Chapter 157

R-a - Chapter 157(In editing-v1) 

Micheal exhaled slowly as he looked at Cameron. 

The look he gave the man was no longer that of a friendly ally, or a legendary warrior that he respected immensely. Instead, all of that had vanished. 

In its place was a cool, steely gaze that gave away nothing. Cold eyes that constantly analyzed Cameron’s every movement, hunting out any and every weakness. The eyes of a predator. 

“Micheal, my young friend.” The Godfather began, using Micheal’s real name, 

“This is quite the surprise.” Head Cameron was about to continue walking forward as he talked, but he abruptly froze as Micheal raised his Ashari Blade.

“One more step and I’ll finish destroying the Monster Class Nest Core.” Micheal’s words kept Cameron still and unmoving, forcing an awkward expression to appear on the Godfather’s face. 

“Young lad… I’m here to help you destroy the Nest Core, I heard of your predicament from the Seer.” Cameron stared at Micheal confusedly. He held his hands out in an unthreatening manner. 

Micheal’s expression never wavered. Internally, however, he couldn’t help but sneer slightly when he heard that. 

Before they went off to battle, Micheal had known all along that he would have to take on the Monster Class Nest himself. He had made several preparations for that, and other things, with that in mind. 

And one of those was to have the Seer pass on a message to the Godfather, one he would receive while in the middle of his mission. Cameron, naturally, would assume her foretelling was a message of the future, not a predetermined one from Micheal. 

And that message was a simple one. 

‘Heron is going to destroy the Monster Class Nest.’

Given the hypothesis by the researchers in the Godfather Organization, destroying the Monster Class Nest would turn all Morenkai back to normal, and should even weaken their aggressiveness. 

They would transform from vicious, constantly hunting predators to steadily moving, reactionary cattle that would only attack when first attacked. The best-case scenario for the First Layer. 

Naturally, Head Cameron should be the one most pleased to hear this. If he wasn’t infected by the Vile King, his normal course of actions would be to finish destroying the Permanent Nests and stop the Nightrunners in their tracks. 

But if he was infected by the Vile King… 

This scenario would be the last thing the Vile King would want. The man relished humanity’s struggle, believing the harder things were, the more powerful humanity would become, with no thought for the billions of lives that could be lost. 

And in the end, when push came to shove, the Vile King was nowhere to be found, and humanity’s last army was wiped out. 

And so there could only be one reason Cameron was here. 

To stop Micheal from destroying the Monster Class Nest. 

Micheal pulled out a bracelet from his Spatial Ring as he continued to gaze at Cameron, one that looked very similar to his Wavelength Crystal Bracelet. That Artifact had been destroyed in the huge explosion that had injured Director Prime, its durability nothing compared to his Ashari Blade or Micheal’s Spatial Ring. 

This was the original Signal Seer Bracelet, one that only heightened one’s senses when it came to certain electrical signals. Micheal activated this Artifact the moment he brought it out. 

However, instead of using it like it normally should be, he poured in a torrent of energy, overloading the Artifact. The Artifact trembled as Micheal pushed it beyond any reasonable limits. 

A split second later, Micheal threw the bracelet on the ground in front of him. 

As soon as it hit the ground, it exploded in a small cloud of white dust. A brief, visible shockwave silently flashed through the area, dissipating into nothing and seemingly having no effect. 

“Lad… think of what you are doing. This is a dangerous Nest Core that must be properly studied and examined before we make any rash decisions. I am all with you on wanting to destroy it. But we need to proceed carefully.” Cameron had dawned a confused expression when he saw Micheal’s actions. He didn’t move forward, however, as he saw Micheal unwaveringly inch his Ashari Blade closer to the badly damaged Nest Core. 

After Micheal saw the bracelet explode, he let out a breath, relaxing slightly. His gaze suddenly became warmer, tinged with sorrow. 

“Cameron… Can you not even control your own thoughts?” Micheal began, staring the Godfather right in the eye. 

“Lad, this Nest Core is-“ Micheal cut him off before he could finish speaking, 

“Cameron. Why are you here?” Micheal’s voice was cool. 

“Why, you ask? It’s to ensure we safely destroy the Nest Core. Lad, we are on the same side. Do you think I’m going to attack you?” The Godfather looked at him questioningly. 

Micheal shook his head as he replied, 

“Didn’t you hear the same report I did? If we destroy the Monster Class Nest Core,  ‘erratic’ Morenkai will no longer appear, and the First Layer should become much safer.” Micheal’s words gained a hint of passion as he went on, 

“This is what you’ve been working for your entire time here! This is the dream you always wanted to achieve!” 

Cameron blinked. 

“Yes… yes, of course, my young friend. I don’t understand your point.” The Godfather rubbed at his beard, but remained still. 

“Then why do you want to stop me?” Micheal’s logic was concise. 

“Because… because…” Cameron frowned, 

“Because there’s a chance that this might not work. And we cannot afford to risk everything falling apart, not without more research.” The Godfather finished, nodding his head resolutely. As he spoke, the air rippled around him, gravity beginning to swirl. 

“By now, all the Permanent Nest Cores should have been destroyed.” Micheal returned, his gaze remaining ever-steady, 

“That means ‘erratic’ Morenkai are slowly going to begin to swarm over the First Layer. It will be a slaughter, hundreds of millions of humans will die. But…” Micheal’s voice grew darker,

“That is only the case if we fail to destroy the Monster Class Nest today.” Micheal was merely repeating what he had learned from the Hidden Truths Department, information that Head Cameron was well aware of. 

The Godfather, however, took what Micheal said in a very unusual manner. 

He stumbled backwards, falling down on one knee. His elderly frame shook slightly as he caught himself before falling all the way, remaining kneeling on the ground. 

“Yes… yes, that is right. If we don’t destroy the Monster Class Nest, the First Layer will become a true Hell.” Cameron muttered, his voice soundly oddly disconnected. 

Micheal’s heart surged when he saw this. 

‘Maybe… maybe there’s a chance?!’ All of the dark and grim thoughts that had flooded his heart seemed to fade out for a brief moment, a ray of hope filling him. 

“I… I… hmm?” Cameron clutched at his head, his eyes blazing with light. He slowly got back to his feet, a fierce frown appearing. 

“I… I cannot risk the lives of so many…” Cameron began to talk to himself, his fists clenching. 

The air around him began to tremble, distorting as his gravity manipulation powers began to run amok. Sweat appeared on the elderly leader’s forehead as he stood back up but looked down, talking to himself. The man shook slightly, as if trying to regain control of himself. 

Micheal watched everything, his heart pounding away with tension. Unlike with Director Prime, Micheal didn’t need to regulate his every movement and emotion, making this situation easier to handle. 

But it was also much, much harder for him to deal with, in a different way. 

Loud rumbling noises shook the air as Cameron’s shifting gravity caused the top half of the skyscraper to shake, sliding about haphazardly. Micheal could hear faint roars and growls of surviving Morenkai reacting to the movement. 

Abruptly, Cameron grew silent. The skyscraper fell still. He no longer trembled. 

Instead, he slowly looked back over at Micheal. 

“You would be wise to cease resistance, child.” Cameron’s voice had grown cold, the familiar, friendly manner suddenly vanished. For a tiny, split-second, Micheal could make out something dark glimmering in Cameron’s eyes, something that vanished so quickly one could easily think it was a trick of the light. 

Micheal smiled sardonically, his focus completely centered on Cameron. 

“And why is that, Cameron?” Micheal’s voice echoed out softly. As he spoke, he examined Cameron’s facial expressions, trying to glean every bit of information that he could. He knew, in theory, how Constantine’s Seeds worked, but his interactions were limited to the serial killer he had killed a while back. 

It was almost as if Cameron’s personality had undergone a shift, a direct shift, as a result of Micheal’s actions. 

“You may be able to come back to life. But can your trusted friends and allies say the same?” Cameron folded his hands behind his back as he spoke, his eyes trailed on Micheal’s Ashari Blade. 

“By now, Number 1 should’ve reached the other skyscraper, and I assure you, he is not something even Cardell and Riana combined can manage for long, not if he’s boosted by the Permanent Nest Cores.” Cameron continued, 

“If you leave now, I won’t stop you going to them. Allow me to destroy the Core. It will cause Number 1’s boost to gradually weaken, and I can personally go finish him off.” His voice gave off a feeling of complete confidence, as if he fully believed everything he said. 

And, indeed, that was part of what the researchers had hypothesized, when it came to the Permanent Nest Core boosts. Destroying the Monster Class Nest Core should cause them to gradually vanish. 

Micheal sighed, his grip on his blade never wavering as he replied, 

“That’s awfully callous of you to say, Cameron. Are you willing to sacrifice your own men? Aren’t you someone that loves and cares for their fellow man?” The Godfather’s attempt at subterfuge was weak, at best, and the plan he offered even weaker. 

Cameron’s face twitched, muscles in it spasming. After a moment, however, the man’s appearance returned to normal as he shook his head, 

“Shin, Sophia, I know very well how much you care for them.” Cameron took a step forward, his voice turning warm and friendly once more. 

“Come on, Cameron. Please. Don’t make me do this.” Micheal looked at the man, his mouth twisting,

“Wake up. You’re better than this. Your mind is being attacked! Wake up!” Micheal’s voice turned into a yell as he glared at the Godfather. He pressed his Ashari Blade closer to the Nest Core, causing a flurry of sparks to fly out from it. 

Cameron froze once more, but only for a moment. He promptly continued to step towards Micheal, his voice carrying in the air, 

“You won’t let them die, I believe that Micheal. Just step away from the Core.” 

Micheal shook his head slowly, 

“Die? Of course they won’t.” He sighed, 

“That was never an option.” 

.. .. .. .. .. .. 

Sophia and Shin stood frozen as the warm golden Aura washed over them. Both of them were exhausted, the fierce, if brief, battles they’d fought draining them in more ways than one. All around them, Number 10’s vines were collapsing into ash alongside her death, no longer able to support themselves without her. 

The duo shivered as they stood there, unable to speak or move as they looked towards the source of the golden glow. An enthralling, powerful Aura that could be manipulated, coming from a man that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. 

The man wore a simple white shirt and a pair of black slacks, with a claymore strapped to his waist. The air around him glowed literally gold as he walked towards them, contrasting with his black hair. His expression, if Sophia had to describe it, was… incredibly fierce. 

“It seems I am a harbinger of death, even among those I care for.” Number 1’s voice was emotionless as he looked down at Number 10’s corpse. 

‘Number 1. We can’t take him head-on.’ Sophia could feel the enormous distance between her and the warrior. She didn't waste time panicking on how he had arrived here out of nowhere, but instead immediately began to adapt. 

She could vaguely tell that her power had been upgraded after killing Number 10, but hadn’t had the time to check how yet. Her eyes flicked to the left as she saw Shin, dumbstruck and frozen in horror as he looked at the man. 

Sophia didn’t know too much about Number 1’s powers, only what Micheal had explained. He could apparently condense energy into a physical Aura that could be used for a variety of purposes. Number 1 was a genius in using this Aura to trap his enemies, overwhelm them psychologically, make his attacks more powerful, or regenerate from almost any injury. 

Sophia felt it keenly, a sense of agonizing fear and horror that couldn’t be ignored. Despite that, for some odd reason, though, it wasn’t hitting her as hard as it was Shin. She still trembled under its assault, but remained in control of her mind. It could not control her, despite her much lower stats. 

‘Think, Sophia! You can get out of this!’ Sophia’s heart pounded, nevertheless, as she raced to try and think of a way around this. Perhaps her Fairy Eyes had been boosted to be strong enough to-

“Oh, I can’t have that.” Garen noticed her minute preparations. In one smooth movement, he raised his right arm as he looked away from Number 10’s dead body and pointed it at Sophia. 

“Die now.” A bolt of golden energy appeared from Garen’s fingertips as he wasted no time at all, giving Sophia no chance to escape. This energy was incredibly potent, crackling and singeing the air as it blasted into Sophia’s chest at point-blank range. 

Or, at least, that was what it was supposed to do. 

“Ah, ah, I’m afraid I can’t be lettin’ ya do that.” A jovial sounding voice cut through the air as 12 streaks of blue light shot forward in front of Sophia, blocking the attack. 

A small explosion of mixed gold and blue light shook the air, knocking both Sophia and Shin back several meters. Energy crackled and fizzled, shrieking as the two powers destroyed each other. 

Sophia blinked furiously as she recovered from the attack, looking at their savior. 

It was a lanky, blond-haired man dressed in a set of simple, brown pants and a grey shirt. He had a large backpack on and held a walking staff in his hand. Like Cameron, a green Aura wrapped around him, a physical field of energy that he controlled. 

Sophia recognized him instantly. 

Tandrum, the Explorer. 

A man obsessed with discovering the secrets of the First Layer. 

An S Ranker. 

And the hidden ally of the Godfather Organization, assisting the Hidden Truths Department in their mission to uncover certain truths about the First Layer. The same Tandrum that Micheal had learned was the man in charge of infiltrating the Monster Class Nest for testing, back when he was serving as a distraction. 

A dozen blue strings rose out from Tandrum’s fingertips, swirling about in the air in meandering patterns. These strings gave off a brighter blue light, pushing back the golden Aura that Garen was giving off even further as he strode forward. 

Sophia’s jaw dropped when she saw this, not understanding. Micheal hadn’t told her anything about this. 

“Tandrum. Unexpected, but don’t think you can take me down. I am not the man I was before.” The golden light that Garen gave off surged around him, 

“I am the future of this Layer, Tandrum!” Garen’s eyes blazed,

“Do not step in my path and force my hand!” 

“Oh, yada yada, I never cared for all this blather.” Tandrum waved off Garen’s words with a casual shrug, 

“We are here just to slow you down. I owe a favor.” 

Garen stared at Tandrum, blinking slowly,

“We?” 

A moment later… 

An invisible lightning bolt of energy smashed down on Garen’s head, clashing with the golden Aura that swarmed around the powerful Number protectively. A second clash of energy shook the gymnasium as Garen was blasted backwards, clutching at his head in pain. 

30 floors higher… 

The Brigadier General of the Old Airwing Military Alliance sat in a private bedroom, his legs crossed beneath him as he concentrated. White light fluttered around his hands, giving off an ephemeral feeling. 

Invisible, undetectable aerial blasts that could be launched from far away, able to pass through even the nearly-invincible skyscrapers. A perfect tactic to use against Prime, but more than that, a perfect style of battle to use to whittle away at an unsuspecting enemy. 

“A life saved for a life saved.” Pedro’s eyes glowed as he looked down, somehow able to make out what was happening down below, 

“Hold safely down there. Let us do the heavy work for now.” 

.. .. .. .. .. .. 

“This time, I did everything perfectly. I made no mistakes.” Micheal muttered to himself, his words full of emotion as he watched Cameron continued to walk towards him. 

Micheal clenched his knuckles so hard they turned white when he saw this. His nails dug into his flesh, oozing blood as he stood there, unable to change that which he saw before him. 

“I made no mistakes. None…” Micheal paid close attention to how close Cameron was, tracking exactly how far the man had moved. The drops of blood from his palm splattered as they hit the ground, a few of them sizzling as sparks from the Monster Class Nest fell on them. 

"And I can't let myself make one now." As he saw Cameron make one certain step, a thought full of equal parts conviction, recrimination, and determination filled him. 

In that split moment… Micheal flicked his wrist.

A wave of light exploded from right next to him. 

A warm feeling of energy and peacefulness swept through his Soul and enveloped his mind. A flurry of notifications appeared as his Soul stat was boosted, drastically increasing under a huge boost provided by the Monster Class Nest. 

His exhausted body collapsed, a half-second later, as an incredibly heavy impact slammed into his defenseless chest, killing him instantly. 

“…”

“…”

“…”

‘Three down… zero left…’ 

.