by L. M. Kerr
She slipped out of range of the cross spear's stab by mere millimeters, narrowly dodging it. At the same time, she raised her short sword, swinging it at the man's head.
The masked man crouched down and whipped his spear to the left at her, slamming towards her shoulder. His rapid movement was fluid and coordinated, leaving her no room to dodge. She either had to continue her attack and risk a huge impact, or give up the strike to protect herself.
In the end, she wasn't Micheal and couldn't come back to life. She chose the latter option.
Her blade cut downward as she jumped into the air and parried the man's spear, swinging with both hands. The resulting impact sent her flying backwards several meters and numbed her arms.
She gathered her balance as she came to a halt, just a few meters away from the unconscious General. She forced herself to ignore the numbness in her arms as she leapt back into the fray, attacking the spear wielder.
They exchanged nearly a dozen more attacks. Sophia's strikes were pointed and precise, building off her training with Micheal. The masked man's attacks were powerful and valiant, willing to place himself in danger to take her down.
The duo established a sort of ebb and flow as their battle came down to one of raw skill and might.
One that Sophia was losing.
'Arrgh!' She swore in her head again as she rebuffed one powerful blow, her hands aching from its sheer force. Several small cuts covered her arms and shoulders, blood seeping into her shirt.
Every attack the masked figure sent out was one full of unreasonable power. The warrior was much stronger than Sophia and more experienced when it came to battle.
Despite that, Sophia was managing to hold her own. She was able to adapt to his battle style, using her small stature and technique to dodge fluidly, while tapping into her Wind Sweeper Ability to boost her overall movement speed. She displayed genius-level reactions and coordination that would've made Micheal proud.
However, she couldn't ignore reality.
The masked figure wasn't even using any of his other Abilities, including the strange one that opened portals to help him. He was toying with her.
Her lungs felt like they were on fire and her arms as if they were made of lead. Sophia's chest heaved as she gasped in air and raised her blade defensively once more.
The masked figure was in much better shape. A few small cuts could be seen in his black robes, but he was otherwise uninjured.
The man seemed to sigh with disappointment as he saw her stance. He shook his head silently and then stepped forward towards her. He raised his cross spear above her and then jumped forward, slamming it down towards her head in a lightning-fast strike.
'This is my chance!' Sophia didn't hesitate.
Her eyes flashed as her Fairy Eyes Ability activated. At the same time, she stabbed forward with her flaming short sword, rushing directly at the masked warrior.
For the first time in their duel, the masked warrior's spear wavered. The fighter stumbled to a halt as his leaping attack fell flat, raising his arms defensively before him. At the same time, some type of light appeared beneath his robes as an Artifact activated.
Sophia batted aside the man's spear, taking full advantage of his distraction. Her sword cut past the man's guard and stabbed directly into his arms. A metallic 'clink' echoed out as she collided with something hidden by the man's robes.
As her weapon clashed with that, however, Sophia realized that her attack was actually falling short.
The man had reversed his momentum and leapt backwards, preventing her from following through. When she noticed this, her heart trembled.
'He recovered from my Fairy Eyes so quickly?!' She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
She tried to push forward and continue her attack. However, as the man fell backwards, a transparent doorway formed underneath his body.
The man vanished into the doorway as the door flung open, tumbling back. In this same moment, a second glass doorway had formed a dozen meters away, in the middle of the rooftop.
The masked warrior rolled out onto the roof from here, leaping up to his feet in one smooth motion. He patted at his arms as the doorway vanished, tearing off several scraps of ripped and torn cloth. He revealed a set of beautiful, metal vambraces scarred by a long, melted cut.
'Damn.' Sophia looked at the damage Artifact resentfully. If she had been able to fully strike, her Intermediate Sword Energy would've given her the push she needed to cut through everything.
"Not bad." The masked warrior spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse. He seemed to have fully recovered from her Fairy Eyes, looking at her fearlessly as she stared back, aghast.
He noticed her shock and replied with a shrug. He pulled out a necklace that had been hidden under his robes, one that Sophia recognized instantly.
An Aura Nullification Necklace.
'What?! They knew about my Ability ahead of time?!' It was the only explanation she could think up as to why he would have this particular Defensive Artifact prepared ahead of time. According to Micheal, Artifacts like this one weren't commonly used in the First Layer.
"I would like to continue our duel, but time is of the essence here. I am Number 6." The warrior introduced himself with a small bow.
"Playtime's over." He flicked his wrists slightly.
Two glass doorways appeared next to him. The doors shuddered as they settled into existence, as if under a large amount of strain.
Moments later, both doors opened up. Two additional masked figures appeared as they walked through the doorways.
One was a robed man with the number 9 emblazoned on his mask, accompanied by a trio of golden-furred wolves. The man carried himself with a confident air, sauntering out onto the rooftop. His wolves were huge, standing up to his shoulders in height. They growled and twitched as they looked at Sophia, as if they wanted to leap over and attack her immediately.
The other was a brown-skinned woman with the number 10 emblazoned on her mask. She had long, flowing black hair that went all the way down to her lower back. In her hands was a barbed, metal whip that sparkled faintly with electricity.
"This is her for sure, my Golden Wolves have locked right onto her." Number 9 spoke cheerfully, gesturing at Sophia.
"You've already downed her teammate, Number 6? Good, good." Number 10's voice was even more cheerful, practically dripping with false care as she zeroed in on Sophia.
"Crane. So good to finally meet you. I'm Number 10." She nodded at Sophia sweetly,
"You and I are going to have a long, painful talk about your murdering friend, Heron."
Sophia's heart pounded as she stared at the powerful enemies that had appeared, despair trying to claw into her. One of them had already proven too much for her to handle. Two more of these masked enemies was more than enough to overwhelm her.
General Pedro's safeguards when it came to having a private conversation meant none of the man's warriors had heard her pleas for help. She was standing virtually alone at the moment.
She was, that is to say.
For, just moments later, as the three masked figures were fully focused on Sophia…
A man appeared, teleporting into existence behind the wolf-controlling Number 9.
Shin had a harried but determined expression on his face as he phased into existence, taking literally everyone except Sophia by surprise.
In his right hand was an ornate, black pistol covered in several white symbols.
This handgun was one he picked up from the Shop at the advice of some of the First and Second Wave veterans in the Godfather Organization, back when he was training while waiting for Micheal to show up. While he hadn't become super close with anyone, he'd made a few casual friends.
The Shop called it a 'Soul Pistol.' It was a unique weapon that had cost Shin 26,500 Points and was able to fire a very large variety of bullets.
It wasn't an extremely powerful weapon. It was stronger than guns from Earth and could fire more powerful bul
lets, but it didn't grant too many special powers. Other guns in the Shop could enhance a bullet to contain Elemental Energy or other special characteristics, giving them greatly increased power.
His Soul Pistol allowed him to imprint each bullet with a type of signature. Using that, he could slightly manipulate the trajectory of a bullet, tracking it with his Soul. It was a unique gun that, while not extremely powerful, would have a variety of uses for many people.
For Shin, however… it was near perfect.
Throughout all of his training, he'd come to realize a few things.
It was extremely difficult to time his 'Expand' Ability with all of his bullets.
When it came to regular bullets from Earth, he had a somewhat easier time. They were ordinary hunks of metal that moved quickly but were easy to lock onto if he prepared.
The Shop held a variety of different guns and bullets. The higher up the Points ladder one went, the more powerful and unique differing guns and bullets became.
Special bullets from the Shop moved faster and were made from mystical or magical types of metal. The bullets Shin was currently using for his Soul Pistol were called Black Metal Bullets. Each bullet was the size of a 9mm round, yet surpassed some Anti-Tank bullet rounds in durability, speed, and piercing power. Each one cost him 400 Points to buy.
Normally, these bullets, and many of the powerful ones from the Shop, were very hard to lock onto and detect. This was a feature that most people would be pleased with. For Shin, it could only be seen as a negative.
His Soul Pistol resolved that problem and was the weapon he would bring out whenever he was facing a serious threat.
And, in the exact moment that he teleported in, he had already raised his gun and pointed it directly at the back of Number 9's head. He was positioned roughly 3/4ths of a meter away, so close it was impossible for him to miss.
By the time anyone realized he had warped in, Shin had already pulled the trigger.
A black-colored bullet shot out from Shin's sleek handgun.
'Expand.' The mental command echoed in Shin's head as he activated his Limited Expand Ability, causing the bullet to rapidly swell in size.
By the time it reached the man's head, it had already swollen up to the size of a bowling ball, Shin's current Expand limit for his bullets.
The huge bullet smashed into Number 9's head…
And obliterated it, killing the powerful, vaunted, and infamous Supreme A Ranker before the man even had a chance to introduce himself.
.
Chapter 46
When Sophia left for the rooftop, Shin had followed her trail, warping through different rooms inside the skyscraper. He had tried to keep his presence as small as possible, well aware that the powerful Brigadier General was at Sophia's final location. He wasn't sure if the warrior would be able to detect him, but didn't want to chance it.
It took only a few moments for Sophia to travel through the skyscraper up to the rooftop. When Shin had realized that was her final destination, he had frowned.
The rooftop was dangerous. While Sophia had a Defensive Artifact that would protect her from snipers, he still didn't like the idea of her being up there all alone with General Pedro. Even if the man was a saint, he would still be wary.
This was the girl Micheal sent to help him, after all. What if Micheal was secretly in love with her? If Shin had to dashingly save her, she might fall for him and a big ol' one-way love triangle might form. Shin had seen enough movies to know how that would be a mess.
Regardless of his rather unrealistic worries, Shin decided to teleport to a neighboring building in the end. He then snuck up to the rooftop while ducking down low. It was basically night time outside, something that made his life a lot easier when it came to hiding. The starlight coming from up above was dim at best.
And it was from there that he witnessed the masked man warp in and attack.
Unlike Sophia, Shin instantly recognized him.
'It's one of the Nightrunner Numbers?! Why is he attacking Sophia?!' The shock that filled his heart was tinged with horror.
After Shin had been recruited by the Godfather Organization, he'd undergone a bit of training here in the Main Cluster. Part of that training was on theoretical events and knowledge, as well as helping him learn how to use a firearm more effectively.
The members of the Nightrunner Numbers were one of the topics he'd covered, as were the other major forces in the Main Cluster.
Each member was infamous and extremely powerful.
Right now, the man that had arrived and attacked Brigadier General Pedro was Number 6, the Spear Tiger. He had the Limited World Room Type, a power that allowed him to create a powerful 'Gate' anywhere within 50 meters of himself. It was an Ability very similar to Shin's teleportation power.
The most notable difference was that Number 6's teleportation wasn't instant.
The Spear Tiger's nickname came from his use of a spear as his main weapon. He was incredibly skilled with it and possessed the Spear Mastery Ability, a power very similar to Sophia's Sword Mastery Ability.
As Sophia and the Spear Tiger fell into battle, Shin's felt a string of panic seep into him.
'What should I do?!' His aim with a gun had vastly improved, but he wasn't at the level of a master sharpshooter yet. He could guide his bullet to some degree with his Soul Pistol, but wasn't perfectly confident he would be able to hit only the Spear Tiger. The duo were exchanging clash after clash, constantly moving back and forth at such a fast speed it was hard for him to do much of anything.
His bullets, when Expanded, were extremely strong. He could obliterate Morenkai with them, after all. He was unsure if Sophia's Defensive Artifact would hold up if he accidentally hit her, and even if he did, he might fatally distract her.
The duo continued to battle over a span of seconds. Sophia was holding her own, but clearly on the losing side.
After a split second, Shin overcame his indecisiveness and pulled something out of his Spatial Ring.
The object was small and round, a flat, black circle with a few mysterious symbols carved into it. It had been bestowed upon him by Head Cameron himself as a result of his initiation into the Executives of the Godfather Organization.
It was a Long-Distance Alert Insignia. According to Cameron, as long as he activated it, it would send out pulses of energy that would alert the other Executives that he was in mortal danger. This was a one-time use item that the leader of the Godfather Organization had cautioned he use with extreme care.
It was one of the benefits one obtained for becoming an Executive, a draw for many looking for security and safety in a team.
Once an alert was sent out, the entire Godfather Organization would go on alert and seek out the bearer of the Insignia to render aid.
Shin activated the Insignia instantly, tapping on it and sending in a strand of Ki. The Insignia shivered slightly before sending out a very faint pulse of energy. The signal was very weak but could spread for hundreds of miles, detectable by anyone that possessed the same Insignia, as long as it was magically set to the same frequency.
He pocketed the Insignia and then turned his attention back to the battle.
In the few seconds he spent sending out the signal, the battle had taken a turn for the worse. Sophia was covered in injuries while Number 6 was virtually unharmed.
The two had separated, forming some space. When Shin saw that, he knew he'd been given a chance.
He cocked his Soul Pistol, holding it at the ready as he prepared to teleport. Just as he was about to jump into action, however…
A pair of glass doors appeared.
As soon as Shin saw them, and the two figures that walked out from them, his heart plummeted once more.
'Crap. We're screwed.'
Number 9, the Golden Wolf Warrior, and Number 10, the Earth Vixen, had just walked through those doors.
All three were Supreme A Rankers and likely magnitudes more powerful than Shin and Sophia.
&nb
sp; His breathing instantly grew ragged and his arms shook. His heart pounded rapidly as he realized the seriousness of their situation.
And as he realized that, he also realized he needed to do something.
If he sat back and did nothing, Sophia would almost certainly die. He didn't even know what she had done to enrage them, but it was very apparent that she was their target.
He glanced at the Insignia he had stored in his pocket. It had only been active a few seconds. It would take, at a bare minimum, several minutes for any help to arrive.
A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he looked back up.
He could see the newly-arrived Numbers speaking. They all focused in on Sophia in a threatening manner, their intent clear.
A feeling of indecisiveness swarmed over him once more.
He could teleport away and forget all of this if he wanted to. Did he truly need to risk his life to help someone he barely knew?
For a single split second, Shin stood frozen, his hands trembling.
In that moment, as he was caught up in his feelings, a single thought broke free in his mind. This thought shone through like a beacon of light, clearing the fog that clouded his head.
Could he go to bed and wake up in the morning, proud of who he was, if he abandoned the girl Micheal had entrusted him with to her death?
Shin's heart hardened.
He didn't hesitate any further.
Light flashed in his eyes as the world around him shifted.
He successfully teleported from his rooftop over to the spot directly behind Number 9.
Without any hesitation, as soon as he arrived, he fired his gun and immediately activated his Expand Ability.
Number 9 was known for his versatile control of various magic animals. In particular, he was a renowned hunter that had hunted down hundreds of murderers and criminals. His tracking powers were almost certainly the reason Sophia and him had been found, even if he wasn't sure why. If he could take him out, they stood a much better chance at escaping.
