Reborn: Apocalypse - Volume 2

When Sophia left for the rooftop, s.h.i.+n had followed her trail, warping through different rooms inside the skysc.r.a.per . He had tried to keep his presence as small as possible, well aware that the powerful Brigadier General was at Sophia"s final location . He wasn"t sure if the warrior would be able to detect him, but didn"t want to chance it .

It took only a few moments for Sophia to travel through the skysc.r.a.per up to the rooftop . When s.h.i.+n had realized that was her final destination, he had frowned .

The rooftop was dangerous . While Sophia had a Defensive Artifact that would protect her from snipers, he still didn"t like the idea of her being up there all alone with General Pedro . Even if the man was a saint, he would still be wary .

This was the girl Micheal sent to help him, after all . What if Micheal was secretly in love with her? If s.h.i.+n had to das.h.i.+ngly save her, she might fall for him and a big ol" one-way love triangle might form . s.h.i.+n had seen enough movies to know how that would be a mess .

Regardless of his rather unrealistic worries, s.h.i.+n decided to teleport to a neighboring building in the end . He then snuck up to the rooftop while ducking down low . It was basically night time outside, something that made his life a lot easier when it came to hiding . The starlight coming from up above was dim at best .

And it was from there that he witnessed the masked man warp in and attack .

Unlike Sophia, s.h.i.+n instantly recognized him .

"It"s one of the Nightrunner Numbers?! Why is he attacking Sophia?!" The shock that filled his heart was tinged with horror .

After s.h.i.+n had been recruited by the G.o.dfather Organization, he"d undergone a bit of training here in the Main Cl.u.s.ter . Part of that training was on theoretical events and knowledge, as well as helping him learn how to use a firearm more effectively .

The members of the Nightrunner Numbers were one of the topics he"d covered, as were the other major forces in the Main Cl.u.s.ter .

Each member was infamous and extremely powerful .

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Right now, the man that had arrived and attacked Brigadier General Pedro was Number 6, the Spear Tiger . He had the Limited World Room Type, a power that allowed him to create a powerful "Gate" anywhere within 50 meters of himself . It was an Ability very similar to s.h.i.+n"s teleportation power .

The most notable differences were that Number 6"s teleportation wasn"t instant .

The Spear Tiger"s nickname came from his use of a spear as his main weapon . He was incredibly skilled with it and possessed the Spear Mastery Ability, a power very similar to Sophia"s Sword Mastery Ability .

As Sophia and the Spear Tiger fell into battle, s.h.i.+n"s felt a string of panic seep into him .

"What should I do?!" His aim with a gun had vastly improved, but he wasn"t at the level of a master sharpshooter yet . He could guide his bullet to some degree with his Soul Pistol, but wasn"t perfectly confident he would be able to hit only the Spear Tiger . The duo were exchanging clash after clash, constantly moving back and forth at such a fast speed it was hard for him to do much of anything .

His bullets, when Expanded, were extremely strong . He could obliterate Morenkai with them, after all . He was unsure if Sophia"s Defensive Artifact would hold up if he accidentally hit her, and even if he did, he might fatally distract her .

The duo continued to battle over a span of seconds . Sophia was holding her own, but clearly on the losing side .

After a split second, s.h.i.+n overcame his indecisiveness and pulled something out of his Spatial Ring .

The object was small and round, a flat, black circle with a few mysterious symbols carved into it . It had been bestowed upon him by Head Cameron himself as a result of his initiation into the Executives of the G.o.dfather Organization .

It was a Long-Distance Alert Insignia . According to Cameron, as long as he activated it, it would send out pulses of energy that would alert the other Executives that he was in mortal danger . This was a one-time use item that the leader of the G.o.dfather Organization had cautioned he use with extreme care .

It was one of the benefits one obtained for becoming an Executive, a draw for many looking for security and safety in a team .

Once an alert was sent out, the entire G.o.dfather Organization would go on alert and seek out the bearer of the Insignia to render aid .

Advertis.e.m.e.nts.h.i.+n activated the Insignia instantly, tapping on it and sending in a strand of Ki . The Insignia s.h.i.+vered slightly before sending out a very faint pulse of energy . The signal was very weak but could spread for hundreds of miles, detectable by anyone that possessed the same Insignia, as long as it was magically set to the same frequency .

He pocketed the Insignia and then turned his attention back to the battle .

In the few seconds he spent sending out the signal, the battle had taken a turn for the worse . Sophia was covered in injuries while Number 6 was virtually unharmed .

The two had separated, forming some s.p.a.ce . When s.h.i.+n saw that, he knew he"d been given a chance .

He c.o.c.ked his Soul Pistol, holding it at the ready as he prepared to teleport . Just as he was about to jump into action, however…

A pair of gla.s.s doors appeared .

As soon as s.h.i.+n saw them, and the two figures that walked out from them, his heart plummeted once more .

"c.r.a.p . We"re screwed . "

Number 9, the Golden Wolf Warrior, and Number 10, the Earth Vixen, had just walked through those doors .

All three were Supreme A Rankers and likely magnitudes more powerful than s.h.i.+n and Sophia .

His breathing instantly grew ragged and his arms shook . His heart pounded rapidly as he realized the seriousness of their situation .

And as he realized that, he also realized he needed to do something .

If he sat back and did nothing, Sophia would almost certainly die . He didn"t even know what she had done to enrage them, but it was very apparent that she was their target .

He glanced at the Insignia he had stored in his pocket . It had only been active a few seconds . It would take, at a bare minimum, several minutes for any help to arrive .

A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he looked back up .

He could see the newly-arrived Numbers speaking . They all focused in on Sophia in a threatening manner, their intent clear .

A feeling of indecisiveness swarmed over him once more .

He could teleport away and forget all of this if he wanted to . Did he truly need to risk his life to help someone he barely knew?

For a single split second, s.h.i.+n stood frozen, his hands trembling .

In that moment, as he was caught up in his feelings, a single thought broke free in his mind . This thought shone through like a beacon of light, clearing the fog that clouded his head .

Could he go to bed and wake up in the morning, proud of who he was, if he abandoned the girl Micheal had entrusted him with to her death?

s.h.i.+n"s heart hardened .

He didn"t hesitate any further .

Light flashed in his eyes as the world around him s.h.i.+fted .

He successfully teleported from his rooftop over to the spot directly behind Number 9 .

Without any hesitation, as soon as he arrived, he fired his gun and immediately activated his Expand Ability .

Number 9 was known for his versatile control of various magic animals . In particular, he was a renowned hunter that had hunted down hundreds of murderers and criminals . His tracking powers were almost certainly the reason Sophia and him had been found, even if he wasn"t sure why . If he could take him out, they stood a much better chance at escaping .

s.h.i.+n also had no confidence he could kill Number 6, and Number 10 was a woman and well… Number 9 was the best choice, regardless .

s.h.i.+n felt as if he was about to throw up as he saw the blood and brain matter spatter out from the now headless Number 9 . Throughout all of his time in the First Layer, this was the first time he had ever killed someone in cold blood . Even more so, he was killing someone that was lauded as a hero .

He"d been attacked before, but with his versatile teleportation powers, it was very easy to retreat . He had never gone out of his way to kill someone intentionally .

He jumped backwards in the air and beat a fast retreat after he fired the bullet . As he leapt, he noticed an oddity .

He hadn"t received a Points notification .

In mid-air, he rapidly aimed his Soul Pistol again . His training kicked in, letting him rapidly adjust and prepare to launch a successive attack .

Number 6 and Number 10 were completely shocked by the surprise attack . It had arrived almost instantaneously, leaving neither of them time to react . By the time they began to act, Number 9"s head was already blown to bits .

Number 9 had a Defensive Artifact, but it was one focused on dealing with long-range attacks, similar to Sophia"s . Using multiple Defensive Artifacts at once was extremely burdensome for the mind and Soul, leading almost everyone to typically only use one .

Number 9"s Golden Wolves twitched as their owner"s body fell to the floor . One by one, they slowly tumbled over, their bodies shriveling up as they died .

Golden energy sparkled around their corpses as they collapsed, moving through the air and flowing over towards Number 9"s mangled body . His corpse rapidly began to reconstruct itself, blood and flesh merging together as the Supreme A Ranker began to regenerate .

"Expand! Expand!"

s.h.i.+n shot Number 9"s body twice more, just to be safe .

The powerful warrior corpse exploded once more, bones blasted to paste as two essentially-cannon b.a.l.l.s slammed into it . The golden energy that had just started reforming the man"s body was scattered to dust . The man"s Defensive Artifact never activated, his ruined body leaving him in a state where he could do naught .

He might be a powerful Supreme A Ranker, with a slew of unique Abilities and a tough body, but even he wasn"t immune to a complete surprise attack . Life in the 7 Layers was never fair . A powerful and renowned warrior could die in a fraction of a second .

A split second later, a notification appeared .

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—- Points Obtained —-

Points: 38,261

.

Just like that, Number 9 was dead .

"What have you done…" Number 10"s body shook as she struck out at s.h.i.+n, her voice wavering with fury .

Dozens of green vines burst from her arms and shot out into the air, cutting through the air towards s.h.i.+n . Each one was covered in a coc.o.o.n of green energy, s.h.i.+mmering as they blasted across the roof . They were roughly half as thick as her palm, moving in an almost life-like pattern .

Number 6 stayed still, watching both s.h.i.+n and Sophia dispa.s.sionately, as if Number 9"s death hadn"t affected him in the slightest .

Sophia was still recovering from her wounds and shock, unable to help s.h.i.+n .

The vines rushed at s.h.i.+n, digging towards his head . His relative nearness meant escaping out of range of Number 10"s attack was impossible .

Fortunately for s.h.i.+n, by the time the vines reached him, his Warping Phaser Ability had recharged .

A series of thuds rang out as a dozen vines slammed into the ground, piercing through the air right where s.h.i.+n had been standing in, just moments prior .

s.h.i.+n reappeared standing behind Sophia, his chest heaving as he breathed in and out . His body was shaking as he kept his eyes on the two other Numbers, s.h.i.+vering from head to toe .

"A teleporter, huh?" Number 6"s words were a quiet whisper to himself, heard by no one else . A flash of interest appeared in his eyes as he studied s.h.i.+n .

"You monsters!" Number 10"s voice transformed into a shriek as a heavy green aura swallowed her body . Her skin took on a green tint as her Limited Forest Fairy Ability activated . This power gave her, among other things, the ability to create and manipulate versatile vines that were both tough and tensile . She also possessed the expensive Earth Strength Ability, one that allowed her to infuse natural energy into her body, and by extension, her vines, granting them steady strength .

"You all… you kill, and you kill, and you kill . What have we ever done to you?!" As Number 10"s eyes glowed with green light, she turned her rage towards Sophia .

Sophia"s eye flashed back as she immediately activated her Fairy Eyes Ability .

Number 10 grunted, her body s.h.i.+vering as she came to an abrupt halt . She had become locked in a mental battle with Sophia, unable to take even a single step forward . While her stats, including her Soul stat, were far higher than Sophia"s, she did not possess an Artifact geared towards blocking mental attacks like Number 6 .

"What have you done to us? You tried to murder both me and General Pedro as soon as you all arrived!" Sophia barked out loud, her voice carrying as she tried to distract Number 10 and gain full control over her mind . She also couldn"t help but be annoyed at Number 10"s hypocrisy . They attacked her and the General first, after all .

Sophia split her attention between focusing on Number 10 and on Number 6 . The man was waiting quietly, his spear in his hand as he looked at s.h.i.+n with interest . For now, he seemed disinclined to take action .

"Kill you two? Hah!" Number 10 spat out a trembling response,

"Fool, do you think that man would still be alive if the Spear Tiger had wanted him dead? And you!" Her voice sputtered with rage as she continued,

"Do you think you would hold your life if he went all out?!" Her reb.u.t.tal was full of venom .

Sophia hesitated slightly but kept up her guard . It was true that, while she was injured, she wasn"t fatally wounded . She didn"t take her eyes off Number 10, but could vaguely tell that General Pedro was still alive . Still, that didn"t really change anything . Number 10"s original claims were irrational and appeared to be referencing some other, past incident that Sophia was unaware of .

As s.h.i.+n heard all of this, his worst fears fluttered in his heart for a split second .

"Are we the bad guys? Did I just kill an innocent person?" The thought was nonsensical but nevertheless tinged with horror and very real . It only affected him for a split second before he was able to push it off, recognizing that they had been seriously attacked and were acting in self-defense .

But in that second, s.h.i.+n hesitated, and unlike Sophia, he became distracted .

That second cost him dearly .

Throughout the past few moments, Number 6 had remained perfectly calm, watching everything . He had remained motionless, keeping his movements and breathing still as Sophia and Number 10 exchanged words .

In the minute moment that s.h.i.+n"s concentration lapsed, Number 6 struck .

A small gla.s.s doorway formed in the air right in front of his cross spear . With an almost lazy movement, the metal head of his weapon cut through the air, bursting through the doorway, and out of one that had appeared right behind s.h.i.+n"s back .

s.h.i.+n didn"t notice this . Number 10 didn"t notice this .

Only Sophia, who had enhanced vision and a constant guard, saw the attack coming .

"No!" By the time she realized, she knew it was too late to block the blow . She tried, nonetheless, her hands twitching as she activated one of her Abilities .

"Wind Sweeper! Go!" A burst of wind exploded into the air, sweeping over and slamming into s.h.i.+n"s frozen form .

As she forcibly activated her Wind Sweeper Ability, her mental focus broke . A backlash slammed into her mind as Number 10 broke free from her Fairy Eyes, causing Sophia to fall to her knees .

"Arrgh!" s.h.i.+n screamed out loud, his body tumbling several meters to the side . A faint clash of energy shook the air as he fell down, cras.h.i.+ng onto his knees .

Right after that, a quiet thud echoed out loud, accompanied by a spattering sound . Sophia"s eyes widened when she saw where the noises came from .

Lying on the floor, right where s.h.i.+n had just been standing, was a tanned, bleeding appendage .

s.h.i.+n"s left arm .

"No!"

The surprise attack from Number 6 had been aimed at s.h.i.+n"s heart . Sophia"s instant reaction managed to divert the final attack, but only enough to prevent a fatal wound .

s.h.i.+n collapsed to the ground, shock overwhelming him as he clutched at the stub of his left arm . His Soul Pistol fell from his grip, sliding down to the floor as his body yelled out loud in searing pain . Faint sparkles of grey energy could be seen, agonizingly cindering in the wound . This was the most serious injury he had ever experienced, one that stunned him to his core .

"s.h.i.+n, get away and heal yourself now!" Sophia"s urgent yell went unheeded as s.h.i.+n moaned, clearly in shock .

"That wasn"t half bad . I meant to kill him there, as an equal exchange for killing Little Wolfy . " Number 6"s voice echoed out as he pulled back his spear, the gla.s.s doorways vanis.h.i.+ng .

"It"s good that he has survived, you disgusting, vile vermin . " Number 10 had recovered from Sophia"s Fairy Eyes and regained her furious arrogance as she began to walk forward, her fury barely contained . Dozens of green vines began to grow from her body as she stalked forward, right towards Sophia .

"We only need one of you . " Her voice was fueled with hatred . Despite s.h.i.+n being the one to kill Number 9, it seemed as if she was personally blaming Sophia for something even worse .

"No… no… no!" Sophia looked up at the advancing warrior, her heart trembling as she realized how outmatched she was . Her body was still leaking blood, the dozens of injuries on it weakening her . Her mind was clouded with pain and emotion, unable to form a coherent strategy .

"My little sister… no…" As she realized she might die right here, her heart plunged,

"Micheal… please help me! PLEASE!" For the first time in her life, she begged for help, tears dripping down her face .

Number 10 walked up to Sophia . A half dozen vines shot forward and curled around Sophia"s arms and legs, lifting her up into the air . Her sword fell from her hand as the green energy on the vines caused her to grow numb and listless .

"I will rip you apart for what your boyfriend did to my precious boy . " Number 10"s voice fell to a ragged whisper as she reached up, her hand caressing Sophia"s face .

As Number 6 saw this, he frowned slightly . His hand twitched as if he was about to take action .

"…please…" One last, despairing thought flooded through Sophia"s mind .

Suddenly, everyone on the rooftop froze .

A sweeping, powerful aura burst into existence, one of raw fury and anger as a man"s voice echoed out loud,

"What exactly do you think you"re doing?!"

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