by L. M. Kerr
Sophia quivered, a quiet 'eep!' popping out as she tried to force herself not to laugh.
"Ahem." Shigun patted himself off as if nothing happened.
"Anyway. I've done everything you requested. The information on Golden Morenkai and Dragon Building Liquid has been sent to the HQ. I'll release it here publicly in a few weeks." Shigun had recovered most of his dignity, ignoring Sophia's quivering shoulders.
Micheal stuck out his hand,
"Thanks, Shigun."
"No, thank you Mi-, ahem, Heron." Shigun took his hand and shook it, giving him a friendly smile,
"To meet someone that would give up on such secrets purely to better all of mankind… I have never met someone I would rather call a friend."
Micheal smiled behind his mask.
"The same to you, Shigun. To work so hard to protect those who cannot protect themselves… The Godfather Organization has a worthy branch leader."
A quiet moment between allies passed before Shigun said his goodbyes, leaving to head back to his territory. Micheal and Sophia stayed for a moment longer before making their way over to the skyscraper they were staying at.
"Is it going to be that dangerous?" Sophia's voice was filled with curiosity as she questioned Micheal. They were in the middle of jogging across a few bridges, moving secretively through the outskirts of the Godfather Organization's territory.
"The journey across the Great Bridge is a little dangerous…" He replied,
"But not if you bring a literal army with you." He smiled wide.
'Why risk anything when you could just bring an army and invalidate the danger?' All his preparation had been, in part, to ensure their crossing was safe and easy. He also wanted to encourage people to grow stronger and prepare to move up to the next Layer, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
Eventually, they made it back to base, throwing off any potential trails by taking Micheal's Life Orbs and soaring around near ground level. The day passed quickly, in the blink of an eye.
They both made any final preparations they needed to make, readying themselves. As afternoon faded to evening, the duo ended up listening to music together and playing cards, a quiet, peaceful evening that was relatively rare for them.
In no time at all… the next day came.
Micheal and Sophia found themselves standing on the edge of the Cluster, at a skyscraper Micheal had designated. They were both fully prepared for the day, showered, fed, and well rested.
Around them, a small army of men and women could be seen, a huge coalition of several notable powers as well as the leaders of the various major powers. The Saru Group, the Tobagin Party, the Godfather Organization, everyone was here.
'Here we go…' Micheal ignored this all as he looked forward, his heart beating with excitement.
It was finally time.
The air quivered, the world around Micheal shaking.
Abruptly, rising from the earth, a huge cloud of dirt and grass was thrown into the air, dissipating into dust, as hundreds of ships burst from the ground. A great, screeching echo sounded out as these great sea-bearing vessels broke from the chains of the earth, smashing upward.
A small shockwave spread out at their abrupt appearance, an incredible, amazing sight that even now amazed Micheal.
Cruise ships, ancient wooden boats, oil tankers, a huge variety of ships had appeared. Some decrepit, some looking modern and fresh, all appearing lined up and set next to each other tightly, forming a bridge.
'The Great Bridge.' Behind his mask, Micheal smiled. Their ticket to the Main Cluster had arrived.
"Let's move out!"
.
Chapter 4
The Great Bridge.
Micheal looked at the huge ocean liner that was touching the roof of the skyscraper he was now standing on, his eyes calm.
All around him, the various members of the Stardust Coalition were preparing to set off.
The B Ranked Offensive Team Leader Martin was going with their group, as were various members of the Godfather Organization. Micheal recognized the 2nd Ranked Flesh Wizard, Hunter, who was accompanying them as well. He was the same man that had traded with him in the Open Market and a strong B Ranker.
Various other B and C Ranked fighters were there with them.
The Godfather Organization, the Saru Group, the Tobagin Party, the Flesh Wizards Tower, the Blue Wing Society, Iron Knights Alliance, the Black Beret Fighters, the Black Knives, and the Sharpshooter Alliance.
A large number of teams had come together, some of the strongest forces in the Stardust Cluster, all ones Micheal had handpicked, recognizing them from his original timeline. They were all forces that he considered mostly upright.
Despite knowing of the teams, Micheal only recognized a few members. Of those, he only saw two other notable B Rankers.
The B Ranked Swiss Artillery Noah, of the Tobagin Party and the B Ranked Captain Simon of the Saru Group.
Noah used the Limited Arms of Arms Type Ability, an extremely odd power that allowed one to transform their arms into a variety of different weapons, including various guns. Noah was especially adept at using the power, an arms expert.
Captain Simon was one of the Saru groups Captains, a very strong B Ranker that had the Limited Dark Rhinoceros Type Ability, a Full Transformation Ability that allowed him to transform into a Dark Rhinoceros. Dark Rhinos were roughly 50% heavier and larger than normal Rhinos from Earth, with bulging muscles and a thick hide.
Of everyone here, Captain Simon was likely the strongest B Ranker.
'With how low his Soul stat likely is, though, I doubt he can maintain that form for long.' It was a thought Micheal considered as he glanced at the man. Yet again, it was the notoriously difficult to increase Soul stat that limited power here in the First Layer.
Captain Simon wore a set of military fatigues, one of the more popular styles of clothing after the apocalypse struck. He had short blonde hair and a square face, with a blocky nose and blue eyes. He was muscular but also slightly fat, looking like someone you'd absolutely not want to pick a fight with.
'He can probably last 4-5 minutes at most. If he could last a bit longer, he'd be an A Ranker.' Full Transformation Type Abilities had a huge drain on the soul of a user. Unless your Soul stat was sufficiently high, it would be difficult to maintain said Ability.
Micheal's eye flicked over to Noah. The man was lean, wearing a white shirt and black pants. He was currently laughing as he talked to a group of his allies, getting ready to leave.
'We have a sizable and strong force. The chance of us encountering Monster Class Morenkai randomly on the Great Bridge is almost zero. This should be well more than enough to get us there, safely and easily.' He nodded as he finished looking over the Coalition members.
'I'll use the journey to begin spreading Heron and Crane's reputation.' He smiled.
"Attention, everyone!" Micheal's voice echoed out loud as he stepped up to the edge of the skyscraper. The cruise ship's edge connected here, at a slight slant. It was aimed slightly downward, where it connected with a few other ships till it hit near ground level and flattened out.
Everyone turned towards Micheal, a hush stealing over the crowd. The representative B Rankers and leaders from each group stepped forward, looking at him respectfully.
"I am Emissary Heron, of the Angels Arcadia!" He began, his masked face studying the onlookers. All of them looked at him attentively, some with a hint of fear or apprehension.
"I will be guiding you all on the journey across the Great Bridge! Your leaders will have informed you of this. With me at the helm, any problems we encounter will be swiftly resolved." He nodded as he spoke, gesturing at the various group leaders.
"The teams have already been organized, each of the 9 parties here has been given a representative number. Teams 1 and 2 will serve as the vanguard for the first hour, and will rotate hourly with the next teams in line. Teams 5 and 6 will serve as the rear guard, rotating in the same way." His eye
s narrowed as he looked from B Ranker to B Ranker, getting nods in return.
"If you have any questions, inform your team leader and they will inform me." He clapped his hands together loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"With that said, let's have a safe and speedy journey!" He turned around, motioning with his hand.
"Let's move out!"
"Hoooaaah!"
"To the Main Cluster!"
"Wooo!"
Cheers broke out as Micheal finished his speech, the crowd of warriors eager to move forward. All of them were strong, even the weakest able to handle regular Morenkai in a one on one situation. The thought of exploration, of visiting a new place and throwing aside the same ol' same ol' of the Stardust cluster was exciting.
Without hesitation, they all began to move forward.
Micheal decided to lead the way forward for a bit. He smiled beneath his mask as he took his first step onto the cruise ship, taking a deep breath.
'Ahh.' Memories flashed in his mind of his first journey across the Great Bridge. It had been a dangerous, harried journey, one full of danger and fear. He hadn't encountered any Monster Class Morenkai, but had met with several Abnormals that threatened the life of him and the party he was traveling with.
He had left with a small expedition force sent by the Saru Group, not the exalted Stardust Coalition. He couldn't quite remember what they were doing or why he had joined the force, only knowing it had something to do with the Stardust Base, as what everyone called their allied presence in the Main Cluster.
He shook the thoughts from his head as he stepped onto the cruise ship, taking several steps forward.
'It's the same.' The slight lean, the solid feeling of the ancient looking boat. The creaking of the metal and shivering of the wood.
Unlike the skyscrapers, these various boats could be damaged. They weren't a permanent fixture of this world, and, as a result, were only slightly tougher than they would've been on Earth.
Footsteps rang out as several figures rushed ahead of him. The members of Teams 1 and 2, the Flesh Wizards Tower and the Black Beret Fighters moving ahead. They moved onto the cruise ship and then forward across it smoothly, taking up two separate point formations.
Behind Micheal, all the other groups moved forward, an army beginning its rapid crossing.
He flexed his fingers and raised them, checking that his suit was still tucked in. This suit was one he'd bought specially made from the Shop, one that was enhanced for running and combat. It was made from a cool and tensile material, and wouldn't show or keep sweat.
'Let's get going.' He ignored the novelty of running across a cruise ship as he, and the rest of the Stardust Coalition, began to cross the Great Bridge.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
The first day was relatively uneventful, though it was always interesting to jump from ship to ship, crossing all manner of vessels. The seemingly endless line of boats was a unique sight, as was the Cluster of skyscrapers behind them that eventually faded from sight.
The rotating teams encountered several groups of Morenkai, including a few lone Abnormals. They wiped them all out with ease, not running into any issues that required Micheal's attention.
Morenkai appeared on the Great Bridge just like they appeared in the Clusters, though their numbers were more thinly spread. They spawned and roamed in the bowels of ships, sometimes moving up to the surface of their own accord. Micheal was unsure if Golden Morenkai would appear, but felt like there was a chance they would. It was likely much harder to find them here, though, than in the Clusters, where you could track them by skyscrapers that had powerless street lamps.
They made extremely fast progress throughout the day.
Normally, one would carefully move through the Great Bridge, avoiding the roaming Morenkai. Abnormals were more common in this area, though still a relatively rare sight. It was entirely possible to cross the Great Bridge without fighting if one took their time and didn't constantly rush.
Even as a powerful A or B Ranker, it could quickly become very dangerous if you got swarmed, especially by Abnormals that were fast.
However, with a literal army at his back to clean up anything in their path, Micheal saw no reason to delay. They would just obliterate anything in their path, full stop.
And obliterate they did.
By the time they reached nightfall, they had crossed more than 2,500 different ships, a very significant number. It usually took around 2 weeks of travel to reach the Main Cluster from any normal Cluster, with the total number of ships crossed averaging around 12,000-13,000.
At the rate they were going, they would reach the Main Cluster in around 5 days, blazing forward as fast as safely possible. Their enhanced bodies were able to handle sprinting and running for far longer periods of time, especially if they utilized Recovery Pills or the like. With the two teams up front wiping out any Morenkai that appeared, essentially nothing slowed the main group down.
Just like that, Micheal and Sophia found themselves sitting in a cabin in a large cruise ship they had picked to stake out the night. The room was a suite, with multiple bedrooms that were furnished sparsely.
Sophia had already turned out for bed. There were a few rotating night watches held by some of the teams, but out of respect or something else, the 'Emissaries' of the Angels Arcadia were exempted, leaving the both of them to sleep.
Micheal went through his usual routine of cultivation, working on enhancing his strength. He guided the strands of Ki he could sense, slowly absorbing energy from the environment around him.
After he finished that, he opened his eyes, glancing around his bedroom. He was laying on a small, clean white bed with a plastic nightstand and a few other basic amenities. His suit was up on a hanger, hanging from a small, open closet.
"A few more days and I'll hit the Peak of Mortal Tier Ki Cultivation…" He nodded slowly,
"I'll need to prepare to break into the Earth Tier." Once he achieved the next tier up, he would have reached the same Tier that almost everyone that was powerful in the First Layer was in. Pirate Lord Brandon, Boss Shigun, even most of the strong B Rankers here, all of them had achieved the Earth Tier of Ki Cultivation.
Once he reached it, his stats would jump slightly, though not anything crazy. The Peak of Mortal Tier and the start of Early Earth Tier were rather close in terms of physical Strength. Recovery and Endurance had a bit of a wider gap, but in raw power, the two weren't too far from each other.
"But for now…" He looked back at his bed with a smile.
"Sleep."
.. .. .. .. .. ..
In the middle of the next day…
"Emissary Heron! Teams 7 and 8 have encountered a violent group of Abnormals! There's at least a dozen of them!" One of the C Rankers, a black haired man in his 20s wearing a set of shorts and a t-shirt, ran up to Micheal, his voice worried.
Micheal was currently jogging along the side of an ancient wooden ship, admiring its architecture. The C Ranker was a member of the Sharpshooter Alliance. His panicked words drew the eyes of several other members of the Coalition that were following Micheal.
'12 Abnormals? Hmm, it's a Pack. Is it from a Nest?' As soon as he heard the man speak, his mind began to race, a stir of excitement appearing in his heart.
Some Abnormals shared certain characteristics with other Abnormals. These groups would sometimes form together and make a 'Pack' of Abnormals. The extra-powerful Morenkai were much more common in the Main Cluster and on the Great Bridge, and as a result, would clump together when they found those of a similar nature.
The much rarer chance of Packs was one of the reasons many people remained behind in their starting Cluster, refusing to leave.
'We're only on Day 2 and we already hit a Pack…' He shrugged.
It was somewhat bad luck, but, then again, they were also bulldozing down any enemies in their path instead of moving carefully like most would. It was only a matter of time until they encountered something like this.
<
br /> 'Teams 7 and 8… that's the Saru Group and the Sharpshooter Alliance.' With Captain Simon there, they should be able to handle it… maybe. 12 Abnormals was a lot, even for a very strong B Ranker like Simon and all the other C Rankers or B Rankers that would be there.
As the thought flashed through his mind, he smiled,
'So many Abnormals means quite a healthy chunk of Points. I can also use this to get a little repute…' His eyes gleamed.
"Very well, Sharpshooter! Lead the way, I will personally step in!"
.
Chapter 5
The vanguard of their traveling coalition was spaced out several thousand meters in front of the main party. Due to the spread out nature of Morenkai on the Great Bridge, the encounters the vanguard dealt with were far in-between. With them clearing the way, the rest of the Coalition could rest and relax as they jogged along, free and without many worries.
Several thousands of meters from Micheal, the Stardust Coalition vanguard was currently facing a battle of epic proportions. The battle was taking place atop a large, white cruise ship. On the large, open deck of the ship, a dozen Abnormal Morenkai were fighting against a multitude of humans.
At the front of this vanguard, Captain Simon, called the Black Rhino by some, was engaged in a desperate battle as he was swarmed.
The air shook as he lashed out with his right hand, smashing into a large, green-skinned Abnormal. The blow caused the Abnormal to fly backwards a dozen meters, smashing into one of the upper decks of the cruise ship.
Simon's body was currently a mix between a human and a Dark Rhinoceros. His arms and legs were thicker than usual, but still clearly humanoid, while his head had transformed into that of a large, horned black rhino.
This was the Partial Transformation state of his Dark Rhinoceros Type Ability.
Using the Full Transformation that his Type Ability allowed for was incredibly draining and would tire him out after just a few minutes. As someone with a Transformation Type Ability, however, he could also use what was called a Partial Transformation.
