Reborn: Apocalypse

"Well, that went as well as it could." Micheal waved at Sophia as they were escorted to the entrance of the Godfather Organizations HQ. Several armed guards were currently walking them up the stairs.

After vaguely explaining a few parts of the method to track and kill Golden Morenkai, without giving anything away, Micheal had finished talking with Head Shigun. They had both mutually agreed to meet back up in a couple of days, after Shigun had had time to test and verify the Dragon Building Liquid concoction.

He'd thought about trying to get a private meeting with the Boss, without Cain in the room, but concluded it wouldn't be possible. While they were impressed with his strength, they certainly didn't trust him yet. He was also too crunched for time to sit around and wait for them to trust him.

Thankfully, it didn't matter what Cain heard about the Golden Morenkai or Dragon Building Liquid methods. The Black Flag Pirates weren't going to stop their attack, even if they learned about everything he had to share. If anything, this would make their attack more certain and predictable as they tried to silence the Godfather Organization before this information got out.

The methods were all information he planned on making fully public in the near future, to better all of humanity. Even if the Black Flag Pirates leaked it, it wouldn't matter, nor would it interfere in his own strength growth. Sophia's method of tracking Golden Morenkai was far superior to any other methods he could think of, after all.

"It did go well… why didn't you warn them about-" Sophia cut herself off as Micheal shook his head.

"We are meeting back here in two days to take Boss Shigun and the Officers on a small expedition to prove the method we discussed. We will need to get a few ingredients to prepare for that. On such short notice, we'll probably have to trade with some of the other groups." Micheal purposefully spoke in a clear voice. He didn't make it obvious that he was talking a bit loud, but he also didn't make it look like he was worried about anyone overhearing.

Sophia blinked at him in confusion for a split second before she caught on.

"Right. We can't hesitate to prepare as much as possible! It's important we make a good impression." Micheal gave her a small smile.

As they rounded the top of the stairs and the guards pulled slightly out of sight, he turned and casually pointed at his ears. He made the movement subtle, yawning as he did so. She didn't make any overt reply, but narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.

They walked out into the evening-lit sky. The sun was slowly starting to set, signing the end of the day.

"Jarrod will escort you out of the territory." One of the guards spoke up, motioning to one of the other guards. They all wore white shirts and black slacks, looking professional.

"Right this way, after me." Jarrod had short brown hair and was slightly overweight, an AK-47 strapped to his back.


"No problem! We'll get out of your hair, no worries!" Micheal gave them a reassuring smile and set about following Jarrod as the man led them away. Sophia quickly fell in behind.

As they followed, Micheal narrowed his eyes and then nodded. He fell back ever so slightly, till he was right next to Sophia.

He then whispered quietly,

"We're being tailed." He motioned for her to act naturally, walking with him behind the guard.

"What? Why? That went so well!" Sophia replied, restraining her desire to look around as she hurriedly whispered back.

Micheal shook his head,

"Later. Follow my lead for now. We need to get to a skyscraper outside their territory." His heartbeat accelerated slightly as they moved, knowing that every minute they waited was another minute an ambush could be sent their way.

The sixth sense he had that let him know when someone relatively nearby was eyeing him with bad intent was flickering. While the feeling wasn't the most reliable, especially against experts, here on the First Layer it was more than enough.

A few minutes passed as they moved from bridge to bridge, crossing through the Godfather Organizations territory. The guard from the HQ led them on a meandering path, one that was similar to the way they came. Finally, they made it to the last skyscraper on the edge of the Godfather Organization's land.

"Keep it real, Larry!" They had, coincidentally, taken almost the same path they had arrived on before, even meeting the same two guards that had originally greeted them. Micheal acted natural and kept a friendly demeanor up as he waved at the two original guards they had first met, as well as Jarrod.

"Yes, sir!" Larry waved back, motioning them through.

'Everything seems perfectly normal. Let's keep it that way…' Micheal's eyes flashed.

They crossed over with no issues. The feeling of being tracked, however, never left Micheal, constantly sticking to him.

"Come on." He broke out into a jog as he and Sophia left the area, moving over two more skyscrapers.

At that point, Micheal dragged Sophia forward and practically dove into the shed atop its roof. They immediately raced down more than a dozen levels, in a mad sprint.

"How many are there? Are we going to be attacked?" Sophia, to her credit, kept herself from panicking as she followed Micheal's hurried run.

"None if we can have it my way, and we won't give them a chance to attack." Micheal's voice was cool as they stopped descending, ending up on the 15th floor, his chest only slightly heaving from exertion thanks to his enhanced stats.

Micheal led the way to an open lounge, not encountering anyone or anything. He immediately threw open the door that led to the outside, quickly scanning his surroundings.

By now, they were well into the fading evening, with night fast approaching.

Micheal called out his two Life Orbs, smiling as he mentally ordered them to step next to his feet. He then turned towards Sophia, holding out his arms.

"Up you go. Now that we're this far, they won't be able to catch up." He couldn't resist a smile, relief filling him. The speed at which his Life Orbs moved, plus the unexpected nature of him flying away, made it extremely unlikely any scout would be able to follow them.

He wasn't worried that he would get harmed, but if an ambush dragged out and anyone got near Sophia…

Sophia rolled her eyes,

"I'll ride your back." She stepped forward, waving for him to turn around.

He shrugged, smirking slightly,

"Oh, well, if you insist. A little forward for me but I won't-"

"Ow!" He ducked under a smack as Sophia blushed.

"Alright, alright!" He laughed quietly,

"Let's escape now before they search the building. I'll explain everything while we fly away!"

.. .. .. .. .. ..

"Lord Brandon! We've received word of the Irregulars that attacked you."

In a brightly lit lounge, a one-armed man sat, a large axe slung across his back as he looked down at a set of papers. A set of glasses could be seen on his face as he squinted, reading over several lines.

A dark mood hovered around this man, a fierce frown on his face.

"Lord Brandon! Sir!" The muscular figure of the Pirate Lord Brandon looked up from reading over the paper, blinking as he lost focus,

"What?" His voice was laced with irritation.

"Sir, one of our men in the Godfather Organization has found the Irregulars that attacked you!" Standing at the entrance to the lounge was a man dressed in a black shirt and grey pants, one of the lower level scouts in the Black Flag Pirates.

"Oh? Where did-, you said attackers? Not attacker?" Brandon frowned,

"Yes, sir! Both Sophia and Micheal, the two Irregulars, were spotted!" The scout promptly replied.

"Huh? That's… that's not possible. What? Are you certain?" Brandon's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes sir, the information report has been confirmed by multiple sources."

The Pirate Lord stared at the scout for several seconds, his face unblinking.

"Give me your report." He ordered, his voice brooking no argument.

"Yes, sir! The duo are now working with the Godfather Organization, and have shared intel that is currently being tested. We lost track of them as they moved through the Cluster, but we know that they, along with several of the higher-ups from the Godfather Organization, are going to all be in the same place in two days."

"Two days." Brandon took a deep breath, his eyes bleeding hatred. His mouth twisted slightly as he clutched at where his left arm had been, phantom pain flaring up. The battle with the Saru Group General Raymen had cost him his entire arm and nearly his life, the most humiliating experience of his life.

For him, the Pirate Lord Brandon, famed for his defensive prowess and ability to roam the Cluster without fear, to be sent fleeing like a wounded dog…

It was infuriating.

"Go, take my word to Byron. Tell him to meet me here." He waved the scout away, watching as the door shut behind the man.

"I don't know how you're still alive… but you will rue the day you cost me this arm." His voice was hoarse,

"You have two days left to live." His eyes gleamed darkly,

"Let us see how you fare against the full force of the Black Flag Pirates and her allies, little man." His voice rumbled, anger coloring his tone,

"The Godfather Organization will die with you."

.. .. .. .. .. ..

"…Yes, there is no risk to your sister. I am certain she is not in this Cluster. I'm a Seer, remember?" Micheal's voice echoed in the dimly lit lounge, looking across a table at Sophia. They had safely managed to fly away, crossing over several skyscrapers till they found an unoccupied haven back in the central zone.

"Okay… That makes sense for now, I guess." Sophia's eyes were wide as she went on,

"But you said that one of their Officers, Cain, is a traitor?!"

"Yes." Micheal's voice was cool,

"And that means everything is about to come to a head." Micheal folded his hands together,

"Pirate Lord Brandon is no doubt incensed. I am certain they will take advantage of our expedition to attack and try to wipe out the leadership of the Godfather Organization here, as well as allow Brandon to exact his revenge." Micheal kept his tone cool and logical as he explained.

"Oh my gosh. Aren't there 2 A Rankers in the Black Flag Pirates?! Will the Godfather Organization stand a chance?" Sophia's tone was worried, though more likely for her little sister than anything else. Anything that would jeopardize her chances of finding Anna was unacceptable in her eyes.

"Maybe, but not if the Black Flag Pirates call upon smaller forces or teams, going all out. Which they will." Micheal sighed, rubbing his forehead. He knew this problem was going to be something he had to face, sooner or later.

'I've got almost everything I need ready for this, I've collected most of the items I'll need…' He nodded sharply.

"We have the advantage, though." He smiled.

Sophia stared at him quizzically in return.

"We know it's going to happen, and they don't know that we know." He held his hand up slowly, open wide.

"The element of surprise is on our side. We have time to prepare, to take advantage of that, so that when the time comes…" He clenched his fist shut, crushing the air,

"We will crush them."

Sophia looked at him and then tentatively nodded her head. Micheal's actions, as well as the mysterious knowledge he had shown over the past week, had solidified her opinion of him. If he said the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east, she would be the first in line to watch that sunrise, her faith in him steady.

"But for now… Let's get some rest." He resisted the urge to yawn, looking out at the pitch black darkness.

"We've got a bunch of things to do tomorrow."

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Two days later...

The final day arrived.

Micheal woke up slowly, the early morning light slipping in through a partially closed window. He blinked as he came awake, swiftly becoming alert.

He slowly smiled, his eyes cold,

"It's time."

.