40th Move | Weapons of Mass Destruction
"Activate Project Behemoth"
If they're going to die... at least, in a perverse way, I will maximize their usefulness so their death will gain more meaning.
>Confirmation Code Required
"Die, and meet your makers."
>Activation Confirmed, Project Behemoth is online
_____________________________________________
The choirs sang in the middle of a mass at the Holy Corbin Cathedral.
The Holy Corbin Cathedral was considered one of the greatest man-made structures in the entire Western hemisphere. It was a grand building composed of a primary central dome overlaid on a cruciform building pointing toward Ruberio's capital further west, the main site of where it was said God Luminous had descended and upon which the ultimate place of worship for the Western Holy Church.
Beyond pointing toward the capital of Ruberios as all other Luminism Churches do, the inside of the Holy Corbin Cathedral was covered in mosaics dating from over a century ago.
All the colors, the lights, and the imagery caused many first-timers who visited to faint at the overwhelming scene.
Today was a day of mass, so a large congregation of 'Luminians' gathered and prayed while two rolls of singers clad in white sang to the glory of God Luminous.
They sang, and sang, and sang. Even when the sunlight that peters through the windows suddenly disappeared and the entire Cathedral darkened, they continued to sing.
They sang until an entire side of the Cathedral exploded. Rocks and debris rocketed forth like bullets from a shotgun, smashing into people and killing them indiscriminately.
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Chue'e was a curious and strong boy for his age.
Born nine years ago in Corbin, the walled city was all he had known for his entire life, as such, he had plenty of time to make friends with the older and younger kids. Before, he was restricted to only the dirtier sections of the city since the cleaner ones were guarded by scary adults who'll kick Chue'e away, but since he made friends with some kids who knew ways of sneaking in, Chue'e has been playing inside the cleaner sections almost every day.
Today was no different.
"Thief! Pickpocketer!"
"Ha ha ha!" Chue'e laughed as he ran through the streets, his hands clutching the small bag of coins and holding it close to his chest. "Dumb nobles, thinking this place was safe?"
Hearing the coins jingle, Chue'e thinks it's enough to finally allow him a taste of good bread instead of those stale ones the bakers always offer to his father.
Stopping beside the Cathedral, Chue'e's mouth salivated at what other delicious foods he could finally buy with the coins. He thought perhaps he could finally get some pastries. Those sweet and good-smelling pastries are always held behind display windows and are ridiculously pricey.
Just as Chue'e was about to go, thinking he's finally escaped those guards, the boy passed over a beggar.
The beggar had a towel wrapped around his head covering his eyes. His clothing was ripped and looked about as comfortable as sleeping on jagged rocks. The beggar also had a missing right arm and a left leg.
Since Chue'e hasn't seen this beggar before, the boy thinks it's probably a new one. Especially since the beggar is in the cleaner sections of the city.
Since the guards haven't removed the beggar, he's probably one sanctioned by those Holy Sisters from the Cathedral.
Based on how few coins are in the bowl in front of the beggar, he'll probably have more luck in the dirtier sections.
Frowning, Chue'e moved next to the beggar and quietly took out a single coin from the bag. Though it may be a bronze one, it's enough for a small piece of stale bread.
Just as Chue'e leaned over to give it to the beggar's bowl, the world around him suddenly darkened.
"Huh?"
Looking up, Chue'e saw the sky above him covered in pitch-black darkness.
"Why is the sky turning black—"
Something came out of the darkness. It was a gigantic thing with a skin of obsidian black, and as such, it blended perfectly with the sky from Chue'e's perspective.
Chue'e wasn't able to perceive that something had fallen through until it crushed him entirely.
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Today was a rather calm and peaceful day for the City of Corbin, Richard thought as he walked down the streets.
Corbin itself was a trade city that was first constructed 200 years ago when Dwargon first started practicing free trade. It continually boomed as its citizens became rich, which attracted more people to come here until it became the enormous place it is today.
As the Captain of the City Guards, it's his duty to ensure public order is enforced at all times and that no vagabonds would dare try anything.
Though he may be plain-looking, Richard Verasus was actually a candidate for A-rank adventurer before he quit and joined the city guards. His family back in Lura always wanted him to do more, like say become a Royal Guard for King Edmaris Falmuth or even join up as a member of the Paladin Knights of the Western Holy Church— to be something better than just the Captain of the City's Guard.
Richard did none of those things. He was a simple man. He once read a book about philosophy whose author was an Otherworlder. The title of the book was 'The World as Will and Representation' and in it, the author introduced the philosophy of Schopenhauer.
Schopenhauer's philosophy boiled down to the world being fundamentally chaotic and devoid of meaning, and that individual suffering is a natural result of our attempts to create and impose upon our lives order and rationality to a world that is ultimately irrational and indifferent.
'Unless suffering is the direct and immediate object of life, our existence must entirely fail of its aim. It is absurd to look upon the enormous amount of pain that abounds everywhere in the world, and originates in needs and necessities inseparable from life itself, as serving no purpose at all and the result of mere chance. Each separate misfortune, as it comes, seems, no doubt, to be something exceptional; but misfortune in general is the rule.'
That paragraph had a profound impact on Richard. It made him realize that desire and ambition is a bottomless pit with no end, but at the same time, pain is limited. So Richard lives every day to reduce the pain he felt.
He doesn't want pleasure, he wants a reduction in pain.
And thus, he chose the job as the Captain of the Corbin City Guard. In this way, Richard became the largest fish in a tiny pond, thereby reducing his daily pain.
Currently, he's in one of the poorer areas of the city, going to check up on a friend of his.
"Yo Charlie!" Richard waved at a particularly well-dressed peasant. Of course, it's nothing compared to Richard, but it's a great deal better than those around him.
Charlie turned to face him. In his hands was a small basket full of rye and his golden Orichalcum wedding rings gleamed under the sunlight.
Seeing it, Richard couldn't help but smile even brighter. Charlie was an old friend of his. Save Richard's life during his brief stay as an adventurer by throwing his lifesaving to try and bait away a group of thugs.
Richard gifted him a pair of expensive Orichalcum rings so that Charlie could propose to Sam.
Surprise bloomed on Charlie's face upon seeing Richard and asked in an exasperated tone, "Richard? What the hell are you doing here?"
Charlie was currently in the merchant district of Corbin, a place where the streets were narrow as both sides were flooded by stalls of merchants selling all kinds of things from food, fruits, jewelry, and trinkets.
"Well, I'm here to see how my friend is doing! I mean we haven't seen each other in months! How're the kids, man?" Richard said as he placed an arm over Charlie's shoulder.
The people around them who were watching the commotion went their merry way after seeing nothing of interest was happening.
"She's doing fine man," Charlie sounded awkward as he spoke, "The mages said I'm getting a new one in eight months."
Richard's eyes widened like the lens of a camera. His mouth formed an 'O' before turning into a sly grin.
"You wanna get a drink at Ol' Balery's and celebrate with the boys later?"
Instantly, Charlie got out of Richard's shoulder hug with an annoyed look on his face.
"Come on Dick, you know I stopped drinking after I married." Charlie bemoaned at the antics of the Captain.
"Oh please, it's your third child! You should celebrate! Plenty more men have celebrated their firstborn! Which, I'll remind you again, you didn't even partake in any alcohol as it's tradition."
"Listen, man, I've been sober for years ever since the marriage. Please don't pressure me into stopping it..." Charlie reasoned.
Just as Richard was about to respond, a massive black square surrounded by purple materialized directly above the sky covering the Holy Corbin Cathedral.
Richard stared at it, his mouth hung ajar prompting Charlie to also turn to where Richard was staring and seeing the massive black square as well.
(AN: Play Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls)
"What the hell is that?" A nearby merchant screamed as he pointed, catching the attention of everyone nearby and glancing at where the merchant was pointing.
"Yeah, what is that?"
"Why is there a black blanket above the Cathedral?"
"Mommy, I'm scared."
"Don't worry, my son, it can't be that bad."
Just as Charlie raised a hand and was about to tap on Richard's shoulder, something came out of that black square, or rather, something fell through the black square and smashed into the Holy Corbin Cathedral, kicking up huge dust clouds that veiled its form while the whole city trembled from the collision.
_____________________________________________
XX-XX-XXXX.
Local time: 10:14:53 am
The following is deemed: [Director's Only]
Under no circumstances is the following transcript to be released.
Project Behemoth was deployed for the first time directly atop of the city of Corbin within the Kingdom of Falmuth for 1 hour, 19 minutes, and 32 seconds. The following are the recorded abilities that Project Behemoth used.
Immediately upon full activation:
>Herrscher Core: online.
- Time Symmetry Canceller: Confirmed Activation. Antimatter production: optimal.
- Virtual Particle Realizer: Confirmed Activation. Entropy realization: optimal.
- Magnetic Containment Field Isolator: Confirmed Activation. Containment of particle-antiparticle reaction: optimal.
- Dark Matter Controller: Confirmed Activation. Redirection of energy: optimal.
- Dynakinesis: 4% Full Capability. Nonessential for further dynakinetic capacity.
Deaths:
Legacy Malone
Ruben Mendez
Londyn Roth
Roy Chambers
Makayla Parrish
Karsyn Marks
Monica Hanna
Aydin Galindo
Corinne Meyers
Julien Underwood
Ensley Madden
Everest Bruce
Marilyn Barron
Dustin
Nalani Dickerson
Flynn Valdez
Diana Rosario
Chue'e
Gracie Dawson
Iker Wilcox
Ashlyn Pruitt
Gatlin Mejia
Saylor Lynch
Zane Dudley
Hadleigh
Jimmy Galindo
Corinne
Stefan Truong
Judith Reyes
Eli Ellis
Ayla Combs
Ahmad
Kane McKee
Kori Moss
Porter Watkins
Lola Marks
Amos
Alina
Kristian Esquivel
Jaylee Carroll
Oscar Mathis
Anne Kaur
Augustine
Daniella
_____________________________________________
"Oh my god!"
"The Cathedral is holding a mass today!"
The cries of the people trying to not fall from the earthquake-like shaking of the ground echoed throughout the city.
Unlike others, however, Richard was entirely unaffected by the trembling as he continued to stare at the plumb of dust.
Suddenly, within that pillar of dust and debris, an orb of light shone through. The hovering orb of light had an unearthly aura to it as if it doesn't belong in this world.
Moments later—
"RRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRR"
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Local time: 10:15:00 am
Behemoth side effect manifestation:
- Sonic Blast: Using the Time Symmetry Canceller to convert molecules in the air into antimatter and having them react with normal matter in a specific pattern, incredibly loud sounds can be generated via the resulting explosive reaction.
Deaths:
Grace
Jaxtyn
Paxton Monroe
Carly Arroyo
Alberto Dean
Julianna Rhodes
Titus
Emily Marshall
Kaiden Aguirre
Ariah Kirk
Dakota Brown
_____________________________________________
A sound so loud that it was more like the shockwave from a nuclear explosion came from the orb of light.
Light itself distorted around the edge of the sound wave as it traveled in all directions, appearing like an ever-expanding bubble. It traveled throughout the city and beyond, blowing out windows and collapsing what remains of the Cathedral since the material it was made out of was no match for it.
Everyone was forced to duck and cover while blocking their ears with their hands. Those who stood still right before the roar were kicked back by the wave of intense air pressure like a crash test dummy when it moved like a snake through the streets in between houses, knocking down food stalls, kicking up baskets full of fruits and vegetables, and picking up utensils and other similar light objects as a tsunami would with people.
Even the walls that separated the noble and peasant sections of the city did little to stop the sound wave.
The Captain of the City Guards was knocked down by that sonic blast. As he stared up at the blue sky above him, he felt nauseous, and an urge to puke from how loud the sound was.
His ears were ringing and his vision was blurry.
Trying to get up, Richard found immense difficulty in such a simple task. So to force himself to get up, the Captain used the walls of a nearby building exposed after the merchant stall had been ripped away by that sound.
Glaring at the glowing spot, Richard's vision finally cleared and he could see exactly what the attacking thing was now that the dust plumb had been blown away.
It was a monstrous thing that radiated an unearthly aura. Its size was taller than any living thing saves for a True Dragon. It had rough black skin that looked more like lava had been poured on it and later cooled to create a suit of rock armor. It had the muscular build of a crossbreed between a man and a bear— except, Richard had seen a bear demihuman before and they were way less monstrous than whatever this thing was.
The most striking thing about the bear monster thing was the hands. Its hands didn't have any fingers but instead looked like it possessed cancerous growth that a Druid would make out of a tree for a weapon.
And to top it all off, the beast had a crown of two horns that seemed to make up its entire face, with the split between those two horns holding a singular eye, glowing crimson and hatefully at everything it sees.
It was a true monster. It had none of the majesty of a True Dragon and more resembled the fabled Relentless.
Everyone, including Richard, fell into stunned silence. The beast had the eyes of the entire city, some in awe of it, most in fear of it, and a tiny few in wonder of what its next moves were.
The monster answered by raising a single foot and...
*DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
...slammed it into the ground. From that point of contact came forth an unnaturally straight ravine. It was as if someone had taken a knife and cut the city in two.
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10:16:04 am
Behemoth side effect manifestation:
- Force manipulation: Project Behemoth possesses incredible strength, and through the careful use of Virtual Particle Realizer to suck away kinetic energy, the resulting force can be controlled to an extremely precise degree.
Deaths:
Elijah Hardin
Vada Blanchard
Adler Hancock
Katelyn Hill
Isaac Rice
Ada Paul
Noel Jacobson
Royal Parra
Davion Ryan
Morgan Martinez
Alexander Perez
Eleanor Rice
Graham Xiong
Amayah Butler
Ryder Humphrey
Journi Lopez
Michael Manning
Jennifer Bentley
Randy Newman
Oaklynn Yu
Bryant Portillo
Nathalie Blanchard
Adler Gray
Sarah Hancock
Rex Jaramillo
Guadalupe Deleon
Nasir Lindsey
Colette Green
Anthony Flores
Emilia Douglas
Derek Ortiz
Anna Coleman
Micah Esparza
Ramona Rose
Hayden Rosario
Louisa McMahon
Jakob Gray
Sarah Hester
Rene Velasquez
Esme Frank
Braylen Lozano
Cecelia Delarosa
Osiris Griffith
Alicia Dyer
Atreus York
Milan Parrish
Karsyn Hogan
Kathryn Flowers
Saul Oliver
Camille Stephenson
Joe Thompson
Madison Howard
Jeremiah Woodard
Aubrie Chase
Otis Wheeler
Sydney Drake
Jalen Rasmussen
Esperanza Brooks
Jordan Mejia
Saylor Serrano
Milan Booth
Zariyah Vazquez
Jesse Medrano
Halle Tucker
Ivan Barber
Cassidy Wolf
Jase Guerra
Edith Faulkner
Jabari Le
Myla Holmes
King Estes
Brittany Huber
Mac Guerra
Edith Gould
Blaine Solis
Miracle Chandler
Royal Ortega
Lilah Ballard
Kenzo Johns
Giovanna Gillespie
Forest Moses
Karter Hodges
Alonzo Smith
Olivia Peck
Yousef Church
Ayleen McCoy
Jett Hammond
Holly Douglas
Derek Beil
Itzel Macias
Moshe Day
Hayden Estes
Hakeem Hammond
Holly Erickson
Johnny Evans
Eliana Hodges
And 4,253 more
_____________________________________________
That was when everyone's survival instincts kicked in. While no one knows what it is or who sent it, all they need to know is that the beast is dangerous and it's best to run in the other direction
Richard then felt a sudden explosion of heat coming from the monster. Staring at it, the man noticed how the buildings around it were smoking. Then, fire erupted all over the buildings around the beast.
The glow from the fire shone against the rough skin of the monster, making it seem like a demon that had just come out of hell.
The black beast then hinged forward, opening its maw to let out a stream of blue flame toward a particularly tall tower nearby made up of stones.
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10:16:26 am
Behemoth side effect manifestation:
- Fire creation: By using Time Symmetry Canceller upon groups of particles, it is possible to have those antiparticles heat up nearby air molecules to create plasma. Then, Behemoth can use the Magnetic Containment Field Isolator to shape the plasma into whatever its AI deems the most necessary.
Deaths:
Savanna Herring
Henrik Sanford
Emerald Kelley
Eric Barajas
Keilani Golden
Amias Cooper
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Within seconds, that stone tower started to slag. The beast was unrelenting and the tower started to glow and lean like a candle that's been burnt for too long, slowly turning into liquid.
The temperature from those flames was hot enough that Charlie felt himself sweating even from so far away.
"Charlie."
Hearing his name snapped Charlie out of his stupor. Turning to face the source, Charlie saw how the fires made by that monster gleamed off Richard's eyes, which burned a fire of determination hotter than even that blue flame.
"Get your wife and kids out of the city."
Richard's tone was stanch and authoritative. Charlie knew that tone, it was one he would only use against rapists and murderers.
Still, to leave his best friend behind...
"No! You're coming with us! You can't possibly face that thing!"
Charlie tried to grab Richard by the shoulder, worriedness filled his face before the man is pushed to the ground.
"God damn it, Charlie! You're always like this! You care too much." Then Richard grabbed Charlie by the collar of his shirt and brought him up, "Listen to me, that thing right there?"
Richard loosens his right hand to point at the inferno behind him.
"That thing is at least a Demon Lord-level threat, a Disaster one. I don't know where it came from or who sent it, it could be a new Demon Lord trying to make a name for themselves or maybe a new True Dragon— I don't know. The point is, you need to get your wife and kids out of here. I'm going to go into the city and see who I can rescue before I also go."
There was a certain look in Richard's eyes. It was the look of someone who felt like they were about to achieve their life's mission and wouldn't be sad at all if they died.
"But..." Charlie was shocked before seeing the logic behind Richard's words: that the city is likely lost, "where would I meet you?"
"Near the western gate— now go!" Richard yelled out before he started running towards the inferno, at odds with the constant stream of desperate people running down the streets away from it.
Charlie steeled his own determination before running off to get his pregnant wife and kids out of there.
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10:24:50 am
Behemoth side effect manifestation:
- Lightning generation: Using the Magnetic Containment Field Isolator, Project Behemoth can create a tunnel of low electrical resistance for plasma to pass through, creating arcs of lightning that are much hotter than the surface of the sun and can be as wide as apartment buildings.
Deaths:
Mylah McBride
Denver Boyer
Chaya McGuire
Casey Lambert
Nina Sandoval
Brantley Jennings
Palmer Stuart
Dion Olsen
Oaklyn Nichols
Atlas Lynn
Samira Black
Matteo Lowe
Amari Miranda
Rory Gonzalez
Abigail Dorsey
Enoch Norman
And 42,623 more.
_____________________________________________
The Captain of the Corbin City Guard rushed down the streets of the noble section. Yesterday, this place was filled with displays of opulence as nobles walked down the streets in their expensive, embroiled clothing that costs probably more than Richard makes in a year.
Now, however, all of that was gone, replaced by a fiery inferno. Occasional roars coming from the beast can be heard everywhere in the city, and the booms of its summoned lightning were like a constant echo that told those who are deep underground that they still aren't safe.
The lightning is probably the most dangerous part of the beast. Bolts of lightning stronger than any mages crackled and consumed all light from the world for a moment as they crossed distances of kilometers to reach places far away from the monster. Those bolts of lightning then create large explosions at the point of contact to spread more flames.
Richard stopped and glared at a mansion on fire. The burning fire, Richard saw how unnatural it is, how it moved with a sinister intelligence when it burned a nearby support beam instead of slowing down and consuming the haybale underneath it.
_____________________________________________
10:25:27 am
Behemoth side effect manifestation:
-Fire control: Using the Herrscher Core to exert control over the invisible Dark Matter, Project Behemoth can encourage flames to go where the AI deems the most necessary.
Deaths:
Malani Fischer
Leonidas Clarke
Kaitlyn Adams
Hudson Ahmed
Jolie Shaffer
Dexter Bryan
Meredith McConnell
London Gentry
Amelie Espinosa
Khalid Wagner
Maeve Cameron
Rayan Carson
Nalani Lynn
Zechariah Pierce
Arabella Crane
Fox Peralta
And 106,609 more.
_____________________________________________
Just then, the main entrance to the mansion that Richard was glaring at burst open, and out comes a man on fire. The man was entirely consumed by the flame, appearing more like a black humanoid figure as he ran, yelling, "HELP ME! HELP ME!"
Richard was stunned at the appearance of the man. He had imagined that almost everyone had left.
"Hey! Hey!" Richard yelled to the man, catching his attention and causing him to bump into the Captain and spread the fire onto his armor.
The man was now rolling on the cobblestone road, trying desperately to put out the fire but to no avail.
*Boom*
A bolt of lightning went off in the distance.
Richard quickly took off his burning armor and looked around him frantically. His eyes stopped and focused on a stone fountain nearby.
Water!
Richard ran as fast as he could to the water fountain and grabbed a nearby bucket. Scooping up a bucket full of water, Richard ran back and poured the water onto the burning man.
*Boom*
Another lightning went off in the distance, this time much further away.
*SSSSSSSSSSS*
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
The water instantly vaporized and boiled away into steam, and the man was still burning.
More than possessing supernatural intelligence, this fire seemingly can't be put out since it's too damn hot.
*Boom*
Another lightning had struck in the distance.
Feeling helpless, Richard unsheathed his sword and struck the man's neck, lopping it off with a single slice.
"..."
The crackle from the fire and the occasional collapsing of a house was all that one could hear. Richard never moved from his spot, his sword still inside the man's neck, who had finally stopped struggling.
It was a mercy kill, Richard told himself, biting his lower lips almost hard enough to draw blood.
The man then looked around him, seeing an inferno consuming the city he loved. The buildings were all on fire, most having already collapsed into a heaping pile of timber and unbearably hot flame while others were blackened skeletons.
It was only now he noticed how many burning bodies there were.
Richard grits his teeth at his failure to save a man. Frustrations mounted as he stood up.
"At least one person, God, let me save at least one person."
Unlike many people similar to him, Richard was blessed from birth with Extra Skill [Heat Resistance]. The Extra Skill granted him the ability to handle metal fresh out of a blacksmith's furnace with only his bare hands without any issue.
It was the reason why his parents had given him a blacksmith's apprenticeship when he was only 12.
*BOOM*
Another lightning struck. Only this time instead of being far away, the bolt hit the house that Richard was staring at, causing it to explode in a fiery fashion with shrapnels of burning wood.
The explosion of fire flash fried Richard's eyes, blinding him permanently.
<
Richard was about to scream before hearing the Voice of the World speaking to him to grant him a new Skill. It took a little while, but once his vision returned, the man lay there on the cobblestone road, looking up at the dark smoke-filled sky in shock at the fact that he could see again.
Getting up, Richard saw that he was surrounded by a sea of fire. He wasn't too concerned since from previous testing, the Captain knew that he was immune to these fires, though they do get a bit uncomfortable.
Looking down, Richard saw how his long pants were on fire, so the man took them off, leaving him with only a simple shirt and underwear remaining.
*Boom*
Another lightning struck. It's becoming easier and easier to tune those bolts of lightning out with how frequent they are.
Richard carefully walked through a field of flames, stepping past burning rubbles and debris.
He felt numb. He felt like a hollow piece of bread. He felt like an automaton incapable of feeling any emotions, merely doing the motions of escaping.
This place was all he had known for the past decade.
As the fires grew less harsh and more complete structures, Richard coughed from the amount of smoke he had breathed in. There's a saying among the city guards that smoke kills you quicker than fire, so it's really fortunate that Richard had Common Skill [All Breath] which made him able to breathe in seemingly all kinds of air, even poisonous ones.
There's a reason why Richard was seen as a candidate for A-rank adventurer. That rank is only below the likes of Isolde the Vampire, an adventurer who could continue to fight even after you remove one of her limbs, Aldous Iztok, a Knight of Sarion who had slain a whole tribe of orcs singlehandedly, and Yazata, a holy prophet of a newly budding religion in El Dorado.
Richard Verasus was an anomaly at birth, given far more Skills than most people would ever attain in their entire life. However, none of those Skills was relevant right now in his present situation.
As he continued to cough near the edge of the inferno, Richard suddenly heard a voice, prompting him to cease coughing despite how much his throat protested.
"Help... me..."
Hearing the voice coming from the right of him, Richard whipped his head around to face the weak voice and found a girl miraculously alive but stuck underneath a pile of rubble. Only bits of her brunette hair and a single arm were poking out.
"Oh, my god..."
Richard rushed over, his mind could only think of the reason why this girl was still alive was that she possessed a Skill similar to his own [Heat Resistance].
The man grabbed the debris and started digging. Those slabs of stone on the girl were heavy, but not so much that it was too heavy for Richard.
"RROOOOOOAAAAR!"
The beast roared in the distance. Looking up at the black figure, Richard saw that monster belched out a stream of blue fire toward something in the air as if to swat away an annoying bug. A burst of flame later that quickly fizzled out, the beast continued to rampage across the city, spreading fire and destruction.
Suddenly, it stopped. The beast moved its hands and dug out a chunk of earth. Then, it superheats that earth until it glows and then throws it like a snowball
The chunk sailed across the sky like a meteor, crashing into a place blotted out by the burning skyline.
Richard took a moment to pray for the soul of whoever had distracted that beast. Then, he grabbed the now fully excavated girl and secured her on his back using his shirt.
The fact that he only had his underwear and the little girl was also barely clothed was lost on the man. Richard could only think of saving this one and meeting up with Charlie at the western gate.
Running down the streets as fast as his legs could carry, Richard was further greeted by the gruesome sight of burnt bodies littering the ground as mushrooms would on a fallen log. Multiple houses collapsed with fires still raging in them.
It was a scene of utter destruction, a city at the end of its life. Anyone looking at it would cry, for some blackened bodies on the ground were particularly small. Some piles of debris had multiple limbs jutting out.
Richard couldn't help but wonder if this was a fraction of the destruction wrought by Relentless. It was said by many legends that during the fall of Thelium's capital, Andorious, millions died, some transformed into statues, some were buried deep underground, some fell to their deaths as Relentless created vast canyons, and some exploded as that Perfect Homunculus transmuted their liquid insides into gas.
It was said that what few survivors remained resorted to cannibalism and ritualistic sacrifice as the land around Andorious was too hostile to trek through.
The smell of burning feces was still strong in the air as he entered the slum districts near the very edge of the city. Finally, he's close.
Jumping over a ditch, Richard ignored the groans of burning bodies, internally consigning them to their fates as he accepted the fact that only the kid on his back mattered.
However, just as he reached the western gate, the Captain of the Corbin City Guards saw how it was crushed by a blob of cooling rock.
So that's what that beast was doing, throwing the rock to block all escapes, turning the walls city into a gigantic cage to trap everyone in.
Still, the lava was no problem with his Extra Skill [Heat Resistance]. The man can just climb over it like it was a normal wall.
Deciding to take a small breather, Richard settled the girl on his back on the steps of a nearby still-intact house, gently settling her down into a lying down position. He started working on the shirt, tearing it into strips so that they can better secure the girl to his back.
The man then looked inside the house to see if he could salvage anything.
Stealing isn't something a Captain of the city guard should be doing, but these are hardly normal times.
In the house, Richard found a pair of worn-out children's shoes, a set of woman baker's clothing, and a colorful piece of cloth— likely a blanket.
Picking them up, Richard walked out of the house and—
*KABOOOM*
A bolt of lightning that was wide enough that they're comparable to horses came from the skies above and struck the house Richard had placed the girl by. A wave of air pressure from that explosion expanded at supersonic speeds and blasted the Captain away and through the walls of an opposing house in the slums.
His ears were ringing when the man finally came to be. Shooting up and pushing away the debris that fell on him, Richard hurriedly ran toward the girl before suddenly ceasing when he saw the girl unmoving, crushed underneath a pile of rubble.
Richard's shoulder slumped. He fell to his knees like a puppet with its strings cut.
At least one... let him save at least one! Just one soul, was that really so hard? Richard wondered.
Despair blossomed inside his heart at the turn of events. Today was supposed to be a slow day, a happy day, the same as yesterday.
So how did everything go to hell?
A feeling of lifelessness permeated Richard's body. His movements felt like they were that of a robot rather than anything natural. If another were to watch Richard as he climbed the half-cooled rock, they would say that he's something like a Terminator: looks human, but lacks the thing that truly makes an individual human.
There were really only two things driving Richard in this instance: his parents, and his desire to see Charlie again.
But, reality hardly ever obeys the desire of mortals.
When Richard reached the top of the rock, he found a scene straight out of his worst nightmares.
The hope that Charlie and his family were still alive was like a beacon in this still-burning city, a flicker of light in this abyss of despair.
That determination still burned inside him.
But now it was extinguished.
When the Captain reached the top, he saw Charlie, his pregnant wife, and their kids lying dead on the ground. Alongside Charlie were hundreds of others, dead and scattered across the entire grassy field.
All of them had a pea-sized hole on their head and a larger hole on the opposite end.
The most haunting part of the scenery was the fact that Charlie's ring glittered in the sunlight.
The ring was like a symbol of trust for Charlie, a sign of their friendship.
Richard tumbled down the side of the rock, his body hitting the ground in a loud 'fump'.
As he lay there, Richard sobbed. Tears mixed with dirt to create mud, and the Captain's fist tightened.
He swear he'll find whoever did this. He'll make them pay! He'll kill them with his own hands! He'll—
*Splat*
The hatred was cut short when something zipped right through Richard's head at just under the speed of sound.
_____________________________________________
10:50:04 am
To ensure the complete euthanization of Corbin, prevention of escape is necessary.
Pellet Stormer deployed.
Deaths:
Kairo Cook
Aaliyah McIntosh
Kristian McClure
Estella Watts
Dakota Riley
Kayla Patton
Moises Ellison
Raina Hogan
Sonny Hebert
Kyleigh Frost
Dario Perkins
Sage Fry
Jacoby Osborne
Shelby Lyons
Cyrus Shepard
Noor Bernard
Jair Lamb
Amaia Malone
Ruben Reynolds
Isabelle Bean
Mccoy Benton
Anais Macdonald
Hugh Hunter
And 2,114 others.
_____________________________________________
The skies above Corbin.
The city of Corbin looked more like a log inside a fireplace with how much of it was burning. Thick plumb of smoke covered much of the splendid blueness of the sky, blanketing over the land like a new layer of atmosphere.
Pellet Stormer was a prototype weapon. It was an experiment using one of mankind's oldest methods of attack: ramming.
By condensing a mountain into something the size of a pea, I can create superdense pellets that can pierce through an entire planet with no problem. The only thing that could really stop them is armor made out of the same neutronium or something esoteric like Static Matter. In order to make them fly, I placed a reactionless drive in the center of each pellet. As for communication, I used Quantum Tunneling-based communication to constantly update the very dumb AI inside each pellet on what direction or speed they should be moving.
At its fastest, each pellet can move at hypersonic speeds.
That is stupendously slow. Fighting at high relativistic speeds is a bare requirement for ships of my grand fleet, so the Pellet Stormer is very obsolete.
The most I could use for these pellets is MAYBE for anti-personnel operations like right now, where I'm terminating runaways, but I personally think to give them to the police in the future.
They can clear out a building of hostiles in seconds.
My attention focused back on Corbin. The sheer level of destruction is almost cartoonish, like something straight out of a large, world-ending disaster film like 2012.
A particular historical event crossed my mind. Is this what the Great Fire of Lond or Chicago looked like from up in the air? I idly wondered as the glow of the fire battered against my face.
With [Silenced Emotion] turned on so high, I could accurately determine just how effective Project Behemoth was.
Overall, I'd say it's a success. Linking its AI with the processing power of a Matrioshka Brain has allowed it to simultaneously control every single fire all over the city.
In truth, I can't grant superpowers. The Herrscher Core describes all the necessary components required to make it appear as if the Endbringer did have those superpowers.
Yes, my technology is advanced enough that mimicking superpowers like telekinesis, telepathy, energy manipulation, and other things are entirely within the realm of possibility.
'[Cease]'
>[Acceptance]
Behemoth instantly stopped moving. It stood still even as the fire continuously rages around it.
There exists no human word to describe how I communicate with these Endbringers. Because of their nature, I created an entirely new language that prioritized information density by exchanging concepts instead of simple components of a concept like normal words are.
This new language is so dense in terms of information that my throat isn't precise enough to fully communicate it, so instead I cheat using [Technopathy].
If I actually attempted to speak [Cease], what comes out will be something drastically different than what it's intended since even a minuscule difference in pitch, octane— anything— will result in a different meaning.
To simplify this method of communication, I made the Noosphere. It's built off of my Unique Skill [Technopathy] and as such, the Noosphere connects to each and every piece of my technology, allowing me to instantly know what, say, a mining station half a billion lightyears away with a simple thought.
Looking down at Project Behemoth, I decided that there had been enough testing, so time to clean the petri dish.
'[Completion]'
>[Acceptance]
The first evidence that something was happening was when all the fires around the city of Corbin suddenly ceased to exist. All the water inside the wells froze. The temperature all over the city dropped exponentially as more and more energy was sucked out of the world. Very soon, snowflakes became to fall.
What Project Behemoth was doing right now was materializing Virtual Particles.
There's a reason why I believe zero-point energy to be impossible. Virtual particles exist only because of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and trying to materialize them as real particles will cause all nearby energy to condense in a ratio that matches E=mc^2. According to the conservation of mass and energy, when virtual particles become real particles, the universe will take energy away from elsewhere to balance everything.
Due to the fact that hot air is lighter than cold air, the freezing of Corbin formed a type of 'tomb' of cold air as hot air from the surrounding flowed over it in a fashion similar to brine pools.
The snow of ice quickly turned into snow of carbon dioxide, then snow of nitrogen, and then flakes of crystal oxygen drifted down from above.
Unlike the surrounding area, every inch of Behemoth glowed a deep red, like metal during the first few seconds of being inside a furnace as it had lowered the temperature around the city to below that of -270 Celcius.
The snowfall grew heavy as the wind blew into this frozen tomb. More air from the surrounding atmosphere rushed in to fill the now-emptied space. Oxygen snow was quickly replaced by hydrogen. More accurately, those snowflakes were more like a mixture of every atmospheric gas that'll freeze at 3.15 Kelvin. Primarily nitrogen though, since that gas makes up almost 80% of the atmosphere.
Then, it began to rain.
Drops of liquid helium rained from above.
It was a very light rain, more like a drizzle to be honest.
Ah, what an apocalyptic scene.
"What—
_____________________________________________
Local time: 11:34:00
Behemoth side effect manifestation:
-The Cleansing: Project Behemoth will continuously manifest virtual particles out of the surrounding heat until there's enough build-up where it will then use the Time Symmetry Canceller and convert either all or a noticeable percentage of those manifested virtual particles into their antiparticle counterpart.
Deaths:
Charley Felix
Rodney Roth
Elliot Huff
Finnley Enriquez
Nellie Holland
Brady Reyes
Audrey Greer
Koda Moyer
Zola Middleton
Misael Swanson
Helen Conrad
Dilan Bautista
Antonella Webster
Shawn Cantu
Galilea Hoover
Jaziel Peck
Crystal Newton
Santino Taylor
Sofia Sweeney
Nixon Daniels
Ember Livingston
Ambrose Woodward
Drew Graves
Cesar Nash
Novah Cross
Fabian Small
Zaria Sutton
Warren Montoya
Kamryn Knox
Valentin Barrera
Beatrice Oliver
Karson Finley
Jovie Serrano
Milan Ward
Ariana Munoz
Justin Fowler
Lennon Day
Kayson Rose
Magnolia Floyd
Pierce Schaefer
Mavis Brock
Julio Spence
Aislinn Wagner
Enzo Larson
Alayna Decker
Taylor Black
Molly Willis
Remington Tanner
Harmoni Marin
Aldo Barr
Noemi Hamilton
Jason Pugh
Landry Armstrong
Grant Stevens
Katherine Lopez
Michael Cherry
Nyomi Moyer
Ahmir Powell
Vivian Nelson
Dylan Murphy
Bella Torres
Jayden Ramsey
Lyric Hendrix
Korbyn Delarosa
Iyla Camacho
Tatum Baker
Isla Coleman
Micah Medina
Elliana Wells
Max Knight
Gracie Chambers
Orion Bradshaw
Berkley Luna
Erick Lawrence
Lauren Larsen
Brycen Winters
Kataleya Petersen
Samson Ramirez
Grace Randall
Trenton Welch
Amira Frost
Dario Young
Zoey Knight
Beckett Sawyer
Marina Cantu
Anakin Ramirez
Grace Norton
Callen Mathis
Anne Green
Anthony Li
Paige Weaver
Tucker Lucas
Phoenix Barry
Emery Kirby
Skyla McLean
Crosby Shelton
Makenzie Welch
Hendrix Taylor
Sofia Weeks
Anders Hunter
Khloe Hobbs
Brendan Bernal
Emmeline Tapia
Samir Bentley
Jaylin Thomas
Logan Brandt
Loretta Weiss
Koa McBride
Kelsey Bailey
Axel Vance
Maxine Mercado
Abram Booth
Zariyah Atkins
Cason Contreras
Daniela O'brien
Riley Blair
Frances Middleton
Misael Wells
Cecilia Johnston
Felix Yoder
Emerie Estes
Hakeem Herrera
Ximena McClure
Reese Salgado
Avalynn Johnson
Noah Hall
Leah Castillo
Kai Sawyer
Marina Lozano
Boone Carter
Lucy Carson
Ares Salas
Amber Cain
Benson Hayes
Iris Booth
Chaim Gibbs
Carter Cummings
Raiden Pacheco
Paris Harper
Hayes Schmidt
Kimberly Pennington
Bobby Fry
Clarissa McMahon
Jakob Donaldson
Natasha Robertson
Emiliano Gallagher
Elliott Rollins
Wes Person
Dylan Mullins
Allen Bishop
Brooklynn Stevens
Zachary Macias
Adley Stevens
Zachary Arellano
Faye Ramsey
Luciano Ponce
Aileen Strong
Axl Bartlett
Aubrielle James
Jaxson Krueger
Kamari Chambers
Orion Hudson
Kamila Baxter
Tomas Mejia
Saylor Webster
Shawn Villanueva
Monroe Maldonado
Javier Andersen
Zoie Ahmed
Harry Short
Cheyenne Reyes
Eli Flynn
Dorothy Crosby
Tristen Miles
Alessandra Jensen
Cash Webster
Kensley Correa
Zakai Odom
Laylani Pope
Gunnar Bass
Zahra Barber
Solomon Archer
Kadence Hammond
Francis Maldonado
Elaina Roy
Marcelo O'Donnell
Bellamy Moore
Levi Bush
Everlee Ballard
Kenzo Griffin
Charlie Kerr
Louie Decker
Aleena Sellers
Madden Daniels
Ember Duarte
Abdullah Taylor
Sofia Curtis
Muhammad Hendricks
Dani Nunez
Caden Vo
Artemis Webb
Lorenzo Glass
Clare Alfaro
Xzavier Logan
Kora Townsend
Alexis McConnell
Denise Hurst
Neil Luna
Journey Murray
Ashton Gardner
Jordyn Love
Jeffrey Reid
Charlee Graham
Giovanni Davenport
Adrianna Rojas
Colin Baldwin
Esmeralda Arias
Alec McMillan
Oakleigh Shepherd
Ronald Herrera
Ximena Branch
Keenan Love
Avianna Lawrence
Kaleb Patterson
Kaylee Barber
Solomon Sims
Lena Jensen
Cash Alvarez
Leilani Haley
Leif Riley
Kayla Daniels
Xander Pennington
Yareli Booker
Dominik English
Kelly Scott
Leo Whitaker
Ivanna Benton
Jamal Gross
Angel McIntyre
Eliseo Peralta
Malayah Foley
Mohammad Fitzgerald
Marlee Clarke
Stetson Nguyen
Nova Sutton
Warren Choi
Karla Singh
Louis Skinner
Mara Hail
Hector Maldonado
Elaina Mayer
Yahir Mueller
Imani Alfaro
Xzavier O'Connor
Charli Dalton
Fletcher Trujillo
Danielle Shelton
Leonel Lucas
Phoenix Harvey
Cayden Christensen
Carmen Delarosa
Osiris Johnston
Laila Dennis
Emanuel Russo
Tinsley Hamilton
Jason Wiley
Lauryn Henson
Bellamy Collier
Ivory Harper
Hayes Kerr
Baylee Dunlap
Aries Shields
Analia Boone
Mauricio Schwartz
Lilliana Hampton
Hank Wallace
Arianna Gould
Blaine Smith
Olivia Deleon
Nasir Decker
Aleena Fitzpatrick
Blaze Mueller
Imani Hernandez
Mason Galindo
Corinne Stafford
Alfredo Peterson
Caroline Trejo
Wesson Bernard
Barbara Smith
Liam Hurley
Rylan Osborne
Augustus Glenn
Blaire Gates
Ermias Lozano
Cecelia Frank
Braylen Lim
Giavanna Everett
Camilo Juarez
Juliet Rowland
Eliezer Farrell
Kassidy Tate
Dalton Kaur
Holland Best
Harlem Weaver
Teagan Holmes
King McClain
Marleigh Harvey
Cayden O'Connor
Charli Campos
Gideon Kane
Ellianna Ballard
Kenzo Gaines
Aya Crane
Fox Vo
Artemis Macdonald
Hugh Dyer
Estrella Hawkins
Victor Hudson
Kamila Cordova
Vicente Arroyo
Kyra Vang
Jimmy Macias
Adley Buckley
Aryan Reyes
Audrey Vazquez
Jesse Carroll
Zara Hutchinson
Korbin Pena
Rachel Harrington
Omari Brock
Jada Quinn
Rhys Watson
Hailey Clark
John Wallace
Arianna O'Connor
Princeton Jones
Sophia Erickson
Johnny Burton
Miriam Parrish
Karsyn Kramer
Hanna Johns
Joziah Espinoza
Lucille Lozano
Boone Bowers
Elisa Glass
Allan Hurst
Adalee Bowman
Francisco Randolph
Kailey Edwards
Adrian Keller
Logan Bonilla
Aden Jimenez
Adeline Velez
Kareem Glenn
Blaire Esquivel
Bridger Jacobson
Royal Christian
Ledger Best
Lexie Herrera
River Ramsey
Lyric Duncan
Avery Swanson
Helen Thomas
Logan Archer
Kadence Mendez
Arthur Weiss
Lennox Craig
Odin Ramsey
Lyric York
Leandro Conrad
Bexley Ramsey
Luciano Moses
Karter Felix
Rodney Mercado
Mckinley Kemp
Melvin Buckley
Theodora Alvarez
Xavier Alfaro
Yasmin Douglas
Derek Peterson
Caroline Carroll
Oscar Johnson
Emma Henderson
Beau Clarke
Kaitlyn Stanton
Zyair Norris
Arielle Aguirre
Andy Gould
Violeta Price
Brooks Contreras
Daniela Fischer
Leonidas Cooper
Serenity Velasquez
Sullivan Andrade
Emmy Frank
Braylen Villegas
Jessie Garza
Judah Riley
Kayla Lester
Lee Reyna
Luella Reid
Josue West
Remi Rosales
Wilder Montoya
Kamryn Meadows
Wayne Davila
Rayne Mora
Arturo Leon
Amora Pratt
Rowen Newton
Braelynn Sanders
Jose Goodwin
Shiloh Franco
Gage Terrell
Paityn Cobb
Raphael Rubio
Hadassah Glenn
Zaid Bass
Zahra Bell
Emmett Conner
Alondra Deleon
Nasir Ross
Peyton Norris
Cairo Bradford
Rhea Moses
Niklaus Peralta
Malayah Reeves
Clark Stein
Leilany Burch
Gerald Goodwin
Shiloh Parks
Gianni Strickland
Nia Schmitt
Murphy Bond
Alena Shah
Zain Coffey
Paola Schmitt
Murphy Dennis
Maisie Rush
Kaiser Tate
Skye Phillips
Andrew Aguilar
Josie Hayden
Leroy Chung
Rivka Steele
Elian Dalton
Lilian Krueger
Jones Good
Nathalia Bowman
Francisco Trejo
Rosalyn Bernard
Jair Villanueva
Monroe Gardner
Alan Pollard
Marisol McGee
Conner Carson
Nalani Henry
Carlos Maynard
Carolyn Moss
Porter Ventura
Zora Avalos
Coen Holmes
Bailey Gonzalez
Ethan Gibbs
Carter Ray
Arlo Pham
Raelyn Nava
Stefan Vance
Maxine Marshall
Kaiden Warner
Wynter Hammond
Francis Lee
Scarlett Carlson
Paul Meyers
Leyla Lamb
Kaysen Browning
Princess Goodwin
Kaison Solis
Miracle Zamora
Quentin Callahan
Kimber Gentry
Magnus Garcia
Amelia Garrison
Noe Butler
Athena Murray
Ashton Glover
Alessia Turner
Joshua Knox
Kallie McCarthy
Devin Beltran
Kaydence Newman
Anderson Baldwin
Esmeralda Schaefer
Ishaan Sosa
Cassandra Hansen
Charlie King
Victoria Fitzpatrick
Blaze Cochran
Alma Martinez
Alexander Ayala
And 94,291 more.
_____________________________________________
Whatever I was about to say was cut off by a blinding flash of light. Project Behemoth unleashed an omnidirectional wave of plasma, manifesting as this sphere of light that expanded from the Endbringer.
That radiance of plasma contained all the siphoned energy from an area larger than Manhatten. All of it was unleashed in a single moment, burning away the last remnants of a city, the last evidence that civilization was here, the last proof that mankind had stepped on this land, the last marks of a tomb that served as the final resting place for hundreds of thousands.
The plasma wave expanded at supersonic speeds. It rapidly approached my position.
I wasn't fazed at all. As the edge of the plasma passed over me, milligrams of iron dust fell around me before immediately boiling away while I remain unaffected.
Another application of the Virtual Particle Realizer is what I'd like to call a 'Stilling Shield'. This type of defense converts the energy of all attacks into a solid mass, draining them of any momentum.
While not as strong as the Gravastar Armor given that it can't deal with things like Starbreakers, the Stilling Shield however are much more portable.
Once the light died down, the ground underneath for as far as the naked eye can see was glowing a bright yellow like lava spewed freshly from a volcano.
Behemoth glassed Corbin and its surroundings for kilometers on end. The very ground itself turned into a glass that [Material Science recognizes as Lechatelierite or silica glass, SiO2, silicon dioxide.
And so it is done; I've wiped out a city and left no survivors to tell the tale.
I felt a muted sense of dread, probably due to how high [Silenced Emotion] is running right now.
Well, I guess there's no turning back now the deed has been completed.
It's strange.
'[Home]'
>[Acceptance]
Behemoth quickly left through a gigantic door made by Doormaker, the grounds still glowing orange as he left.
After the Endbringer was gone, I mentally selected 'Yes' to [Great Sage].
509984... I've killed 50,000 more than I intended. That number stewed inside my mind as I tried to come to terms with it.
Little over half a million people are dead because of me.
An entire city full of innocents and civilians, gone, reduced to nothingness.
I committed an atrocity only comparable to genocides, and I'm going to get away with it scot-free.
What a wild world we live in.
I have finally become a monster. I wonder though, how many people did Relentless kill? Not just a speculation, but an actual number?
I was hit with a sense of sleepiness not found ever since I came to this world. If I had to describe it, I would say it feels like that time when I returned from my first visit to space months ago but a hundred times worse.
I groggily gripped my head, my eyelids feel so heavy despite the heavy-duty stimulants the suit automatically injected into my bloodstream.
'What the hell is happening?! Is this what the process of evolution to Demon Lord is?'
Slowly, I drifted to the ground all the while trying to stay awake, the only thing that was on my mind was to get back to the Citadel or Metropolis in order to complete the evolution; I don't want to stay here and actually claim responsibility of the city and the genocide of 450,000 men, women, and children.
I tried to use [Technopathy] to get one of my drones to come, yet I can't seem to use it. I tried to say the two magical words that would open a door underneath me with Doormaker yet I can't make a sound using my throat, the only thing I can do is think, and not even think through the Noosphere so I can't just ask Project Simurgh to pick me up.
Wait a minute... think...
Placing the remaining charges into [Summoning Magic], I decided to once again, try my luck.
Using what little will of mine left, I commanded the nanites covering my body to come apart before forming into a hypercomplex magic circle as wide as an SUV is long.
*Hissssss*
Coming into contact with the molten ground gave me a painful jolt of consciousness that I desperately needed to stay awake. So as I lay there on the bright red lava, half of my face and body being cooked, [Extreme Pain Resistence] activated and the sleepiness once again invaded the edge of my mind.
My hands reached out, "I... Demon Summoning... my offer...ing will...be the...remaining..." How many souls do I have left? "...however many souls I have left...I call to you...ANSWER ME!" Using the last of my strength I yelled out.
The circle shone brightly, so bright that everything else seem to darken, even the floor seems to be nothing compared to that radiance.
Once the light subsided, I saw two figures standing inside the circle. One, was a raven-haired male wearing clothes befitting of a British butler while the other was a blond-haired teenage girl wearing a white shirt and black tie with a black skirt, on both of their backs, was a pair of wings, what color it was I wasn't able to tell as I fell unconscious the moment I was about to give them my first order.
"bring... me... ho.. mee..." My speech slurred out before darkness claimed me, I fell deep into Morpheus' embrace afterward.
_____________________________________________
"So many souls..." The Primordial Demon known as Jaune remarked after she took her first breath after being summoned. Her chest expanded as her lung filled with air.
Her eyes then panned across the hellscape that was her summoning site.
The whole place was flat for as far as the unaided eye can see. The ground underneath them was all glowing a bright red and was hot enough that the Yellow Primordial felt the heat emanating from the glassed surface even with her boots.
"Oh my, so much death and destruction..."
Such a scene wasn't uncommon for the Yellow Primordial. Being the most destructive of all Primordial Demons, Jaune was very familiar with large-scale nuclear magic that can wreck a city.
Jaune then walked over to her summoner, the black material that once made up the summoning circle was now congregating around the perfect being, "I knew I was right to be summoned by you, Scientia Tempest. To think a Perfect Homunculus could exist today, what a miracle that is sure to bring change to this stagnant world."
Those black tiny automatons then lifted Scientia out of the lava's reach, causing Jaune to scowl when she saw that part of her summoner's face was burned.
Just as the Primordial was about to apply a bit of healing magic, the other Primordial jutted in and held Jaune's arm.
"Ah, ah, ah, remember the first request made by our Mistress," Noir spoke slyly.
"Oi, she may be your Mistress but until she proves to me she's truly worthy beyond being entertaining, I ain't submitting to her."
Noir's lips thinned, "Jaune, this is the first time in centuries you've stepped out of El Dorado, I highly doubt it would be a fluke. No, our Lady has gained your interest, so you WILL help me transport our new Mistress back to her home or so help me I will send you back to the Underworld and claim it was due to the hostile nature of Demons belonging to the Yellow bloodline."
Jaune's body tensed, before chuckling, "Oh? Is that right?" Jaune can't deny what Noir is saying, after all, Scientia grabbed her attention when the Primordial Demon first detected pure radiation that surpasses all the radiation of every single Nuclear Magic she had unleashed for the past three decades and a half combined—
In fact, the amount of radiation she had felt was equivalent to the output belonging to the cores of dead stars.
Now that's impressive, even by her measure.
And it's become even more interesting when it was made by a Perfect Homunculus of all things!
Even today, Jaune still had vivid memories of the glorious fight with Relentless, to this day, it still sends chills down her spirit when she thinks about it.
The raw destruction their battle made on the environment... the fact that Jaune had to be rescued by Chronoa of all people...
Closing her eyes to show just how confident she is, Jaune spoke, "Come on now, Noir, what about you? I know you are perhaps the most whimsical out of all of us Primordials yet you now seek to tie yourself down to serve someone? And thereby reducing your ability to be free? Tell me how being subservient under her would serve your goal of—"
Jaune felt the whistle of something flying right by her head. Opening her eyes, she saw that the right index finger that Noir was holding up was smoking.
"Do. Not. Question. Me." He growled out with narrowed eyes as Jaune just shrugged, an flash of light belonging to an explosion had occurred off in the distance, its sound won't be reaching where they'll be standing for a while.
"Alright, whatever floats your boat!" The Yellow Primordial happily spoke as if she hadn't just been threatened, "Although... where is her home anyway?"
Picking up Scientia with a princess carry, Noir thought for a moment before turning to face Jaune with a look of smug superiority, "Unlike you, I actually did research on our Lady before I was summoned, thus I know of the fact that she and most of her technology is immune to all forms of Divination (quite annoying by the way). However, no information is still information in and of itself, thusly I've concluded her home is probably in the largest area of 'blindness' if you will."
Jaune felt annoyed by the sheer amount of smugness that is rolling off of Noir, she let out a strained smile, "Let's go."
"Of course."
Then, the two Primordial Demons disappeared, carrying the Perfect Homunculus with them off to Metropolis.