Reborn: Apocalypse

What was the most important thing before any battle? In Micheal's mind, there could be only one answer.

Preparation!

Preparing for the tactics your enemy might use, preparing for their weaknesses, their strengths. Every battle hinged around how prepared you were when you went into it.

The mightiest warrior could easily fall to a surprise attack if he was caught unprepared.

And for Micheal, a warrior that possessed sweeping knowledge of the future, preparation was his most powerful tool.

In the span of just a few seconds, he wiped out two powerful B Rankers thanks to the preparations he made.

In the First Layer, a B Ranker could take on decent sized groups of Morenkai all at once, handling them with ease. B Rankers could fight against Abnormals without a team, and oftentimes come out victorious without having to flee. A B Ranker was considered 'Strong' in the First Layer. Part of the upper echelon of Humanity on the First Layer.

Michael had wiped the floor with these two B Rankers, one of them powerful enough to almost be an A Ranker, with apparent ease.

It wasn't that they were weak. It was just that Micheal's experience, foresight, and personal talent left them in the dust.

Long before this battle began, Micheal had constantly been preparing for it. He knew it was going to happen and he had decided to change its outcome.

Micheal was not a god nor could he warp reality. Most of the B Rankers in the Black Flag Pirates and their allies didn't have any fatal weaknesses. Many of them were well rounded and their strength came from training and effort.

However, when he'd procured a list of the experts that he might face, something he'd managed through asking around in the Open Market and from his memories, he'd gone over each potential enemy in detail.

It was from this list that he'd zeroed in on a few particular targets. Ones with weaknesses that he could exploit, however obscure or small.

'I don't need to kill everyone on my own. Just take out enough enemies to alter the flow of the battle.' Killing both Pirate Lords on his own, without anyone distracting them or helping him, was unfeasible.

An A Ranker could annihilate entire legions of Morenkai, such that only the toughest of regular Abnormals would stand even a chance. They could face off against groups of Abnormals and come out alive. Only Monster Class Morenkai could prove a threat.

Thus, most of Micheal's preparations were aimed at hitting the weaker members of the assault team. The planted bombs in the corridor to lessen the numbers they'd be up against, the special ingredients and tools he'd prepared to counter some of the B Rankers.

And thus far, he had succeeded.

The B Rankers from the Black Flag Pirates had leapt forward to attack the elite guards from the Godfather Organization as well as the B Ranked Offensive Team Leader Officer Martin. Silent Viper's form took on a shadow edge as she tapped into her Vampiric powers while the Ravager Jason's body expanded into that of a three meter tall grey skinned bear and charged forth.


The B Ranked Winged Wrecker remained dead.

The A Rankers, in the meanwhile, remained staring at each other, neither side making the first move yet. Bloody Iron Arm Cain stood off to the side as well, his face torn with fear as he stared at Boss Shigun, unwilling to move till he was engaged.

"Sophia, keep her stunned!" Micheal yelled out loud as he charged at the frozen form of Black Flamer Chelsea, ignoring the duel behind him.

From his research ahead of time, he had determined that Chelsea was a bulky physical attacker that relied upon physical Abilities for close combat and a lethal flamethrower for all else.

Artifacts that could block Sophia's Fairy Eyes were not cheap. In addition, the number of people that had Abilities similar to hers on the First Layer was a pittance. Xavier had such an Artifact, but he was an exception, due to his obsessions. Micheal had judged the chances of Chelsea having one as slim to none, an educated guess that turned out to be correct.

With Sophia's Fairy Eyes keeping Chelsea stunned, killing her would be like taking candy from a baby.

BANG

BANG

Gunfire broke out as Micheal charged at the stunned B Ranker.

Of the fighters that had straggled in with Fire Caster Abel, four of them rushed to intercept Micheal, wielding swords, maces, and a variety of other melee weapons. The remaining three members of the Mayoral Alliance all wielded guns and opened fire.

However, they weren't shooting at Micheal. Instead, they ignored him and attacked Sophia.

Apart from the few straggling C Ranked warriors of the Black Flag Pirates that had survived Micheal's makeshift bombs and the C Ranked stragglers from the Mayoral Alliance, all of Micheal's enemies here were B Ranked or higher.

At this level, especially for elite B Rankers like the ones present, almost all were immune to ordinary guns. Regular bullets would have little to no effect and were usually useless.

For Bloody Iron Arm Cain, it was because of the durability and defensive Abilities he possessed. For Silent Viper, it was because of her graceful technique and resilient Lesser Vampire Type, allowing her to tank and dodge bullets like they were nothing. For the Ravager Jason, his Arkian Bear Transformation Type had extremely thick and durable skin, such that bullets did almost nothing.

Fire Caster Abel, likewise, had been immune to bullets as well. When Micheal had split him in half, his blade had encountered a brief bit of resistance. If Micheal had to guess, he would've placed it as the Thick Skin Ability, a defensive power that cost 58,000 Points. It decently enhanced one's Endurance and granted a special active power that could be used to enchant one's skin, making it very tough for a period of time.

It couldn't be compared to the defensive power of the Black Knight Type Ability that Pirate Lord Brandon possessed, but when it came to stopping regular bullets, it more than sufficed.

It was so tough it had taken Micheal's Sword Energy-coated blade roughly 0.2 seconds longer than he expected to cut the man in half and kill him.

The prowess Micheal had shown, casually killing two powerful B Rankers like it was nothing, had created a huge impression in the minds of all the lower ranked guards.

In their eyes, he was clearly a powerful B Ranker. Their only hope for survival was to rescue Black Flamer Chelsea. Apart from that, their death seemed certain. Turning their back to flee would likely just end in them being killed.

As a result, the fighters treated Micheal like an expert that was immune to bullets and instead tried to gun down Sophia. Her Fairy Eyes were clearly what was keeping Chelsea stunned and nothing she had done indicated she was immune to bullets.

ping

ping

Unfortunately for them, they judged wrong.

Sophia possessed a protective Artifact that shielded her from long range attacks like bullets, leaving her perfectly unharmed as the bullets bounced off her.

'They fell for it.' Micheal smiled. If they had tried to fire at him, his options would've been rather limited. His Remembrance Shield was a durable physical Artifact, but it was only so large, and he had already dropped it as he focused on attacking.

At his current level, he still lacked a solid answer for guns, though it was hardly his fault. The time he'd spent on the First Layer was less than 2 weeks, after all, facing enemies that had been here for years.

SHKKK

WHOOSH

His arm blurred as he slashed out with his blade. His muscles bulged as he mercilessly attacked the warriors that were trying to obstruct him. Ki energy ran flush in his veins, his body tingling.

"Arrrgh!"

"Ulp!"

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—-Points Obtained—-

Points: 401

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—-Points Obtained—-

Points: 481

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—-Points Obt…

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In just a split second, Micheal killed all four of them. He used precisely aimed strikes, while predicting and accounting for each of the four attackers' weapons, his eyes focused.

The four men that had attacked him were all C Rankers, none of them could be considered truly weak. Each one was able to take on a Morenkai and kill it, through one method or another. In terms of physical Strength and Endurance, they were likely a bit stronger than Micheal was.

In terms of skill and battle technique, however, they couldn't hold a candle to him.

Blood splattered out as their corpses fell to the ground, weapons hitting the floor with a thud.

"No!"

"He broke through!"

Yells of despair broke out as the Mayoral Alliance members saw this. Still under the assumption that bullets were useless against Micheal, the 3 remaining fighters took the only option they thought they had left.

They turned tail and fled, abandoning Chelsea to her fate.

BANG

BANG

BANG

A moment later, before the three of them managed to flee more than a couple meters, the trio all fell to the ground, bullet holes drilled into their skulls.

Micheal didn't hesitate as he ignored this, reaching where the still stunned Black Flamer Chelsea was standing.

SHKKK

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--- Points Obtained ---

Points: 2,783

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He cut her down in a single motion, killing her instantly. She didn't even have a moment to regret her choices as she went from stunned to dead, Sophia's Fairy Eyes not lessening up a whit.

Micheal's eyes flicked over as he turned and stared briefly at Sophia. She held a smoking handgun in her hands, her body tense as she stared at the men she had killed.

"Good aim, Sophia!" It truly was. Hitting moving targets that were fleeing at top speed, especially in such close quarters, wasn't easy, even for an experienced shooter. Her Fairy Eyes likely helped out to some degree, enhancing her vision and control, but it was impressive nonetheless.

The duo didn't wait long as they turned around, taking in the rest of the ground floor.

A few Morenkai had straggled in and were getting their bearings, preparing to attack. They seemed focused on the loudest and most obvious group of fighters, the now-dueling A Rankers.

"Arrrgh!" A growl escaped Boss Shigun's lips as Pirate Lord Brandon's Returner Axe sank into his shoulder, spilling blood. Shigun lashed out with a solid punch, sending Brandon flying backwards. Shigun's Titan form was covered in gashes and cuts, soaked in a layer of blood. His determination and willpower had not slackened, however, as he fought off the Pirate Lords.

Before he could continue his attack, Pirate Lord Byron jumped between them, dealing a supercharged roundhouse kick to Shigun's chest. The glowing man's attack knocked the towering Titan back a meter, causing him to spit up blood.

'Even with a much weaker ambush team, Boss Shigun would still likely die, or at least be crippled.' Simultaneous attacks from two A Rankers were no joke.

Apart from the A Rankers, the rest of the people on the ground floor were all engaged in a fierce battle. In the moments that Sophia and Micheal had been turned away, a grand melee had broken out.

"Sophia, help Team Leader Martin and the guards! Take out the gunmen!" The remaining loyal Officer was being attacked by three separate B Rankers at a once, Jason, Silent Viper, and Cain, who had rushed over, as well as several armed fighters from the Black Flag Pirates. The Officer was doing everything he could just to stay alive and hold out for reinforcements; victory wasn't even a consideration in his mind. It was a small miracle he hadn't died yet.

Regretfully, several of the guards from the Godfather Organization had already died, though several more still stood their ground, wielding guns or weapons as they fought back. They were focusing on the B Ranked enemies, as did the enemy gunmen. While the bullets couldn't cause much harm, they could still distract and otherwise negatively affect another's technique, leaving one vulnerable in the midst of battle.

'She won't be enough, I'll need to step in or he'll die pretty quickly. Also… I can't just let so many good Points go untaken, not when they are offering themselves up to me.' He rushed forward, his blade held at the ready.

'As for Brandon and Byron…' Micheal's eyes flashed cooly and he withdrew some items from his Spatial Ring mid-sprint,

A pair of Hard Diamond Throwing Knives and a basketball-sized, glowing, blue Mana Lantern.

The lantern was a special Artifact that could be acquired for several thousand Points from the Shop. It drew in ambient energy from the surroundings to create a cool, peaceful environment, enhancing the energy in the air. For people that used Abilities that could sense 'Mana,' a special type of natural energy that was essentially another form of Ki, a Mana Lantern could be considered very useful.

'Operating a Mana Body required a fine-tuned level of control, drawing upon the ambient Mana in the environment.' The thought flashed in his mind, something he'd learned over the years. There were multiple Abilities, some non-Type, that allowed one to form a Mana Body, something that became somewhat popular on the Second Layer and beyond.

'It sure would be a shame if something caused the nearby Mana to fluctuate and upset your control.'

Without hesitating, he hurled the Mana Lantern at Lord Byron. A second after, just as he had almost crossed the distance between himself and Officer Martin, he threw the pair of Hard Diamond Throwing Knives after it in an arc. The knives were deadly and sharp, but had something else that was unique about them that almost no one in the First Layer would be aware of.

When they came into contact with Mana, they would react violently. The more concentrated the Mana, the more violent the reaction.

And the Mana Lantern that Micheal had thrown just so happened to have a central core part containing some very concentrated Mana...

"Hup!" Micheal's Steelborn Sword stabbed forward as he entered the fray, slamming into a pair of curved daggers that Silent Viper was wielding, forcing her back.

At the same time, his Hard Diamond Throwing Knives collided with the Mana Lantern, just a few meters away from where Pirate Lord Byron and Boss Shigun were duking it out, with Lord Brandon rushing in to join the fray after blasting aside a few stray Morenkai.

"..."

WHOOSH

BOOOOOM

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Next chapter tomorrow.

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