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"The old-fashioned way… You mean… directly?"
'He wants to take them down? Just the two of us? Or rather… he's just giving me the chance to bite a piece off them.'
Even for a tough woman like her, this was beyond her expectations.
'For such a ridiculous claim… I don't feel like he's joking about this either.'
'Is he that confident in himself?'
She stopped her chaotic thoughts, shaking her head.
'I already made a gamble before… what to say another?'
Two options stood before her. The "safe" one, to run away while he took it all down regardless of the result, but give up taking revenge on those that put her here, and the risky one, to join him in whatever trouble he was about to create.
'If I flee and he fails, then it doesn't matter since we'll likely have to run away regardless… but if he succeeds… then perhaps, just maybe… we won't have to run away at all.'
"If its too much to consider, I understand. Trust isn't something you give away without thought."
"Ah?... Sorry, I'm still a bit shaken. This situation hasn't been…"
Philip shook his head, "I understand, you aren't just a prisoner like the others. You have someone to care for after leaving it. We're similar, in a way."
Philip got up from his seat, and as he did so, the weapons he had provided vanished.
"I would like to wait, but time waits for no one."
'Her details specified the weapon she was proficient with, there's no point in dragging this any further.'
"You can borrow these for now. It wouldn't feel right to leave you unprotected after all."
/Clang!/
Just like before, a large sword and shield fell onto the ground, but that was all.
He then turned around, placing his hands on the door.
"I'll take care of everything, focus on escaping if you can."
Philip took out a small, folded note from a hidden pocket on his chest and sent it to her via Telekinesis.
Palimo opened it with mild interest, immediately realizing what it was as her eyes fell on it.
"This… a map?
With a map in hand, the layout of this place became easier to understand.
It was kind of a large castle, though it had no walls. A large structure composed of smaller ones fused together.
From the outside, it looks more like a series of interconnected buildings, but inside, they were all one cohesive structure.
There were large halls, individual rooms, at least three underground floors... and at the very top, a fancy office.
The last floor was composed of a series of large rooms, likely private housing for those at the top of the food chain.
Still... for all this place was, this was merely a base, not the true headquarters of the Conjunction.
However, this outpost's importance remained clear. Being the branch where the Managing Director stood and worked at, this place housed much of the Conjunction's documents while also serving as a base of operation for their activities in their surrounding sectors.
Surprisingly, the prison they stood at was on the second floor somewhere in the Northern Wing As such, breaking the wall behind them would lead right outside.
But that didn't mean freedom, outside was still their territory at the end of the day. Such forceful actions would only provoke a heavy response… and even though he had the means to retrieve her safely without alerting others, Philip had no interest in doing so.
For whatever reason they had taken her… no matter how small, he was going to find out. And then… burn whoever was involved and prevent the Conjunction from ever being able to piece together what happened.
'Taking down this branch shouldn't be difficult, but I'm not in the mood to go to war with some underworld mafia. Leaving behind no witnesses should be enough, and even if they do pursue us… all I need is time.'
'Once I incorporate all of my experiences and this new Class' powers onto my main Status, I doubt this measly, small-time Mafia will be able to stop me.'
'All I have to do is figure out their intent with her… and erase it all-together.'
As he waited for her to finish reading the map, Philip added, "If you wish to help me… no, help yourself, then take care of the weaker goons that patrol the area. Prevent them from calling for backup."
Philip turned for the metal door sealing their only exit and raised his fist...
Palimo seemed to think for a moment, before exhaling in frustration.
"W-Wait!"
/Stop.../
Under his mask, Philip smiled. He turned around slowly, his eyes falling on her
"Hm?"
"I… Dont use a sword…"
Slightly embarrassed, she pointed at the longsword on the ground.
"Give me a mace…"
"... Hm?"
'Strange, the documents said she was proficient with a sword… no matter. Perhaps their intelligence wasn't as completed as I thought it was… or I put too much faith in a bunch of thugs.'
Philip chuckled at his oversight.
And as he did so, the sword vanished from the ground as if it were never there.
/CLANG!/
A large mace with sharp edges fell onto the ground, it was about the size of an adult's arm from the handle to the head.
There were many maces and weapons in his inventory, but this mace was something he himself had made… a Hunter's weapon.
Taken out of his dust-filled inventory, ready to draw some blood again.
He only grabbed it because it was sturdy, other weapons were honestly... fragile.
They were once weapons used to take down giant creatures, but in here, they would easily chip away or bend under the force of these "Monsters in Human skin".
It also made him realize that he lacked weapons. Right now, he was... under-geared.
Despite it being saddening for him to admit, his prized Darklight Sword and Saber were both considerably weak.
'Once I have the time, I'll spend some time doing a light overhaul of my equipment. My Hunter tools could use some attention too…'
'There definitely is space to combine this world's technology with my knowledge of the Arcane. I mustn't forget also that my study of the language of the Great Ones remains stale.'
'Too much has happened in far too little time… just when will I get the time to study the documents within MT to top it all off?… Sigh…'
/Grab…/
Palimo got up from the dirty and moist ground, grabbing the shield with her right hand, and the mace with her left.
She was left-handed, something that didn't come as a surprise for him, it was written on her report, albeit briefly mentioned.
'It's ... a bit light.' She thought as she checked the mace, 'But it feels sturdy enough.'
'And these edges are... decently sharp. Not as good as my good old Trin, but it'll do the trick.'
For a mace user, one of the worst things to feel about your weapon is that it is light... Above all, however, was the strange feeling at the handle, somehow… she felt it could twist and turn…
She ignored that strange feeling for now, "I'll go with you… if you permit it."
"Everything you said is correct… I don't trust you, but I'm someone who repays my debts. Even if this isn't exactly that. Regardless, please understand…"
Before she could finish, Philip finished, "Don't worry about me. If things do get chaotic, it would be for the best if you left."
His expression turned soft, if that word could be used to describe his gaze, "So don't hold back."
He turned to the door for the last time.
"I'll carve the way, you take care of the rest that slips by."
Philip pulled his gloves tight...
'It's been a while… since I last used these clothes.'
'Brings back memories.'
/Clang clang... cha cha.../
He reached forward… a silver sword clad in chains appeared in his right hand, the loose chains struck against each other continually, ringing out as he moved.
/Shine…/
The blade ignited in blue light, as if glad to be in the open once again.
'Moving things from my inventory is so great. It's so much more convenient now that I have an excuse for it…'
Philip cracked his shoulders and neck as he touched the door with one hand…
/Touch…/
/BAM!/
His muscles twitched, and the door was flung open. Its hinges burst open as the stone wall cracked, splintering!
/Flash!/
Philip vanished from Palimo's sight, leaving behind only a wisp of dancing fog.
"There he goes..."
/Shake/
Sweating a little, she took a step outside.
Being as careful as she could, she inspected her surroundings first, back against the wall, shield between her waist and chest…
'Phew… maybe I should've asked for some armor? But then again, why would a man of his height have equipment for someone like me? This mace already feels a bit too long to carry in one hand.'
"!..."
Barely had she stepped forward, she was met with a gruesome sight.
In front of her were two bodies, each with a cut in the neck, blood seeping from the wounds... But their eyes were open and even relaxed.
"Their expressions are frozen in place… They didn't even notice a thing."
'A dangerous guy… I feel like I'm trapped with him now.'
Lifting her shield, she moved forward, following the map, sturdy steps as she marched onward.
She had to meet her family, and God forgave those who stood in her way.
But… no one stopped her.
/Splash… Splash…/
The blood on the ground said it all.
…
/A few moments later.../
"HM!"
In a room high above the prison cells, a man holding a spear, resting his head on the wall, opened his eyes hastily and vigilantly.
As he sat in his chair with his arms crossed, he gazed around and at the open window…
To his left, a roll of bookshelves neatly ordered; to his far right, a large table with another man sitting next to it.
Before him was the wall with the door, decorated with several shelves full of exotic trinkets.
In the middle of the room were several chairs and couches surrounding a low table, all atop a fancy carpet and beneath a crystal lamp.
'This feeling again…'
He looked around, 'Something feels odd… What could it be?'
But even as time passed, he couldn't put into words what he felt. The stiff wind brushed past his face and body, yet even as he stood beside a fireplace, he felt a chill run down the back of his head.'
'Sigh, just what's gotten into me recently? I really need that time off...'
/Scribble…/
"Is something the matter?" The man asked without turning his face, writing on his paper
"No… just a little cold, I guess."
"Uhm…"
The man stopped writing, turning to face him.
He wore formal clothes, but nothing fancy. Good enough to set him apart from others.
A brown suit with some unique symbols, and a dark set of pants and shoes…
His hair was black as well, and he had a small, sharp beard and mustache.
An emotionless gaze and a sharp expression were all that adorned his face.
"Explain this guess of yours."
The guard scratched his head, saying, "Uh, well... not so long ago, I felt a bit weird. I just felt that again." In an awkward tone as he put his spear aside.
He raised his chin, trying to think of more details, but nothing came to his mind. It was an odd situation, as if he had just encountered something he had never seen before, yet had...
"And I'm unsure how to interpret this feeling, it isn't really anything special... forget this ever happened."
/Tap tap…/
The Managing Director tapped his fingers on the table in deep thought, "In that case, why don't you go outside and confirm it for yourself?" He said as he grabbed his pen again, turning to his documents.
"I'm almost done here, wait for me at the door after you're done, otherwise, we'll meet…"
/Tremble…/
/Dust.../
""Hm?""
The room shook slightly, dust falling from the ceiling. An ink bottle fell on top of the mans papers, yet his expression did not change.
"It seems your senses were right." He added as he put his pen aside, already pressing something beneath the table
He acted with little surprise, almost as if he expected such a thing to occur… perhaps this wasn't his first time experiencing such a thing?
"Allow me to escort you, sir…"
'My hands are itching... something's wrong this time.'
"No."
The man got up from his seat, grabbing something from one of his table's shelves.
It was a key. One of his hands behind his back as he elegantly walked to the bookshelf near the sitting man.
He tapped the bookshelf and pulled several books, reorganizing them, "I'll leave first, to make sure this isn't related to that boy."
His tone sharpened as he said "boy".
"As for you, go down there and confirm the nature of this disturbance. The others will probably gather there as well, for I have already notified them."
"I give you full authority, so deal with it accordingly. You know how this goes, Jikael."
After he finished organizing the bookshelf, the director pulled a book, and a complicated symbol flashed on his foot before he vanished from the room.
"Urg..."
'Deal with it he says... throwing all the trouble at me again.'
"Sigh, I hate when this happens."
Jikael rose from his seat, stretching his body, tightening his belt, and removing the tip of his spear from its sheath, 'Time to work.'
/Tremble…/
The room shook with greater intensity, and with his sensitive ears, he heard the screams and the confusion below him.
The clash of metal and blades, the sound of bones and flesh being cut and crushed…
"It's been a while since trouble came to our own door…" He mumbled with a faint look of annoyance as he pulled his helmet's visor down
'Just when my vacation has arrived… did the Street Palace do this? Is war finally upon us?'
A smirk rose on his lips, "Is this the fun I so desperately needed?"
/Creak…/
He opened the door leaving the office.
…
/Below…/
/SLASH!/
In a grand hall large enough to house a few hundred people, a bloodbath ensued.
Corpses littered the ground, butchered cleanly, blood stained the walls and curtains, making puddles on the ground that slowly drained in one direction…
Screams echoed, and the ground trembled as swords clashed.
Some fled in fear of the coming echoes, others fought…
/CUT!/
/SPLATTER!/
"DAMMIT! HE KILLED KENNY!"
"SON OF A…"
/SPLATTER!/
"NOOO!"
/CUT!/
Another man decapitated, and the culprit didn't even give the man a second glance as he moved on.
/Swoosh/
He merely swung his sword with little effort, letting the blood on it smear the ground.
/SPLASH!/
His sword flashed, vanishing from their sight, and with it, another head was flung to the sky.
However, despite this, no blood stained his clothes, they looked fresh and tidy even.
Those with a trained eye would notice that the blood seemingly moved out of his way as if there were some sort of veil in front of him.
"Thirty four… thirty five…"
'According to the papers, in an emergency, all of them will converge on this hall.'
'So I just need to wait and everyone I need to deal with will come to me on their own.'
He looked at the stained ground, 'I didn't want things to end up like this, but I don't have the time to worry about possible retaliation. All within this facility must be silenced'
'As for the rest that have escaped... I'll think about it later.'
Counting down calmly, Philip turned into smoke as another man was bifurcated.
In fact, Philip wasn't the only one fighting, all around him were people clashing against each other.
Prisoners ran from their cells amidst the chaos, saved by each other. What was once one became two, then four, and a dozen…
Even though their power was little, together they became a small tide that swept through the chaotic halls as they searched for an exit.
A guard looked at Philip as he walked through the halls, taking out everyone in his path, "He isn't someone we can take down! Where are the reinf…"
/SPLASH!/
Philip appeared behind the man, cutting him down from head to toe…
"You look half-decent."
'I should try that out.'
A blue ball of energy formed in front of his finger, before it was crushed, releasing a small stream of energy onto the corpse below…
*Dead Thrall*
/Crack…/
After a few twitches, the corpse slowly rose, its wounds regenerating faster than the eye could capture.
Bones fused, muscles latched together, skin regenerated…
/Gasp…/
The people trembled, but not for long…
"Make sure no one escapes." He told the zombie as he turned around
/Growl…/
And so it did, running to them and joining in the fray.
/Clang…/
Some of the people turned around, dropping their weapons, they had had enough.
Hearing them lose their courage, he turned around once more, "That's no good." Philip said as his hands moved in the air
/Fwoosh…/
A dark-red ball of energy formed within his fingers
*Mayhem!*
/BOOM!/
A minor explosion of energy covered the entire hall in a matter of a second, like a thousand spores bursting from an epicenter. Many of the fleeing thugs stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes turning red…
/CLANG!/
/CLANG!/
They fought each other with extreme eagerness, tearing themselves apart, including the few that resisted and kept their sanity.
Looking at the effects of his magic, Philip raised an eyebrow, 'This should be enough.'
'Magic seems as effective as before… Though it remains to be seen just how high the difference is between a higher Tier Wizard and a Master Mage.'
Philip looked around him, as the bloodshed ensued, he felt nothing. He wasn't pleased with what he was seeing.
He felt no pleasure in culling down nameless nobodies like weeds in a garden. And although he didn't feel remorse for his actions either, there was a point where it just felt a bit…
'This is pointless.'
"Hm?"
His eyes moved to the side, looking beyond the walls of the hall; his eyes flashed with light as he felt that old woman fighting.
'There you are. I was getting a little worried.'
Next to her, two more people were present… and they seemed important.
"Hm…"
'Above me.'
/CLANG!/
Because of his moment of distraction, something fell from the sky, piercing him with a spear!
'Unoriginal.' He thought as he easily blocked it.
/CLANG!/
Philip moved his sword horizontally, throwing the man away with immense force! So much so that his strapped helmet flew out from the force alone.
/Thud…/
"Woah… there goes that piece of crap. So that didn't work? Well… that was my best idea."
Before him stood a laid-back man with a spear, his beard and hair were disorderly, and his clothes looked light…
"Hm…"
'I know this guy. The director's personal guard… As expected, he's pretty decent.'
'Maybe even better then Pyke Rafiel's personal guard.'
"Hm... then, shall we talk? Or… just go at it?" Jikael asked as he touched his chinn
"Hm?"
'What's up with him?'
/SCREAMS!/
Jikael snickered as he looked at the distance, "They sure are noisy."
To his supposed subordinates' misery, Jikael merely gazed at Philip with his spear in his hands, the massacre happening around him wasn't one of his concerns.
Philip found him interesting, his attitude reminded him of a certain Brazilian swordsman…
"You want to talk?"
"Ha! You can talk! I thought you were mute." Jikael joked as he moved his spear around from one shoulder to the other
"You see… what's this shit all about, really?" He asked as he looked around
"You gave yourself the trouble of coming here without anyone knowing… and for what? To take down a bunch of goons? Who do you work for?"
"I'm sure we can reach common ground..."
Jikael stopped suddenly, putting his hand to his neck as his eyes sharpened.
"Well… how unfortunate." He added as he gripped his spear tightly
"Unfortunate?"
'For a moment there, something seemed to have flared. Likely magical in origin. Someone must've contacted him…'
Jikael sounded disappointed, "The plan changed…"
/Clack!/
He slammed the base of his spear on the ground, denting it.
"It's hard to find someone to talk to in this place. Most of the bums around here can't even understand the most basic of tactics, so I feel a little isolated."
He got into a stance, one foot in front of the other, "But you know, I got paid so I ought to work; it would look bad on me were I to do nothing."
Philip chuckled, "Such work ethic is commendable."
Philip looked around, but he couldn't discern anything, 'Who talked with him? Am I being observed right now?… This sucks.'
'I was planning on ending this quickly…'
Jikael smiled as well, "Thank you, I have a pretty long record…"
They looked at each other, the words that needed to be said were pronounced.
/FLASH!/
/CLANG!/
/TREMBLE!/
They vanished, reappearing in the middle of the hall, sword and spear interlocked.
/Scratch.../
Pressing against each other, they stood in a deadlock!
"That's a nice sword, why do you keep it chained though?"
/BAM!/
The man pulled his spear, thrusting it again, the air crying in anguish as it made its way to Philip's head.
/CLANG!/
But Philip easily slid his foot, raising his sword at an angle, and the spear bounced off.
"I made it, isn't it pretty cool?" He replied
/CLANG!/
"I like it, can't say the same for my spear though, I don't have much skill in that area… I stole it from some bum long ago…"
/CLANG!/
"But still… mine is pretty good!"
He clenched his teeth and stomped down, breaking the marble tiles.
"HUPP!"
Breathing quickly, his spear turned into an afterimage…
/CLANG CLANG CLANG!/
/CLONG!/
In the last strike, the spear struck the chains yet again…
/CRACK!/
"Gotcha." The man said as he pulled his spear with force, breaking the chains apart!
All of his attacks so far were concentrated on them; he wanted to see for himself why the sword was chained.
So he… broke it.
/Clang…/
"HM!"
As the chains fell onto the ground, Jikael felt something was wrong.
Shivers ran across his body as he felt something… as if there was someone else in the room, looking at him.
'I… the sword… is gazing at me?!'
To this, Philip simply said, "Satisfied?… A word of advice… if it starts talking, its too late."
He kicked his chains into the sky where they vanished, sucked into his inventory.
"Well, that was some half-decent warmup."
'I don't know what Class he has, but he seems to specialize in Aura.'
'With others potentially observing us, I'm not too keen on showing too much… so which path should I take?'
'Do I go with the Human Empire's Swordsmanship? The Elven Empire?… Do I finish this with Armament… or do I take him down with brute force alone?'
/Clang/
With a final clash, Philip rested his sword on the ground.
"Shall we continue?"
"... HAHA!"
But the man only laughed.
"You sure are interesting, your sword too."
'It's drawing me in... It's my first time fighting an opponent whose sword is constantly battling against my will.'
'I can't take my eyes off it, but if I do, I may lose an ear...'
"My name is Jikael."
"..."
"Not a man of words, that's fine by me."
"It's a bummer, but it's okay, I'll remember you nonetheless."
He was about to grab the spear again, but he stopped.
"Sigh… they sure are fast when no one wants them to..."
/Swoosh!/
Behind the man, two more people appeared suddenly with a flash.
One man with a metal plate embedded onto his skull, working as a replacement, and a woman with long grayish-black hair holding a flute.
The man looked half-crazed; his eyes were bloodshot, and he had many piercings around his body… He wore little clothing, and he was disgusting to look at.
While the woman looked very much like Viera when he first met her, dark circles around her eyes, disheveled hair… an unsightly appearance for anyone to have.
"Had enough fun?" The woman asked Jikael as she lightly landed on the floor
"I was about to have some…"
"LET'S GUTTER HIM!!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... AND THEN!..."
/SHOCK!/
The crazed man had a sudden psychotic attack, but his piercings flared, and his body was electrocuted.
/Thud.../
/Chaaa.../
He fell onto the ground, smoke rising…
"COUGH!"
Coughing, he rose to his feet again.
"My sincere apologies, I showed you all a disturbing side of mine."
Like a gentleman who made Philip think of his butler, Sebastiano, the man politely replied with a bow.
His posture now aligned, his gaze serene, he turned to Philip.
"Anyway… I presume this is the cause of this commotion."
His metal patch flared with light, "Peculiar, I do not recognize you from the database, nor do you look like a rogue... A private mercenary?"
His hands moved in the air as if he were checking a book.
It seemed that even after the shock, his mind was still a bit out of place... or was it? Perhaps he was perfectly sane before, and this is him being insane...
He flipped the invisible pages, "Nothing... who might you be then? Has the Street Palace involved a force from beyond the Kingdom?"
The woman yawned as she covered her mouth, "Can we just end this already… yawn…"
"If he's not in the database, then this is more of a reason to just end it quickly… this is the kind of stuff we leave to those other guys... why are we here again?"
She was then interrupted by Jakiel, "Go away, I was here first."
"No can do, we were relayed here as per..."
...
Philip watched them in silence.
'One weirdo became three. The woman is clearly a magician of some kind, but what about that guy?'
'Strangely enough, I have the impression he might actually be able to access the System somewhat! I know some ordinary people can, but he doesn't look okay in the head.'
The three of them looked at each other, blabbering on and on, ignoring Philip's existence.
The spearman who wanted to fight, the freak who changed personalities, and the tired lady who wanted some sleep.
They may look weird, but they were all pretty decent. He believed, from just this brief exchange, that they might've given his previous self, before he met Falpurgiana, quite the challenge.
Regardless, Philip felt it was a bit too much to just… disregard him like that.
/Exhale…/
Philip changed his breathing pattern, having made his decision on how to fight, but he did not move.
'They didn't drop their guard, on the contrary. But they are mistaken in thinking they have the luxury of not attacking me at sight.'
'Since you're all like this...'
/Crunk…/
His muscles tensed, and blood rushed across his body, his neck, arms, legs, and chest all puffed up in anticipation of what he was about to do.
[You've entered the state of exceeding limitations]
[DING]
[Status recalculation is in progress…]
[Exceed Lv0 -> Lv1]
[Exceed Lv1 -> Lv2]
[Exceed Lv2 -> Lv3]
[Exceed Lv3 -> Lv4]
…
[DING]
[Status recalculation is in progress…]
[Sufficient data is being provided]
[The Skill, Exceed shall undergo a transformation]
[Skill, Exceed LvMax -> Limitless Lv0]
[Status recalculation is in progress. Insufficient parameters to continue]
[Pending processes shall be archived]
'These messages are new… although this might be my first major System notification spree since it fixed itself.'
'Also, this situation in itself is abnormal, I'm glad nothing great is happening… still, this much is enough.' He thought as his iris opened wide
/CRACK!/
His foot left a faint print on the ground as his body turned into a smoky afterimage.
Dark bluish light gathered on his body. With each step he took, blue embers were left behind, scarring the ground in flaming footprints.
[DING]
[Status recalculation is in progress…]
[Armament Lv1 -> Lv2]
[Armament Lv2 -> Lv3]
[Armament Lv3 -> Lv4]
…
[Armament Lv8 -> 9]
'It stopped?… Perhaps this is where the System draws the line.'
'I once too wondered if the path the Complex chose for this Skill was the right one, if it was but an interpretation of its potential… it seems the System agrees… or it just disagrees with that endpoint.'
'Whatever the truth is, the path I'll choose shall remain the correct one!'
The world around him slowed down, almost stopping.
Red flames ignite behind his sword, increasing its speed even further.
Philips sword flared as it drew an arc in the air, the otherworldly runes inscribed within its surface lit up, drawing forth its true form, power from beyond…
/CUT!/
Before they could all react, his transformed Darklight Sword had already cut the woman's neck!
/THUD!/
For dramatic effect, Philip slid on the ground behind her, not even looking back as her body fell cold on the ground. Although whether that was intentional or not…
"?!"
"DAMMIT!"
From a mere moment of recklessness…
"N... no... shit... It... IT CAN'T BE!!!"
/BOOOOOM!/
A wave of electricity exploded from the man as the metal seal on his forehead turned red hot!
"UUUUUUURG! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"?!"
'Oh no, he's going berserk!'
"FALL!"
/FUOM!/
/CRACK!/
The metal man raised his hand, and an incredible pressure bore down on Philip's body.
The ground caved in… /BOOM!/ One floor collapsed.
/BOOM!/
Two floors!
/BOOM!/
/Three floors!/
"URRGAAAAAAA!!"
/BOOOOM!/
Like a glacier cracking in half, with the man as the line, everything before him crumbled to dust! Beyond the building, even affecting the land around them!
"Heh."
Even then, at the bottom of it all, Philip remained with his arms crossed. He didn't even bend down, although his poor hat laid flattened above his head…
The flames around his body, having taken the shape of a mantle covering his clothes like ice on glass, slowly seeped to the ground as gravity pulled them down, creating a puddle of "burning water at Philip's feet.
"UAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!"
"Ho?"
The pressure intensified, and Philip felt even the solid ground beneath him weaken! At this rate…
"Calm down, Gulivar! "Else we'll all end up free-falling into the lower section!" Jikael exclaimed as he grasped his spear tightly
Even behind him, gravity seemed to have gotten stronger, causing everything to creak and crack.
Jakiel's eyes were steady as he gritted his teeth. No longer was he taking this situation lightly.
"UUURG AHHHH!"
"Dammit!"
'Shit, his stabilizers aren't working!'
"NO… NOOO!!"
Instead of listening, Gulivar increased the intensity of the pressure, lighting bolts jumped from his piercings, zapping his body to the point of charring his skin and muscles…
Meanwhile, Philip's skin cracked…
He could feel his skin snap and shatter underneath his clothes, 'The pressure from Limitless, Armament, and this strange Skill are putting a bit of a strain on my body.'
But he wasn't concerned with that at all.
[Your Hyper Cells are stimulated; They have begun to repair all damage to your body]
His body began to adapt to his own power…
/CRACK!/
"HAAAAAAAA! DIE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
"GULIVAR!"
Jakiel fell to his knees, 'URG! The fucking pressure! I need to…'
Yet he didn't stop, instead, he pushed himself harder...
/SPLAT!/
The pressure now engulfed the entire hall, and all the surviving goons were forced onto the ground, most dying immediately, others wailing in pain, but not being able to breathe afterwards because of the massive weight on their chests.
To think those were truly their last breaths…
/CREAK.../
/CRACK!/
The ceiling, the walls, everything produced some very unwelcoming sounds.
The entire building was about to collapse from the secondary effects of Gulivar's abilities.
Unable to watch this continue, a voice echoed within his mind, {Philip, I hope you had enough fun}
[Your Hyper Cells are stimulated; They have begun to repair all damage to your body]
'I can feel my bones cracking, but I'm far from done. On the contrary, I feel like I'm growing stronger.'
{That's great to hear, but I hope you haven't forgotten where we are}
{It may look like you are on solid ground, but below you are but a few dozen meters of stone. But after those, a fall of a few hundred meters into the bottom of this ravine awaits you}
{Don't forget that his powers are spreading outward. If he gets to that woman…}
Philip sighed, "Fine."
'It was fun while it lasted. I'll remember this strange power, Gulivar.'
Philip raised his right foot...
/BAM!/
"!?"
When his foot crashed against the ground, an explosion of blue flames took place in the crater surrounding him.
And at the same time, the looming pressure was dispelled as the metal man fell backward.
[Predators Presence LvMax has activated]
"!"
From within the rising flames, Philip walked, bearing down a different pressure… although heavy, nonetheless.
The ice-like flames converged around his body, growing denser as they shaped themselves into a full set of plate armor around him.
"That is…"
Jikael observed Philip's new state with confusion.
He just couldn't point out what he was seeing.
It wasn't Magic, Aura, nor anything he had seen before.
"URG! That son of a bitch…"
Gulivar got up from the ground, but he seemed much more tamed this time around.
As the metal plate on his forehead melted into his skin, charring it, he looked up with immense hatred.
"Gulivar…"
"I know… I'm better… for now."
They got up, staring down at Philip from above.
"This will not be simple."
"I'm making the vanguard, you…"
/SPLURGE!/
"?!"
"COUGH!"
Gulivar suddenly spat blood as he looked at his own chest.
A knife had punctured his chest all the way to his back.
/Growl…/
Gulivar looked behind him to see the wizard girl, seemingly… alive as she rose to her feet.
"Two down." Philip mumbled from within the crater as he slowly climbed up
"Shit!"
'N-Necromancy?!'
But Jikael noticed that something was wrong, so he quickly jumped back…
"... Lind…" Guliver mumbled with some emotion as he looked at the reanimated woman. He reached out to her, but she… never responded
Her body lit up…
/BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!/
Another explosion took place with Guliver at the center.
…
"URG…"
/Thud…/
Jikael pushed a stone block aside, coughing dust he had just inhaled.
"How did it end… cough!"
All around him was destruction brought by the girl's self-destruction.
Most of the central section of the complex had turned to dust, leaving behind nothing but rubble and the skeleton of the building. Metal beams and stone walls rose and fell at every moment, raining down molten rock and glass around the nearby buildings as flames spread throughout the area.
He looked around, but there was no one alive in sight.
/Twitch.../
The only thing alive was a small, charred hand next to his face, twitching...
"I'm not paid… enough... UGH!... For this."
'I'm not injured... though my vision is spinning a little...'
/Step…/
"Ha…"
Realization soon dawned on him.
'Guess that's it.'
Jikael heard stone being crushed; someone was right behind him.
The pressure from before had disappeared, yet something seemed to linger.
"I should've asked for that time off sooner…"
He didn't turn his face, instead, he merely asked as his body recovered its bearings, "Well then, I'm not someone to ask for these things…"
Pointing at his spear from afar, he smiled.
"Shall we continue where we left off?"
"... Be my guest." Philip replied as he remained there
"Ha…"
Jikael got up, grabbing his spear, he noticed that it wasn't in its best condition, its tip had some chips in it...
But it was thanks to it taking the brunt of the explosion that he was now mostly fine.
He looked around for a little while before smiling again.
"This isn't quite bad."
He looked at the armored figure holding the purple sword, but when his gaze fell upon it, he felt his mind drift away…
A scene played before him, of a time he had long forgotten…
/Shake/
But he shook himself out of it.
"Strange powers... bizarre sword... just where did someone like you come crawling out from?"
"..."
/Silence…/
Jikael let out a dry laugh.
Condensing everything he had, he surged with power!
/BAM!/
"Come!"
Chaotic energy gathered on his spear, strong enough to scatter the surrounding stones; he stepped forward.
/FLASH!/
The blue knight also made its move, raising his blade.
/CLANG!/
/BAM!/
"UGH!"
/Crack…/
Jikael barely stopped the blade, his hands webbings splitting apart as he fell to his knees
/Crack…/
The ground around them cracked further…
/CLANG!/
"HA!"
/CLANG!/
/Crack.../
"HUFF!"
With one last strike, he swiped his spear upwards! A beam of light flew to the skies, piercing the ceiling and causing the distant tubes to blow up in flames!
Yet, his strongest attack… all the damage it left behind was a faint white mark on the blue armor that quickly vanished.
'Just what was that? Such perverse technique...' He thought as his breathing went into disarray
/Chip.../
"Haa... Haa..."
His spear was breaking, falling apart with each strike. Many of which had been devoured by the sword before him.
"Well… can't say I didn't try." He mumbled as he closed his eyes
/Crunk.../
"Urg..."
His legs trembling, the spear in his hand split, "Though, it makes me a bit disappointed."
"Did I even make you..."
/CRACK!/
His spear finally gave in.
"!"
/SLASH!/
Philip's sword slashed across his body, slamming on the ground with immense force.
/Thud... Thud.../
/Clang.../
"... It's done."
'Now, time to end the big guys.'
Philip stood atop his fallen enemy, just one of the many he dealt with... and that he will in on his path towards the unknown.
Without looking back, Philip left the hall, searching for his target.
Behind him, Jakiel's body rolled onto the crater's bottom, where stone cracked and split, a hole formed, leading into the unknown beneath…
/Fall…/
In utter silence, Jakiel's head vanished into the dark.
...
.
.
.
Notes
We're nearing the System conclusion for his past actions. After that, I may introduce some other arc or small event.
I'm still planning things. But if you're interested in seeing him go or do something, which universe should he to, and why?
That's all.
Peace!
Also, I'm probably not doing another Power Stone goal anytime soon, I need some time to rest...