Reborn: Apocalypse - Volume 2

General Pedro fell to one knee, blood spurting from his mouth as he clutched at the hand that had pierced through his chest . With a loud grunt, the powerful warrior punched himself in the chest, smas.h.i.+ng into the intruding hand .

The masked figure exhaled out loud as his hand was smashed . A sickening cracking sound echoed out as the General"s blow not only forced the masked figure"s hand back, but also cracked several of Pedro"s own ribs . The warrior had gone all out, holding back nothing .

With a harried grunt, the masked figure leapt backwards into the air . All of the gla.s.s doors vanished as he skidded several meters across the roof, nursing his injured left hand . He didn"t speak or say anything out loud, remaining strangely mute .

"General!" Sophia"s face was livid as she saw this . She rushed forward as the Brigadier General"s body shook, intent on protecting him as she screamed again,

"Help! Help! We"re under attack!" She had no idea why they were attacked, but didn"t have time to think about it in the moment .

She didn"t have her Spatial Ring here and was unable to bring out her old swords or any of her other tools… but that didn"t mean she was helpless .

"Shop!" She called to mind the Holy Shop, flicking through the list of Artifacts in a heartbeat . She quickly found one in particular that she had looked at before .

White Flame Short Sword - 12,800 Points .

The sword was made of a mystical ore known as Rhapzod Ore . It contained traces of Elemental Fire within it, transforming the weapon into one that burned with magical fire .

Its only weakness was that it wasn"t a very tough blade, in the grand scheme of things . It was excellent when it came to parrying and attacking, but if used continuously for direct blocking, the weapon would sustain serious damage .

The short sword appeared in her hand, a pristine weapon that glowed faintly white, coated in iridescent fire . She held the blade naturally in her right hand, putting it on guard between her and the masked attacker . Intermediate Tier Sword Energy flowed on and around the weapon, sharpening it .

This process took only a couple of seconds . In that time, the masked figure wasn"t just sitting still .

The man tapped on a Spatial Ring and withdrew two things . One was a faintly glowing pill that Sophia recognized as a Mid-Tier Healing Pill . The other was a long, black cross spear, a sharp-edged weapon that had two small spearheads pointing out perpendicular to the main spearhead .

The masked figure took the Healing Pill and, somehow, tossed it through the mask he wore, swallowing it . Energy flashed around his injured left hand as the pill set to work, healing his injuries .

He then wielded the cross spear in his right arm and hooked part of it under his arm, pointing it at Sophia .

General Pedro, meanwhile, had withdrawn a slew of magic medicine from his own Spatial Ring, swallowing them down without hesitation . However, the injury he took was incredibly severe and damaging .

As the healing energy rushed into his body to stave off death, the man lost consciousness and fell to the floor .

Advertis.e.m.e.nt"No! d.a.m.n it!" Sophia cursed in her head when she saw this, her heart plunging .

She didn"t have time to think about the Brigadier General"s condition further as the masked figure rushed at her, his body blurring as he quickly sprinted across the roof .

In just seconds, Sophia"s sword clashed with the masked warrior"s spear .

And they began to dance .

Sophia ducked to the side as the man"s spear stabbed forward . Grey energy of some sort covered the attacker"s weapon, giving it an even more deadly edge .

She slipped out of range of the cross spear"s stab by mere millimeters, narrowly dodging it . At the same time, she raised her short sword, swinging it at the man"s head .

The masked man crouched down and whipped his spear to the left at her, slamming towards her shoulder . His rapid movement was fluid and coordinated, leaving her no room to dodge . She either had to continue her attack and risk a huge impact, or give up the strike to protect herself .

In the end, she wasn"t Micheal and couldn"t come back to life . She chose the latter option .

Her blade cut downward as she jumped into the air and parried the man"s spear, swinging with both hands . The resulting impact sent her flying backwards several meters and numbed her arms .

She gathered her balance as she came to a halt, just a few meters away from the unconscious General . She forced herself to ignore the numbness in her arms as she leapt back into the fray, attacking the spear wielder .
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting .

They exchanged nearly a dozen more attacks . Sophia"s strikes were pointed and precise, building off her training with Micheal . The masked man"s attacks were powerful and valiant, willing to place himself in danger to take her down .

The duo established a sort of ebb and flow as their battle came down to one of raw skill and might .

One that Sophia was losing .

"Arrgh!" She swore in her head again as she rebuffed one powerful blow, her hands aching from its sheer force . Several small cuts covered her arms and shoulders, blood seeping into her s.h.i.+rt .

Every attack the masked figure sent out was one full of unreasonable power . The warrior was much stronger than Sophia and more experienced when it came to battle .

Despite that, Sophia was managing to hold her own . She was able to adapt to his battle style, using her small stature and technique to dodge fluidly, while tapping into her Wind Sweeper Ability to boost her overall movement speed . She displayed genius-level reactions and coordination that would"ve made Micheal proud .

However, she couldn"t ignore reality .

The masked figure wasn"t even using any of his other Abilities, including the strange one that opened portals to help him . He was toying with her .

Her lungs felt like they were on fire and her arms as if they were made of lead . Sophia"s chest heaved as she gasped in air and raised her blade defensively once more .

The masked figure was in much better shape . A few small cuts could be seen in his black robes, but he was otherwise uninjured .

The man seemed to sigh with disappointment as he saw her stance . He shook his head silently and then stepped forward towards her . He raised his cross spear above her and then jumped forward, slamming it down towards her head in a lightning-fast strike .

"This is my chance!" Sophia didn"t hesitate .

Her eyes flashed as her Fairy Eyes Ability activated . At the same time, she stabbed forward with her flaming short sword, rus.h.i.+ng directly at the masked warrior .

For the first time in their duel, the masked warrior"s spear wavered . The fighter stumbled to a halt as his leaping attack fell flat, raising his arms defensively before him . At the same time, some type of light appeared beneath his robes as an Artifact activated .

Sophia batted aside the man"s spear, taking full advantage of his distraction . Her sword cut past the man"s guard and stabbed directly into his arms . A metallic "clink" echoed out as she collided with something hidden by the man"s robes .

As her weapon clashed with that, however, Sophia realized that her attack was actually falling short .

The man had reversed his momentum and leapt backwards, preventing her from following through . When she noticed this, her heart trembled .

"He recovered from my Fairy Eyes so quickly?!" She couldn"t believe what she was seeing .

She tried to push forward and continue her attack . However, as the man fell backwards, a transparent doorway formed underneath his body .

The man vanished into the doorway as the door flung open, tumbling back . In this same moment, a second gla.s.s doorway had formed a dozen meters away, in the middle of the rooftop .

The masked warrior rolled out onto the roof from here, leaping up to his feet in one smooth motion . He patted at his arms as the doorway vanished, tearing off several sc.r.a.ps of ripped and torn cloth . He revealed a set of beautiful, metal vambraces scarred by a long, melted cut .

"d.a.m.n . " Sophia looked at the damage Artifact resentfully . If she had been able to fully strike, her Intermediate Sword Energy would"ve given her the push she needed to cut through everything .

"Not bad . " The masked warrior spoke for the first time, his voice hoa.r.s.e . He seemed to have fully recovered from her Fairy Eyes, looking at her fearlessly as she stared back, aghast .

He noticed her shock and replied with a shrug . He pulled out a necklace that had been hidden under his robes, one that Sophia recognized instantly .

An Aura Nullification Necklace .

"What?! They knew about my Ability ahead of time?!" It was the only explanation she could think up as to why he would have this particular Defensive Artifact prepared ahead of time . According to Micheal, Artifacts like this one weren"t commonly used in the First Layer .

"I would like to continue our duel, but time is of the essence here . I am Number 6 . " The warrior introduced himself with a small bow .

"Playtime"s over . " He flicked his wrists slightly .

Two gla.s.s doorways appeared next to him . The doors shuddered as they settled into existence, as if under a large amount of strain .

Moments later, both doors opened up . Two additional masked figures appeared as they walked through the doorways .

One was a robed man with the number 9 emblazoned on his mask, accompanied by a trio of golden-furred wolves . The man carried himself with a confident air, sauntering out onto the rooftop . His wolves were huge, standing up to his shoulders in height . They growled and twitched as they looked at Sophia, as if they wanted to leap over and attack her immediately .

The other was a brown-skinned woman with the number 10 emblazoned on her mask . She had long, flowing black hair that went all the way down to her lower back . In her hands was a barbed, metal whip that sparkled faintly with electricity .

"This is her for sure, my Golden Wolves have locked right onto her . " Number 9 spoke cheerfully, gesturing at Sophia .

"You"ve already downed her teammate, Number 6? Good, good . " Number 10"s voice was even more cheerful, practically dripping with false care as she zeroed in on Sophia .

"Crane . So good to finally meet you . I"m Number 10 . " She nodded at Sophia sweetly,

"You and I are going to have a long, painful talk about your murdering friend, Heron . "

Sophia"s heart pounded as she stared at the powerful enemies that had appeared, despair trying to claw into her . One of them had already proven too much for her to handle . Two more of these masked enemies was more than enough to overwhelm her .

General Pedro"s safeguards when it came to having a private conversation meant none of the man"s warriors had heard her pleas for help . She was standing virtually alone at the moment .

She was, that is to say .

For, just moments later, as the three masked figures were fully focused on Sophia…

A man appeared, teleporting into existence behind the wolf-controlling Number 9 .

s.h.i.+n had a harried but determined expression on his face as he phased into existence, taking literally everyone except Sophia by surprise .

In his right hand was an ornate, black pistol covered in several white symbols .

This handgun was one he picked up from the Shop at the advice of some of the First and Second Wave veterans in the G.o.dfather Organization, back when he was training while waiting for Micheal to show up . While he hadn"t become super close with anyone, he"d made a few casual friends .

The Shop called it a "Soul Pistol . " It was a unique weapon that had cost s.h.i.+n 26,500 Points and was able to fire a very large variety of bullets .

It wasn"t an extremely powerful weapon . It was stronger than guns from Earth and could fire more powerful bullets, but it didn"t grant too many special powers . Other guns in the Shop could enhance a bullet to contain Elemental Energy or other special characteristics, giving them greatly increased power .

His Soul Pistol allowed him to imprint each bullet with a type of signature . Using that, he could slightly manipulate the trajectory of a bullet, tracking it with his Soul . It was a unique gun that, while not extremely powerful, would have a variety of uses for many people .

For s.h.i.+n, however… it was near perfect .

Throughout all of his training, he"d come to realize a few things .

It was extremely difficult to time his "Expand" Ability with all of his bullets .

When it came to regular bullets from Earth, he had a somewhat easier time . They were ordinary hunks of metal that moved quickly but were easy to lock onto if he prepared .

The Shop held a variety of different guns and bullets . The higher up the Points ladder one went, the more powerful and unique differing guns and bullets became .

Special bullets from the Shop moved faster and were made from mystical or magical types of metal . The bullets s.h.i.+n was currently using for his Soul Pistol were called Black Metal Bullets . Each bullet was the size of a 9mm round, yet surpa.s.sed some Anti-Tank bullet rounds in durability, speed, and piercing power . Each one cost him 400 Points to buy .

Normally, these bullets, and many of the powerful ones from the Shop, were very hard to lock onto and detect . This was a feature that most people would be pleased with . For s.h.i.+n, it could only be seen as a negative .

His Soul Pistol resolved that problem and was the weapon he would bring out whenever he was facing a serious threat .

And, in the exact moment that he teleported in, he had already raised his gun and pointed it directly at the back of Number 9"s head . He was positioned roughly 3/4ths of a meter away, so close it was impossible for him to miss .

By the time anyone realized he had warped in, s.h.i.+n had already pulled the trigger .

A black-colored bullet shot out from s.h.i.+n"s sleek handgun .

"Expand . " The mental command echoed in s.h.i.+n"s head as he activated his Limited Expand Ability, causing the bullet to rapidly swell in size .

By the time it reached the man"s head, it had already swollen up to the size of a bowling ball, s.h.i.+n"s current Expand limit for his bullets .

The huge bullet smashed into Number 9"s head…

And obliterated it, killing the powerful, vaunted, and infamous Supreme A Ranker before the man even had a chance to introduce himself .

.