Amazon Apocalypse 5: Chapter 64

The Eternal Spring Sect teleporter failed. They must have disabled the teleporter on their end.

I figured something like this might happen eventually. Given the quest had appeared for me, the true battle had likely already begun.

“Mimiko, I want you to watch the sky above Ladwick. If something strange happens, pass along a message to Reluna and the others,” I said.

Mimiko bowed and vanished. Meanwhile, I stepped into Sanctum, where time flowed twice as fast as normal, giving me a little breathing room.

I used Shadowrealm Stride to step through the ground of my mystic realm and emerged on the flip side of the world. There, I made my way to the System Planetary Hub.

While I hadn’t been willing to risk everything on this hiding place before, and had instead opted to scatter the hub in pieces across the underside of the realm, now that I knew it could hold up to A-Grade scrutiny, I was much more willing to leave this thing here.

At the very least, it would ensure it was out of the way of all the refugees I had running around up top on the habitable side of the world.

I’d rehearsed this assembly process several times in my head, so everything came together relatively quickly. I had time to triple-check the node and make sure everything was working when Mimiko stepped into the mystic realm and sent me a message over the radio.

“I was watching the sky like you said,” Mimiko said, voice going quiet.

“And?” I asked.

“Something is happening. Something big.”

I went topside again, found Mimiko, and then followed her outside. There, she pointed me to an empty patch of sky.

Many of the worlds of the Arcadia Multiverse were packed densely together, so the sky was filled with incredibly bright stars. Between their unusual closeness and my own superhuman perception, I could even make out the larger planets.

As I watched, a shadow passed over a large gas giant the size of Saturn with an equally spectacular ring System. When the darkness faded, most of the planet’s rings were gone, like they were being siphoned away by an enormous and incredibly powerful vacuum cleaner.

A moment later, I sensed what had certainly gotten Mimiko’s attention. There was an explosion of light and sound, clearly visible even without enhanced vision. A wave of bright blue energy spread through space at the speed of light, flashing brightly as it flew from the planet.

Whatever I’d just witnessed was some planetary superweapon. It drained a significant portion of a gas giant’s mass just to fire a single shot. And if the expression on Mimiko’s face was anything to go by, that wasn’t the first time it fired.

“It’s coming...” Mimiko warned, then spread her arms out at her side and widened her stance.

I was about to ask her what was coming when a wave of something reached us. It felt like getting caught in a wave, and it nearly knocked me off my feet. There was some sort of massive fluctuation in the nearby mana currents.

As I regained my footing, I turned to see the effects of the mana distortion. Several large spatial rifts opened up in the air overhead, and I recognized them from my encounters with void beasts. They were mostly C and D-Grade, but the mere fact that several of them were opening at once was terrifying.

How powerful was that weapon to cause such an effect from so far away? Had the Goddess in Jade known it would be activated? I could easily see a few void rifts like these opening up on a low-leveled world and resulting in the entire population of that planet being massacred.

Assuming they were closer to where the battle was taking place, the worlds I’d been jumping to and from over the last few days were probably already flooded with void monsters.

This was far worse than I thought. I reached for the ring on my finger, the anchor to Sanctum. After only a moment of hesitation, I plucked it off my finger.

“Keep out of the way of the legion, but get that ring to Myrina. If something bad happens, she can figure out how to get back to Crownhill, then you and Cyra can follow her through,” I said.

She accepted it, but glanced at it warily. I’d already set things up through the mystic realm’s menus to make sure she and Myrina could use both the ring and throne.

“I already have the throne. With both of these things, you have no way to return...” Mimiko said.

“I know. I can get home the old-fashioned way if I need to.” I wrapped her hands around the ring “If I can, I’ll catch up with you.”

“But--“ Mimiko began.

I held a hand to her lips and was about to reassure her, but the System had other plans.

An opportunity to complete your quest has arrived. Prepare for immediate spatial transportation.

The System’s power flowed around me, scooping me up and sweeping me off in the rapid and sudden fashion it did for some quests. But this time, I knew where I was going.

Soon, I found myself in the same room I’d been in before.

It was a small circular chamber that I now knew lay within a vault of the Vaust family on a space station. The walls of the room were lined with Architect consoles of impressive make, even for their creations. The elegant magitech was marred by clumsy growths like bits of brain tissue replacing components that were impossible to find in the modern era. Other parts were connected only by soul magic.

Something was different this time, though. Before, when I visited, the large pad in the center of the room was empty, but now I realized it was a holographic projector. And that projector was in use. When I appeared and gained my bearings, I saw the figure being projected watching me with calculating eyes.

She was a lithe female figure made entirely of blue light. She had a human appearance, though I wasn’t sure if this was one she wore all the time or if it was just for me. Instead of hair, fine wires trailed over her head and down her back before vanishing beyond the limits of the illusion.

She was beautiful, in a mechanically precise sort of way. Like someone had taken thousands of women as lovely as the Goddess in Jade, then averaged each of their features to arrive at something unique that approximated a beautiful female form.

But the beauty ended at her physical form. Ugly chains trailing from her wrists, throat, waist, hips, and ankles muddied the illusion, presenting me with a woman thoroughly bound far beyond necessity.

Despite her allure and naked form on display, I felt an uncanny sense of alarm at the alien mind before me. This was an incarnation of the System. And not just any System, it was the one I was working with.

Until now, I’d only communicated with her through System prompts, but it looked like she’d finally found her voice.

“At last, you arrive,” the System said. Her eyes met mine. The illusory chains rattled as she spoke.

I nodded, turning to the console and beginning my work. “I’ve arrived. How much time do we have?”

“Seconds? Minutes? Hours? All are possible.”

"And what's most probable?"

"Minutes," the System replied.

“I can work in minutes. I can’t work in seconds. If there’s any influence you can exert, now is the time for it.” My hands flew across the consoles, and my telekinetic powers worked just as quickly. Repairs had to be made, antenna tweaked, circuits connected, and mana crystals replaced.

“Acknowledged. Vayly Vaust will receive obtrusive notifications several times in her ongoing conflict with the cultivator entity you know as the Goddess in Jade,” the System said.

“I was thinking more along the lines of sealing the doors to this chamber. Or pull the the fire alarms,” I said.

“Negative. I do not have access to those features, assuming they haven’t been disabled entirely over the years since my imprisonment. These chains may be illusions, but they shackle me as surely as any steel.” The System’s avatar shook her wrists, jingling steel again.

“Annoying pop-ups will have to do. Slow them down however you can...” I grit my teeth as I worked.

Somebody had been in here since I’d been on my quest last and tried to undo my modifications to get the data transfer antenna working. They’d known just enough to cause me problems, and it looked like they’d poured water on a few of the electrical components. It was a clumsy and ignorant attempt to shut these machines down, but that didn't mean it didn't work.

In a few years, they’d rust, and they’d be scratching their head to figure out why. Not that this station was likely to last a few more years, considering the battle outside.

Suddenly, the whole station trembled and shook. That same mana fluctuation I’d seen in the sky around Ladwick activated, though this time I felt like I was right on top of it. It was billions of times more powerful than it had been from afar, though thankfully, it wasn’t pointed right at me.

“Several cultivator fleets were destroyed in that blast. The Vayly Vaust’s forces have temporarily gained the upper hand. You must hurry.”

“If I could go any faster, I would!” I said, still working as quickly as I could.

“What portion of tasks have you completed?” she asked

I grit my teeth, sweat beading on my brow. Was the System asking me for a percentage bar? Perhaps this is how my computer felt when I tried to hurry it along.

“More than a quarter, less than half. Now shush, working!”

My mind went to the Goddess in Jade. Was she alright? With fear, I realized that the energy pulse I’d felt a moment ago might have killed her. I still had three groups of her followers to trade with her for rewards. More than that though, Sir Sandon and the other Omykir knights would be very upset if she went and got herself killed.

Soon, all systems were operational again, and I could actually resume the data transfer. I quickly pointed us toward Ladwick, and on it, my mystic realm with the System Planetary Hub.

“Now, all that’s left is to complete the transfer.” I let a sigh escape my lips. It was done. I’d done it!

I turned to the System’s avatar, ready to ask about Jade and a few hard questions about the integration I’d been desperate to know. We wouldn’t have access to this holographic interface for much longer, so I might as well make use of it while I could.

“So, now that things are finally going smoothly—“ I cut myself off a moment later as the door flung open.

In streamed several powerful B-Grades, all wearing long robes of a matching design. Given the context, I guessed they were the Vaust family’s private guards.

“The intruder is back! Quick, stop him!” the leader of the Vaust security forces jabbed a finger in my direction.

Damn it. Me and my big mouth.

I activated Mania while scanning my three assailants.

Vaust Station Guard (Level 261)

Vaust Station Guard (Level 271)

Vaust Station Guard (Level 283)

This wasn’t going to be an easy fight, especially not alone. Worse, there were a lot of components around me that were crucial for a successful data transfer. If they were destroyed during the battle, I wasn’t sure I could figure out how to rebuild them. Certainly not in the brief time window I had during a battle like this one.

Left with little choice, I charged forward, shoulder lowered and chest heaving. Such a direct attack was a terrible strategy for a spellcaster like me, especially since at least two of the guards looked like brawlers, but I had to prevent them from damaging the equippment.

“Got him!” one guard yelled as he wrapped an arm around my wrist. He clearly had no intentions of taking prisoners as his free hand went for the dagger at his waist.

I was quicker though and summoned Arcane Blade while fire burbled up in my chest. I flew a stream of flame into his eyes, then slashed at his throat with fingers projecting sword-like talons. Blood gushed from the wound as I severed his jugular, though a little blood loss wasn’t going to be enough to put a B-Grade down.

The other two were on top of me then, so I dragged the one still holding my wrist to the shadow realm.

There, separated from his comrades and wounded, the two of us stared at one another. Then, my shadow moved.

My shadow spread out into an enormous black dragon, and it reached down with a toothy maw and feasted upon the guard. I heard the sound of tearing flesh and gushing blood, and the wounded guard screamed in agony.

I left that guard to my apocalypse dragon aspect and hoped it would finish him off, or at least keep the guy busy. I couldn’t leave the other two alone while the download was in progress.

When I returned, one was still looking around to see where I’d vanished, but the other was already slamming meaty fingers against buttons, trying to stop the data transfer. He wasn’t hitting any of the right commands, but sooner or later he’d start smashing equipment, and that really would do something.

I blasted him in the face with a pulse of void mana from Mana Arsenal. They were essentially mana bolts, but I threw as much mana into them as I could manage on short notice, empowering far beyond the normal spells they appeared to be.

The other spotted my return, and pretty soon, they were both on top of me. I was a match for either of them, but fighting both together was exponentially more difficult.

One wielded something akin to a baton, but with arcs of electricity running up and down its length. The other wore a pair of talon-like gloves. I barely had the chance to rummage around for a weapon before they were both on top of me.

I was looking for my rapier, but my hands grabbed the first thing close to it I could find, which turned out to be the dragon bone I’d gotten from the Goddess in Jade.

With a bone in one hand, I swatted at the baton-wielder several times in quick succession, then tried my best to dodge attacks from my other opponent.

The one with gloves quickly started growing frustrated as he swept at me again and again, but each time came up with nothing but air. Instrument of Fate was fully active, just as much as Incarnation of the Apocalypse Dragon. But my fate signature skill was far more subtle in design, and all in all looked to have no obviouls effect at all as tiny acts of random chance shifted the fight slowly in my favor.

Eventually, a series of lucky blows with the dragon bone cracked the baton in my opponent’s hand. From there, one swift strike buried the pointed tip of the bone in my target’s heart. That took the gloved one out of the fight for good.

I turned on the remaining guard. One on one, I was confident I could finish things quickly, but as I looked into his eyes, I sensed the same realization playing out over his features. So, instead of fighting me, he turned his electric baton on the consoles before us. He’d been the one mashing buttons before, but he did the thing I’d been dreading and started smashing his weapon into the delicate electronics.

I lunged at him, pulling him into a grapple. My hand wrapped around his electric baton, and a sharp shock ran up my arm. We pushed and shoved one another, and using the full force of Mania and all the other physical boosting skills I had, I could just barely overpower him. While still being shocked, I brought the baton up against the enemy B-Grade’s throat and shoved.

He let out a strangled, wheezing gasp as he bucked and kicked under me, but I kept shoving. Eventually, he coughed and spluttered blood before I felt neck bones crack, and pretty soon, the electrified baton was cooking through the flesh of his throat and spine.

As soon as he was dead, I released my grip on the weapon. It had been cooking my hand too, though I’d shrugged off the pain while fighting. It would heal soon enough, though right now I was burned down to my bones.

I could have examined my hand and repaired it with mana and my Kindling Architect powers, but right now, those were busy being utilized to fix the damaged console in front of me.

“The data transfer has halted. Please rectify the error on terminal three,” the System said. Her hologram flickered in and out of existence as she spoke, and she looked less real than before. I wasn’t sure if that was because of the damaged console or because most of her essence had already been sent through the data transfer uplink.

“Luckily, terminal three is just a user interface. I can bypass it completely. A bit of rerouting... there. How’s that?” I asked the System.

“Data transfer resumed. The transfer is eighty-seven percent complete. Eighty eight percent complete. Eighty nine percent complete...”

The System continued to count down while I examined my hand. It was healing rapidly, and I flicked through some menus to figure out if I was benefiting from the effects of Lifesteal somewhere. That B-Grade I’d given to my draconic shadow in the Shadow Realm must still be getting eaten.

I put that extra life force to use while telekinetically shifting bones back into place and tugging on regrowing nerves. The whole process could happen naturally just fine, but it would happen a lot faster with conscious direction from me.

The whole station shook as another wave of that void energy washed over the area, no doubt taking out one more wave of attacking cultivators. I twitched my rapidly healing hand in anxious anticipation of getting out of here and calling this whole project over and done with.

After this, both my promises would be fulfilled, and I could spend a few weeks or months back in Crownhill fighting nothing more than a potentially hostile nuclear-powered military base. I was already looking forward to it.

“...Data transfer ninety-seven percent complete. Brace yourself for an incoming attack.”

The way the System suddenly shifted from counting down to warming me caught me off guard, and I was a moment slow at grabbing onto the nearest console for support. So when someone ripped the roof off the station we were inside, I was sucked right off my feet by the rapid depressurization and pulled into space.

“You!” a very angry woman demanded of me. She floated above me, and her words rang clearly in my mind, though there was no air out here in the vacuum. I didn’t recognize her, but I was pretty sure I had a good guess. I confirmed it a moment later with a quick examine.

Vayly Vaust, Matriarch of the Vaust family of Architects (Level ???)