by L. M. Kerr
After that, Micheal had half flown, half jumped his way out of range of the Monster Class Morenkai, flying for more than an hour. It was hard to balance on a single Life Orb, but he made it work, knowing he needed to put as much space between him and the creature as possible.
And, the Monster Class Morenkai had been occupied by Number 11 long enough that Micheal successfully escaped, making a getaway.
After fleeing, he laid low for a bit, rebuilding his Life Orbs and focusing on Ki Cultivation for a short period. His breakthrough to the Earth Class was approaching and he needed to be fully ready for that when it came time.
And now… one thing led to another and he had ended up here, at the Briar Patch Open Market.
Micheal shook the memories from his head as he focused on the present. He scanned the Open Market, listening to various people talk for inspiration, while also making a few purchases. Many people were open to bartering, but the most commonly used form of 'currency' were Healing Pills.
Low-Tier Healing Pills were dirt cheap, at only 80 Points, one of the most affordable things in the Shop.
Mid-Tier Healing Pills cost 8,000 Points, but were much, much stronger.
Most people were willing to trade for Healing Pills due to their life-saving capabilities. The vast majority of battles in the First Layer were not like the battles Micheal experienced. Typically, warriors were matched up against Morenkai or people that were relatively close to them in power.
Taking a Mid-Tier Healing Pill would boost your Recovery stat significantly, and could be the turning point to a life-or-death situation. Even Low-Tier Healing Pills could provide moderate use, especially if taken after a fight concludes.
Especially so against Morenkai. If you were badly injured, a Healing Pill could heal you enough to allow you to flee.
From all of the Spatial Rings Micheal had looted, he had accumulated a total of 9 Mid-Tier Healing Pills and more than 400 Low-Tier Healing Pills.
He had already spent 2 of those Mid-Tier Healing Pills and roughly 100 of the Low-Tier Healing Pills on a Heaton Sniper Rifle, a powerful firearm that was used for long-range attacks. It condensed energy from the air to form a 'heat bullet' that was stronger than a regular bullet.
The gun cost 18,000 Points in the Shop, and while the exchange for it wasn't 1-to-1 in terms of Points value, it was still a solid deal. As someone that could heal his body by breaking a Life Orb, Healing Pills didn't have much value in his eyes.
And in terms of Points right now… Micheal actually didn't have that many.
After accumulating nearly 100,000 Points, he had made a huge purchase in the Shop.
Micheal had opted to make this big purchase due to a certain realization.
'My memory… it is no longer enough.' His memories of the future were not clear enough.
He knew a ton of stuff, but gradually, things seemed to fade to the background. There was too much information out there that he vaguely recalled in the back of his head but couldn't bring to the forefront. Important things that had seemed rather minor to him in the past, lurking in the underbelly of his thoughts.
As a result of realizing that, he purchased an Ability for 75,000 Points, dropping his Points total heavily. This Ability was one that could only be removed through a long, complicated process, but an Ability he felt was a necessity to have, at least for now. It wouldn't remain a dead slot when he needed to replace it, even if it was a pain to get rid of.
He bought the Ceaseless Mind Ability.
This Ability had two important functions, but no effect at all on his stats. The first function helped him with his thinking and processing, making it easier to focus and clearing his head. It enhanced the power of his brain, a unique thing in its own right.
Its second function, however, was why he bought it.
He gained near perfect recall. Any memory that he had, he could now pour over in detail, his mind enhanced to be able to scour everything within it.
With this Ability at hand, he could now examine any memory he focused on in fine detail. While some things would still be lost due to how old his memories were, Micheal could remember many things with far greater ease, things he had heard and vaguely knew, but previously hadn't been able to clearly recall.
After purchasing the Heaton Sniper Rifle, Micheal walked around the Open Market patiently, studying people.
He saw a group of middle-aged men dressed in military fatigues that were selling and buying used guns or other military weapons, and offering repair services that occupied several stalls.
He found a woman that sold Magic Energy Birds that could be used to send messages or attack your enemies through a series of custom commands.
He found a stall run by a rather short man that was selling Warm Coconut Cakes, a special type of food that could temporarily boost one's Strength and Recovery, made by someone with the Magic Chef Type.
The number and variety of stalls and shops here stretched the imagination.
Apart from the unique shops, however, were the unique people.
He saw bands of fierce-looking men wearing what looked like tiger-hide armor, a group of women and men all dressed extremely formally, as if they were about to go to a ball, an asian man that wielded what looked like a stone pillar on his back…
There was so much to see here, it was hard to describe it all. Micheal simply enjoyed the sheer diversity of people and things as he walked around, waiting quietly after his shopping was complete. He no longer wore his mask, doing his best to fade into the background.
It took an entire hour before Micheal heard what he was here for.
He had been walking in-between two stalls, one that sold swords and another that was hiring bodyguards, when he finally heard an urgent shout interrupt the Open Market area.
"Everyone, this is an official announcement from the Angels Arcadia!" The voice boomed out loud, catching everyone's attention. From D Rankers to A Rankers, everyone present within the Open Market turned to face the speaker.
The man yelling was the Market Overseer, a middle-aged man wearing a set of white leather armor, signifying he was a member of the Angels Arcadia. He had a large axe strapped to his back and was standing at the center of the Open Market, at a spot where several guards were currently congregated.
Once he saw that he had everyone's attention, the Overseer continued,
"The Angels Arcadia have officially declared Affiliation Law!"
When this shout interrupted Micheal's conversation, his stomach fluttered.
It was finally happening.
A declaration of Affiliation Law meant that Arcadia was going to crack down extremely hard on anyone breaking the rules. Any violence, any theft, or anything of the sort would result in harsh punishments beyond the normal. The guards and Enforcement Teams would now go out of their way to take down anyone that broke the rules.
It was a type of martial law threat to convince people to follow the rules, one that was never enacted until now.
It could only mean one thing.
The Great Arrival had begun.
The future he knew was about to unfold before him, in a grand, fantastic manner. The huge event that kicked off a massive change in the First Layer was finally here.
And… more importantly to Micheal's immediate situation…
It meant that tomorrow, he had to go stop a confrontation between two groups that were arriving for the first time in the Main Cluster.
For that day was listed as the day that started the collapse of the Big 3.
Tomorrow, these two groups clashed, and because of that, in the future, the First Layer was thrown into years of turmoil and war that resulted in the deaths of millions.
All because of what happened on this fateful day.
The day that the Arabian Knights and the Dragon Slayer Guild declared war on each other.
.
Chapter 32
If everything went as it did in the past…
Then tomorrow morning, within the territor
y of the North Ocean Branch, two of the future Dawning Six would clash.
The advent of the Great Arrival in the Main Cluster brought about a huge period of chaos. In the original timeline, Head Cameron's death had further destabilized the Main Cluster, not only allowing the Nightrunners to run unchecked for a long period, but also more easily allowing various new forces to rise in strength.
Six forces, in particular, rose to prominence as the prestige of the Big 3 shook. These 6 teams collectively came to be known as the 'Dawning Six.' Their rise to fame and fortune was inevitable, like the coming of dawn.
Any single force from the Dawning Six was monstrously powerful and grew to be capable of controlling thousands of Clusters. The leader of each of the Dawning Six went on to become S Rankers in the future, becoming true-blue elites.
However, while the Dawning Six were just now appearing, the older, influential forces did not fall to the wayside outright.
The Purgatory Church would soon gain its first S Ranker, the Nirvana Saint, and spread their influence to a far wider audience, becoming a true major power. As of right now, they had yet to spread their influence much into the territory of any of the Big 3.
The Nightrunner's Mr. 1 became an S Ranker, turning the Nightrunners into the strongest of the Big 3. As a result, the war between the Nightrunners and the rest of the Main Cluster became only more bloody in the future.
The Godfather Organization's Admiral Cardell became an S Ranker and stabilized the Godfather Organization. While the Godfather Organization no longer needed to be stabilized in this timeline, seeing as Head Cameron was alive and recovered, Admiral Cardell was likely to still develop into an S Ranker.
Micheal wasn't yet sure how this change would affect the future he knew, but he was ready to adapt to even the slightest changes if needed.
After the Great Arrival settled into the dust and the chaos dimmed down, the period of time in which the Nightrunner's massacre experiments were exposed would come about.
In the end, the Nightrunners were wiped out as almost the entire Cluster declared war on them. The Dawning Six took advantage of this moment to rapidly expand their power base, thanks, in part to the results of that final battle.
The Angels Arcadia never recovered from their losses after helping defeat the Nightrunners, and as a result, collapsed. The Godfather Organization was crippled with the loss of most of its experts and sank in on itself, restricting their activities to focusing purely on charity and the survival of infants and young children.
In this period, two of the Dawning Six, the Arabian Knights and the Dragon Slayer Guild, stepped into that power void.
The Arabian General Asim, leader of the Arabian Knights, grew into an extremely powerful S Ranker and gained a huge amount of influence.
The Wonder King, Vladimir, the ruler of the Dragon Slayer Guild, likewise became an S Ranked warrior that held sway over millions.
The other teams listed under the Dawning Six stepped up as well, but their influence was unable to match up with the power of these two forces. The Arabian Knights and the Dragon Slayer Guild could be considered the leaders of the Dawning Six.
And these two members of the Dawning Six… just so happened to be mortal enemies that waged war on each other several times over the years, turning the First Layer into a raging battlefield. It got so bad that many people preferred to hunt in the much more dangerous ground floor or interiors of skyscrapers, instead of safely waiting for stray Morenkai to come up.
The multiple wars that broke out ended up costing a huge number of lives and kept the First Layer constantly in a hellish state of chaos.
And all of that started because of a chance meeting at the very start of each group's existence in the Main Cluster.
A meeting that would happen tomorrow.
As these thoughts ran through Micheal's head, he snapped back to the present. He sighed as he walked over to the edge of the Open Market, looking down from the skyscraper at the ground below. He could see Morenkai shambling through the streets, tiny figures from this height.
Behind him, the Open Market had been thrown into a state of chaos, with chatter and talk overwhelming business as everyone discussed what was happening. The Main Cluster would really start feeling the effects of the Great Arrival tomorrow. By then, everyone would realize the magnitude of what was happening.
Hundreds of millions of people were about to arrive.
'I need to stop those two groups from meeting.' It was a simple fact he went over in his mind.
'And if I can't stop that…' He frowned, his face a picture of hesitation.
'What do I do?' He couldn't just leave them alone. The historical records hadn't specified what exactly caused the enmity between the two groups, only that it started right here. If he let whatever happened happen… history would go on to repeat itself.
Neither group was really evil. They were like rival powers or nations that went to war over a shared mutual enmity, something along those lines, from what he could tell. Their rivalry was centered around controlling territory as well as whatever happened on this date. Without knowing all the specifics, it was hard to know what to do.
No one but the leadership of each force knew of why they bitterly hated each other.
'If I can't stop them from meeting, what other options do I have?' He repeated the thought as he shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. He rubbed at his eyes, a cool breeze brushing against his no-longer-masked face.
'Do I just kill them all? I'm not even sure I could achieve that.' The thought was cold-blooded and cruel, but Micheal was struggling to find a solution. He felt his stomach twist at the thought.
He had nothing against killing evil people. But these two teams weren't evil, and had even played a big part in helping defeat the Nightrunners. Still, their actions in the future caused many deaths and a great deal of misery, even if their intentions weren't evil.
Almost all of the Nightrunner Numbers had been willing participants in their Nest feeding program. They were more than willing to sacrifice others, and as such, Micheal fully intended to wipe them out as soon as possible.
Here though… Micheal struggled with his conscience, once again. With Number 14 and Leila, the two had actively committed crimes and clearly were in the wrong, even trying to kill him.
If it became apparent that neither of these forces were clearly in the wrong, however... Micheal wasn't sure what he would do.
'Whatever. I will do what I have to do. I'll make it work after I figure out why they hate each other.' Finally, he forced himself to reach a conclusion, his sheer determination flattening any opposition.
He nodded stiffly, his eyes flashing darkly as he turned away from the edge of the skyscraper. He maneuvered through the thronging crowd in the Open Market, eavesdropping but finding nothing of interest. He sighed again as he walked away,
'I hope you two are alright over there, Sophia and Shin.' A smile appeared as he thought of the duo,
'I'm sure they'll get along well.'
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Far to the north of Micheal, on the rooftop of a certain skyscraper…
"Take another step, woman, and I'll kill you here and now." Shin's voice echoed out into the air as he held up a slim, black handgun, pointing it across the rooftop at a figure just a dozen meters away.
Shin was dressed in a set of slim black pants, with a black graphic t-shirt on with the image of a skull plastered on the front. He had a black coat on over that, with a few chains that dripped down from its pockets, giving him a rather punk look. His bright blond hair was spiked back and up, completing his image.
"You-you… YOU! How dare you!" Sophia's eyes blazed with fury as she held her sword aloft, warm flames drifting along the blade. Her entire body trembled in genuine rage as she glared at Shin.
She was no longer wearing her fake-Emissary mask. She was now dressed in a tight black skirt and a comfortable white dress shirt, giving her a rather classy appearance, as if she w
as trying to make a good first impression. She even had put on a pair of prim earrings.
All of that effort seemed lost now, however, as her face was flushed red, glaring across the roof at Shin.
"Do you- I came- did you even listen-" Sophia sputtered in anger, unable to come up with a coherent response.
Shin shot a bullet at her.
The bullet remained normal size and cut through the air instantly, far faster than Sophia could react.
Right before it reached her, the bracelet Sophia wore flashed, its powers activated. The bullet immediately pinged off the magical barrier that Sophia had thanks to her Defensive Artifact, deflecting most normal long-range weaponry.
"Oh?" Shin donned a surprised look.
"Not bad, old lady! I guess long-range combat doesn't work on you!" Shin shrugged.
Sophia simply glared at him, her jaw dropped.
'Micheal's friend… just tried to shoot me?'
"Oh well. Close-range it is! Come and get me!" With those last words, Shin spun around and dashed inside one of the building's rooftop entry sheds, disappearing from sight.
"You-you!" Sophia's fists quivered as she abruptly shot forward, her Wind Sweeper Ability activating as she used it to greatly boost her speed.
"Get back here!"
.
Chapter 33
Sophia barged into the roof shed, her eyes blazing. Despite her anger, she moved with caution, prepared for anything. She held her flaming sword out in front of her, quickly looking around.
Shin was out of sight, but she could hear his voice echo from down the stairs.
"Coming, my dear?" Shin sang cheerfully, dragging out the first word, as if goading her on.
Sophia's nose wrinkled when she heard this.
Her opinion of Shin had fallen to the level of a slimy worm.
After she found out the location of Shin's skyscraper, she'd spent a few days traveling and preparing to meet him. It had taken her some time to find the right one, largely due to her attempts at moving secretly.
