R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 15 (edited v3)

R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 15 (v2 & v3 edits - typo corrections)  

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—-Points Notification—-

Points Obtained: 50,894

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—-Points Notification—-

Points Obtained: 51,022

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—-Points Notification…

A series of Points Notifications appeared and were promptly ignored as, in the same moment that the bloody remains of the first five Monster Class Morenkai began to fall to the ground, Micheal leapt forward with all his might.

The ground beneath his feet cracked, sending up a cloud of dirt as he dashed through what was left of the eviscerated monsters, staining his clothes a blackish red. His leap forward turned into move of a controlled dive as a tremendous wave of shock swept through his body, the impact from using Master Tier Sword Energy with his bare hands hitting him.

‘Damn it.’ Micheal’s thoughts blurred for a couple of seconds as his mind refused to cooperate. For all the training and experience he had at ignoring pain, there wasn’t much he could do about physical shock overwhelming him. His body was incomparably stronger than it was several months ago back when he arrived on the First Layer, but still a far cry from his first life’s peak.

Abruptly, his mind cleared away enough of the shock to allow him to focus on the present.

With a pained grunt, Micheal flared the Ki in his body and focused on his hands, temporarily sealing the injuries and stopping their bleeding. He then breathed in a ragged gasp as he spun around, raising his right knee forward as he prepared to defend himself from the Monster Class Morenkai that had ambushed him from behind.

“Ah.” He muttered as he blinked and slowly lowering his raised knee.

The last Morenkai had already been handled.

An enraged Gregor currently held the black skinned monstrosity up in one hand by its face, a boiling, blood-red Aura flowing around the Farian warrior.

“KTTTHHHH!” A low, warbling cry managed to echo out as the Morenkai struggled to escape Gregor’s iron grip. The creatures arms blurred as it launched blurringly fast strike after strike at Gregor’s chest, all to no apparent effect.

“Micheal, are you alright? What manner of creature is this?” The Lord Justiciar casually turned to look at Micheal, ignoring the monster’s blind attacks.

“I’m… alright…” Micheal gasped as blood pounded in his ears, the adrenaline rushing in his veins slowly calming down. He breathed in for a few more calming seconds while he looked all around.

The meadow was eerily silent in that time, only the groans of the captured Monster Class Morenkai disturbing the morning air.

“It’s… something that shouldn’t be possible.” Micheal muttered, his eyes zeroing in on the creature. At the same time, he broke the last remaining Life Orb he held, restoring his body back to its normal state. The thick fog that had covered his head cleared up in an instant, replaced with a slightly naked feeling that came with having no remaining Life Orbs.

In a series of rapid motions, Micheal first checked his Aura Nullification Necklace and found it still intact. He then tapped on his Mid-Tier Spatial Ring and pulled out his Ashari Blade, the only good sword he had left, and his Silk Strider Gloves, instantly donning them. His battle against the Beasts of Providence, and journey across the Second Layer, had seen many of his other Shop purchased Artifacts damaged enough to be rendered unusable.

He also performed a ‘quick-change’ technique, ditching the clothes had been splashed with acidic Morenkai blood before it burned him and putting on a new set straight from his Spatial Ring instantly.

“A Monster Class Morenkai.” As he studied it, he realized that this Morenkai, like the others, had its share of oddities. It looked like it had pitch black skin at first, but upon closer inspection, there were long, riveted lines going up and down its skin, edged to the point that they were almost half-inch spikes (1.27cm).

“A Monster Class… Morenkai?” Gregor returned, repeating the unfamiliar term with a crinkled brow.

“Yes, it’s a creature from the First Layer… but it shouldn’t be here.” Micheal’s eyes bored into the struggling monstrosity, an undertone of shock spreading in his heart.

“I destroyed their Nest Core myself… how is this possible?” He took a deep breath, his mind racing ahead of him as he considered the possibilities.

In the first timeline, the Morenkai never left the First Layer, Monster Class or not. In fact, Micheal hadn’t even known it was possible for the Morenkai to move between Layers at all, apart from with the rare human that possessed a necromantic or monster-controlling Ability.

“Why did they find me? How?” He muttered, his eyes narrowing. His Aura Nullification Necklace, especially with his current Soul stat, should have made his position relatively untraceable.

Did they know he destroyed the Monster Class Nest Core? Was this their form of retaliation? Monster Class Morenkai were known to be intelligent but not enough to be capable of planning like this. Did they track him out of some sort of instinct his necklace couldn’t block?

‘Their appearances are unusual. Is it possible a human is controlling them?’ Micheal’s thoughts immediately went to the Vile King. If there was anyone capable of figuring out how to send a pack of Monster Class Morenkai after Micheal, it was Constantine.

After a few seconds, however, he shook his head with a frown.

This attack was sloppy. It wasn’t the Vile King’s style at all.

Instead, it really felt as if the creatures were moving to attack him on instinct alone…

Micheal stared down the Morenkai for a few more seconds.

In that time, Gregor glanced at Micheal’s hands and saw that they had completely regenerated. The Lord Justiciar shrugged and looked back to the creature.

“So it’s a monster? Makes sense.” He grunted as he reached out with his free hand and caught one of the Morenkai’s sinewy arms before it could hit him.

The Monrekai struggled, the air around it pulsing as its Aura clashed with the Blood Aura Gregor gave off.

“It’s strong. In terms of raw strength, it's at least on par with the Shadow Captains.” The Lord Justiciar’s eyes gleamed as he spoke quietly to himself.

“However…” The Farian warrior flexed his right hand.

A sickening crunch sounded as he crushed the skull of the Monster Class Morenkai, a creature that bullets couldn’t even scratch, using pure grip strength alone.

“Strength without skill is the same as no strength at all.” Gregor tossed the corpse aside and pulled out a handkerchief from seeming thin air, wiping his hand free as he felt the singe of the acidic blood try to burn him.

Micheal walked over to the body of the creature, scanning it intensely. The Monster Class Morenkai was notably stronger than normal Monster Class Morenkai, matching its strange appearance.

The fact that Micheal obliterated the others in one movement wasn’t because the Morenkai were weak, but, rather, because Master Tier Sword Energy was extraordinarily powerful.

“You said they came from your First Layer? A monster can climb up the Layers? We didn’t have anything like that on ours.” Gregor looked at Micheal questioningly.

“I don’t know either, I’ve never heard of anything like this happening. They were naturally spawning monsters on our First Layer, not a species that got dragged there.” Micheal replied as he examined the markings on the dead Morenkai’s skin.

‘Is it because I still posses the unused Champion’s Gift? Is that how they traced me?’ He frowned. He had many questions and few answers.

Suddenly, at the edge of Micheal’s vision, he caught a flicker of movement.

Micheal’s head jerked to the right as he raised his sword in his right hand, while in his left, several metal threads shot out from his enchanted glove.

“Kttthhh… kthhh’da. Dth’kttha…”

Standing roughly 40 meters away across the clearing was one last Monster Class Morenkai. This one had light grey skin that stood out starkly against the tree limb it was standing on. A large, glowing circle was engraved on this Morenkai’s forehead, gleaming with blue light.

“Another one.” The Lord Justiciar turned to face it, cocking his head slightly.

“How many of these creatures are there? To think they dived so deep into our territory undetected…” Gregor’s eyes glinted as he realized the security risk.

“They were a rarity on the First Layer, so there shouldn’t be many… and it says it means no harm. Wait- it says?! What?!” Micheal’s exhaustion caused him to mentally stumble for a moment.

He understood what it said.

He just understood a Morenkai.

Thanks to the Shop, humans were able to understand almost all languages automatically, a feature that was especially valuable when communicating with races that lacked translation methods.

No matter what race they spoke to, as long as the being was an intelligent creature that was recognized by the system grafted upon all humans, their words would be understood.

However…

‘Even though Monster Class Morenkai were said to have some degree of intelligence… no one ever communicated with one.’

‘Ever.’

“Dth’kttha… Ktttth. Ddhh’tthaa thhhh ktthh ktha.” The grey Monster Class Morenkai gestured with one of its unnervingly long arms at the other dead Morenkai.

“It says… it disagreed with its brethren on attacking me and it bears no grudge. It’s… thankful.” Micheal couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The odd grunts of the Morenkai still sounded just as odd, but now they came with their own unique meanings. It was communicating with him.

“Thankful?” The Lord Justiciar returned in a questioning tone.

“You can understand it?” The Farian sounded as lost as Micheal felt.

Abruptly, a beautiful, pearly Aura sprung up into existence, surrounding the grey Morenkai.

Micheal shifted into a targeted stance, ready to react at a moment’s notice…

And, just as quickly as the Morenkai had appeared… it vanished completely, disappearing from space instantaneously.

Micheal jerked his head to the left and right, scanning his surroundings, before his thoughts were interrupted by Gregor.

“It’s gone.” The Lord Justiciar’s eyes radiated red light, flickering ominously as he looked around,

“I felt it’s Aura travel a great distance instantly. It should’ve used some form of teleportation.”

Micheal looked at Gregor, surprised. He hadn’t known the Lord Justiciar could track Auras. Micheal had felt its Aura flicker and move away as well, though not as precisely. All he could tell was that it had left the immediate vicinity.

The Lord Justiciar turned to Micheal and gave him a grim smile.

“Let’s head back for now. I need to issue a few security orders. Do you mind telling me what you know about these creatures on the way?” Gregor bent over and began to pick up the single intact corpse of one of the Monster Class Morenkai, lugging it over his shoulder.

“Yes… yes, of course.” Micheal responded with a troubled nod.

‘Intelligent Monster Class Morenkai on the Second Layer… my actions are beginning to have sweeping ramifications on the timeline.’ He frowned.

‘The future is changing in ways I can’t predict.’ A sense of urgency began to rise in his heart.

The more the timeline shifted, the less useful his knowledge of future events would become. The more variables he introduced, the more difficult it would be to predict the best course of action.

He made up his mind then and there.

After he heard the decision of the Farian Council, he would talk to Myla Hannis about tracking the Beasts of Providence and share with Gregor everything he knew to let the Farians hunt them down.

Then… it was time to go.

He nodded to himself as he and the Lord Justiciar began walking back towards the main Farian encampment.

He would be gone by nightfall.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

24 hours is a time that is both long and short.

It’s a length of time that can pass in a blink of an eye for some.

For Micheal, the past 24 hours had blazed by in a heartbeat. From his awakening and recovery to inspecting his changed Physique and Master Class evolution to meeting the Farian Council and sparring with Gregor.

So many things had happened in the past 24 hours, yet, somehow, the time seemed to fly by.

For Constantine Lancaster, however… the past 24 hours felt like they had dragged on for an entire lifetime.

On the Fourth Layer, a scene of utter devastation dominated the landscape.

The fractured remains of a large chain of mountains stood in shambles, rock and stone blasted to smithereens. Traces of frenzied combat could be seen everywhere, from the uprooted forests that had surrounded the mountain chain to the enormous gouges in the earth that had destroyed the ground.

Bright Auroras blazed in the sky above, winding in long, purple and blue trails of light, one of the signature characteristics of the World of Shattered Time.

In the midst of the scenes of destruction that were spread all around lay hundreds of human corpses, some ripped apart into pieces, others twisted or spliced up in horrific ways. Red blood stains appeared throughout the surroundings, giving the area a terrifying appearance, only made worse by the streaks of black fire that blazed about haphazardly.

It was like a vision of hell itself.

In one particularly large crater near the absolute center of the battlefield…

The Vile King sat upon a sturdy wooden chair, his hands folded together as he calmly gazed forward. Surrounding Constantine were dozens of figures garbed in dark clothes, all wearing black masks that hid their identity.

Constantine was dressed in a pair of plain grey slacks and a smooth, long sleeved white shirt. The air around him pulsated with a dark Aura, his lips completely flat and emotionless, his eyes two deep, dark voids that emanated a feeling of intense anger and cold rage.

“Do you know how long it took me to raise the army you just decimated?” The Vile King casually waved his right hand to the side, grabbing a silver playing card that appeared from thin air.

Constantine’s right hand flickered.

Bright, golden energy enveloped the playing card as it ripped through the air at a blurringly fast speed, shooting forth and slamming into an enormous target almost instantaneously.

GRRRAAAHHH

A 5 meters tall humanoid creature groaned in an eerie cry as the playing card slammed into its already bloodied chest, a grumbling screech that was heard not through one’s ears but through the mind, mentally.

If you ignored the red blood that covered it, the towering monstrosity had pure, alabaster-white skin that was so brightly white it seemed to glow itself. Its face was roughly similar to that of a humans, but the proportions of the rest of its body were hideously off. Its arms were disproportionately long, like that of a Morenkai but worse, as were its legs.

The creature gave off a sensation of divine majesty even as it cried out in pain, a visible, alabaster Aura around it boiling as it tried to reject Constantine’s attack.

Tried and failed, largely due to the 20 enormous metal spears that had pierced multiple times through its arms, legs, and chest, pinning the creature down to the earth.

“2 years and 108 days.” Constantine rolled his shoulders as he stood up and began to walk towards the creature. The shadowy guards that surrounded the Vile King instantly began to follow him.

In response, the massive creature snapped its head to the side, fighting through its pain to glare at Constantine. The humanoid had eyes with pure white pupils, two slits for a nose, and a wide mouth that was twisted in what appeared to be a frown. Instead of hair, an odd, white ridge surrounded its head, giving it the appearance of wearing a crown.

The Vile King continued to talk.

“I call them my Shadows. They were the best of the best, a thousand of the strongest of my Seeds. Skilled heroes dedicated to a singular purpose. Each one a man or woman worthy of great respect.”

Constantine knelt down next to the head of the enormous white humanoid and stared at it.

“And now, half of them are dead.”

At Constantine’s last statement, the creature finally gave a response.

It smiled, revealing hundreds of silver, needle like teeth, crowded into its wide mouth.

YOU WERE BRAVE TO HAVE CHALLENGED US.

BRAVE, BUT FOOLISH.

The creature’s voice hummed out in an echoing, mental scream that would’ve shattered the minds of any normal human. Constantine didn’t flinch.

THE YIL ARE INFINITE. THE YIL ARE UNENDING. THE YIL CANNOT BE KILLED.

The alabaster Deity’s smile grew vicious as it gazed up at the Vile King.

TO HAVE CHALLENGED A GOD IS A MORTAL’S FOLLY.

YOUR DEAD COMRADES SHOULD PRIDE THEMSELVES ON TRAPPING US HERE, EVEN IF WE ARE BUT TRAPPED FOR A MOMENT.

Constantine tilted his head and replied,

“Oh? Is that so?”

The Yil’s smile somehow managed to grew even wider, the hundreds of needle like teeth in its mouth stretching eerily.

YES. WE ARE BUT THE FORERUNNERS. WHEN THE TITLED YIL COMES, YOU WILL SEE THE FOOLISHNESS OF YOUR WAYS.

“I see.” The Vile King stood up slowly, panning around the area.

In a circle spread out from this first creature, 22 other alabaster Yil were pinned down to the ground and trapped, watched over by dozens of his Shadows.

508 Shadows died to capture these 23... monsters.

"..."

It was an unacceptable, horrific, terrifying loss.

Constantine looked up at the sky and shut his eyes. He took one long, deep breath and then another, his shoulders seeming to hunch ever so slightly.

He slowly opened his eyes, taking in the beautiful, fluctuating Aurora above.

Constantine turned his gaze back down, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders up.

With a simple hand motion from him, hundreds of shadowy figures sprung into action, pulling long, glowing swords out of various Spatial Rings.

When the leading Yil saw this, he gave off a grumbling, mental chuckle.

FOOLISH. THE YIL ARE INFINITE. YOUR ACTIONS ARE MEANINGLESS. YOUR WILL IS MEANINGLESS.

STRIVE AS YOU MIGHT, A MORTAL CANNOT KILL A GOD.

Constantine Lancaster knelt down once again.

Instead of replying with words, he gently patted the Deity on the head…

…and gave the creature a warm, friendly smile.

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