Chapter 151

R-a - Chapter 151 (In editing-v1)

Elemental Energy made up the building blocks of reality in the 7 Layers. In Micheal’s first life, humanity had determined, through a colossal scientific investigation carried forth by tens of thousands of their brightest researchers, that the 7 Layers were not within the same ‘universe’ as Earth. 

That was to say… they were in an entirely different dimension. 

Reality here functioned in ways science could no longer easily explain. Many facets of life were the same, or near-identical. Many other facets, however, were not. 

One of those things was the concept of ‘Elemental Energy.’ This unique type of energy was a volatile substance that tied together the very fabric of reality, something humans became very familiar with. 

Many Abilities allowed people to manipulate, examine, or use Elemental Energy in various ways. Many Artifacts were imbued with or allowed one to control Elemental Energy. As time went on, most of the power humanity accumulated relied upon Elemental Energy. 

Even Ki itself was merely another form of Elemental Energy, manipulated into a complex system focused on empowering and improving the power of a being. 

Elemental Energy had many forms. Some forms were relatively safe, like Elemental Light, a type of rare natural energy that could heal injuries to the body or Soul. 

Other forms were extremely volatile. Elemental Lightning and Elemental Fire… these two forms of Elemental Energy were some of the most volatile that existed. Each one could, when concentrated enough, unleash devastation to horrifying degrees. 

However, contrary to humanity’s initial beliefs, mixing these two types of energies did not always create an extreme reaction. Instead, the two energies tended to fight against each other and cancel each other out, creating a muted, self-defeating end. 

The raw impact from these two types of energies meeting would sometimes create an explosion, especially so here, where the Mire Wicker Poison had effectively spread the Elemental Lightning throughout the room, acting as a stable conduit in an enclosed space. But the brunt of this impact would typically become neutralized as the two Elemental Energies fought against each other. 

In other words, the explosion would be all bark and no bite, able to harm weaker enemies, but liable to do little to Director Prime. 

Micheal, standing at the epicenter of the explosion, was killed instantly. The highest concentration of energy occurred in his hands, literally melting his body apart in a split fraction of a second, regardless of whether or not the two energies were fighting. 

The explosion then spread out through the room, using the Mire Wicker Poison as fuel to detonate. This type of concentrated, poison gas, when energized by the Elemental Lightning, had explosive properties that couldn’t be easily negated. 

The theatre was instantly awash with boiling lightning and roiling flames, leaving no room for anyone to escape. Even Director Prime was instantly covered, unable to dodge. The sudden attack had come from seemingly nowhere. 

‘Hmm.’ Micheal’s consciousness floated in the air, hidden from reality as he returned to his stable, Soul-like state. He could sense the theatre area keenly, but was free from any type of danger as he watched the remnants of his attack. 

Most of the gas was burned off in around a single second. The crackling screech of two different Elemental Energies clashing with each other clashed in the air, creating a chaotic scene for a brief period. 

Soon after, the violent energies began to fade. Smoldering smoke and black haze dotted areas of the room, but for the most part, a semblance of norm had descended. 

The Monster Class Nest Core was, unsurprisingly, completely fine. The powerful energies were dangerous, but mostly only to creatures of flesh and blood. 

Director Prime, however… 

As the smoke and black haze began to clear, Micheal got his first look at Prime. Micheal was still in his mystical, Life-Orb controlled state, not yet allowing himself to spawn back in. 

Black haze and smoke dissipated around a vague figure, glowing around Prime’s body like water. Gradually, as the haze faded, Prime’s body was revealed, standing in the middle of the theatre seats, blown back and away from the main stage. 

The man’s previous, casual attire was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his clothes had been entirely replaced by a suit of metal armor, what looked to be a mix of grey and black metal as well as dark-colored leather. A sleek, metal helmet covered his face, adorned with a few glowing red inscriptions on its bottom half. Likewise, on Prime’s armored chest were a couple of long, red inscriptions that glowed with fiery light, straight down the center.

As the haze continued to fade away, Micheal saw that he now wielded two large, glowing energy swords, each one coated in a visible, black aura. 

From what was visible…

Prime’s appeared to be completely, and perfectly, unharmed. He looked to have been fully protected by his armor. 

Micheal stared at Prime, the equivalent of a grim smile forming on his hidden consciousness as he took the scene in. 

‘I got him.’

This was Prime’s Annihlus Armor, a set of Limited gear that cost more than 200,000 Points. No one knew how Prime got it, though it had to have been from some Irregular, likely in the First Wave. 

This armor was powerful, able to resist Elemental Energy of almost every single element, while boosting its wearer's physical prowess and shielding them from physical attacks. It was of a much higher tier than Micheal’s middling Ivory Skin Leather Armor. 

His swords were Hai’ton Flame Swords, imbued with both Elemental Darkness and Elemental Fire. They were powerful blades that melted and corrupted anything in his path, aiding his own terrible prowess. 

All of Prime’s Abilities were focused on enhancing his own power, from what Micheal had read of history. Prime never used any power apart from his own physical strength, he was a raw fighter. While Micheal didn’t know what specific Abilities Prime had, it didn’t matter. 

None of it mattered. 

From the time Prime had allowed Micheal to unleash his Mire Wicker Poison, the fate of this battle had already been set in motion. 

Prime began to speak, his voice calm and collected as he looked around the room.

“A clever plan, Heron. I’ll admit I almost didn’t see it, not with this damnable poison clouding my thoughts. But in the end, nothing can escape my visio-“ Before the man could finish his speech, he abruptly froze. 

“Gah-!” Prime’s grimaced aloud, instantly cutting himself off just a moment later as he inadvertently let off a grunt of pain. His figure remained ever stalwart, but Micheal knew more than anyone what was happening. 

Prime wasn’t physically injured, it was true. His body was in perfect condition. The man’s Annihlus Armor would’ve activated before the Elemental Energy could’ve hit him, protecting him completely. It was very likely Prime had managed to figure out Micheal’s plan at some point, and prepared for it accordingly. There was a reason the man was famed for his power and strategic might, an invincible S Ranker that was an undefeated genius. 

Even with all the effort Micheal went to make everything seem coincidental, even with all the painstaking thought he put into everything, Micheal had been almost certain Prime would’ve noticed. 

The man’s power to stop time, when combined with the man’s obsessive nature, was simply too ridiculously powerful. 

However… that was something Micheal had been counting on. 

Prime saw him as an adversary that was, if not his equal, at least worthy of caution. 

And so, throughout their entire battle thus far, Micheal had focused on one thing:

Telling a story. 

A story of a warrior trying his hardest to poison Prime and weaken his mind, a warrior trying his hardest to dodge Prime’s attacks and by himself time to let the poison spread, a story of a warrior pretending to hesitate to ready a trap, and finally, a warrior trying his hardest to trick Prime into dying in an explosive blast. 

It was a story he told with skill, told so convincingly that even a man that could stop time to ponder would willingly accept. 

After all, in his world of frozen time, Prime couldn’t experiment with Elemental Lightning, Elemental Fire, and Mire Wicker Poison on his own. He had no way to know that the energies created would do little physical damage when they reacted. 

All he could do was react to what he saw and what he knew, to the best of his capabilities. 

And unfortunately for him…

Mire Wicker Poison had certain special spiritual properties… ones that could affect a being even if you were completely protected…

Normally, these properties would function as they had before. They would cloud the mind and weaken one’s vision.

However, in the future of Micheal’s first life, a discovery was eventually made. During a battle that took place within the dense foliage of a swamp on the Second Layer, a Wizard of the Rakkonian Race had cast a Spell that contained Elemental Lightning against a Fairy of the Farian Race. That Fairy had responded by throwing up a shield of Elemental Fire, drawing upon his Bloodline Magic. 

The location for these two clashes of Elemental Energy had been none other than an area infected with Mire Wicker Poison. 

The resulting interaction had created a huge, spiritual backlash alongside a large, physical explosion. 

The backlash directly killed both the Rakkonian and the Fairan, tearing their Souls to shreds. It spread out and injured hundreds of participants in this fight, maiming their Souls with injuries that took months to heal. 

And right now, Prime was suffering from a similar backlash, here and now. The man’s body had been well protected, but so too were the bodies of the various beings on the Second Layer at the site of this future battle. Unless one had specifically prepared to block such a backlash, it was impossible to dodge. 

The potency of the spiritual attack was much weaker here due to the limited Elemental Energy Micheal could summon. Still, it was more than enough to work here on the First Layer, dealing a blow to Prime that couldn’t be mitigated. The man’s Soul wasn’t destroyed, but it was likely riddled with injuries that would directly kill a lesser man and would take Prime weeks, at least, to heal from. 

As for Micheal… he was completely fine. His consciousness, and his Soul with it, was hidden away in a mystical place, awaiting his return to life.

The spiritual backlash was very powerful and nigh unavoidable. However, to be hit by it, one had to be physically present in the area. 

By the time the backlash came into full effect, Micheal’s body had already been destroyed and his death had already arrived. His Soul was nowhere the Mire Wicker Poison could find, leaving him completely unharmed. 

Of course, dying to avoid being injured was a rather unconventional approach. In fact, most people would question that sort of logic. Micheal’s setup was definitely something very few people could follow. 

As he saw Prime grapple with the serious injuries to his Soul, Micheal took action. 

One of his two remaining Life Orbs shattered as he came back to life, spawning in several meters away from where he had died, near the back of the theatre stage. 

As soon as he appeared, he sprinted off to his left, taking only a split second to reach where a long, black blade had wedged itself, set against the back wall of the stage.

With his right foot, he kicked the blade up into the air. In the same motion, he tapped on the Spatial Ring that had just materialized on his hand, pulling out a large, black pill. 

He swallowed the pill down instantly while simultaneously grabbing ahold of his Ashari Blade in his free hand and putting it in a guard position. He then assessed the state of the blade, noting several long burn marks on it as he felt the Bracken Enhancement Fluid he had just taken begun to take effect. 

‘I need to save my last Life Orb for what comes after this.’ The thought floated in his mind as he took a small step forward, 

“Come, Director.” Micheal smiled slightly as he pointed his Ashari Blade forward,

“Let’s finish this.” 

.. .. .. .. .. .. 

Meanwhile, back at the Nightrunner’s Nest B skyscraper… 

.. .. .. .. .. .. 

Shin’s breath wheezed out of him as he looked at the scene before him. 

He was no longer hidden away up in the rafters of the large gymnasium, but down on the ground, near the edge of the room. His Heaton Sniper Rifle lay in shambles on the ground nearby, sliced into several pieces. 

Blood pounded in his ears as he tried to focus, his mind clearing as sweat dripped down his forehead, stinging his eyes. 

The fight between the Cell Captains of the Nightrunners and Admiral Cardell’s team had grown to a standstill in the background. While there were more elites from the Godfather Organization in the fight, each of the Cell Captains appeared to be the absolute strongest ones in the Nightrunners. 

Knives clashed against swords, axes smashed against glowing shields, katanas swung against metal staves. A myriad of colored energies clashed as Abilities were unleashed in a chaotic storm. 

While the Godfather Organization still held the advantage, the Cell Captains were strong enough that the fight was more of a battle of attrition. The men from the Nightrunners were gradually losing, but at a slow enough rate that neither side would be able to interfere with anyone else for several minutes. 

Shin had no time to split his focus on the battle that was happening off to the side between Number 10, Sophia, and the rest of his team as his gaze zeroed in on his target. 

Number 6.

After Shin launched out his sneak ambush, and found that ambush subsequently returned, he had prepared himself to launch another volley. Before he could prime his Heaton Sniper Rifle, though, Number 6 had managed to launch an ambush of his own at Shin, using his mystical portals to stab his spear directly at him while simultaneously fending off Admiral Cardell. 

Shin had ended up using his Heaton Sniper Rifle to block the attack, sacrificing the weapon to buy him time to teleport. The gun had exploded right before he left, however, dazing him as he warped over to a different, empty part of the gymnasium. 

It had taken him only a brief time to recover from the explosion, and he’d managed to keep his guard up throughout it, prepared to teleport if he was attacked again. But in that time, instead of attacking him, Number 6 focused on Cardell. 

And in that time… things had taken a dire turn. 

Admiral Cardell truly was the strongest A Ranker. He was ranked well above Number 6, and possessed a level of skill and might that had stood unchallenged for quite some time. 

But despite that, when Shin’s vision cleared, he saw a fight that looked completely the opposite. 

Number 6’s arms were a blur as he unleashed strike after strike, cleverly redirecting the Admiral’s anchor in sinuous, movements. The man’s spear slid around almost like a snake, far from the ‘tiger’ his Spear Tiger nickname proclaimed, but effective nonetheless. 

Admiral Cardell’s huge anchor swung about in lightning-fast strikes that could only seem crude in comparison, like a rushing bull that was flailing about wildly. Their fight moved extremely quickly, so fast it was hard for Shin to clearly make out.

What he could see, however, were the large gashes appearing on Cardell’s skin, and the spatters of red blood as the Admiral took multiple serious injuries in a matter of seconds. 

Loud clangs and bashes rang out from each impact of the two’s fight, a furious battle that shook the air itself. Just from listening to their duel, Shin realized that if even a single one of those attacks landed on him, he would be dead, Bracken Enhancement Fluid or not. 

Shin wanted nothing more than to back up and retreat, taking cover as he let off a few long-range bullet attacks. He still maintained his newfound determination to face his fears and enemies head-on, but that didn’t mean his entire nature would change in a day. 

However, as he looked on at the deathmatch, he grit his teeth and took a tentative step forward. He clenched his fists as his trusty Soul Pistol appeared in his right hand, armed and ready to fire. 

Before he left on this mission, Micheal had given Shin a single task and nothing more.

“No matter who or what we find, your job is a simple one, Shin.” Micheal had explained, back when they were going over their final plans.

“I need you to find the biggest, the baddest, or the strongest guy there, the one that is causing the most trouble for our mission.” Shin had listened attentively, taking in every word Micheal said. 

“And I need you to take him down.” Micheal then went on to outline several plans, each one different in its own ways depending on the possible enemies and areas they might encounter. 

Shin had taken all of that information in and made a firm promise. 

He was going to complete that mission. Because if he didn’t… that could mean the end of everything. He had absolute faith in Micheal. If Micheal said this was something they absolutely needed to do, that meant it was something they absolutely needed to do. 

Shin took a deep breath, his gaze rapidly becoming calm as he looked at Number 6. 

The man was engrossed in his battle with Admiral Cardell. While the fierce spear-wielder was clearly winning the fight, even a single mistake could prove fatal. Cardell was a legendary expert on the First Layer for a reason, after all.

Shin watched them fight for a few seconds. And then watched some more. And some more. 

His eyes never left Number 6’s figure as he watched their duel continue, ignoring the other battles around him. He knelt down on the ground, assuming a quiet posture, gradually hiding his presence as he stared at Number 6. 

Screams of pain, the screeches of metal, and the sounds of battle continued to echo, but all that faded to silence as Shin put his complete focus on Number 6.

Every stretch of the man’s arm, every sweep of the man’s spear, every shift of the man’s stance… Shin took it all in, missing nothing. 

The battle between the two top tier A Rankers was accelerating at a far faster pace than the other fights. Cardell seemed to be barely holding on, a look of sheer horror and astonishment mixed on his face, as if Number 6 held absolutely unbelievable power. 

And finally… at a completely random point, where Number 6 had just lashed out with his spear, leaving a deep cut on Cardell’s abdomen, and was recovering while Cardell tried to fend him off… 

At a time where no one would reasonably try to attack, where Number 6 was readying himself to unleash another attack…

Shin teleported behind Number 6 and hugged him. 

.