Reborn- Apocalypse 2

by L. M. Kerr

  However, once they reached the other edges of the Godfather Organization's territory, specifically, the area that was near the territory of the Angels Arcadia…

  Something unusual began to occur.

  They began to spot several groups of… 'erratic' Morenkai. Sophia couldn't think of a better description for the occurrences, and had no idea what on earth these sightings meant.

  The 'erratic' Morenkai traveled in groups of 5 or 6. Instead of shambling about like normal Morenkai, they found these groups of Morenkai running back and forth across the rooftops of skyscrapers, sometimes switching to sprinting across a bridge here or there. They'd even seen a few groups simply leap off skyscrapers, plummeting to their demise of their own volition.

  When the groups came within range of Sophia and the others, they would immediately latch on to them and attack. In that regard, they acted almost identically to regular Morenkai, viciously attacking until they or their targets were dead. Their erratic behavior didn't seem to make them any stronger.

  But it did make them constantly move faster, and far more likely to run into Sophia and her teammates. While it wasn't very dangerous for them, these groups were far more difficult for regular people to fight against. Ambushing them was very difficult and their odd, fast movements made it very easy for the creatures to discover anyone nearby, meaning fleeing or hiding became much harder.

  Andrew had stopped a few patrolling guards and questioned them about it. According to them, these erratic Morenkai had only started appearing recently, and had already been reported to the HQ. The frequency that they appeared, however, was said to be increasing, mostly in the outer edges of the Godfather Organization's territory that bordered the Angels Arcadia. No one knew why.

  No one had an answer for Shin's question.

  After a few seconds, Executive Andrew looked up from his phone and immediately began to speak,

  "It's a real one. Shin, I want you to teleport to location as quickly as possible. Do what you can to help when you get there, but your own safety is a priority. I've got the fastest speed of us, so I'll be right behind you. Montecarlo, Vladimir, Asim, you all protect the Seer and bring her back to base. Sophia, you go with them." Executive Montecarlo seemed to be fine with Andrew taking the lead despite being ranked higher than him.

  Andrew waited only a split second to get nods from everyone before he turned to the side and sprinted off in the direction of the tugging sensation. When he reached the edge of the rooftop, he clapped his hands together.

  Immediately, a huge, glowing blue bull appeared out of nowhere. The bull must've stood at least 4 meters tall, a towering monstrosity of a creature. It had sharp, thick horns that spanned a meter in length with legs that had muscles bigger than Shin.

  This was the first time Shin had gotten to see Andrew's Type Ability in action. The Limited Spirit Summoner Type, an Ability that allowed him to summon mystical beings created out of energy.

  Andrew leapt up onto the bull, his legs latching onto it and making him seem like a cowboy of the West, riding a bull bareback. Light seemed to flutter off of the bull, as if it recognized him and would allow him, and no one else, to ride it.

  The bull leaned down slightly, the muscles in its legs bulging up as it tensed.

  Just a moment later, the bull literally blasted off of the roof and rocketed through the air as it jumped more than 200 meters in a single bound. An annoying loud 'thud' sounded off as a result of its mighty leap, causing everyone on the rooftop except Executive Montecarlo to wince. Montecarlo had covered his ears ahead of time.

  Shin's mouth fell open slightly as he witnessed all of this.

  "Oh, right!" Abruptly, he remembered that he was supposed to be traveling alongside Andrew. His body blurred and vanished as he teleported, warping after the Executive, and leaving behind a rather nervous and worried looking Sophia.

  .. .. .. .. .. ..

  "Rosphen, triangulate its position and post it online." Head Cameron's voice was cold as he immediately took command of the situation.

  "On it, boss." The doctor complied with haste, setting down the laptop he held and pulling out a completely new one. He then took out his own Long-Distance Alert Insignias and placed it into a smaller grey box. This box had a few cords on it that he connected to his laptop.

  He then began to type and input several commands. Micheal wasn't exactly sure how the man was doing it, but he appeared to be tracking the exact location of where the signal was coming from.

  Incredibly, it took him only 11 seconds to finish tracking it and post it online. The man had clearly undergone extensive, and rather impressive, training for just such an occurrence.

  "It's coming from our Permanent Nest Stronghold. The Insignias look like they're from Executive Anna and Sub-Executive Ha-sun." Doctor Rosphen's voice took on a grim edge as he typed.

  'The Permanent Nest Stronghold?' Micheal's eyes widened imperceptibly when he heard that. He had been planning on visiting the Godfather Organization's Permanent Nest soon.

  Currently, he was unsure what the benefits of breaking a Permanent Nest over a Temporary Nest would be, if there were any differences at all. He planned on testing this on the Nightrunners' Permanent Nests first.

  "Got it. Doctor, take the data you've gathered to Isaiah and figure out why the results are different." The Godfather's attitude had become completely serious, brooking absolutely zero argument as he stood up.

  The man glanced over at Micheal,

  "If you're good for combat, you can follow behind. I won't wait for you." Head Cameron waited only to store the two armchairs before he immediately left the room. His attitude had become harsh and commanding, not wasting any time on pleasantries.

  Micheal followed just a step behind, a wave of relief sweeping through him as he realized it wasn't Shin that had set the Insignia off. Still, the fact that something like this was happening at all was worrisome.

  He didn't remember reading about any of the 6 Executives dying before the war with the Nightrunners happened. There also weren't many major or notable incidents that happened before then. The Purgatory Church would have gained their true leader by now, but it was still early for them to become truly powerful.

  He didn't have a clue as to what this could be. If the timelines were still similar enough, it was probably an incident that didn't stir up too many waves in the end.

  Once they reached the rooftop, the Godfather didn't wait for Micheal. The man ran off to the edge and literally flew forward, moving far quicker than he had before. The air distorted around him as he manipulated gravity and constantly shifted that manipulated area forward.

  From Micheal's perspective, it looked as if the Godfather was flying in the air like a superhero. His jaw dropped open slightly when he saw that, mostly from the juxtaposition of the man's ridiculous flip flops and Hawaiian shirt, and from the unexpected flight.

  After a second, he realized that the Godfather wasn't truly flying but instead falling forward, and that he had shifted gravity so 'down' was the direction where the Insignia was alerting from. He likely hadn't done this while traveling with Micheal because he didn't want to outpace him.

  And, indeed, as the Godfather shot through the air, he rapidly began picking up speed at rates far above anything else he'd shown. Micheal raced quickly after him, using his Life Orbs to fly as he soared towards the ominous alert location.

  .

  Chapter 67

  Head Cameron outpaced Micheal in about 3 seconds. His raw movement speed when he went all out was something ridiculous, literally shooting through the air like a meteor.

  Micheal shook his head as he watched the Godfather fly far enough away that he was just a dot in the distance, and eventually vanish. He continued to rush behind, flying forward as quickly as he could.

  While he flew, he took a full accounting of his body.

  He was rather exhausted, his battle with the Monster Class Morenkai and subsequent death draining a lot from him. He'd managed to get a l
ittle meditative rest in at the rendezvous point, but not enough to fully recover.

  'Status.' He called it up, activating the screen as he looked for any changes.

  .

  — - Status — -

  Name: Micheal Care

  Points: 32,496

  Race: Human

  Physique: 1 Star

  Soul Quality: 1 Star

  Age: 18

  - Stats -

  Strength - 80

  Endurance - 56

  Recovery - 55

  Soul - 25 -> 26

  Abilities - (5/7)

  Life Orb Master

  Ki Cultivator (Earth Tier - Early)

  Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)

  Impact Release

  Ceaseless Mind

  .

  'Hmm, I gained a couple thousand Points from killing those Morenkai and Abnormals…' When he was drawing out the Monster Class Morenkai, he'd scored a pretty decent sum of Points just from the large number of Morenkai that had rushed him.

  His mind blanked for a moment, however, when he noticed something.

  'My… Soul stat went up?' His perfect memory wouldn't let him miss the change.

  He stared at the screen for a few seconds in confusion. After a moment, he held out his right hand and slowly opened and closed it.

  As he did that, he focused on the movement of his hand, tracking the speed he perceived it at.

  'Huh. It really did go up.' The difference between a Soul stat of 25 and a Soul stat of 26 was subtle, but still noticeable. He now viewed the world with a slightly enhanced perspective.

  As he realized the improvement, he also abruptly realized something else.

  'I can store 4 impacts now.' The epiphany settled upon his shoulders in a rush as he conceptualized his Soul and the Abilities he controlled. He had gained this sooner than he had thought he would, something he blamed on his 1 Star Soul Quality throwing off his calculations.

  While storing an extra impact didn't seem like much, it was still a 33% increase in the number of preparations he could make using his Impact Release Ability. A smile appeared on his face as he realized this.

  That smile faltered, however, as he went back to the original issue at hand.

  'How? Is it because of the Bracken Enhancement Fluid?' He considered that for a few seconds before he shook the thought away. The potion was never a permanent one, and it had very little to do with the Soul, save for the backlash it would throw at the user later.

  'No, if it had to be one thing…' Micheal's eyes lit up as he realized where the increase had come from,

  'It's from the fight with those Monster Class Morenkai!'

  There were not many ways to permanently increase one's Soul stat. The vast majority of ways involved purchasing an Ability or upgrading one's Ki Cultivation. The second most popular way, and one that was drastically less popular than the first, was to brew rare, absurdly expensive, and dangerous potions or find extremely rare treasures that could boost one's Soul stat. The Temporary Nest Cores fell into this category, though they were their own unique thing as well.

  The third, and least common way by far, was to increase the power of your soul naturally.

  It was possible to increase one's Strength simply by training with weights. A person would need to brutally exert their body to an extreme level, for an extended period, to see any results, but it was still possible.

  The same idea also applied to a being's Soul.

  Bearing soul-crushing responsibilities but persevering, fighting in dangerous battles where the odds are vastly stacked against you, focusing on many things at once while in mortal danger, finding spiritual enlightenment and coming to peace with reality… These, and more, were ways a person could indirectly train the power of their Soul.

  These things were not something anyone could just will to happen. Many of them required one to constantly be risking death and in a state of extreme stress. But they all could subtly 'season' a person's Soul, making them tougher, stronger, and more durable.

  Micheal's insanely complex duel with all of the attacking Monster Class Morenkai had required a level of focus that reached the Master Tier of Sword Mastery. This was something that was not normally achievable by someone with a Soul stat as low as his. Yet he had still managed to achieve it.

  This incredible strain had proved enough to boost the power of his Soul up an entire point permanently.

  'Not bad, not bad at all.' He couldn't help but go back to grinning,

  'If I can keep this up, I'll be one of those superheroes that grow stronger just as they're about to lose.' It was a comforting, if wishful, thought. He would have no problems with something like that.

  In the time that he had spent musing and debating over his newfound gains, Micheal had covered a substantial amount of ground.

  Head Cameron was, of course, long gone, but Micheal still flew towards the alert location, shooting through the air. He ignored everyone else below him, feeling a bit secure in knowing that the Godfather Organization guards wouldn't just shoot him down randomly.

  In what felt like no time at all, but required several more minutes of intense, all-out speed, Micheal arrived at the Permanent Nest Core Stronghold of the Godfather Organization.

  The first thing he noticed, when he arrived, was the extremely heavy security perimeter.

  The skyscraper where the alert was coming from was colored a faded red, and stood at about average height. However, its rooftop must've had more than 100 guards from the Godfather Organization, many of them forming a secure perimeter. Micheal stood on the neighboring skyscraper to the south, preparing to greet the guards.

  Several long, black bags could be seen spread out in various places on the roof. Micheal instantly recognized them as bodybags. He sighed when he saw this.

  Close to the center of the rooftop, Micheal could see Head Cameron looking down at a pair of corpses. No one else was standing near him as he stood there silently.

  "Micheal?" Micheal's thoughts were interrupted as a familiar voice called out his name.

  "Heyo, Shin." He turned to his left.

  Shin had just warped in onto the same rooftop he was standing on. He was uninjured, thankfully. Ever since the incident where Director Prime managed to somehow find Shin and Sophia, Micheal had grown a bit paranoid when it came to planning for things. He found it hard not to assume the worst-case scenario whenever he heard something unexpected happen.

  "Do you know what happened?" Shin walked up to Micheal and gestured at the scene.

  Micheal shook his head somberly. He explained what he did know, which was really just the names of the two Insignia users. He also explained what he and Head Cameron had been up to.

  Shin responded by explaining how they were escorting the Seer through the Main Cluster, and how they spotted groups of erratic Morenkai going on weird rampages. When Micheal heard that, a deep frown appeared on his face.

  Before they talk further about it, a loud thud echoed out as a huge bull landed atop the rooftop. Micheal did a doubletake, staring at the fearsome, glowing creature in shock.

  After a second, however, he recognized it, and the man sitting on its back. Executive Andrew of the Godfather Organization, a powerful Supreme A Ranker that could summon mystical creatures.

  Andrew nodded a greeting at Micheal and immediately walked over to the guard perimeter and entered it. Shin and Micheal shrugged and then followed behind, passing into the attack zone without issue.

  Once he arrived on the rooftop in question, Micheal slowed down.

  The scent of blood tinged the air. It was a familiar scent, one Micheal had lived with for most of the past 10 years of his life. An acrid, harsh smell, of strife, warfare, and pain.

  His eyes became cold as he scanned the rooftop. He looked at the position of the bodies, the smears and spatters of blood on the ground, gunning for every detail he could find.

  As he looked around, he was gradually able to form an image of the fight that had taken place h
ere.

  Rather then a fight, he should term it a slaughter.

  'It started here.' He walked over to one particular spot on the south side of the rooftop. Eight bodybags had been set out here, alongside several large pools of blood. There were also several long streaks of blood, pointing out in the opposite direction.

  Micheal noticed that oddity, glancing at the blood curiously. If nothing else, it looked as though the guards had managed to injure their attacker, and quite severely going by the blood loss, before they died. Those injuries didn't appear to have slowed the attacker down in the slightest.

  'It then progressed to here…' He took a few steps forward, glancing at another dozen or so bodybags. He placed his footsteps carefully, avoiding stepping on any blood. Once more, he spotted several bloodstains that looked like they would've come from the person attacking. Shin followed behind him quietly.

  'And then he… stopped?' Micheal frowned as he looked at one spot, close to the center of the roof, before nodding.

  The attacker, and there was only one, despite such a great slaughter, had rushed in from the south, obliterating all of his enemies while taking multiple serious injuries. He then took several steps forward and planted himself down, as if waiting for enemies.

  'And he didn't have to wait long…' Micheal thought as he looked at the center of the roof, where two corpses remained uncovered. One of the bodies was completely mangled and sat next to a large, silver greatsword, while the other one vaguely resembled a female, covered in huge, gaping injuries.

  It was not a sight for the weak of stomach, or those unused to brutal scenes of war.

  Behind him, Micheal could hear Shin retching and turning away.

  Micheal walked up to stand next to the Godfather as the man looked down at the two dead bodies. The man had an incredibly pensive and somber mood about him, such that no one else was willing to approach him. It was a mood Micheal well recognized.

  He moderated his tone as he nodded at Cameron and then gently gestured at the two bodies,