this would happen and yet the fact that it happened in front of them and even this close still gave them all a jolt in the mind-nut.
Siva was full of surprises…
…and these surprises are all world-shockingly headache inducing, it’s unbearable.
Eventually, only the muscle head Cramer was the only one who found it funny that he actually started laughing heartily, praising Siva on and on.
As such, he received a kick to the spine from the FlowerLord beside him.
“It’s done.”
Maki asked, “What now?”
“We go to Jeremiah. We fight. And as much as I don’t want to admit it as well, we are bound by our promise to Pistareen.”
Volt and Thorn nodded. They’ve already agreed on a contract, signed an [unbreakable vow], and even chose to separately operate in the event in Jeremiah. Who would have thought that this thing they’re facing right now will happen?
“Let’s go.”
Theirs was but a small group. Siva took out an item he received from Maki and pressed the red button on the surface speaking their destination.
At the next moment, they were gone.
***
Meanwhile, in Jeremiah, right at the time when Siva was still having a “talk” with the Global War Council, a projected image of someone appeared above the large castle in Jeremiah.
It was of a man with silver hair and red robes that looked like that of an emperor.
His face was normal… in fact, contrary to the red robes he wore that reflected the majesty and a few traces of the dignity of a ruler, the face of this “king” was something that will make you want to hit over and over.
What kind of “King” actually abandons his own people for three decades and only shows his face —and only a projection at that— right now?
—right “now” that his country is in peril?
The man in the projection grabbed what looked like a microphone from somewhere and…
“Whew…”
PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGG!!!!
~a screeching static noise loud enough that it actually made a few babies on the arms of their mommies in line towards the evacuation centers to cry in discomfort.
[Ah… uhhh… sorry about that…]
The man’s voice sounded young as he made an apology. In fact, he looked nothing more than a few years older than 20 now that they looked at his appearance carefully.
“…”
The people looked at him in awe… and perhaps, it was also disbelief?
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Did he just give them an apology?
So it was a live broadcast?
Is that the king?
Many questions and guesses erupted amongst the crowd but they never stopped walking for the line behind them was long and there are only a hundred few entrances to the evacuation hubs.
PAK! PAK! PAK!!
[Is it working?] the man asked someone on his own side then looked at the people in the streets towards a particularly shocked dude, [Hello, is it working well?]
The dude nodded dumbly which made the video of the man nod at satisfaction.
And then, he looked up, and then whistled, and then looked at the people of his own country, making an unwitting remark.
[(That look serious) Ehem. Alright… HELLO!!]
Lo….
...Lo…….
…….Lo……….
SCREEEEEECCCCHHHHH!!!
It was a very loud and lively greeting and another sharp static feedback rung that he himself pulled the mic away from his mouth, seeming to hear the ear-piercing sound of it.
When the feedback died down, he went on. This time, it was on normal volume.
[Hello. I am your King. Altair Astarte.]
“…”
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
No one seem to know him.
It was an awkward reaction.
[That…. was cold. Anyways, if my date clock is right, this should be the third decade since I went on an important mission away from the castle. As you all may have known, I don’t like to be a king but I also don’t want the throne to end up with a moron who only sought after his self-interests so I set up particular tests and standards to the very throne itself and made it so that these standards will be followed until the rightful heir has been found amongst all of you…]
The crowd was still silent.
[…but it seems that I’ve put my standards too high or something went wrong and the throne is yet to choose a proper heir…]
Now began the commotion but it died down the next time he opened his mouth.
[Anyways, this is the first time I’ve actually shown myself to the public ever since I walked out of the two large gates of the capital. The reason is simple... I am really disappointed with this country and most especially…]
At this point his gaze became fierce as he looked at a particular direction, towards the castle, to the location where the Council of Elders sat down in cold sweats on their backs.
[I am really disappointed with the people I’ve left my mother’s country to.]
He didn’t give the old people a chance to speak and went on to continue.
[As such, I would like to tell you all that this will be the last King Test that will be held in Jeremiah in this generation, and that after this, a new king shall be crowned and that this throne shall never be inherited by a blood legacy and will instead be inherited by virtue of the standards of a true ruler that my mother, and perhaps even my father, had aspired it to have.]
He then looked at the distance.
[Now that I looked at you all, the candidates, and the citizens, and even the world, I seem to see a few of you with the potential and the right kinds of qualities that fits the standards I’ve set to the throne on the last three decades. Don’t worry, I will do the honors of bestowing upon you your right to challenge the King Test and inherit this throne, and become the next King of Jeremiah. I, in fact, am so generous and kindhearted that not only will I give those qualified a chance… I will actually give every single one of you a chance!]
At the moment he finished speaking, rays of red and orange lights flashed from the tip of the main palace, and traveled on a few places in the city, landing on a few people; be it the citizens who had not even gotten the initial testing or even the players who had no plans to join the event at all.
It was also at this moment that Gats had just turn to a corner that a light landed on his body. Looks of envy and jealousy erupted from the people on his immediate vicinity.
Gats wasn’t even paying attention to it and was set only to his destination. Yet now, the man in the Real@D projection actually chose him to be a King Candidate just like that?
Not only him, a few notable personalities were all also chosen as King Candidate, joyful cheers and even minor scuffle erupted but it mattered little to the impact of the man’s next set of words.
[Those are 50 of the 100 qualifying marks.]
It was a flag for an event.
[The other set of 50… I’ve sent it all in random directions… who knows what kind of people they will land to. As your, uhh… former king… and as your first test… well, this task is simple. Just get your ass out there and trace those other 50. The ones who get five within the next two days will be able to proceed to the second test. And also, for those aspiring to be King and yet did not receive my marks of qualifications, you can just steal the marks from those who has them. That’s it. Bye.]
The projection then disappeared.
Silence.
But a second beat later, the projection went back and Altair looked up, pointing a finger at the large mothership that now halfway through the ozone layer of the area above the capital.
[Let me correct myself. Your first half of the first task is to protect Jeremiah. Of course, to be the King, you must have a Kingdom, right? So do your best to protect Jeremiah and then find five of those marks so you can proceed to the King Test… and, this is a warning, you are not allowed to wreak havoc in my city so do bring your mess somewhere else. Oh, and additionally, to those who already possessed the qualifications as King Candidates, you only need to get one of those marks to proceed to the next task of this year’s King Test. Well then, ciao.]
The projection disappeared… for good.
Silence.
A long silence.
And yet, as long or short as it was, the silence was only broken when some idiot shouted about the location of an ownerless “mark”.
When ownerless, these marks are eye-catchingly obvious with their starry radiances.
A brawl erupted for the “mark” but it was soon suppressed by the Guardian Knights patrolling the vicinity.
The mark seem to have its own life as it escaped the scene and was chased by the persistent bunch.
Gats held the mark on his hand and it formed into a patch with a unique emblem… the “mark” of the King of Jeremiah.
“There’s a Mana Signature so it’s not easy to fake a mark.” He murmured. “Heh. Just as I was looking for a reason… this thing shows up. I can use this against him. If I can succeed. I’m already a King Candidate myself so I’m already safe.”
At this moment, a few Players and NPCs were approaching, their intention clear on their faces.
“This is safe zone so no matter how much we get violent, you’d only get knocked unconscious with no serious mental injuries. Hand over the seal or we will trash you.”
Gats leisurely smiled at them. It was the smile he uses when he appears on TV during his dialogs and interviews.
“Well, while I’m waiting for him, let’s play a bit.”
After a flash of light, a fighting gear similar to the Dragunov yet made up of a silvery kind of metal as the main ingredient, appeared on his limbs.
With a single step, muffled sounds of explosions rung in the vicinity as five people fell down on all fours, clutching their bodies… they all had their eyes looking up, displaying the whites as they didn’t even get the chance to close them before being knocked unconscious.
Gats clicked his tongue, “Che. Not enough as a warm up.” he then looked in the far distance and smiled. There were more aspirants coming for a brawl with him. “Now, didn’t he say it’s not allowed to fight in the city?”
The nearest man laughed, or cackled, like an old century street thug, classically licking a golden-blade knife.
“He didn’t say the skies are prohibited. Besides, with the rules he imposed and the current event in Jeremiah, is it really safe here right now?”
These are all Players.
Gats got his point and looked up, “Well, then, a 10km dome is up there and the skies are almost as large as the city… shall we dance?”
The player giggled, “I have two left feet.”
Gats slowly made a martial artist pose, “I have a pair of right feet. We’re compatible.”
The two of them, along the rest of the crowd at the same side as the assassin clashed in midair.
A series of explosion rung and people fell down to the city, unconscious, as the same scenes all happened around the innocent civilians caught in the middle of the fights.
The evacuation was still on-going and yet now, a brawl for the throne had to happen and actually stir the defense line against the Demon Armada?
Is Altair crazy or what?
This is madness!
If AG was here he might even be clapping his hands and feet while drinking wine as the chaos ate away the capital city of Jeremiah.
The real threat of the demons had yet to actually arrive, but the city was already in chaos and the fighting force that should be preparing to defend the city was already fighting amongst themselves for the sake of a chance to get the crown.
Is it worth it?
Perhaps.
To the players, yes. Maybe. After all, if they did die during the actual invasion, those who had the leverage of the Insurance System can just revive again and continue their careers.
But the chance to get the crown... now that’s now that’s something you can’t buy with money.
As such, with different intentions as to why they are starting or joining the brawls, until the actual fight against the land forces of the demons does arrive, the time in between was enough for them to get the “qualifications” to proceed to the next task of being the next king of Jeremiah.
It was also at that moment that in a square in the 2nd district of the 3rd sector, Siva’s group made their appearance.
As soon as Siva took a step forward, he noticed the noise of the city and frowned, just at the right moment when a speck of light passed in front of him which he grabbed unwittingly.
“What’s this?” he opened his palm and saw the gold cloth patch with the emblem of Jeremiah.
“Is that an item?” asked Fuma who jumped from behind him.
Cortana’s prompt answered his mental questions and Siva gave him his reply, “It seems to be an item for a specific event.”
Everyone looked around and at that time, a few people approached their group with a few of them had their eyes focused on the patch on Siva’s hand. The leading man, however, had his eyes on a person.
“You can just give me that ‘mark’ in your hand, mate, and there won’t be any trouble befalling the missies in your little—GWEH!!!”
“““Gweh?”””
The man in front did not even bother to hide his eyes that got stuck at Scion’s body. This piqued Siva’s interest. He didn’t even finish what he was saying when the fabric of space between him and Siva rippled.
A large fist his entire body’s size appeared and sent him flying for over a hundred meters… then disappeared right in the very next moment, not giving anyone the chance to get the better peep at what sent the man flying.
From the time the man talked about his ‘threat’ to the time Siva finished him, a single second only gone passed.
======================================
–––(Non-System) SKILLS
1) Kamaitachi Movement
2) Black Master Armament
| [Omni Form – Blades]
| [Omni Form – Obelisk]
| [Omni Form – Shield]
>>>>>>>> [Omni Form – Utility] Fist
| [Omni Form……
3) Martial Arts
4) The 20m Gun
5) Spear
6……….
.……
…
..
.
.
.
.
20) [Focus] ======================================
In fact, from the time ‘space’ rippled, to the time it took to form into a [fist], BMA abided by the laws of physics and Inventions: it organized its [form] by arranging its components one bit-part at a time.
The same thing happened before it came back to Siva’s Inventory.
It was only that it happened so fast and almost so instantaneous that it took only a second and may seem to look illusory.
In fact, to the players behind the man, it seemed to look like Siva had cast an instantaneous spell.
From their confident approach to the moment the leader of their group was trashed, their brains all failed to process the data from the shift.
The people around the man reacted too late as they followed the sound of the punch —of him flying —and then of him hitting a building and falling like a splattered red bird that didn’t see the glass window in front of it.
It was an epic SPLAT!
“S-Sorry. We thought you were one of our…”
“We’ll be getting on our way now.”
“Good day to you, boss.”
All of them looked at Siva with dreadful wariness then slowly moved to get away from him. The all landed on a single instantaneous choice: RUN!!!
“One of you, please stay.”
Siva didn’t give one man a chance. He needed to know what’s going with this chaotic situation.
. [Omni Form – Utility] Hand
Space silently rippled out.
A 3m-large hand grabbed a retreating person and like a kitten, first screamed before he braced down in front of Siva as he fell on his butt.
“Talk. Now.”
In a matter of few sentences, the man sung the song as the details of what had happened earlier made their small group feel like there are so many incredible events happening in just a short little time.
.
.
================================
Is that king crazy?!!
================================
.
.
.
.
.
Next Chapter: King Test + Invasion = Madness!
.