by L. M. Kerr
For regular people, such an Artifact was actually quite dangerous. The Ki that filled the body of most people focused on enhancing one's body. This Ki did have beneficial effects for one's organs, but its focus was more on protecting those organs, preventing them from being attacked in the first place.
Thus, any attack that could spread an even amount of damage over one's vulnerable organs, like the liver, heart, brain, etc. was an attack that was extremely dangerous. It was the type of Artifact that Micheal would never use.
For someone with the Steel Body Type, however… their organs would literally be steel. A type of magic steel that allowed the body to function, drawing upon the latent energy of the world, but steel nonetheless. An Artifact like a Monkan Shield Necklace would work perfectly, a powerful synergy.
Micheal had guessed, but wasn't sure, that Number 14 had this Artifact. It was one of the best Artifacts for people that had the Steel Body Type, as long as they could afford it and knew about the synergy.
Because Number 14 had that Artifact, killing him, in the brief seconds Micheal had, became unfeasible. Any fatal attack would be absorbed and distributed.
That said… the key word there was 'fatal.' The Artifact had certain magical properties and granted a very powerful effect, but as a counterweight, was magically limited to attacks that would kill its user.
As soon as Micheal recognized the Artifact at hand, he changed the trajectory of his dagger strikes.
The two gleaming Kouki Daggers punched forward and down.
However, instead of stabbing through the Steel Kraken's head and heart as he originally planned, the daggers stabbed right into the joint where Number 14's shoulders connected to each arm.
The eight octopus tentacles rested just below this joint, connected as part of each arm, something Number 14 must've spent months working on. The Animal Morph Ability was powerful, but integrating it took a good deal of time. Each single octopus arm probably took one to two weeks to fully form.
Micheal felt a brief moment of resistance as his daggers cut through the Number 14's robe, apparently some type of additional Defensive Artifact. He then felt a second moment of resistance as, after he sheared through that, his daggers slammed into the enhanced steel skin of Number 14's body.
As they collided, his Kouki Daggers crumpled, the Advanced Tier Sword Energy's raw might causing the blades to fall apart. They were strong daggers, but unable to hold up to such intense and focused Sword Energy.
Luckily for Micheal, the daggers only failed after they finished punching forward, slicing cleanly into the Steel Kraken's shoulders.
Two thumps echoed out as Micheal leapt backwards, backflipping through the air.
On the ground right in front of him, two severed steel arms and a multitude of quivering tentacles had fallen, arms that were rapidly turning back into flesh as they lost the support of Number 14's body. Blood splayed out of these appendages, staining the floor as they fell still.
In that loud, frantic moment, Micheal cut Number 14's arms off, crippling him.
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Chapter 27
Micheal was well aware of the ins and outs of many Abilities, his years and years of experience granting him a vast store of knowledge.
When it came to Number 14, Micheal was able to craft a quick and solid plan, relying upon that wisdom. His Advanced Tier Sword Energy made up enough for the gap in physical power, allowing him to grievously injure Number 14 while the man was stunned.
The injuries Number 14 had suffered from Micheal's jarring surprise strike were more than enough to take the man out of commission. Without arms to block attacks and unable to make use of his strongest Ability, the threat Number 14 offered had effectively been neutered, even if Micheal was unable to kill him.
However… Micheal was not all-powerful.
His plan to remove Number 14 from being a threat was a success.
But that was only one of the enemies he had to deal with.
The moment Number 11 realized what was happening, he rushed forward at top speed. His body had already started metamorphosing as soon as he heard Micheal unleash the noise attack. By the time Number 11 managed to react, he had fully transformed into a Lesser Werewolf.
Number 11's black robes were ripped to shreds as he finished expanding, his Spatial Ring expanding with him. He now towered a bit more than 2 and a half meters tall, bulging muscles and fur covering him. His eyes gleamed with red light, his entire body shifted into a wild beast.
Number 11, the Lupine Menace. He was a Lesser Werewolf Type user that focused purely on physical Strength and Recovery, having both the Heavy Palms Ability, a power that allowed him to condense energy in his hands to transform them into deadly weapons, and the Sun Heart Ability, a power that could temporarily greatly boost his Recovery.
He didn't have any particularly special features apart from that. Number 11 was a solid example of a powerful physical attacker that depended on raw stats and a few attacking techniques to wipe out his enemies.
And relying purely on that, he found great success.
Number 11 landed next to Number 14 in half of a second, pushing the other Nightrunner away from Micheal before Micheal could do any more damage. If nothing else, the Nightrunner Numbers were loyal to each other. Just because they were killers didn't mean they were craven cowards.
Number 14 had regained control, but his eyes were widened in pain, his breathing ragged. Even for a superhuman, having both of your arms cut off was agonizingly painful and horrifying.
If Micheal had tried to keep up his attack, Number 11 would've ripped Micheal to shreds then and there. However, because Micheal had already jumped back, he managed to avoid a frontal clash for a few seconds.
In that time, Micheal stared down the powerful Werewolf with a single thought in mind.
'Whelp.' He had literally no way to directly deal with Number 11 on such short notice.
Micheal was strong and wise, with a plethora of knowledge, but he was not all-powerful.
Werewolf Types had a natural weakness to Silverium weapons, but the cheapest Silverium weapon he knew of cost 355,000 Points, for a Silverium Shortsword.
Because Number 11 focused so blindly on raw power, his body was powerful, one of the physically strongest A Rankers. He didn't have any secret vulnerabilities nor were there any weaknesses he could think of, even with his extensive knowledge.
He was just really, really strong.
And that was a problem for Micheal.
"How dare you!" Number 11 couldn't help himself as he snarled in rage, his entire body quivering as he finished pushing the fallen Number 14 back to safety.
"Hey, he attacked me first." Micheal replied, sounding completely unperturbed. At the same time, he took several steps back, tapping on his Spatial Ring.
His durable, circular Remembrance Shield appeared in his hand. While none of the Werewolf's attacks would contain energy that he could absorb, the shield was sturdy and would protect him better than just using his hands.
At the same time, his eyes flicked to his left, towards one of the doorways that led up to the roof, as if he was waiting for something.
Number 11 merely snarled, ignoring Micheal's words. The Lupine Menace hadn't expected or cared for an answer in the first place, merely expressing his anger. He was well aware they weren't in the right here.
Warm, yellow light began to fill the Lesser Werewolf's previously red eyes as he activated his Sun Heart Ability.
Number 11's body blurred as he moved so quickly it was hard for Micheal to see. The Werewolf was using his Heavy Palms Ability, but instead of using them for his hands, he used them on his legs.
By doing so, he could rapidly boost the strength of his legs, letting him blast forward at a very fast speed. The side effects of using his limbs so freely and the Ability for something that wasn't intended ravaged his legs and joints.
However, his powerful Recovery stat, something that would reach more than 160 when he had both his Lesser Werewol
f ability and Sun Heart Ability active, was more than enough to deal with that. Recovery, at lower levels, functioned as a multiple of a normal human's ability to regenerate. However, the higher one got, the more the direct comparison tended to deviate.
Every Layer functioned as a different reality. The higher up you went, the harsher and deadlier reality became, requiring higher and higher stats simply to function. In the Seventh Layer, Micheal's powerful stats that would've been enough to be considered an impossibly almighty warrior here on the First were barely enough to allow him free movement.
In the First Layer, a Recovery stat of 160 was powerful enough to allow Number 11 to visibly regenerate from injuries, making him almost invincible as long as he could take brief pauses between onslaughts. While the regeneration wasn't very fast, it was enough to keep him fighting for extended periods, giving him a solid edge. Even injuries to the brain could be fully healed without damage.
After activating everything, Number 11 attacked Micheal directly, without wasting time on a monologue or offering any explanation.
Micheal felt his left arm break as the huge Werewolf punched his Remembrance Shield, a sickening crack echoing out.
He had leaned forward right as the punch was landing, shifting his arms and legs to mitigate as much of the impact as possible.
Despite that, the force of the blow sent Micheal tumbling backwards, a wave of pain washing through him. He skidded along the ground as he rolled, forcibly making himself flip up onto his feet.
He finally stopped moving when he knocked up against the wall of the skyscraper, banging his head. He saw stars as his mind was jostled, the world around him wavering slightly.
He ignored the pain, however, as he smiled beneath his mask.
'Got it!' His eyes flashed as he felt the impact absorb into his Soul, magically recorded.
The moment the Werewolf hit him, he had activated his Impact Release Ability, storing the impact. That direct blow was the heaviest he had taken on the First Layer so far.
"Just die already." Number 11's voice was full of rage as he landed on the ground next to Micheal. The Werewolf had a huge force of presence, towering over Micheal as he landed.
Micheal smiled.
'Impact Release!'
His Remembrance Shield quivered. A second later, it shot forward like a bullet. Micheal had aimed it so that it would shoot out with its edge forward.
The shield had taken a beating, from both the Werewolf's first punch and now essentially a second punch, though on its edge. As a result, a webwork of cracks had formed,
He had aimed for the Werewolf's neck, the shield shooting out at a breakneck speed.
Number 11 managed to not only see the attack but also react to it, his body shifting as he twisted to the side and leaned backwards. As a result, the shield slammed into his chest instead of into his neck.
The blow sent him flying back away from Micheal. At the same time, the shield broke and shattered, shards of metal scattering into the air. Micheal blocked a few of them, listening to them patter to the floor.
'Perfect.' From the clash, Micheal surmised that the Werewolf didn't have a close-range defensive Artifact. It was possible he had one for long range attacks, for things like ambushing sniper rifle shots, but that didn't matter.
The Werewolf's Endurance was so high, his defensive prowess so strong, that the powerful blow didn't even crack his ribs, only bruising them, something his powerful Recovery stat healed almost instantly.
Still, it bought Micheal enough time to stand up, his eyes still flicking off to the side.
"Oho. That was a good blow, it packed a punch I can really respect." Number 11's voice took an odd tone as he landed down on the ground and then flipped up, standing about 6 meters away from Micheal. He dusted off his shoulders as he patted his chest, his eyes gleaming.
"Perhaps I underestimated your Strength." The huge Werewolf's voice became a guttural growl as he set his arms in a guard position, taking a few cautious steps forward. His eyes were like that of a predator, locked onto Micheal unceasingly.
At that exact moment, a huge smile appeared beneath Micheal's mask as he flicked over to the side one last time, staring briefly at a stairwell entrance.
He then did something that took the Lupine Menace completely by surprise.
"Ahahahahaha!" Micheal bent over laughing.
His voice echoed out loudly, tears of mirth appearing at the edge of his eyes as he clutched at his sides. His body quivered from the release, gasping in air as he wiped away said tears.
Number 11's jaw dropped, a decidedly odd look for a Werewolf, as he stopped moving.
"W-what?!" He didn't know how to react.
"Ah, sorry, my bad." Micheal seemed to gain control of himself, hoping his acting wasn't too awful as he continued,
"I just find it so funny that you think all of this is real."
Number 11 glared at Micheal in irritation.
"If you think you can get out of this by acting insane, trust me, I'll kill you dead either way." The Werewolf began to cautiously step forward towards Micheal again.
Micheal simply shook his head, reaching out and grabbing onto the hilt of his Ashari Blade.
He pulled the sword out in one smooth motion, holding it up in the air.
When Number 11 saw this, his body tensed up as he prepared to charge.
"Number 11, Number 11, you are truly a fool. This is only one of my weaker bodies." Micheal sighed grandly, shaking his head again.
Number 11 didn't respond, ignoring his words at first. What Micheal did next, however, once again caused him to freeze.
Micheal lifted his Ashari Blade up and held it right next to his neck.
"This body of mine will be a bit too weak to face you... I think I'll try another."
"Huh?" Number 11's eyes widened.
Micheal decapitated himself.
"What the…?” Number 11 stuttered, staring at Micheal's now clearly dead body in shock. His body had fallen to the floor with a resounding smack, a spurt of blood shooting out and staining the ground.
The huge Werewolf jumped forward and landed next to his body in less than half a second. The moment he arrived, he punched down twice, crushing both Micheal's heads and his chest.
An explosion of blood and gore shot out as he confirmed that Micheal had actually died.
"He's… switching to a new body to face me?" Number 11 stuttered again as he stared at the corpse, repeating what Micheal said, completely flabbergasted.
Abruptly, he spun around to his left, his eyes widening as he heard something.
Over to the side, about a dozen meters from him, one of the doorways that led to a stairwell was gradually tugging open.
A quiet, wavering sound echoed out from that stairwell.
"Kkktthh…"
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Chapter 28
A small, white skinned Abnormal walked into the ground floor. This close up, its body could be clearly seen.
Unlike regular Morenkai which had extremely thick skin, this Monster Class Morenkai had veins that were faintly visible on its arms and legs. When its muscles bulged, it gained a horrifying appearance, a true monster in its own right. A faint Aura of white light drifted around this Morenkai, causing the air near it to shiver.
The Monster Class Morenkai paused as it looked through the doorway, remaining still.
The moment Number 11 saw the Morenkai, he clenched his fists, his heart dropping.
"Not good." Number 11 charged forward without hesitation. It didn't matter whether or not this Morenkai was another form of the Emissary that had just killed himself.
The only thing that mattered was the fact that a Monster Class Morenkai had found him and Number 14, when Number 14 was badly injured and exposed, a ripe target for the plucking.
The huge Werewolf barked out a command as he charged,
"Leila! Retreat upstairs with Number 14 and Kenneth, use his Gold Giant's Gauntlet if you need to! If you can't take him prisoner safel
y, leave him! I'll lure the Monster Class Morenkai away!"
At the same time that this happened, Micheal's corpse that was lying on the ground seemed to shiver. Abruptly, his smashed head and broken bones vanished, the stains of blood that had covered the ground disappearing.
His body, however, remained in the same general spot, unmoving.
The change was very subtle and went completely unnoticed by everyone in the room.
After barking out his command, Number 11 didn't wait. The warm light in his eyes flashed as he fully drew on everything he had, his body swelling and muscles bulging as he leapt forward.
In a split second, he reached the Monster Class Morenkai and punched it hard enough to send it tumbling back into the stairwell, preventing it from entering the room.
In that tiny moment, however, Micheal could just barely make out the white arm of the Morenkai blurring. The creature made three distinctive motions, punching Number 11 3 times in the instant that the Werewolf attacked him.
The resulting blow flung Number 11 out of sight as he was sent soaring up the stairs and bounced off a wall, a few sickening crunches echoing out as multiple bones broke.
The Monster Class Morenkai instantaneously followed, its movements like that of a predator as it sought to take out the target that was attacking it first. It hadn't forgotten anyone down here, but instead had its own priorities. Morenkai would kill targets that were attacking them first, even if it meant foregoing an easy kill.
The sounds of melee combat echoed out loud, powerful roars and growls from Number 11 sweeping through the air. These growls gradually faded as Number 11 dragged the creature's attention up the skyscraper, away from the ground floor.
"What the hell is going on?" Leila finally lost her cool, her demure tone vanishing as she watched Number 11 attack the Monster Class Morenkai and leave. She sounded unsure and worried, her earlier facade of confidence nowhere to be seen.
