CHAPTER 53: BRAIN OVERCLOCK

Gunfire was unleashed from multiple angles, a storm of bullets rained down upon the soldiers on the deck. Their mass hysteria had caused them to attack one another in all kinds of cruel manners. Some even resorted to hurting themselves.

Lance watched from the monitor and grit his teeth. He closed his eyes as electricity began to snake across his body. Exotic matter coalesced, he was able to swiftly conjure a riot shield that he held firmly in his right arm.

Without hesitation, he opened the door and stormed out onto the deck. Eleanor watched in disbelief. She was still processing what was occurring on the screen when Frederick and John shoved her forcefully to the back of the hall to avoid any stray bullets coming their way.

Lance, who had stepped out into the now blood-stained deck, activated his cosmic force suppression without an ounce of holding back. With every glare directed at the delirious soldiers, waves upon waves of cosmic force from a 5.0 dimensional being crashed onto their astral projections, making them faint immediately.

His riot shield had managed to protect him from any gunfire directed at him. Soon, the entire scene fell into silence. The deck, which was now painted in not just blood but also the eerie liquid falling from the sky, was littered with the bodies of soldiers, both unconscious and un-alive.

Lance stared at them, his eyes sharper than a knifes edge. "So this is all that remains of Ironclad Mercenary Group..."

Frederick, who had stepped outside after Lance resolved the mutiny, patted his shoulder. "We'll give em a proper burial..."

However, even the comfort of such an idea did not last long.

The corpses of the soldiers all melted in the rain, leaving behind nothing more than a black substance that coated the fortified deck in its depression inducing texture.

"..." The pair stared on, unsure of what to say to themselves. Electricity snaked across their hair slowly. "It seems we will need to use [Brain-Overclock] for a while longer, partner."

Lance smiled ruefully. "Just make sure you don't fry your brain and turn into a vegetable later."

Frederick shrugged. "People have called me stupid all my life, y'know."

Suddenly, an animalistic sou- No. An eerie sound was heard. One that held no description and no way to recreate. A sound both guttural and soft. A sound both comforting and dangerous.

-Mehhhh! Mehhhh!

Eleanor and John, who was holding an unconscious Elara in his arms, stepped out onto the deck. Without any time to process what had entered all of their ears, flame pillars rose from the ground around the battlefield. Their ashen white flames made them seem incorporeal in nature.

Lance grit his teeth. "We need to escape quickly. It seems whatever ritualistic magic is being cast, it's probably in its final phase now."

Frederick stroked his mustache as sweat continued to pour down his chin. "Well, outta them three tanks, only one's got enough fuel left to budge. We done used up all our energy tryin' to bring down that Mutant Devil Wolf. Luckily, that Hermes fella managed to take care of the other one..."

Lance nodded. "Speaking of which, do you have an approximate estimate of where he is?"

"I think I do." John stepped forward. "One of my communication gadgets still works. I should be able to pinpoint his location, since there aren't a lot of biological signals around now."

He gave Elara back to her elder sister for protection and pulled out a tablet from his tool belt. John looked down at it and frowned.

"Weird... He isn't showing up. Could it be that he is already..."

"No!" Eleanor yelled in desperation. John looked at her as his eyebrows softened. "I understand what you mean, young lady. But we have to be realistic in this situation... The chances are fairly high that his own bottled up emotions have exploded by now. With no one around him to help him back to his own senses... The chances of him being alive by now are fairly low..."

Eleanor bit her lips. She had no way to refute his answer. Seeing her reaction, Lance sighed. "Eleanor, right now, you and your sister's safety are our priority. Your father was the one who hired us to protect you." He walked up to her and patted her shoulder.

Stolen story; please report.

"Besides, from what I have seen of Hermes, the guy has a lot of surprises at his sleeve. He was able to use the grappling hook I conjured for him without an ounce of practice. This is also my first time seeing a Stage 1 Celestial with the insignia of a Gold Rank mercenary. He has a lot of skill."

Eleanor swallowed the bitterness in her mouth and nodded. She had no choice but to try to fend for her own survival now and trust that a miracle would protect her savior's life. The Valencourt family does not forget their debts, especially not one this large.

Suddenly, the sound of Frederick's panicked voice was heard. "What in the Sovereign of Enlightened Insight is happening now?!" They all turned to face him as they noticed him gazing up toward the heavens.

Without hesitation, they all did the same, staring at the darkened skies above them. They immediately turned pale white.

Clouds made of an eerie amalgamation of corruption and decay swirled and combined, forming into the shape of a vortex; one that held an eternal void within its eye. It continued to spin ominously, becoming more and more visible through the darkness.

No thought could describe it. They all stared blankly, unsure whether their demise would be a peaceful one or not.

...

Across from their position, Hermes' body was laying defenseless on the sand. His body, which was fighting both the pain of his injuries as well as the disarray brewing inside his mind, had collapsed from exhaustion. He had tried numerous times to use his Cosmic Force, but the storm of emotions brewing uncontrollably within him made it difficult to focus on a singular task.

He laid on the sand with no way of moving, as the exotic mixture rained upon his immobile body.

'Am I really going to die here?... Maybe it's a good thing... The pain is too much to bear. I am sure Elizabeth will understand that. Ariana... She too will forgive me... I am sure of it...'

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind him.

'The rain... It stopped?...'

"Are you really just going to sit there? Get up! Even an old man like me is still standing! Ugh, this younger generation sure is worrying..."

'Mason?!'

Blood dripped from mason's forehead as he puffed his cigar. He was holding a metallic umbrella in his left hand. "Alright, fine... Ill help you up. Drinks will be on you after this is over."

'Fuck! He is already thinking of extorting me?! This bastard! I can't believe I compared him to dad!' Hermes tried to speak, but the sound of rain muffled his voice.

Mason kneeled down before him and conjured something from thin air. Hermes could not get a glimpse of it from his angle. Without warning, Mason stabbed him with it in the neck, momentarily jolting his body. He then took a step back and waited while puffing smoke out of his lungs.

Minutes passed by, and Hermes had finally regained some of his senses. He was able to shed the rigid grip on his limbs and lifted himself up slowly. Hermes cleaned off the lenses of his glasses and stared at Mason's figure.

"What did you use on me?"

"Hm, oh that? It's a Nano-biotic injection. Self-replicating nano-bots which can temporarily recover your injuries. Of course, this won't heal everything... You'll need a proper doctor after this." Hermes observed the large syringe in his hand and nodded.

He began patting his clothes. "Thanks for saving me... Can you give me a rundown on what's happening?" He tried to ignore the pain signals coursing through his body.

Mason puffed his cigar comfortably and pointed at the sky. "A ritual." Hermes looked up in shock. A large vortex of ominous clouds was forming rapidly above their heads.

"What the..."

Mason looked at him sharply. "The situation is rapidly escalating. This ritual seems to deal with the Dreams Domain. A Xulian is probably behind it."

Hermes continued to stare at the vortex in the sky. "So, what should we do?"

"We need to find the source and interrupt the ritual. By the way... I didn't want to ask you this, but why are you so sane?"

"Huh?" Hermes furrowed his brows. Then he remembered his state of mind; it was no longer in disarray like before. 'Weird...' Hermes shrugged at him. "I have no idea..."

Mason took another puff from his cigar. "No matter. It's better that you are sane; I am going to need your help."

Hermes nodded; He understood immediately what Mason was hinting at. Without hesitation, He activated his [Sensory-Boost] and directed his cosmic force to his cochlea. Closing his eyes, the sound of the rain created extreme amounts of static noise. However, he was able to perceive something. He looked at Mason with a confident expression.

"I can hear something unusual from behind us." Mason turned around and squinted his eyes. He nodded at Hermes. "Excellent. Your cosmic force levels are pretty high for you to be able to catch such a hint from so far away."

Suddenly, lightning snaked across his body as exotic particles floated next to him and took the shape of a technologically advanced motorbike. Immediately, he sat on the seat and turned his face toward Hermes.

"Hop on."

Hermes stared blankly for a second before complying. Swiftly, Mason turned the key, causing the engine to roar to life. Without even giving Hermes the time to adjust himself in the seat, he drove forward, drifting across the sand dunes without a care in the world.

...

Standing behind a large, ashen flame pillar, the cloaked being stood in silence, awaiting the final outcome of his ritual. Behind him was a large beast, sitting patiently. Its large metallic wings were stationed calmly, exuding the might of technology long lost. Its body was covered in scars and bruises as blood continuously seeped out from the wounds. The mysterious being continued to stare at the ashen flames.

"Your service so far has been very satisfactory. Do not worry about the defeat of your pack. I had not accounted for Mason Melbourne being that powerful."

The Demonic Alpha wolf continued to listen in silence as it panted heavily from its injuries.

"You do not need to worry about the younglings in your nest. I will release them as promised after this is finished."

Suddenly, the cloaked figure looked at its three fingered palm. Blood was seeping out slowly...

"Interesting... Someone managed to break the soul link... Is it Mason? No, his abilities do not go into the arcane..."

End of Chapter