Reborn- Apocalypse 2

by L. M. Kerr

  As that thought went through Micheal's head, inspiration struck.

  He quickly tapped on his Spatial Ring, pulling out a small, nondescript necklace.

  He put the necklace on in a heartbeat, a smile appearing on his face.

  It was none other than the Nullification Aura Necklace that he had gained from the battle with Xavier, back in the Stardust Cluster.

  This special Artifact was designed to block attacks that could affect the Soul or mind. A side effect of this, however, was that if he concentrated and used up some of his Ki, he could also use the Artifact to wipe away the signature of his life force, sealing any traces of that hidden Aura.

  In most situations, something like this wouldn't matter. Very few beings could sense the life force of another creature unless they willfully displayed it, it wasn't something that was easily tangible like Ki at higher stages. Even Micheal couldn't sense someone else's life force.

  However, when it came to the Monster Class Morenkai, it was a godsend.

  Unfortunately, the Artifact wasn't perfect. At its core, it was still one of the cheaper Artifacts in the Shop, its powers limited by Micheal's Soul stat and its own lower level. As a result, he wasn't able to perfectly hide his energy signature.

  He could, however, disperse it so that the Monster Class Morenkai would only know he was within a few thousand or so meters. As long as he was quiet and moved carefully, avoiding detection wouldn't be too difficult.

  Of course, this left him with a freakishly powerful monster constantly trying to stalk and murder him, but, well, he had a lot to worry about already, so it was simply one more thing added to the list.

  And, using the necklace as well as his own quick maneuvering, Micheal was able to shake the Monster Class Morenkai, at least to some degree. He wasn't able to lose it perfectly, but it was no longer constantly attacking him.

  Instead, it was just vaguely following him around at a distance, searching for him.

  He successfully managed to avoid it long enough to reach the Steel Guard Branch, moving through the Main Cluster at top speed.

  When he arrived, he followed a similar routine as he did at the Iron Eye Branch. He impersonated a high-level Emissary, using his Emblem as proof, and requested to meet their Commander.

  One thing led to another, and he quickly found out that the Commander was out. From the rumors that the guards spread, he learned that the Commander had gone off chasing his very target, the Black Witch Leila, or Emissary Shar, as she was officially known.

  They had apparently gone off to examine a newly formed Temporary Nest, waiting for approval from the headquarters to secure it. He had just barely missed them, the delay caused by the Monster Class Morenkai preventing him from arriving before they left.

  'Oh?' When Micheal found that out, he couldn't help but want to find them immediately. Not only could he finally get eyes on his target, but he also might find a chance to take out the Temporary Nest.

  If he could keep upgrading his Soul stat when he was down here, there was no telling how powerful he would become in the future. As the hardest stat to increase, he absolutely needed to take full advantage of destroying these Temporary Nests.

  He also had a sinking suspicion filling him.

  The time for Leila to betray the Angels Arcadia and join the Nightrunners should be around this time. It was part of why he had been in such a hurry to get here.

  This incident right here… her being off alone with a powerful figure of the Angels Arcadia… well, it felt like a perfect opportunity for her to commit her mutiny while taking out a valuable member of a rival force.

  Micheal managed to finagle his way into learning the location of the Temporary Nest, using his authority as a powerful Emissary that urgently needed to talk to the Commander, face to face.

  From there, he'd carefully rushed over, all the while avoiding the Monster Class Morenkai that was prowling about in the background.

  And, his hard work had been rewarded.

  He'd managed to find and catch up to the duo, his mad rush showing its rewards.

  The Black Witch looked as she had been described. One of the few Emissaries that refused to wear a mask, long black hair, green eyes, freckles. An attractive woman that carried herself with confidence.

  Commander Kenneth was a person Micheal had never heard of, likely because he ended up dead long before Micheal arrived in the Main Cluster originally. However, the man did have incredibly sharp senses and a very powerful physical body. Micheal had almost been caught following them when the Commander paused, swirling around as he faintly detected Micheal's presence.

  Micheal was following from below the rooftops, with his Life Orbs, and in the end, managed to avoid the Commander's gaze, hiding well out of plain sight.

  He stalked them all the way to the skyscraper that housed the Temporary Nest, without encountering anything dangerous. He had just been about to fly up and follow them when he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.

  Two more figures had arrived on the rooftop, emerging from a neighboring skyscraper.

  Figures wearing white masks with gold numbers imprinted upon them.

  Number 14 and Number 11 of the Nightrunner Numbers.

  The moment he saw them, Micheal grew certain.

  This was the moment Leila chose to betray the Angels Arcadia. He had stumbled upon a little piece of history.

  Micheal watched the duo descend after the two members of Arcadia, pausing as he hid along the side of the roof.

  He was well aware of the powers of most of the Nightrunner Numbers. Each one was a major figure in his past life, and he had done extensive research to refresh his memory now that he was back.

  'If I don't go down, Leila will successfully join them and I won't get another chance to take her out without going deep into their territory, to their core, heavily defended regions.' Micheal recognized this as he frowned, annoyed with the timing.

  He only hesitated for a second before he sighed.

  Once more, he simply didn't have enough time. It was either go now or give up.

  'Whatever. I'll make it work.' Micheal spent the next couple of minutes forming a rough plan of attack.

  He also made several emergency purchases in the Shop, using up thousands and thousands of Points.

  After that, he stealthily clambered down the stairwell and made it to the doorway just in time to watch the members of the Nightrunners move in. He heard the unfolding drama, witnessing as Leila betrayed the Angels Arcadia.

  And, after that, everything else was history. He moved into the bottom floor, blowing off an attack from Leila like it was nothing.

  Micheal smiled as he looked back at the annoyed Black Witch, and then trailed his eyes over Number 11 and Number 14.

  He only had 2 Life Orbs left and not even a single impact currently stored. He was currently being attacked by three Supreme A Rankers, each one armed with violent intentions.

  'But that's okay.' He thought as he took a step forward.

  And it was.

  Because he didn't enter this battle unprepared.

  He cracked his knuckles as he tapped on his Spatial Ring.

  At the same time, Number 14, the Steel Kraken, began to step forward as well, all 8 of his metal tentacles starting to spread out, letting the Commander unceremoniously fall to the floor.

  "If you won't leave, then you will be removed by force. Please forgive us, Emissary Heron, for being rude." Number 14's wavering voice sounded off as the odd human began to move towards Micheal.

  An object appeared in Micheal's hand, one he concealed with his palm as he took a few more steps of his own.

  "By all means." Micheal returned, his eyes gleaming as he spoke coolly,

  "Remove me."

  .

  Chapter 26

  Number 14 crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat, but didn't get close enough for Micheal to launch a physical attack. Instead, he stopped at a distance of a few meters. Micheal was now within range
of the robed attacker's metal tentacles, ones Number 14 shot forward in a rushing attack, but out of range of anything direct.

  Number 14 had been aware that Micheal was holding something, though because of Micheal's efforts to hide it, he couldn't see exactly what. Micheal's attitude and casual defense of Leila's attack created an image of a top expert in Number 14's mind. As a result, he proceeded forward with caution. Instead of directly blitzing Micheal at top speed, he tested the waters slowly and carefully, like a seasoned expert.

  Unfortunately for the Steel Kraken, that was exactly what Micheal had been hoping for.

  Number 14's slow arrival gave Micheal the chance to perfectly time what he did next.

  He crushed the Artifact he was holding in his hand, activating it. At the same time, he made a very subtle throwing motion as he pulled a pair of small objects out of his Spatial Ring.

  A screeching echo ripped into the air, one that was incredibly high pitched. Behind this echo, a plethora of other pitches warbled out, some with deeper pitches while others with higher ones. Some were so high pitched human ears could not even detect them, while some rumbled so low they moved beyond audible levels for humans.

  When that wave of noise echoed out, Number 14 froze, his tentacles going absolutely still.

  When Micheal saw this, he smiled, his mind flashing back for an instant.

  The moment Micheal originally saw the two Nightrunners, he began planning, reviewing everything he knew.

  Number 14 of the Nightrunner Numbers, the infamous Steel Kraken was a very powerful warrior with a rather unknown gender. Even Micheal was unsure if Number 14 was a man or woman, though he faintly recalled hearing something about him being a feminine man, one that kept his identity secret.

  Number 14 had three distinct Abilities that he combined to great effect, giving him the high levels of power that he had today, apart from Abilities like Earth Tier Ki Cultivation that were a staple of the higher ranks.

  The Animal Morph, Elastic Switch, and Steel Body Type Abilities.

  The Steel Body Type Ability was a common one, but for good reason. Having the power to change your body to steel boosted one's physical defenses incredibly. It was one of the best Type Abilities sheerly for its simplicity.

  The Elastic Switch Ability was a unique one. It gave a warrior the temporary ability to mold their arms and legs as if they were elastic, granting highly increased mobility and flexibility. Whenever Micheal read about it, he instantly thought about the famous 'rubber man' from the manga and anime One Piece, the future Pirate King Luffy.

  The last Ability, and the most key one, was the Limited Ability, Animal Morph. This Ability allowed Number 14 to transform his body to take on aspects of a variety of animals.

  The only catch was that in order to use an animal, he had to have eaten a key part of that creature, like their mind or heart. This activated some type of magical ritual, which then granted him the power to manipulate his body and morph parts onto it. It sounded grotesque, but had a huge variety of uses at its core.

  Number 14 combined these all in a deadly fashion. He had long since eaten the heart of an octopus, gaining the Ability to add its features to his body. The 8 tentacles he'd gained were a direct result of that, four attached to either shoulder.

  The Elastic Switch Ability gave those tentacles incredible versatility, allowing him to manipulate them, twist them, turn them, and attack with them at his will.

  And his Steel Body Ability combined to make it a perfect combo. Each one of those tentacles was literally made of pointed steel.

  Using that, the Steel Kraken was able to rip through his enemies without even lifting a finger. He became an infamous killing machine and a Supreme A Ranker, but one that ostensibly fought for good as a Nightrunner, at least in the eyes of the public.

  Micheal was well aware of all of this. He'd done quite a bit of research on his enemies, using both knowledge he was able to gather from the present, as well as memories he had of famous figures in his past. He'd paid quite close attention to all of the elite figures in his first life, admiring them for their strength.

  Drawing upon the grueling experience he'd gained from his past life, Micheal was also able to formulate a plan.

  'The Animal Morph Ability is a Limited one, but it had quite a few notable figures.' Up to 800 people could purchase the Ability for 70,000 Points, yet despite the relatively small number, Micheal could remember at least 3 or 4 powerful men and women that used it, back on the Sixth Layer.

  At high levels, the Ability was strong indeed, allowing one to gain the scales of a Dragon, the wings of a Phoenix, the strength of a Giant, and more.

  However, while the Ability could grant one the powers of any animal, it would also grant other aspects as well. A person would gain some of their instincts, transforming away from being fully human.

  In Micheal's past life, he and a small team had once had to face off against an enormous Blue Leaf Octopus while sailing across a dangerous sea. These creatures were one of the many dangers on the sea that he had prepared for, knowing the risks as he crossed it.

  Blue Leaf Octopi were huge, but at their core, very similar to octopi from Earth. One thing Blue Leaf Octopi had in common was a trait that had to do with balance.

  If exposed to loud, low-frequency noise, the creatures suffered from shock and would instinctually freeze as they were knocked off balance. Micheal's team had used this to their advantage, ambushing and killing it.

  This same quirk applied to regular octopi on Earth.

  With that knowledge from his past life in mind, Micheal had purchased a unique Artifact from the Shop.

  A Sound Storage Shell, for 2,500 Points. It was a relatively cheap Artifact that could be used to store up to 30 days straight of audio through a magical process that would allow you to scan it using your mind. These were used by some private information brokers on the Second Layer, as the contents of a Sound Storage Shell could not be altered once they were created.

  The Artifact itself technically had no offensive power. However, if it was used improperly and shattered, it would simultaneously release a very loud explosion of noise that hit super high frequencies all the way down to super low frequencies.

  Micheal had found that out the hard way, a few years into the original future, after he accidentally shattered one and ended up with a pair of ruptured eardrums.

  Thus, all of this added up to form the plan he had now.

  When that noise rippled out, it shocked Number 14. More specifically, the parts of his body that were morphed from an octopus were extraordinarily shocked, sending a myriad of signals that slammed into Number 14's mind and senses, overwhelming them.

  Because he was a few meters distant, Number 14's eardrums did not rupture from the intensity. Still, the shock itself from the instinctual, octopus part of him left him frozen for a bit more than two seconds.

  Leila and Number 11 grabbed ahold of their ears, both of them grunting in pain as the noise chased down on them. Leila responded by grabbing a white necklace from her Spatial Ring and putting it on, while Number 11 began to transform, his robe ripping and tearing as he activated his Lesser Werewolf Type.

  Commander Kenneth remained on the ground, blood still leaking from his lips as the Malwa Poison ravaged his body. The painful noise was only a minor issue in light of that.

  However, as he heard the irritating sound, the Commander felt something delicately bump into his chest and fall to the ground. He blinked past his pain as he stared at the object that had landed in front of him.

  Or, rather, the pair of objects.

  Two, very faintly glowing white Pills that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, slipping past the notice of almost everyone present as the agonizing noise caused the various A Rankers to flinch.

  When he saw them, his eyes widened. He immediately picked them up, acting slowly to avoid drawing attention. The Commander directly tossed both pills into his mouth as soon as he noticed that neither Leila nor Number 11 wa
s paying attention.

  Right after that, his eyes began to flash with white light.

  Micheal, at ground zero, should've suffered the biggest blow, yet came out relatively unscathed.

  A flash of red energy dissipated from around each ear. He had used his Advance Tier Sword Energy to shear through any and all noise for a few split seconds, leaving him temporarily deaf, but protecting his hearing.

  The powerful Sword Energy could be used in such a manner thanks to his extremely fine control of it. A lesser user might accidentally rip their ears out or stab their head, the difficulty in controlling Sword Energy not something that could be underestimated.

  The energy itself only held up because the sound wasn't actually a directed attack. Sword Energy could be used to enhance the sharpness of things or to attack, imbuing it into weapons to make them tougher and stronger, but using it to defend was very difficult. Even for Micheal, coating himself in a protective layer of Sword Energy would prove impossible.

  Micheal took full advantage of Number 14's shock by stepping forward and closing the distance between them.

  His pair of Kouki Daggers appeared in his hands, each one gleaming as red, Advanced Tier Sword Energy coated them. Micheal's muscles bulged as he launched himself forward, the daggers shooting straight for Number 14.

  Number 14 lay there, stunned and unable to react. None of his allies were anywhere near him, leaving him, for a brief moment, completely vulnerable to attack. The mighty and powerful Supreme A Ranker was brought to his knees by a cheap Artifact and a little bit of subterfuge.

  When Micheal's two daggers were around half a meter from slamming into and killing Number 14, a blue shield of light appeared, covering Number 14 from head to toe.

  'A Defensive Artifact… A Monkan Shield Necklace? Damn it.' Micheal recognized this blue shield of energy, his eyes narrowing. He hadn't expected such a powerful A Ranker to not have a Defensive Artifact, but he had hoped he might get lucky. Very few people survived in the First Layer without having backup defensive plans, but some opted to focus purely on Abilities.

  This particular Artifact was a protective tool that cost 80,000 Points in the Shop, with a very unique effect. If activated, any attack that would kill a person would be absorbed and blocked completely, the damage of that attack then spread out over a person's entire body.